The Witzard

This is an online (French?) commercial for the new Nokia smartphone, the N8 . Not much info on this video... But I'm assuming that it shows some of the things this phone can do. Don't hold me to that though. The video itself, features an odd cast of characters just having a good time! And according to Hypebeast, the Ed Banger Crew had a few hands in "My Superfun Houseparty" 's creation, too; Scored by Busy P ("Pedrophillia") and some sort of additional help coming from the label's art director, So-Me? The video-commercial may or may have been created using the new Hollwyood-style effects cell phone app, FX Studio. Sorry for the somewhat vague description... Cool video/phone nonetheless!

Tony Cook - What's On Your Mind feat. Dam-Funk by stonesthrow At the green age of 19, Tony Cook became the new drummer of James Brown's The J.B.'s in 1976, continuing on with them until the bandleader's death in 2006. During his time with The J.B.'s, Tony also assembled his own band, Party People. In 1982, a deal with Halfmoon came to fruition. Tony had his mind set on creating something totally FRESH, and ended up doing so with 1984's "On the Floor (Rock-It)," merging Funk and Disco; This mash-up in itself is interesting, because Disco basically ushered in James Brown & The J.B.'s early '80's expiration date. The ground-breaking track was conceived in the process of trying to conjure up a "Hit." Tony has said that "On the Floor" was a rap record at first, which was then re-tooled by Timmy Regisford and Boyd Jarvis (hence the "Special DJ Master Mix" credit.) Currently signed to Stones Throw, Tony has rel...

Project Magazine is the newest brainchild of Virgin labelhead/entrepreneur, Richard Branson. This is being touted as the "first all-digital magazine." The Project Magazine app just first became available today on iTunes for $2.99/issue, packaged along with the reader app for no additional cost. The publication is built to fit an iPad [, but rumor has it that iPod and Android versions will also be released soon.] Content will progressively be added to each issue throughout the course of the month; Areas including international culture, entertainment, design, business, travel, and a user comments section will surely revolutionize the magazine as we know it. December 2010, Issue #1 features Jeff Bridges on the "cover," a Tron: Legacy piece and a Bridges interview - along with a 3-D tour of Tokyo and a profile on the new 205mph Jaguar hypercar. * The Project Magazine app is now available through iTunes. Additional [yet limited] content can also be viewed @ http://w...

Gil Scott-Heron may very well have been the First "Rapper," releasing his debut album and a couple novels before the genre was even a thought. Gil is known for his unique, political spoken word pieces. His storytelling is so descriptive, that 9 times out of 10, you can imagine exactly what he's talking about. The musical accompaniments are often soulful, jazz-funk, simplistic numbers that just have a perfect sense of running cadence. Scott-Heron is widely recognized as one of the pioneers of Hip-Hop; Garnering much respect from and influencing artists like Kanye, Mos Def, Nas Escobar, Dr. Dre, Q-Tip, and MF DOOM. I really dig his first 3 albums, all Flying Dutchmen/RCA releases. Pieces of a Man (Album #2) being my stand-out favourite. It plays like a book of passionate, jazzy poetry. Pieces marked Scott-Heron's first collaboration with Brian Jackson - a composer he'd go on to collaborate with again on a string of future albums. "The Revolution Will Not be T...

In my opinion (after a couple listens), I feel that Kanye's new album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy , is the pinnacle of his works. It balances and makes use of almost all of the tricks he's made use of on his previous releases - Soul samples, 808's, humor, Vocoder, personal trials and tribulations, current Indie samples, clever wordplay, skits, Auto-Tune, and useful features that don't at all feel preconceived. Throughout Album #5, Kanye makes use of a new-found discovery - the guitar. While the album credits don't list a guitar player, I still feel that I'm hearing highly distorted (Auto-Tuned?) guitar riffs on a few tracks... Maybe they're samples. It really is an AWESOME addition to the "Kanye Sound Canon;" Possibly stemming from his love for Nine Inch Nails, or rooted as an influence from friend/signee KiD CuDi. * The seemingly possible common thread linking the 3 tracks showcasing this new sound may be "Additional Producer" and...

This brand new addition to the Stones Throw Online Store is a blown up version of the "HOE CAKES" single artwork. San Fransisco-based painter Jason Jagel originally created the vinyl-only image, along with the rest of the artwork attached to the food-centric album, back in 2004 The 28x28" poster (Stones Throw's largest to date) is reasonably priced @ $12. They're now available for pre-order, and are set to ship out in tubes on Dec. 6th. * Also keep an eye out for a Re-issue of DOOM's 1999 debut, OPERATION: DOOMSDAY - set to drop in 2011. For all intensive purposes, here's the audio track; Featured on Rhymesayer's MM.. FOOD , Track #2 - "HOE CAKES."

Tracks #2 and 3 from the band's CLASSIC 2006 debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. LP 1 became/remains the Fastest Selling Debut Album by a UK band; Selling an astonishing 360,000 copies in its first week - Even outselling The Beatles' debut! The Monkeys sound like a faster, dirtier [Cockney] version of The Strokes. Albums 2 and 3 quickly followed, 2007 and 2009 respectively. Album #4 is in the works as we speak, and my guess is that it'll see the light of day in 2011 (along with a tour). I can remember BLASTING Whatever People Say I Am... from the stereo of my first car, a red 1993 Olds Cutlass Supreme convertible, back at the start of high school! The Arctic Monkeys really managed to create the perfect blend of Punk, Alt. Rock, and Pop while continuing to stay progressive and original with each album. But in my eyes, their debut will never be topped.

"Egyptian Shumba" was released on United Artists in 1963. The Tammys were an American girl group (Gretchen and Cathy Owens, along with Linda Jones). They were closely associated with falsetto weirdo, Lou Christie. Being somewhat more established, he showed them the ropes and they, in turn, sometimes moonlighted as his backing band. Little additional information is known about The Tammys. I, personally think that this sense of mystery adds more to the overall experience. "Egyptian Shumba" was "SHOCKING" upon its release. No one, let alone a girl group, made sounds like that in the early '60's (especially not in public/on vinyl)! It was a time when people were still very prim and proper, reserved, and family-oriented. They truly were YEARS ahead of music as a whole. Similar experimental bands really didn't start appearing until the late '80's/early '90's Alternative Movement [Pixies, NIN, Sonic Youth, Flaming Lips, Jane's Ad...

Alright so, this is the much talked about Joaquin Phoenix/Casey Affleck "documentary." I'm Still Here always looked intriguing, since I heard of it's inception a few years back. Basically, it follows "JP" as he retires from acting (2008), and goes down the Hip-Hop career route. Featured appearances include Diddy, Ben Stiller, Mos Def, Letterman, and various other totally clueless celebrities. Joaquin and his handlers/buddies get into all sorts of outlandish antics throughout! Around the time of it's independent theater release, Casey and Joaquin both went on record saying that it was all a hoax. In a Letterman appearance, a clean-shaven Phoenix said that the overall underlying "theme" behind I'm Still Here was to play with the ideas of "Celebrity" and "Reality TV." I'm still not totally convinced. I, personally, would like to think that it was real. Either way, definitely worth checking out! And "JP" inde...

Part 1, "Introductions" Part 2, Detroit to Los Angeles" Part 3, "Donuts"

[Depeche Mode, 1990]

Side A LES SINS is the new side-project/alter-ego of Chaz Bundick (Toro Y Moi). Carpark released the debut 12" on Nov. 9th. Their Release Info section says that the 2 tracks were "recorded in the spring of 2009 in Chaz’s home studio in Columbia, South Carolina." LES SINS is being used as an outlet to channel the Toro Y Moi frontman's club/dance side. The future of the project seems to be unknown, but open. Chaz said in a Pitchfork interview (posted today) that "I guess you could say it's touch-and-go right now, but it'd be fun to do a full-length." Only the future will tell... Let' s hope so though! Side B

New 12" on Big Love (Japan) @ the end of the month.

Bruce Haack - Stand Up Lazarus (Peanut Butter Wolf Remix) by stonesthrow Bruce Haack - Incantation (Djanimals Remix) by Djanimals

"RECAP:"

"GUIDABLE" (BLACKVOMIT Documentary) Trailer

I've always been a casual Game fan (yeah, he dropped the "The" since most of you last heard from him). Granted he's a little eccentric/cocky at times, I respect him for his honesty, rawness, ear for a solid beat, and classic/funny rhyme schemes. "The R.E.D. Album," as its being called, has been plagued with set-backs since its inception in '09/'10. The details (release dates, concepts, album art, features, tracklist, production, etc.) have been changed numerous times. Rumor has it that the LP will be released in 2011, once a lawsuit with an old talent company is settled, supposedly. We'll see... Here are 2 songs that many or may not be on the album to hold you over a little. Game's recent mixtapes, R.E.D. Room and Brake Lights are full of "album left-overs," and are definately worth giving a few listens.

Lane Brown said it perfectly, "Monday's issue of New York will feature an interview Dan Kois did with George Condo in which the artist discusses the five covers he painted for Kanye West's new album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy . This afternoon — too late to get it in the magazine, sadly — Kanye's label sent us a jpeg of this awesome painting (and asked that we use it instead of our photo of this other one). We asked Condo about the inspiration for The Priest , which we assume — though we certainly could be wrong! — will be MBDTF 's fifth cover, and he sent us this via e-mail: [Kanye and I] talked about paintings in the early baroque era depicting religious figures, and wanted to push that out into the open in today's world. It mirrors the 'paranoid' riff on one of the tracks."" - NYMag.com, 11/19 post. For those of you who have been living under a rock lately, Kanye's new album is out this Monday, Nov. 22.

This sounds really cool! I hope it happens... Seems like Curren$y and Sean O'Connell already have an album in the can ( "Muscle Car Chronicles" ). I stumbled upon an interview with Ski Beatz ( Pilot Talk 1 & 2 producer); The segment I skimmed over included him shedding some light on this intriguing upcoming project. Sean O'Connell is a folk artist on Dame Dash's label, BluRoc. Sean produced/and appears[?] on the album, along with[?] Thomas Pridgren (Mars Volta drummer) and Marc "Brownie" Brownstein (Disco Biscuits bassist). Ski said that Pilot Talk 3 will be out in May 2011, with "Muscle Car Chronicles" coming out before then. There are also rumblings of a movie, coinciding with the album. So, well see... Makes sense, since Dame was already involved in a similar collaborative project ( BlakRoc ). [ Pilot Talk 2 is out Nov. 22.]

Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes , March 1. (LL Recordings) Toro Y Moi - Underneath the Pine , Feb. 22. (Carpark) * Note: "Leave Everywhere" is a non-album track.

Here, my friends, is the new Girl Talk album, ALL DAY. Gregg Gillis (Girl Talk), let loose Album #5 unexpectedly, Monday morning at 5:30am. A new album's existence was made public just last week in a Pitchfork interview. Illegal Art is offering it up for FREE as either one long mp3 (the way it was intended) or as separate "Tracks." At one point Monday, Gregg "broke" the Internet. - As the album was being downloaded @ a rate that the site couldn't handle... I've been a fan of Girl Talk since 2006's Night Ripper ; Thoroughly enjoyed that album, and this one's even better! For those of you not familiar with Gregg's style, it's basically mash-ups/remixes of 373 Top 40/Classic Rock Hits. It really is an amazing experience! A Pop Culture Field Trip, if you will. [Featured above and below are "Track 1" (Intro) and "Track 2." And trust me, the middle of the album is its strongest section.] * A few of my favourite moments bein...

OFF! is a newly-formed Hardcore Punk band. They are truly "old school" and a "supergroup" in every sense. The line-up is Keith Morris (Black Flag/Circle Jerks), Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides), Steve McDonald (Redd Kross), and Mario Rubalcaba (Rocket from the Crypt/Hot Snakes). - Four of the founding fathers of LA Punk. They've slowly been putting out EP's over the course of 2010. Vice has now collected the releases as the Four EP's 7" Box Set (Dec. 14). On the "album," OFF! manages to rifle through 16 songs in a mere 18 minutes. [The entirety of 1st EP , Live.] OFF! has also teamed-up with Raymond Pettibon; An artist that a few of the members go pretty far back with. [He's notorious for being Black Flag's "Four Bars" logo designer, the brother of Greg Ginn, and designing the majority of the band's CD/flyer artwork.] Thusfar, Pettibon has designed all of the OFF! images.