Crunc Tesla “We All Have a SolarPlexus”

Crunc Tesla is another one of those musical Renaissance men who have worked a ridiculous amount of diversity into their careers. He has accomplished everything from founding a record label (Luv Technologies) to making music under many different aliases and touring with names as diverse as Dizzee Rascal and Bright Eyes. He even had a stint with the trombone at one point. His recently released debut album, What’s Really Rad, fuses his Atlanta hip-hop roots with B-more bass and electro beats, and features a slew of guest artists.

We All Have A Solarplexus

Jeremy Jay A Place Where We Could Go

On his full-length debut, A Place Where We Could Go, Jeremy Jay, a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter, flirts with 1950s-style mood and influences from all across the dial. The oohs, ahhs, and finger snaps on his lo-fi Richie Valens love songs can just as easily stray into Elton John-like pop piano territory or Link Wray-esque power chords. He’s a beautiful rebel from a Peter Pan storybook creating a garage-punk-tinged soundtrack to an old movie, and when he croons on “The Living Dolls” or the standout “Beautiful Rebel,” he recalls a more melodic Jonathan Richman. A step up from his Airwalker EP, A Place sees the indie pop gem transitioning into a more classic rock style with much originality.

Booka Shade Add Tour Dates

They sold out San Francisco and Denver and revealed an upgraded live show at Coachella that included new visuals, tons more synths, and extra lighting, so all doubts as to whether or not Booka Shade are worth catching should be stamped out by now. Arno Kammermeier and Walter Merzinger will continue slaying audiences in North America with more tour dates this summer. Catch them live at one of the shows below. In the meantime, their third full-length, The Sun & The Neon Light, will drop May 27 on Get Physical.

07/23 Calgary, AB: Whiskey
07/24 Edmonton, AB: Starlight Room
07/25 Whistler, BC: Pemberton Festival
07/26 Los Angeles, CA: Avalon
07/30 Boston, MA: Underbar
07/31 Toronto, ON: The Opera House
08/01 New York, NY: Irving Plaza
08/02 Chicago, IL: Lollapollaza
08/03 Montreal, QC: Osheaga

Bass Reaction: Surefire Expands, Soundbwoy T-Shirts, Chef Caught on Video

Book your Virgin Air flight now and get to the big show next week, May 9, at London’s Fabric. The “Cool & Deadly” Room One features a live PA from Magnetic Man (Benga, Skream, and Artwork, authors of the smash “Alright, What’s Happening”), plus Tayo, Freq Nasty, and more. Room two is d&b from Fabio, Friction, High Contrast, Commix, and more. Big night!

Speaking of big parties, a couple of weeks ago, back on April 11, the Why Not? dubstep festival at Ministry of Sound UK looked like the place to be. with 40 of the scene’s biggest names. YoutTube has the video aftermath like Chef playing big Cotti dubplates. Also in the mix on the night was N-Type, Rusko, Youngsta, Coki, Joe Nice, Distance, Pinch, Oneman, Dusk, Blackdown, Hatcha, Headhunter, Appleblim… bloody hell, that’s a marathon!

Does dubstep translate? Apparently so, as Rinse DJ Chef (pictured above) appeared in a German TV video post and was interviewed multiple languages!

For those wanting to rep hard–you’ll love the Police in Helicopter “Soundbwoy” t-shirt. Just be ready to have the dubs to back that statement up!

Attention producers: U.K. label Nu-Urban Music has started a new imprint. Urban Essentials is taking dubstep demos. So touch the link and upload your best bubblers. Out soon: Urban Essentials first release, “Rigga Mortis,” by Fused Forces.

Big news from Stateside: San Francisco’s promotions company Surefire Agency has expanded its services, adding a U.K. office and booking for artists like Kush Arora, SamSupa, DJG, Boxcutter, Headhunter, Scuba, Djunya, and more. Says Surefire’s Miro: “This is not your traditional agency, as we are a group of artists, promoters and producers who also run our own events and know the difficulty many cities have building a community. We’re here to help on both sides of the fence, trying to develop the best scenario for both the artists and the people behind the scenes.”

Bay Area DJ/producer/entrepreneur Tommy Lexxus has fully lunched his new Bassism label. Expect releases from OSC (Roommate and Antiserum), FSTZ, and more. For now, check his podcast with fresh bits from Roommate, The Bassist, 6blocc, and DZ.

Appleblim’s latest podcast is an eclectic affair to say the least, with everything from new D1 to Alice Coltrane. Speaking of D1, check out his sweet, spacey remix of the Barrington Levy-sampling tune, “Forever.” Also, out May 5: Dub U and TRG’s “Losing Marbles,” featuring a 2562 remix on Hotflush. Romania TRG is all over the charts (see below) with lush and lovely tracks. Dubplate.net says: “TRG, a.k.a. Cosmin Nicolae, is a name you should remember really well. A producer with so much talent, it’s hard to keep it a secret.”

Studio Rockers have unleashed three new tunes from Eskmo. “Process,” “Trudge,” and “Willow Grail” are subby, techy, dubby things. Eskmo is Brendan Angelides, a producer and live performer who has been writing music since 1999.

London store and label Soul Jazz will release Steppa’s Delight, compiled by Emma Warren, on May 12. The double-CD is full of exclusives from Goth Trad, Joker, Gatekeeper, Benga, Quest, Shakleton, and more. Also, in case you missed it, Burial mixes the forthcoming !K7 DJ Kicks album, out June 23.

On the Bay Area gigs tip: Friday, May 16 in S.F., B.I.G. & Surefire present Grime City’s third anniversary, featuring Baltimore’s Joe Nice, at Anú (43 Sixth St.). On May 21, Surefire will bring Antisocial Entertainment and Deep Medi Musik’s Quest and Silkie to 1015 Folsom club in San Francisco.

In June, bi-weekly night Brap Dem! will celebrate a month-long, one-year event with residents SamSupa, Kozee, and Staypuft, plus unannounced Canadian and U.K. international guests on both the first and third Wednesdays at the Transfer (Church at Market St., San Francisco). Also, on June 21, Benga and Skream will make their second S.F. appearance at Mighty.

Get Darker Top 10
1. TRG “Broken Heart (Martyn Remix)”
2. Benga & Walsh “Megatection”
3. FWD: Live Event Recorded February 8 featuring Skream
4. Clouds “Under The Dancing Feet”
5. SP MC “Trust Nobody”
6. Ramadanman “Carla”
7. Benga Diary Of An Afro Warrior
8. Rusko “Sub 003”
9. Tunnidge “Geddon”
10. Distance “V”

Portishead Third

Since their founding in 1991, Bristol-based trio Portishead has never wavered from their original intention: to play music how and when they wanted. It’s been a decade since their live CD at New York’s Roseland Ballroom was released, but what their 11-song return lacks–those effervescent, puncturing beats and basslines that put their debut, Dummy, on the map–is more than made up for in the rich textures of Geoff Barrow’s and Adrian Utley’s jazz- and noir-inspired doodles. And, of course, the hook: Beth Gibbons. The painful longing in her voice emerges from the silent spaces of “Plastic,” and the downright beauty of “The Rip,” an acoustic gem that explodes with an airy beat, reaffirms this band’s uncompromising devotion to the craft that brought them together.

Clothes Captioned: In4mation

In4mation creative director Rhandy Tambio counts Johnny Cash, skater Eric Koston, surfer Tom Curren, and Bob Marley among his style icons, an ethos reflected in the Hawaiian brand’s mix of street, surf, and skate with a laidback island flair. In4mation began throwing shakas in 2002, when partners Tambio, Ryan Arakaki, Todd Shimabuku, and Jun Jo started screenprinting tees out of their two Oahu skate shops–one in suburban Miliani, the other in tourist-laden Waikiki Beach. Last May, Tambio and women’s designer Elska Sandor (of Rookie Skateboards fame) opened a New York office, where they created the most recent collection of easygoing men’s and women’s streetwear to a soundtrack of Angry Samoans, Desmond Dekker, and Shai Hulud. We caught up Tambio liberally dosing his lunch with Tony’s Creole Seasoning, and asked him what to wear for the next endless summer.

Navy plaid button-down short sleeve
We just love this kind of shirt, so we did our own version with pops of Hawaiian prints hidden under the pocket flaps and center placket.

Etnies/In4m Sal Barbier shoe
We’ve been blessed to do this collaboration with Sal’s shop, SLB, and Etnies. We cut down the puffy tongue and colored it up in black and all red to pay tribute to Sal’s classic style.

Grey shorts with waterproof pocket
We wanted to make waterproof pockets in case you suddenly fall in the water or someone dumps a drink on your crotch.

Kate Moss tee
It’s our social commentary on brands that always use Kate’s likeness in a religious manner. Sorry Kate, you still rule!

Fish Hook bag and hat
This pattern is an inside joke, since we’ve been talking about opening an In4mation tackle shop. You’ll definitely “hook up” with the ladies, or be the catch of the day!

Respect Locals hoodie
Being born and raised on an island makes you appreciate and take pride in being from somewhere.

Wildbirds & Peacedrums Heartcore

The couple in Wildbirds & Peacedrums met while studying music in Gothenburg, Sweden and before long they were playing shows and getting married. Comprised of just Andreas Werliin’s unusual percussive talents and Miriam Wallentin’s versatile voice, the duo plays with a notable sense of silence, inviting listeners’ imaginations to fill in the rest. Heartcore, their unfortunately titled debut, ambitiously attempts many genres–soul, folk, jazz, pop–but the result is haphazard. The songs work best when Wallentin’s soulful, layered vocals are the center of attention (“Pony”) but the occasional missteps into free-jazz drumming and unfocused songwriting sound like two talented musicians who haven’t yet found themselves. Let’s hope the marriage works out.

Adult. Release Horror Film and Soundtrack

Adult., the Detroit-based couple of Nicola K. and Adam L. Miller, has made some of the darkest (and best) electro tunes of the last decade. Not limited to just music, Nicola K.’s calmly violent photography, the source of the band’s captivating cover art, has played quite the role in orchestrating their dark aesthetic of high fashion and Midwestern Gothic.

With that attention to visual and musical form in mind, it’s pretty damn exciting to find out that Nicola and Adam will be screening Decampment, a “silent-experimental-horror” film of their own making, at the Detroit Institute of Arts on May 9, 2008. To accompany the screening, they’ll be performing live their own “peculiar electronic horror music” as a score to the film.

If that weren’t enough, the film will also herald the first Adult. release in over a year. A series of three 7″‘s, featuring the score to Decampment, will be released in very limited editions of 100 (each including a numbered photographic print) starting May 13. Keep your eyelids glued to Ersatz Audio for more information.

Lightning Head “Afro Spot”

Glyn Bush has released dub tunes and mixes under a variety of monikers, most notably as Rockers Hi-Fi, though these days he works mostly under the names BiggaBush and Lightning Head. In an effort to keep his different projects under one roof, most everything rocking out of his studio is now released on his own Lion Head Recordings imprint. This Lightning Head track draws heavily from West African music of the mid-70s, not unlike the great Nigeria Special compilations we’ve been rocking around the office here at XLR8R. Appropriately, “Afro Spot” is named for the legendary night club in Lagos, Nigeria. Wyatt Williams

Afro Spot

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