Stereo Pretend

NECKBREAKERS

2010-08-08T14:27:00.000-07:00

The Anodyne Electric Co. recently released a compilation of underground LA beatmakers. 10 instrumental tracks in all by 10 different producers, from boom bap to abstract, NECKBREAKERS runs the gamut of hip hop and electronica. Featuring the talent of NSOK, Fish$cale, ABF, Foniks, KidStatic, Alcendor, Accrete, Depakote, Ravaged Beats 2012 and dirtRAID.

You can stream the album for free or download all ten tracks for just $5 on the aeco.tv bandcamp page.

unreleased EP from 2004!

2010-06-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

the 2 dollar album! PLEASE SUPPORT. I dug out this early Nsok Ep from 2004. That's the year I left Chicago for the wild west. "Transitional Instrumentals" is 4 tracks, much slower than the jungle/ idm tunes of my chicago days, yet more technical than those smoked out Breaks you'll find on ''Make Your Own God" and "The Echo Park EP". These songs tell the story of a young man, scared and lonely, fighting his way into an uncertain future.

just $2(US) >>BUY NOW

make your own god

2010-05-01T13:20:00.001-07:00

The album just came out and already we are getting great feedback from the blog-o-sphere. Here's a review from europe's lofty residentadviser.net.

...Heavily influenced by the sound collage madness of DJ Shadow and Prefuse 73, Make Your Own God has a unique way of dealing with the sensitive matters of politics and religion through constant sound evolution.

On the seven songs on the LP, NSOK exercise the qualities that define him as a unique type of a storyteller. He use his sounds as a brush and patiently paints the picture of the cinic, post-modern world we live in. The more you stare at it, the more you become aware of its depth and richness.

This is a true one-of-a-kind album and should immediately be listed among the essential releases of 2010.

KIDSTATIC's first show as an Angeleno

2010-04-17T01:48:00.000-07:00

KIDSTATIC

Tribal Cafe: Los Angeles, CA

April 12, 2010

"entertaining, and approachable" - Michael Neuhaus (onyoumusic.com)

atoms for peace at fox theater

2010-04-17T01:32:00.000-07:00

ATOMS FOR PEACE with FLYING LOTUS

Fox Theatre: Oakland, CA

april 15th 2010

while flying lotus failed to connect with the crowd in a way that might condone mary anne hobbs' rather grandiose comparison to Hendrix, Atoms for peace amazed as expected, in a venue as poetic as could be. the highlight was an acoustic airbag, take that chicago show!

Eliot Lipp live @Low End Theory

2010-04-08T03:11:00.000-07:00

Lipp's Eastern Development pedigree and sublime synthesizer skills may not place him in the same puddle of dubstep + bass + hiphop that Low End Theory is know to pontificate, but his bass blows speakers better than most, and his beats inspire neck movement just as deadly. It's a true shame we lost such a talented musician to New York, just a few short years before the infamous Lincoln heights bass night blew up. (1)(2)

At one point two sexy young girls jumped on stage and started dancing, testimony to the true power of the well balanced electronic sounds that make Elliot's music so universally appreciable, even in a niche as tight as a Wednesday night at the Airliner.

I caught Egadz set as well. If you, like me, are a sucker for an true pad crusher, than Egadz will deliver.

And let's not forget mear1 the least talked about and yet perhaps most talented artist in the LET cast.

beat based social networking

2010-04-01T16:35:00.000-07:00

http://headznet.ning.com/

Make Your Own God

2010-03-24T21:49:00.000-07:00

"some heavy shit, very psych hop smoked out..."
-innercurrent records

available juno: 19 April 2010

everywhere else: 03 May 2010

GONJASUFI album release party

2010-03-17T15:41:00.000-07:00

GONJA SUFI with guests
EchoPlex: Los Angeles, CA
March 15, 2010

Walked in and ran into FLYLO and GLK, posing for the lens with the Warp rep. I was hoping flying lotus would show up, wishing he might play an impromptu set. I snagged ‘Kobwebz/ Speaketh’ the new GonjaSufi 7”. But bad news bears, they didn’t have the LP, because, said WARP Rep Josh, the label hadn’t anticipated the demand. There were plenty of CDs though, and in addition to the seven inches there were FREE GonjaSufi buttons and cheap GonjaSufi praybooks. GLK took to the stage, as the defacto MC of the night, Silhouetted against blue and looking more Side Show Bob than ever.

I grabbed a glass of ice water and tipped the black-tank-top clad bartender for not charging me three dollars. Dark corners are easy to find at the ECHOPLEX, so I grabbed one for myself and added to my ice water a healthy drop of whiskey from my flask. DJ PWC was on the decks, and a home girl with a fro bigger than Gaslamp’s was getting down on the dance floor like it was ‘85. From my dark corner I could see GLK behind the merch table fussing about with a dozen oddly sized plastic bags. Why does GLK need so many plastic bags?

For over an hour, DJ PWC spun wax (mostly) while Gaslamp occasionally hopped on the mic to name drop: Dublab, Brainfeeder, Warp, Flylo, Daedelus, he did this all night. The set was nothing to blog about. PWC played one really hot track off a CD, then crapped the flow with some lame Spanish record. For the most part, the set was a little boring and I couldn’t fathom why the show didn’t have any projections, but forty five minutes into PWC's set, he finally caught a stride and started to connect with the ever increasing crowd, now up to almost a hundred. I went to buy a drink and spotted GLK picking the spinach off his TWO BOOTS, though clearly he didn’t need a Popeye style boost as moments latter he was back on stage playing the AR game hard.

MAIN FRAME followed PWC and took to the decks with ‘Holidays’, one of his contributions to 'a Sufi and a Killer'. His mostly laptop based set consisted mostly of his music, and it wasn’t until a half an hour into it that he dropped the first memorable track, following it up with a smash of a track, a Flylo vocal with BLU on the rhymes.

A short set of psychedelia from GLK, as the projector finally gets turned on, the headliner, emerges from backstage, the king, adorned with a crown. When I first heard about this show I was really disappointed that GonjaSufi would only be performing a DJ set, but my disappointed was for naught. GonjaSufi didn’t actually touch the decks once. His hand was firmly wrapped around the mic the whole set, as he paced the stage, sometime freestyling, sometime performing segments from his album, non-stop holding down to a crowd which had reached 300. 300 heads bobbing back and forth to ‘Kowboyz and Indians’.

I gotta hand it to him GLK is a great hype man. It was sort of his night, he picked the DJ, he mc'd the night and DJ'd the main event. but what most will remember is A gigantic smile on the face of Flying lotus, Chillin’ stage left, moments before GLK confirms what we’ve all been waiting for; a surprise performance from Flying Lotus.

Flying Lotus takes to the stage, Apple laptop lit, controller connected, and seconds latter, his bass had my face in puddles. The Brainfeeder emperor is previewing that illogical bass that is Cosmogramma. I can't even take a leak without that kick drum cracking the porcelain. Flylo played a lengthy set of new and old material. Unfortunately, I had to duck before the stutter-step preacher finished his proclamation, but to be honest, I’m already in the choir. The night was amazing, your jealously is definitely warranted.

Pantha du Prince - Black Sands

2010-03-10T15:36:00.000-08:00

3rd album from German's luminary electronic producer. This recent Rough Trade release is certainly worth a listen, and possibly worth a purchase.

you can listen to the whole album at stereogum.

on mondays, records come in threes!

2010-03-08T20:17:00.000-08:00

a trip to the record store resulted in $14 worth of vinyl and cardboard. Take a look.

camp lo - lumdi (12")

twelve inch means single in the vinyl world. so this record by camp lo only has just one song on it: LUMDI and it's a fresh one! as far as i can tell, this track isn't from an upcoming album. it's just a hot little jam, reminiscent of the jolly goodness and ragtime appeal that made the duo's epitimous creation LUCHINI such a standout success. I've been looking for this record for over a year.

isan - plans drawn with pencil (lp)

a simple and effective album of soft and melodic idm for fans of that flavor of boredom. i laid on the floor after a great burger and stout and listened to the a side of this record, opening my eye's only to aim the lighter. In a nut shell, I spin records for a podcast that specializes in neck breakage, and this record is far too beautiful to show up on one of those adventures.

take - earthtones & concrete (2xLP)

2xLP means i have to get up three times to listen to this whole album once. I have done so with pleasure for this LA producer's first full length vinyl release, and you will definitely find me playing tracks in upcoming podcasts. it's got the wobbly bass and the studder step rhythms which you would come to expect from a member of the poobahs ten-inch series, but take, unlike his l.a. contemporaries, has a mastery of that prefuse 73 start-stop production technique, and instead of heavily layering reverb rich tones, this album drops sounds like gestures, a picture book of contemporary electronic music. this record is a great buy for fans of amon tobins earlier work, or for those seeking that zero seven meets flying lotus thing.

The El Rey is the new Knitting factory

2010-03-04T12:22:00.000-08:00

Seams like since the Knitting factory got turned into a european grocery store, El Rey has been hosting all the prominent instrumental hip hop acts/ beatmakers. I already dropped the RJD2 news in a previous post. This post is dedicated to Bonobo, a sick beatmaker that i have yet to see live. Not only is he coming to the el rey with fellow ninjatuner Yppah on Thursday April 22nd, but look out for 'Black Sands' dropping march 29th.

This is a video for flutter off the new record.

One more thing, there's a remix contest where you upload a track, and Bonobo remixes the winner! I entered 'Underwater Tax Invasion' a track from my upcoming album.

new vinyl

2010-03-04T12:01:00.000-08:00

finally there's an afordable reissue of 'siamese dream' by you-know-who. here's a couple more new releases that sparked my interest from lesser know artists.

The Delta Mirror

Machines That Listen

Phantogram

Eyelid Movies

The Pink Noise

Birdland

Psychic Reality + La Vampires

Split

thanks be to state farm.

2010-03-04T02:23:00.000-08:00

Ok Go have a new video. It's the sort of thing you can make after you've got a couple successful records under your belt. It also helps when one of the worlds largest insurance companies fronts the bill.

the crystilised remix video is here!

2010-03-03T01:37:00.000-08:00

the xx - crytilised (nsok remix)

spike jonze killin' it since 1991

2010-03-02T19:55:00.000-08:00

Fresh New Music + Upcoming Shows

2010-03-02T18:48:00.000-08:00

One day I'll run the sort of blog where people send me their music before it's releases. Or maybe one day I'll be one of those people that trolls the torrents for leaks. Until then I'll just drop some info on a couple soon to be released records, and tell you how they are after I've dug up the paper to pick up the vinyl.

Flying Lotus 'Cosmogramma'

(Warp)

available 4th May 2010

- LIMITED FIRST EDITION PRINT CD W/ FOIL BLOCK SLIPCASE - 14.99
- 2 x LP DOUBLE GATEFOLD VINYL WITH VELUM INNER SLEEVES - 22.99

01. Clock Catcher
02. Pickled!

03. Nose Art

04. Intro//A Cosmic Drama

05. Zodiac Shit

06. Computer Face//Pure Being

07. ..And The World Laughs With You ft. Thom Yorke

08. Arkestry

09. Mmmhmm ft.Thundercat

10. Do The Astral Plane

11. Satelllliiiiiteee

12. German Haircut

13. Recoiled

14. Dance Of The Pseudo Nymph\

15. Drips//Auntie's Harp

16. Table Tennis ft. Laura Darlington

17. Galaxy In Janaki

I'm a flylo fan. I drop his tracks all the time, just check out the 5signs podcast.

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Mux Mool 'Skulltaste'
(ghostly)

available march 23,210

1. Ballad Of Gloria Featherbottom

2. Hog Knuckles

3. Enceladus

4. Skulltaste

5. Breakfast Enthusiast

6. Dandelion

7. Get Better John

8. Wax Rose Saturday

9. Death 9000

10. False Worship

11. 1st And 4th

12. Wolf Tone Symphony

13. SFW Porn

14. Crackers

15. Morning Strut

16. No Black Crayon [Digital Bonus]

17. Air Justins [Digital Bonus]

18. Stay Calm [Digital Bonus]

19. NAFE [Digital Bonus]

20. Lady Linda [Digital Bonus] download

With releases by dabrye, this is hardly ghostly's first forray in the modern world of beatz, but check out that album cover, and tell me this muxmool isnt smoking the same stuff the brainfeeder crew. You can download death 9000, and check out snippits of the record on the ghostly site.

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Lusine 'Lucky Numbers'

(ghostly)

available MARCH 16, 2010

1. Push

2. Haze

3. Slapback

4. Excess

5. Inside/Out

6. Sunset

7. These Things

8. Keep Me Fading

9. Near Sight

10. Weaver

11. Emerald

12. Rubberbands

13. Two Dots (Reverse Engineered)

14. Twilight (Elliptical Mix)

15. Crowded Room (Type A)

16. John Doe [Unreleased 2005 Version]

17. Rubberbands (Dirty Mix)

I have a really good Lusine record called 'a certain distance'. chill downtempo stuff, very cinematic, quite beautiful melodies with understated electronics.

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Gonjasufi 'A Sufi And A Killer'

- CD digipack - $ 16.99

- Limited Double Vinyl gatefold - $ 24.99

available 8th March 2010

01.

02. Kobwebz

03. Ancestors - download

04. Sheep

05. She Gone.

06. SuzieQ

07. Stardustin'

08. Kowboyz&Indians

09. Change

10. Duet

11. Candylane

12. Holidays

13. Love Of Reign

14. Advice

15. Klowds

16. Ageing

17. DedNd

18. I've Given

19. Made

you can check out a sufi and a killer over at clashmusic.com. I've got Gonjasufi's first couple seven inches, and i've heard his work with flying lotus. I'm looking forward to this record, but tentatively. I wasn't a big fan of 'ancestors', and i'm still trying to work out whether i'm a fan of GassLamp killer. That being said, the first seven inch was amazing.

Gonja is playing a dj set at the echoplex. I bet the record will be available for sale for $20 which makes the eight dollar ticket price more than worth it. go to ticketweb for Details about the show with GLK and mainframe (producers from a sufi and a killer.)

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Speaking of shows...

Hey Los Angeles RJD2 is coming to town! I read an interview where rj explains this is the most intricate and rehearsed tour he's ever put on. I saw RJD2 a number of years ago, and the guy is an amazing musician, not just a dope producer, and the live show really exemplifies this. I fell off the rjd2 bandwagon after the third handed shift, but the interview had me re-thinking the twenty dollar ticket price. If you wanna go, i would recommend buying tickets at the el rey box office, but if you like to spend an additional %40 on your tickets, you can do so online at the El Rey website.

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Also fresh off the presses ATOMS FOR PEACE ft.THOM YORKE + FLYING LOTUS micro tour.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow at waste.uk.com though for the life of me i can't figure out when. If you can't get a waste ticket, (usually impossible, but free from terrorizing fees) then the tickets can be purchased starting march 6th.

If you get tickets to the santa barbara show, you wont see flying lotus, cause he'll be "performing" at coachella, but oakland isn't really that far away.

New York Roseland Ballroom 5th + 6th

Boston Citi Wang Theatre 8th

Chicago Aragon Ballroom 10th + 11th

Oakland Fox Theatre 14th + 15th

Santa Barbara Bowl 17th

Gorillaz 'Plastic Beach' (Track by Track Review)

2010-03-01T13:13:00.000-08:00

brits: you can listen to the full album here.
yankees: you can listen to the full album here.

I'm in
America, so I tuned in via the NPR link. I wrote while I listened and here's what happened. A track by track review of the third Gorillaz full length 'Plastic Beach'

((((((1)))))) & ((((((2))))))

We begin with a fitting Orchestral Intro that seamlessly leads to the jump off track Welcome to the World of Plastic Beach, featuring Snoop dog, a clickly little vocoder piece. The sped up funk, treble heavy with Miami Vice style synth swells, says neither Dan the Automator nor danger mouse, this is the newness from the Gorillaz.

((((((3))))))

Next up is White Flag, the intro of which is used on all those little plastic beach vignettes that appeared on the Gorillaz home page a month back. This track puts you in the middle of a video game, and really conveys the vibe of those first few Gorillaz tracks, where the 4th wall was still firmly in place, and it was almost believable that a group of cartoons wrote an album. Then Kano comes on the mic, and shatters the video game vibe for a couple verses alongside a type writer high hat, and marching style snare, it feels more like a Kano track than Gorillaz, a bit more like the second album now, where tracks seriously flipped the style on verse and chorus.

((((((4))))))

Rhinestone Eyes comes on with Damon Albarn (aka 2d) ridding high-a-top a simple slow beat. Damon sings about the plastic beach, and already four tracks in, this album is mild cohesive. When some high-faluting synths and a background chat come through, it feels like a drunk Albarn singing karaoke to his favorite eighties jam.

((((((5))))))

Stylo is next, and it's the single for obvious reasons. It's supper dancy, with a synth hook that repeats through out the lofty Albarn vocals, into the disappointingly short contribution from Mos Def near the end, Womack definitely kills it though, making Stylo one of the stand out tracks.

((((((6))))))

Stylo is followed by a little commercial and a big breakbeat rhymed by Gruff Rhys and de la soul. The track, Superfast Jellyfish, has the famed Gorrillaz swagger dancing with the tongue in cheek humor that really defines the project. Remarkably, while sounding the most Gorillaz of the tracks so fall, it's also a little different than anything I’ve heard from them, and also the least 80's sounding.

((((((7))))))

Empire Ants is next and is the first track featuring not a vocalist, but a band! And not just any band, but one of the best new bands: Little Dragon. The song is sweet and lovely, even though as they sing, 'the world is falling down.' If I close my eyes, I’m floating on a cloud listening to this pretty little melody as I float along. Unfortunately, it doesn't really showcase the amazingness that is little dragon, and half way through, sounds more like a Ryoksopp song than Gorillaz or Little Dragon, but then Yukimi Nagano voice comes through and melts my face, she is amazing. And now I know what it sounds like when the new kids (Little Dragon) get the rock star production treatment.

((((((8))))))

Glitter Freeze (Gorillaz homage to dubstep) has that sick wobbly, the crunchy clap and sci-fi synths that have taken over the electronic world. But you can't escape that Gorillaz funk any more than you can escape plastic beach's proclivity for gigantic breakdown and massive builds.

((((((9))))))

One final synth stab drops us into Some Kind of Nature ft. Lou Reed. Lou sort of talks his way through the track, as he does. The drum beat is simple and straight forward. This track is kind of amazing. Albarns experience with the Good the Bad and the Queen really shines through. He's got a knack for making these older recording artists sound really modern and contemporary.

(((((10)))))

On Melancholy Hill starts out sounding like a rather weak daft punk track, and then gets a bit emo. Perhaps the most blur sounding so far, with the synths swells and thick English accent the song could just as easily have been recorded by Supergrass. Much more new wave than the bands previous hip hop core, I can imagine girls with massive eyeliner crying in their beds listening to this track right after they caught their teenage boyfriends kissing another girl. I might have left it off the album.

(((((11)))))

A half assed apology come in the way of Broken (at least beat wise). A track that puts Albarn on top of a Dr Dre style track. I'm curious why they didn't try and put snoop on this one, where he would have been quite at home. Instead Albarn kind of whines his way through, with vocals way up in the track, which seams fairly consistent through out, the quest vocals are buried in the instrument, but Albarn is perched high on top.

(((((12)))))

Mos Def has a real opportunity to do his thing on Sweepstakes, as he sort of falls through the track, which is actually sort of a difficult rhythmically, and kudos to Mos Def for rockin' it. It's a cool little track and one of my favorites on the album.

(((((13)))))

Plastic Beach, the title track, has the whinny Albarn perfectly placed with an arpeggiating keyboard, a quick clicky beat and a healthy layer of electronic quirkiness. That goofy synth is talking to me, telling the story of Plastic Beach in a delightfully unknown computer language.

(((((14)))))

Little Dragon are no quite as effective on their second appearance To Binge. Albarn and Nagano duet, and again Nagano is mixed way lower than Albarn. Also the track, while quintessentially Gorillaz, just isn't big enough for the talent of Nagano. For Albarn's third Gorillaz project, it's one of the most successful in terms of the projects aesthetics, sound and color, but I can't help being a bit blue balled as the song basically sounds like an extended intermission. There's very little departure from the beat or melody, a little bit of a build, but rather a sleepy track in general.

(((((15)))))

Cloud to Unknowing brings back bobby, but flips the style crazy like. This is the only really effective slowish track on the album, it sounds neither Gorillaz or plastic beach, and yet fits perfectly in the record where other tracks fail to support the concept and groove. There's no beat, no hook, just some strings drenched like a London downpour.

(((((16)))))

And finally Private Jet, the little banger that almost could. A fat beat under some tasty synth stabage, Albarn nailing a perfect cadence, reminiscent of other really successful Gorillaz track. The synth lead is a bit hot, and sort of detracts from the stellar groove. The track slowly rolls along, somewhat haunting, a little silly, and in my opinion far to short, but I guess that’s the idea of a closings track, you have to leave the listener wanting more.

Overall impression: After only one listen, it's not my favorite of the three Gorillaz records, but plastic beach is a good record non-the-less, and fans of the band will not be disappointed. Below is my bootleg remix of Stylo. Enjoy.

note: the spell check in Google chrome is a piece of shit. also, the album preview is the best thing to come to the net since illegally downloads.

what's up goldsweat?

2010-02-19T12:23:00.000-08:00

some baylien friends thought you might want to know.

checkout their sweet little post about yours truly.

goldsweat.com/

2010-02-16T22:11:00.000-08:00

BAM!! the hot new shit!!!

what we learned from "In Rainbows"

2010-02-06T13:10:00.000-08:00

The new massive attack album is available for pre-sale. The vinly edition costs £ 30.00!! that's over fifty dollars for us americans. You can pre-order 'Heligoland' at thevinylfactory.com where you can also buy ridiculously expensive records by air, monkey, xx and hot chip to name a few.

taking a page from Radiohead, Massive Attack as decided to only offer this one vinyl edition. No $12.99 100gram disc in traditional jacket, and why? because vinyl enthusiasts are much more into the hobby of collecting than mp3 hoarders. It's not only important for us to have a physical copy, but we specifically want that limited edition collectible - 180gram - foil printed - gate fold, with an additional 12" and free download... (whether we can afford it or not.)

and that's the problem, sometimes we cant. $50 bones is whole lotta paper to be dropping on a brand new record. And it's a little frustrating they don't have a more afordable vinyl option. After all a good record player only costs $100. To put things in pespective, letting go of fifty bones for a record is sort of like spending $5,000 to fill up your car, but it comes with a free car wash.

At least at the end of the day Radiohead did release a simple and affordable copy of 'In Rainbows,' though i had already emptied the coffers for the limited edition version which is stored (entombed in plastic) and rarely, if ever, sees the light of day. I like special editions, but i also like dj'ing and podcasting. Do you think i'm going to bring a fifty dollar record to the club? Hell no! And yet, i hardley ever spin cds, and i never spin mp3's, so basically, while Massive Attack has offered a beautiful and collectible presentation of their latest sonic offerings, they have done so at a price point which will cause it's exclusion from my set, which (podcast and dj sets combined) prevents a couple thousand people a month from hearing the music.

here's my suggestion, if you are going to sell me a fifty dollar record for my collection, can you include a cheappy disc i can play out, with out fear of capitol losses?

Gorillaz - Stylo Remix

2010-01-27T03:29:00.000-08:00

i remixed the new gorillaz single. it's called 'stylo' and it hasn't been officially released yet, but it's from the album "Plastic Beach" due out latter this spring. i made this remix with just the leaked mp3 and my micokorg xl.

you can check all the little vignettes i made the video with on the gorillaz home page.

the video is landing high from the aol video link.

*****update: i had to remove the link to the mp3, because google send me an email saying they were worried it might be copyright infringement. but fear not, i doth not think they would notice a text link: anelect.com/analog/Gorillaz-Stylo(Nsok-Remix).mp3

copy and past ya'll!

straight encoding digital dopeness

2010-01-25T17:56:00.000-08:00

i've been spinning vinyl for a few years now, and i almost totally forgot about all the great music i have on cd. Here are some of the records i ripped to my computer today: Marumari "ballad of the round ball", Diplo "Florida", Amon Tobin "Permutations", Jaga Jazzist "animal chin ep"

My cd collection tears apart the notion of depth my extensive vinyl collection garners, and does so in a fraction of the space. I might have to pull a couple of these digital bangers from the archives for an upcoming 5signs podCAST.

coachella announced.

2010-01-20T20:18:00.000-08:00

Aeroplane Alana Grace As Tall As Lions Baroness Benny Benassi Calle 13 Céu deadmau5 Deer Tick DJ Lance Rock Echo & the Bunnymen Erol Alkan Fever Ray Grace Jones Grizzly Bear Hockey Iglu & Hartly Jay-Z Jets Overhead Kate Miller-Heidke La Roux LCD Soundsystem Little Dragon Lucero Pablo Hassan Passion Pit P.O.S. Proxy Public Image Limited Ra Ra Riot She & him Sleigh Bells The Avett Brothers The Cribs The Dillinger Escape Plan The Specials The Whitest Boy Alive Them Crooked Vultures Vampire Weekend Wale Wolfgang Gartner Yeasayer 2 many DJ's Aterciopelados Band of Skulls Bassnectar Beach House Camera Obscura Coheed and Cambria Corinne Bailey Rae Craze David Guetta DEVO Dirty Projectors Dirty South Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Faith No More Flying Lotus Frank Turner Frightened Rabbit GIRLS Gossip Hot Chip John Waters Kaskade Klever Les Claypool Major Lazer Mew MGMT Muse Old Crow Medicine Show Porcupine Tree Portugal. The Man Pretty Lights RX Bandits Shooter Jennings Sia Steel Train The Almighty Defenders The Dead Weather The Raveonettes The Temper Trap The xx Tiësto Tokyo Police Club White Rabbits Z-Trip Zoé B.o.B. Babasónicos Charlotte Gainsbourg Club 75 De La Soul Deerhunter Delphic Florence & The Machine Gary Numan Gil Scott-Heron Gorillaz Hadouken! Infected Mushroom Jónsi Julian Casablancas Kevin Devine King Khan & the Shrines Little Boots Local Natives Matt & Kim Mayer Hawthorne Miike Snow MUTEMATH One eskimO Orbital Owen Pallett PAPARAZZI Pavement Phoenix Plastikman Rusko Sly & The Family Stone Spoon Sunny Day Real Estate Talvin Singh The Big Pink The Glitch Mob The Middle East The Soft Pack Thom Yorke Yann Tiersen Yo La Tengo

Charlotte Gainsbourg feat. Beck "Heaven Can Wait"

2010-01-20T17:46:00.000-08:00

i love pancake-head spaceman.

Four Tet - There Is Love In You

2010-01-20T16:55:00.001-08:00

ONE WEEK ONLY!

check out four tet's new album "There is love in you" A full week before it drops!!!

There Is Love In You by Four Tet

http://www.fourtet.net/

5Sign podCAST001

2009-12-07T01:02:00.000-08:00

forty minutes of beats and live music.

To preview our chinatown beatdown we caught up with FONIKS at his home studio in Eagle Rock, just down the street from 50/50 grind. We recorded Foniks doing what he does best; dropping super tight productions live on the MPC 2000xl.

showcasing the music of:

little people - foniks - luke vibert - dorian concept - abstract butta fingers - gonjasufi - nsok - projecto 2501 - 5signs - prefuse 73

quest aperance by spel

download and share.

Massive Attack "Splitting The Atom" EP

2009-11-25T01:12:00.001-08:00

I was listening to the morning music program of a prominent Los Angeles college radio station. Being a fan of Tv on The Radio I was very surprised to hear Tunde Adebimpe's vocals on a very Bristol sounding trip hop track. When the DJ came on air and announced the music was the latest from Massive Attack, I ran to my dell laptop and searched deep with great hope for a vinyl release. There was internet buzz that a physical copy was being manufactured, but no one could find the actual product page. Utilizing highly developed Google skills I uncovered the illusive link, not even accesible from the vinyl factories homepage. It was on this page I first read the track listing: a dream line up the likes of which 'Them Crooked Vultures' could only hope to aspire, a who's who of contemporary musicians, and several of my personal favorites.

Track one with Damon Albarn (blur, gorrillas) Track two with the a-for-mentioned 'Tunde Adebimpe' of Tv On The Radio fame. Track three remixed by non-other-than 'The Subliminal Kid', no longer a kid, but very much a stalwart of the downtempo scene, and Track five, unbelievably, with the marvelous 'Martina Topley-Bird' (the female voice from most of Trickys notable work, with an awesome solo album of her own.)

I had my credit card out so fast you'd think it was the last record in the world, and if I had only one album to listen to on judgment day, this might be it…

For those of us who consider the acts' 1998 mercury prize nominated, #1, platinum selling album the height of Massive Attacks artistry, this four Track EP is their most satisfying release to date. It is the slow and simple effectiveness that hypnotized us in 1998, the laid back, low mixed vocals that balance music and prose is such tandem that every note, every word, hangs on the ear, dripping slowly into the brain, with bass and polyrhythms so delicately layered it would take a microscope to discern their individuality.

In my educated opinion: Splitting the Atom sits proudly next to Mezzanine as Massive attacks finest releases. It is the second most expensive record I have ever bought, a sort of pathetic $11(US) per track, but buyers remorse was hardly an issue. already copies of this record are being auctioned off in the hundreds, that, and knowing Only 999 fans share with me the fine distinction of owning this rare and wonderful record, Vinyl well bought.

microKORG XL

2009-11-05T11:31:00.000-08:00

korg is pretty well known for making sick synths. and now that computer technology is getting so small, korg in on board to bring thier wicked electronic sounds to smaller units.

the original microkorg is famous. i can't think of any keyboard i've seen in more studios. from rock musicians to hip hop producers and everything in between, what can't this box do? easy. it can't play more than one key at a time. they even have a word for it, monophonic. for those of you less experienced in musical terminology, that's like playing a drum set with one stick and no feet.

then along comes the micro Korg XL

8 steps of polyphony! i've had this synth for less than a week. hands down it is the most fun and inspiring keyboard i've ever sat down with.

here's the specifics from the manufacturer:

Tone Generator System: MMT (Multiple Modeling Technology)
Multi Timbral= maximum 2 (when using Layer, Split, or Multi)
Voices=8 voices
Structure: [Synth] 2 oscillators + noise generator, Oscillator 1: Wave: 8 types (Sawtooth, Pulse, Triangle, Sine, Formant, Noise, DWGS, Audio In), Modulation: Waveform, Cross, Unison, VPM, Oscillator 2: Wave: 4 types (Sawtooth, Pulse, Triangle, Sine), Modulation: Ring, Sync, Ring+Sync, Waveshape: Type: Drive, Decimator, HardClip, OctSaw, MultiTri, MultiSin, SubOSCSaw, SubOSCSqu, SubOSCTri, SubOSCSin, LevelBoost,
Multimode Filters: Filer 1: -24 dB/oct LPF ~ -12 dB/oct LPF ~ -12 dB/oct BPF ~ -12 dB/oct HPF ~ Thru, Filter 2: LPF, HPF, BPF [Vocoder] 16 channel vocoder, adjustable level and pan for each channel, Formant Shift function, Formant Hold function
Keyboard: 37 notes (mini-keyboard, velocity sensitive)
Effects: Timbre: 2 band EQ, Master effect x 2, 17effects
Arpeggiator: Six types: UP, DOWN, ALT1/2, Random, Trigger, Individual step on/off function
Programs: 128 programs (A/Bbanks x 8 genres x 8 category)
Inputs:
[AUDIO INPUT 1] jack (with MIC/LINE switch) – Rear Panel
Connector: 1/4” phone jack (unbalanced)
[AUDIO INPUT 1 (MIC)] jack – Front Panel
Connector: XLR jack (balanced)
Outputs:
[L/MONO, R] jacks
Connectors: 1/4² phone jacks (unbalanced)
[PHONES] jack
Connector: 1/4² phone stereo jack
MIDI: IN, OUT, THRU connectors
USB: Type B connector
Display: Custom LCD
Power Supply: DC 9 V (AC adapter), or six AA alkaline batteries (sold separately)
Battery Life: approx. four hours (with alkaline batteries)
Dimensions: 556(W)x231(D)x73(H)mm/21.89"(W)x9.09"(D)x2.87"(H)
Weight: 2 kg/4.41 lbs. (without batteries and included microphone)
Accessories: AC adapter, Gooseneck Microphone

Black Bird "Three Bird"

2009-08-27T10:01:00.000-07:00

i-tunes download.

Vocalist BLACKBIRD and producer PARIS ZAX met on an intergalactic space mission to free the Amazonian aliens of Pluto from their oppressive master. They found that a musical union could be fortuitous, and thus began a new journey into the great sonic wilderness.

Their first work together, the self distributed and promoted “Fetterless” caught the attention of DJ/ Producer/ Label head DADDY KEV, who released the follow up: "BIRD'S EYE VIEW" on his Alphapup record label.

“Three Bird” finds BlackBird and Paris Zax back on Alphapup, with an album equal parts hip hop and punk rock. You can purchase individual tracks on itunes for 99cents, or, purchase the whole album and get the blackbird 'Three Bird' booklet. In addition to lyric sheets, the booklet contains original artwork and illustrations by LA Legend MEARONE.

preview the first track Bravado <<--click here!

i-tunes download.

Choir Of Young Believers

2009-08-10T13:49:00.001-07:00

NPR is streaming the new album by this danish guy who calls himself "Choir of Young Believers." I've given it a couple listens, and now i'm sharing it with you.

The album is called: This Is for the White in Your Eyes. It is slow melodic music. It is contemporary with out theft, and artistic without remorse.

God-Jesus Robot

2009-08-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

the god-jesus robot comes with the worst accessory ever! plus on the box the god-jesus robot has a bouquet of flowers, are you fucking series. where's micheals sword of vengence, or some sort of rapid fire laser gun of salvation. when i was a kid i had a robot that looked like this. It wasn't a vessel for the lords holy divination, though it did come with a little tube of some highly toxic substance that you could inject into a tiny hole in the back, and it would make smoke come out of the robots mouth. i wonder if the god-jesus robot does that.

2009-07-23T09:44:00.001-07:00

been so long since i bought records. these are the three i want the mostest.

flying lotus 3x3 the fourth record in the series, i have the other three. limited edition, this record comes out august 17th, so i will get two checks before its released. link...

metric, remember when we got angry and i went for a bike ride and missed thier tv performance. this is thier second record, i have the first i love it dearly link,,,

prefuse 73, the king of the instrumental hip hop world. i have almost every relase by this guy, and this is his latest. recorded to tape, so it should have that nice warm fuzzy feel. link...

that's 50 bucks for just three pieces of music. three great peices of music all of which already have a spot in my collection.

5signs live @Turntable Lab

2009-07-12T13:18:00.001-07:00

i'm on NME!

2009-06-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

It's not a feature or an article, but i'm not complaining.

videos

boom boom pow (nsok remix)

2009-06-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

I know i'm a little behind the ball on this Black Eyed Peas Remix, but better late than never. Click on the title of this post to start the download.

2009-06-23T00:53:00.001-07:00

there's a book of photos i took in downtown LA for sale through anodyne & lulu.

http://templetothe10.anelect.com

i think it's really good. and if you have a moment please check it out.

lollapalooza

2009-06-04T10:36:00.001-07:00

T-LAB LA: Killed it.

2009-05-20T17:57:00.000-07:00

me and my crew "5signs" played an instore at turntable lab L.A. Great vibe. Great turnout. To T-Lab: much respect, and to the heads and artists that rolled through, love and knowledge.

photo by gari askew

gla2.com

JUST SAY YES! Petition

2009-05-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

sunset junction is a great time of year for silver lake. hit the link bellow to show some support.

JUST SAY YES! Petition

new music: nsok

2009-04-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

New Music:

Uploaded a spring medley. Please enjoy...

http://www.zshare.net/audio/59385155c1db9898/

low end theory: here i come.

2009-03-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

google thinks it'll only take two minutes to walk from my new place in lincoln heights to the airliner, host of l.a.'s finest underground hip hop event. i think it'll take five, ten if we're smoking a blunt on the way.

5Signs RemixEP

2009-03-10T15:45:00.001-07:00

5signs put out a vinyl lp ("left handed acquisitions"), then Alcendor said "not everyone has a record player." So we remixed each others music and put out a new record. this one is a little shorter, but it's totally free and has awesome album art just like records of ole.>

http://www.anelect.com/5Signs_RemixEP.html

that link will take you directly to the album, theres a couple pages of ad's to go through, but shit, it's a free record, what else you want?>

check it.

long live the sampler

2009-03-04T18:03:00.000-08:00

a busy week.

2009-01-26T11:41:00.001-08:00

jan17 - saturday: 5signs @ quality collective hq

jan18 - sunday: casa de campo (free lamb)

jan19 - monday: learning music @ spaceland

jan20 - tuesday: beach house @ henry fonda

jan21 - wednesday: lily marlene @ the bordello

jan22 - thursday: jail weddings @ santa monica museum of art

jan23 - friday: assisted recording session w/ engineer d. jenkins

jan24 - saturday: cut&paste audition, 5signs rehearsal

jan25 - sunday: alex & sam @ hotel cafe

5signs "Left Handed Aquisitions"

2008-12-19T13:01:00.001-08:00

5signs: featuring nsok, accrete, abstract butta fingas, foniks & alcendor. eight hip hop inspired instrumentals, one track featuring the amazing up and coming vocal talents of 310 and def soun, and one track featuing chicagos rising star: kid static

the album covers old school, dilla-esque, downtempo, new school, boom bap (and bipp), with nods to idm, funk, soul and classic rock.

available now:

poobahs (pasadena - LA)

amoeba (hollywood - LA)

etherea (east village - NYC)

halcyon (brooklyn - NYC)

NYC

2008-12-03T18:25:00.000-08:00

just got back from new york city. great trip. there for a week. went to p.s.1 (amazing). checked out flushing, which is a crazy china town east of LaGuardia, which is where i spent the better part of two hours stuffed in the middle of a budget truck box cab. to support ladybird's reacquisition of her African American berry. which was sort of a blessing and a curse, cause she already had her mom lined up to fork out an iphone for Christmas. but your better off without it ashley.

passed out a ton of 5signs records. currently for sale at Halcyion in dumbo (Brooklyn) and Etherea in the east villiage (Manhattan). soon to be available at turntable lab, Rockit Scientist, Kim's, and representing Williamsburg: earwax (ask for it!)

i also ate some dank home cooked locally grown food, and spend some good old quality time with a few of my greatest friends. i'll post some pictures as soon as i unpack my transfer cable.

apple dj's

2008-10-16T02:18:00.001-07:00

apple laptop dj's can eat a dick. maybe if you didn't play bullshit trendy 80's crap, i could forgive you for being such a lazy asshole. maybe it's just l.a. and in other parts of the world there are kids with tight pants and stripped shirts banging out the truth from their sleek white apple-badges of cool. but i'm pretty sure pop culture is simply inexcusable excrement and it always has been.

we spin wax. why? cause it's worth it. if all you can do is play popular songs, you're not a dj, you're not even a jukebox, because at least with a jukebox, i can turn the page, you, i have to listen to until i finish my drink and bounce.

p.s. don't forget to update your blog with the latest playlist.

p.p.s. you can just export it from itunes

p.p.p.s. eat a dick.

long live the green party.

2008-09-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

mcain is part of the same empirical system bush was. and while bush obviously stole both of his elections, it is worth noting that there were enough people voting for him, to get him within striking distance. which is just testament to the millions of people in this country who only process information delivered from a television, and who are uneducated enough to vote on moral similarities.

im voting green party. but it's not an abandonment of obama, it's just a nice benefit of living in such a liberal state, obama will so easily carry california, so while i campaing for him to a certain extent, i have the freedom to add support via my vote, to a lesser know party.

plus pallin shouldn't be anywhere near the white house, and if anything mccain shouldn't be allowed to be president based on his blatant attempts to use her to manipulate america by offering a pretty face instead of a respectable politician. if that's the type of government people are looking for, sweet smiled conservatives with imperialist appetites, then we should completely give up on democracy, and bow before our tv masters.

Krust - Coded Language (Roni Size Remixes)

2008-09-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

(They cant all be good)

my recent discovery of the genius that is saul williams lead me to search out "coded language" by krust.

Amoeba didn't have it on vinyl, not a huge surprise, but digging the jungle 12"'s uncovered the roni size mix of the "coded" single williams appears on.

What a disappointment. The a side (which thanks to factory error has the b side label on it) features a tiny slathering of williams lyrics within the first quarter of the track, and some how elicits the necessity of an instrumental on the mislabeled b side.

I'm a huge fan of roni size, considering new forms to be one of the greatest records ever recorded, but this single is indicative at best, and more properly described as boring, and uninventive. I'm not sure how prominent williams is on the album version, but a miraculous combination of sauls gritty, and sizes jazzy, this is not.

link to discogs.com listing

releases in the works.

2008-02-02T23:07:00.000-08:00

"green girls" by dierubix

this is an album i wrote the first half of 2006. i consider it instrumental hip hop. blackbird appears on two tracks. the addition of his vocals to pre-existing material was the last step in recording and was completed sometime during the following summer and fall. "green girls" will be released on cd by the anodyne electric company

for the most part the melodies are inspired by rock music, and the rhythms are my take on electronic music, specifically idm and drum and bass. i believe the sound of this album is the true voice of dierubix. it has progressed much in the five years since my first ep: "music is math" and while my style is constantly evolving, "green girls" represents a finite and specific version. in a word my first two ep's were stepping stones to this album, the first masterpiece by a particular aspect of my creative being. i do not believe i can convey the voice of dierubix to any higher degree of accuracy, but i look forward to one day returning to this emotionally heavy style.

i designed the artwork under the alias 'zero factory'

tracklisting:

1.intro
2.green girls (summertimin’)
featuring blackbird
3.passenger seat
4.lets be wild for a while
5.you are a sliding door
6.untitled (Bbd)
7.green girls (tennesse ticket)
8.here comes the bomb
featuring blackbird
9.soul for sale (kyle kyte theme song)
10.now is the time of your life

-----------------------------------------------------------
"(untitled)" by five signs

five signs is a collective of left field hip hop producers living in and around hollywood california. the artists include: fonik, soulstep soundsystem, accrete, abstract butta fingas, and alcendor. this will be a 12" vinyl release on the anodyne electric company.

this is a cooperative compilation featuring two tracks from each artist. my contributions are 'music machine' and 'drumalong,' two tracks i wrote early on under the 'soulstep soundsytem' moniker. One difficulty i had in choosing music for this compilation was that i did not wish to repeat any songs from the forth coming soulstep album (see below.) 'drumalong' does not contain the same political or social motivation intended for "make your own good" but fits with the sound and style of soulstep. 'music machine' is perhaps a song i would have liked to save for my album, but it was specifically requested by some of the other five signs producers.

additional roles:
abstract butta fingers: p.r.
foniks: design
accrete: packaging
alcendor: mixing
kyle kyte : executive producer

track listing to be determined...

-----------------------------------------------------------
"make your own god" by soulstep soundsystem

having completed "green girls" i felt i had entered a new phase in my production. this style is much more hip hop inspired than any of the dierubix material, even though some compositions illustrate the transition more than others.

the goal of this release is to create a body of work that accurately conveys my political and artistic positions. not just songs that sound good, or tracks that make you dance, "make your own god" is a series of statements.

"make your own god" is still being composed and recorded. this album will be released on a yet to be decided format by the anodyne electric company.

track listing to be determined..

-----------------------------------------------------------
"(untitled)" by dream tv

a couple years ago dream tv was born from jams with jeff (who plays guitar and bass with rock influence, and experience.) when jordan joined the band we decided to get serious, write songs, play shows ect. unfortuantly jordan moved to san fransisco, and dream tv took a nap. during recent sessions, however, jeff and i have written some new material, and we are excited to release it.

dream tv is the most rock inspired of my music. keeping with a rock mentality, a 7" release seamed the most appropriate way to share our dub rock creations. this single will be released by the anodyne electric company (of course)

track listing to be determined..

-----------------------------------------------------------
"(untitled)" by gray world

i have discussed briefly with blackbird the idea of releasing a single on vinyl. gray world is a collection of compositions i wrote over the course of my first two years in l.a. blackbird added vocals which were recorded in my home studio in the summer and fall of 2006, two gray world compositions appear on "green girls," though it is unlikely we would choose either of those songs for this release. we will presumably choose something which i wrote pre-"green girls", when rock was just starting to shade my dance focused production. 'cocain and alcohol' may be the track of choice. we also plan to elicit remixes from other artists to add to the release.

track listing to be determined..
label to be determined..

//fuck capitalization.

we roll deep. still on the charts.

2008-01-03T22:59:00.000-08:00

check it.

me make jump up pretty one day>> http://www.soundclick.com/kylekyte

//fuck capitalization.

i'm not even chinese...

2007-12-27T20:18:00.000-08:00

Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House

In 1964 the Disneyland haunted mansion, in the newly completed New Orleans Square, was sitting empty, unoccupied by any of the 999 ghosts. Problems with the story line, and the distraction of designing Walt Disney's groundbreaking attractions for the 1964 New York Worlds Fair, ("It's a Small World" and "The Carousel of Progress") had postponed the completion of the haunted attraction in Anaheim.

Perhaps to remind the public that the haunted mansion would be opening some time in the future, Disneyland Records released "Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House"

link

i came upon my copy as a christmas present from vivian. it was available at amoeba records for $1.00. follow the link to find out more about this album, there's plenty of information on the web. i'm posting this album because it's stupid ripe. from kooky vocals to haunding atmospherics, there's no limit to the samples this fine record has to offer. while cutting samples for a new track i came upon a couple classics luke vibert samples from his seminal "drum and bass for papa."

vibert's song "delicious" features two of the best vocal samples on the record, both on side one. the sample "what am i saying, i'm not even chinese" is found on "Chilling, Thrilling..." at the end of track eight, entitled "chinese water torture." the second sample, "mmm, that was delicious, i wonder what it was..," comes in at the end of the last track "the martian monsters," after some knarly chewing action.

and now, with out links, a couple other references:

plug - drum and bass for papa
how big - mmm, that was delicious, i wonder what it was
various artists - fufu stew for tomorrow

//fuck capitalization.