We have no idea who Sour is, but we can’t deny the creativity of the song’s video maker.
Falty DL Interview and Album Preview
From our friends at SonicRouter, a nice little interview with the man known as Falty DL(a.k.a. Andrew Lustman), and a quick preview of his upcoming LP on Planet Mu. Check it!
Uproot Andy “Brooklyn Cumbia”
Between their summer tour and the recent release of both ZZK Sound Vol.2 and Villa Diamante‘s Empacho Digital, Buenos Aires’ Zizek crew seems to be everywhere these days. That includes Brooklyn, where Uproot Andy has been holding it down with all sorts of Afro-Latin rhythms. With its bouncy synths and steady cumbia beat, it’s no surprise that “Brooklyn Cumbia” leads off the ZZK Sound Vol. 2 compilation.
Grandmaster Flash Is a DJ Hero
As if that needed to be said… What we mean to say is that Grandmaster Flash is just one of the turntablist icons to be featured in Activision’s new DJ Hero game, and we gotta admit, we’re sort of stoked on this one. The hip-hop DJ legend lends his voice and knowledge to the game’s tutorials, teaching players how to use the killer control surface while expounding on the game’s mechanics. Tracks from Justice, Herbie Hancock, and a ton more awesome artists (along with some not-so-hot ones like B.E.P. and Fiddy) promise to make the October launch of DJ Hero something pretty monumental for fans of electronic music and gaming alike. Stay tuned to XLR8R.com and XLR8R‘s new gaming section in the months to come for the straight dope.
Podcast 93: Strange Famous Megamix 2009
With Sage Francis at the helm of the Strange Famous brand, it comes as no surprise that the label’s artists—showcased in this exclusive mix—deliver a similar style of hip-hop—sharp, gritty, and unabashedly to-the-point when it comes to lyrical content. DJ Pickster One compiled the tracks for the Strange Famous Megamix 2009, and if you don’t know the work of Cecil Otter, B. Dolan, Sleep, The Returners, Curtis Plum, and Prayers for Atheists yet, you will be more than familiar by the end of this 52-minute mix. All tracks come from the Strange Famous 2009 release schedule, which means we can expect angst-hop albums galore in the coming months.
Strange Famous Megamix 2009
01 Cecil Otter – Duel
02 B. Dolan – One Breath Left
03 The Returners – From The Desk Of La2thebay
04 Sleep – Talk About It
05 Cecil Otter – The Poet is Rapist
06 Prayers for Atheists – Psalm for St. Paul
07 Sleep – Orchestra Of Strangers
08 Curtis Plum – Call My Cellphone
09 The Returners – First Kill
10 Cecil Otter – Sufficiently Breathless
11 B. Dolan – RSVP
12 The Returners – I Promise Feat. P.O.S.
13 Sleep – Hesitation Wounds Feat. Grayskul
14 Prayers for Atheists – Lot’s Wife
15 Sleep – Interlude
16 Curtis Plum – Indie Rocker
17 Cecil Otter – Black Rose
18 The Returners – She Just Thinks
19 Prayers for Atheists – Wrong Horse
20 Sleep – Lothar Feat. Del The Funkey Homosapien
21 SFR 2009 Outro
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Bjork Does Guest NPR DJ Spot
Yppah They Know What Ghost Know
Turntablist shoegaze, theoretically, sounds like absolute crap. In practice, though, Joe Corrales, Jr. makes it work, as evidenced by his sophomore album, They Know What Ghost Know, a more rock (and post-rock) affair than his 2006 debut. There’s a collage-like aesthetic here, with carefully constructed instrumental layers altering slightly on each iteration as new elements come and go. When the album works, as on “City Glow,” with its creepily manipulated vocal snippets, and the beautifully pensive “Shutter Speed,” it’s as emotional as any pop song. But when it doesn’t, the music sounds forced, as on “The Moon Scene 7,” where the spacey elements sound like a too-literal attempt to expand on the title.
Exclusive: Bike for Three! “Lazarus Phenomenon (Thavius Beck remix)”
Bike for Three! is the latest avant-rap permutation to appear on the anticon. label, this one combining the vocal talents of Buck 65 with the production prowess of Belgium’s Greetings from Tuscan. Here, like-minded leftfield L.A. beatmaker and studio wizard Thavius Beck puts a woozy spin on their track “Lazarus Phenomenon.”
Tomasz Bednarczyk Let’s Make Better Mistakes Tomorrow
Like many minimalist greats before him, Poland’s Tomasz Bednarczyk simply takes a bare sound from a piano or an electric guitar and loops it until every grain of emotion expires with each breath. Ghostly traces of a hymnal organ drone and sway between the headphone speakers on the immaculate “Kyoto” and “So,” the latter drifting out to sea like a burning funeral pyre. Gentle, jazz piano chords are repeated on “The Sketch” while Bednarczyk colors in echoed notes and field recordings of playing children. There are a few cracks in the album, namely “Autumn,” which resembles a tepid, lukewarm remix of Tim Hecker’s “Sea of Pulses.” But ultimately, Let’s Make evokes emotions that so many lyrics would fail to express.
Party Out of Bounds: Top Billin
Global party professionals tell you the best places to get buck wild.
It’s common knowledge that the best way to experience a city is to have a local take you around. And since our summer party schedule sees us touching down in some pretty exotic locations, we decided to ring up a few fearless natives to see where they hang out. In Helsinki, Finland, we tapped the renaissance men of the Top Billin crew—DJ/producers, label owners, promoters, bloggers, and all around wild and crazy guys—to take us to rockabilly barbershops and afterhours bars. Isis and Grahmzilla of tropical club-rap phenoms Thunderheist show us the best shops and oxtail-eatin’ on Toronto’s Queen Street West before we head south to heat up the parks and food stalls of Buenos Aires with cumbia nueva crew Zizek. And just when you think you’ve seen all NYC has to offer, DJ and dairy lover Derek Plaslaiko gives you a tour of the city’s secret techno hotspots, with a side of mozzarella. Vivian Host and Ken Taylor.
Top Billin
Helsinki, Finland
Finland’s B-more-and-bass-loving super-crew shows us the finer points of raising hell in Helsinki.
The Viking Line, Mastokatu 1
Helsinki, the black pearl of the Baltic Sea, has active sea routes to neighboring countries such as Sweden and Austria. Therefore, we have a lot of cruise ships, or “fuck boats” as they’re commonly known. One of our popular leisure activities is to hop on these floating hotels and sail into the sunset. Also a favorite for Italian tourists on vacation.
Sinebrychoff Park, Bulevardi 40
Our outdoor office in the Punavuori district. The lack of Trustafarians, crusties, and speed freaks makes it an ideal spot to concentrate on the finer things in life, such as beer and lightly clad women. Of course, a fight with some douchebags may break out now and then, but hey, you can make war or make babies.
Mannerheim Museum, Kalliolinnantie 14
The estate of our beloved leader, the only true king of Finland, war marshal Mannerheim. A warrior, a poet, and a homosexual. This is where we come for inspiration and to salute the gentleman who saved us from the godless heathens that were the Reds 100 years ago. Maybe we’ll start the Mannerheim pride parade.
Four Seasons Salads & Delicatesses, Kapteeninkatu 24
The deli choice of Top Billin. Just a block away from our studio, it’s run by these French dudes who came to Helsinki to chase blondes (like all Frenchies). They serve the freshest salads and the tastiest baguettes. As we are picky, health-conscious metrosexuals, we tend to eat lightly. Gotta keep those abs toned, right? Lies. The portions are huge.
Redrum, Vuorikatu 2
Home of the Top Billin club night. Three stories below the street level lies the red-light-lit bassment; it’s like the carbonite chamber of Cloud City, but with screaming, drunken hipster chicks and a Funktion One soundsystem. Their sister club, Kuudes Linja, is where we do all the hip-hop nights, so check that too.
Lifesaver, Laivurinkatu 41
Thee record shop in Helsinki. Co-owned by Top Billin member and record aficionado extraordinaire DJ Anonymous. If you dig crates, you will dig Lifesaver.
The Stonehenge, Punavuori district
For those wee hours in the summertime after the clubs have closed their doors, there is the ’Henge, where the creatures of the night from the Punavuori district gather in a drunk and disorderly fashion. Vodka-fueled debates range from A-Ha to Z-Ro to gibberish when the sun rises.
