mixtape | ChinaShop

Music The ChinaShop End-of-Summer Mixtape

September 16, 2011 - 8:53 am

That’s it. It’s over. School is in session, that blonde working at the coffee shop has gone back to school, the sun and 6 o’ clock start getting on each other’s nerves. Summer—that fickle, sweaty buzz that never lasts long enough—is finally over. No more time on the clock. Flag on the play.

But as frustrating as it is to pack up the shorts and cover the grill, the end of summer signifies an emotional turning point that’s difficult to put into words. It’s kinda beautiful; uplifting even. ChinaShop put the word out to some of our favorite artists and asked them to pick (and talk about) a tune that best exemplifies this particular time of year. Milagres, Fink, the Submarines, Cloud Control, Boom Bip, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Busdriver, Cymbals Eat Guitars and Tycho all answered the call. Then we put all the tracks into a tidy little YouTube playlist for you. Enjoy.

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Music Pictureplane and HEALTH: The Epic Skype Interview

by Rich Thomas

July 12, 2011 - 10:57 am

Ever since he dropped his Dark Rift debut two summers ago, Travis Egedy (a.k.a. Pictureplane, that dude on the right with the devious grin) has been the poster child of an electronic art-punk movement that’s as visually stunning as it is aurally otherworldly. Tapping into mix of DIY psychedelia and classic rave fundamentals, Egedy music is headphone candy for sure, but as Pictureplane’s numerous remixes and mixtapes have proven, the boy can pack in some serious bounce. For his latest album, Egedy enlisted the help of label mate and friend Jupiter Keyes—percussionist, guitarist and general all-purpose noisemaker in LA’s HEALTH—to inject a little more juice into his lo-fi sound. Thee Physical is the fruit of their collective labor, and moving swiftly up the charts on our 2011 Best Of board on the power of sexjams like “Black Nails,” “Trancegender” and “Real Is A Feeling,” a title track to the club night he throws at his studio/home/utopia Rhinoceropolis.

We wanted to know more about how Egedy and Keyes brewed up this evil concoction, which you can stream in its entirety here, but rather than jump on a quick call or pop over for a cup of sugar and some light banter, ChinaShop jumped face first into an epic Skype three-way with Egedy and his producing partner. What transpired was a 45-minute interview— featuring questions provided by Keyes—that will most definitely not win any awards for excellence in journalism, but might make you pee in your pants a little. Check it out after the jump

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Featured Music Theophilus London: Music, Fashion and Weird Science

by Rich Thomas

June 14, 2011 - 10:45 am

Swag. It’s the term you love to hate, but it’s easy to tell who has it and who doesn’t. Brooklyn’s Theophilus London has it, and not just in one place. His debut album, Timez Are Weird These Days, doesn’t drop until July 19, but he’s already been featured in more fashion spreads than your average supermodel, and his mixtape game has been on point for a minute now. A YouTube search will pull up performances at Cannes and Letterman, and London’s Tumblr is constantly popping off with stylish photos of him in various locales across the globe. Pretty soon you’ll even be able to dress like him. A collab with Cole Haan will see a limited run of TL-signature, triple blue suede loafers on the shelves of select boutiques. So are these for fashion or for function?

“F*ck fashion. This is lifestyle!” he says. “This is for kids to jump on a plane with. This is for you to wear to the all-white party this summer, hanging out pool side. You could rock these to the store. Your girls can rock these unisex!”

Consider yourselves on notice. Check out his first single, “Last Name London,” then download 2009′s This Charming Mixtape from MediaFire here.

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Music The Road to Coachella: MixTape 2011

by Mike Bucher

April 8, 2011 - 1:19 pm

T-minus 1 week and counting (crazy I know). As the festival draws near, you’ve probably started pulling together your essentials; sunscreen, sun hat, spirit hood, etc., but what is arguably the most important pre-festival preparation (often neglected) is the drive time mixtape. That’s right, the road to Coachella is long and it requires a very special mixtape. A mixtape so powerful that it gets your juices flowing faster than your high school basketball pregame (Mamma Said Knock You Out, Straight Outa Compton) mix did. A mixtape so invigorating that it has you walk on to the fields of indio like Aaron Rodgers in superbowl XLII. Ok, I’ve made my point. You need a super sexy mix tape dammit and I’m gonna tell you where to get it.

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Music YG: Def Jam’s West Coast Rapping Prodigy

by Nicole Pajer

March 21, 2011 - 11:27 am

It had been 15 years since the infamous Def Jam Records had approached a West Coast rapper with a recording contract. That was the case until they stumbled upon YG. At just 19 years of age, YG signed with the prestigious label and began feverishly writing and recording. With the help of hit single “Toot it and Boot it,” YG found himself on a surreal track to stardom. He is currently working on a new album and is set to drop a mixtape in a few weeks.

The recent 21-year old is having the time of his life: a growing fan base, countless birthday celebrations, radio airplay, and a blossoming career. While in the studio to put the finishing touches on his mixtape, YG sat down with ChinaShop to explain how he landed his deal with Def Jam and how he’s celebrating his newly found success.

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