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« Older Entries | Newer Entries »Del tha Funkee Homosapien – Funk Man (The Stimulus Package)
[ Comments Off ]Posted on May 25, 2009 by admin in Music
Monday, May 25th, 2009How Del Tha Funkee Homosapien started a hip-hop revival on my hard drive.
I was so busy grinding my own music career into oblivion in the early 90′s that I was too busy to dig deeper into a lot of the cooler music that was going down, especially upbeat hip-hop as defined by bands like (these are all YouTube links) Digable Planets, Dream Warriors, Arrested Development, Digital Underground and others. Which is why I have to thank Del tha Funkee Homosapien for releasing his latest collection for free; I’m a cheap bastard, and I couldn’t resist seeing what he’s been up to. Del was only eighteen when he recorded the infectiously brilliant Mistadobalina, featured in the clip at left, and unfortunately a lot of what hip hop was about at that time got buried in popular perception by the gangsta crap bullshit that followed. Fortunately all the fools who used music to promote hatred and violence have done a pretty good job of offing each other, and now some of the more positive 90′s hip-hop acts are enjoying a little revival this summer, at least in Boston (and on my computer). Take a minute to download Del’s new release Funk Man (The Stimulus Package), it’s worth a spin, and the price is right. There’s nothing groundbreaking here, but he definitely foments some downtempo funk with a crunchy mix (which sounds almost like it was done on tape) that puts to use a lot of heavy compressed bass, Fender Rhodes, and clavinet. Even if Del doesn’t stimulate your package, it’s an excellent stress test for your woofers. Read the rest of this entry »
Danger Mouse – Dark Night Of The Sales
[ Comments Off ]Posted on May 17, 2009 by admin in Music
Sunday, May 17th, 2009The new Danger Mouse release Dark Night Of The Soul is being blocked by EMI, so he’s cleverly releasing the package with a blank CD-R inside so you can burn it yourself.
In the record industry’s bizarre ongoing pursuit of its own demise, the release of Dark Night Of The Soul (the new Danger Mouse collaboration with Sparklehorse) has been blocked by EMI. Not to worry though; for the time being NPR is streaming the whole thing, and it’s also pretty easy to find as a bittorrent. The release was originally to include photography by David Lynch, so Danger Mouse is cleverly selling the package as designed, except with a blank CD-R, and the notice “For Legal Reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will“. The obvious implication being that you can download the music for free, buy the retail package, and burn it yourself. We’ll leave that up to you; the book and poster version with blank CD costs fifty bucks and they’re already taking orders prior to the May 29 release date. We’ve only given this a quick first spin, but it sounds promising. No standout singles or dance tracks; instead some well-crafted moodiness, with appearances by an eclectic variety of vocal talent including Suzanne Vega, Iggy Pop, Frank Black, Nina Persson of The Cardigans, Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, and others. See the full track list below. Read the rest of this entry »
Stripped Down Pop: Matt And Kim, Make The Girl Dance (Naked)
[ 1 Comment ]Posted on May 13, 2009 by admin in Music, Popular Media
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009Why is Kim Schifino always smiling? Because she knows she’s going to be famous! Matt and Kim and Make The Girl Dance get naked for their music.
It seems the latest thing in pop song promotion is to GET NAKED. For the record, Matt & Kim did it first, stripping down as they walked through the streets of New York to their song Lessons Learned
Matt and Kim – Lessons Learned |
Make The Girl Dance – Baby, Baby, Baby |
Playing for Change – Peace Through Music
[ 1 Comment ]Posted on April 29, 2009 by admin in Music
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009Peace and Understanding, Brought To You By Their Friends – Music & The Internet
Throughout history, one form of communication has had the power to cross all cultural barriers to aid in peace and understanding: music. In modern life, one other form of communication comes close: the Internet. The video clip at left uses both to convey a global message of peace and unity, and if it doesn’t evoke a little something in you – a smile or a bittersweetness, see a heart specialist. You might not have one. The video is part of a multimedia project called Playing for Change, conceived, in their words, “to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music”. The song in the video is Stand By Me, but played in a way you’ve never heard it before: by artists from Santa Monica, to New Orleans, to South Africa, brought together in a “virtual studio” that allowed them to play their parts live in their native setting. You can buy a collection of songs produced by Playing for Change on CD and DVD
Viva La Jaydiohead – Jay-Z Meets Radiohead
[ 1 Comment ]Posted on April 23, 2009 by admin in Music
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009DJ Minty Fresh Beats’ Amazingly Listenable Mashup of Jay-Z & Radiohead
What’s black and white and comes in rainbows? A pair of brilliant mashups of Jay Z’s Black Album. If you missed Danger Mouse’s 2004 Mashup The Grey Album, try to get a copy (Illegal-Art.org has a torrent link). It’s a masterful mashup of The Beatles’ White Album
