Busy P, What the Fuck?!?

The French continue to takeover NYC.

Last week Daft Punk tore shit up at the end of a Phoenix show at MSG, nearly both reducing me to tears for missing it and blowing out Pitchfork's servers for capturing it.  A huge work of grafitti depicting Joan of Arc is all over the Gowanus. Paris is rioting, umm, French Toast is more popular than ever...

OK, so I'm not good at examples, but the French are killin' it, and tomorrow night it continues. Busy P, founder of Ed Banger Records (Justice, DJ Mehdi, a whole bunch of French guys) and a damn solid DJ in his own right, is playing at Hiro Ballroom and its going to be all kinds of crazy. Nick Catchdubs is on the set too, as well as two mystery guests (word is that they're Frenchmen). Now, I tend to hope for the best and dream of two dudes in spacesuits lowering from the Japanese rafters and throwing the best party ever. But that may just be my imagination running wild. Whoever it is, word is they will be huge.

Here's the info: http://newyork.going.com/event-769857;BUSY_P_at_HIRO_BALLROOM

Enjoy some hard French electro:

Ladyhawke - Paris Is Burning (Alex Gopher Remix)
Daft Punk - Superheroes (We Plants Are Happy Plants Remix)

Moombahton

About half a year ago Dave Nada (Nadastrom) was DJing his cousin's high school graduation party (seriously) and decided to slow down an Afrojack remix of Silvio Acomo's "Moombah" to 108 BPM. The result was Moombahton (pronounced: moom bah tone) and a whole bunch of teenage pregnancy scares.

If Wikipedia hadn't so clearly documented Moombahton's birth, I would have told you a bunch of  Dutch House producers decided to drive around Washington Heights for a weekend with their windows down, blasting some, you know, umm, Dutch House music... Anyway, while that's not really true, for all intents and purposes it is exactly what happened. Moombahton's heart is still firmly in the synthy and electronic bass sounds of house music, but that heart is just beating with a reggaeton pulse. This ain't shit you can fist pump to. Once you turn up the volume, you just can't help but gyrate those hips a little, maybe do a meringue step or two, get in a circle and start clapping your hands, whistling and yelling short Spanish phrases. Try not to, c'mon just try--  Esta noche!

Dave Nada - Moombahton
Dave Nada - Riverside (Moombahton Edit) 
Munchi - Esta Noche 

and the original and much faster track that started it all:
Sylvio Ecomo and Chuckie - Moombah (Afrojack Remix)

Freddie Gibbs Murderin' it with Grillade + Cults

It was 11:30, the Yankees just got their shit wrecked, I was in midtown, my original plan to head to the Yours Truly showcase at Glasslands was in some serious jeopardy. But my friend gave the push, and I relented. Thank fuckin' god.

We got there in time to catch Cults put on a great set, rounding out their sound by employing a five-piece band. They got the crowd lazily dancing and swaying to their retro-pop. Cults channel both early 1960s bubble-gum Motown and voodoo guitar and organ blues, and yet still sound fresh, sophisticated, and danceable. Normally, I'd have been happy enough to just catch this, but last night it was only the appetizer.

After napping through the next bands set, I woke up freshly pumped. The word was Freddie Gibbs was gonna be playing with a live band. Grillade came on stage round 1:30 am, and brought the Glasslands crowd to a different place. Driving off two funky synths, tight guitaring, and a beautiful soulful lead singer, the venue chilled down with the crowd vibing in-sync. As the nights MC said, it was a family affair, and it felt like that. After three funkifying songs the energy was through the roof for the San Fran band. They then called up a special guest -- Freddie Gibbs.

Wearing a large hood that shadowed his face, Freddie came on and spoke some words softly, promising to tell some truths. The band hit it, and from their it was just a ride. Gibbs manned the stage like a fucking legend, weaving his flow seamlessly through Grillade's perfect backing. He went from self-proclaiming G status to introspection to love, and it all felt so true. Pulling out a blunt from behind his ear midset, sharing it with the crowd,  and then continuing with the same energy and emotion just solidified it. If Das Racist are the subversive party animals of raps new era, Freddie Gibbs is unquestionable proof that true hiphop is still alive and well. To put it succinctly, this was the best live hip-hop performance I have ever seen. The rapper. The band. The intimate venue. It was perfect.

Check the link for some pretty dope footage.

Photo credit of Mel D. Cole.

Cults - Most Wanted
Freddie Gibbs - National Anthem (Fuck the World)

CMJ 1: Das Racist + Kisses + We Are Trees

CMJ started yesterday (duh) and like the young little CMJ virgin I was, I wanted to hit the music thing hard.

First up was Kisses, playing a showcase at Santos Party House. Kisses for all you whos do not know, is a discoy little Cali-chill duo from LA who stole my heart a few months back. I was in a weirdly good mood skipping into Santos, but as I continued to prance danced through their set, my first cherry of CMJ innocence (I have multiple) was popped. The somber industry crowd. I was ready to dance, and for the most part, people weren't. Kisses may have had something to do it. While I really did dig their set, their sound has the tendency of all sounding the same. Especially live, where neither lead-singer/guitarist Jesse Kivel, no keys/vocalist Zinzi Edmundson really brought the fire.

Next, we jettisoned off to Pianos to catch Das Racist do their thang, only to find out their set was still 2 hrs away. Best thing to happen all night. Not only did I get to get back in touch with why I love Pianos, but also got to check out We Are Trees. I was blown away. Using a violin, an acoustic guitar, and a minimalist drum kit, they created an acoustic lo-fi sound that dripped with sincerity and energy. It was beauty that made you want to dance. And it was theirs. That's the highest compliment I can give. Check it.

http://wearetrees.bandcamp.com/album/boyfriend

Last up was Das Racist. The oft-described, hyper-literate, fast-food eating stoner/hipsters who happen to also be brilliant. Their latest mixtape "Sit Down, Man" has been killin' it, and as the temperature starting raising in the room as their set approached, you could literally feel the hype. What happened next...was definitely SOMETHING. Visibly wasted, the dudes turned Pianos into a basement party. Purposefully out of control, the set wasn't about their lyrics or their talent. It was a spectacle. I alternated between dying with laughter at their antics and bouncing hard to their plush bass beats. They led the delighted crowd in chants from "Fuck music!" to "Boo us!" and as the sound guy kept warning the posse to stop smoking, it was as if Das Racist were seeing just how much they could get away with. The set continued to devolve and re-evolve from and into actual music (an impromptu acapella version of Usher's "You Make Me Wanna" highlighting my night).

At the end I was left with the question of a joke. Who's the joke on? The crowd? The industry? Is Das Racist a joke? Is there a joke? My friend Lindley turned around at one point and whispered "Beastie Boys!" And she may be on to something. The "drinking and smoking on a Tuesday night" may just be a cover for some seriously goofy change the game subversive type shit. Or maybe not. You tell me. They're playing tomorrow night at Santos.

Das Racist - People Are Strange

Das Racist - Luv It Mayne

We Are Trees - Final Round

Kisses - Kisses

Wandering Musical Streets

Last night I found myself with nothing to do, nowhere to be, and no idea what to think of it. In the pell-mell bustle of New York City, that can be a rarity, and if used well a treat. So after staring at a halfblock line for what i thought was a frozen yogurt cart (it ended up being for an American Apparel job call, kinda the same thing?), I decided to wander.


Twenty something blocks, a few avenues, and a cumin lamb burger later (so greasily delicious, check out http://www.xianfoods.com if you havent already), I found myself at Bowery Electric. The Postelles were headlining, it was happy hour, so I got myself a drink and started bobbing my head to a band I had never heard of before. Essentially, I decided to start my CMJ a week early.


The band I stumbled upon was Jangula -- a young, indie-rocktronica group out of Brooklyn fronted by lead singer Johnny Campagna, a dead ringer for a mustachioed hipster Jimmy Fallon, playing a Suzuki QChord. If that wasn't enough to capture my intrigue, Jangula caught my aural attention by covering The Ronettes' classic "Be My Baby." Although the cover was a little sloppy, I couldn't help but feelin it. They were enjoying themselves, there was a fresh energy in their vibe. This continued through "Genji Gloves," a Morrisey-inspired romp about "looking for lust." However, it wasn't until their last song that I decided to jot some notes down. They closed the set down with the chilled-out, dreamy "Lesser Masks," and it was here Campagna sang with vulnerability, longing, repeating:

                     "mere kisses in a window pane, writing messages I can't explain"

Maybe it was my mood, but something got through. And if the person carrying that message is wearing a hipstered Jimmy Fallon mask, you know the message has got to be pretty damn spot-on. (I strongly dislike Jimmy Fallon). Anyway check out Jangula's myspace (http://www.myspace.com/jangulanyc) for their CMJ shindigs, and http://soundcloud.com/jangulanyc for their tracks. Also, big ups to my new friend Chelsea Keys for the lovely photo.


Later in the night saw Wolf Gang at Santos thanks to a Neon Gold party. Great show, don't wanna write about it.

Jangula - Genji Glove

The Ronettes - Be My Baby

Wolf Gang - Lions in Cages

Throwback Tuesday: Paul's Boutique

So I was gonna spend this post talking some on my latin love -- Moombahton -- but then my iTunes took over and put on "Car Thief" off the Beastie Boys' classic Paul's Boutique and brought me to a whole new place. The beauty of music eh?

I came across Paul's Boutique about 8 years ago as a high school freshman. As a Jew with hip-hop  ambitions in New York's (:cough: specialized :cough:) public school system, it obviously struck a quick and funky chord within. The Beastie Boys were all I wanted to be, a bunch of goofy dudes, having a blast over some of the funkiest production ever, and "drinking and smoking on a Tuesday night."

I've never been a big lyric man. I can't hear them. My mind don't work that fast, and just goes straight for the beat. The production is so crazy on Boutique that it really doesn't matter. But the flow on this album even perked my ears.

'Cause I got more stories than JD got Salinger,
I hold the title and you are challenger.
I got money, like Charles Dickens,
Got the girlies in the Coupe like the Colonel got the chickens. 


I mean, c'mon. For the young, fried chicken loving, phony-hating, Great Expectations reading, hip-hop lover in us all, you can't ask for anything more.

Oh yeah, did I mention the production is the dopest fucking shit ever?!?!

Kick back, pop in your cassette, turn on your lava lamp, and just shake your head (or rump). Enjoy the remaining 15 minutes of your throwback Tuesday.

Beastie Boys - Shake Your Rump
Beastie Boys - Car Thief
Beastie Boys - Shadrach

PS- Paul's Boutique is in the picture

Mark Ronson

Mark Ronson has been putting out some fire type shit for a long time now. He has hitched with some of my favorite artists from Mos Def to the dudes at Daptone Records to Wale, and has produced albums for dozens more. On his latest record, which came out a few weeks ago, Ronson's traded in the horns and funky guitars for a synthesizer, and a Franco-Japano fetish. The '80s feel is familiar, and even with his new sound Ronson has kept his strategy pretty consistent -- dope rhythms, lady singers with some pipes, and a dope rapper to spit a slow verse or at least say some words that sound cool.

Mark, you had me at Franco-Japano fetish. While it all seems a little contrived, he do it well, real well. His cast of guests on the new album also include the ever awesome D'Angelo, Ghostface, Spank Rock, and Boy George. I mean c'mon. He's got to be on to something.

Check out some new Ronson (above) and some old Ronson (below), and for NYCers this should be dope:
http://beta.wnyc.org/thegreenespace/events/2010/oct/12/soundcheck-live-the-greene-space/


Mark Ronson-  God Put A Smile on Your Face

Mark Ronson- Toxic (featuring ODB)      - the sickest remake of a song I've ever heard

and one sick new remix of Ronson: Bang Bang (U-Tern's Disco Dub)

Concert Review: Ellie Goulding, Hiro Sept.30

Walking into Hiro Ballroom is like descending into the Kill Bill scene where Uma Thurman goes absolutely bat shit samurai on fifty Yakuzas. But last night there was a bit more British of an air, and instead of the "5.6.7.8's" playing garage rock, Ellie Goulding graced the Japanese-chic dance hall's stage. And by graced, I mean I nearly fell in love with her.

To say Ellie killed it, would be easy and pretty accurate, and not the whole truth. She's incredibly talented--singing, playing guitar, and going apeshit on the drums--but shes got a little ways to go. Half her set she was a disco queen: her sultry voice dominant over heavy synth, her presence mesmerizing the room. This was especially true of her hits: "Starry Eyed" and (the peak song of her show) "Under the Sheets" where the aforementioned drum apeshitting was to the hilt. These moments were flashes of the queendom which she can reach. However, intertwined with the floor banging stuff was pieces of the singer-songwriter past from where she has come. Her Hiro set was scattered with more introspective ballady type songs reminiscent of a late-90s Jewel or Sarah McLaughlin. Now, I dont want to completely knock these, because some of them were quite good (even James Brown had his ballads), and a lot of the audience (most of the ladies) was eating it up, especially "The Writer." But for Ellie to kill it, these songs need to become fewer and farther in between.

Seeing Ellie Goulding at Hiro was seeing someone at the cusp. From everything I've heard, her live stuff has been improving by leaps and bounds. Next time I'm hoping to fall head over heels.

music:
Ellie Goulding: "Lights" (album version)
Ellie Goulding: "Under the Sheets" (album version)
Ellie Goulding: "Starry Eyed" (Russ Chimes Remix)