Blame the Business

Original imagery by Todd Lappin.

Love, Love
DJ Shadow
This Time [I'm Gonna Try It My Way]
Island Records (UK) : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Thems My Peoples
Jel
Greenball 3rd
Anticon : 2007
[Listen] [Buy]

Exceeder
Mason
Exceeder [EP]
Sound Division : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Can't Stop
Ozomatli
Don't Mess with the Dragon
Concord Records : 2007
[Listen] [Buy]

Useless Talent #32
Robert Rodriguez & Rose McGowan
Grindhouse: Planet Terror OST
Varese Sarabande : 2007
[Listen] [Buy]

My Radio [Schneider TM Mustang remake]
Solvent
Elevators & Oscillators
Ghostly International : 2005
[Listen] [Buy]

Stele Of Revealing [Carl Taylor Remix]
The Black Dog
Thee Singles
Dust Science : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Got that coffee yet? Yeah, me too. Time for the Friday track goodness.

DJ Shadow - the god, the artist, the "bad motha' fucka' DJ." Dude kinda alienated his biggest fans with 2006's The Outsider - I say that noise too much as it is. That's cool though, follow your path, it wasn't all bad. Lucky for us, B-sides seem to pop up from nowhere, like 'Love, Love' off the 'This Time' single. Honestly, if you didn't read the file tags, there's no way that you'd guess that this is a Shadow track - it's seriously a sweet guitar jam fest - the only thing that really screams Shadow about this track is the drum-beat. It's really well put together and will surely get you slappin' the outside of your car door to the beat. I actually had to take a break from writing this just so I could drum all over my kitchen counter tops.

NEW JEL. Fuck yeah. Anticon's J. Logan gripped my ears hard when I first heard 2001's original Greenball. Almost everything from the man since has made these ears wet. He's got a way with Hip-hop beats that, like older DJ Shadow and RJD2 material, is chock full-o-soul. This man's entire back catalog is worthy of purchase but I highly recommend the first Greenball album as well as 2006's Soft Money. Greenball 3rd, while not as hot as the first, is quite the welcome addition.

Mason is an progressive electro-house DJ/composer from the Netherlands. He's still working on his debut album - but, his track 'Exceeder,' has already been quite the dance floor favorite of some upper echelon DJs for the last few months. I found out about this guy while digging for info on the soundtrack to the upcoming PSP game - Wipeout Pulse - on which 'Exceeder' is rumored to appear. This track would be great for high speed futuristic anti-gravity racing and taking pills on the dance floor alike - hell, aren't they the same thing?

I've seen Ozomatli live three times - each show has concluded as they picked up their instruments (still playing) marched out the door and left marching down the street (again, while still playing). The energy that these guys convey is hard to ignore - but that's what you get when you have a 10-something piece Latin/Hip-hop/Rock group. I can't speak for the entirety of Don't Mess with the Dragon yet - but I'm really digging the first track. What I really want is more collaborations between these guys and J5 [it might help save J5].

Okay, I've been waiting to say this - GRINDHOUSE was absolutely incredible. The gore and effects were disgusting, funny and well done. The action was great [run up a wall, do a back flip and do a double stab into a zombie's chest while landing? Car chases with kiwis holding on for dear life? HELLS YEAH.]. Stylish and fun, indeed. The written reviews have all raved about Tarantino's side of the equation: Death Proof - and that it was the better than Rodriguez's half. I'm sorry, but FUCK THAT. Rodriguez's Planet Terror was by far the twin with the good genes here. Now, I've got quite a wooden affinity when it comes to Zombie flicks - but Planet Terror really pulled it off. I might place it right up there with 28 Days Later or even with some of the best moments that I've had with some of the Resident Evil games. Unlike Death Proof's very-Tarantino-selection of tracks, Rodriguez composed the original soundtrack for his baby. Listening to this at work has been a lot of fun and I've found that I've gone back for double dipping quite often with 'Useless Talent #23' which features Rose McGowan on vocals. At first I thought that Rose might sound like Juliette Lewis' vocals on the Prodigy track 'Spitfire' (which was downright horrible, sorry Mr. Howlett). But, though the vocals are limited, Rose sounds good - and looks even better with a machine gun-peg leg. See this movie, even if you walk out after the (awesome) fake trailers.

"Gleefully blurring the lines between modern techno and vintage techno-pop" (-- The Wire). Solvent is an electro/synth-pop producer currently based in Toronto, Canada - making tunes in a style akin to IDM, chiptune and electroclash - but not quite resting still with any of those labels. If you enjoyed any of the I Am Robot And Proud tracks, then Solvent is a great next step. Today's track isn't average Solvent fare but owes it's sound more to German electronic solo artist Schneider TM with this 'remake.' I love the sound-sample that's used for each note in this track - it sounds like a guitar string breaking, and almost like the Japanese Shamisen. The lyrics tell the common story of impermanence, a story echoed in the sound sample used for each note.

Carl Taylor's remix of The Black Dog's 'Stele of Revealing' transforms the track into a sexy and dark dance floor groove. The Black Dog is an electronic trio which used to be made up in part by the two guys who now call themselves Plaid (another good electronic group riding the edge of IDM). The consistent band member, Ken Downie, now paired with the Martin & Richard Dust are the current Black Dog (and no longer known as Black Dog Productions) pumping out progressive indie-electronic that will surely help you pick up the pace.

And with that I jump back into my business on this Friday the 13th. Oh, and I got my ticket for Daft Punk in August at Keyspan earlier this week - I'm very psyched for that show. As far as immediate psychetude is concerned, I'm amped for Codec's gig tonight [see info 3 posts previous] - JT, Codec and I will be there - I'll be the gentleman with the mustache.

Word. Stay Tuned.
-- Silent K