This has grown on me like a tapeworm after Thanksgiving. So this is for all of you hosts:
Back from Mexico; Recombinants Forthwith November 26, 2008
“
Just got back from Mexico dazed and gorged with sun, and happened to catch this band in their David Lynch-moment. Finally caught up on some reading and came across a passage in William Gibson’s Pattern Recognition about remixing and how ten versions can be wrong, but the eleventh one right. I can’t find it now, but instead have a cool essay/editorial Gibson wrote for Wired about the remix culture. So here are (to use Gibson’s words) two recombinants. Let’s see if you can match the track with the description:
a.) industrial strength, rip-your-face-off electro with rock vocals
b.) fidget, ghetto, squelch-bass on Monster energy drinks
Tracks:
Poxymusic – War Paint (Speaker Junk remix)
Seppuku Paradigm – Sure Thing (Polymorphic Remix)
Chase & Status – Pieces (w/ Plan B) video November 20, 2008
Chase and Status new drum n’ bass album More Than Alot has arrived and it has enough escape velocity to send you to the stratosphere. Here’s the lead single with Plan B on guitar and vocals and its somewhat clever video. Warning, the video is Rated R (so make sure you have a parent’s permission). And yeah the audio quality is much better on mp3 or whatever, so I recommend the whole album turned up loud on some speakers.
Quantum of Solace, Appaloosa, Role Models November 18, 2008
Non-stop action, laughs, and machismo. Explosions of fire, f-bombs, and gunpowder. All worth full-price and six thumbs up.
Rating (for all): 8.5/10
Love and Honor Review November 13, 2008
This finale in a samurai trilogy that started with The Twilight Samurai and The Hidden Blade cements director Yoji Yamada along with the greats in the history of the genre. His approach lies in the details, and acting doesn’t get much better than in his samurai movies. The almost simple story-line with a emotionally invested and climactic duel works like magic in all three movies. No, this isn’t Kill Bill, but if you want to root for real samurai in realistic situations then catch these movies. Love and honor. Do it.
Rating (for all): 8.5
Best 15 Downloads for Thanksn’giving! November 10, 2008
Owwwww, James Brown-style these are hot. They’ve been simmering and boiled down from a list of hundreds. No stuffing here, just pure turkey. (Or maybe they’re all stuffing, no turkey, yeah..) Man you’re lucky.
1. Sunset Cruisin – Perfect Wave (LeBatman mix) via Voules Random
A Patrick Swayze, Point Break sample creates some sort of magic on this one, and I think I could listen to the first half of this on endless repeat.
2. Lemonade – Sunchips (Ghosts on Tape mix)
This will infect a crowd with crazy rump shaking, and that’s before the rock vocals and twisted synths kick in.
3. Cut Copy – Far Away (Ring Trick remix) via Danger! Danger!
This mix has this perfect ‘walking alone in the big city on a Fall night’ feel. Like anything could happen.
4. Ellen Allien – Do Not Ask (Joe and Will Ask Unofficial Remix)
I haven’t heard a good Ellen Allien track in a blue moon, but when the bass finally kicks in around the 1:45 mark, your brainwaves will respond positively.
5. The Who – Baba O’Reilly (SebastiAn Remix)
This iconic track by The Who gets a quick SebastiAn treatment. Don’t leave home without it.
6. Ladyhawke – My Delirium (Chateau Marmont Remix) Via Ohh Crapp
Probably the best Ladyhawke remix, and there have been dozens already.
7. Sneaky Sound System – When We Were Young (Breakbot Remix) Via Hyperbole
Breakbot excels at creating these 80’s jams with that feel-good, party vibe.
8. Charlie – Spacer Woman (DW Remix) Via Eat me on Tuesday
Classic Italo-disco hooking up with trashy electroclash. Dark beauty.
9. Plus Move – Tic Toc Via Voules Random
Justice comes to mind in this peak-time lovely. The final breakdown is insane brilliance.
10. Telepathe – Chrome’s On It
Brooding waifs in high fashion sound happily drugged in this off-kilter, downtempo track.
11. Jokers of the Scene – Baggy Bottom Boys (Original) Via Find Voltorb, Catch Voltorb
An update of Moby’s rave classic “Go”. Nu-rave done right.
12. Big Gipp – Hot (KLEVER remix)
Rap and electro are married very kleverly. Perfect for those kids with fake IDs who just need to dance.
Great intro electro song that you can throw an accapella over like:
14. Troublemaker – I’m Famous (feat. Baby Cashtrid)
An almost acappella track with some old school chick rapping.
15. Zeibura S. Kathau – Sophia
Put the headphones on to this well-produced techno. Electrostimulation indeed.
Free Blood – Royal Family; Bjork (with Thom Yorke) – Nattura November 6, 2008
I’ve got the best downloads of the month coming, but for a bonus I thought I’d share some brilliant stuff first. First up is Free Blood, who’ve injected some new blood into the electro-vocal scene that desperately needed something a little different after all those cookie-cutter 80’s tracks. I recommend Free Blood’s new album if you like that disco-punk swagger. Here’s them playing ’Royal Family’ live, followed by a link w/ downloads of this and a Hot Chip remix.
And the link to the downloads:
http://www.playitasitlays.net/?p=138
^*^*^^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Now the new Bjork track featuring Thom Yorke is absolutely mental, and I mean that’s better than cookie-cutter. Electronic stalwarts Matthew Herbert and Mark Bell are also behind the scenes on this one. Go to www.nattura.info to get the track for a good cause, but here’s a fan video for a taste:
Saul Williams:’The Threshold of New Times’ November 4, 2008
Saul Williams wrote a powerful passage just for this day. Check the video link here if you want to listen along. (Did I mention how truly glowing Saul Williams is?):
Dear History,
For too long have I pondered your meaning, memorized dates of battles, years of servitude, decades of injustice, named eras after movements, mourned the extinction of species, cursed founding fathers, worn vintage suits and cloaked myself with references of your hold on me.
I have walked through museums wondering how it is that greatness had lived and died all before my time. Parts of me feared becoming great because it seemed to include a price of death and a postmortem glory that my memory could never resurrect. I’ve stared at paintings dying to catch glimpses of the painter, closed my eyes to listen to songs that drunken ghosts dance to, and all the while I’ve fought to FREE the present to BECOME.
In 1995, I stood with poets in the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge, barking metaphors at the new moon of the summer solstice wedging words into it’s craters, sewing seeds through nightly wind.
In 1996, I forced the ocean back with words, fathered planets, climbed pyramids, and began to decipher the sirens song to conjure the dream-filled Children of the Night.
In 1997, I stood with prisoners in our nations capitol bending bars with the power of thought as wordsmiths served sentences and Hip Hop diddy-dandified itself: stealing golden calves from the Old Testament to smuggle into the lavish crib of Pontius Pilate for it’s birthday party
In 1998, I swallowed fear and sun-danced on film reels, projecting a me that had not been into a me that ever shall be.
And HERE I stand, ten years the difference and witness to changing hands.
Dear History,
I beat you. I stand a generator of generations bearing witness to a world that we are holding accountable for past actions. Me and my friends, we’re changing our diets, re-inventing marriage, check-mating capitalism, re-defining ethics, replacing cruelty with compassion, and have sworn not to re-elect the sins of the father.
We are casting our votes for so much more than a lesser of evils, but for change, and greater insight, for wisdom out of the mouths of babes, for races that bleed into ONE.
Dear History,
You are behind us and we are no longer looking back. We are standing on the threshold of new times, new days, new worlds, and charging forward without battle cry or trumpet, while cynicism, apathy, and cowardice take their place beside you, behind us.
Dear History,
We no longer believe in you. We have invested our our thoughts and dreams into the present moment and opportunity to shift our reality into one that does not resemble your dog-eared books.
We stand on the shoulders of those who have dared to dream and on the necks of those who have wasted their time and ours proclaiming a past past its prime.
Dear History,
Blitz! It’s my turn now. You can have your mounds of flesh, leather boots, cannons and sabers, nooses and guillotines, warships and fighter planes, trails of tears and blood, genocides, dungeons and dragons, ghost stories and fairy tales……….
Saul Williams
75+ Downloads: The Best of Ohh Crapp Mixtape #15 November 3, 2008
Mixtape by ~cloning on deviantART
Panda Bear and Snow Patrol? Here are the remixes worth the download/burn/playing out. The first is a direct link, and the rest you’ll get here.
1. Fat Lip – What’s up Fatlip? (Breakbot mix)
‘Good times’ hip-hop that makes you want to wave your hands in the sunshine.
2. The Notwist - Boneless (Panda Bear Remix)
Beautiful waves of 60’s psychedelica that only Panda Bear can create.
3. Golden Bug – Looklooklook (Inflagranti mix)
Sleek and chic electro-disco that will have people doing the wiggle.
4. Kid Cudi – Day N Nite (Crookers mix)
A bit dated on those shores, but here it’s still a fidget vocal anthem.
5. Snow Patrol – Take Back the City (Lillica Libertine mix)
Nice mix that has trance atmospherics by the upncomer, LL.
6. MSTRKRFT – Bounce (The Bloody Beetroots Remix)
Another somewhat dated track, but it’s here just in case you missed it.
7. Yuksek – Tonight (The Bewitched Hands on Top of Our Heads Cover)
Another refreshing 60’s mix/cover where you wouldn’t expect it.
8. Chromeo – Bonafied Lovin’ (Sweetlight Remix)
A very progressive acid house version that could work wonders in the right mix.
