Z-Trip Unveils Obama Mix

Z-Trip‘s been hard at work on the Obama support trail, most notably in his collaborative event series with Shepard Fairey. The two have made a mission of educating fans on the importance of voter registration, and Z-Trip continues on that track with his new “Obama Mix.”

The L.A.-based DJ apparently spent months working on the mix, which he’s now made available as a free download from his site. It’s a mash-up of samples, speeches, and songs, and Z-Trip is encouraging fans to “burn copies, share it with friends, family, co-workers, strangers, and especially anyone you know is on the fence about this election.” He’s also prepped a radio-friendly version of the mix.

He’ll continue spreading the message via tour dates happening throughout the rest of the month, then on into November.

Dates
10/09 Columbus, OH – Sugar Bar
10/10 Tallahassee, FL – Beta Bar
10/11 New York, NY – Santos Partyhouse
10/16 College Park, MD – Santa Fe Cafe
10/18 Doral, FL – M.I.A. Skate Park
10/23 State College, PA – Club Indigo
10/25 Washington, DC – Rock and Roll Hotel
10/30 Morgantown, WV – Chic n Bones
10/31 San Francisco, CA – Supper Club
11/01 Toronto, ON – Sound Academy
11/07 Nashville, TN – Exit Inn
11/08 Austin, TX – FunFunFun Fest
11/10 Houston, TX – The Drake
11/11 Dallas, TX – House of Blues
11/22 Vancouver, BC – The Commodore

Photo By Emily Elizabeth.

Grouper “Heavy Water”

As noted by XLR8R scribe David Bevin in our recent Portland issue, “nearly every second of Dragging a Dead Dear Up a Hill feels like an exorcism of sounds.” A rather dream-pop affair, the album finds Liz Harris, the lone member of Grouper, making a departure from the restrained style that characterized her previous efforts and unleashing the ambient melancholy in full-force–particularly in the vocal department. Harris was often found whispering on past albums. Here, her smooth voice soars over stripped-down acoustic guitars and the track does feel as though she’s releasing some kind of inner ghost that needed to be let out. Jennifer Marston

Grouper – Heavy Water

Chandelier Searchlight

Deerhoof kept it lo-fi for the third video from the band’s recently released album, Offend Maggie, with a 2D-animated adventure of seeming doom and destruction. Lightning bolts strike ghosts, characters boat through a treacherous lake of fire, and then there’s that coffin at the beginning. It’s all rather gloomy, but juxtaposed with the band’s upbeat rhythms, there’s an air of comedy about the whole thing. Maverick Newberry

Evidence “The Layover”

Now that he’s not being mistaken for a notorious graffiti artist, Dilated People’s rapper and producer, Evidence, can get back to work and release his next solo venture. Next up is The Layover EP, which he’ll drop via Decon on November 25.

Evidence originally intended it to be a side-project he’d unleash in the form of five free downloads, but enthusiasm took over and he decided to turn the whole deal into an official release. Away Team member Khrysis was a major contributor to the project, including this, the title cut, which features him on the mixing board and Evidence on the mic. Maverick Newberry. Photo by B+.

Evidence – The Layover

Soulwax Film Makes Stateside Premiere

Shame we can’t always go behind-the-scenes in person to witness what our favorite artists get up to in the dressing rooms, but we can count ourselves lucky we live in the age of music documentaries. And after a bit of a wait, Soulwax‘s previously mentioned film, Part of the Weekend Never Dies, is set to make its Stateside premiere on October 28.

The film documents the Belgian electro-rock outfit’s travels on the road, as well as the mayhem involved with taking on a world tour, which, if you know these guys, should involve lots of laughs, ladies, and general absurdity. It will first premiere at Nike Sportswear at the Montalban Theatre in L.A., on the aforementioned date, at 8 p.m. The screening is free for anyone who RSVPs.

Soulwax will also play at Hard Fest’s Haunted Mansion 2008 party, set to take place on Halloween, from 8 p.m. – 4 a.m., at the Shrine Expo Hall in L.A. Justice, Simian Mobile Disco, Crystal Castles, Boys Noize, Crookers, and others are also slated to appear.

Peep a teaser of the film here.

High Places High Places

Following the much-feted singles compilation 03/07–09/07, Rob Barber and Mary Pearson offer High Places, their first proper full-length for Thrill Jockey. Known for its playful innocence and everything-but-the-kitchen-sink audio collages, the duo further explores those elements across 10 beat-heavy tracks. Both Barber’s production and Pearson’s vocals reveal new sophistication, showcased on the wobbly, sun-baked “Golden” and the lightheaded tribal number “Gold Coin.” Though more focused than previous recordings, the album retains a natural, upbeat spontaneity that imbues a feeling of childlike awe into songs such as “Papaya Year” and “A Field Guide.” The real stunner, though, is closer “From Stardust to Sentience”–all ricocheting pinball beats and wistful emotions, it’s a powerful reminder of youth’s fleeting purity.

Bwana Spoons’ Grass Hut

A tour of the tropical cartoon landscape Bwana Spoons calls home.

If you’re driving, you might skip right past the tiny Grass Hut, situated on Burnside across from the Union Jack strip club and Grendel’s coffeehouse. But walking or biking, it’s hard not to be lured in by this art space’s lime green walls, driftwood sculptures, and population of wild, wonderful characters. Operated by the resplendently bearded duo of Bwana Spoons and Justin “Scrappers” Morrison, Grass Hut is a respite from cold collector emporiums and doubles as a clubhouse for local artists like APAK and Martin Ontiveros. We turned up in time to catch ping-pong, morning coffee, and a quick tour.

Grass Hut Summer Camp
Summer is really short here, so we designed this summer camp for our friends to hang out together, but it’s open to the public so all these people have been coming along! You get a bandanna and a patch for being a camp scout, and then we have these special badges you can earn, like “Fire-Maker” or “Wild-Life Feeder” (last week, we went to feed these large orange rats called nutria). This week is Skate or Die Trying, and next week we’re riding around to all of Portland’s parks with a bag full of equipment and trying to play every sport we can think of. Scrappers

Bwana’s Brush
This is my brush I can’t live without. This is the apex of my art. I got this locally at a shop over on Hawthorne. There was one grouping of them and I bought them all–now I can’t find them anywhere else. They make another one that looks exactly the same but the brush is different! Bwana Spoons

Grass Hut Sports
We used to be big into foursquare but our ball got ran over by a bus. When our show Ding Dang Dong (featuring work from Wrecks, Cupco, and Aaron Piland of APAK) started going up it seemed like ping-pong was the logical next thing. Every first Friday at the gallery we have an art opening at Grass Hut; this year we’ve had shows by J. Otto, Trish Grantham and Amy Ruppel, and Tim Biskup and his daughter, Tigerlily. Scrappers

Owl Dwarf
This is my favorite little guy. I found him at an antique market where everything was way overpriced but he was like… two dollars. He’s a bearded owl dwarf, handmade in Iceland, and he’s standing next to a Star Wars figure from my childhood. Bwana Spoons

Globby
This is a series of Globby: His mommy is an octopus and his daddy is an ice cream. They are waiting to be individually painted. Part of the charm of toys manufactured in Japan is that the base color doesn’t have to be white–it can be anything you want. The color of his head is supposed to resemble a piece of orange plastic that’s been sitting on the beach for a long, long time. Bwana Spoons

Locals Only
We’re lucky enough that a lot of our friends send us special things to sell in our store, either things they have left over from their art openings or stuff that they’ve made especially because they want something in here. Portland has a “locals only” vibe to it. It’s kind of a joke (since many people here are from somewhere else), but kind of not. That’s why I made this shirt with Paul Bunyan on the front; and on the back it’s a tree stump that says “Tourist Go Home.” Scrappers

Grass Hut is located at 811 e. Burnside St. (at SE 8th st.).

Favorite Portland Artist:
Bwana Spoons: Ayumi Piland is my favorite, but I really dig up-and-corner Mark Warren Jacques, too.

Koushik Out My Window

On his proper debut, vocalist/producer Koushik crafts tunes that are beyond airy. Inspired heavily by ’60s psych vibes, the Vermont-based multi-talent sings in an ethereal lull and produces with a gentle hand. His penchant for trippiness can sometimes lead him to steer too close to a sleepy state, like on the minimalist number “Ifoundu.” But Koushik’s hypnotic sounds are more often funky enough to tap your foot along to. The intricate and dream-like groove of “Be With” is beautiful, with the string samples and all the carefully executed details weaving in and out of the downtempo drums. And as a testament to his versatility, Koushik showcases his hip-hop influences on the minute-long instrumentals placed sparingly throughout the album–most impressively on the flute-laced “Forest Loop.” With his first long-player, Koushik proves to have found his comfort zone among all the airiness while also allowing room for growth.

You

Lyrically, Atmosphere’s track “You,” off this year’s When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold album, follows the trials of an overburdened, under-appreicated waitress. Not so for the track’s video, which was just recently released. The visual accompaniment to the song is more concerned with shots of the Minneapolis-based hip-hop act performing, snacks in the fridge, and the many travels of a tiny skateboard. It’s a slightly cleaner, more sedate affair than Atmosphere’s previous video, and this one’s got Brother Ali in it too.

Reefer “Let It Go (Flying Lotus Remix)”

As Brandon Ivers noted in a recent article on Flying Lotus, one gets the impression, when listening to the L.A. beatmaker’s music, “that everything this guy does is m-e-l-l-o-w.”

The same goes for this remix of Reefer’s track, off his upcoming self-titled release. Reefer (nee Nick Thorburn, of Islands fame), is set to release a mini-album on October 14, with producer/engineer Daddy Kev, which will include eight new tracks and a couple of remixes courtesy of DNTEL and the aforementioned FlyLo. The latter’s track was unleashed to the blogosphere today, and his trademark sounds–hazy, off-kilter beats, laid-back tempos, and what could be ocean waves–are all over this cut.

Reefer
01 The Simplest Way
02 May Baleen
03 Let It Go
04 Five Hundred An Ounce
05 Crony Island
06 Hit and Run
07 Blue Moon
08 Until We Meet Again
09 Hit and Run (DNTEL Remix)
10 Let It Go (Flying Lotus Remix)

Reefer – Let It Go (Flying Lotus Remix)

Page 2835 of 3781
1 … 2,833 2,834 2,835 2,836 2,837 … 3,781