photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

For those who experienced and loved ATP America's festivals in Monticello, NY, it may have been difficult to imagine how a change of location, from upstate New York to the New Jersey shore, could possibly improve and enhance the unique and uncanny event that it was known to be. Well, it has.

Friday afternoon the fans, followers and leaders of All Tomorrow's Parties arrived in Asbury Park, NY, a town that only five or so years ago was known for its high crime rate and abandoned boardwalk. It's likely that this decadence, however, is precisely what draws the festival and its goers to a new spot on the map, a mere hour south of New York City. Although the rain dampened the ground here at Asbury Park, it did not extinguish the ATP fire that was sparked on stage by Chavez, Reggie Watts with his knee-slapping musical spoofs (ironically fit for a music festival), event regulars Shellac, Hannibal Buress and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, The Album Leaf and the absorbing Jeff Mangum (of Neutral Milk Hotel). -[Dossier]

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Edan

Here is a full set of pictures I'll Be Your Mirror Friday. They continue below...

Continue reading "I'll Be Your Mirror 2011 -- pics from Asbury Park ATP Friday (Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Shellac, Cults, Chavez, Edan & more)"

Edan @ ATP NY 2008 (more by Zach Dilgard)

ATP SAYS:

Today we can confirm that the fantastic Edan will join the Friday line-up of I'll Be Your Mirror USA, bringing one of his renowned DJ sets to the Berkeley Hotel.

We can also confirm the film schedule as presented by the Criterion Collection - which includes appearances from Robert Downey Sr presenting Putney Swope and Stan Warnow presenting Deconstructing Dad about his father Raymond Scott as part of the Lapham's Quarterly Literature Stage. Click here to check out the full film schedule.

Today we have also updated our Accommodation list - new accommodation options are being added all the time, but everything on the page now has been checked in the last 24 hours and has availability.

We will be emailing all ticketholders in the next few days with a full letter giving information on check-in and other important details - keep an eye on your inbox for that (we will post it here too.)

Check-in where you will exchange your festival tickets for wristbands will take place in the Berkeley Hotel from 12 noon each day. Note if you have a Jeff Mangum Weekend Pass, when you check-in we will be giving each of you a physical ticket detailing your seat for the performance you are attending - this is to avoid people queuing throughout the day (which would cause a hazard and make you miss everything else going on!).

And finally here are the Stage Times for the event. Note that Thought Forms now perform on Sunday instead of Saturday...

Set times below...

Continue reading "ATP NJ adds Edan, announces set times & more"

by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: Blu - "Amnesia" (MP3)

Blu

Jazzy West Coast rapper Blu plays Public Assembly on September 23 with Ari Why & The Invisible College and Voli. Blu released the Amnesia EP earlier this year, which included the track of the same name. You can download that track above and watch the video below. He is set to release his major label debut LP, NoYork! at some point this year, though no official date has been set yet. The album features production by frequent collaborator Exile, Flying Lotus, Samiyam, Madlib, and Daedelus and guest vocals by J*Davey, Edan, and others. Blu & Exile also play Rock the Bells in NYC this weekend with Fashawn.

Sean Price will also play the Brooklyn venue on September 30 with Natural Elements, Maffew Ragazino, Rasheed Chappell, Johnny 3 Rounds, Stark the Dutch, Zeps, and Ugly Brains. The flier for this show is below. Sean Price will also be at Rock the Bells this weekend as part of the supergroup Random Axe with Black Milk and Guilty Simpson.

Video and show flier below...

Continue reading "Blu & Sean Price playing Rock the Bells & Public Assembly (dates, MP3 & video)"

EDAN LIKE MUSIC.
EDAN BORN IN LATE SEVENTIES.
EDAN HAVE LOVING PARENTS WHO SUPPORT HIM & RAISE HIM GOOD. NO SMOKING. NO FIGHTING. JUNK FOOD SOMETIMES.
EDAN HEAR BEATLE MUSIC & DOO-WOP ROCKING ROBIN.
EDAN PLAY PIANO.
PIANO TEACHER SAYS EDAN NOT GOOD AT PIANO.
EDAN SAY FUCK YOU SHUTUP.
EDAN HEAR ROCK AND ROLL JIMI HENDRIX.
EDAN LIKE IN HENDRIX JIMMY PAGE JOHN BONHAM.
EDAN PLAY GUITAR AND LIKE IN N.W.A. BAD WORDS.
EDAN LIKE IN RAPP EMCEES RHYME-IT.
EDAN PLAY IN BASS JAZZ.
EDAN MAKING BEATS FOUR TRACK.
EDAN MAKING RHYME-IT.
EDAN DO IT HIMSELF.

The above is an abridged version of the Humble Magnificent's bio, and you can catch Edan when he plays Southpaw on May 25th with Paten Locke, Willie Evans Jr, and Fresh Daily. Tickets for the Brooklyn are on sale. The Southpaw appearance is his fourth NYC show in the past year, as he recently appeared with Beans/Anika at Santos, at Knitting Factory (with surprise guest Mr. Lif), and on the tables at Brooklyn Bowl. Edan recently finished up a European tour with Paten Locke.

In other hip hop news, that Mobb Deep show at Best Buy Theater is coming up even sooner.

by BBG

Anika's new and self-titled LP skirts the lines between funk, no-wave, goth, dub, and a mish-mosh of many other genres with Nico-style vocals in front. It's odd, but very compelling, and her accompaniment is nothing short of on point which is to be expected when Beak> (Geoff Barrow of Porsishead, Billy Fuller and Matt Williams) is your backing band. Barrow also produced the record which you can listen to in its entirely below. Watch a video of her Yoko-Ono cover "Yang Yang" down there too. Pick up a copy of the record at her label Stones Throw.

Though Anika has no North American live tour dates scheduled, she will be on hand to DJ a ton of events in the next couple weeks - once in LA and six times in NYC. Three of those NY appearances are free: 2/10 she'll be at Gallery Bar with Blu Jemz, 2/12 at Trophy Bar & 2/14 at The Commodore. The remaining three NY DJ appearances are at Mercury Lounge on 2/9 spinning between sets at the Cubic Zirconia show (tickets), Glasslands on 2/11 where she'll spin in between sets by Javelin, High Life, & Monster Rally (tickets), and finally Santos Pary House on 2/16 as part of the previously discussed Beans show which now also includes Edan(!) with Paten Locke & Bluebird (tickets).

Anika will be performing live sometime later in the U.S. - maybe at the Portishead-curated I'll Be Your Mirror in NJ (maybe sooner), and definitely at the Portishead-curated I'll Be Your Mirror in London. I'll Be Your Mirror USA single day tickets are still on sale.

All upcoming dates, that video, and the album stream, below...

Continue reading "Listen to the Geoff Barrow-produced Anika, see her DJ (at least 7 times in February)"

by BBG

"Edan and Paten Locke last night at The Knitting Factory... the illest rap show I've seen in years..." -junksciencerap

"Edan at knitting factory, so dope." -moesuli

"I felt weird wearing a Mr. Lif shirt when Mr. Lif came on stage. I left as soon as the encore ended. I didn't wanna be #thatguy. #nogroupie" -greenspam

Edan and Mr Lif at Knitting Factory on Tuesday (via & via)

" In his finale set, Edan did it accapella, spitting a, what seemed like, infinite rhyming masterpiece without missing a beat or taking a breath. He brings a level of intellectualism to his lyricism and it shows with his fan base, many of who remained after the show ended in small clusters to discuss the performance." [DD172]

Mr. Lif also made an unannounced appearance at Tuesday's Edan show (8/24) at Knitting Factory which doubled as a screening for Edan's film, 'Echo Party'.

And another Edan Brooklyn show has been announced. This time he'll appear as part of a "Bowling for Beats" event at Brooklyn Bowl on 9/26 which will be co-headlined by Pete Rock and Prince Paul, with other sets from J-Zone, and J57 (Brown Bag All-Stars), and Psycho Les (of the Beatnuts). Tickets should be on sale soon.

And while we're "Bowling for Beats", why not get "Lyrics To Go", as DJ Evil Dee, Mr. Walt, the X Factor Boogie Blind, and New Beatminerz will spin at a Labor Day party at Brooklyn Bowl on September 5. Tickets are on sale.

Questlove will spin at Brooklyn Bowl every Thursday in September. On 8/31, he and his crew The Roots will be the focus of a listening party for their upcoming LP Wake Up! with John Legend. The event is free, but the upcoming Roots/John Legend live show at Terminal 5 on 9/23 is NOT. Tickets are on sale Monday (8/30) at noon.

Video of Edan at Knitting Factory is below...

Continue reading "Mr Lif joined Edan @ Knitting Factory, Edan joins Pete Rock & Prince Paul @ Brooklyn Bowl (and other upcoming events)"

by BBG

Edan at ATP NY 2008 (more by Zach Dilgard)

The last time I was able to catch the Humble Magnificent live and in the flesh was almost two years ago, at the first showing of ATP New York. Now Edan will bless NYC with a show at Knitting Factory on August 24th with Paten Locke. Tickets are on sale. The show will include a screening of Edan's Echo Party, the accompanying video to his 2009 mixtape of the same name:

[Video director Tom] Fitzgerald, a film archivist from Los Angeles, is best known for his work directing videos for Cut Chemist. His trademark style is in evidence here as he splices footage from diverse sources to create a synchronised and expressive accompaniment to Edan's record.

Dig on a clip from that, as well as some live videos, below.

Continue reading "Edan schedules a show (date & live videos) "

photos by Zach Dilgard, words by Black Bubblegum

British experimentalist Alexander Tucker kicked off ATP day two (9/20) with looping pedals and acoustic instruments (cello, guitar). A very interesting artist to start my day with and worth further investigation.

Next came ATP's own Apse and their triple guitar attack. They had some truly soaring moments.

Growing and their effects-laden noise drones sounded great on stage two, though sometimes I find it hard to watch a knob-twiddling live show.

Probably my biggest surprise of the day was The Drones who were urgent, angular, and punky. I was familiar with some of their work through a certain Vegan pal of mine. I will be familiar with more and won't miss them next time they make it to NYC (Philly, Richmond & DC have the chance over the next three days).

The Drones

continued below...

Continue reading "ATP NY day 2 - Om, Drones, Apse, Low, Lightning Bolt, more"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Mr Lif - "Presidential Report, Vol. 1" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Mr Lif - "Presidential Report, Vol. 2" (MP3)

Mr Lif returns! The now former Def Jux representative has inked a NYC show in his calendar, Nov 4th at the Knitting Factory, with P.Casso & the A-OK Collective plus Breezy Brewin' (of indie hip hop heroes The Juggaknots). Tickets are on sale.

Mr Lif dropped Mo Mega on Def Jux in 2006, but 2009 will see the release of his new record I Heard It Today on his OWN label Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises. Due on Inauguration Day (January 20th), Lif will drop "1-2 songs every three weeks until Election Day" and one song following the election with his "post-electoral thoughts". All the songs will be collected and released with bonus unreleased material as I Heard It Today. J-Zone, Edan, and Illmind have all contributed production to I Heard It Today (you'll only be able to catch Edan perform this weekend at ATP with special guest Dagha).

Mr Lif has been commenting on the news via a series of free tracks he calls "Presidential Reports" (first two available for download above). Lif is also videoblogging on his "I Heard It Today News Network".

The Knitting Factory show will be hosted by John Robinson and WKCR's own DJ Sucio Smash, who can be found every friday from 1-5AM on 89.9 (aka 89 Tek 9) hosting Squeeze Radio (podcast here) with Timm See, spinning the latest in indie hip hop. The 1-5AM friday shift has long been a revered place on WKCR, most notably held by the now legendary The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show in the mid-nineties. Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito's show, which was named by the Source Magazine (before that whole Benzino nonsense) as "the best hip hop show of all time", also centered around indie hip hop and featured freestyles by then up and coming artists like Biggie Smalls (before he changed his name to The Notorious B.I.G.), Big L, Cam'ron & Ma$e (then known as Killa Cam & Murda Mase), Wu-Tang Clan, and sooooo many more. Stretch has posted some of those legendary freestyles for download over at his blog.

The Black August Hip Hop Project benefit show that was supposed to happen at Nokia Theatre in NYC tonight (Aug 31, 2008) was moved to BB King's. EPMD, Bilal, DJ Marley Marl, Smif N Wessun, Shadia Mansour, Immortal Technique, Das EFX, Joell Ortiz, Blitz the Ambassador, DJ Scratch, DJ Evil Dee, and DJ Op are also on the ever-changing bill. Tickets are still on sale.

Smif N Wessun also have a very special NYC show coming up in September.

EPMD's next NY show (after tonight) will be at ATP upstate. They are one of two hip hop acts on the three day festival's bill. The other is Edan. All EPMD dates below...

Continue reading "EPMD - 2008 Tour Dates (NYC tonight, Smif N Wessun, ATP)"