pequeno juan Pitbull- Fuck that Bojangles

Here's a little blend I made earlier this evening. It's the acapella from Pitbull's "Bojangles" over the instrumental from Kelis's "Fuck Them Bitches." I recorded it live on turntables, so you may be able to hear little scratches, fluctuations, and mistakes in there. Oh well. I wanted to clean some of those up in an audio editing program, but Audacity was not cooperating this evening. To quote Beck's cover of the Korgis, everyone's gotta learn sometime.  ¶ 8:36 PM 0 comments

  go ahead, google yourself Here’s a snap shot of TV Party, a New York City public access show that ran from 1978 to 1982. Sporting pink dickies, chucks, the microphone, ray bans, a cold beer, and none other than Debby Harry as an accessory, host Glenn O'Brien sits second from the right. He edited Andy Warhol's Interview magazine in the early seventies, then hung out with downtown nyc weirdos while holding down a day job at Rolling Stone, and eventually became GQ's style guy. There are worst fates. He wrote, produced, and provided some funny dvd commentary for downtown 81, a film about the painter Jean-Michel Basquiat. I’m putting all of this out there because I'm amazed how the internet keeps such thorough records of relatively minor cultural figures, people that might have disappeared into history during less information-saturated times. Searching—and finding—trivial information about real people is an odd voyeuristic experience, and one that I find particularly “right now.” As far as I can gather, Glenn O'Brien seems to be a clever, charming person who managed to be in some right places at some right times. However, I'm sure that the real life breathing person is remarkably different that his collected search results.

All of our lives are becoming more public, and I wonder how that affects our own sense identity. I regularly google new acquaintances, and I also find myself recognizing people in real life from their blogs/profiles/party pictures. Strangers, classmates, and colleagues not only judge you by your clothes, the company you keep, and your character, but also by your list of favorite books, your links, and possibly your page rank. It is becoming increasingly normal to know people before meeting them, and more common to actually meet people you know online. Potential employers (and marketers) are trying to see how you present yourself personally as well as professionally, and are steadily chipping away at remaining notions of the private life.

On one hand, this brave new world encourages social experimentation by making new activities, artworks and people available to you. If they don't find you, feel free to find them. On the other hand (the sinister left hand), the record of your changing identity is now available for all to see. Perhaps I should stop worrying and learn to love the googly-eyed spacebook. No sense losing sleep over peace on earth or purity of essence.

The Normal- T.V.O.D.  ¶ 2:07 PM 1 comments

  the bottom feels so much better than the top! As a current member of the service industry, I am searching for a material medium. I'm not particularly interested in getting dough, rocking ice or stacking chips, but I certainly would like to live rich, eat good and take trips. For advice, we turn to our resident British pop-topper and myspace sensation.

Lily Allen- Nan, You're A Window Shopper

Some people don't like Lily's attitude. Critics call her a self-satisified daughter of comfort and wealth, waltzing through life as it with the world was her boutique.These are the same critics that give all-day passes on misogyny, rascism and low-expectations to all sorts of other musical acts. While I'm all about tunes righteous and good, the lesser sin wins here at the ghost robot. Keep spitting them slow burning reggae fashion raps, Lily. Let me know if ya figure out the whole make art v. make money v. make happy thing.  ¶ 5:29 PM 1 comments

  you'll never get past her empire line In this case, style is the substance. Kate Jackson, lead singer of the long blondes, describes her style as glamorous punk. That label also works well for her band's music- theatric vocal vamps matched to post-punk thomp reminiscient of bands like Delta 5 or Gang of Four.

The Long Blondes- Giddy Stratospheres

The Long Blondes- Lust in the Movies

I wrote a post on these new wave swingers months ago, but the dry cleaners lost it. Something about neon noir. It's so hard to find good help these days.  ¶ 1:39 PM 0 comments

  they got a write up in the believer music issue, ok John Lurie from movies and Arto Lindsay from DNA. This belongs in the downtown 81 post. no wave meets experimental jazz. I will not spell check. I recommend this stuff only if you pretty much hate music. That's my new joke. I hate music.

Lounge Lizards-Do the Wrong Thing  ¶ 10:29 AM 0 comments

  wild promo cobrastyle (diplo remix)

this has been on 10-12 blogs already, but let's keep it going, huh?

Vem Nenem- Pro Labirinto (Rock the Cashah Remix)

and now, a track from favela on blast. someday i'll post some thoughtful observations on diplo, his influence, and his influences.  ¶ 1:46 PM 0 comments

  an everlasting tag/ she was an adventuress absolutely everyone, every actor, every extra in downtown 81 is a rock photographer, a graffiti promoter, a rapper, a nightclub properitor, a young model, a gogo dancer, an art world personality, an italian fashion journalist, warhol's painting assitant, an australian theater actor, a cokehead, or a founding member of a seminal underground art band. most people are all of these things at once.

the film stars jean-michel basquat as
himself, an up and coming artist slash charmer. debbie harry cameos as a bag lady fairy princess. it also includes performances by DNA, the plastics, kid creole & the coconuts, as well as james white & the blacks. the film tries to capture a day in the life of the new york downtown art community around 1980, and the plot is accordingly (or appropriately?) disorganized and confused.

i recommend watching it with glenn o'brien's commentary on. you get all the deadpan namedrops you'll need.  ¶ 1:14 PM 0 comments

  xylo-glock i made this for a close friend, but you can hear it too. shoutouts to hollerboard, peter krammer and s dot awesome.


pop-your-culture: august mix
46:56

eisber-grauzone
numbers-kraftwerk
i want money- flying lizards
let's go to bed (dub)-the cure
dare (soulwax mix)- gorillaz
don't go- yaz
atoladinha- dj gorky
short dick cuzi-yelle
robot club rock- dj tameil
hustler- simian mobile disco
bossy (switch remix)- kelis
ready to uff- uffie
hustlin (catchdubs mix)- rick ross
skitzo dancer (justice remix)- scenario rock
hungry, so angry- medium medium
pressure zone- beck
e mehia- deise tigrona
when i hear music (instrumental)-debbie deb
after dark (diplo mix)- le tigre
manila-seelenluft
retreat (phones mix)- the rakes
free- cat power  ¶ 9:21 PM 0 comments

  rwor
Sometimes music writers turn in lazy reviews. While understanble (life, kids, concert in 20 minutes), it's unexcusable. Small artists try to convert good reviews into paper dollars. This is sort of an insane business model. You obviously don't owe them a good review, but a thoughtful one shows a little more respect to sound-makers, epsecially if they're working hard, taking financial and artistic risks, etc.

To the point: Even if Ratatat was as bland and inoffensive as you claim, there's no way they could be more tepid or mediocre than your review, Sam Ubl. I read your it twice, just to make sure I wasn't off base, that my reaction wasn't just knee-jerk from a fan of the band. I will listen to Classics more than twice. I love it when Ratatat kicks out the monster jamz with the big loud and the capital everything. I guess it can't be all sugar though, and I forgive them when they slow it down and try to recreate the music they heard right before they drifted off to dream.

Sincerely,

Ratatat- Wildcat

ps to my bcc- Sorry to go all snark watch on you there, blog. My inner optimist has an easily outraged sense of sincerity. This is fair from the worst music review I've read in a while, but I just couldn't stand to watch death by the faintest of praise.  ¶ 1:26 PM 0 comments

  the rapture- gotta get myself into it

Taking the inspiration for your indie dance music video from ATL, a cinematic portrait of hip-hop's new capital? Defintely a good look. Don't have to be a dope boy to listen to dance punk.  ¶ 9:25 AM 0 comments

  animal crazy

This is a video featuring repetative clips of animals doing awesome things.It's also a fan-made video for a broken-beat style remix of a baile funk song. But yeah, animals. Dude, they totally rule. It's like. It's like it's their world... we only just live in it. I bet animals don't even know about music genres or remixes or anything. I bet they don't even care.

As seen on paul devro's blog.  ¶ 1:01 AM 0 comments

  the rap kelly bundy Photo taken down. Go to Broad & Market, a fashion and street art blog, to see Ms. Amanda Blank in all of her glory.

This look is such a good look. I'm stubbling over my words here, so bare with me (third draft of post like what). Shaving half of your head is such a risky move. More likely than not you're going to look like a surgery outpatient or a mental health inpatient. Working with long, luxurious girl locks multiplies the risk factor by about ten. But this is perfect. Ladies and gentlemen, Amanda Blank has completely nailed the whole art gallery/club rap aesthetic. She did a gainer off the high dive and landed in a tall glass of water, bugs bunny style.

Teki Latex- Disco Dance With You (Spank Rock Remix feat. Amanda Blank)

She's affliliated with the Spank Rock guys, and shows up on lots of their remix work. Hopefully, she'll have her own album before too long.  ¶ 11:52 AM 3 comments

  i dat broomstick ya carrying
Work (Chinkuzi Riddim)- DJ Ayres

Popular New York DJ adds early ninties hip-house acapella to new Canadian digital dancehall riddim. Dance at 11.  ¶ 4:07 PM 0 comments

  bits of 8
"Yo niece, yo nephew, yo grandparents suck. Suck, suck, suck."

Man, I would have loved this song when I was in third grade.

DJ Assault- Yo Relatives

I'm sorta brained dead, so here's whut I got instead (of cogent music criticism):

Most job search sites are painfully ineffective. They're cluttered with ads, filled with ads for marketing schemes (make diamonds from home!), and have terribly annoying navigation systems. Someone could really make a lot of money here.

I'm reading a British book on Jamacian music published in 1987. I'll post some good quotes later in the week. 1930s calypso rhymes are surprisingly up to di time.  ¶ 1:10 PM 0 comments

  we are your friends

What a good music video.  ¶ 12:28 PM 0 comments

  bears alive! Dancehall is a wonderful and oftentimes willfully bizzare genre. Two of the more memorable recent riddims have featured various mc's rapping over the Benny Hill theme song (or yakkity sax) and the fifties surf-rock anthem "Wipeout." I would post some audio, but both are absolutely terrible.

Teddybears, a former punk band from Stockholm, have much better results. "Cobrastyle" marries garage rock stomp to a handclapping dancehall riddim, and their relationship is loving, heathly and mutally supportive. Kingston-born Mad Cobra officiates the ceremony, and provides the happy couple with the kind of hot fiyah that made him the first reaggae artist to top the u.s. rap top ten (in 1992, kids). I think this song is featured in some tv ads for Tab energy drink. It works. Teddybears also have songs with Iggy Pop, Neneh Cherry and Annie, so you'll hear about them soon enough.

Teddybears- Cobrastyle

The sculpture above is pandykill by Mark Jenkins.  ¶ 4:45 PM 0 comments