Loading: PSP Gets Redesigned, PS3 Price Drops
Redesigned PSP Coming This Fall
After long-running speculation from fans, and continual denials of any such product existing, Sony announced a slimmer, redesigned PSP at E3 this past week. The newly re-jiggered mini media center is scheduled to hit stores sometime in September, with a sleeker design and a video-out feature.
Other confirmed features of the new model include reduced load times, USB power charging during data transfers, three color choices (Piano Black, Ice Silver, Ceramic White), 33% weight reduction, 19% thinner, $169 price point for the core unit (up $40 from the old PSP), 2 “Entertainment Packs,” available in the fall for $199, The “Daxter Pack,” which includes the Ice Silver PSP, Daxter, The Family Guy “Freakin’ Sweet Collection,” and a 1 GB memory stick.
If that weren’t enough, on October 9, the “Star Wars Battlefront Pack” will hit stores with a limited edition Star Wars Ceramic White PSP (with a Darth Vader silkscreen on the back) and the new Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron title packed.
PS3 Price Drops…While Supplies Last
The week before E3, the rumor, soon to be revealed as a fact, that the 60GB PlayStation 3 would drop $100 in price, to $499, had many people pleased, and it looked like Sony was actually going to end up moving some units.
The company not only confirmed the price-drop, but also revealed a new 80GB unit packaged with Motorstorm, to be released this fall, at an MSRP of $599. However, Dave Karakker, the company’s main PR guy, also revealed that the 60GB’s new $499 would be fleeting:
“The 60GB PS3 will be available in North America for $499 until supplies of that unit are depleted,” he said. “We have ample inventory to meet the immediate needs of consumers in this territory for several months to come. We won’t be making any further announcements regarding our hardware offerings in the North America at this time.”
Ugh. OK, so a little bait-n-switch. Thanks Sony. At least the $599 unit gets you a 20GB more space and a decent game. Thank God for small, yet-still-overpriced, miracles.
Gear Alert: Jeremy Fish Picture Discs for Serato
Jeremy Fish is one unique visual artist. The bearded post-skater’s work has graced the pages of hella urban-lifestyle magazines, galleries across the globe, as well as skateboards, t-shirts, and, perhaps weirdly, furniture. Fish’s secret world of skulls paired with bunnies, pirate ships, and turtlecampers has spawned a population of followers comparable to that of KAWS, Dalek, and even Shepard Fairey.
Now, the S.F.-based artist heads to the music tech zone, with a set of limited-edition Serato picture discs, to brighten up digital DJs’ setups. Featuring Fish’s classic skulls and winged creates, the double-sided discs are fully operational for the Serato setup and ready for New Era Cap-laden youths to show off at every $2 PBR function from Williamsburg to Echo Park. Only 500 of these babies are available, at $50 a set, and a few come packaged with a three-color, silk-screened poster too. Part of Free News Projects’ Long Division series, Fish’s picture disc will be followed by artists like ESPO, Swoon, and others.
Daily Download: A Shoreline Dream “New York”
Denver-based band A Shoreline Dream knows its way around Slowdive’s back catalog. Taken from the band’s forthcoming Coastal EP, “New York” should have shoegazers down on bended knee.
Download this song as an MP3, or preview a week’s worth of tracks at the XLR8R Podcast. Subscribe using iTunes, or with an RSS reader of your choice.
Dub Trio Cool Out and Coexist
Blending moody dub musings with stomping power chords and the odd burst of thrash rock, Dub Trio emerged a few years back as abstract instrumentalists picking up where Bad Brains and Faith No More left off. Cool Out and Coexist, a live set recently recorded at Brooklyn’s Union Pool, sees the band shifting several gears towards the heavy-metal end of the spectrum, with most tracks now defined by DP Holmes’ screeching guitar; one gets a sense of their powerful impact on stage, and even if the disc is slightly less subtle than its studio predecessors, fans of their live sets will not be disappointed.
A Shoreline Dream “New York”
Denver-based band A Shoreline Dream knows its way around Slowdive’s back catalog. Taken from the forthcoming Coastal EP, “New York” will have shoegazers on their knees.
Various Artists Beat Dimensions Vol. 1 Compiled by Cinnaman & Jay Scarlett
The next generation of hip-hop beat-makers has arrived. Impressively, this compilation-organized by European DJ producers Cinnaman and Jay Scarlett features contributors from all across the globe. Yet one rarely hears a distinct regional sound on these tracks, many of which sound descended from Madlib, Sa-Ra, and J Dilla. But that’s the internet generation for you–influences spread like wildfire. Amid a lot of nice, choppy drum patterns and spaced-out synths, there are a few stand-out numbers, notably Amsterdam native Slumgullion’s scorching-hot Nintendo-sampling “Castlevania.” If anything, this compilation proves that the new wave of producers have learned from some of the best. Hopefully, they’ll now take things even further.
Washington Square Park
The Week In Tours, July 19
This week, Trash resident and worldly DJ Erol Alkan plows through fest after fest in the UK and abroad. Next, Daniel Snaith as Caribou rages through Europe and and tons of cities Stateside, while Solid Groove representative Switch gets crowds riled at some of the most infamous clubs around. Finally, Brooklyn-based outfit Dirty Projectors set psych-fire on a few dates with White Rainbow and YACHT.
Erol Alkan
07/20 Middlesboro, UK: The Empire
07/21 London, UK: Bugged Out @ The End
07/25 Montpellier, FR: Radio France Festival
07/27 Midlands, UK: Global Gathering
07/28 Sheffield, UK: The Plug
08/10 London, UK: All Ages Festival
08/10 Newcastle, UK: Wax On, Digital
08/11 London, UK: Field Day
08/18 Hasselt, BE: Kiewit Pukkelpop Festival
08/19 Chelmsford, UK: V Festival
08/28 Amsterdam, NL: Mysterylands
08/28 Liverpool, UK: Creamfields
Caribou
07/29 Hyeres, UK: Midi Festival
08/11 London, UK: Field Day Festival
09/05 London, UK: Barden’s Boudoir
09/07 Dublin, UK: Crawdaddy
09/08 Galway, UK: Roisin Dubh
09/09 Glasgow, UK: The Arches
09/19 Nantes, FR: Scopitone Festival
09/20 Berlin, DE: Postbahnhof
09/21 Koln, UK: Studio 672
09/22 Heidelberg, DE: Karlstorbahnhof
09/23 Milano, IT: Rocket
09/24 Munchen, DE Orangehouse
09/25 Son Fribourg, CH: Fri
09/26 Paris, FR: Point Ephemere
09/28 San Diego, CA: The Casbah
09/29 Waterloo, ON: Starlight Social Club
10/02 Ottawa, ON: Babylon
10/03 Montreal, QC: La Tulipe
10/04 Northampton, MA; Iron Horse Music Hall
10/05 Cambridge, MA; Middle East Restaurant & Nightclub
10/06 New York, NY: Bowery Ballroom
10/07 Purchase, NY: SUNY Purchase
10/08 Philadelphia, PA: First Unitarian Church
10/09 Washington, DC: Rock And Roll Hotel
10/10 Charlottesville, VA: Satellite Ballroom
10/11 Chapel Hill, NC: Local 506
10/12 Atlanta, GA: The EARL
10/13 Gainesville, FL: Common Grounds
10/14 Orlando, FL: The Social
10/15 Tampa, FL The Crowbar
10/16 Tallahassee, FL: The Beta Bar
10/17 Baton Rouge, LA: Spanish Moon
10/19 Austin, TX: Club De Ville
10/20 Dallas, TX: Palladium Ballroom
10/22 Lawrence, KS: The Bottleneck
10/23 Denver, CO: Larimer Lounge
10/24 Salt Lake City, UT: Urban Lounge
10/25 Tucson, AZ: Plush
10/26 West Hollywood, CA: Troubadour
10/27 San Francisco, CA: Slim’s
10/28 Portland, OR: Doug Fir Lounge
10/29 Seattle, WA: Neumo’s
10/31 Victoria, BC: Sugar Nightclub
11/02 Edmonton, AB: The Starlite Room
11/03 Calgary, AB: The Warehouse
11/04 Saskatoon, SK: Amigos Cantina
11/05 Winnipeg, MB: The Collective Cabaret
11/06 Fargo, ND: Aquarium
11/07 Minneapolis, MN: Triple Rock Social Club
Switch
07/20 London, UK: Fabric
07/21 London, UK: Lovebox
07/27 Birmingham, UK: Global Gathering
07/28 Middlesbrough, UK: Rouge/Corner House
08/10 Belfast, UK: Stiff Kitten
08/24 Ibiza, ES: Space
08/25 London, UK: TDK Festival @ The Canvas
09/07 London, UK: Fabric
09/08 Berlin, DE: Panorama
Dirty Projectors
07/20 New York, NY: Whitney Museum
08/23 Portland, ME: Space Gallery
08/24 Montreal, QC: Casa Del Popolo
08/25 Toronto, ON: Sneaky Dee’s
08/27 Buffalo, NY: Soundlab
08/28 Cleveland, OH: Beachland Tavern
08/29 Cincinnati, OH: Publico
08/30 Bloomington, IN: Buskirk Chumley Theatre
08/31 Ann Arbor, MI: The B-Side
09/01 Chicago, IL: Beat Kitchen
09/02 Grinnell, IA: Grinnell Lounge
09/03 Omaha, NE: Slowdown Jr.
09/04 Denver, CO: Hi Dive
09/05 Salt Lake City, UT: Kilby Court
09/08 Portland, OR: Satyricon
09/11 Sacramento, CA: Fools Foundation
09/12 San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill
09/13 Visalia, CA: Howie & Sons
09/14 Los Angeles, CA: The Echo
09/16 San Diego, CA: The Casbah
09/19 Austin, TX: Emo’s
09/20 Houston, TX: Rudyards
09/21 Baton Rouge, LA: Spanish Moon
09/22 Tallahassee, FL: Club Down Under
09/24 Atlanta, GA: Drunken Unicorn
09/25 Durham, NC: Duke Coffeehouse
09/26 Washington, DC: Black Cat
09/27 Philadelphia, PA: Johnny Brenda’s
09/28 New York, NY: Mercury Lounge
Event: Andy Mueller’s “Point + Shoot”
Those in Tokyo can head over to the Adam et Rope gallery in the Shibuya district on Friday, July 20, for Point + Shoot, a solo exhibition from photographer Andy Mueller.
The exhibition will consist of 100 photos by Mueller–a photographer, designer, and the man behind the Quiet Life brand–took between the years 1994 and 2007, focusing on 6 ongoing bodies of his photo work. Boxed sets of original prints will also be at the show.
