Miami & The Beaches Photo Blog

Artist: Vitalic

Genres: Techno, Electro

After Guy Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter changed the face of French House music, nay, dance music as a whole, but before compatriots Gaspard Auge and Xavier de Rosnay served as the second coming, there was one man–Pascal Arbez, who took the styles from each, and merged them into a ferocious electro beast. That beast is Vitalic.

Arbez is no flash-in-the-pan Francophone wonder; he’s been producing tracks since way back when his countrymen dropped Homework. Under the aliases Dima and Huster Pornstar (the latter leading one to believe his obscurity on this side of the Atlantic must’ve been purely intentional,) Arbez was widely heard on European dance floors thanks in large part to his 2001 Poney EP, which brought him within the ranks of the International Deejay Gigolos. No, they’re not a seedy adult entertainment outfit; they’re only Germany’s most successful electronic record label, boasting artists like Miss Kittin, The Hacker, Tiga, and Fischerspooner. Off of the strength of Poney, Arbez would eventually put together and release his full length debut album, 2005’s OK Cowboy, which coincidentally is the same year he would remix Daft Punk’s “Technologic.”

OK Cowboy starts off like a child’s nightmare about clowns come to life with “Polkamatic.” “Poney Part 1” follows, then there’s “My Friend Dario.” If there were ever a song that exemplified all the metalheads who somehow found their way from distorted guitars on 11 and blood curdling screams on 12, to a far more reserved jockey in front of the ones and twos, Dario is that song. “La Rock 01” comes right after, incase you missed the point I just made about Dario. My personal favorite, “The Past,” feels as if it could’ve come last on the album, but suits itself at number six just as well.

If you played Cross ‘till your iPod battery had to be replaced, OK Cowboy is the record you should’ve bought two years prior.

Discography

Poney EP (2001)

OK Cowboy (2005)

V Live (2007)

Flashmob (2009)

What to do with the thousands upon thousands of songs that move through your web browser & mp3 player? A new website called Twones seeks to consolidate not just the music library on your computer, but your music activity online as well. The site ties together your every musical fancy from, as of current, twenty one different sites, including The Hype Machine, Last.fm, YouTube, and MySpace.

As described on their about page, the growing number of music sites out there is great for listeners as far as discovering new music, but “the diversity and sheer volume is simply too overwhelming to keep track (of).” My sentiments exactly–not just about aggregate music sites, but music in general nowadays. With a countless number of songs and almost as many niche genres and sub-genres to pine through, who has the time? Seriously, there’s more than enough sub-sub genres, one band genres even, to waste the waking hours of the next six weeks going through. Thanks, but I’ll have to draw the line at post-proto-dance-punk-death-wave.

Twones, still in its pre-beta stage, is invite-only at the moment, but if all goes well, it can become both the key to finding that one song you heard on a foreign radio station and the end all answer for those of us who sit up half the night compiling playlists for someone who’ll ultimately never hear it cause they’ve long since moved on to your best friend…the latter’s being the worst case scenario (Have you learned nothing from the last person to scoff at your pain-staking discovery of a mid 60s ballad on Italian Import produced in an insane asylum?) G’wan- get your mopey self together, and get ready to enjoy what iTunes ‘Genius’ and Pandora aspired to be.

“Carrying (the) little bitty weight” of chart topping singles and big name collaborations, Scottish hitmaker Adam Richard Wiles, better known as Calvin Harris, is keen for another round of “Merrymaking.” Performing and producing full-time has it’s drawbacks though; partying at all times during the week may not be as viable as it once was.

Well, there’s always the Weekend.

Since his Cinderella-like discovery through MySpace, Harris has gone from supermarket stock boy to being a fixture in the electronic music scene. Though it may be too soon to call the twenty-five year old a shot-caller amongst some of the better known producers out there, he’s certainly got the Midas touch as far as dance-floor material is concerned. Harris also seems to know his way around another artist’s hook as well, having won this year’s remix award from The Music Producers Guild.

Unless you’ve been under some sketchy looking “Neon Rocks” for the past decade, what’s “Acceptable in the 80s” is all the talk ‘round the water cooler and shared bathroom stalls. Eye-rolling attempts at irony aside, Harris’ efforts have landed him tracks with the likes of Kylie Minogue and Dizzee Rascal. Exciting as it may be, this all must feel overwhelming to have accomplished at such a young age (Rascal’s year on Harris notwithstanding.) Let’s take a moment to envision what it must be like in his shoes nowadays- the pressure from “The Industry,” the “Traffic Cops” and of course, it’s a safe bet that he has quite a hard time peeling off all of “The Girls” who throw themselves at him. No wonder he’s relegated the merrymaking to the weekends.

By now you’ve had enough of the strategically placed song titles, but if you can’t get enough of the music you’ve heard, then you might want to check out the new album Ready For The Weekend. Truth be told, if it’s anything like 2007s I created Disco, then chances are you’re not going to hear very much in the way of innovation. It’s fair to say however, that there are far worse turns that Harris can make than just more of the same.

In the right environment, you may find yourself involved in some involuntary body movement, derived from involuntary judgment, wrought from being under the influence, involuntarily of course.

Substance abuse aside, where’s my hug bro?

Ready For The Weekend is out now on Ultra Records.

BK-One of Rhymesayers Entertainment has been the DJ for Brother Ali since 2000 and has toured the world as a renowned beatsmith for the popular MC, but the release of his first solo album, Rádio do Canibal, will propel the DJ into a wider range of recognition. With a release date of October 6th, this collaboration of records collected through extensive tours of South America (namely, Brazil) and working with fellow Twin Cities producer, Benzilla, will be an undertaking well worth the effort.

The title, Rádio do Canibal, comes from Brazilian poet Oswald de Andrade’s “Cannibal Manifesto,” which describes Brazilian culture as the all-encompassing absorption of other cultures. Since the poem was written, Brazilian music has experimented with a variety of worldly influences including reggae, American jazz, soul, and funk, and adapted it to their own styles of bossa nova and samba to create something truly original. Rádio do Canibal is an attempt to capture the spirit of Brazilian culture and music through something original and exciting.

In a move respected by those who follow hip-hop, BK-One has opted to leave the vocal additions on his record to those of professional lyricists and avoid the embarrassment of his record being tossed aside due to sub-par lyricism. Filling in the “guest MC” spots include the likes of Scarface, Slug (of Atmosphere), Black Thought (of The Roots), Brother Ali, Raekwon (of Wu-Tang Clan), Murs (of Living Legends), Phonte (of Little Brother), Haiku D’ Etat, Blueprint, P.O.S. (of Doomtree), The Grouch (of Living Legends), I Self Devine, Toki Wright, Aby Wolf, and The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. All these collaborators will add to the self-indulging, cultural hodge-podge that follows the theme of the record.

Rhymesayers Entertainment has a reputation for releasing some of the best music that flies under the radar, so don’t sleep on this record. Pick up a copy of Rádio do Canibal so that you won’t have to play catch-up with the rest of the world.

The world of hip-hop is mourning the passing of one of its most influential pioneers, DJ Mr. Magic, who passed away from a heart attack last Friday. Mr. Magic, aka John Rivas, was a long-time figurehead on the New York radio scene as well as a member of the highly influential The Juice Crew, whose members included Biz Markie, Roxanne Shante, Marley Marl, and Kool G. Rap.

Mr. Magic got his start in 1979 as the host of WHBI’s “The Mr. Magic Disco Showcase.” In 1983 he launched “Mr. Magic’s Rap Attack” which became the first radio show to exclusively feature rap and hip-hop, which were still in their beginning stages, in the line-up. The “Rap Attack” show was influential in bringing this new musical style to a wider audience as well as spring-boarding the careers of rap artists from every walk of life.

His influence on up-and-coming artists is paid tribute in may songs, including his first shout-out in Whodini’s 1982 tribute, “Magic’s Wand,” Nas’s 1992 debut Halftime where he mentions, “I miss Mr. Magic,” and a 1994 reference by Notorious B.I.G on “Juicy” where reveals his early influences; “Every Saturday – Rap Attack – Mr. Magic, Marley Marl.” Mr. Magic also had a spot of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City as the DJ of the fictitious radio station “Wildstyle Pirate Radio,” where he plays himself.

Although his influence on the development on mainstream rap and hip-hop is evident through lyrical references, his association with members of The Juice Crew led to one of the first major “beefs” in rap history. When fellow Juice member MC Shan released his track, “The Bridge,” depicting the rise of hip-hop in Brooklyn, the Bronx-based Boogie Down Productions misheard the lyrics to say that hip-hop’s origins came from Brooklyn even though MC Shan admitted, “Everybody knows hip-hop was started in the Bronx.” Boogie Down Productions retaliated with “South Bronx” which called out the claims of MC Shan and The Juice Crew, sparking what would be known as “The Bridge Wars.” The real origin of the beef can be traced back to Mr. Magic’s refusal to play an early Boogie Down single on his radio show and an on-air diss of the group as “wack.”

Whether he was influential, controversial, or a little bit of both, the world has lost of the greatest pioneers of hip-hop and the culture surrounding it. Mr. Magic had one of the most diverse audiences for a musical genre that was only expected to last a few years, and he was one of the key factors in determining its success. He will be missed.

In a display of their political hammer-strength, the Chinese government has banned all 14 foreign acts from the Modern Sky Festival due to “unforeseen circumstances.” The festival, which has featured a variety of foreign groups since its first concert in 2007, will now only feature local artists from Beijing and the surrounding provinces. The announcement comes only a few days before the start of the festival.

Promoters had hyped the festivities by claiming that, “at least half of the bands on the main stage will be foreign.” The International Noise Conspiracy, The Buzzcocks, and The Futureheads are among some of the bands that have been cut from the headlining roster. The now “locals only” festival coincides with the 60th anniversary of the Communist regime in China, where a parade has been planned for government officials only and features a series of tanks rolling down the streets of the capital.

This has become a growing pattern for the Chinese government, which has been cracking down on foreign music within the past few years. Earlier this year, they had banned the British band, Oasis, from performing live in China due to Noel Gallagher’s participation in a 1997 Free Tibet concert. After Bjork voiced support for a free Tibet during a show in China last year, the Government announced that it would be taking drastic steps to control the influence of foreign music in China.

In one of its most controversial moves against foreign influences, China executed a nationwide ban on all music from the iTunes store, last year. This was due to the “Songs for Tibet” support album that was released during the Olympics. The government later lifted the ban, but began regulating the sale of all foreign music by requiring government permission from all parties wishing to sell music in China. The “Songs for Tibet” album is still unavailable on iTunes in China.

If Rock and Roll High School wasn’t enough to make you turn in your baggy pants for a pair of skin-tight, crotch-cradling jeans, then the new Ramones movie will put a noticeable bulge in your Levi’s. The new biopic from Fox Searchlight, the company that brought you Napoleon Dynamite and Juno, will be based on the upcoming book I Slept With Joey Ramone, written by the brother to the punk-rock frontman, Mickey Leigh, and legendary music journalist Legs McNeil.

Rumors of a new Ramones movie have been circulating through the entertainment industry since the book’s film rights were bought by producer Rory Rosegarten, who is noted as the former executive producer for “Everybody Loves Raymond.” Rosegarten also bought the rights to use music from The Ramone’s catalog from Charlotte Lesher, Joey Ramone’s mother and executer to his estate.

The biopic will chronicle the “professional” careers of The Ramones by examining the non-related band members Joey, Johnny, Tommy and Dee Dee (along with later band mate replacements C.J., Marky, and Richie). Although they were featured in End of the Century, a 2004 documentary about their lives and contributions to modern music, the new biopic will reveal unknown details about their musical influence as well as off-stage drama that tore the band apart. Topics such as personal fights between Joey and guitarist Johnny, Dee Dee’s long struggle with drug addiction, and Joey’s battles with obsessive compulsive disorder will all be explored in the new movie.

Whether you are a fan of the fast-paced, hyperactive, bubble-gum pop music (a comment on The Ramones that was once uttered by Joey, himself), or think that it’s nothing but noise, there is no denying the effect that The Ramones have had on music since they came on the scene. Two of the most well-known punk bands, The Clash and The Sex Pistols, as well as the world renowned pop group U2, all cite The Ramones as one of their greatest musical influences; a tremendous achievement for four lower-class, leather-jacket-wearing boys from Queens.

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Air Love 2

The Ams The Release Of An American Soul

Backstreet Boys This is Us

Lou Barlow Goodnight Unknown

blessthefall Witness

Built To Spill There Is No Enemy

Brandi Carlile Give Up The Ghost

Roseanne Cash The
List

Cheap Girls My Roaring 20’s

Vic Chesnutt Skitter On Take Off

The Cinematics Love And Terror

The Clientele Bonfires On The Heath

Darrin James Band The Lovely Ugly Truth

Mike Doughty Sad Man Happy Man

Everclear In A Different Light

The Fall Of Troy In The Unlikely Event

Lita Ford Wicked Wonderland

Matthew Good Vancouver

The Gossip Music For Men

Calvin Harris Ready For The Weekend

The Happy Hollows Spells

Headlights Wildlife

Horse The Band Desperate Living

Etienne Jaumet Night Music

Daniel Johnstonavettbrothers/iandloveandyou Is And
Always Was

Toby Keith American Ride

Kiss Sonic Boom [Walmart/Sam's Club exclusive]

Lake Let’s Build A Roof

Blake Lewis [American Idol runner-up]Heartbreak On
Vinyl

Lights The Listening  [Canada release: Sep 22]

Lotus Feather On Wood [EP]

Lotus Oil On Glass [EP]

Mayday Parade Anywhere But Here

The Mountain Goats The Life of the World to Come

Music Go Music Expressions

Meshell Ndegeocello Devil’s Halo

Mr. Hudson Straight No Chaser

No Age Losing Feeling [EP]

Noah And The Whale The First Day Of Spring

Orenda Fink Ask The Night

Joe Perry Have Guitar, Will Travel

A Place To Bury Strangers Exploding Head

The Raveonettes In And Out Of Control

Simple Minds Graffiti Soul

Steel Panther Feel The Steel

Switchfoot Hello Hurricane

DJ Tiesto Kaleidoscope

Tokio Hotel Humanoid

BeBe & CeCe Winans Still

The xx xx

Jason Yates Jason Yates

Mayer Hawthorne
Genre: Soul
Website: www.myspace.com/mayerhawthorne

“I think Mayer is the only artist in the history of the label that I’ve signed after hearing only two songs. Sometimes, you just know it’s the right thing to do.” -Peanut Butter Wolf

When Mayer Hawthorne was introduced to Stones Throw records label head Peanut Butter Wolf, the veteran hip-hop producer couldn’t understand what this clean-cut, white boy from Ann Arbor, Michigan, was trying to sell him. The demo songs that Hawthorne played for the label head sounded like something from a smoky, noir-erotic film from the late 60s. Wolf recalls, “I asked him if they were old songs that he did re-edits of – I couldn’t believe they were new songs and that he played all the instruments.”

Hawthorne derives his musical inspiration from driving with his father and tuning the radio to the soul and jazz stations that encompass the rich musical history that originated in Detroit. He took comfort in the soft, yet powerful, sounds of Isaac Hayes, Leroy Hutson, Mike Terry, and Barry White, but found his greatest influence in the music of Smokey Robinson, Curtis Mayfield, and the songwriting of Holland-Dozier-Holland, one of the greatest songwriting teams in popular music.

Creating truly original sounds within a long-established genre is no easy task, and Mayer Hawthorne has brought a remarkably contemporary feel to “retro” musical style. His passionate lyrics about love and life are sung with enough emotion to make you want to simultaneously throw your hands up to the sky in empowering exaltation and also curl into the fetal position while crying your woes away. The music accompanying the vocals is exquisitely performed and makes one wonder, as Wolf had, if these are tracks from the genre’s heyday or something completely original, which they are.

Not only is Hawthorne a master at his craft, but he is also a master at performing songs from other genres in his unique soul-style. For proof of this claim, check out this short artist bio followed by a live cover of MIA’s “Paper Planes” performed at the Barrelhouse in San Francisco.

Discography:

Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out/When I Said Goodbye 7″ single (2008)

Maybe So, Maybe No/I Wish It Would Rain 12″ single (2009)

A Few Tracks CD Promo (2009)

A Strange Arrangement CD/LP (2009)

James Mercer has been doing plenty of house cleaning with his indie band, The Shins, by replacing the bassist and drummer for “aesthetic reasons,” but it is his upcoming collaboration with producer extraordinaire, Danger Mouse, that has the music industry on pins and needles. Danger Mouse, real name Brian Burton, first met Mercer backstage at Denmark’s Roskilde festival in 2004 and “wanted to do something with James, no matter what.” After years of numerous projects and separate album releases, the duo have finally come together to work on their newest venture, “Broken Bells,” which, as of yet, is only a proposed nom de plume despite a new website featuring the aforementioned band name.

This is how Mercer and Mouse are treating this partnership, as a full-fledged band and not merely a Shins album produced by Danger Mouse. They are going to be playing music side by side, taking on each instrument that they want to put into every song. Mouse is even said to be putting his expert sampling ability aside in order to physically play each song for the record. This approach is also letting Mercer expand his vocal range allowing him to rise to soulful falsettos and drop to low-register melodies that are unlike anything he sang for the previous Shins’ albums.

Not only is this collaboration unlike anything the two have ever done before, but it will not be a one-time, flash in the pan, musical experiment. The duo will be releasing their first album in spring of 2010 and promise that more albums will follow.

Mercer and Mouse have worked together before on the Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse album Dark Night of the Soul teaming with film director David Lynch. The album was highly anticipated but was delayed by legal issues and was never publically released. Danger Mouse is most noted as half of the musical dynamo, Gnarles Barkley, with Cee-lo Green of Goodie Mob. He also produced the Gorillaz album, Demon Days, and was first recognized for the release of The Grey Album, which is a mash-up of Jay-Z’s The Black Album and the Beatles’ The White Album.

The highly anticipated “Fame Kills” tour featuring Kanye West and Lady Gaga has been cancelled. Live Nation, who had been promoting the tour, have provided refunds to all ticket sales and have offered no explanation as to why the tour has been dumped before it had even begun. People are already speculating as to why the tour was called off so early and sources at TMZ have already claimed that the tour was called off due to ticket presale totals that “sucked.” TMZ even went so far as to say that, “’sucked’ happens to be a nicer version of the word we were told.”

The massive slump in ticket sales for such a prestigious tour seems difficult to comprehend, even with the events at last month’s MTV VMA awards when West stormed the stage during Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech and then apologized multiple times after the fact. This wasn’t the first “dick move” by the narcissistic pop star and his previous actions didn’t hurt the ticket sales of his “Glow in the Dark” tour, which sold out in spite of his previous outbursts. Lady Gaga is also rising swiftly up the ranks of pop superstardom. Her concerts are regularly sold out and she, herself, took home 3 VMA Moonmen after being nominated in nine categories.

But when West took the microphone from Swift, many thought that he had finally gone too far. Not that his misplaced enthusiasm was so deplorable that he should have a pair of those shutter-shades shoved down his throat (although some celebrities have said otherwise), but this was just another instance to check off on the “Reasons to Dislike Kanye West” checklist. Personally, I think that you only have to look at his mediocre rapping talent to form an opinion about how much credit he deserves, but radio stations in Florida and California have banned West’s music from their broadcasts due to his actions.

With so much public outcry and the cancellation of a major tour, are fans of pop music finally starting to scrutinize these over-hyped stars they are expected to fawn over? One can only hope.

Lucy Vodden- a name unknown to most, but known through her connection to one of pop music’s most famous and perhaps mistakenly controversial songs has passed away after a long standing battle with lupus.

Vodden became the inspiration for The Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” though the inspiration wasn’t from what most believe it to be.

Anyone who’s heard the song is inclined, through an interpretation of the lyrics, the law-bending recreational activities of friends, or merely through hearsay, that “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” is an acronym for LSD. According to John Lennon, who regularly denied the reference, the inspiration from the song came not through images of narcotic induced hallucinations, but instead from an actual image.

A drawing was given to him one day by his then four year-old son Julian, of whom Lucy was a fellow classmate. Julian was said to have described it using what would become the song title. Whether it was a schoolboy crush, or just wayward imagination and innocence, the drawing and its subsequent metamorphosis into the song would play a part in the production of the seminal 1967 Beatles album Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.

In 2004, decades after Sgt. Pepper & John Lennon’s death, fellow Beatle Sir Paul McCartney stated in an interview that the song in fact was inspired by LSD. Truth or fiction, it was enough to have the song banned by the BBC shortly after it was released.

There’s little debate that The Beatles, among a number of other well known bands at the time, did their fair share of experimenting- but does it really make a difference where the song came from? Would you feel that it takes away from the quality in the instance it may have been inspired through one form of influence or another?

If so, I think it’s best for me to let the late great comedian Bill Hicks set you straight.

Lucy Vodden was 46.