Italians DID it better, in 1984; A World Evolving

Ahh yes...now this is my personal favorite. It's classic Italo Disco thats on my Ipod almost 24/7. For those who don't know much about Italo Disco, it was an electronic dance music movement, and the first at that, that peaked in worldwide popularity around 1983, but began in 1977 when Giorgio Moroder first experienced the wonders of a synthesizer. By 1982 Italo Disco had well emerged and certain labels such as "Disco Magic Records" and "Il Discotto Productions" started spawning off many sub-labels that all had there own distinguished sound. It caught on like wildfire everywhere, but despite it's great influence, it was a very short lived trend that practically vanished from all major music archives by 1990. It wasn't just the music that caught on, it was the entire lifestyle, including clothes, hair styles, dance moves, even down to the way you walk and talk. Often this style of music required no god-given talent, only experience or knowledge in the artists synthesizer of choice. If you couldn't sing, just use a vocoder! Vocals were usually edited and personally perfected with a wide range of effects including playback speeds, and layers. The craze was most influential with those who loved to party, and instantly appealed to all types of dancers; professional, street, or just strictly amateur.



But in the early 90's, the AIDS crisis played a very big role in suppressing Italo Disco, because the crisis was mostly associated with the dance music scene. North American fans started turning their backs on the trend, and the hip-hop community that was once so fond of the lifestyle, parted with it for good. Considering it never did drip into mainstream, it was somewhat easy for society to turn it down. Coming with the new age of technology it was hard to preserve the sound as well, and their was less and less professional interest in keeping it alive. Also because the sound was very popular in gay communities, it kept getting labeled as "gay music"(in a negative way) which didn't improve the realtionship between disco and ex-US fans.


But a quarter century later, the repetition of evolution plays it part, and just like fashion, music styles are rediscovered and reinvented sooner or later, and personally I think now is a great time. Thanks to new sharing tools including youtube, imeem, myspace, & the blogshpere, including the one your reading right now, the lines that once divided mainstream and underground are almost non-existent. Corporate offspring's such as VH1, MTV, etc., are now receiving some harsh opposition from the very demographic they were catering to before, who now discovered much more through Youtube and other sharing tools, and were able to discredit a lot of corporate content literally overnight. Technology did an amazing trick on the North American society, and discredited a lot of standards and normalizations in one way or another in a blink of an eye.

Now it's time for our society, to decide for themselves whats true, and whats a lie, and no longer be persuaded by any type of mega monopoly corporation, politicians, or even religion. The youth today is left with an endless pallet of choices, and doors wide open, and being a youth in this day and age, I'm taking advantage of the situation.



& if you can't do the New York Hustle to this ish then get the fuck outta here!

mp3: Dynasty - Strokin' (Zshare)
[ps. If you didn't notice, this is the song DJ Mehdi sampled to create his high-powered hit; Signature.]
mp3: Dj Mehdi - Signature (Zshare)

mp3: BWH - Stop (Zshare)
mp3: Venise - Playboy (Zshare)
mp3: Kelly Brown - Only You Make Me Feel (Zshare)
mp3: Man Parrish - Boogie Down Bronx (Zshare)



Enjoy the history! -D

Malibu the Gladiator!

Americans use to be so easily entertained.
Life was better when we could watch a bronze lion man get dive-kicked off a pillar and call it great television, now we have to drop 7 strangers off of an airplane into some uninhabited island and watch video feeds of them crying every night and living off rat meat for 7 months to be slightly amused....


As Malibu would say,
NOT sweet.

Have no faith

These days, any untalented artist can vomit any type of noise into the inter-world and if there surrounded by the right people everything will go smooth. But for once theres a band that has the connects, the style, and most definitely the talent to be a well known and appreciated band. British dance/hiphop group Faithless, which I first discovered in 2004 when I heard their album "No Roots" which was their first album to debut at #1. They weren't fresh meat then, nor are they now, they have been on the counter and the charts for a very long time, with now 5 albums out and a greatest hits album.


Most of there albums previous to "No Roots" has bordered Trance music, which was still very good, but "No Roots" professionally blends many different types and styles of music into there own very unique and classic sound that they have built there band on. It's a hypnotizing and beautiful album, very much so that you can hardly notice the start and end of a track, it is more just an expression of there mood in a continuous strain of sound. It's hard to believe that one group of people, and in one single album, can incorrporate so many different feelings into there music, often making astounding transitions from easy flowing raps to beautiful soundscapes.

Enlighten yourself!



mp3: Faithless - Miss You Less See You More(Switch Remix) (Zshare)
mp3: Faithless - Insomnia (Zshare)

GAY MARRIAGE BAN LIFTED IN CA!!

Well, in case you didn't hear the news yesterday, the California Supreme Court just made a ruling to take down the ban on same sex-marriage. (Here's the full story on CNN.) We are now the second state in the United States to legalize gay marriage! I know when I first heard the news I was, at the very least, ecstatic. It's about time California wised up. It actually made me really proud to be a native Californian (actually impressive in light of my lack of real patriotism). Not to mention, my roomate was almost in tears from the overwhelming excitement.



But then I got to thinking that not everyone would share the same excitement. I can only imagine the religious groups calling an emergency meeting to discuss their plan of action. And we all know how the government folds like paper cups with those kind of confrontations. One of those opposing assholes actually had the audacity to bring up the fact that it's been 'proven' that children should grow up in a home with heterosexual parents, because a homosexual marriage is a counterfit marriage and that subjecting them to living with homosexual parents would essentially be cruel and demeaning towards the child. Excuse me, but how many heterosexual couples give birth to gay children? Really, is it that unheard of or something? And if gay marriage is banned, then why not ban interracial marriages as well? It'll just never end. People will always find a reason to create animosity and turn into elitist to have an 'inferior' group to blame all of their problems on. It's just so dissapointing that it's actually taken this long to make any sort of progress. Not to mention, it's just embarassing to begin with that this is something we'd even debate about. Two people make each other happy enough to take the plunge, and they aren't bothering you, or hurting anyone, why would you stop them?"Seperation of church and state" my ass. This topic is also probably going to weigh heavily in the presidential debates and have a lot to do with who wins, depending on who supports it and who doesn't.



Another thing that got to me was the idea of the population rising in California. Everyone's going to be heading this way to be legally recognized. I'm pretty sure California has a lot on its plate already, (i.e. immigration) not to mention I was driving through West Hollywood tonight and I thought to myself, "do we really need anymore?" HAHA.



Regardless, this is ultimately a step forward in society. It's kind of embarassing that it's really taken this long to recognize gay marriages. I could sit here and go on about the true meaning of marriage and how it's when two people love each other regardless of race, religion, class, and yes, even gender, but I know you've heard it all. So go out there and find yourself a same-sex partner and marry them damnit!

Down with the clown!

SO I often think....."What the fuck is middle america doing!?"
There are so many people out there who are sooo into the wackiest shit you'd ever imagine, but I'm sure they have the same opinion about me and so many people I know.
This goes to show you.....we don't seem em', but there out there!





NO FAYGO!?!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!
hopefully Lindsay will sneak some in.

ps. Sticking beer cans up your ass is probably not a cool idea.

Not at your weekly club

SO today I wanna talk about the flyest cat I know thats out there. The man is in all means real to the core and has a lot of shit to say. I got my first dose of singer/writer/poet/actor Saul Williams in 2001 when I checked out his album "Amethyst Rock Star" which had a lot Rage Against The Machine influences. I caught back up with him again in 2004 when his self titled album debuted, which I fell in love with. Songs like "Black Stacey", a deeply personal song (hence his middle name is Stacey) written about a boy growing up out-of-place and frustrated, racially confused, and living in the shadow of a white man, and his more high powered energetic single "List Of Demands", which is now featured in some lame ass sports commercial. The afrocentric poet started out as an MC, then went on to graduate with a Bachelors in philosophy, moved to New York and earned a Masters in Acting, and in 1998, pursued his acting career by getting the lead role in the Sundance Awarded feature, Slam.


At the same time he was heavily getting into music. He has worked with such artists such as Erykah Badu, Blackalicious, The Mars Volta, NIN, and The Fugees and has five albums strapped to the gurney & he has also published four books. Most of his music is influenced by his own personal experiences, and even more so the politics and downfalls of government, Hiphop, ethics, and humanity. He has a lot to offer lyrically and switches in and out of spoken word and beautiful poetry throughout all of his albums. I hope you all listen to this and gain some sort of insight out of it, or at least respect the mans prophetic messages and important beliefs. You can pick up his latest album "The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust!" at his website for a mere 5$.

-Spread the love ya'll, D.



mp3: Saul Williams - List of Demands (Zshare)
mp3: Saul Williams - Black Stacey (Zshare)

& Sardonik Smirk, still widely unknown, has made an elegant recreated and mastered version of Saul's already beautiful spoken word single, Gypsy Girl
mp3: Saul Williams - Gypsy Girl (Sardonik Smirk mix) (Zshare)

standing in the way of yr hole

The moral ethic of my generation has , if not but completely, begun to disintegrate. Not to give them the credit of having any to begin with.

Don't give them the satisfaction of yr soul. Stand in the way of control.








ps. You'll soon come to find I have an 'unhealthy' obsession with Beth Ditto (aka badass frontwoman for the gossip) There's a bitchin' live version of Standing In the Way of Control on their myspace.

Coachella Coastin pt. 2

Oh man...if only I could cut your vocal cords out of your throat and shove them down some slightly attractive guys mouth. Anyways, it was all kids play when The Teenagers came on stage. 15 minutes into there performance I think they realized that there crowd was either walking away, checking the time, or staring at there feet. SO they acted fast, and personally invited the whole front row up on stage with them to sing dance and have a good time. After that the crowd got a little into it. Smooth move tweenz! But the guitarist was wearing a black My Chemical Romance shirt....personally, I think it's a little too early to be ironic?


What there doing is cool, but they really have no talent as a alt-post rock, new wave boy band but I doubt thats a secret, I guess your simply suppose to congratulate them on having a good time doing it. But you can't blame them for taking advantage of there sleek looks and French accents, thats about all you need in the music business these days. Although I do like there unique style and technique they use to blend that awkward 90's highschool, teen angst feeling into music. At least there remixes are good, they kill that shit like no other!


mp3: The Teenagers - Starlett Johansson (Zshare)
mp3: The Teenagers - End of The Road (Zshare)

Heres some of those sweet remixes
mp3: New Young Pony Club - The Bomb(Teenagers Remix) (Zshare)
mp3: Air - Mer Du Japon(Teenagers Remix) (Zshare)



Pure gold! The singer/songwriter/producer Santogold(Santi White) put on a great performance saturday night, right before producer pal of hers, Spank Rock, was suppose to perform, but failed to show, but Miss Amanda Blank & friends made a pretty good plan B. She bounced all over the stage while her intimidating backup dancers, who also appear in her music video for "LES Artistes", did some pretty crazy crunk dancing shit.

Under those lights she looked kind of scary, but when I got up close backstage she looked adorable. Though, her days as an underground artist are limited, for her songs have featured in video games, commercials for Bud Light, V05 hair products and etc, and she's already had a few appearances on MTV. yeah, it's the end.


mp3: Santogold - I'm a lady (Zshare)
mp3: Santogold - You'll Find A Way (Zshare)
mp3: Santogold - Pretty Green (feat. Mark Ronson) (Zshare)




You never really hear about groundbreaking talent coming out of Australia, but here to change that is the Aussie boy band Midnight Juggernauts, who poured there interstellar disco meets techno-meets space-and runs into elegant sound on the hundreds of fans that stood, sat, and danced before them.



With there debut album "Dystopia" out in 2 days, April 14th, April 23 for UK & US, people were excited to see the sensation perform live. I myself am a big fan of the sound that these guys make, it often borders justice-esque, but throw in some Air, and a little david bowie and you have something similar. There hit "Road To Recovery" is a sound for soar ears, and eager feet. Laced with elegant vocals and space like sounds, has been dominating the blogsphere and infiltrating peoples itunes everywhere.

Dystopia, with it's pop sounding optimistic feel and sinister undertones, is a well produced and managed album that is sure to catapult the aussie boy trio into the spotlight in no time. There North American Tour just ended last friday, giving them time to recuperate and prepare for there French tour which starts May 26th.


mp3: Yo Majesty - Club Action(Hatchmatik & Midnight Juggernauts remix) (YSI)
mp3: Midnight Juggernauts - Shadows(M83 Remix) (YSI)

Heres the Curses! remix of Road To Recovery that has been tearing up LA dancefloors:

mp3: Midnight Juggernauts - Road To Recovery(Curses! Remix) (YSI)
& the original:
mp3: Midnight Juggernauts - Road To Recovery (YSI)



Everybody dipped low and went buck sweaty wild at 4 in the afternoon for the Mad decent offspring, dj/producer Diplo. The busy man found time in between working with every talent under the sun and making his own music to rock coachella. His set was off the hook and got the crowd AMPED. I have never seen so many people get so excited for a DJ set, haha it was a little overwhelming at times, but oh so fun. Behind the Dipster lurked many Ed Banger crew members and other "names". The man obviously has a pretty big posse , all which are as talented as himself. He has worked with artists such as M.I.A., Santogold, Bonde Do Role, Amanda Blank, Martina Topley-Bird, Rye Rye, and MANY others. He is seeming to build himself up to be a mini timbaland, and nothings wrong with that. Congrats Mister Dip!


mp3: Black Lips - Veni Vedi Veci(Diplo Remix) (YSI)




Fa Fa Fa-FaFaFaFaFa! Datarock rocked it like no other, and to say the least, put on a show. They danced, rolled, jumped, humped, and stripped all over the stage. The Norway pop/indie group has gotten a lot of attention lately, starting in 07, and have only accumulated even more now well into 08. When not in there infamous red tracksuits, which Fredrik Saroea claims to be pushing as a fashion trend, they are simply anonymous. Oddly enough, the band members did there own soundcheck, and the unsuspecting crowd had no idea it was them the whole time, but you didn't have me fooled you red suited Houdini's! haha. The day after they played, they walked around coachella and casually lurked the premises, in their tracksuits, and let the attention come to them, Which made me a little curious as to what their intentions are as musicians.



They got up close and personal...and friendly. The band, which formed in 2000 and made there debut performance at a monthly club night called "Pop Till You Drop", has since made great progress in the past 8 years, and this is only the beggining. Be sure to check up on the MTVism, wouldn't be surprised if you saw the boys on TRL soon.


mp3: Datarock - Maybelline (YSI)
mp3: Datarock - Bulldozer (YSI)

Coachella Coastin: late recap!! pt. 1

SO before I dig into this coachella ish, likes of me to apologize (to whoever it may concern) about how long it took to get this blog ball rolling. There were a few technical difficulties on both of our parts to get this shit started, but anywho....





Your boy was coachillin this year, and it was off THE HOOK. Me and a friend left Thursday night and beat the crowds but you'd be surprised how early those crowds do leave. We roughed it all three days and slept in the car, it was pretty brutal, and my allergies were hell the whole time. I think I still have some of that nasty ass dry desert dirt stuck in my throat. As nice as all of that sounds, to top it off it was over 100 degrees all three days and really cold at night, for some reason? The desert bugs were fucking disgusting, and the car next to ours got broken into, and we watched it happen while we were in our car, haha. At least the coachella folk were entertaining!


One of our lovely parking neighbors decided to make his truck into a hotel. He's completely serious too, and if thats not enough, at night he set up a barbecue and a table with chairs and TIKI LIGHTS! Saturday night I got lost looking for the car and I ran into his car-lounge-area and he cooked me some food and gave me some beer and we talked about Portishead for about a half an hour.......so anyways




One of my favorite performances were [of course] from one of the best talents to come out of Iceland, the freaky folk band Múm, who has just released there fourth album titled "Go go smear the poison ivy" which is noticeably different from most of there previous records. For those who have backed the noisy high vocal experiment band from the start, you'll be glad to hear the band, now seven members strong, ranging from different realms of sound and dipping into different genres, particularly mixing their classic instrumental sound with some up-to-date electronics, but for those of you, most of you, who jumped on the band wagon after Garden State, you'll be disappointed by the lack of "We Have A Map Of The Piano" theme. Speaking of, they did play the anthem, but they were having troubles remembering all the notes to the song. They had a hard time competing with all the noise from the other two tents which were simultaneously echoing a thumping repetitive beat, making it hard for the quiet, sometimes even whispering, performers to operate. They even requested there crowd to be as quiet as possible so that they could play some slower songs. They also played a lot of new stuff, but altogether the performance was astounding, beautiful, and memorable-to me at least.


MP3: Múm - Please Sing My Spring Reverb B.flesichmann Mix (YSI)
MP3: Múm - Guilty Rocks (YSI)