I was never into Baltimore Club. I am sick of hearing shitty remixes of stupid songs and I feel that once you hear one song you have heard them all. I never really understood it. However……these dudes somehow manage to get around the parts of it that I dislike. And I can listen to them all night without getting bored. Brick. Bandits. Kill. It. I have seen these guys go at it several times and I have never been disappointed. They are a serious party. All of them. Also for the record they do not just play baltimore club. I have heard Tameil kill it on the house music tip. So good.
Thursday 8/21 it’s SO on. I know this is last minute but the Brick Bandits have decided to pay Brooklyn a visit. I don’t know if you have happened to catch any of these DJs yet but you have no excuse. They have been all over the place lately and if you have missed them you need to switch your party schedule up a little. Time for some action. I am SO excited about this.
For you New York people, Galapagos is no more. They are under new ownership and the venue is called Public Assembly. They have exchanged their old sound system for some serious BOOM and Thursday is definitely the night to test it out.
I am 100% confident that DJ Tim Dolla, DJ Tameil and DJ Sega are going to rock a serious dance party so let’s do this. I will be there Djing as well. Most likely tag teaming with my favorite Philly kid Nick the V. Here is a little preview of what the night is going to be like. Get Wild.
Also the first time I heard the Digital Cable song I lost it. Brooklyn you know what I am talkin’ about!
Tonight markes an unbelievable 2nd night for New York City’s new 2-step/Garage night “F!T,” comes Todd “The God” Edwards to the NY-stage. Brought to us by Unit.One Productions and XLR8R Magazine Located at The Knitting Factory in TriBeCa, F!T is the brainchild of Thanyen Nguyen or “Tiny,” a member of the Unit.One crew in Dallas where he got his start. Headlining the first show was Unit.One’s own Jason Mundo, a heavyweight on the Garage scene both here and abroad. Unit.One, as a production team in Dallas, throws one of the State’s most infamous parties Dub Assembly, gathering many of the UK’s most prolific DJ’s and producers in the Grime, Dubstep, and 2-step scene. Jason Mundo and FIT’s own IanJamz will be headed to the UK in September for the Bassline/Garage Music Festival with UK notables Jamie Duggan and DJ Q.
With tonight as the 2nd installment of the FIT party, it’s quite extraordinary that Speed Garage legend Todd Edwards is gracing the stage. While there isn’t enough page space here to give all the credit where credit is due, Todd is a the Godfather. For a truly educating experience (as always) head over to Dutty Artz, where Todd received a lengthy special feature from Matt Shadetek.
Particularly gifted in the field of vocal edits and vocal production (see St. Germain vocal edit below), Todd’s production ranges greatly from his original Garage creations to more strict House flavors. Todd is often considered a major influence on Daft Punk’s use of vocals in their tracks, and has contributed numerous remixes to the French-House family. Reading his catalog, one begins to realize the efficacy that this man has created for himself. Modest and quietly producing works of brilliance, he stays in his sleepy New Jersey town, rarely to come out and make an overt splash.
So it should go with out saying that for Todd Edwards fanatics, and there are many, this is an incredibly special performance from a crew of extremely passionate individuals. The lineup tonight also includes NYC’s Rowdy host Black Plague on the 1’s and 2’s, IanJamz, and Keith P here from Dallas to represent the Unit.One crew in fine style. New Yorkers sick for that classic New York House, will be remiss to default to an overcrowded bar, where Todd Edwards has mostly likely either just been played over the speakers or is playing across the street at The Knitting Factory.
‘Fantasy Black Channel‘ is what you get when the minds of Late of The Pier and the midas touch of Erol Alkan collide in perfect harmony. The highly anticipated debut album released 11th August on Parlophone, explodes through a vast musical landscape with the kind of imagination that goes balls out! Watch the video for their single “Heartbeat“, released a week prior to the LP, purchase your copy of ‘Fantasy Black Channel‘ and prepare for this masterpiece to work its magic!!
Rico Tubbs is a name that’s been floating around many of the blogs in 2008. Tracks of his have been popping up here and there and they have been met with great accolades from some of the biggest tastemakers spanning numerous genres and subcultures. Now, a brand new album, Knuckle Sandwich, packed with Grade A bangers, has just been unleashed to further his dance music domination. It seems, though, most people haven’t a clue who Rico Tubbs actually is.
He is by no means a n00b to the scene. He’s been DJing and producing in his native Finland since ‘94 starting in UK Hardcore and Hiphop and leading into Big Beat, Breakbeat and whatever else you can call his music now. In his home country, he is an electronic music legend producing under his real name Riku Pentti and comprising one half of The Skillsters, credited with producing the first Finnish Hiphop album in history. From there, thanks to his avant garde scratching abilities, Rico joined the venerable big beat troupe, The Bombfunk MC’s as their DJ/Producer/whatever else.
Once big beat faded, Riku reinvented himself again, always retaining that funky hardcore/hiphop vibe, and reemerged in the peaking breakbeat scene as Rico Tubbs and the pseudonym Infekto. Releasing records on KissFM DJ Jay Cunning and Atomic Hooligan’s label Menu Music, he immediately became known for making some of the best peaktimers of the heyday of new school funky breaks. Gradually, his unique breaky sound began to infiltrate the blogs and that brings us to the present.
What sets Rico’s sound apart from everyone else is that he clearly embraces every type of music that he’s ever liked and uses it indiscriminately throughout his tunes. It’s not fidget, its not breakbeat, its not hardcore, its not b-more, but it’s an amalgamation of all of those and more used in an unapologetic, bold manner. Rico’s new album exemplifies that fact and was purposefully filled to the brim with club bangers.
To celebrate said album, available now on Juno, iTunes or wherever else you might find proper music, here’s a taste of what Rico’s been putting forth; a VIP mix of his squelchy bass banger, Hot Girls Dope Boys, done especially for TM. And just to further solidify his authenticity and prove that he’s been doing this since many of you were just a glimmer in your fathers eye, here’s an oldschool hardcore mix that he provided us, containing some of the real classics. So sit back, have a listen, read this short interview and then buy the album. It’s sooooooo good!
1. Altern-8 : Evaporate (1992,Network)
2. Djs Unite : Djs Unite (1992 ,XL)
3. Shut up and Dance : The green man (1992,shut up and dance)
4. A Home boy, A hippie & Funky dread : Now is the future (1992,Rising high )
5. Two Undercover : Unite (1992,De ja vu)
6. Kaotic Kemistry : Space Cakes ( 1993,Moving Shadow)
7. Q Bass : Hardcore Will Never Die /E type version (1991,Suburban Base)
8. Sonz of a loop da loop era : Far Out (1991,Suburban Base)
9. The Prodigy : Full Throttle (XL,1993)
10. Dance Conspiracy : Dub War Chapter 1(XL,1992)
11. Run tings : Fires Burning (Suburban Base 1992)
12. Krome & Time: This Sound is for the Underground (Suburban Base 1992)
13. Acen : Trip 2 the moon part 2 (Production house 1992)
14. Manix : Alright Wid Me (1993,Reinforced)
15. Manix : Hardcore Junglism (1992,Reinforced)
16.Underground Software : Different ting (1992,Reinforced)
17. Cloud 9 : You got Me Burning (1993,Moving Shadow)
18. Soundclash vs Hackney Hardcore : Hear Gunshots (1993,Strictly Underground)
19. Foul Play : Finest illusion (1993,Moving Shadow)
20. Ltj Bukem& Tayla : Bang the drums (1992,Good looking )
Local Hero: Lets kick it off with an easy one. What are you listening to right now?
Rico Tubbs: Italo disco,”Dance Mania” Chicago house stuff , some 60’s psych rock and Bengas album have been on heavy rotation.
LH: You’ve been producing and releasing records since 1995 in your native Finland. Tell us about some of the early Rico Tubbs projects.
RT: When I got my first releases out it was the time of big beat - sample heavy fun party music. Not much different of what I do now - the hip hop samples and rave elements can be heard through all my production from day one.
LH: Not many producers from the breaks scene have been able to crossover to the electro/blog house scene as successfully as you have. Was this crossover success intended? If so what did you put into the music to garner the crossover appeal?
RT: The crossover was not calculated in any way. My production style is based more on chaos than clear vision and I think Ive done tunes in most genres of electronic music. As a producer/dj you should anyway be intrested in new things and it always amazes me how many purists there are who are stuck into their little box.
Now I feel that electronic music is in its most exciting phase in many years.The trend now overlaps the most with what I love in dance music : big and quirky basslines,hip hop or rather hip house and rave.
LH: Seems like you’ve kept quite busy djing so far this year. Whats been the awesomest party you’ve played this year?
RT: I have to say Glade.That was the first festival of that magnitude Ive played. Everything was well organized and the atmosphere was great.
LH: What was the musical aim of your new album? What were you trying to accomplish with it?
RT: My aim was to get a coherent album full of club bangers. I tried to make it so tight that you’d want to get the whole thing - not just pick and choose just 1 or 2 tracks as often is the case among dance albums.
LH: You’ve always maintained an aggressive funky sound but without being cheesy. How and from what influences did you derive the Rico Tubbs style?
RT: When Rico Tubbs was born the sound was influenced by stripped down funk of JB’s and sillyness of Parliament - with some heavy fart bass. Its gone a long way from that during past 5 years but the heavy bass groove is still the core. Now you can hear more of the influence of my hardcore favourites : Altern-8, Manix and early Moving Shadow/Suburban Base. There also some speed garage/bassline there of which I’ve always been a fan of.
LH: Now that the albums done and released, what comes next?
RT: Theres been a lot of remix work of which the latest is for Tittsworth 12 Steps album. Theres also an EP coming on Herve’s label later this year and a track on Finnish b-more club label Top Billin’. There might be a remix album of “Knuckle Sandwich” as well if everything goes by the plan - first out will be Tes La Rok and Muffler remixes of “Gangsters”.
Hey guys! New contributor Jesse Mann here, writing all the way from NYC. I’ll be bringing you the bestest of the bestest in the realms of disco old and new, dirty house, and beautiful techno. For my first post I want to tell you all about an upstart duo making waves with their eclectic and organic sound.
The Canyons come from the magical land of Oz (that’s Australia to you and me.) Over down under, the hip and bright-eyed young kids are the ones that rule the musical roost. Canyons are no different in their youthful stature, but musically they are far more mature. Their debut EP on the wonderful Hole in the Sky record label called the “Lovemore EP” is a four-tracker of raw, soulful mid-tempo goodness. Elements of dubbed out disco, classic electro and psychedelic rock mix with pleasant grooves for a wonderful summery sound. I have been spinning “Apples and Pears,” the EP’s lead tune religiously for months now (I’m a DJ here in the apple) and it will instantly get feet moving and mouths smiling. These guys are not trying to fit into any hot trends of the moment, and the diversity on this EP is proof. They do whatever they please, and listeners are all the more rewarded for it.
Thank goodness someone else has taken notice! The boys have now been commissioned to remix a current blog darling from Modular Records. Their latest remix of Ladyhawke’s “Dust Till Dawn” has hit the blogsphere ahead of the self-titled debut album, Ladyhawke (released 22 September) and once again The Canyons show their versatility in spades. Rather than try to describe it, why don’t you just take a listen below? And for a different flavor see what Glasgow’s Linus Loves has done with the Ladyhawke original.
In the last 3 months New York City has felt a quiet roar coming from across the Brooklyn Bridge. Off the JMZ to Myrtle Avenue, deep in the heart of Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood, is a bodega. But this bodega doesn’t sell $1 40’s, $0.50 Twinkies, or cheap cigarettes, but it does sell an affordable time of your life. The Bodega is an up and coming project from the Chief Magazine boys Andy Smith and Ed Zipco, and it’s working. A cheap, out-of-the-way venue, in which lots of people somehow find there way to and go bat-shit crazy.
Arriving at The Bodega was for me as much of a whim as any other music-related gem I discover via the internet or word-of-mouth. Luckily the night I decided to attend, it was one something of a treat for The Bodega. Playing out that night was Morsy of Nanachill.com and a bright young B-More/Bootybass talent, as well as Famous Friends (Finger on the Pulse), and Mr. Andersonic with a live MPC-set. From the moment I arrived and felt the first trickle of sweat along my forehead, there was no doubt that this was the best party I’ve been to so far (exception goes to Diplo @ T&B for obvious reasons). More than even the urgent sounds of throbbing Booty Bass, it was the crowd that was staggering.
Certainly Daft Punk at Coachella 2006 was enough to make people lose their shit, not to mention the occasional Studio B performance by M.I.A., or most often at Death By Audio. But that Thursday night (yes, Thurs.) brought one of the more diverse (skull caps and dolphin floatees) and apeshit crowds I’ve ever witnessed. At even the slightest sound of the Baltimore Club clap and shake, kids were applauding and jumping with praise. At one point in the evening, the invisible and visceral ooze of crowd pleasure has reached a peak and out came a large stuffed horse, probably won by a lucky girl at one of the many Coney Island water-gun games. The horse, in a flurry of passion and impulse was thoroughly molested by a twosome of B-Boys in the middle of the dance floor. Between furious humpings and the occasional launch into the air, there was little if anything anybody could do to justify what was going on.
Arriving at Bodega at 1AM and leaving at 4AM felt short-lived. But walking out the door I made sure to ask a Bodega faithful what the deal was. I was then introduced to the General Manager Steve, who being extremely accommodating agreed to meet with me in the coming week. After a casual walk around Union Square and a few riffs on the current musical scene, Steve put me in touch with the founders/owner Andy Smith and Ed Zipco. And after a few $1 PBR’s at Soundfix, I came to understand the stoppage in time that was my Thursday night.
Much like any young party-throwers, Ed and Andy liked to throw big ones. At their old loft space in Bushwick they threw dozens of police-happy ragers. These weren’t just ragers though, they were concerts. With friends in bands and as DJ’s, they became notorious for their themed parties for events like the Super Bowl and Halloween. Unfortunately some of these ended with blacked out girls peeing on neighbor’s A/C machines and providing a golden rain to those unlucky enough to be nearby. As the ease of party throwing quickly gave way to the forces in blue, they took them to bars and music venues.
But like any established venue here in New York, these events came with large cover fees and $12 drinks. Dissatisfied with the traditional annals of party throwing, it was time for a creation of their own. With Chief Magazine as their original baby, Ed and Andy had already built a DIY space. And when they caught wind of a crooked bodega space going up for lease last April, they went for broke.
Rotted, dying and possibly full of dead, the space they decided would be their new project was more of an adventure than a project. Filled to the brim with junk, rotting walls, and surgical equipment(they don’t hypothesis on this one), they invited their friends and family to camp out inside and begin renovation.
Andy On His Lunch Break
Over a month later and 12-hr days every day, they rebuilt walls, hauled innumerable amounts of trash and filth from the belly of the bodega, and stacked more debt than all of it combined. By the first week of June they had their first party, and people showed up. Despite a broken stage their first night and a few construction errors, they had, for all they knew, the biggest financial mistake of their lives sitting on 1089 Broadway in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
Looking at the Myspace page for The Bodega, you’ll notice a series of dates for the month of August. Particularly though, you’ll notice that this week is booked in its entirety. Ed and Andy when I talked to them said they were willing to try anything at this point. That they haven’t had a “bad night.” (Save for a punk set ending in shattered glass and a bloody lead singer). At Santo’s Party House, Andrew WK’s mixed blessing, they require $8000 at the bar in order for outside booking to come play. Ed and Andy offered me a chance to play out before I left, ya know, just for fun. To the Chief boys, The Bodega is our space, and if you or I think we can throw a great party, they think so too.
Ed and Andy told me they didn’t have a grand vision necessarily, but just wanted to continue the success of their projects (Chief Mag, The Bodega, Chief Records) and see their musician friends garner the success they deserve. But if everything truly works out, the Chief boys have something unprecedented on their hands. With the excpetion of Fader’s rising FADERlabel, there is no other triad of business force like what they have begun.
With plans to have arts installations, a liquor license, and a fully operational basement space, The Bodega is most certainly here to stay. Perhaps next in line should be the Chief Rail, transporting the young and the restless from the Island and to the BK. But no matter, The Bodega location is almost like a filter, as only the dedicated and truly restless (passionate) come to witness what they’ve been itching for here in New York for a long time.
Friday night will mark the 2nd “Night of the Jams” since I’ve been here. DJ Tameil of the infamous Unruly Records. Unruly Records, for those who don’t know or are too lazy to click the aforementioned link, is the very first Baltimore Club label, started by Scottie B and Shawn Caesar. Other notable Bodega artists include, Chief Record’s family Ninjasonik, Japanther, Juiceboxxx, The Death Set, Danger, Spitzer, and The So So Glos.
On Friday night, the evening of Night of the Jams, take a moment in your “face-down-ass-up,” to look around the Bodega walls and around the room at those in attendance. Most likely you’ll see Ed and Andy, beers in fist, smiling and laughing at what they created, still in disbelief, but having the time of their lives for the 4th time that week.
This Sunday marked the first ever Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival, hosted by Street Attack, Famous Friends, andImpose Magazine. Covering local Brooklyn artists for some time now, Impose Magazine has come to be an important fixture in the Brooklyn community, and a trustworthy source for pithy coverage of the musical oasis that can be the Brooklyn neighborhood. Street Attack and Famous Friends, the primary hosts for this year’s BEMF, are an innovative and resourceful duo that pull all stops. So when the poster went up for BEMF recently, it should be no surprise that the list of sponsors ranged from Miller Lite to the Izze Beverage Co. Even less of a surprise though was the quality of electronic artists and DJs they culled to headline their very first electronic music festival.
Arriving in the late afternoon, just as the sun was letting up on a crowd of Sparks ignited Brooklynites, I felt what was a strong community of music supporters, friends artists, and the usual blog-league members making sure Ableton mixtapes sounded just as good live. Luckily for those drunk enough by the time Cobra Krames went on, it didn’t matter, as his blend of Blatimore Club and party mash-ups were perfectly crowd pleasing and genre-bending. Stringing together Top 40 Rap and Pop hits with his flavor of B-more stomp, I was surprised not to hear a Journey mash-up amongst his arsenal.
Following Cobra was The Glass, one of the live acts present that day. With their blend of slightly sweet electro-pop, they sung the kind of late-night drunken ballads you might associate with a group of Daft Punk loyalists, suffering from a night of blissed out synths. Unfortunately for The Glass, they spent too much time at the Sparks tent and not enough time at the Izze tent, and relied too heavily on their friends to hype their boozed-down set. Luckily Finger on the Pulse, DJ and producer of The Glass supplied a quick-set of Armand Van Helden remixes to give us a good taste in our mouths beforehand.
For BEMF attendees that day, Purple Crush was clearly a significant draw, and I too was excited to see fellow Islander (Bainbridge Island, Washington) Isla Cheadle and her beatman Jared Selter get freaky on stage in Neon and Nikes. Definitely a highlight of the evening, Isla brought the party, bar none, and got little girls to shake their money makers in feminine glory. Pairing slightly maligned synth-pop and chugging Madonna-disco, Isla rapped, sang, and hyped with a natural frontman femininity that won over the headier skeptics like myself. With tunes like “Fuck the DJ” and “Marry Me,” Purple Crush’s first album “Blog Party” is a must-grab in a sea of uninspired Justice-fallout.
After Purple Crush and after a French-house heavy set from Treasure Fingers, who by virtue of market forces or purely bass-blown ear drums, has been invited to join the ranks of the Fools Gold family, a tour de force in dance music’s finest. One third of Evol Intent, perhaps the State’s best and last contribution to Drum n’ Bass, Treasure Fingers had the presence of your classic UK DJ/producer: techy, cerebral, and an invisible hand on the feet of the crowd. And Treasure Fingers could have just pressed play and returned to the beer garden because his flawless set of ethereal electro had some long-time fans and a drunk-happy crowd brought to their knees that Summer evening at The Yard.
Best and last for me was Todosantos, the Venezuelan trio of young hearts, making the only progressive music that was played that day. Drawing on their love for the music of their hometown (Cumbia, Soca, Reggaeton), as well as the reverberations from abroad (Speed Garage, Baile Funk, Miami Bass, Bassline), Todosantos represents what M.I.A. could only start, and what people like Pharaoh (Todosantos producer), Mariana (Todosantos video editor), and their lead singer (?) are calling “Tukky Bass.” On the wave of their hit song and EP “Acid Girlzzz,” Todosantos brought on the warm-darkness of the night with a rip roaring set of colorful video editing from Mariana and a fiery collection of bass heaviness from Pharaoh. A part from their sing-along set of quick one-liners and hollers, they actually seemed in love with what they were doing.
With a diverse collection of musicians and extremely-well hosted party in a beautiful space, Impose’s first Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival has no doubt set the tone for an upcoming year of exciting music from the electronic sounds of the world. More than ever we’re seeing the synthesis of all things musical, and Impose, much like other music-forward artists and critics, see this synthesis as the great calling to unite under Summer sun, fueled by warm, thick beats and the nutrients of corporate money, an increasingly smart trick to support the arts. And stay posted with Impose Magazine as they post pictures of buckwild hipsters gettin’ down in the sun.
CHROMEO Fancy Footwork Contest!! The End, London, U.K.
To enter, send an email to
SPANKROCK@
TRASHMENAGERIE.COM
In the SUBJECT line of your email, list the CITY you want to enter to win, in the BODY, your NAME. One entry per person, per city - New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Seattle
To enter, send an email to
SPANKROCK@
TRASHMENAGERIE.COM
In the SUBJECT line of your email, list the CITY you want to enter to win, in the BODY, your NAME. One entry per person, per city - New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Seattle
