XLR8R reviews the week’s events, projects, rants, crimes, and strange occurrences in the music world.

This week:Screw the label mergers and all that corporate bullshit that goes with them. We’ve got more important things to ponder from the week past.

On Sunday, the New York Timesjumped into the Is Rave Back? debate, now in full swing and getting a decent amount of backlash. The Times obviously took a more objective stance on the subject, but doesn’t the fact that the largest paper in the country covered it truly mean we’ve at least got a mini-movement on our hands?

Klaxons: Sitting at the center of the new rave debate.

His hair–a magnificent afro that would make rave kids neon-green with envy–may be a fashion statement, but The Coup’s Boots Riley has little to do with new rave. Instead, the outspoken MC/political activist will head to academia, where he’s been selected as the keynote speaker for the UC Berkeley Black Graduation ceremony. Fortunately he won’t have to don one of those stupid four-corner hats, which probably wouldn’t fit over his ‘do anyway.

Boots Riley ponders what he’ll say to those eager undergrads.

Festivals like WMC, SXSW, and Coachella are fast approaching. Be sure to keep those bank accounts beefed up so you can afford the $200+ ticket prices.

Finally, on a much more somber note, the XLR8R crew sends its sincerest sympathies to the family and friends of David Shayman, known to fans as Disco D. Shayman unexpectedly took his life on Tuesday, ending a longtime battle against bipolar disorder and depression. Anyone wanting to pay their respects can do so by leaving a message at myspace.com/gringolouco.

RIP David Shayman, a.k.a. Disco D.