May | 2010 | ChinaShop

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Gallery Music Excision: Death or Dub-Step

by Ryan Patrick Hooper and Dustin Downing

May 31, 2010 - 3:03 pm

Five years ago, Excision couldn’t destroy the soundsystem in your buddy’s Buick if he tried. Five years ago, the monstrous yet catchy womp-womp of Excision’s dub-step DNA was nothing more than ambitious strands left fossilized, yet to be discovered. In fact, if it wasn’t for the sparse dub-step rumble of British duo Vex’d , Excision would be drooling over a desk, trapped in a cubicle, chasing a paycheck that would help pay for the cost of dry cleaning his business casual wardrobe. Vex’d would release Degenerate in 2005, an 18-track LP that many music critics and critical bloggers claim to be one of the first “official” dub-step albums to be released. British writer Mary Anne Hobbs went as far to call the album the “single most accomplished and important record in album form of the genre.” To Excision (born Jeff Abel), the transformative Degenerate was all that lofty praise and more — it would forever change his life that very same year.

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Featured Gallery Music A-Trak: Mild-Mannered Turntable Maniac

by Ryan Patrick Hooper and Dustin Downing

May 31, 2010 - 2:43 pm

In the middle of the afternoon in the Red Bull Lounge at Movement 2010, A-Trak quietly weaves his way through a wave of photographers clamoring for a photo. He smiles, turns his head on command, doesn’t give much fuss if a particular shot takes longer than expected. His handler is just as tame, glancing up every now and then from his Blackberry back-and-forth to make sure everything is running on schedule (or at least running in the right direction). At the age of 28, this is already a well-rehearsed routine for A-Trak. For the past 12 years, A-Trak (born Alain Macklovitch) has flown in, enjoyed the array of catering, accommodated the press, smiled for the photographers, grabbed his paycheck and flown out. The only (and most important) part of this routine that refuses to follow a set path is when the articulate, calm yet expressive A-Trak hits the stage, combining the most appealing parts of house and hip-hop with technically savvy takes on turntablism (read: wild card, bitches!).

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Music Not Myself: Christina Aguilera vs. Lady Gaga

by Barbie Brady

May 28, 2010 - 1:26 pm

Oh I see you ladies. You can’t fool the fools. I know that when Madonna wasn’t shaving her armpits you both where in the ether, but seriously, the argument “who did it first”, well that’s just drool.

Madonna did it all. She wore the pointed metal bra, she dyed her hair a thousand shades, she did the sex thing, did the lace thing, did the dance thing, the jesus thing, the baby thing, the ambitious thing, the girl on girl thing, COME ON…I can keep going all day here! She did it all and she re-invented herself over and over. She was one of the first mainstream performers who got our attention by continuing to change, shock, push the envelope. She’s not dead you know? And neither are all the people who exist in the world who were bored with it the first time.

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Music ATOM TM: All That’s Elemental

by Shop Keeper

May 27, 2010 - 11:20 am

I can’t think of any other DJs with a moniker that synchronizes so perfectly with their own sound. Atom TM strips away all the fancy layers that make laptop and DJ music so complicated, and gives it to the listener in its purest element: a series of pulsing blips and beeps — what even sound like the signals that initiate the musical sounds — undercut by a steady bass rhythm to get movin’ to. Atom, whose real name is Uwe Schmidt, packs his music with everything from white noise static and what sound like those ‘error’ sounds you get when you hit that wrong button on your computer… which sounds like a mutant mainframe, something that could be a hybrid between an Atari 2600 and a modern day PC. He’s even started his own label, Rather Interesting, which highlights his sense of humor regarding his own work. Which is sort of like the modern day musical equivalent of dada art:it’s kind of strange, somewhat monotonous, and very German. (Hey, I’m part Kraut too — we can spot our own). He’s even done an entire album full of classic Kraftwerk remixes. You can get your fix of his minimalist handiwork on Red Bull Music Academy Radio.

Music Marco Polo: Boom Bap from the T. Dot

by Geo Hagan

May 26, 2010 - 10:21 am

Toronto beat maker Marco Polo likes his hip-hop beats to sound a certain kind of way, and that’s exactly how he makes them; raw, dusty, sample-heavy and with hardboiled drums that could bust the inner sanctums of even the most sturdy, fortified speakers. So when he tells you that his inspiration comes from that Golden era of rap that produced classic rappers like Q-Tip, Kool G. Rap and KRS-One, it really comes as no surprise.

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Music Bonobo: For the Electronica Fan with Everything

by Shop Keeper

May 26, 2010 - 10:02 am

If an endless array of all kinds of different beats from across the musical spectrum is what you’re looking for, than look no further. I don’t know about all you audiophiles, but it’s a welcome policy for this ADD-afflicted reviewer, who finds that so much of the modern, ‘mellow’ electronic music could benefit from a little f*%in’ variety. All that said, I’m not sure how to classify Bonobo. They’re a little too experimental to be ‘electronica’, and who the hell knows exactly what that means anymore anyways, so a more threadbare term like plain ‘ol electronic seems a bit more appropriate. That being said, I love them. Bonobo’s eclectic name fits its eccentric brand of electronic tomfoolery. There’s traditional funk in there, some out-of-left-field guitar hooks, and spectral samples from what sound like a little kid…whining? It’s a lot of fun, and something that, to be honest, you kind of just have to listen to to really enjoy and appreciate. Usually I’d say ‘this is an acquired taste,’ but Bonobo has something for everyone and chances are that even includes skeptics like you. Today, Red Bull Music Academy embraces the weird.

Music Tuesday Newsday: New Releases From Stone Temple Pilots, Widespread Panic, Smashing Pumpkins, and Hank Williams III

by Shop Keeper

May 25, 2010 - 8:40 pm

A re-formed STP takes the stage this week with their new, self-titled album, Smashing Pumpkins are back with some Sailor songs (?!!), Widespread Panic release another epidemic of infectious grooves, and country legend Hank Williams III gets down with his rebellious self. Yee-haw!

All Time Low – Straight To DVD [Live CD/DVD]
Marc Anthony – Iconos
Beach Fossils – Beach Fossils
Andy Bell [Erasure] – Non-Stop
Caw! Caw! – Bummer Palace
D.M. Stith – Heavy Ghost: Appendices
Fyfe Dangerfield – Fly Yellow Mood
The Dogg Pound – Keep On Ridin’
Far – At Night We Live
First Aid Kit – Big Black And The Blue
Adam Kesher – Challenging Nature
Leela James – My Soul
Bettye LaVette – Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook
Marina And The Diamonds – The Family Jewels
Neverever – Angelic Swells
Smashing Pumpkins – Teargarden By Kaleidyscope Vol. 1: Songs For A Sailor [EP]
Stone Temple Pilots – Stone Temple Pilots
Tobacco – Maniac Meat
Tomorrows Bad Seeds – Sacred For Sale
Transient Songs – Cave Syndrome
Widespread Panic – Dirty Side Down
Hank Williams III – Rebel Within
Keller Williams – Thief
Will Young – Leave Right Now

Music Zombie Disco Squad!!

by Shop Keeper

May 25, 2010 - 12:25 pm

There’s a pretty self-explanatory moniker for you, although “Zombie Disco Duo” might be a little more appropriate since there’s only two of them. In this case the brain-eating deadites in question are a couple boys who share a love for house music that will — what else?– eat your brain and make you walk aimlessly around the dance floor, much as a zombie would, nodding your undead head to the boys’ rhythms, or shaking your booty to those samples. With tracks like “Esperanto” and “Eurovision” Zombie Disco Squad provide some familiar brain-eating effects for everyone: You know that sound your vinyl/compact disc makes when it’s got scratches on it? That’s kinda what Zombie Disco Squad sounds like — only with an infectious series of post-disco, raver beats to it. And when you think you’ve tired of one kind, there’s always the dependable Mowgli, who has provided an array of remixes for you to check out. It should really come as no surprise that ZDS’ brain-eating brand of music is on the cutting edge of modern house, and a no-brainer that if you dig dance of this kind, you need to get a listen right now so you endure the same fate. Check it out on Red Bull Music Academy Radio.

Music Jimmy Edgar

by Shop Keeper

May 25, 2010 - 10:19 am

One of a mirth of producers and DJs coming out of Detroit, Jimmy Edgar is another in a long line of beatmakers who blends elements of jazz, Chicago House, and electronic music of all kinds into one gigantic loop of rave music you just chill out and relax to. If you’re a fan of the Detroit scene, not only should you definitely pick this up, but what also makes Edgar all the more intriguing is the vibe to his music. It’s fairly monotonous, like a lot of DJ music of this sort, and might even conjure images and/or flashbakcs of nodding off on a couch in a club somewhere. Because sometimes you just need to do that. But it’s his vaguely relaxed, chilled-out vibe, that’s mixed with a sort of sporadic, static sort of noise — a white noise, hum and sampled bits of gangstas cursing. It’s this unique sort of multi-faceted influx of sounds which Edgar brings to the table which makes his music what it is. It must be doing something for him — he’s been on Warp Records for nearly a decade and shows no sign of letting up. He gets plus points for posing so suavely on the Red Bull Music Academy Radio home page with a mannequin (or is it a rendered mannequin) in the passenger seat.

Music Minus the Bear

by admin

May 24, 2010 - 9:44 am

Last week at the historical Mayan theater in downtown Los Angeles, Minus the Bear played to a sold out crowd. Their particular brand of moody melodies and funk inspired rock riffs set the stylish crowd to swoon. Friday marked the release of their new video for My Time so I figured it would be a nice contrast to see it along side the live version from the show. Enjoy!

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