SHIT I'M DIGGING THIS WEEK

aka avant garde musical water cooler discussion.

1. Young Money - Bedrock



Lil Wayne continues to use the Cash Money method to ridiculous levels of success here. This posse cut continues the trend of Young Money setting the standard for being the freshest crew in hip hop right now. The level of charisma shown by the emcees present here is absolutely off the charts, and, as we have stated here before, there is a fantastic blend of lyrical talent and hunger more than apparent in the crew. Weezy appears perfectly at home and completely comfortable with the talents of the rap cartel he's assembled, and it would appear to even the most jaded hip hop eye that this is the level of achievement necessary for mainstream appeal in 2010.

2. Snoop Dogg - I Wanna Rock



And here's the standard for production and flow for 2010. And not surprisingly, it's set by Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre (with an assist to newcomer Scoop DeVille). I'll argue that this collaboration by veterans is possibly more powerful than anything on Raekwon, Ghostface and RZA's Only Built for Cuban Linx 2, as it shows that two old dogs can learn new tricks and still assert their dominance in the profession. The Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock classic "It Takes Two" is taken in a decidedly dubstep direction here, and with a snappy kickdrum tossed in to boot, you have THE initial track that really shows what can happen when melding the two musical halves together. Snoop, as always is the consummate professional emcee here, doing nothing more or nothing less than what he has established his career upon. Razor sharp timing, machete flows and a keen sense of cool.

3. DJ Mehdi and Busy P's BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix fr0m November 2009

Pocket Piano - Mehdi - Chibuku at The Warehouse Project 09 from Emily Goddard on Vimeo.

So I've been listening to a steady stream of the BBC Radio 1 Essential Mixes from 2009 as of late. The concept, getting some of the world's top DJs at the top of their game to drop amazing mixes of theirs and the hottest tracks in the world at any given time isn't groundbreaking, but the results always leave you, the listener completely gobsmacked. France's Ed Banger Records representative DJ Mehdi is one of my top five favorite DJs in the world. He combines a true hip hop and soul sensibility with a love of only the finest house and filtered disco, and makes selections and creates tracks based on that paradigm. Ever wondered what the horns from Wreckx n Effect's "Rumpshaker" sound like if dropped over deep house? Well, you get that here early, and it gets hotter from there. There's an ending salvo to Mehdi's set in particular that is absolutely scintillating. Laidback Luke and Diplo's GIANT dancefloor filler "Hey!" into the Smoke and Mirrors edit of Major Lazer's "Pon de Floor with Brodinski's edit of Mehdi's own "Pocket Piano," and A-Trak and Laidback Luke's "Shake it Down." This closing peak time run of Mehdi's? Masterful.

SHIT I'M DIGGING THIS WEEK

aka avant garde musical water cooler discussion...

1. Mad Decent's Toy Selectah takes Vampire Weekend's "Cousins" in a decidedly CUMBIA direction!

Vampire Weekend – Cousins (Toy Selectah Mex-More Remix)

Mexican mix master Toy Selectah is one of my underrated faves of the Mad Decent family. His cumbia/hip hop production style is an acquired taste for sure, but the two steppin' rhythms of Mexico allow for really easy dancing and are actually quite accessible. Vampire Weekend, the squeaky clean Hahvuhd white guys with a distinct African polyrhythm, when taken to a cumbia level make you think of three things. Christopher Columbus making a mistake, Triangle trade, and the global nature of sound. This remix is phenomenal, and only makes me hope that like last year at SXSW, when the quirky and perpetually entertaining Paul Devro dropped his "Invasion of the Loop Zombies" mix that sounds like a faith healing old Mexican man dropped a mix while on mescaline in the desert, that we get some more Mexican based hotness from the label, hopefully from Toy Selectah.

2. Kitty Daisy and Lewis go rockabilly!



Prior to dropping this column six months ago, they were definitely going to be featured. Kitty Daisy and Lewis are a UK rockabilly trio that consistently turn music on its ear with their adherence to classic rock and roll standards and more than backing up the obvious kitch of the act with clear dominance and knowledge of their instruments. Siblings, the trio are signed to Britain's Sunday Best Recordings, and over the summer toured in support of Coldplay while they were in the US. I'm not quite sure as of yet if they will be featured at SXSW this year or are considering national touring again, but do go out of your way to check their clips, and do follow this band. Also, they cover "Up the Country," which until about a year ago, I only thought Canned Heat could cover with any skill. Well, this completely proves that theory wrong.

Unsure of your affection for rockabilly? Well, you likely know who bass madman Drop the Lime is of NYC's infamous Trouble & Bass collective, and, well, if you ever looked at homie, you'd know that, well, with his ducktailed hair, pegleg pants, gold tooth and rolled up sleeves that well, if he ever dropped a rockabilly mix, it might be kinda fly.

3. Fort Knox Five and Kraak and Smaak remix each other?


The Fort Knox Five/Kraak and Smaak show at 9:30 Club a few months ago was easily one of the more musically expansive evenings of the DC year. Fort Knox Five exist as a collective to destroy all notions of what dance music is at present, and to incorporate as many disparate notions into that definition as humanly possible. Kraak and Smaak are a Dutch duo who drop soulful mixes of just about everything, loving retro hip hop break beats and deep rhythms that evoke disco and classic soul. After their tour together, they joined forces to remix each other's tracks in a pleasant show of musical solidarity that is par for the course for both acts. Kraak and Smaak take "What Make Ya Dance," from FK5's new disc The Gold Standard 2, and take it in a decidedly 90s house direction, a dance floor inviter for sure. FK5 take Kraak and Smaak's "Ain't Gonna Take It," and go in with the funk breaks as per usual, DJ Mat the Alien providing some scratches to make this another pop locking jam from the group.

DOWNLOAD HERE

4. DJ Pierre drops new Bmore club heat!

DOWNLOAD HERE

OK. With all due respect, as long as Ultra Nate, Lisa Moody, Thommy Davis, KW Griff, Scottie B, DJ Class, Jonny Blaze, DJ Booman and Rod Lee are all living and breathing, being "Baltimore's Best DJ to Spin in a Club" as voted by the Baltimore City Paper is an award that isn't going to mean diddly poo if not won by any of those people. Honest, but completely true. But DJ Pierre won at 18. And he is the future, if there is one, for Baltimore club music. So, downloading his 15 minute mini mix, getting familiar and showing support for the young man is important. He's still improving, and is leagues away from where he likely wants to be, but his dedication and improvement is more than apparent. I have no problem with dancing to "Dance My Pain Away," "Swift's Revenge" and "Pick Em Up" for the next 50 years, but, if this thing is going to evolve, there's a short list of people this depends upon.

SHIT I'M DIGGING THIS WEEK

aka avant garde musical water cooler discussion

1. Sade - Soldier of Love - Sade's 50? Really? 50? Wow. Timeless beauties never age. In an R & B environment quickly filling with more and more ridiculous talk of romantic acts (more later), Sade returns after a prolonged hiatus with new material from her forthcoming album of the same title to be released on February 8th. She's not changed a thing here, using Mike Pela who engineered and produced "Sweetest Taboo," and wrote the song with Andrew Hale, Stuart Matthewman and Paul Spencer Denman, who have collaborated on the songwriting on every single album in her illustrious career. The choice of dancing with the ones that brought you to the table is noble and not completely unexpected, as Sade's a timeless voice and timeless sound, one that has been attempted to be emulated for years. To change her expectation would be in effect lowering herself from her perch of excellence, a move that is completely unnecessary. The track here has a drum pickup aped from Paul Simon's "50 Ways," and fades into a moody and magnificent production. When Sade hits "I've lost the use of my heart, but I'm still alive," it feels like a best friend you thought you lost has come back home. This is the standard for R & B in 2010. I'm certain that in meeting it, all music will improve.



2. Trey Songz f/ Keri Hilson and Usher - Invented Sex (Remix) - Speaking of ridiculous and almost cringe worthy but vastly entertaining discussions of romance and human sexuality, Trey Songz, R & B's leading loverman of the moment has released the remix of his talk of the town single "Invented Sex." Usher and the statuesque Miss Hilson being on board take the song completely into the realm of the radio, and, include some of the most sensually arrogant and totally absurd proclamations of sexual talent of ALL time. Definitely following the release of the above video, this remix falls right in line with the expectations we now have of Trey Songz.

3. Ol Dirty Bastard - Shimmy Shimmy Ya (DJ Class Refix) - Say what you will about the necessity of DJ Class' album Alameda and Coldspring needing to drop at some point in the next decade, but the Baltimore club producer and artist has become the go to man for the club sound in the mainstream of the industry. However, he hasn't stopped just there. His edit of Ol' Dirty Bastard's "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" has been the secret weapon of DJs worldwide all year, but has recently leaked to the internet. Class keeps the trademark piano stabs, but replaces the rest with nothing but synths, horns, claps and drums, creating a track to rival the insanity of Russell Jones himself. The reggae dub breakdown in the midst of all of this is easily one of my favorite Bmore club expansions of the year. This refix is quality work all around.



4. DJ Booman - Warface - Anyone familiar with Bmore club knows that Booman wreaked havoc with this break on "Pick Em Up." "Warface," taking one of the most iconic movie samples from Full Metal Jacket, creates another track that will inevitably make people want to start brawls in clubs. DJ Excel's work on the video is excellent as well, as this video completely enhances EVERYTHING about the track. Well done and solid work all around.
5. Mad Decent keeps on rolling weirder and stronger than ever - Radric Davis, meet Wesley Pentz. Diplo's dropping a Gucci Mane mixtape. Anyone that thinks this is bizarre needs to smarten up to the genius that was Diplo's work with Alabama's Paper Route Gangstaz last year, the Fear and Loathing in Hunts Vegas mix, namely the remix of "Bama Gettin' Money," to have a feel for the leak from this mixtape, "Dangers Not a Stranger." The trip for Diplo from dropping crunk and trap classics at Hollertronix parties to now making wildly successful mixtapes for these artists is likely proof that dreams do come true.

Also, let's not forget Mad Decent affiliated, humorous reggae toaster Prince Zimboo. His track "Say Hey" is easily one of the top ten funniest tracks of any year, and he's returned with some amped up production quality ("Say Hey" is kicked over the instrumental for Jim Jones' "Pop Champagne") with two new tracks, Goosfraba, and just in time for the holidays "Santa Flaws," the former dealing with Zimboo's love of ALL women (remember he proclaims to have thousands of wives), and the latter a perfectly giggle worthy holiday jam. Don't quite understand why Prince Zimboo doesn't have American distribution for EPs through Mad Decent, as I'm quite sure on the level of just drops alone, there's an avenue for success for this man.

6. Nadastrom "Save Us" - I know it's been two weeks, but, I still feel that this video is pretty much fantastic, and after sitting with Dave Nada a few weeks ago, and he kept discussing "smashing people in the face with music," it feels apropos.

Nadastrom - Save Us from Ben Solomon on Vimeo.

And also, let's not forget John Roman's take on "Save Us," his Nigerian Disco remix that has made its way around the internet as part of Dave Nada's mix for the Cynamatik.com blog out of Honolulu, where Dave plays on the 23rd of January of next year. Listen for the drop at 16:06, and be prepared for Nadastrom being taken down the route of tribal poly-rhythms. You're certainly not prepared.

SHIT I'M DIGGING THIS WEEK

aka musical, avant garde water cooler talk

A quick roundup of the songs, people, places and things on the tip of my tongue this week.

1. Wye Oak - Dance My Pain Away (Rod Lee Cover)


Melodic Bmore folk rockers Wye Oak take my personal favorite Baltimore Club jam somewhere very low-fi, and I can't hate it at all. Baltimore club's expanding everywhere on Top 40 radio in 2009, but to hear it taken somewhere completely different is great as well. A part of the Splice Today compilation Baltimore Does Baltimore: Volume 1, it once again proves that anytime, anywhere, anyplace, that original source Baltimore Club music is easily some of the most meaningful, socially poignant and dance floor effective music in the universe.



Speaking of Baltimore club, from last night's AMA's, 4:22 in. I can think of five DJs off the top of my head, past and present, who deserve a cut just off of intellectual property rights alone. But good, bad or indifferent, the Black Eyed Peas are definitely making key inroads for club and dance music. Now that the door is more wide open than ever, let's see if anyone can walk through.


2. LADY GAGA



Life only gets better for the 23 year old upstate NY born chanteuse/performance art piece. Not since Madonna has someone arrested the public consciousness anytime they are presented onstage in any manner. Her "Monster's Ball" tour certainly has high expectations after last night's sparkling electric headgear, mic stand glass shattering, PLAYING AN IMMOLATING PIANO performance at the American Music Awards. I thought that the suicidal, stiletto heel piano playing at the VMAs with four ridiculous costume changes was the height. No. I was wrong. VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY wrong. The sky is apparently not the limit for Lady Gaga, who keeps setting the bar ridiculously higher for herself, completely separating herself from the rest of the musical universe by creating a style, persona and rules all her own that even in attempting to imitate, is a recipe for certain failure.

3. Lykke Li covers The Shirelles' "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?"

DOWNLOAD

By being EVERY b-boy's dream girl, and every hipster's top five most ideal fantasy woman of the moment, Lykke Li exists, survives and wins as an artist. Her debut album Youth Novels is still a winner to me, and I still get the cool sensual chills when I hear the bittersweet innocence in the vocal "for you I keep my legs apart" on "Little Bit," the album's underground winner. Now, she adds her breathy cooing to a 60s Brill Building era classic, causing stuttering convulsions in boys and girls everywhere. Good gawd. Lykke Li with a lone piano. It's almost too perfect.

4. DC's Will Eastman releases new track "Feelin'" @ Blisspop on Saturday night

Will Eastman is a DC staple as a DJ. He's had an enormous year, opening for Moby, the Pet Shop Boys and MSTRKRFT, and now is making noise as well as a producer and arranger. He's working with producer Micah Vellian, who soon will go from being criminally underrated to very well rated and respected locally, nationally and internationally between his funky French house and disco with Dmerit to his work with Eastman and Outputmessage. Back on topic, Eastman releases "Feelin'," his latest track on Friday (downloads WILL be available here @ TGRIOnline.com). Eastman, a historian of sound, melds the best of disco, with the best of house and rave on this incredibly smooth and well orchestrated track, which alongside this year's early rumbler, The remix of Ruby Isle's "So Damn High," is the true start of a stellar discography for truly one of DCs finest.

5. OG Ron C and the "F (Fuck) Action" Chopped and Screwed Mix Series



Screw music, or the intentional slowing of a track to 60-70 BPM is a Houston rap staple. Not for everyone, necessity is the mother of invention here, and it's definitely something to take a listen and get into if needing something to clean your musical palate completely if an aficionado of music, both live and recorded, as I am. Made popular by the now deceased DJ Screw, my favorite modern practitioner of the science is the creator of the 58 volume "F Action" series, OG Ron C. "F (Fuck) Action" takes mostly ballads, clearly already mid tempo or below, and slows them even further, in many cases creating greater depth than ANYONE intended for the lyrics, take Corinne Bailey Rae's "Like a Star" which chopped and screwed becomes an incredibly gripping ballad of love, and leaves the angst far far behind. Others just become bizarre interpretations lending much credence to the importance of codeine and promethazine "drank" to the culture. The collection was a staple of mid 2000s R & B, but has slowed after the release of the 50th series, with a "retirement" and return that was met with great fanfare. The "F Action" series has now bled into rock and pop staples and VERY well into reggae, as the chopped and screwed reggae has every right to just be called outright dub, and phenomenally odd yet listenable dub at that. Do check chopnotslop.com, for more information, including the free download of Volume 56.5, a highlight of the series, Ron C's tribute to Michael Jackson upon his untimely demise.

SHIT I'M DIGGING THIS WEEK

1. The Heat - So I've made a lot of noise as of late about the talents of Baltimore DJ Jonny Blaze and DC DJ Stereofaith as The Heat, and their manic "BMore Tek Heat" style. All it took to make me remember just how wonderful it is to have Jonny Blaze back as a contributing member of the international club music scene was verified in of all places, College Park, MD Wednesday night, where 300 kids went completely bananas at The Mark for Phil Real and Soohan with James Nasty and Jonny Blaze together as the closer.

But back to The Heat. It's a combination that really does take the best and most conscientious of both worlds, as Jonny is very arguably the best hypeman in the club scene right now, and with a humility as disarming as his style, it's my hope that his continued ascension back to the top of the Bmore game reaches fruition, as it likely couldn't happen to a more dedicated preserver of the authentic, classic Bmore club sound. As well, there's DJ Stereo Faith, as fine a bastion of the DC scene as there has ever been, and with guys like the Nouveau Riche kids putting in work attempting to create their own sound, it's great to see Stereo Faith remain vital as well in this collaboration. Just today, Swedish megablog Discobelle featured a video of Jonny and Stereo Faith (with a guest appearance by Dave Nada) from the Feedback 1st Anniversary Party from July 11th, a destination point event if there ever was one. Anything I just wrote clearly has verifiable proof in the below video:

As well, they dropped their first collabo today, "Heat the Bitch," which absolutely sounds like classic Bmore Club fight music. Powerful Black Sabbath guitar riffs with a looped Busta Rhymes sample and pinpoint synths and percussion mark this charging track tailor made to REALLY break down a party.

2. Amanda Blank prepares to unleash "I Love You" on August 4th - If you don't like Amanda Blank, I understand completely. There's a segment of the population for whom kewpie doll cute and impossibly thin white girls who wear nary a stitch of unusual clothing and rap ironically, yet breathily and sexily over smokin' hot club tracks is everything that's wrong with America, wrong with hipsters, and wrong with the pervasiveness of this subsector of society in present popular culture. But they do exist, and Amanda Blank will be releasing an album that will, if not make her their queen, will certainly rank her a high ranking princess in the royal order of things. The album, available for streaming on Amanda Blank's Myspace doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it does show what happens when superproducers like XXXChange and master DJs like Devlin and Darko get together, and have someone with the peculiar charisma and style of Miss Blank as a canvas upon which to paint their tremendous electro stylings. I'm not expecting this record to sell a million copies, but, on the mindless fun and frotteurism scale, this one absolutely ranks a ten. Sometimes we take these things a bit too seriously. It's great to have someone around to loosen things up a bit. As well, RCRDLBL.com today released a remix by British dubstep kingpin Rusko of "I'd Like You Better If We Slept Together," and, if you've heard "Cockney Thug," or any of his other stylings, it falls well in line with that, which appeals perfectly to her population. Enjoy.

3. "Baby (remix)" Major Lazer ft. Prince Zimboo and M.I.A. - Outside of pretty much anything La Roux is doing this week, the world's hottest track is the remix of Prince Zimboo's charming club killer from the "Guns Don't Kill People, Lazers Do" album. Featured on their BBC 1 Essential mix and their Mishka mix discussed earlier this week by me over at Brightest Young Things. Featuring the first 16 bars Maya Arulpragasm has dropped since bringing Ikhyd into the universe, this track is still as vital and funny as it is now socially aware, as M.I.A. goes in on parental responsibility, really bringing some unexpected yet completely wonderful gravitas to the track. I really, seriously have missed M.I.A.'s voice in the musical universe, as the tracks she's on are fire, and her verses always bring vital social commentary. Click the link right HERE and enjoy!

4. Slaughterhouse - Joe Budden, Royce Da 5'9, Crooked I and Joell Ortiz. Right there, you have the type of hip hop that hip hop has been missing. There are a million pretenders all over the internet that frankly wish that they had the cache that these four emcees do. And in putting these cats all together on the same tracks on one album, while it won't be the album that saves lyrical mastery in hip hop, it will at least allow for the door to be opened again. While I'm not a fan of going back to 1994, if done right, tracks that sound like a midget being pounded in the face repeatedly with a sledgehammer and suddenly filled with a gut full of lead are always terrific, terrific fun and remind true hip hop fans of why they grew to love the artform in the first place. Definitely take a listen to their current track with video airplay on MTV Jams, "The One." Between the shoutout to BDP, and the hot chicks drinking Cristal at the club, It'll make you feel nostalgic and ready to punch your boy in the face for no reason, AT THE SAME TIME!

SHIT I'M DIGGING THIS WEEK

1. Nacey remixes Wale's Chillin - There's a lot of folks out there feeling angst over Wale's "big splash" single. They say its not danceable, they say it's not representative of DC, they even say it's not representative of hip hop. Well, in my mind, it's representative of an attempt to make mainstream money, and if you have a problem with that, then, you likely have a problem with a lot of other issues in the universe, too. The hook on Chillin' and the sample and production on Chillin' could've been totally different. Say it was local producer Judah Makes Beats with Chrisette Michelle on the hook. Tight song, but not tailor made for a brand new artist seeking mainstream airplay. Lady Gaga on the hook with a sample from Steam's ""Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye," and you've got a track tailor made for mainstream ears and mainstream tastes. Instead of banging in your whip, it's meant for banging on Budweiser commercials. A different look entirely.

However, it IS 2009, and with a phalanx of hungry producers and remixers out there, your initial product certainly in no way has to be as amazing as everyone else's finished product, and if there's any justice in the universe, the DC connection of Wale and absurdly rising producer Nacey need to get together as he's recreated "Chillin'" into a track that any hip hop head worth their weight in designer sneakers and Durkl t-shirts can love. Really. I know we say it a lot around here, but, if you're not checking for Nacey, you're really not checking for really hype remixes these days. Between Nacey, Steve Starks (check none other than French electro master Don Rimini with Starks' "You Don't Want None" on his World Tour Mix), Will Eastman, Dmerit, and Stereofaith, the talent pool in DC is knee deep these days.

NACEY - CHILLIN REMIX DOWNLOAD

2. Matt and Kim return to the DMV in September - Matt and Kim, whose Daylight is easily one of the most memorable tracks of 2009, with it's infectious piano and easily one of the funkiest drumlines of any genre all year, hit DC's Black Cat on September 16th, and Baltimore's Sonar on the 17th with Amanda Blank on both dates for what could easily be one of the feel good parties of the fall. Matt and Kim are a real life couple whose pure punk bliss is overwhelming to the point that it has warmed the heart of such individuals as Stic Man of Dead Prez who remixed the track, which yes, also doubles as the background in a national Bacardi ad. Matt and Kim hit DC earlier this year with the Bacardi sponsored Major Lazer event which was a phenomenal evening, but to many mired in corporate sleaze, as it was clear that the music was the backdrop to the message to buy as man Bacardi and Cokes as humanly possible. However, Matt and Kim won over many unfamiliar with them that night, and, without the corporate banners flying, I fully expect this night to be an even better performance, and cement the duo as a dominant force in the minds of mny of the alternative music loving DMV scene at the end of that weekend.

3. DC hip hop, in spite of itself, keeps winning - So I've covered Wale and Phil Ade in the last two weeks. Tabi Bonney, and his excellent live show were onstage at Rock the Bells as an opener for all to see. At Sneaker Pimps, besides $20 parking, and nary a soul really buying sneakers, the main focus was on the music of the aforementioned Wale and Phil Ade, alongside closers The Clipse. As well, if you check out Marsha Gosho Oakes' SoulCulture.co.uk, there's a brilliant spread covering the depth and scope of the DC hip hop scene. Oddisee is rapidly becoming a brand name there, and Oakes' site, a stalwart in the UK hip hop/soul community does a BRILLIANT job in really showing the depth and scope of the Capital City to a brand new audience. Actually, it's so good that I urge everyone, namely DC folks, to take a look at this, and marvel at how great DC is made to look, and then think twice about the silliness, pettiness and infighting that plagues the city, and consider how to come together as, hell, even if not fully, a loosely organized front to maximize potential.

4. Drake (and to a lesser extent, Kid Cudi and Big Sean) - Wheelchair Jimmy, in spite of a legion of haters, keeps winning, too. The 2 million dollar man, Aubrey Graham, if for no other reason than being relatively handsome, quick witted, aligned with the right people, and a somwhat known television star whose two year old show has episodes that just "randomly" keep appearing on none other than MTV, has been anointed by the music industry to be the rapper to carry the torch of hip hop into the future. Not Wale, not Asher Roth, not Charles Hamilton, not Bobby Ray, nor Kid Cudi or Mickey Factz. Yeah, XXL would appear to be very, very, VERY wrong in their infamous "Freshman Top 10," as, well, Drizzy, by virtue of one of the more amazing record deals for a new artist in recent memory, he gets 25 % of his album sales and keeps his publishing rights, well, he wins. Cudi's fine as it appears as he and Big Sean ("Getcha Some", his most MTV and mainstream urban radio accessible single has a video forthcoming and he has the G.O.O.D. Music pedigree, lyrical content and fashion sense to go far) are well positioned to be financial and critical winners as well in the face of blawghate. The video for "Make Her Say," with it's pastel colors and appealingly stylized videography is easily the most aesthetically appealing video of the year, and cements Cudi as a force to be reckoned with, even if not yet lyrically adept as his label brethren, for the future. Amazing sometimes how the visual assists the lyrical as "Day and Night" is a phenomenal video as well, and takes Cudi's words and makes them magical.

5. Open Happiness by Butch Walker, Travis Mccoy, Brendon Urie, Cee-Lo, Janelle Monae and Patrick Stump -

The Open Happiness Music Video from Open Happiness on Vimeo.

Remember SXSW when myself and my oft co-conspirator Winston "Stone" Ford of thecouchsessions.com ranted and raved about Janelle Monae's R & B performances that were Tina Turner meets Laurie Anderson? Well, it's literally been six months since I've seen her anywhere near my eyes, and, to my dismay I see her in this ridiculous video clip dressed like the school marm on the prairie with magic pixie dust that turns into crayons. I also see Fall Out Boy's Pat Stump dressed like a portly Charles Lindbergh, Brendon Urie of Panic at the Disco as a manic news reporter, Travis McCoy looking more and more like a solo pop ready emcee that has graduated from high school and gym class by extension, and Cee-Lo as the Wizard of Oz in a zebra print suit. Clearly, this Coca-Cola ad wrapped in song is not meant for 31 year old writers from Greenbelt, Maryland. It's also a dubious ad as well for teens, and a dubious one for pre-teens as well, as, we're in cynical times, and, well, we, even in the younger sense, expect a little more normalcy from our pop artists these days and less frivolity. In recessionary times, I understand thinking outside of the box, but, really? This smacks of such levels of corporate desperation the likes of which I've never seen before. I can't in good conscience hate on artists that probably cashed sizeable paychecks for the work. I can't even hate on the track or Butch Walker's songwriting. But imagine if the commercial featured these individuals, sitting in a glen, doing this, as the company did famously in 1971:



That commercial is so famous that Coca Cola went back to it in 1978 at Christmas:



Imagine that same concept, with the "Open Happiness" voices, updated for 2009, but not in a slickly packaged MTV videomercial. I tend to think between Cee-Lo's tenor, Stump and Urie's falsettos, a quick sixteen bars from Travis, and Janelle Monae's ethereal sound, that'd be something to hear.

Off soapbox.

I'm done.

SHIT I'M DIGGING THIS WEEK

Outputmessage's "Undone" puts more of DC's dance music prowess on the map!

1. Nacey and Starks - Summer Madness - The rising production duo annd 2/3s of the Nouveau Riche team (with Gavin Holland) strikes again with their interpolation of the Kool and the Gang classic, pulsing synths with a phenomenal breakdown, and a sneaky cool 16 bar hi hat that really rounds out the opening, "Summer Madness" is the perfect hit for the ultimate end of summer party, encapsulating Kool and the Gang's note perfect chillout relaxer, and at the same time creating a new freewheeling spirit, breathing life into the track for a brand new generation. Nacey and Starks are on fire, their tracks are ALREADY staples in sets all over DC, a likely other east coast cities, and it's only now a matter of the right time, right space and right place for the team.

2. Outputmessage releases "Undone" to acclaim - The production team of Micah Vellian and Outputmessage, aka Dmerit are up next. As in next to make moves. In a city now dominated by the music that is quickly pushing the world to take notice, the quiet humility and overwhelming talent of these two are about to be on blast for the universe to see. Micah Vellian is handling a great deal of the production for DJ Will Eastman's forthcoming Plant Music release, as well is Output Message, aka Bernard Farley, whose single "Undone" from his own second full length release dropped yesterday to immediate acclaim from iTunes no less, and it is absolutely warranted. A bit downtempo from the usual fare around these parts, echoing, dark lyrics mix with quirky synths to create something pop friendly but not overtly so, a moody groove of a track that is absolutely solid.

Also of note is DC selector DJ Autorock's remix of the cut, as he reworks this into quite the peppy disco number, deep basslines and fun percussion taking the track and while keeping the meaning, taking the impact just a bit deeper. One thing as always, is if Autorock's doing a remix, it's certain to be a real pleaser, as he's terrifically underrated in his knowledge of how and why certain sounds work. He's a thinking man's remixer for sure.

3. Phil Ade drops "Starting on JV" - So DC's on the map. Wale's "Chillin'" w/Lady Gaga and Bun B on U Street driving Lamborghinis. We already see where he's headed, and good, bad or indifferent, he'll stack some paper before the year is out. But what of everyone else. XO's got a new mixtape out there, Tabi Bonney has a phenomenal live show, Oddisee has eschewed the United States and is arguably the most buzzed about rapper in Europe, and now hopping into a very crowded mix is Phil Ade. Backed by Raheem Devaughn's 368 Music Group, Ade's "Starting on JV" is a solid intro into the VERY young Nigerian American emcee, who damn near stole the show from fellow Nigerian Wale at Wale's giant show/event last month by merely being witty, himself and different, using placards in a move akin to Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" video clip to really stand out in a sea of, for very different reasons, standout performances. There is certainly more to come from the rising local standout.

4. Buraka Som Sistema drops Blood Diamonds Mixtape - Buraka Son Sistema, the Portuguese/Angolan DJ crew with roots in Kuduro music is one of the more audacious and exciting of the wild and exciting new signees to the Mad Decent label. The mixtape is noteworthy as the sound is pure African with drops from artists stateside and otherwise, and continues the genre bending traditions of Mad Decent, but takes them in a brand new and aurally pleasing direction. The crew murked Coachella this year, and fully expect a fall and winter filled with continuing to extend their fame as everyone is taking notice of the entertaining and diverse sound.

SHIT I'M DIGGING THIS WEEK

See that tiny house on the left? It's great. Trust me.

1. Trevor Martin releases Rock'n Bamaz 2 Mixtape - Local DC area stalwart disc jockey Trevor Martin has released his second "Rock'n Bamaz" mixtape, and to say that it's an underrated banger of a mix would be the understatement of the year. Martin's mixes exist as half twisted mental exploration, half dancefloor filling banger compilation. If you ever wondered what a mix that includes copious amounts of hard edged Brick Bandits style Philly/Bmore club, bizarre mashups and blends (The Smiths and Biggie? Yep, and it works), Muse's "Knights of Cydonia," a house mix of Lonely Island and T Pain's ubiquitous "I'm On a Boat," a good amount of punk rock, and a three year old hype child doing shout outs for good measure, well, this is the mix for you. Too many DJs these days fall prey to popular trends in the face of standing up for their own musical taste, and revelling in and exposing them to the listener in a way that makes them palatable, which is a perpetual staple of what Martin does. Martin has attempting to really expand himself this year, taking on a regular Saturday party (Real Talk) at H St. destination point Sticky Rice, alongside regular monthly $weat$hop at the 9:30 Club Backstage Bar with its amazing soundsystem, intimate space and mind erasing and legendary alcoholic slushies, and with a background that includes the Sneakers in the Club parties with Jerome Baker III and Stereofaith, Martin certainly has the pedigree and skills to be reckoned with as another top notch and conscientious selector in the rapidly rising DMV.

DOWNLOAD HERE

2. Adam Gonzo presents "Black Man in the White House" - Bmore's got a lot of staple DJs. If anything, it's what the city is known for on the national music stage. Creating and carving a niche in the midst of a city with a Murderer's Row of top producers and perpetually selected trackmasters is exactly what Baltimore City Paper's 2008 "Best DJ ina Club" Adam Gonzo has done, as he releases another winning mix on the people, "Black Man in the White House." Gonzo spins the Tensday weekly at the Ottobar with other respected Bmore favorites Emily Rabbit and Hip Hop Dan as well as Friday night monthly Served with Mark Brown (WhamCity) at the Windup Space, which this Friday (July 3rd) features DC favorites the Nouveau Riche DJs (Gavin Holland, Nacey and Steve Starks), which should be the look for the night if you're in the Charm City. Gonzo doesn't re-invent the wheel or foist wobbly basslines on your sensibilities, or melt your face with sonic bombast. No, he's just realy, really, really interested in making you dance, which, if you need a unifier of this very well selected live mix, would be it.

TRACKLISTING
(1) Marvin Gaye- Intro
(2) Marvin Gaye- What's Going On (Soul II Marvin- Back To What's Goin' On Remix)
(3) Shoes- Get Soul Power Right
(4) Ayb M.O.D.- Turn Back the Clock
(5) Marvin Gaye- Sexual Healing (Emynd's Second Line Bounce Remix)
(6) Stevie Wonder- Signed Sealed Delivered (DJ Smash Essential Funk Mix)
(7) Jackson Jones- I Feel Good (Pilooski Edit)
(8) Blondie- Rapture (Gonzo's Galang Blend)
(9) Slick Rick- Mona Lisa
(10) Ol' Dirty Bastard- Cold Blooded
(11) The Virgins- Rich Girls
(12) Rolling Stones - Miss You (Dr. Dre Remix 2002)
(13) Timbaland ft. Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake- Give It To Me
(14) Hercules & Love Affair- Athene
(15) Notorious B.I.G.- Nasty Girl (Relly Rell$ 8 Bar Edit)
(16) Kid Sister- Fresh

DOWNLOAD HERE

3. Kansas House - Went to the infamous "Kansas House" last night to see personal favorite Totally Michael. For the uninitiated, the "venue" is literally a dual level run down house at 900 Kansas St in Arlington, VA. In the early and mid 1990s, the space was a vital punk rock underground space, and supported the dreams and development of numerous local acts, but had for many years sat quiet, as the house was sold to new, non music friendly ownership. Sold yet again, the new owners are definitely friendly to the space's history, and it has returned. The living room doubles as performance space, there's no air conditioning, enough space for 50 people to stand comfortably, mattresses that provide soundproofing covering the front windows, a BYOB policy, and, well, an unpretentious crowd that just wants to rock their asses off to great music. Saw Montreal's Swamp Sex Robots there as well, a dance friendly, musical post punk quartet that owes as much of their cache to playing well as to having an ironic and well studied intellect which leads to themed outfits for each performance, with prior shows as well dressed Mexican luchadores (masked wrestlers), to last night's attempt at recreating Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner." Yes. The lead guitarist dressed as well, clearly the Gorton's Fisherman, but more implicitly, a mariner, the drummer as an albatross, the bassist as the Grim Reaper,and the lead singer as a whale. Really. I can't make any of this up. There's something about a band that would play this type of space, something really wonderful, whimsical, dream filled, and ultimately, organic and musical about it. The DMV is so caught up in the downtown scene these days that just 40 minutes away, something really vital is happening (again), and nobody really seems to know about it. I guess that's actually all well and good, as the inspiration derived from there, if the place became a hopping hotbed would be homogenized and removed. But yeah, for more info on this amazing slice of local awesome, visit http://www.myspace.com/kansashouse

4. Michael Jackson - In death, the man is the top selling musical artist seemingly everywhere. I fervently believe the most telling reason of why MJ is and will always be the "King of Pop" and the most vital musical artist of all time is that in this era of Pitchfork and Discobelle and MTV and terrestrial radio having almost no influence, leading to immediate musical saturation and disposability, Michael Jackson has remained a topic of conversation and a listened to and appreciated artist for almost an entire week. Jay Z can release a video for "D.O.A." that should be required viewing, but nobody has noticed, as we're all listening to the "Off the Wall" album. Major Lazer's "Pon the Floor" can be on the way to being the most important club anthem of the year, but we're definitely feeling "Thriller" a whole lot more. Say what you will about The Beatles and Elvis, but Michael Jackson's appeal is far more universal and fully widespread than both of those acts combined. In the digital era, to literally freeze the universe when it's moving faster than it ever has. That's one of the most amazing achievements ever. Yes, it's posthumous and tragic, but it's an amazing achievement nevertheless.

5. Jay Z - D.O.A. - Really. Watch the video. He doesn't just kill autotune. He kills rap music. A grown father just slapped his disobedient son in the face. It's that fight that fathers and sons have where the father beats the mess out of his growing child. Here's hoping that the "right" kids in the game can come back and gain a measure of respect. It's an absolute necessity.

SHIT I'M DIGGING THIS WEEK

Brooklyn's So So Glos continue to bring the punk heat from the BK

1. The 1.21 Jiggawatt Soundsystem of DJs Andrew Jaye and James Nasty - As of late, the DJing and production duo of Baltimore by way of DC's James Nasty and DC by way of Pittsburgh's Andrew Jaye has been on fire. Playing the midweek Tax Lo event last Thursday was easily the biggest moment for both Jaye and Nasty, who have toiled tirelessly every weekend as DJs in the local area and are well respected for the last few years by all who spin records in the DMV (Nasty has also spun at Will Eastman's Blisspop party). Furthermore, Nasty spun late into last Saturday night and well into Sunday morning at the Deep Sugar party at Baltimore's legendary Paradox, sharing a bill with powerhouses and legends alike in Carlos Sanchez and Ultra Nate, and alongside Unruly Records signed half of Claire Hux, D Lake. As well,Nasty opens for Thunderheist this Sunday night at Baltimore's Ottobar. Jaye spins locally as of note at the 12 Pound Sound Monthly at the 9:30 Club's Backbar, possibly the best soundsystem in the oddest space in the city, and spins tonight, June 19th alongside DJ Apt One of the Philadelphia based Philadelphyinz collective, and longtime local spinner DJ Spiggums.

Jaye brings to the table an unbelievable knowledge of all music, a specialty in post disco funky house and a voluminous record collection of all genres, something he deftly uses to create intelligent mixes that introduce the mainstreamed ear to forgotten hits, B sides or underground jams, while still keeping alive the favorites that keep the people on the floor. Nasty, on the other hand, may be the next big DJ to blow in Baltimore, boasting more tracks that are ready to slay than most any other unsigned DJ and producer in the city. His latest release, "Eye of the Club," an energetic, old school Bmore club fight anthem with a frat boy tinge, takes Survivor's Rocky Anthem to Druid Hill Park, and all places beyond. The duo is definitely on the rise, and attention deserves to be paid.

2. Live performances - Saw Peaches on Wednesday night at the 9:30 Club. There's something to be said about a show with no frills, and balls to the wall action like the Death Set's set from last Friday. There's also something to be said about being someone like Peaches, and understanding yourself, and exactly what it is you do. Peaches' show featured thirteen costume changes, illuminated diaphanous fabric sleeves that were unfurled like wings to show her face, black and gold professional wrestling gear with puffy gold lame sleeves, white unitard with mangina urinary device attached with glowing lightbulb at the end of it, backup singers dressed to look like Cousin It, lightsabers, lasers, fake blood regurgitated on the crowd in a manner consistent with KISS' Gene Simmons, encouraged nudity, five minutes of crowd surfing, and a myriad of other salacious behavior. The point to be made here is that if you deem yourselves worthy of being onstage, and wish to sing a song like "Fuck Your Pain Away," and have an outsized persona while doing so, the absurdity is appreciated, necessary and welcome. It's what makes someone a star, going to the absolute nth degree to separate one's self as a performer.

However, if the band has a more musical focus, and the lyrics don't focus on making the insane sane, the hyperbole comes from the energy of the band in playing their music, and the ability of the band to have energy in their performance. Too often now, bands feel that they have to insert unnecessary gimmickry into a show, and lose the fact that ultimately, especially when beginning, it's all about the musicality. As example, Totally Andrew, the openers for Santigold last week, are a few good nights with amazing producers away from having a much more marketable sound. However, in performing in gang gear, and having a blinged out Olmec head/skull figure onstage, tossing money and standing stoic, it takes away everything from the band's actual talent, and really does nothing for advancing the band as musicians, but certainly does more for advancing them as ballsy charlatans, which gains press, but all press certainly, in this case, isn't good.

3. The So So Glos - Caught Brooklyn's So So Glos last week at the Black Cat's Backstage as the openers for South African tour de force the BLK JKS and was pleasantly surprised. The four brothers have a fantastic throwback sound that not like the throwback we hear now to the low fi 60s, is instead a throwback to the pop accessible punk of the NYC post-punk era, an era they were familiar with since youth. There's clearly something brewing in the Brooklyn DIY/punk movement, and actually much of it may have to do with this band, as forefathers of the movement, they opened new venues (the well respected Market Hotel) and did so with humility in the face of bands that were, in their opinion inauthentic and more style than substance. Armed with sounds that include the pre-requisite genre blenders of electro and manic surf guitars, with phenomenal tracks like "99 Degrees" and "Throw Your Hands Up" in their arsenal, when Brooklyn goes big, they most certainly have to be considered at the forefront of that movement.

SHIT I'M DIGGING THIS WEEK

Dead?

1. Jay-Z "D.O.A. (Death of Autotune): Jay-Z, in a neverending effort to re-image the rap game, combines with fellow perpetual rap re-imager Kanye West and producer No I.D. to create the track that will cement Jay's status for the average blogger and "true hip hop" fan who feels that his decision to go to Mr. West for production of "Blueprint 3" would create emo tales of Beyonce not folding his sheets just so or creasing his freshly dry cleaned shirts, that, in fact, he's still a hardened battler. "D.O.A." is not the world's finest record, nor is it the rap game changer. Autotune is, in fact, not dead, and DJ Webstar has the hottest track in the clubs and on cell phones with "Dancing on Me," and I'm sure he'd beg to differ. What Jay is doing with "D.O.A." is merely pandering to a community of people who needed a rapper to come along, pat them on the head, and tell them everything's okay. Well, it's not, but to release this track, and to be Jay-Z and be able to get an epic push behind literally anything you do at this point of your career, is to know your market, love your market, and earn trust AND record sales in a tough environment. I'm 150% positive that when Jay sees T-Pain at the 40/40 Club, he doesn't shank him for his troubles. They probably split a bottle of Ace of Spades and compare pics of new yachts. But, to position yourself as a "real rap" savior, and be the one to release such an audacious record, well, that's what separates Jay-Z from everyone else and makes him the power broker of the industry he has become.

2. Ninjasonik happily embraces hipsters everywhere with new material: There's something blissfully entertaining about how less than frankly Ninjasonik observes industry moves. The Brooklyn punk hop trio oft discussed on these pages deluged the internet last week with a phalanx of new material: three wonderfully entertaining hour long mixtapes that really introduce you to the band and their unusual take on the universe, versions of Soulja Boy's "Turn My Swag On" featuring Telephoned, the Brooklyn duo of Fools Gold Records DJ Sammy Bananas and songstress/party diva Maggie Horn, and yes, finally, a house remix of "Somebody's Gonna Get Pregnant," the unsung anthem of the year, as done by DJ Morsy, the man also associated with Baltimore hipster centric, Unruly Records signed duo Claire Hux. Ninjasonik is now also closely aligned with rising NYC fashion line Mishka, and the "Darth Bano" Ninjasonik mixtape, featuring tons of newly recorded material, drops soon. For the mirthful wiseacres of Ninjasonik, there's clearly a well honed method to the madness. They also have notably procured an autotune. For a movement like the hipster one that regards most of society with an ironic eye, the use of this now "dead" instrument's use in their work may be just the trick needed to really getting over.

3. Logan de Gaulle. Get Familiar! - The Las Vegas party scene dominated by mixtape maven Clinton Sparks, and namely his genre bending "Get Familiar" party at Body English at the Rock and Roll Hotel has allowed every notable individual in hip hop to become acquainted on some level with the 30,000 square foot electro/house music scene. A door that was opened by MSTRKRFT's "Fist of God" album taking John Legend, Ghostface Killah and numerous other urban veterans to the 120 BPM range has now exploded, as Clinton Sparks and DJ Snake, the new production duo known as Logan de Gaulle, are prepared to stake a claim in the electro community, as word is that they are working on a mixtape that would give hip hop classics electro refitting. On last Friday's "Get Familiar Radio" show on XM/Sirius, Sparks debuted his remix of Ol' Dirty Bastard's "Shimmy Shimmy Ya." While not exactly a Nadastrom production, or likely something to be beloved by the Discobelle loving community, it is notable as with this development, as well as MSTRKRFT, will.i.am's turn as DJ SUPA BLAK on Steve Aoki's Dim Mak imprint, as well as the Black Eyed Peas new E.N.D. album, hip hop looks to be expanding electric in the very near future.

4. Too many dance parties in DC? - The development of the DMV as an ultra serious party area may have been cemented this week with the report in the Washington City Paper that the District of Columbia ranks number one in national cocaine use, and top five in marijuana use and binge drinking per a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The party in DC is real, however, the city is rapidly gaining a seven day a week reputation, and while this is a boon for DJ culture as people are more than obviously ready to party, there are too many DJs, not enough sustainable and well attended venues, and if something isn't done, as quickly as DC can be on the rise, the telltale signs are apparent for a fall. DC is not New York City or LA. We're a city of transients, people that are in the city and gone before you know it, which leads to wonderful fits and starts for any social movement, but little growth and demonstrable traction. While having parties allows for the growth and development of new selectors and producers to keep the music viable, the negative is, unless the music improves or provides great variation or invention, people will get burnt out. If you feed someone hamburgers every day for 10 days, even McDonald's, the best and most recognizable of the best, will taste like dog shit to most after ten days. Something must be done, or something will give.

DCs balloon is expanding wildly. As unfortunate as it is to say, very talented people may get caught in the undertow of this wild expansion if more attention isn't paid. The patrons can only tolerate so much. Weeklies can become monthlys. Monthlys can become bimonthlys. Suburban venues or even places in other states can be found. Underadvertised mainstream gigs can be found. Developing a solid mixtape can earn gigs at better venues and ten hours of work can make up for one night spinning in front of 12 eager people. Spinning at weddings, cabarets and bar mitzvahs don't gain people friends or papparazi photos, but can teach confidence in one's abilities. The culture needs to be less about the desire to be a self important partier and instantaneous superstar and more about the development of talent. Again, we may need to examine our value system to create longevity for our proudly vibrant scene. There are three 90s hip hop/dance parties (weekly/biweekly/monthly), a smattering of large to mid-sized monthlies, a handful of occasionals, and including Baltimore, literally ten to fifteen parties a week all expecting solid attendance numbers. We're in a recession, dance music isn't really lighting up the charts as it did in the 1990s, and well, the Nation nightclub, where Buzz occurred and spawned seemingly hundreds of careers? Well, Washington Nationals' third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is starting a double play likely where you made out while on your first trip as The Prodigy played in the background.

I'm not going at anybody. I'm ultra appreciative of the varied talents people bring to the table, and I frankly have attended pretty much anything making an electrified, autotuned, funky, boom bapped or otherwise sound in the city in the past year. I'm not providing answers, just providing a start for discussion. We're sitting on a beautiful thing here capital city, and I don't want to see it go to waste.

SHIT I'M DIGGING THIS WEEK

Prince Zimboo says "heh" to American ears

1. Prince Zimboo - When the oft discussed on this site's Diplo/Switch produced "Major Lazer" album Guns Don't Kill People...Lazers Do is dropped on June 20th, the man most poised to become an undergound sensation from the album's release isn't someone like Mr. Lexx, the patois tinged rap dynamo on lead single "Hold the Line," but rather the artist featured at various other points of the album, and in possibly the album's funniest point, African born, Jamaica living Prince Zimboo. Armed with a strong sense of X rated and otherwise scatalogical humor punctuated with his sentence ending punctuation of "heh," the reggae rapper on his "Pop Champagne" edit "Say Heh" is quoted in the most uproariously absurd four bars of the year saying "Practice safe sex don't exceed the sex limit/Zimboo don't drink water because fish have sex in it/You wonder why the water is salty/It's because the octopus is getting naughty." Zimboo, on his Myspace page also claims to have 1000 wives, with which he has sex for three minutes each. Ridiculous, yes, but in a manner reminiscent of old time vaudeville performer turned fatback flavored Southern soul party starter Rufus Thomas, he has enormous talent to mix with his ribald humor, and it creates a potent blend of listenable fun and instantaneous mood creator. As well, recently Zimboo has created his own "Hold the Line" remix as well, showing that he also realizes he can and will strike while the iron of his career is hot as well.

2. Steve Starks - I Called You: The quiestet as of yet of the Nouveau Riche party starters, Starks drops his most complete, tailored to his personal tastes and best production as of yet, "I Called You," a track that samples a clearly deluded and very stalkerish ex girlfriend who is definitely following around her ex boyfriend "in her blue car." With a dark, bass heavy, dirty South rap with a touch of deep house harkening production style to it, it only accentuates the sample and creates the type of tune that if "Ibiza Afterparty" mixtapes were still as hot as they were almost a decade ago, would fit that genre to a tee. Hip hop and club DJs get on notice, if you want the 21st century response record to Art of Noise's "Moments in Love," or something to that effect, this track is your best friend.

3. Cmonwealth's 95 Live Party @ DCs Steve's Bar Room - Initial talk of Steve's Bar Room's resurgence as a DC night spot came with discusion of HipsterOverkill.com's "The Fringe" party, namely the night in March when Delaware's own DJ Bis rocked the party into the early early early morning as an excited throng, as well as literally every major DJ in Washington, DC watching on, cosigining both the party and the DJ's excellence. Well, stalwart DC/VA staple brand Cmonwealth has created a destination point event for ALL DC scenes at Steve's, the second floor converted office space party room in Dupont at the edge of the Golden Triangle in the space of under a month. The party features a simple enough concept. Take a DJ, and limit their vast sphere to just the 1990s . Given the nature of Cmonwealth as an urban trending brand, the parties have featured a vast preponderance of 90s hip hop, but with that comes great moments as well like Bmore legend Scottie B and DC selector extraordinare Stereofaith last Wednesday pulling out such winners as Tracey Lee's "It's Party Time" and Onyx's "Shiftee" out of the way back machine. In final, it's a fun event that really advances DC's developing weekly party agenda quite well.

4. DJ Class - Dance Like a Freak : DJ Class advances past "one hit wonder" status and proves that Bmore club DJs and producers are better than most people at producing music of any variety in this minor key stab filled, politely autotuned club banger. The most phenomenal and intriguing part of Class' rise to prominence is that it hasn't required Class to wear a jester hat or funny sunglasses, invent a dance, or in any way create an over the top persona. In what may be the signature for Baltimore club music, it's the fact that the music that is produced is just so damn good that it creates it's own buzz because it just moves people to dance through excellence. Bmore club tracks, when all is said and done will be like classic Motown songs, albums you'll just want to have in your collection if you're a fan of great music. "Dance Like a Freak" is possibly MORE important than "I'm the Shit" as it's going to have to keep the wave going. It's never the door opening that's important, it's how one walks through that is.

5. Major Lazer - Hold the Line - The Video

No words. Just images.

CLICK THE LINK FROM MTVU

SHIT I'M DIGGING THIS WEEK

Chris Burns and Gavin Holland. Bastions of booty shaking?

1. DC's Will Eastman releases new May 2009 mix in time for Art Buzz 2009 event - Will Eastman has been repping DC HARD since 2002's inception of the Blisspop party. The DJ, a perennial favorite of the very influential Discobelle blog, and someone who has played with countless acts big, small and everywhere in between in his voluminous history, Eastman shows that he has the magic and fire here, with a swiftly moving mix, highlighted by someone of his stature giving shoutouts to local DJs Tittsworth, Nadastrom and Gavin Holland, along with a lot of his own remixes and edits, and tracks from a plethora of top DJs and producers, great to give your ear a sample of the cutting edge of house music in 2009. Also featured is a new track "Feelin'," which is expected to be on his forthcoming album, which will be a great look for the burgeoning rise of the DC area for sure.

Tracklist:

Passion Pit “The Reeling” (Calvin Harris Remix)
Classixx feat. Jeppe “I’ll Get You” (Royal Rumble Edit)
Kraak And Smaak “Bobby & Whitney”
The Juan MacLean “One Day”
Gui Boratto “No Turning Back”
Calvin Harris “I’m Not Alone” (Good Life Mike Remix)
Ruby Isle “So Damn High” (Will Eastman Remix)
The Glass “Wanna Be Dancin” (Nadastrom Dub Edit)
Lykke Li “Dance Dance Dance” (Buraka Som Sistema Remix)
Dmerit “Stuck On You”
AC Slater “BanGer” (Tittsworth Remix)
DJ Gant Man “Juke Dat Girl” (Nadastrom Remix)
Queen “Don’t Stop Me Now” (Ursula 1000 Edit)
ZZ Top “Sharp Dressed Man”
Tiga “Shoes” (Mr Oizo Remix)
Outputmessage “Resurface” (Vocal Version)
Sidney Samson “Riverside” (Extended Mix)
Das Racist “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell”
Chavy Boys “Friday Night Flu”
Rye Rye ft. M.I.A. “Bang” (Gavin Holland’s “Here Comes The Dubstepper” Bass Mix)
Will Eastman “Feelin”
Santogold Ft. Spank Rock “Shove It” (Grandtheft Remix)
Loco Dice “Pimp Jackson is Talkin Now!!!”
Matt Nordstrom, Orlando Villegas “Spanglish”
Mikael Simpson “Slaar Skaar”

2. Party Bros (Gavin Holland and Chris Burns) - Oooh Bay Bay: Okay. So, on first glance, I'd presume that the average mainstreamed partygoer would look at either Gavin Holland or Chris Burns Djing a party and exit stage left. The tall, lanky flaxen haired Burns and Holland, who on first appearance is the production tech from your high school's theater department, looks be damned though, but both Holland and Burns know how to throw a party, and also are two of the more knowledgeable DJs in the DC area. Burns brings his encyclopedic knowledge of disco and deep house production to the table, whereas Holland brings a silky smooth pop friendly house vibe to the table, and we get the New Kids on the Block, "Step by Step" sampling "Ooh Bay Bay," a production crafted with all literalism intended, to make hipsters dance. In quite some time there hasn't been a track quite like this that is so unabashed in standing exactly where it does, without apology. Once released to a larger community, I fully expect blog love and critical acclaim for the track.

3. The Get Em Mamis "Bridge to Terawesome" Mixtape - Roxy and Symphony, the quick witted and go hard female rap duo from Baltimore have had some success as of late, as the DJ Booman produced duo has come very far very quickly, with Fader Magazine and East Village Radio love as of late. The duo's mixtape, (they are both terrific and awesome hence the name) takes you through 15 tracks, with mixes of pop radio hits like Beyonce's "Diva," and delves into new material, and homages to influential female rap groups of the past, with edits of JJ Fad's "Supersonic" and namely Salt n Pepa's "My Mic Sounds Nice" as the standouts. They opened for Wale this past Monday at Sonar, and come back to the venue on June 13th as a part of the MASSIVE Taxlo Summer Blowout, where their performance should go over well with the pop loving and club craving hipster community present.

4. Colin Munroe f/ Jim Jones - "Piano Lessons (remix)" : The most mainstream radio accessible track from the crooning Torontonian known as the "Unsung Hero," "Piano Lessons," stalled two months ago from gaining MTV2 video ccess gets a fresh can of paint in the form of Dipset member Jim Jones' marijuana addled and muffled lyrics. Jones, who is now an urban A & R head at E1 (formerly)KOCH Records, seems to use this position to hop on the hottest internet underground tracks, historically giving MGMT's Electric Feel, Asher Roth's "I Love College," Kid Cudi's "Day n Nite," and now this track love. While sales for his Pray IV Reign album (featuring the ubiquitous Ron Browz produced "Pop Champagne") have stalled, it is a stroke of genius for the emcee to stay relevant by perpetually assaulting the internet (the new 'streets') with material, including this take on Munroe's track, a hopeful attempt to cross onto urban and pop terrestrial radio.

SHIT I'M DIGGING THIS WEEK

1. Whole Wheat Bread - Had the opportunity on Sunday night to catch Jacksonville, FL's favorite sons open for MC Chris at DC9, and I was bowled over with enthusiasm. Whole Wheat Bread is the band that every forward thinking black kid who felt weird in high school being moved by Bad Brains, Rancid, Suicidal Tendencies or Minor Threat, but still had rap radio forced down their throats by their friends would want to start. Lead singer and lead guitarist Aaron Abraham even has a nappy mohawk, a defiant blend of both cultures, and with a left bicep emblazoned with a tatoo of a bottle of Old English 800 in a 40 ounce bottle, this is not your typical or average anything of a lead singer. Drummer Joseph "Mr. Whitefolks" Largen does plenty more than affably keep the pace. He's a politely gruff voiced emcee as well, and isn't afraid to kick it. However, the real driving power of the direction of the band comes from bassist Johnny Rock, formerly of once rising Atlanta act El Pus, who is like an oak tree of power chords and driving bass metal guitar, who can shred, melt faces, or just provide a solid bassline for Abraham or Largen to weave amazing tales of youth, honesty and reality in rural, suburban and black America. I highly urge everyone to run, don't walk to your nearest whatever, wherever and acquire a copy of their new album "Hearts of Hoodlums," which, top to bottom may be the most earnest release of any sort I've heard all year. They still have some rough edges to smooth and sanitize before radio will fall head over heels for them, but, with friends like Lil' Jon, Rancid, Bouncing Souls and Reel Big Fish, and being produced by Travis Huff of Pharcyde and Fall Out Boy fame, it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when they'll hit it big.

2. DJ Cousin Cole - Every time I hear Cousin Cole play music I am floored and amazed. One half of the Flagrant Fowl duo with Pocketknife, Cole's talents and abilities behind the turntables have barely been scratched, and he continuously ups the ante on greatness for his own career. A favorite of party promoter extraordinaire Puja Patel (promotes under the senari banner), Cole killed it in DC for the Obama inauguration, and opened the infamous "Baltimore Love Thing" party (which featured Scottie B, Emynd & Bo Bliz, Dave Nada and "The Shit" himself, DJ Class) in a manner consistent with how most people close such an affair. He's back in the states now fresh from a European tour which cemented his already growing status overseas. I present as an example of his turntable dominance, the mix that made me a believer, the February 2009 released Major Rager mix, an hour of tremendous excitement that I don't advise listening to if you are pregnant, have heart conditions, serious back problems or subject to motion sickness. Yes, it's that much of a thrill ride.

3. Emynd and Bo Bliz's Crossfaded Bacon site - Emynd and Bo Bliz, the DJ and production duo based out of Philadelphia are extraordinary at pretty much everything they touch in the name of mixing recorded music. Proof of this dominance lies in the Crossfaded Bacon website at www.crossfadedbacon.com. It's a one stop shop for their excellence, a home for literally every mixtape, track or EP they've ever done or contributed to, and if I wrote everything you could find on there, I'd be here all day. But if you ever needed a Best of Memphis Bleeq or Best of Schooly D or a Miami Bass mix or ambient techno, or the latest in their 1st and 15th collection, DJ Apt One's Philly Disco mix, it's there. No matter what the sound, they tend to have an idea as to how to properly respect it, and frame it in it's best light.

SHIT I'M DIGGING THIS WEEK

Hip hop veteran Ludacris. A GREAT emcee. As the kids would say, he "murks" his verse on the remix of The Cool Kids' track "Pennies."

1. Kid Sister - "I'll House You": Chicago native Kid Sister combines with Fools' Gold labelmate Treasure Fingers on the remake of the 1989 Jungle Brothers classic "Girl I'll House You" on this special release for a Reebok Classic remakes project. However, if you click that link expecting to hear the Todd Terry four on the floor bass heavy jam, instead expect an updated, sparser synth laden rhythm section, with some more than adequate flow from Kid Sister. Most notable in my mind about this track is that it truly shows that good music is timeless, and that while our present dance music revolution may feel like a brand new era for so many, it's merely an exposition on a theme that has been around for a long long time. As both versions clearly state, as always it's about "house music all night long."

2. DC's Gavin Holland making moves: The area of particular locale for this site, Washington, DC, is undergoing an explosion in the disc jockey department. Part driven by talent, part driven by excellence in computer programming, DC has more selectors, than some would say it needs. However, the most rising of this crop is Nouveau Riche founder and McLean, VA native Gavin Holland. Gavin's been making moves for some time, as has been noted in this space, but, by the end of this week, he will have completed the audacious task of spinning at four of the area's epicenter events, dating back to Saturday's DC Record Fair, the Bigger Sex party at the Trinidad and Tobago Association (debuting his "Party Bros" alliance with disco destroyer Chris Burns), and this week forthcoming, hosting and spinning at Tuesday's CU Next Tuesday with NYC's Jess Jubilee, and DC femme fatales of frenetic foot shaking Alex Decibelle and Jackie O, and completing the week with Thursday's return of the SHORTS (those wearing shorts need only apply) party at Asylum. I've heard Gavin spin everything from crunk dirty South gems to Miami bass to dubstep and electro this year, and if there's anyone who has his finger on the pulse of the club world, and attempts to advance it in our nation's capital, this would be that selector. As a producer, he's constantly at work these days on his own productions, or many numerous and interesting collaborations to come. This certainly seems to be the calm before the storm in Holland's career.

3. Cam'ron drops 6th studio album "Crime Pays" on May 12th - With the nature of the discussion as of late surrounding "emo rappers" who are getting signed, making deals, and ultimately deciding the direction of the hip hop game in many eyes, it's a certain breath of fresh air to have an album dropping from Cam'ron. The first three singles we've heard so far, "I Hate My Job, "Get it in Ohio," and "Cookies and Apple Juice," if anything should allow fans of "true hip hop" to sigh a breath of relief. It seems as though we get killa Cam at his absurdist wordsmith best again, making ridiculous observations about life, but, remembering to do so from the heart, and from a remembrance of his OWN completely absurd past, remaining one of rap music's true gems, someone who for good, bad or indifferent makes a difference as a musician. Following the "Behind the Music" type demise of the Dipset, it's clear that Cam is focused and prepared to retrieve his spot as one of hip hop's most prolific and consistently solid emcees.

4. The Cool Kids - Pennies (roster update remix): Does anybody else reading this ever remember attempting to beat your mother or father at any sort of endeavor as a child, only to be soundly defeated merely because your parents are bigger, stronger, tougher, smarter or faster than you are? Well, I advise everyone to listen to this track from the Cool Kids' new "Gone Fishing" mixtape. What Ludacris and Bun B do is so important as a statement in our current environment in popular and underground music. Two emcees on this record are independent artists with solid chops and entertaining content that appeals to a particular subsection of the hip hop community at large. Two of the emcees on this record have sold probably 100 million albums between them in nearly thirty combined years of rapping and in many cases have wordplay, rhyme schemes, lyrics and refrains that are a part of the international popular lexicon. Artist development is a necessity in any era, and it's important to understand that the junior class of rappers is not on the same plateau, or should be even considered to be as such quite yet. It's really amazing to sit and listen to a track and be blown away by the difference in phrasing and breathing even when you compare a veteran emcee to a comparative rookie with promise. For those of us in this "blogging" game who would rather be A & R reps than appreciators of solid craftsmanship, this track is an absolute necessity to listen to to understand why it's important to anoint an artist as being good before saying that they are great. Setting someone up for an inevitable fall is a rude move indeed.

SHIT I'M DIGGING THIS WEEK

1. Christian Rich - Famous Girl

Christian Rich - Famous Girl from CHRISTIAN RICH on Vimeo.

Remember Jamiroquai? Yes. If you're a fan of his that has a more international palate musically, then you know that Jay Kay and his band did so much to attempt to keep the mid 70s funk of Stevie Wonder alive, and truly is one of the most underrated bands that ever walked the planet. However, if you're stateside, you know Jamiroquai for having some of the most visually arresting and truly thought provoking videos that have ever come down the pike. As always, American pop, style over substance. Brooklyn's Christian Rich, an electro dabbling R & B duo's debut single and video, Famous Girl, well, it warrants that type of hype. It's the video that rather soon, EVERYONE will be talking about, but that may never get airplay on MTV. Which is shameful, as from sonic quality alone, the single is phenomenal, but not quite ClearChannel material, as, well, the band isn't aligned to svengali producers who once wore shiny suits, or even caustic hip hop cause celebres of any level of notoriety. But, internationally, I expect this to be huge. Gigantic even. Aping "Eyes Wide Shut" to make a musical statement about the cannibalistic nature of the media upon female celebrity? Well, that's just tremendous. Let's hope that hype makes this a Madonna's "Erotica" or The Prodigy's "Smack my Bitch Up." That'd be a step in the right direction.

2. The Cool Kids' Gone Fishing Mixtape (link)

OK. The Cool Kids are at the front when it comes to the new school of hip hop. Take an obscenely catchy gimmick (1988 production values and rhyme schemes), murk the underground with consistently quality material, rise to the top of it, then align yourself with solid management and marketing, and end up with constant MTV buzz and guest shots on the NBA 2K9 series of video games, and, shazam, the Cool Kids, without a record deal, are profitable, and drop a mixtape with ALBUM worthy guest shots (Wale, Bun B, Ryan Leslie, Ludacris and others). There's something wonderful to be said about the Cool Kids' grind to success, and something in how they do what they do that will be a blueprint for new acts for years to come. It also says a lot for the lack of creativity allowed for ALL artists in the mainstream when the two best albums of 2009 so far are mixtapes, by Drake and the aforementioned. But that's a different column for a different day.

3. DC DJ Will Eastman brings the BASS to the Capital City

When it comes to the grand mixmasters of our fair city, especially when it comes to club and alternative forms of music, you really can't go wrong with the record of excellence of Will Eastman. In a lot of ways, between his Blisspop party which has been around since 2002, and Ca$$idy's Garutachi party, the resurgence of party culture in DC has as much to do with their wild, genre shifting affairs than the insurgence of the hipster subculture nationwide. This has been a fairly big year for Eastman, with the Inaugural party with MOBY, his remix of Ruby Isle's "So Damn High" setting the blogs ablaze, and his forthcoming month of May, featuring none other than NYC heavy bass pioneer Drop the Lime at the Backbar of the 9:30 Club for Blisspop, and May 23rd, Star Eyes and The Captain of the Trouble and Bass crew. Alongside Stereofaith bringing down and no collaborating with Baltimore's Johnny Blaze, the nature of club music heavyweights making their way to the Capital City and sharing the tables with some of our finest is a welcome step up in the local scene.

4. Ne-Yo

For the past two years, when I've looked back at the year and really thought about my absolute favorite song of the year, tracks either by or involving Ne-Yo have topped the list. In 2007, his collaboration with Fabolous, "Make Me Better," his hook, the simply stated "I'm a movement by myself, but we're a force when we're together" is one of the greatest lyrics of the last twenty years in my opinion. And that's what makes Ne Yo great. He's succinct, he's to the point, and he has lyrical maturity beyond his years. Last year's "Closer" is incredible as he takes a dance pop track and proves his mettle over it as well, taking what an average soul crooner would deem a throwaway album track and crafting a banger. Even further, Ne Yo stays true to the streets as well, as the Miss Independent/She Got Her Own combination set the streets ablaze and spoke to the ladies in a much deeper way than the most shallow ballad can, and cemented Ne Yo as the top of his craft. His latest "Part of the List" is a stone cold killer as well, as it would seem that producers and songwriters bring their A plus game now when dealing with one of the best balladiers of this, or, well, pretty much any time in recent memory.