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Happy birthday, Groove!

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:54:10 GMT

Happy birthday, Groove!

19 years ago Thomas Koch aka DJ T launched ‘Groove Frankfurt’. After the first few years focusing on Frankfurt and surrounding, the magazine broadened it’s horizon in the mid 90s and included the whole scene. Accordingly they changed their name into ‘Groove’. The magazine developed into a not-to-miss publication in the electronic music scene. It appears since the beginning every two months and can be picked up at record stores, clubs etc. for free.

Since Groove’s tenth birthday the magazine bashes amazing birthday parties with the crème de la crème of the electronic music scene on the turntables. Apparently, they haven’t lost their groove in the past few years. Just convince yourself and have a look at the amazing line-up of the party series in December. OMG, it is brilliant!


First stop is at Berlin’s Watergate on December 4:

Mainfloor
Ricardo Villalobos
Michael Mayer
Apparat Live
Jesse Rose

Waterfloor
Nick Curly
Nekes
Federico Molinari

December 5 they rock the NeidKlub in Hamburg:

NeidKlub
Carl Craig
Radio Slave
Shed (Live)
Preoscoop


Baalsaal – Presented by whatpeopleplay.com
Stefan Goldmann
C-Rock
Marc Schneider
Sven Weisemann


The party continouses the next day (December 6) at Munich’s Registratur:

Isolee(Live)
Radio Slave
Âme
Christian Prommer
Benjamin Fröhlich
Tom Bioly
Bostro Pesopeo


A week later, on December 13, Groove bashes the last party in this serie at Robert Johnson and MTW in Frankfurt:

MTW
Modeselektor (Live)
Luke Slater
Radio Slave
Marcel Dettmann
Fraenzen Texas

Robert Johnson
Dixon
Ewan Pearson
DJ T.
Arto Mwambe (Live)
Gerd Janson

MTW Lounge
Johnny D
Federico Molinari
Dorian Paic
Phase2

Once again, happy birthday, Groove and many thanks for your super neat magazine!

LCD Soundsystem causing trials and tribulations

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:16:48 GMT

LCD Soundsystem is causing trials and tribulations these days. Breakup? New projects? Different name? Further album? ...

Let’s quickly summarize the latest news:

Al Doyle, LCD Soundsystem’s guitarist and member of Hot Chip , recently stated that he doesn’t think James Murphy - head behind LCD Soundsystem and co-founder of New York based DFA Records - is doing anything more under the name LCD Soundsystem. There are projects with the same personnel, yeah, but it would go into another direction and under a different name. Some New York disco icons from the 70s should be involved according to Al Doyle, too.

Later, James Murphy himself revealed he has eight brand new songs in his head – the forth LCD Soundsystem album. Apparently he is writing all the songs “in his head” until there is no capacity left and he has to write down everything. Juicy detail: neither he does tell anybody about his compositions nor he records demos. That’s probably why Al wasn’t informed at all...

On November 18, Al Doyle referred to James’ statement and wrote on Hot Chip’s homepage that “LCD have not disbanded, nor could the entity be disbanded in the sense that it has always had a revolving cast of players - it would be like saying that The Fall had disbanded, or Prince has split up. LCD Soundsystem is James Murphy, and he's allowed to take time off, do other things, and come back, or not come back. And he doesn't have to tell you or anyone else about it.” Fair enough. Everybody makes mistakes...

Let’s look forward to a surly great piece of music!

Kick

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:17:45 GMT

Shoes and pastries. Humh, sounds like the title of a 'Sex and the City' episode. But, it’s actually not!

The lifestyle blog ahjaa.de and the sneaker shop THE GOOD WILL OUT are about to set up Cologne’s first sneaker market called 'Kick&Cake'. Forgotten treasures, lost loves, new favourites, astounding bargains, extraordinary rarities and certainly a lot of sneakers which have seen the most exciting places in the world you’ll might find on Sunday, December 7 at Hallmackenreuther. It’s the perfect Sunday afternoon activity in my eyes: Not much thinking, some movement and the option to find the kicks you've always been looking for – great. If not, no problem – at least you left your flat.

If you’d like to get rid of your ex boy- or girlfiend’s last birthday present or the sneakers one of your mates forgot after your housewarming party last summer or you are one of these hopeless fashionitas, who's shoe bin is about to explode, apply for your own stall at Kick&Cake here:

Kick&Cake
Sunday, December 7,
Hallmackenreuther, Brüsseler Platz 9, 50674 Köln (Belgisches Viertel) - goddamnit, it’s Cologne, not Berlin!!?

Franz Ferdinand's new album due in January

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:02:59 GMT

Tonight: Franz Ferdinand

After ‘Franz Ferdinand’ in 2004 and ‘You Could Have It So Much Better’ in 2005 one didn’t hear much from the quartet around Alex Kapranos. Some concerts here, some DJ sets there, drummer Paul Thomson played in a band called Correcto,... But apparently the band from Glasgow has also been in the studio. Franz Ferdinand’s new album ‘Tonight: Franz Ferdinand’ is due on January 26 next year on Domino.

‘Ulysses’, the first single form the new album, appeared these days on several radio station as well as on Franz Ferdiand’s MySpace profile. It’s a pretty neat song, starting with some electronic downtempo elements turning then into the familiar Franz Ferdinand manner. It sounds authentic, refreshing and enhanced compared with the former albums without trying to be cool or hot or whatever.

Hopefully the rest of the album is in the same style. Anyway, the names of the songs are pretty auspicious:

Tracklist
1 Ulysses
2 Turn It On
3 No You Girls Never Know
4 Twilight Omens
5 Send Him Away
6 Live Alone
7 Bite Hard
8 What She Came For
9 Can't Stop Feeling
10 Lucid Dreams
11 Dream Again
12 Katherine Kiss Me

Franz Ferdinand - ‘Tonight: Franz Ferdinand’
January 26, 2009
Domino Recording Company

Ben Klock to release album in 2009

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:52:33 GMT

Ben Klock, resident DJ at Berlin's techno mecca Berghain, will release a new album next year. Entitled "One", it will be available Feburary 23, 2009, on Ostgut Ton. Even though by far not his first release, the title "One" refers to the fact that this is his first full-length work, conceived in the studio during the year 2008.

In an interview with Resident Advisor magazine, Klock cites Berghain as one of the big influences on his work, yet considers "One" "more than a collection of club tracks". Sounds like the wait will be worth while!

Ben Klock interview at Resident Advisor.

Santogold's new single "Say Aha" postponed

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:28:27 GMT

We will have to wait a little bit longer for Santogold's latest piece. The release of her latest single "Say Aha" was just postponed one week to November 24, 2008. The energetic New York native has caused quite a commotion on the music scene this year with her breakthrough first record, the self-titled "Santogold".

Some lucky dancer will not have to wait until next week to hear more of Santogold: She will perform on Thursday at the Electronic Beats Festival in Berlin after having played as support act to Kanye West's European tour on three dates in the UK. Surely, this one will have people on their feet until dawn.

Rookie floor line-up @ Electronic Beats Festival Berlin announced

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:07:52 GMT

With only two days to go, excitement is starting to reach fever pitch for the Electronic Beats Festival in Berlin. The event has completely sold out with no more tickets available - this is without doubt going to be our biggest and best festival yet. Peaches, Hercules And Love Affair, Santogold, Late Of The Pier, Munk, Mixhell and Missill will all be performing on the main stage with doors open at 8 pm. More infos on the top extensive line-up here .

On the rookie floor, you can expect a sweaty back-room disco party as DSB & CDB, DJ Humus, John Osborn and Paul Mogg throw down a mix of bass and beats in a more intimate surrounding.

Rookie Floor:

DSB (Dirt / London)
Always obsessive about music, DSB came to DJ'ing quite late, forced into action by a complete inability to engage with the hype driven scene in his East London home. Fast forward 5 years, and DSB is now based in Berlin, DJ'ing regularly as well as being a music journalist, producing the Shitty Edits series and organising the DIRT parties in London. With a sound that is one part disco, to two parts something else DSB plays sets are infected with funk, weird sounds and killer bass lines. He is as just as happy playing a hazy early morning collection of forgotten classics, as as he is at peak time playing a set of jacking disco.

CDB (Spex / Groove Berlin)
As well as being a very well respected music journalist for Spex and Groove magazines, Carlos de Brito is also the ultimate music lovers DJ. Playing an expertly crafted selection of deep house and dubby disco from his never ending collection of rare records, CDB is as much influenced by jazz and psychedelica as he is by minimal Berlin techno and nitty gritty Detroit house.

DJ Humus (Half Off / Tape / Berlin)
Currently Humus is the resident of Berlin House club "Tape" under his real name Elie Eidelman. The NYC born and Israeli raised DJ has been playing for over 15 years around the globe bringing his unique blend and attitude to the dance floor.

John Osborn (Neonman / Berlin)
John Osborn is not only the lead singer of indie punk dance band Neonman, but also an electronic dance DJ with techno & house music running deep in his pulse. He is regularly to be found playing Berlin's after hour clubs, such as Golden Gate, as well as dates around Europe. John always states that "genres make me nervous", thus choosing to evade easy categorisation, playing sets containing anything from heavy dub to pure Detroit techno to Berlin minimal, spurning the easy crowd-pleasers and maintaining his reputation as a music lovers' favourite.

Paul Mogg (Supersoul / DFA / Berlin)
Initiated into the dance scene in the early eighties together with fellow west country boy Tim Goldsworthy, Paul Mogg has had numerous peaks in his prolific career, most visibly as one half of turntablist duo The Psychonauts, cutting and splicing everything from electro, hip hop, disco, techno, house and funk. Paul has released records on Moí Wax and Gigolo, remixed Tiefschwarz, Liquid Liquid and Gina X and as a DJ has still found time to take apart countless dance floors around the world.

‘Berliner Strasse’ finissage

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:05:15 GMT

Circleculture Cc:’s exhibition ‘Berliner Strasse’ would like to thank its supporters with a finissage including an after party this Saturday.

Over 4.000 art interested people pilgrimaged to the .BHC in Berlin Mitte during the past two weeks to enjoy Urban Art and Street Art by Jaybo, Charlie Isoe, Daniel Tagno, Anton Unai, XOOOOX, Marok, Mymo, Alex Flach, Nomad, Neon and Emess. The exhibition attracted people with fresh, provocative and questioning art work somewhere between Dadaism, Surrealism, Graffiti, Comic, Urban Art and Street Art.

To celebrate the astounding success the crew around curator Johann Haehling von Lanzenauer invites to a finissage including after party this Saturday, November 15. The exhibition will then move to New York, London and Warsaw to present Berlin’s wonderful Strassen to the rest of the world.

The DJs headlining the party are as dilly as the artists presented in the exhibition are. Check out the line-up below:

EFDEMIN (dial) / SASSE aka FREESTYLEMAN (moodmusic) / BARBARA PREISINGER (~scape) / SCHOPPEN WITTES (frühschoppen) / TOMTOM GROOVE (polyfon) / KHAN live (tomlab / kitsune) / ALEC EMPIRE (eat your heart out) / MARK BOOMBASTIK live (i’m single) / ELECTRONICAT (disko b) / THE DYNAMIC MACARONIC DUO (macaroni club)

For 5 euros you’re in...

Berliner Strasse Finissage and Afterparty
Saturday, November 15, 22.00
.BHC, Haus Ungarn, Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 9, Berlin Mitte

New recommendation feature on Discogs

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:31:28 GMT

How did we ever live without Discogs? The online music database that collates information on pretty much every music release ever has the biggest database in the world of electronic music.
And now in order to further satisfy the vinyl loving geeks amongst us, Discogs have introduced a recommendation tool. Simply find a release that you like, have or want some information around, and Discogs will automatically suggest up to 90 more songs by the same artist or label that you may find of interest.
Started in 2000 by DJ and programmer Kevin Lewandowsk as a way to catalogue his own music collection, the database soon grew to incorporate every type of genre accessible and up-datable by all. Not only that, through it's online marketplace it has become the leading online platform for vinyl sales as well.

www.discogs.com

Take a shot at remixing Frankmusic’s ”3 Little Words”

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:38:26 GMT

On November 24, 2008, Frankmusic’s latest EP “3 Little Words” will be released. To kick our attention into high gear, Frankmusic has announced a remix competition involving precisely that new track. All talented sound artists have to do is head to the website indicated below and download the parts for their own take on the song. Then send them to vince@theheathsofthornton.co.uk.

Frankmusic says: “I'm going to listen to each and every one, send me either an mp3 (but only if it's below 5 mb so you don't bust the server!) or a share a link. The best ones will be put up on my myspace player, and I will also do a Frankmusik remix for the best out of all of them!" So if you can work out the best remix, it in turn will be remixed by Frankmusic himself. Not bad, is it?

Get the parts to remix here: theheathsofthornton.co.uk

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez album on Stones Throw

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:15:17 GMT

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez is known to many as one of the creative minds behind experimental rock band The Mars Volta. The band’s latest record, 'The Bedlam in Goliath', was released in January 2008, but Rodriguez-Lopez is again embarking on solo endeavors. This time, he has found a partner in record label Stones Throw, known for their Hip Hop and Funk releases and artists such as Madlib, Peanut Butter Wolf and many more.

The new record, entitled 'Old Money', is available digitally already (see link below) and will be released as a physical copy on January 27, 2009. The melodic songs present a journey across countries and genres, where influences mesh to form the specific sound of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. This uncommon collaboration has certainly proven useful.

stonesthrow.com/store

ATP Festivals 2009: The fans and The Breeders strike back

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:09:41 GMT

While it seems that the festival season of 2008 has just finished, organizers are already planning the next round for 2009. All Tomorrow’s Parties, or ATP, has a special treat for fans: Not only can they go to the two festivals in May of next year, they can also decide who they will see perform there!

Everyone who buys a ticket for ATP’s Fans Strike Back Festival will get the unique opportunity to vote online for ten acts they want to have on stage on May 8 though 10, 2009, at Butlins Minehead in England. Voting starts November 17, so get ready to make your picks. To challenge the creativity of festival-goers, there is the additional rule that no act who has performed at an ATP festival on the island before can be nominated this time. Out of the submissions ATP will make a list and try to get those on top to join the line-up, of which acts suggested by the fans will make up 50%, with the other half put in by the organizers.

The part of performers confirmed by ATP so far already suggest this will be a great one. Next to Devo, Spiritualized, Oregon-based Grail and the Antipop Consortium they have booked the Young Marble Giants for one of their first live performances in 28 years! The three band members will play their Colossal Youth record, first released in 1980 and re-released with some new mixes last year. The band’s influence exerted to Kurt Cobain and others, and this live show promises to be a truly unique experience.

And as if that weren’t enough, Sleep will also play at the Fans Strike Back Festival as a world exclusive that will never be repeated. The rock band split up in 1998, but its members continued playing and producing music as part of High On Fire and Om. Now they will reunite on stage for the festival, and for it only, to perform their album Holy Mountain as well as selections from Dopesmoker, according to ATP.

The second ATP Festival, on May 15 through 17, 2009, will be curated by The Breeders, who will accordingly not only perform, but invite about 40 other artists to rock the weekend through with them. Right now, Throwing Muses, Bon Iver, the Teenage Fanclub, Holy Fuck, Kimya Dawson and Pit er Pat are confirmed guests.

For further info and updates head to atpfestival.com . For tickets to the Fans Strike Back, click here , and for the second weekend curated by The Breeders, here .

Slices 4-08 out soon!

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:45:14 GMT

The latest part of the Electronic Beats DVD series Slices is still hot from the press, and here is what you can expect this time:

Slices No. 4-08 includes features of Fujiya & Miyagi, TIm Exile, dOP, Dennis Ferrer, Seth Troxler and Margaret Dygas. The label feature takes you to Phazz-a-delic, while the tech talk section focuses on Lopazz.

Of course, Slices is also loaded with originial videos - this time of artists Hell, Minilogue, Sideshow feat. Paul St. Hilaire and Slope feat. Ovasoul7.

The new Slices will be out Dec 15, 2008, and, as always, is for free! Look for it at stores around you, or click on the links below to preorder Slices and have it shipped right to your door.

Order Slices as international customer here , german customers please order here .

Uniform experiment - a preppy collaboration between SOPH. and fragment design

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:35:44 GMT

When two Japanese style icons work together, great results can be expected. In this case, it is streetwear designer Hiroshi Fujiwara (fragment design) who joint forces with Hirofumi Kiyonaga, the head behind the label SOPH.

You are not this much into fashion and you don’t know fragment design? Then, you may know its founder anyway: Jack-of-all-trades Hiroshi Fujiwara who made an appearance in Sofia Coppola’s ‘Lost in Translation’. Or maybe you have heard of the Harajuku culture? He is practically its godfather. Or from a collaboration with one of his musician friends like Janis Ian or Eric Clapton? No...? Anyway, Hiroshi is doing great stuff. All the time.

SOPH. on the other side, is a Japanese label founded in 1998, which is famous for its minimal design, surplus details for multi-usages and high-tech materials. The label had a massive impact on Japan’s fashion industry over the last ten years and is known to a wide audience these days.

However, these two geniuses launched earlier this year the label ‘uniform experiment’ with a neat spring/summer collection. Its not only the colourful little pixel-like pattern with made the collection unique. Its also this lovely, pretty geeky interpretation of pieces for the daily wear. The new collection captures the spirit of the moment perfectly. Go and get one this the new pieces to colour up the fall at one the following stores:

Slam Jam Store, Ferrara/Italy
Slam Jam Store, Milan/Italy
Colette, Paris/France
Dover Street Market, London/UK
Wood Wood, Copenhagen/Denmark

www.uniformexperiment.jp

Get Physical's 100th release

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:48:51 GMT

Berlin-based record label Get Physical is about to release its 100th record.

The label was founded by former Groove magazine boss DJ T. (Thomas Koch) and the two producer teams M.A.N.D.Y. (Patrick Bodmer & Philipp Jung) and Booka Shade (Walter Merziger & Arno Kammermeier) back in 2002. Since then Get Physical had a significant influence to the whole dance music scene. Tracks like ‘Body Language’ by M.A.N.D.Y. vs. Booka Shade or Samim’s ‘Heater’ even made it into the mainstream. Lately the label also dared to enter new genres as they signed the singer/songwriter Raz Ohara with his Odd Orchestra last year.

However, Get Physical celebrates its 100th release with six tracks on vinyl and additionally three digital-only tracks, each with two of Get Physical’s artists involved. Check out the tracklist below.

Vinyl:
A - M.A.N.D.Y vs Booka Shade - Donut
B1 - Italoboyz vs Nôze - Double Trouble
B2 - Dakar vs Siopis - Dubai
C - DJ T. vs Thomas Schumacher – May Contain Nuts
D1 - Lopazz vs Heidi - Funkshovel
D2 - Einzelkind vs Meat - Gin

Digital:
Patrice Bäumel vs Caitlin Devlin – 7 days
Djuma Soundsystem vs Raz Ohara – Zillion Lights
Tiger Stripes vs Audiofly – Hundra

Hopefully the forthcoming hundred releases will cause as much joy as the last did.

Compost 300

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 09:45:52 GMT

This cake has a lot of candles to blow out: For the release of their 300th record, Compost has a lot to celebrate. In the last 14 years they have gifted us with more than 2000 tracks, often moving beyond classic techno music to explore Soul, House and even Jazz sounds.

The celebratory 300th release is set to hit record stores on Nov 21, 2008. Many of the pieces included have not been released on CD yet (only on Vinyl) which makes for an extra charm.

Additionally to the best releases of the last three months, this sampler also includes three previously unreleased tracks, namely Shahrokh Sound Of K. feat. Robert Owens, a Marbert Rocel remix of The Pack Part Time Heroes and one new track by Alif Tree.
These additional songs pave the road into the future, with both Sound Of K. and Alif Tree releasing a record in the coming months. Shahrok Sound of K..’s debut record will be been out Nov 28, and Alif Tree’s new album is expected for the beginning of next year.

The entire tracklisting runs as follows:

01. Marbert Rocel “The Pack“ Part Time Heroes Flat Pack Mix
02. Alif Tree “Mai“
03. Sistars "Inspirations" Innocent Sorcerers Remix
04. Sepalot “Go Get It“ feat. Ladi6
05. Eddy Meets Yannah “Solid Ground” Crazy P Remix
06. Karma “Beach Towel“ I:Cube Cosmix Marathon Remix
07. Beanfield feat. Bajka “Tides” Ripperton Mix
08. Ben Mono “Jesus Was A B-Boy“ TJ Kong & Nuno Dos Santos Remix
09. Robert Owens “Never Give Up” prod by Charles Webster
10. Wojtek Urbanski "Violet Violin"
11. Muallem feat. Shawn Lee “Cheerleader” Phreek Plus One Cosmic Vox Mix
12. Alex Attias pres. Mustang feat. Colonel Red “Everchanging Time” Beanfield Remix
13. Shahrokh Sound Of K. feat. Robert Owens “Perfect Stranger”

Congratulations, Compost – we’re looking forward to the next 300!

Skull Disco mix for free!

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:04:28 GMT

Sad news from Skull Disco. Label boss Shackleton has announced that the labels latest release "Soundboy's Gravestone Gets Desecrated By Vandals" will be in fact the label's last. After three years of ultra successful releases, the East London based label that has done more to champion dubstep and deep dark techno than probably any one else, has decided to go out on a high. No more minimal excursion with the likes of Ricardo Villalobos and no more highly coveted vinyl releases. Somehow though, I don't think that this will be the last we hear of Shackleton and his merry band of techno dubsteppers.

In the meantime to console yourself whilst you wipe away those bass heavy tears, you can head over to the Skull Disco site and download a mix full of deep and moody treats. And it's for free! Now cheer up.

www.skulldisco.com/dst_mix_01

New DJs confirmed for EB Rookie Sessions

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:35:21 GMT

After great sessions with Dirty Fingers (Dirt / London) and Matchbox (Get Physical / Berlin) - check the features in our video section - and John Osborn DJ John Osborn (Neonman /Berlin) and DJ Humus (Half Off / Tape) - their sets will be available soon here - the EB Rookie Sessions continue.

The 4010 store - Telekom’s first and only store in Berlin especially designed for the younger, urban crowd - will see Xaver Naudascher deejaying on Saturday, November 8th, and Paul Mogg on Saturday, November 15th, both from 5 to 7 p.m.

Xaver and Paul are both from the Supersoul Recordings camp, a Berlin based label founded by Xaver Naudascher in 2006.

After studying audio engineering in Sydney, Xaver Naudascher moved to Berlin at first to be part of Trixx-Studios. Today he is one of the hippest DJs around and most of the time is all over the place - both musically and projectwise.
!K7's Terranova, Compost, Einstürzende Neubauten, as well as the soundtracks of internationally acclaimed movies like Run Lola Run, Xaver is always involved. Currently his stuff is also being released on Gigolo Records, while is own Label Supersoul is teaming up with DFA and Kompakt. Don't miss!

Initiated into the dance scene in the early eighties together with fellow west country boy Tim Goldsworthy, Paul Mogg has had numerous peaks in his prolific career, most visibly as one half of turntablist duo The Psychonauts, cutting and splicing everything from electro, hip hop, disco, techno, house and funk. Paul has released records on Moí Wax and Gigolo, remixed Tiefschwarz, Liquid Liquid and Gina X and as a DJ has still found time to take apart countless dance floors around the world.

And since we're speaking of 4010, don't forget: It is a very reliable spot to pick up all the latest issues of the Electronic Beats Magazine and Slices DVD. See you there!

Saturday, November 8th, 5 - 7 p.m.: Xaver Naudascher (Supersoul Recordings / Berlin)
Saturday, November 15th, 5 - 7 p.m.: Paul Mogg (Supersoul Recordings / Berlin)

4010 Store
Alte Schönhauser Strasse 31
10119 Berlin

www.4010.com

Q-Tip's renaissance

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:45:27 GMT

Super innovative hip-hop dinosaur Q-Tip just released his new album ‘The Renaissance’.

‘The Renaissance’ is - you've guessed it - mainly influenced by Jazz and Soul. Tracks like ‘Johnny Dead’ or ‘Gettin Up’ spread this chilly mood like those old A Tribe Called Quest records used to or Kayne West’s ‘Heard’em Say’ did a few years ago. There are some nice collaborations on the record: Norah Jones is featured on ‘Life is Better’ or Raphael Saadiq on ‘We Fight/We Love’. Another plus: the lyrics are also pretty smart. All told, it is a neat album, which unfortunately took far too long to appear; its predecessor ‘Amplified’ was released in 1999! This gap was partly caused by troubles with his former label Arista Records, by the way.

In order to promote the album Universal Motown Records - Q-Tip’s new record label - asked Absurd to create a t-shirt. The result is stylish, no doubt, but it was produced in a limited run only and will be distributed to family, friends and colleagues mainly. What a pity.

Tracklist:

1. Johnny Is Dead
2. Won’t Trade
3. Gettin’ Up
4. Offishal
5. You
6. Fight/Love
7. ManWomanBoogie
8. Move
9. Dance On Glass
10. Life Is Betta
11. Believe
12. Shaka

You can find the album stream on Q-Tip's imeem profile http://www.imeem.com/qtip and check out the nice t-shirt here http://www.highsnobiety.com/news/2008/11/04/absurd-x-q-tip/ .

New stuff from M.I.A.

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:37:08 GMT

It is pretty hard these days to find some reliable information about M.I.A. and her current projects.

Originally she wanted to leave the music business at all: "It was my last ever show. And it still is. I stopped touring after that and I didn't want to make music again. I was quite happy to just leave it all behind. I was happy with what I had achieved", she said recently. But now some neat new stuff appeared on the net. First a song called "Shell" and now you can also find a track featuring Blaqstarr called "S.U.S." (Save Ur Soul) - a lovely cover of Tom Waits’ "Down In The Hole". There is also a low budged video for S.U.S. floating around, which was directed by M.I.A. herself. She states on her MySpace page that she was inspired by a Joy Division video and wants to show how some people see the world: black / white , good / evil, jesus /devil, etc.