Archive for the ‘Pinboard’ Category

STEVE MORE LAUNCHES INTERFACE

Posted by Steve

Interface is the name of an online exhibition featuring 18 new works from artist Steve More. It’s Steve’s first solo show following the success of his collaborative exhibition ‘A’, alongside fellow Agent of Change member Remi/Rough, which Brainer was privileged to go behind the scenes earlier this year.

Bold and unique in the presentation and environment of his show, Steve opts to swap the traditional gallery space for the unusual setting of a condemned World War II building, accessed from the comfort of viewer’s very own desktop.  A move which not only highlights Steve’s new body of work but simultaneously allows the setting to become an integral part of the ‘Interface’ experience acting as a virtual installation to be explored and studied as you would the pieces of art.

As outlined in the press release Steve approach to ‘Interface’ combines

“both traditional and new technology, More set out to push the boundaries of how we observe art in the modern age. He also likens the shows illusory sense of familiarity, to the experiences many of us encounter while using social media.”

In the age of technology we currently live in, More’s ‘Interface’ is a perfect fit. It raises questions on how we will continue to receive and engage with modern art in the future, whilst offering a unique and memorable experience that can be shared and revisited digitally at the user’s own convenience.

‘Interface’ can be visited here, take a look around and let us know your thoughts.

stevemore.net

BEATS, RHYMES AND LIFE

Posted by ianbrainer

Soundcrash and Doctor’s Orders are putting on a showing of Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest in late November, hot on the heels of the UK premiere at the Leeds International Film Festival. Directed by well-known actor and hip-hop fan Michael Rapaport, the award winning film documents the highs and lows of one of the world’s most iconic hip-hop groups – taking in interviews from heavyweights like ?uestlove, De La Soul, Ghostface Killah, Pharrell Williams (as well as the Tribe itself) and featuring an original soundtrack by Stones Throw’s Madlib. Sounds good, right?

The first night at Koko sold out already, but a new date has been announced for November 22nd at Cargo – if you’re a fan of hip-hop, you’d be crazy to miss out. The screening will be followed by a set from Phife Dawg (no Q-Tip sadly), and tickets are £15.50. Buy them here.

10 YEARS OF LEX RECORDS

Posted by ianbrainer

 

As some of you might already know, Lex Records – the label that has brought us idiosyncratic, left-field releases from the likes of DOOM, Jneiro Jarel and Neon Neon –  celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, the London label is releasing ‘Complex’ – a forthcoming compilation featuring 10 exclusive tracks from friends and fam of the label.

Artists on the compilation include Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood, Boom Bip, Doseone, Fog’s Crook&Flail, DOOM, Neon Neon, Jneiro Jarel and more. Rather than release the compilation as a whole, Lex will be making a song from the record digitally available each week, starting soon and running until mid-January next year. Keep your eyes peeled for more info.

DOOM will also be getting in on the Lex10 celebrations by embarking on a UK tour this month, and he’ll be joined by special guest Ghostface Killah for the London leg at the Roundhouse. Despite previous accounts of Metal Face not performing well live, the man tore the Roundhouse apart when I caught him last year. To have Starks join him on stage will be mind blowing, have no doubt. And, having spoken to Rob from Soundcrash (who are putting the show on), the sound will be crisp.

The show is going down Saturday 5th November, and you can buy tickets here (starting at £25.50). For those not in London, the rest of DOOM’s dates are below (minus Ghostface).

Thu, 3rd Nov – The Arches, Glasgow
Fri, 4th – HMV Ritz, Manchester
Sat, 5th – Roundhouse, London (with Ghostface Killah
Mon, 7th – O2 Academy, Leeds
Thu, 10th – O2 Academy, Oxford
Fri, 11th – The Forum, Hatfield
Tue, 15th – Motion, Bristol
Wed, 16th – O2 Academy, Birmingham
Fri, 18th – Concorde 2, Brighton

For an informative timeline of Lex and its goings on over the last 10 years, click here.

IN PICTURES: FLYING LOTUS + ANTIVJ AT THE ROUNDHOUSE

Posted by Fabrice

If you haven’t caught a Kutmah set before, be aware that before his unprovoked and unfortunate deportation, he was widely regarded as a pillar in the L.A. scene. The only way to understand how, is to make the most of the opportunity of having him now living and playing with us in the U.K and Europe. Following the grand feat of keeping the vast Roundhouse warm, Martyn also brought a wealth of experience and variety of flavours from his new album, leaving the air positively tense as the crowd only had to wait a little longer for Steve ‘Flying Lotus’ Ellison to take the stage.

In true Lotus fashion, within minutes the 3000 deep Roundhouse was in full stomp and swing. Easily blasting through the few technical difficulties encountered by the visual crew, Mr. Ellison elevated the room into perfect chaos with the usual manner of deranged beats and playful humour (in the form of the now infamous FlyLo Rap). He left the vast room heaving to ‘Paint It Black’ by the Stones, and then returned to the stage with a smile and a humble message of gratitude.

If you got really lucky, you would have even got to relive the highlights at the after party, ending with a bumping 3am hip-hop-centric FlyLo set – until we were all told to go home. It’s hard to not appreciate that in our day and age we already have the ‘could be’ pillars of tomorrow. Brainfeeder fam, we salute you.

Words and photos: Fabrice Bourgelle

Z-TRIP + BEASTIE BOYS = WIN

Posted by ianbrainer

Get your week off to a good start and listen to/download this killer mix from Cali DJ and producer Z-Trip. Comprising some utter gems from the Beastie’s extensive back catalogue, it’s a bit of an oldie (released in July this year), but most definitely a goldie. No-one blends a mix together like Z-Trip.

Trip says:

I was stoked and humbled when asked to do this mix. I’ve been a fan of The Beasties since I first heard Mr Magic interview them on WBLS in NY. I included some of my favorites as well as stuff off the new album. All remixed. 

It’s a Trip, it’s gotta funky beat, and you can bug out to it. 

Factoid #1 – This is a real Beasties, Z-Trip fan. 

Factoid #2- Z-Trip uses a bit of the WBLS show he first heard the Beasties on in the megamix. 

Factoid #3- Z-Trip had the supporting slot on the Beasties/Rage Against The Machine tour in 2000. Then RATM went on hiatus and the tour was canceled. 

Listen, download, and Monday is yours:

For all sorts of free goodness, check out djztrip.com.

THE ROOTS LEAK FIRST SINGLE OFF NEW ALBUM

Posted by ianbrainer

?uestlove and the boys are back with their 13th – yes 13th – studio album. Titled ‘Undun’, the record is set to be released in December. And, if that wasn’t news enough to get you excited, the Philly hip-hop group have leaked the first single to come from the album: ‘Make My’.

Featuring Big K.R.I.T. (who’s been making waves this year with his free ‘Return of 4Eva’ mixtape), the song shows The Roots on mellow form once again, referencing that classic ’70s Stevie Wonder Moog sound and picking up where their last LP ‘How I Got Over’ left off.

Listen to the track:

Are The Roots one of the greatest hip-hop groups of all time? Quite possibly so.

‘Undun’ is out December 6th on Def Jam and will be reviewed at a later date.

FLYING LOTUS HITS THE ROUNDHOUSE FOR A SPECIAL LIVE SHOW

Posted by ianbrainer

Flying Lotus is back on our shores to perform his new, exclusive live show in collaboration with AntiVJ. As you probably already know, FlyLo doesn’t tour too often, and this new live show at London’s Roundhouse on Saturday 22nd October promises to be a special one (of course).

The culmination of months of preparation and planning, Lotus has been working closely with European visual collective AntiVJ, who specialise in pioneering the projection of light – manipulating it in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways. Expect a fully immersive audio-visual experience that will quite possibly melt your brain. In a good way.

The London show is only one of three performances – with the other two taking place in Paris and Los Angeles. So if you can, be sure to catch it.

All the info you need is in the flyer above. Tickets start at £22.50 – click here to get your hands on some.

Here’s a neat video of AntiVJ in action…

Principles of geometry + AntiVJ: a stereoscopic show from AntiVJ / Joanie on Vimeo.

ONRA’S CHINOISERIES PT. 2 IS COMING SOON

Posted by ianbrainer

Paris-based beat maker Onra is back! And this time he returns with the sequel to his epic 2007 ‘Chinoiseries’ album – made completely from beat up Chinese pop records found and bought on his first ever trip to Vietnam (Onra’s father is Vietnamese). His latest record, ‘Long Distance’, was an exercise in sultry, silky snyth play – ‘Chinoiseries Pt 2′ (artwork below) should see the producer return to the ragged raw drummery he’s known for.

For a little snippet, check out the teaser video below.

‘Chinoiseries Pt 2′ is out November 15th through All City, and will be reviewed at a later date.

HELP TOKIMONSTA MAKE HER FIRST MUSIC VIDEO

Posted by ianbrainer

We’ve seen bands appeal to their fans to donate cash (through the likes of Pledge Music) in order to help them raise enough money to record an album. This is a new one though; LA-based beatmaker TOKiMONSTA has hooked up with 14 design students from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA, to create her very first music video.

Laying out their vision for the video, the students have ensured potential pledgers have plenty of information before committing to a donation. The video is conceptually interesting, and from glances at the initial designs and storyboarding, it promises to be visually gorgeous to boot. Like previous pledge systems, there’s a slew of special rewards for those willing to donate their hard earned cash to help the project – the more you donate, the more love/goodies/special content you receive in return.

There’s no mention of the actual song that the video is for, but there’s a possibility it could be ‘Darkest (Dim)’ featuring Gavin, taken from the ‘Creature Dreams’ EP that was released a little while back:

If you feel the urge to help Toki and her crew of design students reach their $3,000 goal, click here. With 19 days to go, they’ve reached an impressive $2,266 from 56 backers – not bad going.

BLOOMING LATE

Posted by ianbrainer

So, I’ve been listening to these cats from LA a lot lately. For those that aren’t familiar with them, Late Bloomers is made up of Ahh:Zel, Nonstop and Really Nathan, and the young trio deal in the kind of hip-hop you can just put on and zone out to. Serious head-nod music laced with a healthy dose of synths.

Signed to Chikaramanga (Giant Panda) and Thes One’s (People Under The Stairs) Tres Records, the Bloomers put out their debut EP ‘Three Shades Brown’ earlier this year in January. Completely produced by the Bloomers and mastered by Daddy Kev of Low End Theory and Alpha Pup, I’m particularly addicted to ‘Never Not Grow’, which samples Erykah Badu’s ‘Cleva’:

I’m hoping that the trio have an album on the horizon soon. Stream ‘Three Shades Brown’ below, and to buy the EP, click here.

losbloomers.com // tresrecords.com