disco...disco..disco...did I say disco?

Ok...maybe Electro disco...

So I was listening through some of the tracks we had in the store....and I totally forgot we had this in and still in stock in Pomona. Talk about disco!!

The first video plays a little of each track on the single..and the second is the original in a much longer version with a tastier video...you know what I mean.

Enjoy!!

IN FLAGRANTI : BUSINESS ACUMEN / Holy Ghost! Rmx : KITSUNE : 12" [KITSUNE078]



IN FLAGRANTI : BUSINESS ACUMEN Original Mix and much better video!

Musical Vocab...or, listen to something different...

Once in a while, customers come in to the shop wanting me to give them my opinion on their rapping or production. I'm very honest with them...sometimes brutally honest.

Usually, the first question I ask them, even before listening to anything, is what are their influences?..you know...who do you listen to? Invariably (that means most of the time for the SC grads), they only listen to the genre they are producing...Hip-Hop heads only listen to Hip-Hop, House heads only to house, Jungle heads only to Jungle,...etc.

I tell most of them they are limiting there musical vocabulary, that they are only drawing from a limited pool of sounds(samples), melodies, and beats. After listening to their tracks I try to give them an example of what I mean but usually fall short in explaining myself.

The following videos exemplify what I mean.

The first is Malcolm McLaren's "Madame Butterfly". It's a remake of a classic Puccini aria (once again, that means female solo for the SC grads) from Madame Butterfly. Malcolm McLaren, for you hip hop heads, is known for producing "buffalo gals" as well as producing/managing the punk group the Sex Pistols. "Buffalo gals" itself draws from American square dancing...but that's a different story.

The second is one of my favorite renditions (that means performances) of the Puccini aria.

At a minimum check out the first video, there is a lot of eye candy!!!

As an aside, when I first heard and saw the Malcolm Mclaren Version I was amazed...jaw dropping amazed. So much so, that I even went to the L.A. Opera to see the live performance of Madame Butterly!! And now, I go whenever they are performing this specific opera!!!

Enjoy

Malcolm McLaren "Madame Butterfly"


Puccini "Madame Butterfly" as performed by Ying Huang


In case your wondering, the spoken/rapped lyrics in Malcolm's version is pretty close to the story line of the opera and song...what can you say...Ex-pat American men always screwing around with the local women and leaving little cio cio san's (pronounced CHO CHO SAN for the SC grads) everywhere.

Electro Roots....Pt 2 (or how about the rock end of it)

A couple of weeks ago I posted some classic disco tracks that I feel had some of the classic disco sounds being used in Electro House currently. That's only part of the picture. Another part is the Post Punk early synth pop/new wave groups that (again, in my opinion) are influencing the Indie Electro Groups...the "rock" end of the Electro sound. I've posted some tracks, so you can hear what I mean. The first is Joy Division's "She Lost Control". The second is New Order's "Blue Monday"....New Order was Joy Division after Ian Curtis passed. The Third is Fischerspooner's "Emerge". The last is Cut Copy's "Hearts on Fire".

Other than the obvious dance feel to the tracks, I think that one of the things that ties this end of the Electro sound is the dark and sometimes melancholy nature of the tracks and lyrics.

In any case here they are (oh, we also have the Joy Division t-shirts in Radio Futura):

Here are the shirts first:

Ian Curtis (all over print)


Joy Division "Unknown Pleasures" (all over print)


and here are the clips...

Joy Division "She Lost Control"


New Order "Blue Monday"


Fischerspooner "Emerge"


Cut Copy "Hearts On Fire"


oh...while I was watching the clips I came across another track that I thought was the shiznit--"Moon Over Moscow" by Visage. The guy in all the makeup is Steve Strange and also in this group was Midge Ure who also went on to participate in other projects including Ultravox and even the Live Aid Concerts.

Visage "Moon over Moscow"

Graff Tip #1 Non Smelling Markers

So I've decided to begin to share my years of experience with all of you. This is a new segment that I'm doing. "Graff Tip" will be tips and tools of the trade and reviews on different markers, paint, and everything in between.


this week my focus is markers. Most high permanent ink or paint markers give off a very strong very beautiful smell that most normal people find bad. this becomes a problem when working around people who cant take this smell.

so here's the tip i have for you. i recommend pure vanilla extract because it doesn't change the paint color or mess with the integrity of said substance.

this works for most if not all refillable markers, paint or ink, such as OTR's, Krink, Pilots, and any other marker that can be refilled.


so there you go, now you can work without the smell and the headaches.

Unless you prefer too.



-Peace

Comic-Con 08 recap

so here's my Comic Con recap. when i wasn't in lines to get my comics signed by Brian Wood and Mark Morales i had the chance to see where all the kool kids hung out at. This years comic con was huge, but as i walked into the show floor i noticed it was kinda dead. all i saw were hipsters and promoters walking around aimlessly with a look of
"what the fuck am i doing here" on their faces. some booths had toki doki and kid robot displays and some had art hanging on little makeshift galleries. i stood there with my bag lunch holding my Girls hand thinking where are all the comic book kids? then it hit me. There was an 2 hour long "Hero's" panel going on so the floor was dead! i took this opportunity to go around a get some flicks of all the toys and what not that we found interesting. As far as comic con went... i wish i had more money

Photobucket Image Hosting


Photobucket Image Hosting


Photobucket Image Hosting


Photobucket Image Hosting


Photobucket Image Hosting


Photobucket Image Hosting


Photobucket Image Hosting


Photobucket Image Hosting


Photobucket Image Hosting


Photobucket Image Hosting


Photobucket Image Hosting


Photobucket Image Hosting


Photobucket Image Hosting


Photobucket Image Hosting

Madvillainy Two. Madlib and MF Doom



Madlib and MF Doom are at it again. Finally Madvillainy 2 was released. The album was released as a digital only release. But Stones Throw did decide to put out a 12" Full Length of the Madvillainy 2 album. It's a two disc pack with all the tracks from the album plus some instrumentals.

So for all the heads that still collect vinyl, we have a few copies at Radio Futura (next door to the GCS). They are also online at http://www.radiofuturamusic.com/


For anyone wondering what the real cover looks like here it is...




Electro Roots

So...
I was checking out the music for this weeks releases (this is Leo from Radio Futura--the music store next to GCS Pomona...YES they are two separate stores) and, well (as most people tend to do) I started following links upon links and came across two CLASSIC DISCO TUNES!!!

The first is "Standing in the Shadows Of Love" By Fever on Fantasy Records! And, the second is "Got Got Money" By Five Letters on Uniwave (the Uniwave pressing is actually a reissue).

"Standing in the shadows..." is a remake of an old Four Tops soul classic on Motown... and many disco fanatics (myself included) believe the Five Letters were/was actually an alias for Cerrone (famous for "Supernature").

In any case, (and in my opinion) songs like these are the source for some of the sounds we hear in the whole current Electro scene. Don't believe me? Check out the DIM remix of the Faint's "The Geeks Were Right" at the end of the post. Oh, and I've got to mention we HAD the Faint track at the store...I'm trying to get more in!

Here they are, 2 classic disco tracks and one new disco (oops.. I mean electro) track..enjoy them!

"Standing In The Shadows Of Love"



"Got Got Money"



"Geeks Were Right"