New York summers are exciting, but hotter than the deepest pit of hell, which makes leaving one’s house (or box-sized apartment, for most of us) a pretty unpleasant task. With that in mind, bike proponent Puma is taking a stand. For a few weeks in July, the streetwear company is sending its custom Biomega 8-Speed fold-up “Ice Cream” bike through Union Square, dispersing free treats to the sweaty masses.

The ice cream dude will be in the streets starting Thursday, July 19, from 12-2 p.m., and Saturdays during the month, from 1-4 p.m. He (we assume it’s a he) will also be handing out coupons for the Union Square store, giving folks a chance to win a brand new Biomega 8-Speed of their own. 

This isn’t Puma’s first foray into bicycle terrain. The company recently launched the Re-Bike project, a tour with the Bicycle Film Festival showcasing pimped-out recycled bicycles from a bunch of publications (including XLR8R). What’s next, a doctor on a BMX giving free physicals? 

Bechari‘s “Ljobvilja” lies somewhere between uplifting Balkan rhythms and the subterranean depth of minimal techno. Featuring mid-tempo, kick-driven bass and digital synths that pulsate with an array of gypsy-fueled swagger, the track is a late-night anthem for music lovers.

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.

Party impresario Diplo has one demanding schedule that includes discovering acts like Bonde Do Role, founding non-profits, and playing music around the world.

Friday sees the Mad Decent label founder and Renaissance man making time for Apple’s Midnight Mix Series at the Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan. Taking place from midnight until 2 a.m., the series gives New Yorkers a chance to check their emails, peep new printers, and dance at the same time. The event has already hosted François K and Marc Ronson, with Tim Sweeney with Tim Goldsworthy (DFA), and Spank Rock will soon follow. Festivities are free too, so tourists who just spent all their cash on souvenirs can still experience justified raging.

Diplo will play the 5th Avenue Apple Store on Friday, July 13 at midnight. 

San Francisco’s 111 Minna Gallery will host 35 visual artists, bands, and DJs at the beginning of August to celebrate exactly 7.5 years of Fecal Face Dot Com, the S.F.-based online zine dedicated to emerging art and artists that’s become, since its humble beginnings in 1998, a standard go-to site for learning about art.

The show will feature both local artists and those from far away. Jeremy Fish, Mars, Cody Hudson, and Mike Giant are among the many, many visual artists contributing to the event. In the two weeks leading up to the celebration, Fecal Face will post mini-interviews with some of these folks on its site. Local S.F. band Dodo Bird will be joined by a slew of bands and DJs to provide the evening’s tunes.

Thursday, August 2, 2007
Fecal Face 7.5 Year Anniversary Opening Reception
111 Minna Gallery, 111 Minna St., S.F.
$2 Donation, All Welcome/No One Turned Away

Stay tuned for details on the Closing Reception Party, slated for Friday, August 31, 2007.

There’s been a post-rock eruption in the past two years, and some would argue that Mogwai isn’t the only band leading the instru-metal revolution. One of Hydra Head’s best-selling and hardest-working bands, Pelican, has given the kids a little of the epic to add to their metal.

Touring like crazy for the past few years, this Chicago-bred, L.A.-based quartet has invaded every city from Vancouver to Tokyo, with bands like Sunn O))) and Explosions in the Sky. What’s one more trek through the States for the boys?

City of Echoes is out now on Hydrahead. 

Tourdates
07/19 Cleveland, OH: Grog Shop
07/20 Buffalo, NY: Mohawk Place
07/21 Toronto, ON: Lees Palace
07/22 Montreal, QC: Club Lambi
07/23 Cambridge, MA: The Middle East
07/24 New York, NY: Bowery Ballroom
07/25 Brooklyn, NY: Luna Lounge
07/26 Philadelphia, PA: First Unitarian Church
07/27 Baltimore, MD: Ottobar
07/28 Washington, DC: Black Cat
07/29 Richmond, VA: Alley Katz
07/30 Carrboro, NC: Cat’s Cradle
07/31 Atlanta, GA: Drunken Unicorn
08/01 Athens, GA: 40 Watt Club
08/03 Baton Rouge, LA: Spanish Moon
08/04 Austin, TX: Emo’s Jr.
08/05 Denton, TX: Hailey’s
08/07 Albuquerque, NM: Launchpad
08/08 Tempe, AZ: The Clubhouse
08/09 San Diego, CA: Casbah
08/10 Los Angeles, CA: Troubadour
08/12 San Francisco, CA: Great American Music Hall
08/14 Portland, OR: Satyricon
08/15 Vancouver, BC: Richards On Richards
08/16 Seattle, WA: Neumo’s Crystal Ball Reading Room
08/18 Salt Lake City, UT: Urban Lounge
08/19 Denver, CO: Marquis Theater
08/20 Colorado Springs, CO: The Black Sheep
08/21 Omaha, NE: The Waiting Room
08/22 Iowa City, IA: The Picador
08/23 Minneapolis, MN: Triple Rock Social Club
08/24 Chicago, IL: Beat Kitchen
08/25 Chicago, IL: Empty Bottle 

Electro-house’s newest dancefloor gods Digitalism will hit the road this fall, and judging from the duo’s recent jump to popularity, these shows are going to sell out fast. Heavy on the guitars, and even heavier on the synths, Digitalism’s Kitsuné/Astralwerks debut, Idealism, translates well into the live setting, so get off your asses and get dancing. Just try to ignore the fact that the guys have will share a stage with Armin Van Buren on that last date.

Read more about Digitalism in XLR8RIssue 108. 

Tour Dates
10/10 Cambridge, MA: Middle East Downstairs
10/11 Brooklyn, NY: Studio B
10/12 Philadelphia, PA: Pure
10/13 Montreal, QC: Club Soda
10/17 Toronto, ON: The Mod Club
10/19 Chicago, IL: Smart Bar
10/20 Vancouver, BC: Richards on Richards
10/22 Seattle, WA: Neumos
10/23 Portland, OR: Doug Fir Lounge
10/27 Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles Sports Arena

Photo By Piper Ferguson.

L.A. veteran and in-demand tattoo artist Mister Cartoon boasts an impressive resume: sick tats for Justin Timberlake and Beyoncé, his own version of the T-Mobile Sidekick, designs for the Grand Theft Auto videogame series, and his own Air Force 1 sneakers. Now, Cartoon introduces the second toy in his Lost Angel figurine series, along with a coinciding graphic novel entitled The Lost Angel, Skid Row Stories, Vol. 1.

This second Lost Angel doll is “on a Mexican pride trip,” says Cartoon. “He’s a street superhero.” Available at boutiques like Kid Robot, this little guy comes packaged with his own T-Mobile Sidekick, removable Nike Cortez and Air Force 1 sneakers, a boombox, and of course, a bounty of Cartoon’s unique tattoo work.

The graphic novel revolves around a Japanese kid obsessed with L.A. culture who gets into a gang of trouble. Who will save the day? Cartoon’s “Street superhero,” the Lost Angel, that’s who. Hollywood and East L.A. are stoked.

The Lost Angel doll and novel are available July 14, 2007. For more artwork and up-to-date details check out the Mister Cartoon site. 

Our boy Bong-Ra comes through with an exclusive dark-step track for xlr8r.com listeners and visitors. Unlike his patented, doomy breakcore, Bong-Ra rips the dubstep template to shreds, with ghostly basslines that pound the eardrums straight to the center of hell. “Woody Strobe” may be the new anthem for the dreadlocked, satanic elite.

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.