Wednesday, October 31, 2012

"All You Young Wild Girls You Make a Mess of Me"

And @BrunoMars is back with another teen angst inducing pop anthem. Considering the audience I witnessed at Bruno's concert, I'm sure the lyrics are soaked in truth. It has to be somewhat awe inspiring to hear thousands of tweens screaming their little heads off at you onstage. Now they all have an anthem to be proud of that they can sing word for word with Bruno in concert as the camera pans around the audience.

Aside from being a soon to be chart-topping single on iTunes, it's slated to be the second single off his upcoming Unorthodox Jukebox album due out on December 11th. By my count, he's safely two for two on single choices as both the track below and Locked Out of Heaven hit home with his ballad hungry audience. Maybe Cam Newton should take note because it doesn't look like Bruno is headed for anything close to a sophomore slump...#UNORTHODOXJUKEBOX

Bruno Mars - Young Girls
|iTunes

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

"Getting in From Here to China"

A quick jaunt into electronic flavored British Hip Hop is what I'd describe the track below as. I was a little appalled at myself that I had never posted a @DizzeeRascal track on the blog before, so seeing his name on this blog is long overdue.

The best part of Here 2 China is the collaboration of electronic heavyweights @CalvinHarris and @DILLONFRANCIS. It's not what you'd normally expect, though, as the beat is much more Hip Hop than electronic. Definitely a don't judge a book by it's cover type of track, which is kind of like those white colored mystery flavored dum-dums. Loved those suckers, those were my shit back in the day.

If you feel like copping the track, it's off Calvin's newly released album 18 Months. BBC Music called it a "portfolio of win", which is almost creative enough to implore me to listen...#18Months

Calvin Harris & Dillon Francis - Here 2 China (feat. Dizzee Rascal)

Monday, October 29, 2012

Bone Thugs Join the Celebration

In an attempt to take a page out of @timbaland (Timbaland Thursdays) and @kanyewest's (GOOD Fridays) books, @thegame is taking back Sundays with his #SundayService campaign. Simply put, he's going to release a new track every Sunday until his new album Jesus Piece drops on December 11th. For all of you keeping score at home, that's six Sundays, which means we'll be getting six tracks that probably just missed the cut for the album.

When I first posted the original version of Celebration back in August, I mentioned how odd it was hearing Game cover Bone Thugs and Harmony. All that oddity just completely evaporated with the remix below, which actually features the members of @RealBoneThugs. They may be past their prime, but they haven't lost their quiet intensity on the mic. It comes off sounding like a First of tha Monthremix above all, which took me back to the mid-1990s. Not sure about y'all, but Bone Thugs will always be classic to me...#E99Eternal

Game feat Bone Thugs & Harmony - Celebration (Remix)

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Take an Adventure to Retro City

I think I'm getting closer to the core of why I'm a fan of Dubstep. As you all may have figured out, Hip Hop is where my musical fire started and as a kid growing up I was heavily influenced by DJ Screw and the whole screwed and chopped movement. I think Dubstep is to EDM what screwed and chopped is to Hip Hop for me.

Enter @AdventureDub who does Dubstep about as well as anyone in the game today. They mix fast and slow extraordinarily well on Retro City, mixing breakneck EDM pace and eventually slow it down, but crank it up with some epic drops. One thing I will say, you've gotta be in a party mood to get down to this one. It's pretty "rich" and is packed with volume and energy to the point where it's either a really good or really bad track based on your mood. Right now I'm enjoying it though because it's Sunday and I'm craking it the f word up...#WeekendsWin.

Adventure Club - Retro City (iTunes)

Saturday, October 27, 2012

"See Me Gettin Guap Right Now, See Me Gettin' Guap Right Now"

I think we can all agree that @Drake's presence in Hip Hop has carved a widen niche for Hip Hop in contemporary, radio friendly music. I'm not trying to say that there was no Hip Hop on the radio until Drake, that would just be ignorant and short-sighted. What I'm saying is there's a new style of Hip Hop that is marked by witty lyricism that translates well to radio. It's a conscious shift to toward pop without completely selling out lyrically, does that make sense?

Drake is an interesting comparison to @BigSean because Drake admittedly took part of his style from Big Sean. To me it's ironic that Drake sort of worked to pave the way for Big Sean and now he's beginning to reap the benefits with mainstream success. Success that Big Sean will continue to have with his upcoming album Hall of Fame: Memoirs of a Detroit Player.

Below is the first single off the album due out on December 18th and it features a cameo from @kanyewest and production from @youngchopbeatz and @Key_Wane. It's a fun, "look at me now that I'm famous haters" type track that will have you singing the hook to yourself. In other words, the hook sets itself quite well in your brain and you won't forget it. Every first single's goal is to be memorable and Guap accomplishes it quite well...#Guap

Big Sean - Guap (prod by Young Chop & Key Wane)
|iTunes

Friday, October 26, 2012

Videos of the Week October 26th

A little bit of everything in this week's round of videos, mixing entertainment, music and even a little bit of Dubstep beatbox. Yea you heard it right, @iknowdavecrowe is about as filthy as it gets when it comes to making electro, robotic symphonies. Maybe I haven't been paying attention closely, but I haven't seen many YouTube videos that have 118,000 likes. It's one of those you have to see it to believe it, so if you're at all curious, that's the video you need to watch this week...#NoveltyItem

Pitbull feat TJR - Don't Stop the Party (Video)

Dave Crowe Dubstep Beatboxing Legend

Iron Man 3 Trailer

T.I. - Ball ft. Lil Wayne (Video)

Steve Aoki – Emergency ft Lil Jon & Chiddy Bang (Video)

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Wiz Khalifa is So Turnt Up on Cabin Fever 2

It's becoming an interesting trend that some Hip Hop artists are resorting to releasing high quality non-single tracks on mixtapes prior to their studio album being released. The reason for the trend? The might dollar bill y'all! Yep, with record labels like Atlantic who are pulling back the reins on @RealWizKhalifa's upcoming album O.N.I.F.C. until they milk his potential for all it's worth.

For the record, I don't really don't blame record companies for wanting to maximize their profit. In the end they have the distribution and marketing channels that artists need to sell massive amounts of records. Sure, artists can say I'm going to take my ball and go home, but that's usually about as successful as an NFL contract hold out. Even better, we as listeners benefit from artists releasing free mixtapes that aren't "studio album quality". Really the only people that end up getting screwed in the deal is the artist who has to play the record label's games to make a buck. As an aside, I'm really interested in whether artists like David Banner (2M1 Movement) or comedians like Louis C.K. cutting out the middle man will ever make a tangible effect on the skewed business model of the music industry as a whole.

Anyways, let's land this wild tangent plane. Below is my favorite track off Wiz Khalifa's new Cabin Fever 2 mixtape. It's every bit the booty shaking anthem you'd expect from a Bay Area strip club track. In other words, if you like @Drake's The Motto, you'll really like the new one featuring Three Six Mafia's own @therealjuicyj. Check the video below for a visuals...


O.N.F.I.C. due out in early December...#StayTuned

Wiz Khalifa feat Juicy J - STU (prod by Invasion)
|Mixtape

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

"Breathe Slow and You'll Find Gold Mines in These Lines"

Well...it looks like the cat from Compton is officially out of the bag. In one fell swoop everyone from XXL, to Pitchfork, to Rolling Stone, to Billboard, to The Washington Post to Huffington Post is buying stock in @kendricklamar. Matter of fact, buying stock may have been too flippant, they're in love with Kendrick's studio album debut good kid, m.A.A.d city to the point that it's been unanimously anointed a classic album overnight.

To give some perspective, when I first posted about Kendrick 562 days ago on April 11th, 2011, this is what I said about his first formally released single Hii Power:
With every listen, this track grows on me. I gotta feeling I'm gonna look back on this as the starting line of a well respected lyrical career...#TimeWillTell
Now before you go thinking that was a "me, me, me" moment, hold up a minute and let me explain. The reason I quoted myself was to point out how easy it was to tell that Kendrick possessed a talent that Hip Hop needed. Sure, the Dr. Dre co-sign and Interscope record deal sure made it difficult to ignore him, but any Hip Hop fan who has an appreciation for lyrical depth knew it was only a matter of time before success came knocking.

I'm not at the point yet where I feel comfortable doing a full album review, but I would be remiss if I didn't post his collabo with @drake. To the average person who isn't a big Hip Hop fan, the track below will probably make you yawn. For starters, Drake was upstaged by Kendrick's penchant for storytelling on Poetic Justice. My favorite three bar example from the track summarizes Kendrick's mystique fairly well..
Every time I write these words they become a taboo
Making sure my punctuation curve, every letter is true
Living my life in the margin and that metaphor was proof
He's on the intellectual level of @CrookedIntriago lyrically, he's got a uniquely calm, clear delivery and knack for storytelling comparable to Andre 3000 and he's from the epicenter of gangster rap. It doesn't get any more interesting that than and his music reflects that.

In accordance with every other review out there on the internet, you'd be a fool not to give his new album a listen. Let me put some more gas in the hype machine, most influential Hip Hop album since So Far Gone??? #TimeWillTell

Kendrick Lamar feat Drake - Poetic Justice (prod by Scoop DeVille)
|iTunes

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Reggae Meets Dupstep...
in an Major Way

For starters, there isn't a group in music industry that experiments with their sound more than @majorlazer. Recently they toyed with anything from Hip Hop to smooth Reggae to upbeat Dancehall Pop to radio friendly Pop. Might as well add another to that group as they've now added Reggae Dubstep to their arsenal with Jah No Partial.

If you're like me, you pressed play on the track below already and wondered just how in the hell it all came together. The good news is, Major Lazer put out an interview letting us know how it came to fruition...

A few takeaways from watching that video:
  • @diplo is a musical genius and can probably be blamed for about 75% of Major Lazer's awesomeness. Honorable mention goes to newer ML memebers @jillionaire and @walshyfire.
  • Johnny Osbourne is as legnedary as it gets in Dancehall and everyone would be better off listening to his discography. (The vocals on Jah No Partial are sampled from his original track Mr. Marshall)
  • @Fluxpavilion's name is starting to become synonymous with the word Dubstep, which makes me think I should be familiar with more than Bass Cannon
Major Lazer's new album Major Lazer Frees The Universe was recently delayed and will be released on February 19th rather than November 6th...#freeTheUniverse

Major Lazer feat Flux Pavilion - Jah No Partial (iTunes)

Monday, October 22, 2012

Concert Review: Wolfgang Gartner

It's not everyday that a world renowned electronic artist decides to run their US tour through the relatively small college town of Bloomington, Indiana. Needless to say, there was little hesitation deciding to pay a meager $20 for the ticket and travel less than two miles to see @wolfganggartner at Bluebird Nightclub.

Traditionally when I have done concert reviews, I dedicate at least a paragraph to the opening acts. For starters, I'll give credit to @PierceFulton and @popeskamusic because they did their thing warming up the crowd, but for electronic artists, it's tough for me to tell whether it's their music they're playing or just DJ-ing. I did hear some new EDM that I hadn't heard before, but in general, it was tough for me to judge whether or not they were good or not. Yes, I was entertained, but was it because of them? Can't say for sure...

Anyways, by the time Wolfgang came on, the crowd was pretty lit up off 10 cent beers. Yea, you heard me, one dime for one Coors light...all night. And Wolfgang didn't disappoint one bit. After watching his whole set, I can say with complete confidence that he's every bit as entertaining as other EDM kingpins like @Skrillex and @deadmau5. Sure the venue was much smaller (and more affordable) than the other two bigger names, but he brings energy the whole set and has an underrated discography. I say underrated because I left feeling like I was very out of touch with his best tracks, which was cool on one hand, but a little embarrassing to admit.

Unsurprisingly, my two favorite parts of his set were when he played my two favorite tracks. The first being his new single Redline and his most popular new track with @tiesto, We Own the Night (below)...

You better believe your boy was going HAM for the majority of the show when I sufficiently danced myself clean. There are still a good amount of dates left on the Love & War Tour and in case you missed it, Wolfgang just released a Greatest Hits: Back Story, as well as a new Love and War single. If you need me, I'll be catching up on his Greatest Hits since I clearly missed the boat on most of his favorites...#BetterLateThanNever

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Adele's New Bond Theme Skyfall Dubstep Style

I debated long and hard whether or not to post the original version of @OfficialAdele's new James Bond theme song Skyfall. In the 24/7 cycle of never-ending music releases on the blogosphere, any hesitation to post something generally results in moving on to the next big thing, which is how things get left behind.

Keeping that in mind, when I heard the @ClarkKentSB and @CuddleOscar's Dubstep flavored remix of Adele's new hit, there wasn't any hesitation this time. Sometimes all it takes is a push or small packet of EDM to sweeten up the drink a bit. What I like best about the remix is that it doesn't blow up the original and try to make it something completely different. In a subtle way, it adds to what's already there and while some may call that too simplistic or discount it for not being very different from the original, I've got no problem with it. Sometimes the best design is like the existing design with one important element changed.

In other news, Adele welcomed a baby boy into the world today...#CongratsAdele

Adele - Skyfall (Clark Kent & Oscar Daniel Remix)

Saturday, October 20, 2012

"Bring Your Girls to the Crib Maybe We Can Solve It"

Over the past few months, it seems like @asvpxrocky's stock has steadily been rising as his list of cameos increases. Better yet, his new album seems to be coming to fruition and the latest evidence of that is his lead single below featuring @Drake, @kendricklamar and @2chainz. You better believe the @ovo40 produced, swagger laden track is catchy as hell. To be completely honest, I could have done with and little more Kendrick Lamar and a little less 2 Chainz yelling all over the track.

LongLiveA$AP is slated to drop by the end of 2012. I'll put it this way, my interest has been piqued, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to hearing what he can do in terms of a full length studio album...#ASAPMob

A$AP Rocky feat Drake, Kendrick Lamar & 2 Chainz - F***in Problem (prod by Noah "40" Shebib)

Friday, October 19, 2012

Videos of the Week October 19th

Great mix of vibrant, colorful videos mixed in with a few darker, more serious videos. First reaction to this week's videos should probably be HOLY PINK! That's really all that needs to be said about @NICKIMINAJ and @CassieSuper video for The Boys. It was good to see Ms. Ventura embrace her sexiness in the video, though...#Understatement

Beyond that, there are a whole lot of upbeat ballads ranging from emotional (@BrunoMars), to inspirational (@aliciakeys) to electronic (@CalvinHarris & @flo_tweet) to downright dark (@theweekndxo)...#AlmostHalloween

Nicki Minaj feat Cassie - The Boys (Video)

Bruno Mars - Locked Out of Heaven (Video)

Calvin Harris feat Florence Welch - Sweet Nothing (Video)

Alicia Keys - Girl on Fire (Video)

The Weeknd - Wicked Games (Video)

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Dubstep Sounds Like This

Despite getting caught up in the whirlwind of EDM as a whole and more specifically the Dubstep movement, I'm still finding it a challenge describing the subtleties of Dubstep. Like if someone walked up to me and asked me to describe Dubstep and I had to say more than a form of syncopated form of electronic dance music, I'd be stuck. To me, if it has synthesizers, an upbeat tempo and involves some sort of palpable build up of energy, I'm in.

Shamefully, I'll be the first to admit that I'm behind on @ruskoofficial's discography. I've only recently started to really like his style of Dubstep when I heard Hold On with @Amber_Coffman. I used the word shameful because Rusko's style has been closely related to Hip Hop, most recently with his collaboration with Cypress Hill on their Cypress Hill & Rusko EP. Good news is, Rusko has a new free Kapow EP dropping on November 4th and I'll be all over that when it becomes available...#TeamRusko

Rusko - Like This

Cover Art Image Credit to Tom Mac

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Tiesto Brings Allure to Pair of Dice

What's the perfect hump day remedy to get you over to the good side of the week? Some smooth EDM from @tiesto and @allurelive. It's about as soothing and calm as electronic music gets with the energetic build up that gives way to a flow of harmony.

Assist goes to Beatport's Top 10 on this one. It's like an electronic iTunes or a what's new in EDM. I've said it before and I'll say it again, anytime you're stuck and need something new and upbeat, visit their top 100 and grab something new that catches your eye...#NeverFails

Tiësto & Allure - Pair of Dice (Beatport)

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

New Apple iPod Bounce Commercial Song

Continuing to be a market leader in mp3 player sales as a computer company can't be an easy thing to do. Like many other people I wonder if Apple can continue to push the limits of innovation and design without Steve Jobs. Sure selling over 5 million iPhone 5's in the past month indicates the demand is still there, but what will be different going forward?

To start with, how about a speaker rocking iPod commercial that will get everyone's attention with bright products? If you haven't seen it, check the volume right quick, then hit play...

Not many people know that @itswillymoon released Yeah Yeah back in May, but kudos to Apple for picking out this diamond in the rough. iTunes link below if you want to take it home with you and wake the kids up Apple style...#PumpUptheVolume

Willy Moon - Yeah Yeah
|iTunes

Monday, October 15, 2012

"I Could Take the Pitchfork From
the Devil"

Last Saturday I mentioned the track below by @RZA and the @theblackkeys and since then the song has continued to grow on me. The simplistic, bluesy tone gives a southern rock feel to the headline track for RZA's upcoming movie The Man With the Iron Fists. It's the reverse of the "speak softly but carry a big stick" mantra with the lyrics promising harm through various Kung-Fu tactics if messed with.

It's another example of genre blending as RZA takes to the mic to deliver a Shaolin strike-like verse. The soundtrack is dominated by Hip Hop names including the other Wu-Tang members, @TalibKweli and @PUSHA_T to name a few. Soundtrack drops on October 23rd and my guess is if you're a Wu-Tang fan, you're going to have that date marked on your calendar...#WuDynasty

RZA feat The Black Keys - The Baddest Man Alive

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Videos of the Week Part 2 Oct 14

It just so happens that Friday was the day for video releases, which means a lot of solid, entertaining videos didn't make the usual post deadline for the weekly video post. In an effort to mix it up, why not put up a videos part two of a very eventful week of videos?...especially when the ridiculousness of @SnoopDogg's new Hot Pockets commercial is just too good to pass up. The basic concept of taking his Drop it Like it's Hot track and turning it into "Pocket Like it's Hot" is funny enough, but when you mix in Snoop Lion swag lines like "I just heat it up, to eat it up" and "hungry kids in the crib ma, pocket like it's hot" Not a huge surprise that @AndyMilonakis is at the center of track either because the outlandish idea was somehow his brain child.

Beyond the product placement Hip Hop parody, I really liked @UsherRaymondIV's new video for Numb, @LanaDelRey's new video for Ride and @justinbieber's collabo with @NICKIMINAJ on Beauty and the Beat. Get the popcorn ready for the LDR video, which is more of a short film than typical video...#OldSchoolAmerica
Snoop's Raps About Hot Pockets (Video)

Usher - Numb (Video)

Lana Del Rey - Ride (Video)

Justin Bieber feat Nicki Minaj - Beauty and a Beat (Video)

Sub Focus feat Alpines - Tidal Wave (Video)

Saturday, October 13, 2012

"I'm Talkin' Just Me, You, a Plane and a Pilot"

The buzz this week in Hip Hop has surrounded @RZA's new soundtrack to go with his Qunetin Tarentino directed movie The Man With the Iron Fists. Earlier in the week a track with RZA and @theblackkeys called The Baddest Man Alive surfaced and created some serious waves. From beginning "I can take the pitchfork from the devil", the vibe would seem to set the tone of the movie in a perfect way. I can't speak since the movie isn't out yet, but it's a dark, grungy tune that resonates.

In comparison, @kanyewest's new one below sounds like a pre-College Dropout song. It's devoid of all glitzy production and focuses more on a love story, which is a welcome change up. I'm betting the track was cut from one of his two most recent albums, but it's a nice turn back the clock track that serves as a subtle reminder of Kanye's range of talents.

The Man With the Iron Fists is set for a November 2nd film release, while the Soundtrack will hit stores on Octber 23rd...#TarentinoMoviesWin

Kanye West - White Dress (prod by RZA & Kanye)

Friday, October 12, 2012

Videos of the Week October 12th

Really random set of videos this week ranging from the newest, biggest Hip Hop video from @wale to a well constructed new EDM video to yet another rapper working the ESPN circuit. The two most unique videos have to be @MiguelUnlimited's acoustic rendition of Adorn and the new trailer to Anthony Hopkins new soon to be blockbuster movie about Alfred Hitchcock's life. Two facts make them unique and worth watching: 1) Miguel has a great voice and 2) Anthony Hopkins is a great actor. Really only one word can rightfully describe the range of videos this week...#Random

Wale feat Drake & Rick Ross - Diced Pineapples (Video)

Alesso feat Matthew Koma - Years (Video)

South Park Sessions Miguel Performing Adorn (Acoustic)

Bun-B on ESPN First Take

Hitchcock Movie Trailer

Thursday, October 11, 2012

"Girl I Miss You Like a Deadline"

It's no secret, @JoeBudden frequents many a strip club. It's also not a secret that the group he's a member of (@slaughterhouse) just released a really solid album last month. Keeping those two things in mind, I can think of no better combination of striking while the iron is hot by creating a single that you can listen to in your own habitat.

I'm not one to frequent strip clubs, but I've always had a strange affinity for Hip Hop tracks that encourage females to jiggle their hindquarters. In this case, @ProducerTminus did his part in making the beat as a strip club friendly as possible. Top of the cap to @liltunchi for bringing some A+ wordplay on his verse. Really solid start overall for Joey's new album No Love Lost, which is slated for a December release. I'd be remiss if it didn't note that @Eminem is listed as the executive producer for the album. Should be an interesting creation when all is said and done. For now cop the track below if you so choose...

Joe Budden feat Lil Wayne & Tank - She Don't Put it Down (prod by T-Minus)

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

"Why Does it Feel So Good an Hurt So Bad?"

Despite being a somewhat foreign name to Americans, @ollyofficial is about to become a household name and radio mainstay in the US. You may remember his from his stint on X Factor, but I've been more intrested in his work with one of my favorite Hip Hop artists/writers @ClaudeKelly. With damn near 3 million followers already in tow and a few Hip Hop singles on the way, his US debut Right Place Right Time is on the right track.

In case you missed it, Olly recently put out a single featuring @chiddybang called Heart Skips a Beat. His follow up single below has a @maroon5 sound to it's about as delightfully pop and catchy as you can get for Top 40 radio. My only critique is that it's a little slow for @official_flo's usual pace, which makes his verse sound a little out of place, but I can see how the big name collabo will go a long way towards $ales. Still a solid track that will get gobbled up by the masses as Olly ascends mainstream pop significance in the US...#RightPlaceRightTime

Olly Murs feat Flo-Rida - Troublemaker
|iTunes

Tuesday, October 09, 2012

"O She Bad Bad, O She Bad Bad"

Just when you thought @TheRealEve was going fade to black, she's back...with a vengeance! The best I've got as far as describing her new @ItsJukeBox produced single below is memorable. The heavily accented chanting on the hook is strange, but in a memorable way that has a chance to catch on. One thing that you can't refute is the ferocity that Eve attacks the mic on She Bad Bad.

My guess is this will land on her upcoming Lip Lock album that's slated for a 2013 release. Believe it or not, it will include long lost singles Tambourine and Give it to You as bonus tracks on the album. For all of you keeping track at home, those singles were released five and three years ago, respectively, which sheds light on the fact that Eve hasn't released an album since 2002. That's crazy, but it's good to hear something new from her...#WelcomeBack

Eve - She Bad Bad (prod by Jukebox)
|iTunes

Monday, October 08, 2012

araabMUZIK Takes On Sleigh Bells

I'm not sure how the @araabMUZIK and @sleighbells fall tour came about, but what I do know is we're all better off as a result of them touring together. I've seen Sleigh Bells open for LCD Soundsystem and I can confirm that they are one of the more raucous acts I've seen live. As far as araabMUZIK, his talent speaks for itself and I've tried multiple times to catch him putting on display his wizardry with the MPC.

Touring together is one thing, but araabMUZIK decided to take it a step further by mixing Sleigh Bell's latest single Never Say Die. Maybe it's because I'm a DJ or it could be because I've always had as much admiration for pure instrumentals as I do tracks with vocals. All I know is mixing loud dance-pop with a MPC driven Hip Hop beat is beautiful and something I never thought I'd hear. Genre-bending music is something I'll always be a fan of and this is the poster child for why.

If you're eager for some newness from araab, check out his latest track Runaway Bass. Oh and if you're in the area later this month, I'll see you at the show...#Bluebird


Sunday, October 07, 2012

"I Need to Be Free With You Tonight, I Need Your Love"

With less than a month until @CalvinHarris's new album 18 Months drops on October 29th, his steady stream of hits is showing no sign of letting up. His newest single I Need Your Love features everyone's (including me) favorite up and coming vocalist @elliegoulding. The playful synths, emotional lyrics and soothing pop rhythms hit the spot and serve to create a very likable track.

The coolest thing about the single is that all parties involved were able to share the love on the track. What I mean is it'll also be on Ellie's upcoming album Halcyon that was released earlier this week on October 5th. Maybe it's a combination of two albums coming out within a month, but I can't remember the last time there was agreement by two camps to have a track on multiple albums. Call it proof that we can exist in a world driven by the mighty $$$...#ExceptionToTheRule

Calvin Harris feat Ellie Goulding - I Need Your Love
|iTunes 1|iTunes 2

Saturday, October 06, 2012

"Here's a Toast To My Ladies With Class"

God bless @NeYocompound for his consistency on lyrically uplifting, mid-tempo ballads. What I like most about his style is that he takes your garden variety "toast to the ladies" track and delivers it in such a exultant way that begs the audience to get into it. Taking it one step further, @RealWizKhalifa was a the perfect feature on Don't Make Em Like You. He clearly had Amber fresh on the mind when putting together his verse and the genuine-ness shined through.

Ne-Yo's new R.E.D. Album is due out on November 6th and he's already released three singles off the album I'm really excited about (Lazy Love and Let Me Love You. And yes, he does have a duet with @TheTimMcGraw, which should be worth the price of admission itself...#REDAlbum

Ne-Yo feat Wiz Khalifa - Don't Make Em Like You (prod by Harmony)

Friday, October 05, 2012

Videos of the Week October 5th

Mostly Hip Hop features this week on videos with a little @mattandkim thrown in. I'm still kicking myself for the multiple times I've passed on seeing Matt & Kim on concert and they're getting dangerously close to being put on my concert bucket list with Rage Against the Machine. I enjoyed the refresher from @DONNISMUSIC with his Gimme video. I forgot how much I liked that track.

And who wouldn't want to see @SnoopDogg and @asvpxrocky play virtual soccer? Or even better, Amy Winehouse in action on a @Nas feature? Kind of eerie, but it was cool hearing hew vocals over a Nas track. Anybody else really enjoy the black and white style that @bobatl uses on the majority of his videos? #DesignLove
B.O.B. feat T.I. & Chris Brown - Arena (Video)

Donnis - Gimme (Video)

Matt & Kim Perform Let's Go on Jimmy Fallon

Snoop and A$AP Rocky Square Off in FIFA 13

Nas feat Amy Winehouse - Cherry Wine (Video)

Thursday, October 04, 2012

"I'll Push the Lames Aside, They'll Learn"

All in one day, @ducidni managed to put his lead single Just Who I Am on iTunes and release his second single off Indicud via Soundcloud. King Wizard isn't a flashy single per se, but it's cut from the same strange cloth that all of his previous music came from.

I can't say I like his new one half as much as his lead single, but I don't mind that it will be on Indicud. Will his new album be the "Greatest album ever?" Jury is still out, but if the track below is one of the best songs (assumption based on it being a single), then the rest of the album has a ways to go. No release date to report, but two singles deep means it's in the oven and we can start getting our collective hopes up...#DontLetUsDownScotty

Kid Cudi - King Wizard

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

"Your Love Crashes Over Like a Tidal Wave"

I can't think of more than ten tracks this year that have gotten me as excited as @subfocus's new single Tidal Wave. It's becoming increasingly clear to me with every new single he releases that his "brand" of EDM/Dubstep is closest to the core of what I like about electronic music. It helps that he utilizes the tried and true EDM formula of incorporating great pop vocals from talented vocalists like @kenziemayb, @AliceGold and @alpinesmusic (below).

What sets Sub Focus apart from all the rest is his unique concoction of easy listening synthesizers with heavy doses of drum and bass. To me, he fulfills that unique niche that combines multiple types of music I enjoy, which is really appealing. What crazy is the journey I went on across the internet to find out about Sub Focus. I'll try and summarize the chronology of events...

First, I heard Internet Friends by Knife Party and wanted to learn more about them since their sound was unique. Then I saw Knife Party's lead singer was @rob_swire, who used to be the lead singer of Pendulum. Wait a minute, wasn't Rob Swire featured on a @deadmau5 track? Wait a minute what's this remix of Ghosts N' Moar by Sub Focus? Hold up, what's this concert review I'm now on that's saying how Sub Focus opened for Pendulum back in 2010 and ended up making a name for himself? It's crazy how journeys like this across the internet can result in such fruitful discoveries.

Sub Focus feat Alpines - Tidal Wave

Tuesday, October 02, 2012

"You Make Me Feel Like, I've Been Locked Out of Heaven"

If you were to ask me to summarize what @BrunoMars is known for as an artist, the first thing I'd mention is his penchant for injecting emotion into a track. No matter what tempo or if it's a ballad, he sings like he cares about his music. There's something to be said for that in a day and age where it's probably easier than ever before to half-ass it and still sound good...#AutoTune

Evidently Locked Out of Heaven is the lead single off Bruno's upcoming album Unorthodox Jukebox. It's an upbeat, easy-listening ballad that affords Bruno the opportunity to shine vocally. Radio will absolutely eat this up because of the swanky @iamMarkRonson produced beat. Needless to say, it will have a short shelf life on my playlist, but for the moment, I'm thoroughly enjoying it...#AndYouShouldToo

Bruno Mars - Locked Out of Heaven (prod by Mark Ronson)

|iTunes

Monday, October 01, 2012

Nero Takes MJ's Speed Demon to 6th Gear

I'm going to be completely honest and say I don't even remember Michael Jackson's original version of Speed Demon. The only thing that I somewhat remember is the video/short animated movie that went along with the track (below):

It's almost like seeing a technology time capsule watching the original video. It's crazy to see what cutting edge animation was like 23 years ago back in 1989. Anyways, I'm not sure how @NeroUK ended up getting the nod to remix Speed Demon for that 25th Anniversary re-release of Bad that was released two weeks ago, but we're all better off as a result. Hype is the best word I can use to describe the remix below. If this doesn't make you go HAM and/or drive fast, then you're listening to the wrong track...#EDM

Michael Jackson - Speed Demon (Nero Remix)
|iTunes

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