All That Music & Video

Damian Lazarus & Jaime Jones

Friday, March 12th, 2010
At Club 101 (1148 Airway BLVD)
$17.00 In Advance
All Ages
Doors Open At 9:00 P.M.

As former Head of A&R for UK based label, City Rockers, Lazarus divided his time between signing and developing the next wave of future bands/artists and spinning the most vibrant new tunes to like minded clubbers. He is responsible for signing and releasing classics like Felix’s Silver Screen, Tiga’s Sunglasses and Coloursound’s Fly With Me. At the end of 2002, City Rockers was voted “Label of the Year” by various music magazine and the genre defining compilations, Futurism 1 and 2 (both compiled and mixed by Damian) were included in many music publication’s ‘Albums of the Year’ lists. Damian received a djing major break in 2002 when he was invited to spin at Barcelona’s Sonar Festival and by 2003, He had four perfect residencies at four of the best club spaces in the world – Circo Loco at DC10 (Ibiza), Polar TV (Berlin), The Loft (Barcelona) and 21st Century Bodyrockers (London). Always a lover of ‘proper’ music – and not a fan of mainstream music machines – Damian Lazarus is a believer in giving people something exciting, special and different. With his style and sound developing, and keen for some of the new and exciting electronic artists to get the attention they deserve, Damian launched his own label, Crosstown Rebels in 2003. Inspired by the new energy in international club culture, the label’s records offer twisted angles for worldwide party people. Rebels is firmly dedicated to the support and development of the best cutting edge electronic dance music. It loves quality alternative sounds, adores a great party and thrives on creative, young people armed with something new to say. Rebel artists include Kiki & Silversurfer, Pier Bucci, Phonique, Hiem, Adam Sky, and Frankie Flowerz, to name a few. Its faultless A&R policy and forward thinking attitude has rewarded it with international acclaim, winner of ‘Best Evening Beach Party’ at Sonar 2004 and all round ‘next big thing’ status. Go to www.crosstownrebels.com and plug yourself in. In early 2004 Damian released his first ever DJ mix album. Rebel Futurism Session One came out to great critical acclaim. It even picked up a review in Rolling Stone magazine in the States. Damian also hooked up with Families and released the fourth in their series of free legal download mixes in September 2004. It broke all records, with 10,000 people from around the world downloading the album in just one month. Quite incredible! Damian is currently preparing the hotly anticipated Rebel Futurism Session 2 for release in February 2005. A proper labour of love, all tracks have been road tested for inclusion by Damian in the past six months. Expect something very special. Damian’s DJing antics having taken him to such respected spaces as Fabric in London, Zouk in Singapore, Rex in Paris, plus DJing tours to Australia, Mexico, plus other dirty and sweaty underground parties around the world. Not forgetting all the marathon afterparty DJ sessions! 2005 is firmly set up to be yet another special year. Always a lover of ‘proper’ music, and not a fan of mainstream music machines, Damian Lazarus is a believer in giving people something exciting, special and different.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Boy 8-Bit & Fake Blood

Monday, March 15th, 2010
@ The Vault (209 El Paso St.)
$11.00 In Advance
All Ages
Doors Open At 9:00 P.M.

Boy 8-Bit aka David Morris made his first steps onto the dance scene when Dj Touche included his track ‘The Colonel’ in his Radio One essential mix in 2004. He was then offered the chance to remix Touche’s seminal track ‘The Paddle’ for Southern Fried Records, along with other high profile tracks such as Dave Clarke and Arthur Baker’s ’ This Feelin’ – which was supported by Radio One’s Essential Selection and Armand Van Heldens ’ When The Lights go Down’ which recieved plays from Radio One’s Annie Mac. In 2004 he also released his first single for Touche’s new Body Clap label. The track was his ode to the Commodore 64 of his child hood ‘Turbo Loader’ and this was followed in 2005 by his melodic bassline roller ‘Long Jeanne Silver’ which was described by IDJ magazine as a “Awesome Electronic Masterpiece” and given top marks with five stars out of five. The Boy was also a resident at the Body Clap night was also held at London’s ultra trendy T-Bar. It ran for over two years and became the clubs longest running night. The night has now moved onto Fabric one of Londons largest and most popular venues. He has also played guitar for the band the Black Ghosts – aka Simon ‘We are your Friends’ Lord from Simian and Theo Keating aka DJ Touche from the Wiseguys. His time in the band included a performance at 2007’s Glastonbury festival. Up to date the Boy has almost 30 official remixes to his name. Recent remixes including Chromeo, Midfield General, Lethal Bizzle, Mika, Hybrid and The Black Ghosts which have recieved support from DJ’s Such as Radio One’s Annie Mac and Kissy Sell Out and Kiss FM’s Sinden and the Loose Cannons. The next couple of months will see new releases for the Boy on Diplo’s ‘Mad Decent’ label, a track called ‘The Suspense is Killing Me’ which will be backed by two other original tracks and a remix by Drop the Lime. He also has a release on New York label ‘Touble and Bass’. The track ‘Fogbank’ will come with remixes from Jack Beats – who comprise of Plus One from the Scrath Perverts and Beni from the Mixologists and Australian Duo Acid Jacks.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Jack Beats
Friday March 19th, 2010
@ Club Malibu (4080 Talbot-Canutillo)
8 pm / General admission
$11

he brainchild of Beni G (Mixologists) and Plus One (Scratch Perverts), Jack Beats represent part of the new wave of British house music. Wobbly basslines, big breakdowns and edgy accapella’s are cut, copied and pasted together to create a floor-filling brand of house.

Citing influences as diverse as Timbaland, Rage Against the Machine, A Guy Called Gerald and SebastiAn, this British duo demanded our immediate attention after their gob-smacking take on Boy 8-Bit’s anthem Fogbank dropped earlier this year. What followed were bass-heavy collaborations with Deekline and Wizard, bombastic refixes of Trip’s guitar-driven Who’s That? and The Black Ghosts classic I Want Nothing and the unforgettable transformation of Epic Last Song by Does It Offend You, Yeah? into a classic pop-dance tune.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Paul Van Dyk
Sunday March 21st, 2010
@ Club 101 (1148 Airway)
8pm
All ages / General Admission
$21 / $36 (VIP)

From early Berlin techno and house through to progressive trance, producer/DJ Paul van Dyk has soundtracked the German electronic dance scene ever since he moved to the city and began mixing in 1988. A native of a German town near Frankfurt, van Dyk first heard house music on the radio during the mid-’80s. Soon he was experimenting with a rudimentary turntable setup, and after hitting Berlin, he gigged around the city. By 1991, he had appeared at the legendary Tresor club; he later set up his own E-Werk club, and debuted on record as Visions of Shiva, with fellow trance wizard Cosmic Baby. He remixed for New Order, Humate, Sven Väth, and others, then signed to the German MFS Records for his first album, 1994’s 45 RPM. By the midpoint of the 1990s, van Dyk had become a globe-trotting DJ and remixer. His second album, Seven Ways, resulted in British and German dance chart entries for the singles “Beautiful Place,” “Forbidden Fruit,” and “Words.” While both of his albums were issued in America during 1998, van Dyk added a remix collection (Perspective) and mix album (Vorsprung Dyk Technik) to his discography. 2000 saw the release of the single “Tell Me Why (The Riddle),” the album Out There and Back, and the EP We Are Alive. As a follow-up to global club dates in support of those releases, van Dyk released another EP, Columbia, in mid-2001. After a relatively quiet 2002 (on the recording front), van Dyk returned with a mix-album/greatest-hits/DVD (Global), the soundtrack to a film (Zurdo), and a new production album (Reflections). He released the second volume of his Politics of Dancing mix album series in 2005 and returned with another studio album, In Between, in 2007.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Brother Ali performing “Good Lord” off of his album “Truth Is Here”.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Check out the new video for Eyedea & Abilities new video “Smile” from their latest album, “By The Throat”.

Popularity: 4% [?]

A quick-witted and diverse rapper able to deliver punch lines at breakneck speed, Washington, D.C.’s Wale debuted and then thrived in the underground mixtape world, releasing a handful of well-received full-lengths before getting to work on his official major-label debut. It’s the reason why Attention Deficit had a cult following the day it arrived on shelves, but the unexpected advantage to this 21st century style of artist incubation is that the wide variety of producers (Mark Ronson, DJ Green Lantern, Cool & Dre, and others) and guest vocalists (Lady GaGa, Bun B, Gucci Mane, Pharrell, and more) are surprisingly in tune with this “newcomer,” all obviously aware of his post-Kanye, post-Lil Wayne, alternative-meets-hardcore style. True to its title, the hyperactive album is filled with grand statements, provocative jokes, and busy productions, and yet, it’s an accessible listen first time out, thanks mostly to Wale’s natural delivery and quirky sense of humor. Take “Chillin,” which crafts an instant floor-filler out of a sample from the ’70s hit “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye,” guest star Lady GaGa acting as Rihanna to Wale’s Jay-Z, plus a string of T-shirt worthy lines, best being “I remain a Giant and you Jeremy Shockey.” Elsewhere it’s the Nintendo-loving “I would invest in a poncho/’Cause I won’t punch out like Glass Joe,” but heavier topics like social commentary (“90210″), bittersweet sentimentality (“Diary”), and flat-out joy (“Beautiful Bliss”) are all well within this talented rapper’s grasp. The biggest complaint has to be that the early single “Nike Boots” is missing, but otherwise, this unique debut does not disappoint.

Wale-”Chillin’” Ft. Lady Gaga

Kid Sister is Chicago. She makes rap music and works at a children’s clothing store slanging bibs and teething rings. Yes, her hype man J2K of Flosstradamus is her real brother, and yes that does rule. Together they took the Chi-town music scene by storm, rocking parties and causing all around dancefloor mayhem. This was followed by tours with Kanye West’s DJ A-Trak (her boyfriend, one of her main producers and co-owner of Fool’s Gold Records). 2006 found Kid Sister selling-out shows from Chicago to Paris, including an appearance at the Pitchfork Music Festival. The media responded favorably, with features on MTV (“My Block”), Pitchfork, i-D Magazine, XLR8R, the New York Times, Billboard and the cover of URB’s “Next 1000” issue, among others.

Building on the strength of this early buzz, Kid Sister hit the studio and released two singles on Fool’s Gold (“Control” and “Pro Nails”). Frequent international touring followed throughout 2007, including an appearance at Coachella, a sold out show at SXSW, and a full US tour with her fellow labelmates. Kanye West also took notice, adding a verse to her “Pro Nails” single (which he released on his “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” mixtape) and appearing in the music video, which quickly became an MTV favorite.

With her full-length debut on the way this year featuring A-Trak, Xxxchange of Spank Rock, and others on production duties, Kid Sister is taking this.

To get the formalities out of the way, Miike Snow is not a singer/songwriter named Mike. Miike Snow isn’t even a he, actually. It’s an indie-electro pop trio, made up of singer Andrew Wyatt of Fires of Rome and Swedish (hence the double “i” in the name) mega producers Chris Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg, otherwise known as Bloodshy & Avant. Those familiar with Bloodshy & Avant’s track record — working with Britney Spears, Madonna, and Kylie Minogue — will know that they’re capable of making top-notch pop gloss geared for the dancefloor. But the question here is, “can they create music that isn’t designed for club-goers and teeny boppers?” With their self-titled release, they do make light, inoffensive pop with twinkling synths and unshakable choruses, but it’s a pretty substantial shift in style from their past gigs. Consistent throughout, the album’s more suited for a coffee shop or a Sunday morning drive than a night out with the girls, with its fill of slick mid-tempo beats and Swedish twee glee. Starting with a hook that doesn’t sound too far off from a Vampire Weekend cut (not a surprising reference point, since Miike Snow’s repertoire of remixes includes a version of “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance”), dubby synths circulate around flighty vocals with heavy sentiments: “I change shapes just to hide in this place, but I’m still, I’m still an animal.” Slight of hand seems to be one of the group’s best tricks, as they take lyrics with moody undertones to unexpectedly joyous heights. When the second track, “Burial” — a slice of pop that’s as instantly accessible as the first — starts with the line, “Misery is all we know lately,” the music box keyboards never hint at anything but a sweet little ditty. Production tricks are used just enough to keep the sound fresh as Karlsson and Winnberg rifle through their folders of synth sounds and plug-ins, all the while adding arpeggiated bleeps, Moog pads, and the occasional octave effect to enhance vocal parts. As talented as they are, they could have easily gone overboard with the studio wizardry, but they show enough restraint to never break the illusion that this is a simple, easy listening, electro-pop record. There’s no lack of artists making similar sounding music — MGMT, Pop Levi, White Williams, and even Animal Collective come to mind — but Miike Snow is ambitious and fun enough that they’re worth checking out.

Miike Snow’s video for “Animal”

Miike Snow’s self titled debut available at All That Music & Video.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Here’s the latest Madonna video “Celebration”

and a couple of remixes by Benny Benassi and

Oakenfold.

Popularity: 11% [?]