tUnE-yArDs is releasing a 12" single for w h o k i l l's "Gangsta" on September 27 via 4AD. The 12" features the album version of the track, an Ad Rock (of Beastie Boys) remix, a Cut Chemist Remix, the instrumental version, and a cappella version. The artwork (above) was designed by Merrill's sister Ruth Garbus (of Happy Birthday). You can download a free MP3 of the Ad Rock remix from a widget below. The single is also available for pre-order at the Beggars Group webstore as LP/MP3/Flac.

tUnE-yArDs will head out on a headlining tour this fall, which includes shows happening on September 19 and 20 at Le Poisson Rouge. Tickets for both shows are still on sale and we're giving away one pair to your date of choice. Details on how to win are below.

Widget and contest details below...

Continue reading "tUnE-yArDs remixed by Ad Rock (free MP3 & a chance to win tickets to Le Poisson Rouge)"

photos by Oliver Correa / HiFi Cartel

Cut Chemist @ CMJ

Tickets are still available for DJ Shadow's 11/15 show at Irving Plaza, but the cratedigger/producer extraordinaire has added a second and cheaper show the following day at Brooklyn Bowl with Pigeon John (11/16, tickets). All DJ Shadow dates are listed below.

Meanwhile, Shadow's sometime partner Cut Chemist paid NYC a visit during CMJ, trotting out some new tunes at the invite-only Red Bull Space. A few pictures from that party where he shared a bill with Spinna, are in this post. His new LP, entitled Sound of The Police, is out now (and fully streamable) on Bandcamp, and features "Adidas to Addis" available for free download.

Cut Chemist is also on board to play The Echoplex in LA on 10/30 as part of the 20th anniversary of Ninja Tune Records. The full lineup includes Amon Tobin, Kid Koala, DJ Food & TX, and many others. Ninjatune is also celebrating their anniversary with a show in NYC, with a similar lineup but without Cut Chemist, at Santos on 10/28. That is is now sold out.

All Shadow and Chemist dates, with more pictures and videos from the Red Bull Space, below...

Continue reading "DJ Shadow adds more dates, Cut Chemist played CMJ"

Local Natives @ Sasquatch 2010 (more by Chris Graham)

There is so much going on tonight. Here are two more sort-of-options.

Local Natives (who have two shows coming up at Webster Hall) are playing their only CMJ-week show at a secret venue for SPIN and Ray Ban with Titus Andronicus (who play two more shows Saturday - ours and Pitchfork's). The SPIN show is invite-only, but I have a pair of tickets to giveaway. Oh and Geologist from Animal Collective is spinning. Details and flyer below.

Also on the sort of invite-only tip is Cut Chemist who is playing a record release party at the Red Bull Space. The difference here, is that the address is on this flyer (below), and Cut Chemist posted the RSVP info too.

All Local Natives tour dates are down there, with contest details and flyers, too....

Continue reading "Local Natives play SPIN/Ray Ban show w/ Titus Andronicus tonight (win tix), Cut Chemist is @ Red Bull Space"

The Ninja Tune XX box set contains the following stuff which is 100% exclusive to the set and unavailable anywhere else in the world:

- 2 x CDs + 6 x 7"s featuring new tracks from Mr Scruff, Toddla T, Kid Koala, Wagon Christ, Jaga Jazzist, King Geedorah, DJ Food, Kyle Hall, The Heavy, The Qemists, King Cannibal, Blockhead and unreleased archive tracks from The Cinematic Orchestra and Roots Manuva AND new remixes from Modeselektor, Cut Chemist, Zomby, Scuba, Dorian Concept, EL-P, The Bug, King Jammy, Matthew Herbert, Rustie, Prefuse 73, cLOUDDEAD, 808 State, The Orb, Tom Middleton, Gold Panda, JME, Alix Perez, Joe Goddard (Hot Chip), Doomed (Richard Russell) and Roots Manuva. See tracklists [HERE>].

Meanwhile, Ninja Tune is celebrating 20 years, and in addition to the box set, that means parties. Tickets are on sale now for an October 28th show at Santos Party House with sets by Amon Tobin, Kid Koala, DJ Food & DK, Poirier Toddla T & Serocee, DJ Kentaro, and Eskmo.

Two days later, almost the same lineup plays Echo/Echoplex in LA, though they also get Cut Chemist

Eskmo is one of Ninja Tune's newest signings. Check out a video along with 10 streaming tracks from the box set, info on a new book, and more, below...

Continue reading "Cinematic Orchestra on Ninja Tune XX box set, but not in NYC tonight (or on the XX party lineups -- Santos show on sale)"

by Ryan Barkan

Advertising agencies make lots of online commercials. You know, spots made not for television, but with the hope the brand's message will spread virally on the net in an organic way. Though lots of them never catch steam like a rickroll, the new Guitar Hero World Tour "Bike Hero" video has already been watched over one million times. The creative takes The Living End's "Prisoner of Society" and turns it into a live action, first person bike ride through the song's playable level in GHWT. It's a pretty cool idea with amazing execution and a slight bit of computer magic. Watch the video below.

Other Notable Licensing News:

Bishop Allen played two shows in NYC over the weekend. They are a band that has benefited from some key licensing placements in the last year. The band appeared and performed in the recent Michael Sera movie, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. Watch the scene below. The song they performed, "Middle Management", was also on the soundtrack and used in the film's trailer. They were also used in a commercial for Sony digital cameras late last year - watch the spot here.

Crayola goes indie-cool this holiday season with Dan Deacon and Lightspeed Champion songs in the campaign for the new Glow Station (via Pitchfork). Watch the spots below.

The new holiday commercial from LL Bean features "Valley Winter Song" by Fountains Of Wayne.

Danish band The Blue Van rock the soundtrack to the new Samsung Behold commercial. Watch below.

While enjoying college football on Saturday, I heard Nick Drake's "Place To Be" used in a promo spot for Michigan State. That video is below too.

I have a bunch of friends that can not get enough of the show Top Chef. Some of those friends are also crazy for the Foo Fighters (editor's note: with friends like that who needs enemies? JUST KIDDING. Actually that doesn't even make sense...). Those friends will be in heaven when TC goes "Foo Fighters Thanksgiving" this upcoming November 26th. The episode taped during a tour stop in Rochester, NY; the band will guest judge the few remaining contestants. Apparently, TC is Dave Grohl's favorite show.

You may have heard A-Ha's classic jam "Take On Me" before. It is/was a popular song and video. So popular, A.C. Newman is going to cover it for an upcoming Valentine's Day compilation for Starbucks. Even more so, you can take it on karaoke-style in the new video game by Microsoft, LIPS. The pretty clever commercial for the game uses the song as well. Watch it below.

The game's soundtrack also includes songs by The Police, Coldplay, Duffy, The Cure, Peter, Bjorn, & John, Radiohead, and more.

Nintendo DS and Wii players can now get their skateboard on while on the go with the release of EA's Skate It. The soundtrack contains tracks by Cut Chemist, Fujiya & Miyagi, Judas Priest, The Clash, Sly & the Family Stone, and more.

continued below...

Continue reading "This week in Music Licensing "

Cut Chemist @ McCarren Pool (more by Zach Dilgard)

today in NYC & NJ
* FREE STUFF
* Bob Mould @ Maxwell's
* George Michael @ MSG
* Ambulance LTD @ Rehab
* Richard Lloyd @ Southpaw
* Music At The Brooklyn Bridge
* Anti-Pop Consortium @ a store
* Laurie Anderson @ Rose Theater
* Orphan and Krallice @ Union Pool
* Mark Knopfler & Jesca Hoop @ Summerstage
* Martha Wainwright & Justin Bond @ Highline Ballroom
* The Punch Brothers w/ Chris Thile @ Stuyvesant High School *

Justin Bond of Kiki & Herb is opening for Martha Wainwright tonight.

* The Punch Brothers show was moved inside due to the chance of rain.

Music helped George Michael's depression.

Loud music makes people drink more.

Kid Rock Sentenced To Year Of Probation For Waffle House Brawl

In case you missed it, the new Devendra Banhart video is below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday?"

photos by Zach Dilgard

Before firing up their decks at the McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn on Thursday night, DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist cleared the stage for an instructional film, projected onto two backdrop screens. Beginning with a brief history of the 45-r.p.m. record, the film moved on to the logistics at hand. "All audio is being delivered via vinyl on eight turntables into four mixers," a voice declared, in the plummy tone of a 1950s studio announcer. That may not sound like an applause line, but at this show it drew exuberant cheers.
[NY Times]

The Atlantic City show at House of Blues was weird. The low-ceiling room was on the 2nd floor of a casino off the boardwalk, above slot machines. There was no stage. There were no chairs. There was a little bar in the back. There was some art on the walls. Everyone had to stand in a semi-circle around the two deejays as they mixed songs on a table and projected stuff on to screens behind them. The screens were also basically at floor level. Two big stacks of speakers were placed in each corner of the tables on the floor. The sound was not very good. If the show was more packed (it wasn't that packed), it would have been impossible to see anything for most people there, especially short people. It must have been weird for Shadow & Chemist to go from headlining the huge McCarren Pool with a big stage and giant video screens one day, to that AC show one day later. It was the first time I went to House of Blues in Atlantic City, but as far as I could tell they have multiple rooms for shows. I don't think that's the same room Al Green is playing in. More pics from McCarren below....

Continue reading "DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist (Hard Sell) played McCarren Pool (pics) & House of Blues in AC"

DJ Spooky

Speaking of cool, Shadow and Cut are teaming up with the brain-teasing DJ Spooky, recent author of Sound Unbound, for a show at McCarren Park Pool on July 17. Spooky will be tackling the afterparty and remixing the Stax back catalog as ably as he did the Trojan vaults over the last couple of years.

It's times like these I wish I lived in Brooklyn. [WIRED]

P.S. Professor Murder are playing Music Hall for free on August 22nd.

The Hard Sell (aka DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist) added a few more tour dates since the Brooklyn & AC announcement. The Brooklyn show is at McCarren Pool and tickets are still on sale. The Mariaville show is called Camp Bisco and MSTRKRFT, !!!, LA Riots and Snoop Dogg are also on that bill. The rest of the currently-announced lineup for that three day festival, and all Hard Sell dates, below....

Continue reading "updated Hard Sell tour dates & Camp Bisco 7's initial lineup "

Tickets are on sale (@ 10) for the upcoming DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist show at McCarren Pool in Brooklyn.

DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist have three currently-announced shows coming up. One is TONIGHT...in Australia. The others are July 17th at McCarren Pool (tix on sale Friday) and the very next day at House of Blues in AC (tix on sale Saturday). All (of those three) dates below....

Continue reading "DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist playing Brooklyn & Atlantic City"

After a stop in Philly tonight (Jan 25), DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist (aka The Hard Sell) reach NYC for two sold-out shows at Irving Plaza this weekend. Brandon Wu's photos from last night's show in DC (one of which is above) give us an idea of what to expect (lots of turntables).

DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist ("The Hard Sell") added a 2nd NYC show at The Fillmore at Irving Plaza in NYC. Tickets are now on sale for January 26th (old show) and January 27th (new show). They've also announced a bunch of other shows since we last spoke. All dates below...

Continue reading "DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist - 2008 Tour Dates, 2nd NYC show"

DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist are The Hard Sell - 8 turntables, 4 mixers & 2 effects pedals. A CD and DVD are coming soon, and tickets go on sale Friday for a January 26th (2008) show at the Fillmore NY Irving Plaza.

A full tour will be announced shortly, but in the meantime, the other known dates are below....

Continue reading "DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist (The Hard Sell) - tour in 2008"