Archive for November, 2009
This is a great live performance of the song History, which comes off of Mos’ June 2009 release, The Ecstatic. The album version of this track, produced by J. Dilla, is a certified heater. With the Roots flippin the beat and Amber Coffman and Haley Dekle of the Dirty Projectors on background vocals, it’s just bananas.
I don’t watch Jimmy Fallon’s show, but I’ve been thoroughly impressed with the musical performances I’ve caught on the net. Yes, yes, the Roots are the shit, of course. But watching classy artists, like the ones above, collaborate and perform these soulful tunes on good ol’ broadcast television – it’s just great. 30 or 40 years from now this clip will be part of a Time-Life compilation of classic live performances from the 00s. Can’t you see it? One night, when you’re up late watching TV, clicking through channels, you stop at the infomercial just in time to catch a 10-second snippet of Mos and Talib. You’ll be all like “Ooh! Let’s get that, honey. It reminds me of our youth.”
Go ahead and marinate on that for a minute… And while you’re marinating, listen to this cover of the Dirty Projector’s Stillness is the Move by Solange (ooh, that’s nice).
I’m spending the next week posted up in Detroit linking up with some of the D’s finest. The city is known for it’s champion MCs and producers (Proof, Eminem, J Dilla, Guilty Simpson, Phat Kat, Royce Da 5’9, Elzhi, etc.,) but there’s an equally talented crop of younger artists in the city that have sort of stood in the shadows of giants, yet deserve some shine. I’m going to try to spend the next five days highlighting Detroit musicians that the world needs to know. I might jump from hip-hop to blacktronica depending on what I’m feeling at the moment. Today’s post is all about Nick Speed. I ran into Speed at about 4 am at a CVS and he dropped some serious exclusives on me. If you’re not familiar with him and the guest vocalist on this song, Monica Blaire, hurry up and get hip.
i think there’s some back story to this song being for rhianna or something. whatever, this song kills. download here.
Yup, that’s Freeway, in mural form. Philly’s got a long proud history of civic mural-making, and now they’re doing themselves one better. There’s a group of artistic getting-thangs-done types running rampant across the City of Brotherly Love, repurposing old advertisements, reinterpreting public space, and occasionally updating paintings of fishermen into the Philly Freezer. It’s all part of a project called A Love Letter For You, and the central purpose is to write a love letter to the city, one wall at a time. The rest of it – aka the Freeway alterations – is a bit off-mission, but it provides some of the highlights. Check ‘er out.
More pics after the jump:
if you haven’t downloaded that king midas sound mix that i linked to the other day, you should. (and then listen to it with headphones.) while you’re at, dig through FACT magazine’s other mixes. i’ve been sleeping on them myself, especially since i downloaded the xx mix (tracklist here) over the summer and didn’t think of checking out what else they had. some winners that i’ve found include the no pain in pop mix, the heatwave dancehall mix, this disco mix, the rustie mix, and the dÉbruit mix. your homework this weekend is to find more worthy FACT mixes. extra credit to whoever can find me the various production mix.
Yes, Columbus, yes many other bad things. Still: family, good food, and for this member of the team, sunshine and warm temperatures. Good on ya’ll.
I was blessed enough to catch bay area beat bully egadz about a month back, as he hit up Seattle via the always solid STOP BITING night @ Lo-Fi Lounge. Dude mashed through his set on the mpd with surgical dexterity despite being admittedly sloshed, this video gives you at taste of what homie can do.
His latest and last album is called egadz is dead, and at aforementioned show he said it would be the last night he was performing under said moniker, citing a desire to move on to a new project. So treat your ears, sample and support egadz music here or here.
It’s an official fact of internet life: mixtapes make your life easier. It’s like having an all you can eat buffet of good music to choose from. Just graze, skip around, and then delve into it when you’re good and ready. Yum. In that spirit, check out the La Mixette mixtape series, as curated/distributed by Musique Large, the French label that is home to some of the artists that are posted up in LxNxM’s playlist right now (ie: dEbruit, Fulgeance, etc).
The mixes are fire, and every edition is a different set of selectors, so you never end up with the same flavor twice. Check out Episode 15, mixed by Belgian team 1000Names. Get it. Get the rest. Get good.
If Rusko trusts, so do I. The gentleman from London Town brings a heavy hitting new mix of Dubstep to the fore, celebrating the BBC’s stalwart station for beats of all flavors, 1Xtra. Also includes a set by Stenchman, who should seriously reconsider his nom de Disq Jockey, and definitely worth a download – but be forewarned: at three hours of music, it’s no slouch in the size department.
Dubby dub dubsteppy.
Rusko – In New 1Xtra DJs We Trust
Full tracklisting after the jump.
