50 Cent has been taking notes and classes it up in this new vid with Kendrick Lamar. Seems to be a good idea. I like the relaxed groove, the single shorty (as opposed to the harem) and the emphasis on exceptional quality/expensive items. The understated wealth idea can definitely help him re-define his image away from that guy who had this game made with his name: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/616-50-Cent-Blood-on-the-Sand
Lest we forget. However, great offering, smart featured artist, and I look forward to hearing his collab with Flux Pav & Childish Gambino.
Mix of the Week: Mat Zo’s Essential Mix
If you haven’t heard of Mat Zo, I’m almost jealous of you. A producer that’s had some amazing trance tracks out over the last few years and a solid DJ in his own right, he was invited to put out an Essential Mix finally. What could have been a middle of the road, fun, dancey and upbeat 2 hours, turned into a soaring, inspiring and almost bewilderingly well executed mix. 70 tracks in 2 hours, narrated with quotes from Cosmos by Carl Sagan. Genre after genre of music pushed together with the touch of a master.
Again, this is one of those things I could yammer on about for a while, or, you could just go listen to it. So. Do that. Like. As quickly as you can. You’ll thank me. And Mat Zo. Mostly him, but a little for me too 😀
“Sometimes it’s to your advantage for people to think you’re crazy.”
Theolonious Monk was a genius in more than once way.
State of the Union Address ad uses Bass Music?!!?
Did I miss a meeting? 15 seconds in the graphics & enhanced presentations are mixed in with some dubby bass music. Obama’s administration is advertising the State of The Union address with dubstep.
I don’t even know how to feel about this. Will this further cement dubstep’s transition to commercialization? Is this the administration just trolling conservatives who like EDM? Who is responsible for this and why is it a FREE DOWNLOAD? If you’re reading this, leave a comment as to what your thoughts are. I’m stumped.
The Harlem Shake (What the internet did last week)
http://mashable.com/2013/02/08/harlem-shake/
Ok, so Baauer came out with this track called Harlem Shake (linked to). Months ago. It’s a fun, bass-y track that you would enjoy hearing at a party, and think nothing of it. Apparently at the beginning of the month, this video came out:
Borgore gets kicked off the decks in Miami
http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/crossfade/2013/02/borgore_story_miami_set_cut_short.php
For the record, I don’t care for Borgore most of the time. He’s a bit too buzz-saw’y for my tastes, but frankly, the fact that he’s the third Triple-A DJ to be kicked off the decks on South Beach is way more important than whatever he spins. 
Baauer is getting harder and harder to ignore. And this recent collaboration with Just Blaze reminds me just how big this kid is gonna be, and already is.
EP of the Week: Flux Pavilion’s “Blow the Roof”
I have been a fan of this kid since someone bomped “Internet Connection” in their car for the first time and my head kind of got degaussed. His set at Starscape in 2011 was exactly what it needed to be and I am so glad that he was able to make a splash on this side of the pond.
“OneTwoThree” heralds the return of the massive, wobble-filled bass that we’ve come to expect from Flux. The bounce-y, vaguely gangsterish track leads into “The Scientist” which has more of that goodness but adds a fun vocal track and some triumphant chords which give it a glitchy but anthemic quality. “Blow the Roof” seems almost chip-tune’y in its liberal use of grimy bass and MC-enunciated vocals. It keeps up the energy of the EP while pushing into the even dirtier area of dubstep that seems almost rare these days in a lot of the larger EDM circles, as we are post-Skrillex. Is it welcome in this case however? Absolutely, and it’s an amazing reflection of what a banger should sound like these days.
Album Review for Old Hedgy Times (Vol. I, 1)
(This is a piece I wrote for a new online magazine, that’s Kindle-exclusive right now and should be available in more formats soon http://www.amazon.com/Old-Hedgy-Times-Issue-ebook/dp/B00BAWQV2I Good taste, excellent design, tightly edited and while I can’t speak for my own work, the rest of the content is written quite well. Check it out.)
NNNNNNNNNN is a 24 years young chiptune producer that a friend put in my face a few weeks ago. His EP, Cosmic Lovely Lovely, is wonderful, in a misshapen-but-formless, heavy-but-delicate kind of way, if such a way to be wonderful exists. The EP drops right into it with some serious chops in “Johnny Mnemonic.” Besides reminding me of how hard I sucked at video games when I was a kid, is exceptionally well produced and has a rambling beat to it that I think chiptune peeps will love. The beat and the well-arranged chip lines give the track some depth that I didn’t expect, which is always welcome. The main melody is fun and smacks of an unforgiving level of an 8bit game I’ve not played in over adecade. I wish I could remember what it was and perhaps that’s the point.
Re-imaginings of some of the best album covers, with cats. It seems the internet peaked, we might as well go home. Cute Overload, turn off the lights when you leave?
Terry Gotham 