photos by Zachary Alex Stern

"Major Lazer was wicked last night at Terminal 5. Made me act like a fool." - Jake Shears

HARD PACKED Terminal 5 full of sweaty bodies on Saturday night (4/3). Pacifiers, bright colors and eyes rolling back into people's heads were in abundance. Skimpily outfitted dancers often decorated the stage at what was otherwise mostly a DJ show. Destructo opened the night (but Zach missed them). Then came Russia's Proxy followed by Portugal's always-fun and lively (and mc-led) Buraka Som Sistema. Headliners of the night were Boys Noize who actually kept visuals to a minimum, and Major Lazer (aka Diplo and Switch) who, like at SXSW, kept things over the top. In Austin they had one kind of monster. In NYC there was a dragon.

HARD's next NYC party takes place in an even larger venue this summer...

Global trendsetter & cultural icon M.I.A. will make her 2010 national stage debut at HARD NYC on Saturday, July 24th at the South Island Field on Governors Island. In conjunction with M.I.A.'s NEET Recordings label, confirmed performers for this two-stage festival include Sleigh Bells, Theophilus London, Skream, Benga, Ninjasonik, 12th Planet, Nguzunguzu, Borgore, Destructo & much much more TBA.

Continue reading "Major Lazer, Boys Noize, Buraka Som Sistema & Proxy @ Terminal 5 in (HARD) NYC - pics "

words & photos by Andrew Frisicano

Wednesday - The Middle East @ Club DeVille (more by Tim Griffin)

I started toward MtyMx about 4 hours after my last SXSW show, so I haven't had much time to reflect on what happened in Austin - but before they become too irrelevant, here are some quick pictures and words of my personal highlights at the fest.

The Middle East covered the stage with an arsenal of instruments and percussion, bringing out a flute, a banjo, keys, an accordion, and a rain stick covered in bottle caps. Their set kicked off with a wobbling country-western number. "The Darkest Part" was a solemn, two-member affair, with the others jumping in as it progressed. And the barn-burning jams that built up to their finale, "Blood," brought to mind the more unhinged tunes Mumford & Sons (it clicked a moment later that they're touring together this May). Overall: a tight, short set (with a few nervous slips) in front of Club DeVille's cave-wall backdrop, which hopefully will lead into an engaging debut and tour.

Thursday - Thee Oh Sees @ (Spider House &) Lamar Pedestrian Bridge

I caught Thee Oh Sees twice on Thursday - once on the gorgeously sunny garden stage of the Spider House; once on a footbridge over Austin's Lady Bird Lake at 2am - and they played other shows as well. On the bridge the band traded songs with Home Blitz, who looked not-exactly-pleased to be standing in the freezing wind at 3am. Amps, a PA and a few worklights ran through a generator, and the assembled equipment threatened to topple over from the surging crowd. The band stretched out into extended jams that made the bridge literally shake. After a more than generous set, the crowd still prodded Dwyer and Co. for more, which they gave.

Friday - Billy Bragg @ MWTX Festival

Billy Bragg's set, to the wristbandless masses of MWTX (formerly Mess with Texas) focused nearly as much on politics as it did on music. He buttered up the crowd with "Help Save the Youth of America" and "To Have and Have Not" before speaking about healthcare reform, defeating the BNP and the ubiquity of corporations at SXSW ("This set is brought to you by my sponsor: Woody Guthrie."). His inspiring asides were genuine and welcome, and they lead into the crowd-pleasing closer, "A New England." He played again later on Friday night with a ton of guests.

Friday - Man or Astroman? @ MWTX Festival

On a completely different note, Man or Astroman? (back after a bit of a hiatus) headlined MWTX's south stage in full space regalia, with video flashing in the background and a pre-recorded narrator between songs. Their short burst of mostly instrumental surf-rock was anything but boring, and they closed it out by flicking on a huge Tesla coil.

Saturday - Major Lazer @ Carniville

My expectations were pretty low for Major Lazer, who were playing to an iced-over crowd on the massive, corporated-out stage at the Mexican-American Cultural Center (aka the Mad Decent/Iheartcomix/Jelly-presented Carniville for the fest), but they proved me wrong. The antics of hypeman Skerrit Bwoy and dancer Mimi made the frozen crowd erupt (the free T-shirts and foam guns being thrown off the stage helped too) - they mounted and humped everything in sight including crowdmembers, the rigging for the lights, and a ladder, which they used to dive onto each other for more dryhumping. Diplo got through most of Guns Don't Kill People, Lazers Do, with a brief assist from Ninjasonik. Did I mention the huge pink, furry monster on stage? He got some too.

Saturday - The Very Best (and then Freddie Gibbs) @ Scoot Inn

At Scoot Inn, the frigid evening grew on and most of the crowd there for the Pitchfork showcase stayed huddled around a campfire or in the bar's sauna-like interior - until The Very Best (who I missed opening for Major Lazer a few hours earlier). Esau, with a huge grin on his face, his co-mic-man (whose name I can't remember), a pair of dancers and DJ Johan Hugo all made good use of the short set. Their energy passed through the mic into crowd members for songs like "Julia" and "Warm Heart of Africa," which finished with plenty of the crowd on stage.

Freddie Gibbs, who I had never really gotten into before, was up next and seemed similarly unfazed by the cold as he rapped confidently about gangsta life. A handful of friends passed around a blunt and ceded the floor to Gibbs, who cooly made converts with his laid-back approach.

Saturday - Sleigh Bells @ Scoot Inn

Sleigh Bells brought the energy back up for the last set of the night (and for some, of SXSW). Despite being a relatively new commodity, both the band's halves, Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller, are assured, polished performers, and they made their appreciation for the crowd clear with their faultless set.

My many other highlights (bands I'll definitely be catching again in the future) included Califone (in NYC 3/30 & 3/31), La Strada, The Sandwitches, Kid Congo Powers, Private Life/Katie Stelmanis, Happy Birthday, Avi Buffalo, Man Man (who I've seen before, but seem to have a new thing going on) and Think About Life.

More pictures from all the sets above (and a ML video), are below...

Continue reading "SXSW 2010 highlights by AF (Thee Oh Sees on a bridge, Man or Astroman?, Major Lazer, Sleigh Bells, Billy Bragg, more) - pics"

DOWNLOAD: Major Lazer - Hold the Lines (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Major Lazer - Call Mi (Dave Kelly's Hold the Line) (MP3)

DJ duo Major Lazer will be down in SXSW for a set at Cedar Street Courtyard on Saturday, March 20th. They'll also be doing the just-announced Iheartcomix/Jelly/Mad Decent three-day day party at Austin's Mexican American Cultural Center.

After that, their shows include Camp Bisco and dates with Sleigh Bells and a number of summer fests around the world. They play NYC's Terminal 5 on April 3rd for HARD NYC, along with Boys Noize, Buraka Som Sistema (MC/DJ Set), Proxy, Destructo and others. Tickets are still on sale.

Sleigh Bells, who are also at SXSW, go on to tour with Yeasayer, who they play Webster Hall with on May 4th. They also have recently added a show at Market Hotel on May 11th. Sleigh Bells' Austin schedule (which includes the above-mentioned day party) is below.

Major Lazer's two halves - DJs Diplo and Switch - have sets of their own at SXSW. Diplo will be at the above-mentioned Mad Decent party, and will be putting on a gear demonstration at SXSW's Gear Alley Performance Stage at 2pm on Friday, March 19th (where he'll be showing off some Ableton, Korg and Audio-Technica gear). The stage is part of SXSW's new Gear Alley Expo in the Convention Center, which is open to all official showcasing bands and registrants. "Musicians can test out new gear there and it's next to our SXSW Showcasing Artist Lounge (where bands can get free chair massages, drinks, snacks, use a computer, or relax)."

Switch has a set at NYC's Webster Hall coming up on June 11th. Info TBA.

All tour dates and video of Major Lazer DJing at SXSW 2009's Fader Fort are below...

Continue reading "updated Major Lazer, Diplo, Switch & Sleigh Bells dates, Iheartcomix, Jelly, Mad Decent & SXSW Gear Expo in Austin"

Camp Bisco...

Camp Bisco 9, the three-day Upstate music fest put on by Disco Biscuits in its ninth year, will be happening July 15th-17th in Mariaville, NY, about 3 hours north of NYC. It's set to have two main stages, a DJ tent and a late night dance tent, and the initial lineup includes LCD Soundsystem, Ween, Girl Talk, Major Lazer, Diplo, Thievery Corporation, Gift of Gab and more. All of the currently announced acts are below.

Tickets are on sale now.

2009's fest included Nas, Chromeo, The Orb, Dr. Dog, Flying Lotus and Special Disco Version (LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy & Pat Mahoney)

Ween's next NYC-area show is in NJ on May 20th.

Still waiting for the next LCD Soundystem NYC show announcement. Meanwhile they've already announced Coachella, Bonnaroo and other dates (along with a new album).

More Camp Bisco info and a flyer are below...

Continue reading "Camp Bisco's 2010 lineup includes LCD Soundsystem, Ween, Girl Talk, Major Lazer, Thievery Corporation & more"

"Best Buy is kicking off the Club Beats experience by hosting several celebrations across the country with today's top music talent, including this Thursday November 19th @ the Best Buy store location in New York City's Union Square. Club Beats starts at 4pm with appearances by Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine (Charmain Interscope Geffen A&M Records), will.i.am, Major Lazer featuring Diplo & David Guetta special guest DJ performances."

Diplo DJ'd at the Woodie Awards at Roseland last night, and they also billed him as "Diplo from Major Lazer". I guess that is how he is known from now on?

Continue reading "Dr. Dre, Diplo, will.i.am & others DJing in Best Buy today"

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

Passion Pit and the Clipse -- featuring Cam'ron and Rick Ross -- have just been confirmed to perform at the sixth-annual Woodies, joining already-announced acts Death Cab for Cutie, the Dead Weather and Matt & Kim. Breakout Woodie nominees Passion Pit will be performing their breakout single "The Reeling," while the Clipse will take on a pair of tracks, teaming with Cam on "Popular Demand (Popeye's)" and Ross for "I'm Good." Genre-blurring DJ/producer Diplo, who lately has been spending time as one half of Major Lazer, has also been announced as the house DJ for the night.

But all the onstage action won't just be of the performance variety. On Monday (November 16), the Woodies also announced a slate of big-name presenters, including Pete Wentz, Zooey Deschanel, 3OH!3, Mary-Louise Parker, David Cross, Janelle Monáe, and Woodie of the Year nominee Asher Roth.

The 2009 mtvU Woodie Awards will take place this Wednesday [tonight] at the Roseland Ballroom in New York. The show will then premiere Friday, December 4, at 10 p.m. ET on mtvU, MTV, MTV2 and Palladia.

Continue reading "The Dead Weather played Music Hall of Williamsburg (pics), playing Woodies tonight w/ Passion Pit, Diplo & Clipse "

"Hard Fest" will bring a special summer electro-lineup to L.A. on August 8th. Tickets for that night, which features Underworld, Chromeo, Crystal Castles, Crookers and many others, are on sale now.

Some of that lineup (but not much of it) will be coming for Hard Fest NYC when the party visits Terminal 5 on Saturday, October 10th. The bill for that includes Crookers, Major Lazer (Soundsystem), Rusko, Jack Beats and Destructo. Tickets are on sale.

Other dance-themed festivals (if you can call this a festival) happening in NYC this summer include the Brooklyn Electronic Music Fest, and Electric Zoo on Randall's Island.

Major Lazer (Diplo + Switch) were just in NYC in June for a show at SOB's, which was accompanied by an in-store (to promote their debut) and a video shoot at Studio B.

A video clip from their SOB's gig, with a Hard Fest NYC flyer and the full L.A. lineup, below...

Continue reading "Hard Fest coming to LA (in August w/ Underworld) & NYC (in October @ Terminal 5 w/ Crookers, Major Lazer and more) "

Major Lazer (Diplo) @ Other Music - June 15, 2009 (knnth_stvns)

The DJ/producer duo Major Lazer (aka Diplo and Switch) are currently touring in support of their new album. On Saturday they played SOB's in NYC, and on Monday there was an Other Music in-store. Today (6/19) they make two appearances in Philly. This Saturday (6/20) they are scheduled to be in Baltimore AND DC. For that reason, I am guessing that won't actually be at the video shoot that is happening Saturday afternoon at Studio B in Brooklyn, but you can be...

Continue reading "Major Lazer video shoot @ Studio B Saturday ++ more dates"

DOWNLOAD: Major Lazer - Hold The Line (dj edit) w/ Santigold (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Evil Nine - Pearl Shot (Switch Remix) (MP3)

Major Lazer, the collaboration between producer-DJs Diplo and Switch, plays New York club SOBs on Saturday, June 13th. That show will feature an opening set by Ricky Blazer & The Stones. Tickets are still on sale.

The pair have also announced record shop instores to go along with their planned US tour. Their first instore will be at NYC's Other Music (15 E. 4th St) on Monday, June 15th (8pm, free, no purchase required). Diplo and Switch will DJ and sign copies of their debut record, Guns Don't Kill People, Lazers Do, out June 16th on Downtown Records. That disc is streaming now on the their MySpace.

Videos for Major Lazer songs "Hold The Line" featuring Mr. Lexx and Santigold and "Zumbie" featuring Andy Milonakis, with updated tour dates, are posted below...

Continue reading "Major Lazer is in town for a show & an in-store (all dates) "

DOWNLOAD: Major Lazer - Hold The Line (dj edit) w/ Santigold (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Evil Nine - Pearl Shot (Switch Remix) (MP3)

"On Saturday, June 13th Major Lazer (featuring Diplo and Switch) starts its international Tour of Duty at SOBs.

Major Lazer features legendary DJs Diplo and Switch, both renowned for their ability to get crowds dancing in high-energy and original shows. Diplo, known for his forward-thinking productions for artists such as MIA and Bonde Do Role, incorporates such disparate influences as Miami Bass and Baile Funk into his high-tech, eclectic sound. Switch is loved by critics and dancers alike, and is a leader among DJs. He recently contributed to Santigolds self-titled album to rave reviews. Together they've produced the first LP from Major Lazer, Guns Dont Kill People Lazers Do, set to drop June 16th.

Major Lazer draws from the rich dancehall tradition of Jamaica, and the futuristic dance-floor-killing aesthetic of Diplo and Switch. The sound is the result of global pop culture run through the filter of Major Lazers particular brand of 80s-inspired digital dancehall; it is at once an homage to a bygone era and a look to the future of dance music.

The story of Major Lazer is an interesting one. He has been described as a Jamaican commando who lost his arm in the secret Zombie War of 1984. He fights vampires and various monsters, parties hard, and has a rocket powered skateboard. He has enlisted the help of long-time allies and uber-producers, Diplo and Switch, to produce his first LP.

Combining the worlds best dance music to create a mix of sounds like you've never heard before, Major Lazer will surely start the tour off right on Saturday, June 13th. The set at SOBs will represent the best of many different musical influences that all share one important feature: the ability to get the dance party started."

Continue reading "Major Lazer = Diplo & Switch - 2009 tour dates, video, MP3"

1349 @ Nokia Theatre in 2008 (more by Ryan Muir)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* 1349 @ BB King's
* Les Paul @ Iridium
* Red Fang & Early Man @ Maxwell's
* Jason Anderson @ Pete's Candy Store
* Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers @ Santos Party House
* Pwrfl Power, The Silent League & others @ Glasslands
* Leo Allen, Reggie Watts & other comedians @ Lolita Bar (8pm, free)
* Janeane Garofalo, Eugene Mirman & other comedians @ UCB (11pm, free)
* Dan Auerbach, Hacienda & Those Darlins @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Cloud Room, Maps & Atlases, Pattern is Movement & So Many Dynamos @ Mercury Lounge

It snowed a lot!

Fresh off their appearance at the Scion Rock Fest in Atlanta this past weekend, Norway's 1349 bring their metal (and makeup) to BB King's tonight.

Look for My Morning Jacket's drummer in Dan Auerbach's band.

Congrats to the winners to today's U2 Letterman tapings. U2 is playing Fordham Friday.

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon premieres tonight with Van Morrison who just played two shows at the Theater at MSG over the weekend. Fallon's house band the Roots have a bunch of shows coming up at Highline Ballroom.

Lambchop played a secret show for the CIMS / AIMS convention in Nashville, TN on February 27th. Video below...

Antony Hegarty talked about his involvement in Lou Reed's "Berlin: Live at St. Ann's Warehouse", in the video below...

Diplo talks about Telepathe, in the video below...

Continue reading "What's going on Monday? (snow!)"

DOWNLOAD: Fan Death - Veronica's Veil (MP3)

"Fan Death are the best new disco act we've heard since we bigged up Hercules & Love Affair in January. The best and the most authentic-sounding: they're not nu rave, or an indie-dance band, or a guitar group using a funk undercarriage. They've got the slightly wonky strings, elegant mid-tempo rhythms and female vocals of disco, recalling the music's golden age - ie. between the release of Donna Summer's Love To Love You Baby in 1975 and the ritual burning of disco records in that baseball stadium in Chicago that signalled the death of disco in 1979. They're a girl duo who recognise that all the best disco records were sung by women, and they sing in the blank, distracted manner of all the finest disco divas. Really, they hardly sing at all - they open their mouths and pout and this spookily, exquisitely blank, almost Teutonic sound comes out....

...Some actual, proper facts: Fan Death are the protégés of glam-trash DJ Erol Alkan, who on his remix gives the single extra electroclash-y oomph on the handclaps and bass. They're adored by superstar tastemaker Diplo. They're the subjects of blog hysteria. And in a press release they declare their intention to be to "make music that recalls the greatest era of electronic pop: Depeche Mode, OMD, New Order, Human League, Soft Cell and Pet Shop Boys." [Guardian]

Watch their official video for "Veronica's Veil", and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Fan Death - 2009 Tour Dates (NYC @ Le Royale), video, MP3"

LCD Soundsystem, RJD2, Devendra Banhart, Mum, The Decemberists, Neon Neon, Devlin & Darko, My Morning Jacket, VHS or Beta, Diplo, Gnarls Barkley, Tim & Eric, Black Moth Super Rainbow, and Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings are among the artists contributing tracks to Causes 2, an album to benefit Darfur (out March 2009).

Causes 1 is out now and has tracks by Animal Collective, Bloc Party, Death Cab, Spoon, The Shins, Bright Eyes, Cornelius and many others.

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and the Decemberists are also among the artists who contributed to Dark Was the Night, a new comp to benefit the Red Hot Organization which will be released in February.

Sharon Jones just announced some tour dates. My Morning Jacket will be at MSG on New Years Eve.

A video trailer for Causes 2, below...

Continue reading "Causes 2 - a new CD comp for Darfur w/ LCD Soundystem, My Morning Jacket, Decemberists, Sharon Jones & many more"

by Ryan Barkan

Gogol Bordello @ Irving Plaza (more by Jefferson)

The second edition of this controversial new feature is back. "It's Not Selling Out Anymore" (or is it?)...

Aggressive racing game, Motorstorm, was one of the most successful titles for the Playstation 3 in 2007 (selling over three million copies world wide). It was only natural then, that Sony Computer Entertainment would get a sequel out in 2008. Enter Motorstorm: Pacific Rift. The game recently hit shelves in the US at end of October and in the UK this past week. The TV spot announcing the new game brilliantly matched Motorstorm's crazy, edgy style of racing on tracks in exotic locations with the "authentic energy" of Gogol Bordello's "Wonderlust King." Watch the video of the commercial below. Gogol Bordello tour dates are HERE.

While Gogol did not make the in-game soundrack, David Bowie, Clutch, Megadeth, The Hives, Simian Mobile Disco, Death From Above 1979, and more all made the cut. Eight of the forty-five songs are exclusive to the game including a remix by Diplo of Nirvana's "Swap Meet" *.

Speaking of exclusives, The Ramones' classic jam "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker" was covered by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and singer Jemina Pearl (from the now defunct Be Your Own Pet). Their version exclusively premiered in this past week's episode of Gossip Girl. Love & Rockets made the episode too...though not as an exclusive.

Other Notable Licensing News:

On the tube, One Tree Hill had songs by Ra Ra Riot and Margot & the Nuclear So-So's; 90210 had Florence & The Machine, The Raconteurs, and The Bravery; Grey's Anatomy had The Bird And The Bee, Whitest Boy Alive, and Brett Dennon.

M83's "You, Appearing" provides a solemn background to a French commercial for Douleurs' "Pain Without Borders" commercial. Watch the video below. M83 is currently on a tour of the US (and in NYC this week).

Cadbury's new "Favourites" commercial features the song "Stars and Sons" by Canadian supergroup Broken Social Scene. Watch the video below. Pics from the band's recent show at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple can be seen HERE.

Supreme continues its love for musical collaborations with the announcement of a Bad Brains x Supreme collection. The line consists of a couple hoodies, a t-shirt, and two different styles of Vans shoes. Bad Brains have been busy lately playing shows in Austin, NYC and elsewhere.

Vans recently released its fourth Iron Maiden tribute shoe, this time featuring the artwork from the Powerslave album. The Sk8-Hi and slip on models are available at the vans online store as well as local distributors.

Videos below...

Continue reading "It's Not Selling Out Anymore -- This Week in Music Licensing"

"Indeed, I will be liveblogging the election coverage for four hours. Four fucking hours of me scanning through all the election coverage -- the three majors, MSNBC, FOX, CNN and, God help me, PBS. Why not drop by at INDECISION 2008? Would it kill you?* (*If it would literally kill you, please don't)" [Patton Oswalt]

For more election-related ideas on how to spend this evening, check out our own full list (and don't forget to look in the comments for even more).

Ben Stiller, Beastie Boys, Diplo, Santogold and others appear in the official Get Out and Vote video below...

Continue reading "Patton Oswalt & Diplo doing live election stuff tonight"

by Showtrotta

DOWNLOAD: Diplo vs Telepathe Mad Decent mix (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Little Jinder - Polyhedron (Black Holes Remix) (zSHARE MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Little Jinder - Polyhedron (The Boys and Girls Club Remix) (zSHARE MP3)

Boy 8 Bit

Thursday night (10/16) I'm most looking forward to seeing Diplo, Abe Vigoda, Telepathe, and Boy 8-Bit at Webster Hall. The show is part of the Mad Decent 2008 Tour. Out of those four Abe Vigoda (who played a couple of other shows in the NYC area this week) and Telepathe (who played the Seaport in July among other places recently) haven't really been on my radar. I just recently heard a couple of Telepathe tracks and wasn't into them. With Diplo, things have been the opposite as he and his label, Mad Decent, are inescapable at this point. After trying to avoid him for a long time, catching a little bit of one of his dj sets at Studio B, and hearing a good mix he had done back in March (which you can download from one of my posts from last month) I have finally yielded to the Diplo hype. Removed from all of that, out of those four acts, I highly recommend Boy 8 Bit. Back in March he swung through New York with very little warning, delivering a refreshing set of both old and new UK bangers to a very appreciative crowd assembled at Glasslands for a Thursday night Trouble & Bass party...

Continue reading "Diplo & Boy 8 bit kick off tour, the Thursday night in Dance"

For 10 days the rooftop, located on 10th Avenue and 36th street, will be a perfect end of summer hang-out. High above the Hudson River, the MINI Rooftop NYC will feature a daytime wellness area and an open creative space. The daily events include a "Morning Sanctuary" (Yoga and Pilates in the open), "Studio Sessions" for talks and a nightly "Lounge and Celebration" Party. The not to be missed opening and closing parties are in collaboration with Dazed and Confused and V magazines. The location is built by Matthias Hollwich and Marc Kushner aka HWKN, an architecture firm focusing on the creation of innovative and responsible manmade environments. Apart from the Rooftop itself, The MINI Space website will be the other spot to see what's going on up there. Videos and report backs will be regularly uploaded. It will also be the way to sign up for special events and parties. If you want to be a part of this event, make sure you sign up to stay on top of what's going down. Or up!

DOWNLOAD: Esau Mwamwaya, Santogold, M.I.A & Radioclit - Get it up (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Santogold & Diplo, Guns Of Brooklyn (Doc and Jon Hill Dub) (MP3)

"You might have heard this song on the SANTOGOLD VS DIPLO CD,but Radioclit went back to the studio with our boy Esau Mwamwaya to make it even even better. Check for it on the new Esau Mixtape out soon also Radioclit "Secousse" is out on Beatport right now. Also keep your eyes peeled for the Paul Devro Remix to surface sometime soon." [Mad Decent blog]

Mad Decent is going on tour. Santogold's new video for "Lights Out" is below...

Continue reading ""MIA + SANTOGOLD + ESAU ON DA SAME TRACK!!!""

photos by Chris La Putt

Abe Vigoda @ The Yard, Brooklyn, NY - July 12, 2008

"Mad Decent presents DIPLO w/ Abe Vigoda, Boy 8 Bit, Telepathe, and Special Guests". That's how the tour that kicks off October 16th in NYC is being billed. Tickets for the Webster Hall show are now on sale (@ noon) (you can check the presale too).

Diplo/Mad Decent recently contributed to a RMXOLOGY CD and a Sunny Day Sets Fire remix EP.

Telepathe also has a NYC show scheduled with TV on the Radio.

Abe Vigoda was in NYC in July. One of the shows they played was at South Street Seaport. Another was at The Yard. More pictures from The Yard show, and all tour dates (and the Mad Decent tour poster), below....

Continue reading "Mad Decent 2008 tour dates (Diplo, Abe Vigoda & Telepathe)"

DOWNLOAD: The Pharcyde - Passin' Me By (Hot Chip Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Fatlip - What's Up Fatlip? (Breakbot RMX) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Aaron LaCrate & Debonair Samir- Young MC 'Know How Theme' (MP3)

RMXXOLOGY features Delicious Vinyl classics by the likes of Tone-Loc, The Pharcyde, Masta Ace, The Brand New Heavies, and Born Jamericans re-imagined by artists including Peaches, Eminem, Diplo, Hot Chip, Phillipians, Ed Banger's Mr. Flash, and Bobby Evans. The singles for the album have been burning up the charts in the UK and here in the US.

Continue reading "The Pharcyde remixed by Hot Chip (and other MP3s)"

As I already alluded to at the end of yesterday's post, there are a quite a few different dance events coming up this weekend - parties, afterparties, indoor, outdoor, in warehouses, on roofs, in galleries - but first you have to make it through Thursday and Friday which offer the following options:

Continue reading "Thursday & Friday night in Dance w/ Showtrotta"

DOWNLOAD: The Black Ghosts - Repetition (Diplo Remix) (MP3)

The Dodos @ Cake Shop, NYC - July 17, 2008 (forklift)

today in NYC
* FREE STUFF
* The Siren Festival
* Yaz @ Beacon Theater
* Matmos @ (le) poisson rouge
* USAISAMONSTER @ Silent Barn
* Rooftop Films w/ Pwrfl Power
* The Black Ghosts @ Studio B
* The Siren afterparty @ Music Hall of W
* Girls, Nite Jewel & Rings @ Glasslands
* Karsh Kale performing Enter the Dragon in Prospect Park
* Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson & Kyp Malone @ Cake Shop
* Calavera Conspiracy & Dillinger Escape Plan @ Irving Plaza
* Sic Alps, Meth Teeth, Religious Knives & caUSE co-MOTION! @ DBA

Meth Teeth, a good lo-fi band from "Kerby st./ Seattle/Goose Hollow, Oregon" is now on tour. Check them out tonight at Death By Audio (see great lineup above) and Sunday at Don Pedro's.

Tickets are still on sale for the Last Shadow Puppets show at Grand Ballroom.

"Dark Knight" breaks preview record

James Brown's children sorry to see memorabilia auctioned.

Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, Steven Tyler, Roger Daltry of the Who, John Mellencamp, Don Henley, and Tony Bennett, and all made guest appearances at one of Billy Joel's two "last plays" at Shea Stadium.

What else?

DOWNLOAD: Mystery Jets - hideaway (Switch remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Switch x Mystery Jets - hideaway (Diplo edit) (MP3)

Mystery Jets (video shoot)

Catch Switch this Friday at the Museum of Natural History in NYC. Watch the newest Mystery Jets video below...

Continue reading "Switch x Mystery Jets - hideaway (Diplo edit) (MP3)"

A-Trak @ Hiro Ballroom, NYC - Apr 10, 2008 (thecobrabird)

Fool's Gold around the world....

Continue reading "A-Trak, Diplo & Santogold playing Summerstage, other places"

DOWNLOAD: DJ Kombada - Spacial Mix (MP3)

"The residents of Dharavi, allegedly Asia's biggest slum, are thriving in hardship"
[-----The Economist]

The best part of the whole night was how everyone, like everyone of every color danced their ass off. I had a couple people from workshop say they haven't danced in years and they danced the whole night. So anyways at 10:30 we shut it down, we all ate samosas and called it a day. Damn, you can't capture that on camera or film (literally my camcorder showed up pitch black) it probably the craziest party i ever played and it was drugless and alcoholess. [Paul Devro on Mad Decent]