Halfa 2008
July 25, 2008 by Luisalright… short n sweet, this’ll be…
songs on constant replay, january-june 2008:
busta rhymes – don’t touch me – it’s good to hear busta having what sounds like FUN after who knows how long (a decade?) the lame thug persona he’s been cultivating for years now doesn’t fit the character we all fell in love with throughout the 90s- that rambunctious, goofy, lovable MC going nuts over some some appropriately nutty beats (gimme some more, dangerous, put your hands where my eyes could see, woo-hah… the list goes on). dunno what his new album’ll sound like, but this track gives me great hope…
prgz – bama gettin’ money (diplo remix) – this is SUCH a reply to three 6 mafia’s “stay fly”! love it! extra points for flipping bad 80s cheese (wham!) into something so menacing.
good dubstep tracks:
silkie – sky’s the limit
headhunter – horny teen
skream – tek-a-pill
most dubstep still sucks, and whatever promise it held three years ago has been rendered obsolete by a conveyor belt stream of wobbly, faux-ragga, cheap-thrill bullshit. but these three! silkie has the EEEEEEPIC synths, headhunter the sleaze, and skream the zombie vibe.
duke dumont – almost all he’s done – he’s one of a small handful of producers making *QUALITY* XXXXXX house (don’t know what it’s called anymore, don’t care) that everyone loves so much nowadays. the trick is, his glitches and edits and whatever other elements he uses actually PROPEL his songs, not just attempt vainly at giving the beat a “hard, distorted” feel. his take on debbie deb’s “when i hear music” is the definitive one, “lean and bounce” achieves the gritty texture everyone’s failed at, and the remix of missy’s “we run this” sounds riotous. awesome!
kanye west – flashing lights (video; first version) – why was there a second version made? was there not enough appreciation for the cinematically mesmerizing accompaniment to one of last year’s best songs? did we need some corny, forced, tremendously clichéd new york sob story instead? blah.
bun b – you’re everything – it has a crazy jodeci sample and that buzzsaw bass (trae – cadillac!!!) that i canNOT resist.
special mention:
sometime before summer last year, i came upon a bangladesh-produced track called “amilly” starring then-unknown (and now completely vanished?) rapper charlie mackenroe. the minimal, massive boom-clack beat was one of the year’s very best, though i forgot to mention it in december. this year, the beat was given to lil’ wayne (it’s “a milli” now), but you know what? the charlie mackenroe version was better! lil’ wayne’s stream-of-consciousness flow is all diminishing returns on this monster of a thumper, and even though this mackenroe guy was a no-mark, at least he gave his version a chorus, shitty as it was. anyway, helluva beat. oh, and there’re an endless pile of freestyles over this beat by a bunch of people now… they all stink!
from the top of mt. fuji, even though that lake makes it look like i’m at surface level…
sets on constant replay, january-june 2008
dj clever – offshore records mix – may – bless offshore records! makes you wish it was 1997, when dnb was the truth.
diplo – mad decent worldwide radio #27 – diplo’s often most on point in off-the-cuff sets like these, truly the sign of a great dj.
PRGz - Bama Gettin Money (Diplo Remix)
ghislain poirier – bring the fire – a ghislain poirier set is always gold before even listening.
dj wonder – april 1xtra dubstep mix – GOOD dubstep, no wobbly inanity, great selection, great sequencing… what a relief!
joker – skream stella sessions mix, may 2008 – the only other good dubstep mix so far this year.
and the very best of the last six months…
two entries!
godDAMN, what a tune. i was gonna lump it with the other dubstep tracks i mentioned above, but… godDAMN, what a tune! this has it all. in a perfect world, this would be the worldwide summer anthem.
2) RUSTIE!!!
his showcase mix on mary anne hobbs’ radio1 show last april was a revelation in the way few things are nowadays, primarily because rustie has accomplished what is perhaps the most virtuous musical feat of all: culling your influences and morphing them into something unique, distinct, and wholly original. we can talk about how rustie employs a bit of dubstep here, hip-hop there, rnb here and such, but NOBODY sounds like HIM. he’s in a league of his own, he’s amazing, and he’s destined for greatness.
rustie on mary anne hobbs’ 1xtra show – april 23rd, 2008
rustie & hudson mohawk – 4AM drunken mix
rustie – gutterish mix
everything on this list is easily googleable!
see you in december!
PS- you know what song SUCKS?! Estelle – American Boy. WHAT THE FFFFFF!?! TRASH!!!! more »
Dexter’s Krump/Polynesian GRRILLA STEP Project
June 12, 2008 by JayWhile I’d still like to hear new material from “The Avalanches,” I’m just as easily contented/excited by ex-members James de la Cruz’s DJ mixes and Dexter’s audacious new GRRILLA STEP project. I never thought anything good would ever come from the clown dancing Krump scene, but take a look at these vids:
It just looks like so much fun. There’s more on MySpace.
Late of the Pier’s Focker
May 2, 2008 by Jay
Wait for the ending (it makes up for the beginning). Out May 19th.
Hatcham Social Interview
April 27, 2008 by JayHatcham Social - Guardian Weekly Podcast Interview (4/24/08) (extracted)
Well, I’ve taken a serious interest in them.
“Til The Dawn” directed by Nicola Probert
Dope Jams
April 27, 2008 by Jay
Staying in all the time leads to depression. I’ve been almost masochistic in my self-imposed jailing, especially given the recent change in weather. I re-watched episodes of Twin Peaks and Strangers with Candy, and indulged in the occasional SC VOD, though. This week, I discovered Billa’s flickr account (he’s the photographer for SuperSuper magazine) and ended up sinking hours into middle-click-photo, middle-click All Sizes, right-click-v-left-click-ing through his 19k+ photos of East London club characters.
On tonight’s party: It’s nice to feel at home when you go out, to know you’re going to enjoy yourself, to hope for the time of your life and come away satisfied. It was a small slice of fulfillment - til the next one.
Chic - I Want Your Love (Todd Terje Edit) (pre party listening)
Alexander Robotnick - Problemes D’Amour (Dub) (A song I never thought I would hear in a club until I did tonight)
I DO BECAUSE I COULDN’T CARE LESS
March 31, 2008 by Jay 
Matt Walsh, Thomas Von Party and D.I.M. all in one night at Studio B, May 9th. Please tell me how much you hate going there (I might agree). And then tell me how much you hate dancing to great music.
This just in: Looks like it’s just gonna be a German-Canadian-British lineup. Proxy is no longer on the bill - prolly so he can work on his album. Which is really fine with meeeeeee.
Really funny Turbo press releases
The Proxy - Dance In The Dark
Out May 5th. (Sorry, it sounds like popcorn in a microwave oven at this quality, but you get the point).
Matt Walsh MySpace (check for mixes - his APR mix is my current fav).
We Have A Winner
March 25, 2008 by Jay
Lo and behold, there may be a silver lining in it all. But will it happen?
I’m not really ashamed to say I only attended 1 of the 4 parties previously posted here this year. (There were more, but I deleted them) . In short, I’ve missed too many - part of it was my inane new year’s resolution, part of it was the cold weather -> being sick.
After scouring MySpace and Yelp (for parties and hair stylists, respectively), I decided on THE REAL WORLD, and an aggressive, ’80s bowl cut from Mousey Brown Salon (which I don’t recommend at all). The afterparty (location TBA) will be DJ’d by Princess Julia (The P.i.X zine) and The Lovely Jonjo (Durrr). The occasion? My 25th birthday.
Another James de la Cruz Mix
February 25, 2008 by JayJust came across this even though I guess it’s been up for almost 2 years. Anyways, I converted it to mp3 and cut it up, so it’s just his mix and the post-mix interview.
Tracklist:
1. j-zone - pimp palace magic [zone]
2. j-zone - hit n run [zone]
3. nerd - thrasher [virgin/emi]
4. toto - rosanna [cbs/sony bmg]
5. mulatu astatke - emnete [soundway/creative vibes]
6. prince - i wanna be your lover [paisley park/warner]
7. prince - raspberry beret [paisley park/warner]
8. little dragon feat yukimi nagano - test [off the wall 7"]
9. some grime track
10. josh rouse - come back [rykodisc/warner]
Interview
In other Avalanches news, they keep saying they’re almost finished with the 2nd album. I just got bored and reversed their latest Relaxation mixtape.
James de la Cruz on Stylin (straightup.com.au)
The Avalanches’ Yoga Mind Meld Zombie Relaxation Tape (normal)
Relaxation (backwards)
The Swampmaster has additional info.