Ben Lapps playing Going to California via YouTube

Most music fans are sensible enough to know that it is not realistic to expect artists to stand pat on their own musicianship. We know that our first experience of an artist, that first rush of discovery, will rarely be duplicated by the same artist in the same way later in their career. Artists want to develop and “grow” and so they move on and away from the psychic spot they hold in the fans’ lizard brain. So it’s with some regret (but no real surprise) that we see Ben, recorded some years later, turning into a serious wanker. The technique is still amazing, but the delight has evaporated:

Ben Lapps – The Perc U Lator (Eric Roche) via YouTube

People’s Champion: Behind the Battle from Trent Babbington on Vimeo.

Fascinating doc about the “Eli vs Envy” rap battle which blew up in 2008. “I’m the best, mayne. I deeeeiid it”

Long pause

Long pause

From the blub:
“Nine Types of Light is as much an album as it is a movie by TV on the Radio. The movie is meant to be a visual re-imagining of the record, and includes a music video for every song on the album. The band personally asked their friends and the filmmakers they admired to help direct the music videos. Tunde Adebimpe, the director for the full Nine Types of Light movie, storybooked the music videos together with interviews from local New Yorkers on various topics, including dreams, love, fame and the future.”

Listening to the advance notice on the CD from the Guardian Music podcast it seemed to me (Mark) that this CD was definitely worth exploring. Their last was too clever for me, but the “poppier” feel to this one was making me sit up and notice”

Rusko’s new “single” arrived digitally today. While he has been in LA for almost two years now, some prominent members of the dubstep scene have been throwing no so well disguised darts at him, accusing him of foisting “brostep” on us. With this single’s A-side “Everyday”, he continues the move towards the summer festival and the girls which he began with Hold On. It’s almost clinical how this one makes you put your hands in the air and feel the sun on your neck. The single version included above is almost so basic that you can imagine it being used mostly as a transition track in mixes, rather than a destination track. I can even hear the first synth break in a Van Helden or Tiesto set. The rest of the track is so basic as to rely entirely on the bass, which “Hold On” did not do. This makes me feel even more that it is intended for the festival season and the sub-bass setups which can handle the power needed better that the earbuds most folks are using these days.

Other versions of the track, especially Netsky mix, show that it is also going to be a good bed for remixes of many stripes.

Everyday (Netsky Remix) by Rusko

But the The B-side, “Lick the Lizard”, is close to his roots, with wobble and aggro staying just this side of “brostep”. It’s a collabo with Reso

Rusko & Reso – Lick The Lizard from Mad Decent on Vimeo

Rainbow Noise Entertainment is a lesbian owned record label specializing in LGBTQ music artist with an independent name and mainstream appeal; But it doesn’t stop there… We are also committed to representing LGBTQ dancers, models, comedians, and entertainers with something to be proud of.

In french, with subtitles. Hearteningly, one kid figures out turntableism right quick in a hurry…

Jamie Woon collaborated with Burial on parts of this record. One critic thinks that it is “late-night-bus soul”. That’s facile but true. Full LP due in 2011, looking forward to it.

Here’s another fun one from the recent stirrings: