Heard from my good friend BSP earlier today which always warms my heart. Just one of those quirky, eccentric, genuinely good salt-of-the-earth people that seem so rare these days in my life. It's uplifting to see someone with minimal regard for social and political norms and expectations of the 'media machine', pursuing his own interests and strengths outside of the popular realm of existence. Words I'm trying to live by more, as these times between now and Thanksgiving Break in a few weeks seem to be particularly trying. My favorite playlist on my Itunes, 'Pretentious Hipster Music', reached 600 songs earlier today, the vast majority of which I've bought and downloaded, I am not ashamed to say. Yes, this represents a significant expense on my part, but has been over quite some time, and while I don't agree with Apple's corporate and social practices in many ways, I do like to think at least some of the money is getting back to the musicians themselves. And besides, on a more practical note, a lot of this really obscure/new/'slept on' [to borrow from the hip hop world] music is just really damn hard to find elsewhere; I mean, I could browse the local record shops all day hoping to find a bargain CR or an old vinyl LP, but chances are they won't have it, and if they do, it's likely for muy denero more than I'd like to spend. While it's easy to hate on itunes as another facet of the megalomaniacal media machine, one cannot deny it's convenience, accessibility, and sheer quantity of music. The reviews, written by a number of independent and contracted music periodicals/publications, are usually on-point and insightful. They know to play their cards right though; the big-name billboard artists, awash in their own bland mediocrity, somehow receive neutral if not enthusiastic reviews, though the discerning reading will catch some cleverly-placed satire and criticism when due.
Just a random selection of artists with new/noteworthy releases I've been listening to lately: As always, big up to Peanut Butter Wolf and his production crew over at Stones Throw Records, some of the artists they've signed recently, such as James Pants, Dam-Funk, and Mayer Hawthorne, have emerged as some of the biggest innovators of 2009, with fresh, creative new material and a modern spin on fading old styles. The Australians always seem to be producing great new electronic music too.... check out Miami Heat, Shazam, Theater of Disco, and of course Sam Sparro. [he lives in the U.K, now, but grew up in Australia, so I feel I can include him in this category.] Shazam is some kid in Perth making very tasty electro beats and mixes of all the best singles of 09', watch out DJ Classixx for best remixer of 09'. Also keep and ear out for Denver's DJ Vajra, he just came out with a 12" EP of several tracks he did with underground hip hop mic Othello, and has some new material in the works. His breakin and live mixing skills are legendary, and rightfully so, I'd say only Cut Chemist, Mark Farina, and a few others have a better live DJ presence as far as turntableism goes. Also I've said this before, but I don't know why Moka Only always gets slept on so much. Wake up people! This cat has been making beats and records for over a decade and has an obscene discography. Thoughtful, honest lyrics on everyday life and struggles paired with innovative, old-school beats makes for some very tasty hip hop. His new project, "Ron Contour" has several releases worth checking out. The French electro scene is pretty good all around, but several artists stand out amongst the legions of DJ's signed on labels like Institubes and Ed Banger. One that doesn't get as much play as they should is Cassius, a duo out of Marseille, whose first release, '15 Again', is a masterpiece of electronic pleasure. highly reccomended. Alright, that's it right now for poorly-supported statements and factual errors [oh wait, that's the review I just got back of my mineralogy paper!.... but I digress.] Much love, Phil.
No comments:
Post a Comment