photos by kolored

Robyn @ Webster Hall

"Kelis and Robyn (whose Body Talk Pt. 2 will be out in September) may have been billed as co-headliners for Tuesday night's show at the Trocadero [in Philly], but it was in words only.

In a multiracial crowd of men and women in their 20s and 30s, Robyn was the clear favorite.

Kelis took the stage first. The 30-year-old singer hit pop culture with her infectious and slightly risque "Milkshake" back in 2003, but has since transformed herself from a Neptunes-produced rap/hip-hop/neo-soul star into a club diva.

She came on stage in a one-sleeved, sequined mini-dress - wearing five-inch heels and a platinum-blond wig with a partial weave of Christmas-tree tinsel - and said that all she wanted to do was dance. She wasn't kidding. In fact, while she sang a few songs off her latest album, Flesh Tone, most of her set was a karaoke collection of Top 40 hits from past decades interspersed with snippets of her own songs... [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Robyn (whose Body Talk Part 2 will be out in September - cover art and tracklist below), Kelis (whose milkshake brings all the boys to the yard) & Dan Black (who was just nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards - nominated video below) are on a tour (that also includes Far East Movement) that brought them to Music Hall of Williamsburg last week and Webster Hall last night (8/4).

Last night's high energy show was the first of two for the artists at the same venue (they return to Webster Hall tonight, 8/5). All three NYC shows are/were sold out. More pictures from Wednesday's, including Dan and Kelis's setlists, below...

Continue reading "Robyn, Kelis & Dan Black played Webster Hall (night 1 pics) "

photos by Graeme Flegenheimer

Robyn @ The Music Box in L.A.

Sensitivity didn't equate to softness at the Music Box, where Robyn was backed by a four-piece band that included two drummers; they gave tracks from "Body Talk Pt. 1," the singer's terrific new disc, a muscular, hard-hitting energy. Over those precision-geared grooves Robyn contemplated vulnerability with disarming honesty: "I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her," she sang in "Dancing on My Own." "I'm right over here, why can't you see me?" Later, in a song from her self-titled 2005 album, she concluded, "You never will be mine."

None of this came off as self-pity, thanks in large part to Robyn's powerful singing, which has warmed and deepened since she emerged during the mid-'90s teen-pop craze. Friday she encored with "Show Me Love," her signature phase-one hit, and the tension between the childlike lyric and Robyn's grown-up voice was as juicy as pop gets. [LA Times]

The review and pictures are both from Robyn & Kelis's tour stop in L.A. on Friday, July 23rd.

The two singers are in NYC for three concerts - the first is tonight (7/28) at Music Hall of Williamsburg, followed by August 4th and 5th at Webster Hall. All three are sold out.

Robyn is also playing one of those iheartradio.com private shows at the P.C. Richard & Son Theater (32 Avenue of the Americas in Tribeca) on Thursday, July 29th at 7pm (doors at 6pm). You can't buy tickets, but we have two pairs to giveaway. Details below.

Robyn, who 'dominated' at Pitchfork Fest earlier in July, put out Body Talk Pt. 1 in June. Part 2 of the triology is due August 17th in the US, and the video for its first single, "Hang With Me," is below. Kelis is also working off a new album, Flesh Tone, which came out in May.

The mentioned video, contest, and more pictures from the LA gig are below...

Continue reading "Robyn played LA w/ Kelis (pics), playing private gig (win tix)"

Robyn's new 3-D video is killing me.

Robyn and Kelis have added yet another NYC show to their upcoming tour schedule. Tickets for July 28th at Music Hall of Williamsburg are on AmEx presale now. General sale starts Friday at noon.

Tickets are also still on sale for the August 4th show at Webster Hall. August 5th is sold out. More dates HERE.

Whoah. The August 5th Webster Hall Robyn/Kelis show (part of a larger tour) sold right out today, so they added another show happening one day earlier at the same venue. Tickets for the August 4th gig are on sale now.

"With Body Talk Pt. 1, the first of a potential three new albums tentatively scheduled for 2010, Robyn doesn't just walk the line between what she has called the "commercial" and "tastemaker" realms. She obliterates it. Immaculately produced, fantastically sung, and loaded with memorable choruses, this eight-song effort has plenty to please everyone from post-dubstep crate diggers to teen tweeters-- often at the same time. Like most of Robyn's best tracks, though, from mid-90s teen-pop hit "Show Me Love" to "With Every Heartbeat" a decade later, Body Talk Pt. 1 is capable of not only appealing to many different people, but also touching them emotionally." [Pitchfork, Best New Music]

Swedish pop singer Robyn's new album, Body Talk Pt. 1, is due out June 15th on Konichiwa/Cherrytree/Interscope. She'll be following that up with parts 2 and 3 later this year. The video for "Dancing On My Own," her new single off the album (out now), is posted below. The full album will be streaming in full on Myspace from June 11th-18th.

This summer Robyn has tour dates in Europe as well as North America. The latter trip kicks off at Pitchfork Fest in Chicago on July 16th and continues to her NYC show on August 5th at Webster Hall. That show is part of the "All Hearts Tour" tour, on which she'll join Kelis, Dan Black and Far East Movement. Tickets go on AmEx presale Wedneday at noon. General sale starts Friday at noon.

She'll also be on Letterman July 19th. All tour dates and the above-mentioned video are below...

Continue reading "Robyn releasing albums, touring w/ Kelis & Dan Black (dates)"

"There's a good reason why the new record is called Scars," says Felix Buxton. "Making it has been a grueling process. When we finished recording, it felt like we'd come out of a boxing ring." His bandmate Simon Ratcliffe nods in agreement.

Basement Jaxx's new album 'Scars' will be released by Ultra and XL Records on October 6th. A little less than a month later the band will visit North America to DJ in a few major cities, including New York City of course. Tickets are now on sale for a November 7th gig at Santos Party House which doubles as FIXED's 5-year anniversary party.

'Scars' is full of guest appearances including Kelis, Maleka & Chipmunk, Eli "Paperboy" Reed, Sam Sparro, Lightspeed Champion, Amp Fiddler, Yo Majesty, Yoko Ono, Paloma Faith, Lisa Kekaula, Jose Hendrix, and Jose James. All dates, the tour poster, the Scars (cover art above) tracklisting, and the video for "Raindrops", below....

Continue reading "Basement Jaxx - 2009 DJ tour dates (NYC on sale), new album w/ Kelis, Yoko, Eli Reed, Lightspeed Champion, more"

Photos by Johnny Nunez

Nas (and Kells), N.E.R.D., Spank Rock and Grandmaster Flash performed at the Smirnoff party at Capitale in Manhattan on Tuesday night. N.E.R.D.'s next NYC show is for Diesel this Saturday. Nas has one coming up at Hammerstein Ballroom. More pictures from Capitale below...

Continue reading "Nas, N.E.R.D. & Spank Rock @ Capitale, NYC - pics"

Nas and Kellis wore the controversial name of his new album on their outfits to the Grammys last night. More photos below....

Continue reading "Nas & Kelis wore/promoted "Nigger" at the Grammys"