Ciara Phelan's work reminds me of the Dadaist collages from the turn of the century and the most recent work of Jan Dziaczkowski, but with less of the Nihlistic tendencies. This is one of those processes i wish i could do better/more....sigh....Ciara makes it look so stinkin easy. Check out Ciara's website here.
Visit Jan Dziaczkowski who's been workin on a series called Keine Grenze (german for "no bounds") here
Sensual Harassment, a trio from Brooklyn, is creeping across the blog-o-shpere and seeping into the hearts of many a music lover. With tinges of Flaming Lips funk and an excellent balance of icy synth-pop and rawk these guys will be etching a place in every hipster's need-to-know list. According to their press release, the Brooklyn-based trio Sensual Harassment is "a Reptilian Humanoid alliance utilizing sonic mind control through beat-driven psych-pop." Whatever that means.
Work from designer Albert Exergian. I've been following his ever growing experiment in minimalistic Television Series posters. Ingenious work, and in some cases (nip tuck, macguyver, monk) hilarious. All of his work is clean, simplistic and striking. Follow him from now on.
Also, for no applicable reason, download some Alex Metric (flippin love this guy) Remix Glory!!!!! Here he gives the electro-makover to Fenech Soler's track "Lies." This one is a turner-upper!!
N.A.S.A.'s new track "Spacious Thoughts" takes on a rare combination of Kool Keith and Tom Waits. This excellent track gets a proper marriage to a nice young production studio out of Canada, Fluorescent Hill. The visuals can become a bit overwhelming, yet correlates well with Tom's engulfing growl-of-a-voice. I would attach some sweet N.A.S.A remixes but none of them entice me enough to go through the trouble. But this video deserves attention. Watch the full vid, visit Fluorescent Hill's exquisite website. Watch their other videos with bands that include The Album Leaf, Cadence Weapon, the New Pornographers etc. Here is an extensive interview from BoingBoing.com with the cats from Fluorescent Hill (believe it or not only two fellas did that video). Wonderfully in depth interview. inspiration x 50!!
Yes, the Wu-Tang Clan has found its way to the world of dubstep, through the release of “Wu-Tang Meets The Indie Culture Vol. 2: Enter The Dubstep”. It’s a full album containing 19 of their tracks, remixed by artists like DZ, Excision & DatsiK, Matt U, Stenchman, Evol Intent and many more.
This is a fantastic move from a Hip-Hop group that has never successfully crossed the tight wire of mainstream stardom. Their monstrous success has however been found in the narrowcasted audiences who have been turning off their radios and rarely shadowing the door of MTV. The Wu navigate the slaloms of psychotic mediocrity with the reflexes and prowess of a downhill skier. All the will pulling millions from various niche markets down the slopes with them. It's collaboration like this that gets me excited - cross genre pollinating. This is a gigantic "middle finger" to all of the hipster purists and borderline prejudice segregation-minded music lovers. Those who believe music can only be enjoyed in certain genre's purest forms and only performed by those musicians pre-approved by the hierarchical hipster echelon. This is creativity and ingenuity at its best. Here’s a link to the Wu’s explanation of the album. “this one of a kind compilation is at the forefront of an emerging cultural and musical blend that is taking place on the margins of the mainstream, but will be talked about for years to come….”
Here is a track from the forthcoming album Wu-Tang-Do-It-Big(Baobinga-Id-Remix).mp3
Go buy this album and support creative venture like this one and many others bold enough to blur the borders of music genres.
ADDED BONUS: Fantastic old school remix of C.R.E.A.M. by Terry Cole. This'ns obviously not on the album, just wanted to share it because it's so good, plus I like you!
Strip Steve just dropped his Delta Disco EP on Boys Noize Records a bit ago. Ugh it is so stinking good. I like it a lot. For a little preview, heres a minimix to tease the appetite. Included here is a remmix of the Das Glow track "Lite Brite" that I cannot get enough of. If you enjoy dancin' and smilin' during aformentioned action, then go purchase his EP. love love love it!! Haus-fo-eva.
Tucked into an ex-Tower Records space in Los Angeles is the gallery PRISM. Right now they are having an exhibit titled "Mind the Gap." In this exhibit are two of my favorite po-mo/outsider artists (blah blah blah) Barry McGee and Phil Frost. I found out about this out-a-site show over at Kitsune Noir. Barry's over-the-top color patterns are as whimsical as they are engaging. For me, I enjoy art that makes me smile. I am fully aware of the borderline juvenile nature of that notion for someone who claims to be one of this ilk himself . Nonethelss I stand behind my childlike wonder and snot-nose fascination over pattern, color and subject matter. Go ahead, judge me. You'll remember Phil Frost's work from Dj Shadow's legendary sophmore release "Preemptive Strike." I dug trenches in those records. Take a gander at these images and this spectacularly currated exhibit.
Improv everywhere does it again. This time with a rather intricate musical number celebrating the glories of Lunch! Performed at Trump Towers. I want to be a part of their gang!
My oh my! The soundtrack to this amazing project is a remix of PNAU's "Baby" remixed by my fave: Breakbot. You can find that track on this here legendary blog!!
Here's the repost PNAU_Baby(Breakbot remix)
Twenty years ago the Berlin wall fell under the wake of Liberty. So in commemoration, here's a sick grinder from our favorite Berliner (thanks Kennedy), Alexander Ridha a.k.a. BOYS NOIZE!!! The remix comes at us from another rising German star AUDIONITE.
Just had to pass this along to you. Everyone's favorite mashup blog site the Hood Internet's doing it again!!! Their Fourth instalment in their mixtape extravaganza dropped @ six a.m. monday morning. On the off chance that you live under a rock and have never heard of The Hood Internet, this mix will serve as an excellent primer on one of Chicago’s favorite electronic acts. Language warning to all you kiddies out there....
I knew I liked this guy. First off he's directed videos for such musicians as the Dismemberment Plan, M.I.A., the Stands and our fave new femme Kid Sister for her first single "Pro Nails." And now he has shot out of the blocks with his premier full-length freature presentation: ZOMBIELAND. If you're a fan of Kid Sister or Zombies (or maybe you're me and you love them both) - over at Fool's Gold they sat down with the now legendary Ruben Fleischer and picked his brain (no pun intended) about everything from music video's to directing zombie's. Also here is an NPR interview with both Flieshcer and George Romero, the original Zombie flimaker. The debate gets heated when discussing the paleo vs. neozombies. Which one is creepier: fast zombies or slow zombies?
Also, I had to drop this. One of my faves in the business Rusko recently remixed Kid Sister's "Pro Nails." Herrr it is, son! Kid Sister_Pro Nails (RUSKO RMX)
Autism is a topic close to my heart. So when I see stories like this, in the art realm, i have to pass it on. Autistic artist, Stephen Wiltshire, drew the New York skyline from memory after merely taking a 20 minute helicopter ride to gaze at the panorama. Full story here at Daily Mail
FLORAFAUNA is Minneapolis based design/screen printing studio who make some of the best concert posters I’ve seen in a while. Dig through their immense archive and patron their store. All of their posters are extremely well done as you can see above, and as far as I saw they were all priced around $20 – $30.Your hipster friends will love these for the holidays. Designers-be inspired. Cool kids-this will keep you in the pack
If you love Passion Pit, like I know you do, then you'll love these two nuggets i've come across in recent days. Both bands taking a swing at "Sleepyhead." This track was initially heard on Passion Pit's initial major label release, the EP "Chunk of Change," then re released onto their LP Manners. The first band is Manchester's Run Toto Run, providing us with an absolutely gorgeous rendition of the Passion Pit track, remaining faithful to the tracks sleepy title - melodic, enchanting, an angelic lullaby. Speaking of angelic, is the next track by Ellie Goulding. Label-buddies with Passion Pit on Neon Gold, "best newcomer of 2009' crown - not too sugary sweet or too trendy or too 80's, just right! (discodust)" Look her up and purchase everything she's done.
These two gorgeous Passion Pit covers are both perfect soundtracks for the falling leaves.
Rusko has spent the past ten years creating progressive Dubstep alongside many artists, beginning with Iration Steppas.
Dirty beats are what gets me going, but when I first heard Rusko many things changed regarding how I vibe to music. Rusko takes a more exclusive approach to Dubstep mixing, matching sound clips from movies and adding his own style which can be described simply as fun and high energy. And trust me when I say that his live sets have just as much energy as his production style. With his unique style and approach to the music, he has stood out as a heavy hitter in the Dubstep community.
For those outside of the loop and you don't know what dubstep is, it's a lit bomb of deep grinding basslines, mid-tempos that explode into a full on frenzy of breaks and four-to-the-floor madness. If that description doesn't help you one iota, just download the thing, fool!!! It's like six or seven megabytes, I think your ten billion gigabyte hard drive can handle it!! Try it on for size, turn it up, and then go buy all of his stuff!!
So as a Dj, I guess I should be upset that the new DJ HERO is dropping in stores soon; that this "mockery" of the profession will cheapen the art and craft that we've labored over for years. I'd be lying at least about the last few things. This little gizmo is legit, and as a Dj, I had no edge. It's not easy. I was at Toys 'R Us with my kids and was lured in by the Demo. I found myself mixing Robot Rock with Queen (as the trailer displays) - outta site (and not doing too hot either)!! I perused the playlists and I can safely assume there were some mad-crazy mashup and remix artists hard at work constructing a massive and innovative song list for the HERO (such as Dj Yoda, Daft Punk, Grand Master Flash, Cut Chemist, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Dj Shadow).
The greatest difference between Dj HERO and Guitar HERO will ultimately be the attitude of those that actually do daily/professionally what those little light-up buttons are telling the fans to play on their pseudo-instruments. As far as I can tell, there's overall excitement in the electronic/Dj/Turntablism communities. I obviously can't answer for everyone, but the electronic music community is one of millions strong whom all came out of other musical genres and instrumentation. There is an understood sense of eclecticism and innovation which is the bedrock of why these electro-heads and Dj's do what they do. Electronic music wouldn't have lasted long if there was a sense of "holy ground" anywhere in the spectrum as a whole (considering it is specifically this idea of trampling on the "holy grounds" of music, that created the Electronic Genre to begin with).
Philosophical rants aside, this game is challenging, memorable and most importantly super-fun! There will definitely be a greater exposure to a more spanning musical palette. Americans will receive from this gaming experience. The young ones will finally hear the likes of the Cars, Young MC, Run DMC, Herbie Hancock, Queen, Gary Numan, Bel Biv Devoe, Rakim, Benni Benassi, Gang Starr, Rick James, Tears for Fears, Public Enemy....ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?
I got the hook up on the mashups from the game itself, yes I am a nerd
(and if you're downloading it, so are you).
As quoted from electronicmiracles.com: "A series of four translucent screens, each representing a solid cross section of time and space. Virtual 3D bodies passing through the sections deflect and ricochet thousands of surrounding light particles. The viewer directly affects the gravity, direction and speed as they walk through the space. Beautiful and infinite formations are created." Oh, the creative mind applied is a juggernaut.
With innovative design now becoming much more commonplace, the visual environment has been so quickly cluttered by sub-par visuals mostly exploited by retailers and commercial advertisers. It is nopw more daunting to break through these mediocre arenas into the original and striking. Some artists create amazing works of modern art that morph an everyday item into something extraordinary; and by so breaking that glass ceiling of visual monotiny. Marcel Duchamp first revealed that to the world with much offense from critics and the every-day Joe. I see the same in Rebecca Ward's work. Mostly using tape this Texas native is consistently doign work that still leaves me in awe. Look around her site, view all of her intallations. Be inspired.
