Sorry haven't posted for a bit, but I was pretty busy last week getting new music for my new Saturday Residency at Back Door Bamby/Vagabond. Had to find a lot of classic house stuff I didn't have. Still gotta go to Chris's sometime this week to get some more jams from him. Have to say I had a blast! It's fun playing a new genre that your not used to, keeps you on your toes.
Last Thursday Prince Language and Shaka 23 came down from NYC and TORE up our APT Party @ Love/Hate! We had an amazing turnout and there were amazing vibes all night long! It's so much fun when your at a party were you can tell everyone's there just for the music and to have a good time, not to be 'seen' or or any of that BS. Here's some of the pics from that night including our own Chris Mora and Myself in the last two...
Anyways I'm like one of the only people in the world who loves Mondays, cause it's my day off! I spent my day off doing the blog rounds and I found some great tracks for you! Here they are for your enjoyment!
First off here's a track by the Islands from Montreal/Quebec Canada. Seems they were formerly the Unicorns whohad some pretty good stuff as well. We brought them down to Miami at some point. Loving this new track from them called Creeper. Great catchy pop track! Think you guys are gonna dig it. Their sophmore album is called Arm's Way and is out in stores now.
If dark Italo Disco is your thing then your gonna love Division Kent! This new track I got from them is hot! It's called L'Heure Bleue and it's pretty amazing! Smooth silky electronic rhythms coupled with sexy french female vocals. What more could you possibly want? Doesn't hurt that the singer is absolutely gorgeous! The original version is great, but I think this Keenhouse Remix is even better. Gives it that added dancefloor punch. See what you think...
Next here are a couple great instrumental dance jams that use great samples and killer beats to great effect! The first one is from Casa Del Mirto from Italy called Say Goodbay and the other is from someone who they've worked with and remixed some of their stuff Broke One called EVRBD! Both are killer tracks sure to get the crowds going. They match good back to back too. Got them that way on my Ipod playlist.
Finally I leave you with a killer RemixMidnight Juggernauts did of Sebastian Tellier'sDivine track. Such a good remix, better than the original! I can hear this track over and over and not get bored. Beautiful!
Every once in a while a song comes up on my iPod that makes me reach for it to see who it is. And for the past couple of weeks, I would say 7 times out of 10 it is a song from the upcoming Albert Hammond, Jr LP, ¿Cómo Te Llama?. Sorry Miami, Bro (love you), but I don't think the Strokes music is "musical diarrhea".
I go with the mindset there is a time and place for (most) music. And sometimes you want want fun music. You don't want to think about it, you just want the music to be good. I know The Strokes have a tainted past in some indie mindsets because of their "priviledged" upbringing, and perhaps their luck at getting signed was not so much about talent or luck. I don't really by it, but either way I was entertained by the music and ultimately that is what I want from it.
I would say Hammond's latest release is a far more polished (less garage) sounding album than any of The Strokes album leaning more towards Spoon than, well, The Stokes.
Oh so funny Albert Hammond story, when The Strokes first played Miami at Billboard Live (that promising live music venue that fizzled and now is Dolce - yes that Dolce of Dolce Gabana) my friends and I waited outside for the band to come out. Between one friend standing in the street to prevent the bus from moving so she could see Julian Casablancas and my other friend getting a kiss from another band member, my girlfriend at the time got my shirt signed by Hammond. Except he though he was signing it for her so now my Strokes shirt shows how much he "hearts" me. Oh and Julian finally did come out and blow my friend a kiss right before the bus almost ran her over.
Damn! I was gonna post the New MGMT video for their 3rd single, 'Electric Feel', but it's embedding has been disabled by the band it seems. Sucks! They had a video for Electric before, but this new one is way better. Click HERE to check it out directly on youtube.
I have to say I wasn't the biggest fan at first, but they've grown on me and now I can't get enough of them. Their debut album 'Oracular Spectacular' has got to be one of the best albums of 2008 so far. Also just found out Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev) worked with them on the record. How great is that!? No wonder the album sounds so good. Dave's one of the best sound engineers/producers on the planet! He makes every band he works with sound that much better. How great is it to get to work with him on your first record out!
Here is an interview they did for NME plus them Live on Letterman and a few mash-ups/remixes I have for them. I particularly like the Hip Hop mash-up DJ Topcat did with them and Talib Kweli. Works perfect.
Guess who I am finally going to see in concert on Wednesday? Close but no cigar... Much better. FINALLY! I get to see Spoon! Living at the tip of the United States, has a few perks (mainly the weather and croquetas) but sadly many tours leave us out in the cold (75 degree weather). The ones that do come down, figure that Broward country is close enough for people from Miami to drive to. Ugh.
Who cares?? I'm going to see Spoon!!!
Add to the bill The White Rabbits and The Walkmen and the evening is a sure hit.
So first up is the track that got me enamored with the band.
The next are from Spoon's latest single, Don't You Evah. The Matthew Dear mix is a dance floor ready, singable version that ends up with all the instruments swirling around you. The Diplo mix (it is a promo mix, so it fades out halfway through.. very slowly...) slows the beat down a bit and throws in a nasty bass line.
Oh and I almost forgot. I got really bored and created a "city" at http://www.myminicity.com/. And I need people to visit it for it to grow. So help a brotha out! Just click that link. That's it!
So to increase the population of Cabezitaville click here. Then to help increase industry click here. Leave a comment if you want! I want the stupid city to get past its Mongolia status.
Oh and Spoon is playing at the Culture Room on Wednesday. Oops. I meant Revolution! Which is actually way better, Culture Room gets too packed. Thanks to Jennifer for catching this!!
When I heard the opening strains of A Needle In Your Eye, I was wondering where this Arcade Fire b-side came from. But the artist was listed as The War On Drugs instead. Further listening to their catalog and musical similarities to other artists appeared as well. Particularly lead singer's voice reminiscent of Dylan at times and other times a young Boss. Those of you in Philly, they are playing a show tonight in their hometown at the North Star Bar.
Their last EP is available as a free digital download from their label Secretly Canadian. It is composed of 6 demos (3 are short instrumental tracks). The group recently played in SXSW show and is in the process of releasing their full length debut, Wagonwheel Blues, sometime this summer. And once you are are for the EP, you might want to spend some time on the Secretly Canadian site, they have a bunch of MP3's available from other artists they represent as well (Jens Lekman, Antony and the Johnsons, ...).
Check out a couple of TWOD's newer tracks on their MySpace profile.
MP3: Arms Like Boulders (YSI) - Arcade Fire resemblance MP3: Pushing Corn (YSI) - Non-Arcade Fire resemblance
Purveyors of ironic t-shirts and prepackaged wall art, Urban Outfitters has compiled a playlist of the artists they will be showcasing on their Backlot Stage, this week in Austin, TX as part of the SXSW festival. Despite staking a spot in every major mall in North America, URBN still manages to dip its toes into the indie music world. There is a rather distinct line between street cred and profits.
Anyways, the artists they have lined up are worthy enough for a listen. They are not particular the newest acts out there, but I believe most have yet to make it to a WB show soundtrack.
The Urban Outfitters showcase has shows starting right about now (Thursday, March 13th) through Saturday, March 15th. Not a bad line up either. The shows do seemed to be crammed together, so it is either going to be a total cluster f#ck or extremely short sets.
Among the artists performing:
Lightspeed Champion Le Loup YACHT MGMT Walter Meego Holy Fuck Murs
Check out the complete listing here. And download the sampler here.
Another band who contacted us, The Cyanide Valentine hail from Boston. They strike a good balance of rock and electronics. They've been compared to bands like Primal Scream and I can see that. They can go from a slow rock track with whispered vocals to thumping electronic grooves and back again rather quickly. I dig it and I think you will too.
Here are a couple of my favorite tracks from 'The Three Sides of the Cyanide Valentine'. If you like what you hear go to their website cyanidevalentine.com and download the whole album for FREE!! What a bargain!?! Thank us later...
We've been getting tons of submissions to the Off the Radar Mail Bag/email from bands/artists who wanna have their music exposed to our Blog and readers. To be honest most of them are not very good, but every once in awhile we get some stuff that's pretty darn good and deserves mentioning on here. Here's some of the better stuff we've gotten recently.
The first track is from Local Miami Favorites Afrobeta! I've known Cristy for awhile (great girl) and you've probably seen her in some commercials without even knowing it. Saw her in a car commercial during the Super Bowl! Recently she's teamed up with one of the members of another established Miami band Suenalo 'Smurphio' (aka Tony) and Omar Tavarez on Drums to bring some great dance music to the Miami landscape. They're a staple at many local music venues. The other night while I was on a break at Circa Saturdays I managed to sneak downstairs to see what was going on there when I heard Jay playing a great track. I immediately went up to him to see what he was playing. To my surprise it was a track by Afrobeta called 'That Thing'. Anyways a couple days later he emailed it to me and I've been burning it out ever since. I think Cristy will also be releasing a cover of Freestyle artist Stacey Q's 80's Hit 'Two of Hearts' pretty soon, so keep an eye out for that one as well. She's been covering it Live and she rocks it! Check out their myspace page for more.
The next band is a collective from Scotland called Broken Records. They're one of these big bands with tons of members kinda like Arcade Fire and they kind of remind me of them a bit. Their songs are slower tempo, than most of the stuff on here, but definitely worth a listen. I recommend it for nighttime listens especially. Love the strings they got going on everywhere. Check out this great track they sent me called 'Slow Parade'. My fav. Go their myspace page/link above for more.
Finally got an email from NY duo Streetlab. These guys seem busy as hell. They started out doing remixes of classic rock songs in a dance format that appeals to dance music fans. They have tons of remixes available to download for Free on their site www.streetlab.net. From artists like INXS to Rolling Stones and Bob Marley to newer electronic acts like Hot Chip, Thieves Like Us, etc. They also do original music as well and they're some of my favorites. Check out NY Sound and She is Our Music, both great original tracks from them.
I know this is a music blog, but I wanted to talk about some Comics/Movies today. Hope you don't mind... If you just want the music scroll down to the bottom. Got some goodies stashed away for you.
I always loved comics growing up, especially Marvel Comics (X-Men, Spiderman, The Hulk, etc.). I always liked their drawings and stories better than DC's (Batman, Superman). Who would have thought all those Superhero comic book charecters would later become such big Hollywood Movies. Becoming some of the biggest Blockbusters ever! I guess the kids grew up and still remembered and loved them, plus computers have made it a whole lot easier to make nowadays.
There have been tons of Superhero movies made and many more are still in the works (Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman). Every year it seems their trying to pump out a new one or two. Sometimes they work (Original Superman 1 & 2, Spiderman 1 & 2, X-Men 1 & 2, Batman/Batman Begins) and sometimes they don't (Daredevil, Cat Woman) It's really hit or miss I think.
This year we got two scheduled for the Summer. The Incredible Hulk, a reworking like Batman Begins (w/Edward Norton) and Iron Man (w/Robert Downey Jr.)
I think Edward Norton will be perfect for the Hulk. He's a great actor and I hope they get it right this time. First one wasn't as big of a hit as they thought it would be and it left a little to be desired. Although I did like some aspects of the movie like the multiple screen shots which gave the comic book feel, but the movie was just a bit too dark, slow and long I thought. Wondering what type of Hulk we'll get this time? I always liked the television series Hulk played by Lou Ferrigno. Didn't like the CGI one in the movie too much. Looked too fake to me. Even though he could do more of the stuff The Hulk did in the Comics, like jumping so high it'd seem like he was flying, etc. We'll see, but I'm glad they got Edward Norton. I don't think he'll disappoint.
Don't know about Iron Man. The studios are excited about it, but I wasn't that much of a fan as a kid. Robert Downey's a good actor though, so if the story's good might work also. We shall see...
Marvels waiting to see how these 2 movies go this year to then move on to an 'Avengers' Movie. That's another popular Comic book series were a bunch of the Marvel Superheros would team up to save the Universe or fight each other (usually due to mis-understandings, of course) (Hulk Vs Thor, Avengers Vs Silver Surfer, etc) which were always fun and sold the most comics. I'm sure their hoping it will translate well to the big screen as well. If it's done right it could be huge! Kinda like X-Men but on an even bigger scale. Hope the story's good. Good story equals good movie first and foremost I think. Also which charecters will they focus on? Probably Captain America I imagine, but I hope they give screen time to the others as well.
X-Men Part 1 & 2 which in my opinion are some of the best Superhero movies ever made are probably the catalysts that proved teaming up superheroes could work and make tons of money. X-Men 3 without Bryan Singer who left to direct Superman Returns hurt the franchise I think. Part 3 wasn't as good as the first 2 Parts. In hindsight I didn't like Superman Returns too much either. Kinda bland and just seemed like a rehashing of the Original Superman. He should have stuck with X-Men 3 and completed the Trilogy.
Also in the works is DC Comics 'Justice League of America'. Which should be fun as well. I always loved the 80's Cartoons as a kid and the new ones are pretty good too. It'll be fun to see Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman, etc working on the big screen trying to save the world.
We'll see which ones pan out.. but one thing's for sure. Comics helped stir the imagination of millions of kids from all over the world and that ain't too bad of a thing.
Now time for some MUSICA!!
Went through my CD's from last week and since I did mostly an Electro-Pop mixtape last week, I thought I'd leave you with some new Indie Rock this week. I like to keep a good balance of electronic and rock stuff. It's good for the soul.
The first band here isThe Depreciation Guild a duo from Brooklyn N.Y. and if your a fan of fuzzy electric guitars like the masters My Bloody Valentine, Jesus & Mary Chain or Radio Dept. this should be right up your alley. Distorted guitars and lovely melodies = The Depreciation Guild. Check out Butterfly Kisses.
The next track is a new one from Glasgow's Sons and Daughters. I was a big fan of their first album The Repulsion Box and this new track Gilt Complex is pretty rocking as well. Complete with female vocals & trademark attitude and snarl. If you liked that first album you'll like this too. Their new album's called 'The Gift' and was just released Jan 28th in UK. Not sure when it will be out domestically.
British Sea Power has a new album out called Do You like Rock Music? Been digging the single We're All Waving Flags and that deep voice of his.
Switches is a UK rock band on tour with The Bravery and apparently doing pretty good on the other side of the Atlantic. The kids seem to be loving them. Their debut album comes out March the 18th in the US. Heres a track called Every Second Counts. Hmm, wonder if they got that title from the New Order track with the same name. Either way its pretty good stuff. Check out more tracks including Drama Queen on their MySpace page.
Finally here's a new track from Alex Gopher called Brain Leech. I think he's French. It's a pretty straightforward pop-rock song, but I like it.
All mp3s are intended for sampling purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artist and buy their albums. If you are an artist featured here and wish to have your song removed, please contact us.
MP3: Islands - Creeper (YSI) 
MP3: Division Kent - L'Heure Bleue (Keenhouse Remix) (YSI) 
