Moogfest 2011 (more by Diana Wong)

Moogfest, which is becoming one of the most intriguing US music festivals, is returning to Asheville, NC this year on October 26 and 27. Like in past years, the festival includes some legends like Thomas Dolby and GZA performing Liquid Swords (like he is in NYC and other cities), some of our favorite newcomers like Julia Holter, Trust, and Disclosure, electronic heavy hitters like Orbital, Four Tet, Squarepusher, Richie Hawtin, Mouse on Mars, and Prefuse 73 with Teebs, in addition to a diverse list of other artists like Killer Mike, El-P, The Magnetic Fields, Explosions in the Sky, Primus, Santigold, Divine Fits, Actress, Pantha Du Prince, Bear in Heaven, and more. Tickets for this year's fest go on sale Friday (8/10) at noon. The initial lineup is listed below.

Orbital, who released their new album, Wonky, this year, which featured a track with Zola Jesus, have a few other North American dates this year (still none in NYC though).

For Divine Fits, the new band featuring Britt Daniel (Spoon), Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade/Handsome Furs), and Sam Brown (New Bomb Turks), who recently made their live debut in Austin, Moogfest is one of the few shows they've got scheduled this year, including the Chicago show they played last night (8/5) and an upcoming NYC show.

Moogfest 2012 lineup is listed below.

Continue reading "Moogfest 2012 lineup (GZA, Magnetic Fields, Explosions in the Sky, Primus, Santigold, Julia Holter, Disclosure, Orbital, Four Tet, Divine Fits, Killer Mike & more)"

Wilco at Prospect Park, 7/23/2012 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

today in NYC
Mike Pride @ Barbes
Big Terrific @ Cameo
Sarah Siskind @ Joe's Pub
Weimar New York @ Joe's Pub
Wilco, Cibo Matto @ Terminal 5
Melvin Gibbs @ Le Poisson Rouge
Water Scores: Part 2 @ The Stone
The Mandingo Ambassadors @ Barbes
The Alternate Routes @ Bryant Park
WIERD with Vaura @ Home Sweet Home
Maze featuring Frankie Beverly @ Jones Beach
Kind of Like Spitting, Dads @ Knitting Factory
Animal Kingdom, Royal Teeth @ Mercury Lounge
Martha Wainwright, Hannah Cohen @ City Winery
The Stationary Set, Modern Rivals @ Mercury Lounge
Wilder Maker, Wilsen, Margaret Glaspy @ Union Pool
Santana, Allman Brothers Band @ PNC Bank Arts Center
Bright Moments, Valley Lodge, Good Field @ Union Hall
Napoleon's, Hard Nips, Visuals @ Big Snow Buffalo Lodge
Freedy Johnston, Bryan Dunn, Mike Higbee @ The Rock Shop
Shark?, Darlings, Celestial Shore, RElyse @ 285 Kent Ave
Katie's Money, Twitchers, Ugly Purple Sweater @ Cake Shop
Summerscreen w/ Telepathe, Prince Rama, Vaz @ McCarren Park
The Echo-Friendly, Zulu Pearls, Such Hounds @ Bowery Electric
High Space, Will Bernard, Scott Metzger, Wolf @ Brooklyn Bowl
Woodsman, Baby Birds Don't Drink Milk, Ancient Ocean @ Zebulon
Technicolor Teeth, Acid Glasses, Golden Clouds @ Death By Audio
TED Talks w/ Jon Benjamin, Julie Klausner, and more @ Littlefield
Allen Stone, Elizabeth and The Catapult, Anthony Hall @ Bowery Ballroom
Deidre & The Dark, Fast Years, The Living Kills, Lorna Dune @ Glasslands
Alberich, Chaos Majik, Swollen Organs, Compactor, Theologian @ Saint Vitus
Water Scores: Part 1 Altered Spades: Fables of a Mutated Harlem @ The Stone
The Babies, Wild Yaks, Beach Day, Daytona, Total Slacker (DJ set) @ Public Assembly
Milk!, Megg Farrell's Whiskey Social, Chamber Band, Kendy Gable, Jack Wilson @ Pianos
Evans Blue, State Your Cause, Jolly, Ascending From Ashes, The Latanza Heist @ The Studio at Webster Hall
Open Mike Eagle, Mega Ran, Billy Woods, PremRock, Willie Green, Adam (Nasa), Brzowski, Mo Niklz @ Cameo Gallery

Tonight's Summerscreen movie in McCarren Park is treacly '80s hit Dirty Dancing with preceding musical acts Telepathe, Vaz and Prince Rama. Maybe one of them will cover "She's Like the Wind"?

You can keep your free Williamsburg evening going by heading to 285 Kent to see Shark?, Darlings, Celestial Shore, and RElyse -- though anything you want to pay at the door will go to funding Showpaper.

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Happy Birthday to Thurston Moore who is 54 today. Watch him explain the "grunge pedal" on a classic 120 Minutes clip below.

King Dude's got a new 7", the first single from his forthcoming album Burning Daylight. You can stream it below.

Hot Chip, who just played two shows in NYC, released a video for "How You Do?" from their latest album In Our Heads which you can watch below.

Nardwuar latest interviewee is El-P and you can watch that below too.

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday?"

Concert cruises are all the rage lately, and this is in fact real.

Indio, CA music festival Coachella continues for two weekends in April, 2013. But just because they've decided to keep the fest in Indio, doesn't mean they can't take it on a couple of cruises as well. As seen in the picture above, S.S. Coachella will set set sail off of the Bahamas from December 16-19 and off of Jamaica from December 19-23. The lineup (thus far at least) includes Pulp, Hot Chip, Yeasayer, James Murphy (DJ set), Grimes, Cloud Nothings, Killer Mike, El-P, Sleigh Bells, Father John Misty, and more.

Holy Ship sails in January too.

photos by Tim Griffin

El-P @ Mohawk - 6/23/2012

El-P is currently on tour with Killer Mike, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, and Despot supporting both El-P's new album, Cancer 4 Cure, and Killer Mike's (which El-P produced), R.A.P. Music. They're over in California right now, and while there, El-P stopped by Conan to perform with Zola Jesus last night (6/27). They played "Works Every Time" off El-P's new album. You can watch a video of that performance below.

As mentioned, the tour hits NYC on July 13 at Irving Plaza. Tickets for that show are still available and we're also giving away a pair. Details on how to enter are below.

The tour hit Austin last week for a show at Mohawk on June 23. You can check out more pictures from that show below, along with the Conan video and contest details...

Continue reading "El-P played Conan w/ Zola Jesus, on tour w/ Killer Mike (video, Austin pics & a chance to win tix to the NYC show)"

Ultramagnetic MCs at ATP NJ 2011 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

As mentioned in What's going on? last night, Prodigy's upcoming "Queens Day" show at Irving Plaza, which was supposed to happen next week (6/19) has been cancelled. Though he did play a private Rock the Bells kickoff show at Santos Party House last night (6/13) with (according to the flyer) Ghostface Killah, DMX, Jadakiss, and Hit Squad

Q-Tip's "Offline" party (a DJ gig), also scheduled at Irving Plaza, is still set to happen this Friday (6/15) at the Manhattan venue.

Ghostface Killah's other upcoming shows include the free Prospect Park show on 6/23, a Wu-Block party at Highline Ballroom (8/8) (tickets on sale 6/15), and Rock the Bells with Wu-Block. The Highline show is only with Ghostface and Sheek Louch, but for Rock the Bells, the whole crew will be there (Ghostface, Raekwon, Sheek Louch, Jadakiss, and Styles P).

Meanwhile, Raekwon will be in NYC for the previously discussed Best Buy Theater show (7/26) with Tyler, the Creator, and Earl Sweatshirt. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (6/15) at noon.

Ghostface and Raekwon play a free show together, and much sooner, in Toronto as part of NXNE on Sunday (6/17). Action Bronson, who plays a free show in Red Hook Park (6/19), will be at the Toronto fest too. The entire music portion of NXNE kicked off yesterday (6/13) and runs through the weekend.

Killer Mike will be at NXNE too, and his tour with El-P, Despot, and Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire kicks off on Tuesday (6/19) in Atlanta. It hits NYC on July 13 at Irving Plaza. Ticketsplayed SOB's with Spaceghostpurrp in celebration of Purrp's new album, Mysterious Phonk. Purrp's also got a couple Shortcuts parties under his belt. Speaking of, one of those (sans Purrp) goes down at Santos TONIGHT (6/14) with Fat Tony and Fat Trel (tickets).

While NXNE is going on in Toronto, Brooklyn will be getting its own multi-venue music festival with Northside Festival, which also happens this weekend.

As mentioned, Kool Keith plays a Northside show at Brooklyn Bowl TONIGHT (6/14) with Lushlife. Lushlife recently dropped a remix of "She's a Buddhist, I'm a Cubist" with Angel Deradoorian, Cities Aviv, G-Side, Big Baby Gandhi, Deniro Farrar, and KDz Kenny Dennis. You can stream that below Tickets are still available for the Brooklyn Bowl show and we're also giving away a pair. Contest details are below.

As usual, Questlove will DJ the Brooklyn venue after that show (tickets).

Kool Keith also plays as part of Ultramagnetic MCs at a Northside show at MHOW on Sunday (6/17) with Phony PPL. Tickets for that show are still available. Phony PPL also play SOB's on July 24 with Blackbear. Tickets for that show are on sale.

GZA & Grupo Fantasma @ Bonnaroo 2012 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

And speaking of hip hop Northside shows at MHOW, GZA (backed by Grupo Fantasmo like he was a Bonnaroo) plays two (early and late) shows at the venue TONIGHT (6/14). Both are sold out, but you can try and get in with your Northside badge.

Aside from Kid Sister at Sugarland on Saturday (6/16), not much more hip hop is happening at Northside, but there are other good hip hop shows tonight and this weekend.

Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) plays the previously discussed show at the Apollo Theater TONIGHT (6/14) as part of Blue Note Jazz Festival. Tickets for that show are still available FOR THE SHOW THAT HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 28th.

Blue Note Jazz Fest also gives us a free Central Park Summerstage show on Sunday (6/17) with Groove Theory, Soulive, Riq and Rah with Strings (Black Thought + Rahzel), and DJ Questlove.

EPMD and DJ Scratch play a free show at Herbert Von King Park TONIGHT (6/14). They also team up for a NYC show at BB King's on July 18 with Marley Mari and Big Daddy Kane. (tickets)

Hip hop producer RJD2 DJs a party for the ongoing 'One Step Beyond' series at the American Museum of Natural History on Friday (6/15) with Cosmo Baker, Import/Export, and visuals by Glowing Pictures with special guest Shantell Martin. Tickets for that are available.

You can also catch Tech N9ne and Machine Gun Kelly on the Hostile Takeover Tour which takes over the NYC area on Saturday (6/16) at Starland Ballroom in NJ (tickets) and Sunday (6/17) at HIghline Ballroom (tickets). Be careful during Machine Gun Kelly's set though; TMZ reports that he was just sued $15,000 for slicing open a bouncer's finger. Ouch.

Apple Stores are hosting hip hop in-stores all month.

Once all the Northside craziness ends, you can catch Ab-Soul at his previously discussed NYC show on Thursday, June 21 at SOB's. Tickets for that show are still available.

In other hip hop news, you can stream Black Milk's Live at Third Man Records in its entirety and J-Dilla's posthumous Rebirth of Detroit in its entirety below, along with other song streams and contest details for tonight's Kool Keith show.

Continue reading "this week in Hip Hop (Northside, NXNE, Kool Keith, EPMD, Yasiin Bey, RJD2, Tech N9ne, Black Thought + Rahzel, GZA & more)"

Vast Aire

Vast Aire aka one half of NYC abstract hip hop duo Cannibal Ox, who are responsible for 2001's incredible El-P produced The Cold Vein, recently announced that he'll play a hometown show in NYC on July 12 at The Studio at Webster Hall with OutofaWhole and Kev Bars. Tickets for the show are on sale now. It's his only announced date at the moment but his facebook page makes it sound like more may be on the way.

Vast's most recent album was the OX 2010: A Street Odyssey LP, which came out last year, featuring contributions from Raekwon, Guilty Simpson, and more. Check out the video for "The Cannon of Samus" from that release below.

Speaking of El-P, he's been having an excellent year thanks to his production on Killer Mike's great new album, R.A.P. Music and his own also great Cancer 4 Cure LP. Unfortunately, he was forced to cancel some European festival appearances this week due to the unexpected passing of someone close to him, but as promised, the rest of his tour with Killer Mike, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire, and Despot will proceed as planned. That tour includes the previously discussed NYC show on July 13 at Irving Plaza. Tickets for that show are still available.

Vast Aire video below...

Continue reading "Cannibal Ox's Vast Aire playing the Studio at Webster Hall"

El-P at Santos (via kristinsayz)

Last night, before a tightly-packed Santos Party House in downtown Manhattan, El-P showcased his new work in its entirety, front to back...
Opening with the rave-like "Request Denied" and blazing the stage with bangers "The Full Retard" and "Drones Over Bklyn," El-P worked the crowd into a frenzy with relative ease. He was joined by many guests including show opener/Def Jux refugee Despot and new best bud Killer Mike on "Tougher Colder Killer," Das Racist's Himanshu on "True Story," Nick Diamonds of Islands on "Stay Down," and Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire on "Oh Hail No." The one bummer of the night was Danny Brown was apparently not able to make it out for his verse. However, Action Bronson did appear on stage at one point. He didn't get on the mic, but he did smoke two gigantic joints on the side of the stage which was a spectacle in and of itself. -[Death & Taxes]

Next up, a US tour for El-P, Killer Mike, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire and Despot. Initially, no NYC date was scheduled for that tour, but they've since added one happening on July 13 at Irving Plaza. Tickets for that show go on presale Thursday (5/24) at 10AM and regular sale starts Friday (5/25) at 10 AM.

Meanwhile, you can catch Killer Mike again this Thursday (5/24) at Brooklyn Bowl.

Videos of El-P, his special guests, and a swaying Santos Party House, along with a list of all dates below...

Continue reading "El-P played a guest-filled show at Santos (videos); adds Irving Plaza show to tour (updated dates)"

by BBG

As you can see above, El-P's special guests for his upcoming show at Santos on May 21 will include none other than Killer Mike! The Atlanta MC, who also plays a free show at Brooklyn Bowl with DIIV three days later, will join Jaime Meline for his Cancer for Cure release party along with Despot and more special guests. That makes Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire the only artist that isnt officially on the Santos show from the upcoming tour with El-P and Killer Mike. No word on if he'll show up as well, but considering his proximity... it's definitely possible. Tickets are still available. UPDATE: special guests confirmed:

In other El-P news, he recently released another new trailer Cancer for Cure. But no need to wait because you can also now stream the LP in full. El-P recently performed "Stay Down" with Nick Diamonds on David Letterman (on 5/15), check that out along with the trailer below.

Killer Mike just released his recently BNM'd LP in R.A.P. Music. Make sure and catch him on said tour with El-Producto -- a list of all dates is below. While you're down there, make sure and stream a new track from Killer Mike and watch him talk about weed with his mother. No shit.

Continue reading "El-P's LP streaming; Killer Mike appearing at El-P release party, gives his mother weed advice (and his LP is out now)"

"NEW YORK LOVES AND WILL NEVER FORGET MCA." - El-P

Madison Square Garden pays tribute to Adam (pic via)

Like Coldplay, BADBADNOTGOOD & Bomb The Music Industry!, and Thom Yorke, many, many artists and institutions have been paying tribute to Adam Yauch in their own way, More videos from last night below....

Continue reading "Red Hot Chili Peppers, Deer Tick, MSG, The Mets & more paid tribute to MCA (more videos & pics)"

by BBG

El-P (right) on stage with Company Flow at Coachella (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

El-P's Cancer for Cure is inching towards release (due on May 22nd via Fat Possum) and though the record leaked yesterday, the Brooklyn MC is trying not to sweat it. At least Jaime Meline has some good news to report today, in that he will hit the road for a string of dates this summer, preceeded by an NYC show at Santos on May 21st, his record release party. Tickets are on sale, and the show will also feature appearances from Despot and, I am guessing, a few surprise guests. The other dates are listed below.

In related news, El-P and Killer Mike have teamed up for R.A.P. Music due on May 15 via Williams Street Records (Adult Swim's label). El-P handles the prduction on the release, as well as makes an appearance on the ninth track "Butane (Champion's Anthem)". Check out one of those tracks, "Big Beast" featuring Bun B, Trouble & T.I. below.

In other news, the new single "Tougher Colder Killer" from Cancer 4 Cure has been released and features Killer Mike and Despot. Check that out below, alongside streaming audio of two other El-P tracks "The Full Retard" and "Drones over Brooklyn", and all tour dates.

Continue reading "El-P schedules NYC LP release show & tour with eXquire, Despot & Killer Mike (dates & streams)"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

dolphin rider / Wild Flag / At the Drive-In

"Weekend one of Coachella 2012 not only confirmed rock fans' rabid appetite for live music but reminded the music industry that the past is a lot closer than it used to be. There were no rock acts from the 1960s or early '70s on the bill. The look back was dedicated to Coachella's continuing affection for reuniting British bands from the late '70s and early '80s--this year, it was Buzzcocks, James, Madness, Pulp and Squeeze. Other reuniting bands on the bill included American alt-rock bands Firehose, Mazzy Star and At the Drive-In; and Refused, a punk group from Sweden that hadn't been heard from since 1998. One could argue that the "appearance" by the late Shakur was an admission that to become a musical force again, West Coast rap needs a resurrection. Though the beats conceived and developed by Dr. Dre, Shakur, Snoop Dogg and others are now woven into rock and pop's vocabulary, rap had little presence at Coachella 2012, save for the ingenuity of the late Sunday-night oldies show.

And if there was any doubt that electronic dance music is a dominating force, even if it's still underappreciated by the mainstream, Swedish House Mafia and Justice played the main stage. The big tent dedicated to dance music was rarely less than filled to a boisterous overflow." [Wall Street Journal]

You already saw pictures from Friday and Saturday, video of an idiot falling off a wooden structure, watched Frank Ocean's set, and Azealia Banks's. The Weeknd's too. You saw Refused's setlist and some videos. You already know what At The Drive-In played on Sunday, and streamed their set in full after you were done watching Real Estate's and M83's, not to mention parts of Bon Iver's and Andrew Bird's. You're already well aware that Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg and many special guests headlined on Sunday, and you even saw the pictures of them and watched the Tupac hologram video. Now here are the rest of the Sunday pictures, and they continue, below....

Continue reading "Coachella 2012 Day 3 pics -- ATDI, Wild Flag, Justice, Hives, Weeknd, Fitz, Company Flow, Florence & the Machine & more)"

Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire at Southpaw 2/9 (via)

Action Bronson at Southpaw 2/9 (via)

Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire and Action Bronson shared a bill at Southpaw last night (2/9) with support from Soul Kahn and Kyle Rapps, and included special guest Illustrate. They were joined on stage by El-P, Despot, and Kool AD & Heems of Das Racist, who are all featured on eXquire's "Huzzah" remix (where was Danny Brown?!). Action Bronson has a show tonight in Austin, where he will return in March for SXSW.

Last night's show was one of the last at Southpaw, which is closing this month. Their website lists shows happening through February 19, including M.A.K.U. Soundsystem and I Jah Bones TONIGHT (2/10). Tickets for tonight' show are available. There's also a huge show presented by iHeart Dilla taking place on February 15, billed as "One Song: A Forever Fresh Farewell to Southpaw," with Nitty Scott, Illustrate (who was a guest at last night's show), Warren Britt, Jesse Abraham, Top $ Raz, MC Eleven, Tanya Morgan, and many others. The flier for this show with all the performers listed is below.

Continue reading "El-P & others joined Exquire & Action Bronson @ Southpaw (which is closing in 10 days)"

words & photos by BBG

Hopefully, there weren't masses that headed to DUMBO on Saturday (10/15) expecting a few Mozz-a-repa stands, a sausage & pepper cart, and a dealer selling his collection of "tobacco" pipes while looking for the live music. The Creators Project had much more to offer. It celebrated the different facets of creativity within art, music, and theater while showcasing live music alongside interactive sculpture to create a wholly different "festival" environment.

The musical portion was limited to two live stages and a third "DJ" stage which also housed a few exhibits. One live stage was located under an archway beneath the Manhattan Bridge. The other was in the "Tobacco Warehouse", a brick structure that has also hosted the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival. The shows were free, though you needed to RSVP (and even then you needed a confirmation that you were accepted).

I kicked off my afternoon at the Tobacco Warehouse stage with Teen Daze whose laptop knob-twiddling didn't make for much of a live event. After a few songs I moved on to my first band of the day, Brooklyn's Chairlift. Caroline Polachek is the clear focus of the band's sound, with her vocals pushed to the front and the electronic-pop complementing her lilting voice. Their sunny and simple compositions were sugar-y, well executed and a good way to ease into the day, but not particularly memorable. The next performance would bring about an abrupt change.

John Maus

No one outcrazys John Maus. After the crew cleared the stage of seemingly every piece of gear, the very unassuming Maus came on to plug his Roland SP-404 sampler into the DI and his microphone into an echo pedal. With the hit of his sampler, Maus kicked off his set by bouncing left and right and jumping around. Veins bulged in his neck and face as he began to scream, sing, whimper and all but cry into his microphone during his vocal parts. Even if I had no interest in his recorded material (which I do, and tons of it), I would, as I'm sure any passerby would, still find the maniacal John Maus live (almost freak) show absolutely enthralling. Catch him again this week at 285 Kent.

After 3+ songs from Clams Casino on the laptop which was about as exciting as it sounds (dramatic key-stroke!), A$AP Rocky opened his set by explaining that people are saying he is the "biggest thing to hip hop since the Wu-Tang Clan". I'd like to meet these people. Regardless of how over/correctly hyped A$AP is, he and his crew (which included an appearance from Spaceghostpurrp) were particularly high energy - stage-diving, inciting mosh-pits, and hopping around on stage. The crowd didn't move with the same enthusiasm though. Despite calls for more participation, the crew didn't ignite similar energy in the crowd.

After a visit to see Four Tet (another knob-twiddling set), I cruised over to see Bradford Cox do a one-man Atlas Sound. I prefer Atlas Sound in full band mode to Bradford solo, but his set was fresh change to the mostly electronic vibe of the day. Cox's voice coupled with the Bridge backdrop and the Manhattan skyline was particularly impressive.

Company Flow

Up next was Company Flow, my main motivation for being there since I missed their recent reunion shows at ATP and Santos Party House.

It had been around 14 years since I saw Company Flow on tour with Organized Konfusion, the former celebrating their seminal Funcrusher Plus and the latter promoting what may be their final effort, The Equinox. That summer in 1997, Co-Flow sounded so alien to everything else in the era; primitive, noisy beats made with crude synths and harsh scratches were complemented by abstract and double-time rhymes. Lead by a white redhead-ed MC (a rarity in the era), Company Flow was truly unique in their time.

Company Flow were massive to me in that certain, early-backpacker Rawkus era, the blast-off point for El-P's noisy and dystopian blueprint at Definitive Jux. So it pains me to say that the primitive Company Flow sound hasn't aged so well live; El-P still has a good stage presence as always, but unfortunately the rawness of the tracks just now come across as simplistic in comparison to his sleeker production. It was good to see the crew though, and with Pharoahe Monch in tow, much like that night in DC in 1997.

After Co-Flow, I caught a bit of Florence & The Machine before calling it an evening meaning I also missed the abbreviated Justice DJ set. Though cops shut down Jusice early and a vocal minority of DUMBO residents complained about the takeover of their neighborhood streets, the complaints were minor leagues compared to the impressive spectacle that descended on art galleries, parks, storefronts, and even an archway underneath the Manhattan Bridge.

We're splitting this into multiple parts, so stay tuned for the rest. Meanwhile, more pictures of everything I saw, below...

Continue reading "Creators Project in DUMBO in pics & review -- part 1 (Company Flow, John Maus, A$AP Rocky, Chairlift & more)"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

Public Enemy

STEREOGUM: What appealed to you about getting involved with All Tomorrow's Parties?

GEOFF BARROW: I just like that, for the most part, you wouldn't want to be there if you aren't actually into the music. It's not like Coachella where there are loads of girls walking around in bikinis and stuff like that. It's basically people enjoying what is often some really indulgent music. For us, it's like a Charlie in the Chocolate Factory moment. You win the golden ticket and you get to see how the candy is made. You get to choose the bands that play with you, which is just ... amazing. It's like, wow, yes, please.

STEREOGUM: Who in particular are you most excited about seeing?

GEOFF BARROW: We've been really lucky over the years. We've done three of these ATP festivals and it's always such a good experience. I'm always, always, always very into watching Public Enemy. Also, Ultramagnetic MCs because they are just mental and so important to hip hop. I'll also be watching Swans ... with earplugs. I want to watch everything. I want to watch as much as I possibly can.

Jeff Mangum played his second of three Asbury Park sets on Sunday (10/2), though like his Friday show, we don't have pictures of his set (he doesn't like pictures). We do have pictures of a lot of other sets from Sunday though, and they continue, along with shots of the general Asbury Park scenery (the conclusion of our ATP NJ 2011 coverage), below...

Continue reading "I'll Be Your Mirror 2011 -- pics from ATP Sunday (Public Enemy, Company Flow, Thee Silver Mt. Zion, Deerhoof, Earth & more)"

Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire

"Shortcuts" is a new party being thrown by Heems of Das Racist, Dean Bein of True Panther Sounds, and Despot at Santos Party House. The first edition goes down on September 8 with Spaceghostpurrp, ASAP Rocky, Das Racist (DJ), and Venus X & $hayne (Ghe20 G0th1k). Tickets are on sale now and the flier is below.

LA Weekly recently spoke to 19 year old Miami rapper/producer Spaceghostpurrp, who plays the Shortcuts party. He talked about how he's friends with Kreayshawn, Syd tha Kyd playing his song "Suck a Dick" at a show, and how people need to stop comparing him to Tyler, the Creator and Lil B (even though he fucks with the Based movement). You can listen to the track "Suck a Dick" below.

In related news, Mishka, the store/label who put out material by Das Racist, Stalley, and more recently Main Attrakionz, will release Brooklyn rapper Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire's debut album Lost In Translation on September 11 as a free download. The album will feature production by El-P (who also contributed production to the new Das Racist album), Necro, Esoteric, BoweryBeats, Constrobuz and Charli Brown Beatz. Check out Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire's excellent (and slightly NSFW) video for "Huzzah" with the full new album tracklist below.

Continue reading "Spaceghostpurrp & ASAP Rocky playing new Santos party, Mishka releasing free Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire album"

by BBG

Company Flow at Santos (more by Brook Bobbins)

WOW. As El-P confirmed, Company Flow will return AGAIN on the Sunday (10/2) of ATP's I'll Be Your Mirror in NJ. Other additions to the Asbury Fest's already-great lineup are Public Enemy who will their classic Fear of a Black Planet LP in full on Sunday, and Thought Forms, who are on Portishead's whole tour, on Saturday. Full updated lineup is below, and tickets are still available in different formations.

In other news, El-P recently released a new track for Adult Swim, following up with an uncensored version for "Drones Over Brooklyn".

Some videos and the current ATP lineup below.

Continue reading "Company Flow & Public Enemy added to Asbury Park ATP"

photos by Brook Bobbins, words by BBG

Company Flow @ Santos

Brooklyn MC El-P has released a new "censored mix" of a new song, "Drones Over Brooklyn" for Adult Swim. No word on if the track, currently downloadable below or via the Adult Swim site, will appear on El-P's new LP Cancer for Cure due on Fat Possum next year. El-P is now labelmates with Mellowhype, Yuck, The Smith Westerns, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, AA Bondy and many more.

El-P (and collaborator Trent Reznor) also recently provided the soundtrack to a gang of methheads in Jessie Pinkman's apartment on AMC's Breaking Bad, as the sound of smoking blue rocks were drowned out by "Flyentology" from I'll Sleep When I'm Dead.

El-P was supposed to play Terminal 5 with the Streets tonight (8/12), but it was cancelled. However, he and his former crew, Company Flow, reunited at Santos Party House on July 16th with fellow unsung NYC crew The Juggaknots. The sold-out show featured full sets from both, as well as a collaboration between Breezy Brewin of Juggaknots and Company Flow to perform the classic Indelible MC's track "The Fire In Which You Burn". Belated pictures from Santos and "Drones over Brooklyn" below.

Continue reading "El-P signs to Fat Possum, released a new song for Adult Swim, played in Company Flow @ Santos (pics)"

The Rapture at FYFest (more by Rachel Carr)

The Rapture have released an Emperor Machine Remix Edit of "How Deep Is Your Love?" via the Adult Swim Singles Program (which recently released songs by Best Coast, The Tallest Man On Earth, Mastodon, How To Dress Well, Ford & Lopatin, and Active Child). Listen to the song below now. Download it Wednesday (7/20) along with all the other tracks released so far. Look for upcoming songs from Clams Casino, JJ feat. Ne-Yo, El-P, and Cerebral Ballzy in the coming weeks.

The Rapture play Music Hall Of Williamsburg on 8/20 before they head across the pond to the EU. The show is sold-out. All dates are also listed below.

Continue reading "Adult Swim Singles continues w/ a Rapture remix (listen)"

"pretty sure this thai food just gave me the plague." -El-P

As you may have noticed (it happened a few weeks ago I think), The Streets cancelled his forthcoming appearance with El-P at Terminal 5. The show was billed as The Streets' "last ever North American show". Whether that means the end of The Streets live for this continent remains to be seen, but we'll keep you posted.

Another bum-out was that the T5 shows was twitter favorite El-P's only current date while he crafts his forthcoming LP. That hasn't changed (so far), but bad news turned to good news when El-P posted the above picture last week with the caption of "stay tuned, nyc".

Well, stay tuned no longer, as Company Flow will reunite at NYC's Santos Party House on July 16th, and tickets are on sale. The show makes TWO upcoming appearances for Company Flow who will also appear at ATP in the UK a few days after Santos.

Company Flow will bring along with them Fondle 'Em faves/Indelible MCs co-conspirators The Juggaknots (!), as well as "many old friends and special guests still to be announced!!!!". Now we just need Siah & Yeshua DapoED and MF Doom on the bill, and my 1996 dreams will be fulfilled. Juggaknots released the classic Clear Blue Skies LP via Fondle 'Em Records in the 90s, an essential piece of underground hip hop from that era.
In other El-P news, the MC recent collaborated with artist Travis Millard who is responsible for the recent Megapuss art and blessed El-P's Weareallgointoburninhellmegamixx2. Check out the video (with some killer El-P instrumentals) that promotes Millard's art show at Fecal Face Dot Gallery in San Francisco below.

Continue reading "Company Flow reunion show happening @ Santos w/ The Juggaknots! (though El-P & the Streets are not playing T5)"

The Streets

"It's obvious. I've been doing it for 10 years and I've always tried to do something different with each album," he says. "Some [of my work has] been amazingly received and some of it hasn't been, and I've run out of new avenues.

"As uninteresting as the Streets is to talk about, the most interesting element of anything is its death, so if you're going to talk about the Streets, ending the Streets is probably a good thing to talk about," he continues, ceding the point that there might yet be some purpose to our interview, which is only two minutes old. "But it's not interesting really. I haven't really got anything more to do." -[says Mike Skinner to The Guardian on why The Streets is ending]

Meanwhile El-P is keeping busy. He recently said, "sorry i've been absent. making one of those 'albums' i've heard so much about. some major announcements coming soon." No word on a release date, but he also Tweeted that, "my album, the Killer Mike album and the STEPSON are all in the works. enjoy the break from me while you can, music."

STEPSON is a new collaboration between El-P and Nick Diamonds, aka Nicholas Thorburn, of Islands/Unicorns/Mister Heavenly fame.

Full Streets album stream below...

Continue reading "The Streets released a 'final' LP, playing 'only' US show @ T5 w/ El-P (who is collaborating w/ Nick Diamonds as Stepson)"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Central Services - Forever Frozen In Television Time EP (Zip file of MP3s)
DOWNLOAD: El-P - "Whores: The Movie" (Mediafire link)
DOWNLOAD: El-P - ""Meanstreak" (In 3 Parts) (Mediafire link)
DOWNLOAD: El-P - "Instrumental 6" (Zip file of MP3s)
DOWNLOAD: El-P - "East River Float" (Zip file of MP3s)

Camu Tao (born Tero Smith, June 6, 1977 - May 25, 2008) was an American rapper and producer who was signed to the Definitive Jux label. He was a part of the duo S.A. Smash with fellow rapper Metro, a part of the rap group Weathermen, and the Central Services production team with El-P. Smith was also a member of the music collective Cardboard City... He was also part of Columbus, Ohio's MHz crew with Copywrite, RJD2, Jakki Tha MotaMouth & Tage Proto, and with Cage, half of The Nighthawks...

Smith died on May 25, 2008, after a two-year battle with lung cancer. At the time of his death, he was working on a song he produced for Cage's I Never Knew You EP as well as his first solo album for Definitive Jux.

El-P has a new release of his own as well, the instrumental Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixxx3 LP out on August 3rd. If you're a fan of El-P's signature blend of hip hop, IDM, and futurism, its a must. Pick up a copy of the LP via Gold Dust and snag copies of the first two volumes of Weareallgoingtoburninhell (previously tour only) for free. Check out the tracks "Whores: The Movie" and "Meanstreak" (In 3 Parts) from Vol 3 and a pair of tracks from previous volumes above.

Dig on more preview material from Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixxx3 video trailer, as well as tons of other great vids below...

Continue reading "Def Jux releasing Camu Tao's posthumous debut, giving away EPs & new El-P tracks too"

Day 1 photos by Weekly Dig, Wolf Parade photos by Kate Gardiner

Panda Bear @ Pitchfork Fest Saturday evening (Suckafreemike)

"Dear panda bear: you're playing a music festival, not an art installation." - Etan

"The only explanation for Panda Bear's set at the Pitchfork Music Festival is that it's a practical joke on people who are not on drugs." - lifeinzembla

"Panda Bear killed it. set was almost exclusively new stuff. pushing the art to the next level." - Luke Tipton

Panda Bear @ Pitchfork Fest Saturday evening (iissaaacc)

More pictures from the 2010 Pitchfork Music Festival, below...

Continue reading "mixed reactions to Panda Bear & more pictures from the 2010 Pitchfork Festival (Days 1 & 2)"

photos by Kate Gardiner

"And Yawnfork continues." - Jim DeRogatis

Robyn dominated Friday @ the Pitchfork Festival

"Who knew the best performer of the day would be a blonde bombshell spinning Euro-disco? Robyn -- another Swede and a former child star who's fought hard to regain her own artistic control -- came out throwing punches in the air when she wasn't doing that elbows-high, shoulder-leaning dance all '80s female singers used to do. Fiesty, sexy, spunky, Robyn opened with the virtues of being a "Fembot," assured us that love hurts "With Every Heartbeat" and sang flawlessly through new single "Dancing on My Own" in front of a band dressed in all white, twiddling knobs and pounding synth-pad drums. The latter really exploded at the end of "Cobrastyle," with Robyn showing some kick-box dancing. Her Pink-ish pluck reached its zenith in "Don't F---ing Tell Me What to Do," during which she led some kind of aerobics class (sporting a totally Pat Benatar green beret, too). And she was the crowd favorite. Go figure." [Chicago Sun Times]

This post comes five hours into Day Two of the 2010 Pitchfork Music Festival (which is streaming online). Tonight's remaining acts are Wolf Parade, Panda Bear, and LCD Soundsystem. More pictures and a few videos from most of what came prior, below....

Continue reading "Pitchfork Fest 2010 - Day 1 & most of Day 2 (pictures & video) "

Modest Mouse @ Terminal 5 in March 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

Modest Mouse will join Faith No More and Nas & Damian Marley (tickets) as one of the acts set to play at Williamsburg Waterfront in Brooklyn this summer. Their Friday, July 23rd show will be ticketed/non-free (like the others mentioned). Tickets go on sale Friday at noon (which is when the just-added Faith no More show goes on sale too).

Modest Mouse's Brooklyn show is a week after they play the Pitchfork Festival which recently updated its lineup. New acts playing the Chicago fest include Big Boi, Major Lazer, Neon Indian, Beach House, Free Energy, Local Natives, Robyn & more. Check that out in full below. Single day tickets are still on sale.

UPDATE: Modest Mouse's Brooklyn show is one day after they play one in NJ.

Modest Mouse will be reissuing their third album, The Moon & Antarctica, on vinyl for its 10th anniversary, on Record Store Day - this Saturday, April 17th. "The album features restored original artwork and replicates the infinite lock groove found in the original vinyl pressings of 2000. The new vinyl reissue includes a download card for the album." All dates the the P4K Fest lineup, below...

Continue reading "Modest Mouse playing Williamsburg Waterfront, the Pitchfork Festival (updated full lineup) & other tour dates"

The Pitchfork Music Festival celebrates its 5th anniversary this year at Union Park in Chicago. It runs from Friday July 16th - Sunday July 18th. Three-day passes are now sold out, but you can still get single-day passes on Ticketweb.

The Updated Lineup is below:

Continue reading "Pitchfork Festival updates lineup (Broken Social Scene, Jon Spencer, Panda Bear, Girls, El-P & more) "