Page 2988 – XLR8R

Infamous Mobb Reality Rap

From Marley Marl to Nas, the notorious Queensbridge projects have sired many legends. On their third release, Infamous Mobb also shows their QB pedigree. If you like your rap gritty, you’ll appreciate Nitty, Gambino, and G.O.D.‘s tales of growing up in America’s largest housing projects. Despite the aptly titled “That Smell” (that smell is Chipmunk’d Skynyrd) the trio is backed by impressive producers, new (Steve Sola) and established (Alchemist). Erick Sermon laces the ominous “Betti Bye Bye,” while longtime affiliates Mobb Deep also show up on the Havoc-produced “Blauu!” and the Prodigy-assisted “Handle Ya Business.” But the group shines best on “Music 4 the User,” when they reveal the sensitivity beneath the harsh exterior of their reality raps.

Bun B Announces Tour

With the help of a little love and promotion from Zune, Houston rapper Bun B will make a trip around the U.S. this spring to promote his forthcoming Il Trill. The album, which follows 2005’s Trill, boasts a sizable collection of hip-hop talent, including Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Slim Thug, Mike Jones, and a ton more. Pick it up starting April 29.

Tour Dates
02/29 Fayetteville, NC: The Palace
03/01 Richmond, VA: High Lights
03/02 Washington, DC: Platinum Night Club
03/03 New York, NY: Venue TBA
03/04 New York, NY: Venue TBA
03/05 Cleveland, OH: Metropolis
03/06 Indianapolis, IN: Lilly Unit
03/07 Detroit, MI: Zoo Bar
03/08 Cincinnati, OH: Club Annies
03/09 Chicago, IL: Venue TBA
03/12 Austin, TX: SXSW
03/14 San Antonio, TX: East Side
03/15 Houston, TX: Club Levels
03/20 Oklahoma City, OK: Venue TBA
03/21 Kansas City, MO: Venue TBA
03/22 St. Louis, MO: Matthews Dickey
03/26 Los Angeles, CA: House of Blues
03/27 Los Angeles, CA: House of Blues
03/28 Los Angeles, CA: House of Blues
03/30 Oakland, CA: Venue TBA

Image © Trill Entertainment.

6: Casey and Paul join the party

Ghostland Observatory “Robotique Majestique”

For their third full-length, Austin, TX-based duo Ghostland Observatory stays the course, with its electro-meets-rock-meets soul music that’s as quirky and energetic as their infamous live performances. Robotique Majestique is anything but subtle in its craft, with big dance beats powered by even bigger guitar riffs and frontman Aaron Behren’s commanding voice on the mic.

Ghostland Observatory – Robotique Majestique

DFA and PopRally Team Up for Dance Party

A DFA Records entourage will storm the MoMA this Satruday, March 1, for a dance party to be held in conjunction with the museum’s exhibition, Color Chart: Reinventing Color, 1950 to Today. The event is part of the museum’s ongoing PopRally series.

The exhibition, which will run March 2 – May 12, examines what happens when, according to its website, “contemporary artists assign color decisions to chance.” If your knowledge of art is remedial (like mine), think Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, Gerhard Richter, and Damien Hirst, and you’ll get the idea.

The dance party will feature Juan Maclean, T&T (Tim Goldsworthy and Tim Sweeney), Holy Ghost!, Justin Miller, and Jacques Renault on the decks. Attendees will be able to preview the exhibition, and should wear bright and bold colors. As always, free booze will be available at the open bar.

The MoMA is located at 11 W 53 Street in New York. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.

Photo of Juan Maclean by Tim Soter.

Le Night Dominator

Mlle Caro and Franck Garcia Pain Disappears

Here, veteran Parisian DJ Caroline Laher teams up with producer Franck Garcia to deliver Buzzin’ Fly’s first artist full-length. Laher and Garcia try out a few styles on this album; the tracks that meander into indie-electronic rock territory are neither bad nor particularly memorable (this style is done much better on labels like Morr). PainDisappear’s tightest pieces are those that reveal Laher’s DJ sensibilities: “No Name” opens with a staccato of noisy, pinprick-like feedback, which gives way to hip-swerving snares and minimal funk, while “Lost” melds a simple ascension of synth rhythms with tribal percussion for a lovely tech-house combination. Watch for invigorating stuff to come from this dynamic production duo.

Various The Beatards: Endless Drummer Mixtape

The Beatards, hosts of NYC’s innovative Mixtape Riot! night, bring their penchant for bouncing, club-ready hip-hop to record with this 25-track mix. While this trio’s remixes of songs by R. Kelly and Robin Thicke put a quirky spin on recognizable radio hits, much of the original material from The Beatards is just as notable. Hand-clapping dancefloor rap (“Gimmie That”) and even laid-back, introspective joints (“Rain Is Gone”) comprise UTK, Chuck Wild, and DJO’s respective range here. Meanwhile the inclusion of new tracks from Santogold, Kid Acne, and other innovators help keep this mixtape moving along nicely.

Podcast 29: Mush Records

Mush is one of those labels that’s impossible to pin into any one genre, and Antimc has proven that true once again, with this mix for the XLR8R podcast.

The producer and self-proclaimed workaholic stayed up until eight a.m. on his birthday, pulling Mush tracks together for this 40-plus-minute DJ mix. Here you’ll find everything from older works, such as the classic Boom Bip and Doseone collaboration Circle, new material from Eliot Lipp’s forthcoming The Outside, enough Daedelus to keep you smiling for weeks, and more. In the meantime, catch Antimc on the road with fellow Los Angeles native Busdriver–that is, if he isn’t in his bedroom making music until the wee hours.

Subscribe to this podcast: iTunes or mp3 format. For help, click here.

Tracklisting
1. Daedelus “Greatly Exaggerated, Our Demise”
2. Daedelus “Like Clockwork Springs”
3. Radioinactive “Pyramidi”
4. Pedro “I Am Keeping Up”
5. Thavius Beck “The Storm Before The Calm”
6. Eliot Lipp “Beyond The City”
7. Daedelus “Name Game”
8. Boom Bip & Doseone “Town Crier’s Walk”
9. Loden “Vlugt (And More For You)”
10. Daedelus “Impending Doom (Doomcapella)
11. Thavius Beck “Perpetual Pursuit”
12. Fisk Industries “Reflection”
13. Andre Afram Asmar “Timeshipearth”
14. Head Like A Kite “Six Bags Of Confetti (Antimc Skinny Gold Chain Remix)”
15. Eliot Lipp “The Meaning”
16. Nobody “Fancy (Instrumental Reprise)”
17. Antimc “Canadian Dream”
18. Omid “Up”
19. Lulu Mushi “Blue Sonoko”
20. cLOUDDEAD “JimmyBreeze (1)”
21. Busdriver “Avantcore (D-Styles Remix)”
22. cLOUDDEAD “JimmyBreeze (1)”
23. Aesop Rock “Big Bang”
24. Bigg Jus “Supa Nigga”
25. Andre Afram Asmar “Computermammals”
26. Daedelus “Sundown (Dark Party Remix)”
27. Antimc “Cesspool City”
28. Boom Bip & Doseone “Square”
29. Antimc “What Were We So Afraid Of?”
30. Daedelus “Just Briefly”
31. Qua “Robot Unknown”
32. Andre Afram Asmar “We Humunculi”