The Hood Internet - Trillwave 2

The Hood Internet - Trillwave 2 by Мишка Bloglin

Mishka presents this excellent barbeque soundtrack from indie/rap mashup magicians The Hood Internet. To paraphrase a classic track "bang this in the yard baby". (via Mad Decent, whose NYC block party they recently rocked.)

Osama Throws An Eighties Party Mixtape

As an 80's baby who never really experienced the decade, I put this mix together as a 21st century perspective on the second-to-last decade of the 20th. It is a musical answer to the question "What do the 80's look like in a post-Michael Jackson, post-Osama bin Laden world?" And besides, girls love 80's parties.

New Mixtape Weezy

I'm about a week late on this, but Lil' Wayne just dropped a new mixtape called Sorry 4 the Wait. On it, he takes on Kreayshawn's "Gucci Gucci", properly demonstrates how awful of a rapper Lil' B has become since his days in The Pack by demolishing him on my favorite Waka Flocka track, and shouts out everybody and their mom over Beyonce's Major Lazer-sampling "Run the World". (via The Fader)

New Vaab Mix

If you are in need of some dance music to fill your summer nights, or at least your drives to and from whatever you're filling them with, Vaab's latest mix of progressive house, electro, and trance might be just what you're looking for.

Tracklisting:

1. Bjork - Venus As A Boy
2. DJ Zilos - Always Changing [feat. Sophia Cruz][Rev-Players Remix]
3. Melleefresh vs. Deadmau5 - Cocktail Queen
4. Cevin Fisher - You Got Me Burning Up [feat. Loleatta Holloway][Tim Davison Remix]
5. Moguai - ZYVOX [Steve Duda Remix]
6. Arno Cost - Lise
7. Chrizz Luvly - Amen
8. Rihanna - Rude Boy [Tommie Sunshine's 5 AM Edit]
9. Josh Gabriel presents Winter Kills - My Friend [Francis Preve Remix]
10. Rihanna - S & M [Sidney Samson Club Mix]
11. Mord Fustang - Lick the Rainbow
12. Arty - Hope [Club Mix]
13. ATB with Dash Berlin - Apollo Road [Club Version]

My First Mixtape

This was the first mix I ever made with MixMeister Fusion. I was trying to learn how to use the program, so I went back through several times to work on the details. I tried to keep it around 130 bpm in the key of C. Having just begun growing beyond iPod DJing Sweet 16s and such for Warped Tour kids, primarily through the influence of Diplo and his Mad Decent blog, I assembled what I thought was about as diverse a tracklisting as I could after listening to Flosstradamus' 3 Peat Mix at least once a day for about a month.

Tracklisting:
Alex H - Champion Floss
August Burns Red - Truth of a Liar
Girl Talk - Dance With Me (Baila Baila) [Club Mix]
Girl Talk - Dance With Me (Baila Baila) [Dub Version]
Missy Elliott - Lose Control [feat. Fatman Scoop & Ciara][Radio Edit]
Martha & the Vandellas - Dancing in the Street
Sister Sledge - Everybody Dance [Live] vs. Afrika Bambaataa - Just Get Up & Dance [Hip-Hop-a-Lula Remix]
Bodyrox - What Planet You On [feat. Luciana]
Kanye West - Stronger [A-Trak Remix]
Kanye West - Stronger [Tyler Fedchuck 1/2 Alive Remix]
Hellogoodbye - Here (In Your Arms) [2006 Tommie Sunshine Mix] vs. Dr. Dre - The Watcher [Instrumental]
Hollywood Undead - No. 5
Ciara - 1, 2 Step [feat. Missy Elliott][X-Mix Dance Series 79]
Jokers of the Scene - Juggle It [William Russell Remix]
DJ Laz - Feel the Funk
Daft Punk -Phoenix vs. Robert Randolph & the Family Band - I Don't Know What You Come To Do [Live]
Funkerman - Speed Up
Armand Van Helden - This Ain't Hollywood [Sinden Remix]
Britney Spears - Piece of Me [DJ Biggie Mashup]
Erick E - The Beat Is Rockin'
Meg - Party Time [Club Mix]
Get 'Em Mamis - Push It [Freestyle]
Bob Sinclar - Sounds of Freedom [Whole Album Mix]
Bamboo - Bamboogie [Radio Edit]
Rihanna - Please Don't Stop The Music [Mr. Slaughter Soca Remix]
Say Wut - Drop
Kissy Sell Out - Gonna Make You Mine [Kissy's Ghetto Fabulous Mix]
Hot Chip - Ready for the Floor [LA Riots vs. Villains Remix]
DJ Earworm - I Like the Way Jenny Scrubs
Brit & Alex - I Like Boys
The Hush Sound - Wine Red [Tommie Sunshine's Brooklyn Fire Retouch]
Tommie Sunshine - Dance Among the Ruins
Fall Out Boy - Dance, Dance [Tommie Sunshine's Brooklyn Fire & Brimstone Dub] vs. Lloyd - Get It Shawty
Family Force 5 - Earthquake
Casper - Cha-cha Slide (Part 2)
Hurricane Chris - Hand Clap
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean vs. Spank Rock - Shake That
Afrika Bambaataa - Just Get Up & Dance [Party Mood Remix]
Chromeo - Fancy Footwork
Daft Punk - One More Time [Foxy's Hip-hop Voiceover Edit]
Aaron LaCrate - Blow [feat. Spank Rock & Amanda Blank][Low Bee Remix]
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams [DJ Stranger Remix]
The Four Tops - It's the Same Old Song [Acapella]
Fergie - Fergalicious vs. The Count & Sinden - Beeper
MSTRKRFT - Bounce [feat. N.O.R.E.]
Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Let's Make Out
Hot Chip - Ready for the Floor
Spoiled Bratz- Roc 2 Da Beat
Robi-Rob's Clubworld - Make That Money
Panic! At the Disco - The Only Difference Between Martyrdom And Suicide Is Press Coverage [Tommie Sunshine Brooklyn Fire Remix]
Alex H - Imperial Bombaclaat
Spank Rock - B.O.O.T.A.Y. [Stereobait's Technics Edit]
O-zone - Dragostea Din Tei
Sean Paul - Private Party
Spank Rock - Blow
Usher - Nice & Slow [Remix][feat. Twista] vs. Benny Benassi - Love Is Gonna Save Us
Mr. Mixx - Freak Dance (Let Me See Ya)
Chemical Brothers - It Began In Africa
Daft Punk - Rock'n'Roll
Trina - You Ain't Ready [feat. Paul Wall]
Pitbull - Fuego
Twista - Overnight Celebrity [Remix][feat. Kanye West]
Klever - Kryptobounce
Brandtson - Nobody Dances Anymore
DJ Assault - Play It Again
Pitbull - Fuego [DJ Buddha Remix][feat. Don Omar]
Eurofrog - Chariots of Fire [Dance Remix]
Izza Kizza - Red Wine [Clean]
Vengaboys - We Like To Party
2 Live Crew - Shake a Lil' Something
Flo Rida - Low [feat. T-Pain][Foxy Edit][feat. Pitbull & Travis Barker]
DJ Laz - Move, Shake, Drop [Remix][feat. Pitbull & Flo Rida]

Artists I Was Evidently Riding Hard: Tommie Sunshine (5), Pitbull (4), Spank Rock (4), Kanye West (3), Daft Punk (3)

Getting Some Artist Love

Every once in a while an artist is impressed enough by what I've said about them here to link to it or quote it in one of their media outlets. While many might post a link on Facebook or Twitter, a few have paid me the respect of doing so in a more permanent way:

• Will Gray posted my review of his show at b-sides on his blog. [this review]

• Alex Brubaker has a link to one of my show reviews up on his Myspace. [this review]

• MC Psalmist quotes me in his SonicBids EPK under "Press". [this review]

• Kyle Rictor includes me on his website under "Fan Testimonials". [this review]

Photo of Kyle & Kelsey Rictor courtesy of Megan Kelley

• For those interested, you should come see Kyle Rictor at B-sides on Wednesday.

• MC Psalmist recently put out the Friends'n'Family mixtape with some of the artists who also played the show I reviewed at MCPC.

• Alex Brubaker will be playing with Suzi Brown, who has been on The Fox and the Hound, at The Whole Cannoli on Saturday the 26th (I'm missing it for my sentencing in Wilmington, DE).

• Will Gray has a great documentary out about the music business called *Broke. It features interviews with everyone from John Legend to vice presidents of labels like Sony and Columbia.

Fratrap & Joey AX

DJ a couple of bangers for Alpha Gamma Rho at Penn State, beatbox at the Friday Freestyle cyphers at Temple, and drop some tapes from an up-and-coming white rapper and you just might end up an expert on fratrap. Fratrap is what happens when you put hip-hop music, beer, and a bunch of white guys in a house on a regular basis, like what happens in most frat houses all across America. Eventually somebody gets up and starts rhyming. Some of them are actually pretty good, usually the ones who emulate true-school hip-hop the most, and at the very least it's not just radio music playing at the parties anymore. On the spectrum of white rap, it's a lot closer to Asher Roth-who was himself part of the fratrap scene at West Chester before dropping out-than Eminem, Mike Shinoda, or Yelawolf.
Guide to this video: what is wrong with fratrap, Joey AX, his producer Michael Piffington
One such scion of the fratrap scene is Joey AX, who hates the radio, Jersey Shore, and the false American dream our parents bought into so much that he is denouncing it all on concept street album The Goodbye America Project. Lead singles "Swagger Thru the Speakers" and "She's Gone" feature sample-based production and what sounds like live drumming, two signs that this just might be true-school hip-hop instead of imitation "I Love College". Download the mixtape he and Mike Piff, Joey's producer and fellow MC, dropped for free here and judge for yourself.

Catching up with OnCue & CJ Luzi

You may remember producer CJ Luzi and OnCue, the rapper he most often works with, from my previous posts. Around Thanksgiving, OnCue dropped the cleverly-titled Leftovers, featuring tracks that didn't make the cut for Cuey Sings The Blues, including a few with beats by Luzi. You can find that tape for free download here.
[photo by Erika Ricchini of Troubador]
CJ and mutual friend and producer Bryan "Pianoboi" Porter, who was actually the entertainment during the dinner of my junior prom, were part of the iStandard producers showcase at Fluid just off of South Street, at which Luzi was dubbed the crowd favorite.
The biggest development is the launch of cjluzi.com, the front page of which links to the two OnCue tapes and my personal favorite track, "Lucifer and Friends", Luzi's contribution to Mick Boogie & Terry Urban's Viva La Hova re-release. For those who didn't cop it the first time out, Viva La Hova is a mixtape mashing Jay-Z vocals with Coldplay-sampling instrumentals. For those who did, make sure you grab the remastered version here, and especially the bonus tracks to get this jam from Luzi.

Free Download: Cuey Sings The Blues

OnCue just released his mixtape Cuey Sings The Blues on Tuesday, which you might remember from my previous post. It features extensive production by my man CJ Luzi, whose official website http://www.cjluzi.com is now up! You can find a download link on that page. Check them both out, give it a listen, and support hip-hop sampling from some different sources. Seems like big names are getting on board with this type of project now that Kanye has Bon Iver singing on his tracks and whatnot. This is the next big thing.If you like what you hear, get at them on Facebook: OnCue & CJ Luzi.

Buzz Artist: OnCue

My friend CJ Luzi put me up on OnCue, with whom he will be working on an upcoming project sampling various indie and rock songs for a mixtape. To prepare you for that eventual release, I encourage you to check out OnCue's current mixtape Cueyfornication, on which he spits over beats based on Red Hot Chili Peppers samples, sponsored by IllRoots and The Press Play Show.

You can find it on DatPiff, the largest mixtape download site, by clicking [here]. Mixtape heavyweights Mick Boogie and Terry Urban are already involved with both projects, making Cuey a great bet to make it big in the near future, receiving coverage from major hip-hop blogs including The Smoking Section and 2DopeBoyz. Check out my exclusive interview:

• What got you into hip-hop in general and sample-based productions specifically?
• Started when I was really young. I have a brother that is 7 years older than myself. When I was roughly 3 or 4 years old, he brought home old rap cassettes (Run DMC, Keith Sweat, Kriss Kross, O.P.P. etc.) And my love, started there. The "sample-based" part of your question, came out of the idea to put out an alternative/indie/electro sounded project mixed with hip-hop, at cost and time efficiency. All of my mixtapes, are/tend to be sample-based projects, but albums, EPs and singles coming soon, will be 100% original.

• Do you find yourself pigeonholed into a certain style/persona as a white rapper from Connecticut?
• I did once, but I grew out of it. Prior to Cueyfornication I made straight, well generic sounding hip-hop. It wasn't until I did a song called "Inhale, Exhale" [off of 2008's Elevator Muzik] that made it all click. Guitars, pianos, and I started to sing, and now we have what you -- now probably you know me as.

• How did you get 'discovered' by big names like Mick Boogie and Terry Urban?
• Mick, Terry and I have a mutual friend Christopher Truth. Short and simple, Mick and Terry heard the aforementioned "Inhale, Exhale" and loved it. I also do graphic design on the side, and us 3 tend to help each other out, favor for a favor. I owe those guys alot, they definitely have alot to do with the some-what still building name that I have today.

• How much of an advantage is it as an artist to be able to do your own graphic design work?
• I love it. I love being creative, that's what I believe I was put on this earth to be -- is creative. It helps me shape the sound of my music, the marketing, the image -- that I myself want to really convey to the fans, listeners, bloggers, DJ's, etc. Plus, design has helped push my career along as perfect as it can be. It puts my music in hands in times when people in high places would be quick to turn the cheek, before they take a listen.

• Which artist(s), past or present, do you identify most strongly with?
• Good question, wow -- real good question. I was thinking about this the other day. I have this idea I want to be the next Billy Joel. The guy had soul, and heart -- and was one of the few musicians who you could always hear that he was pouring his heart and soul into every note, and lyric he wrote. A few other musicians I admire are Ben Gibbard, Hov, Kanye, Big. But back to Ben real quick, Death Cab and Postal Service changed my life -- "Give Up" and "Transatlanticism" are probably 2 of my top 3 albums ever made.

• How important do you think the live show is to hip-hop music?
• Now? More than ever. As the music business revenue is rapidly declining, CD sales are in the tank -- ringtones are getting bootlegged -- live shows are the main avenue for profit in today's music business.

• Why did you choose to make the move to Brooklyn and how has it influenced your style?
• The move to Brooklyn was a mixture of things. I felt as if I was growing tired of my home. I felt back in CT I didn't really fit in, musically. Plus once I did a self evaluation I realized more of the people I work with are located in the NYC area, and on top of that my management just opened a brand new recording studio in Brooklyn as well, it was a no brainer. In addition, Brooklyn really helped me finish writing all the songs for "Cuey Sings the Blues". Being in NYC helps you see things with a pair of glasses you almost thought you never had. I made sure the production sounded bigger. I made sure the lyrics pierced the heart of the listener, yet broad and generic but original at the same time. You see so many faces in this city each day, and I wanted to try my hardest to reach everyone I cross paths with.

• Judging by the various artists sampled on "Cuey Sings the Blues", you have broad taste in music. What was the selection process like? How did you narrow it down to the current list of artists/songs to be sampled?
• The artists and songs were chosen by myself, my producers CJ Luzi and Chanes, and curated by my manager, Mick, Terry and Chris. Most of the songs were songs I loved growing up, and once I went on this adventure to flip any song I wanted in the genres, I dove right in with the producers. Besides Chanes and CJ, I also worked with Remot, Emay & my dude AJ on this project. CJ Luzi and Emay did a bunch, Chanes did a few and Remot and AJ did a joint each.

• How did you meet CJ Luzi, and what motivated you to choose so many tracks from such a relatively unknown producer after working with bigger names in the past?
• When CJ and myself were first starting out we kinda clicked over the internet. He'd send beats, I'd send songs back. From there we grew a real friendship, and a great working relationship. CJ did the biggest bulk of production on Cuey Sings the Blues. But overall, the project will be awesome. I'm biting my tongue severely right now because I tend to hype every new project (as I should) -- but this one is on a different level. I'll be quiet and let the music speak for itself when it's released.

Sampling RHCP for a concept mixtape might seem like a gimmick, but for a rapper who claims to want to be the next Billy Joel and cites Ben Gibbard's writing for The Postal Service's Give Up and Death Cab's Transatlanticism as life-changing, the relationship with rock music obviously goes far deeper. Cuey's rhymes are not to be underestimated either, so be on the lookout for his live show and more music in the coming months.

Blink-182 Reunion: Part One - Travis Barker

In the light of the recent announcement of a Blink-182 reunion at the Grammy's, I thought it would be interesting to explore what the members have been doing with their time since the band went on hiatus in 2005. Since there are 3 band members, this will be a 3 part series.
Since he has been arguably the most visible member of the band, I decided to start with Travis Barker. Originally the drummer for The Aquabats, Travis joined Blink-182 in 1998 between their first commercially successful album Dude Ranch and their most successful album Enema of the State.

While a member of Blink-182, he participated in "Dischord emo/post-hardcore" influenced side project with Tom DeLonge called Box Car Racer and the hip-hop and dub influenced Transplants with Tim Armstrong of Rancid.

After Blink-182 broke up, he and Mark Hoppus formed +44, an alternative-influenced pop punk band with electronic elements that had been absent from Blink-182. +44 still theoretically has another album in pre-production since May or July of '08. He also founded LaSalle Records and expanded his Famous Stars & Straps clothing line. Outside of music, he had an MTV reality show called Meet the Barkers with his then-wife and former Miss USA and Playmate Shanna Moakler.

Barker has done a lot of hip-hop material since the Blink-182 breakup, including the Expen$ive Ta$te group/mixtape with rapper Paul Wall (who also did a chopped'n'screwed version of the Transplants album) and Skinhead Rob (also of the Transplants), his amazing free mixtape and tour with DJ AM as TRVS DJAM(which included backing all the artists at the VMAs and the much-publicized plane crash sometimes credited as a catalyst for the Blink reunion), remixes of Bubba Sparxxx, Pharrell (of N.E.R.D. and the Neptunes), Rich Boy, the Black Eyed Peas, Rihanna, Soulja Boy, the Federation, Flo Rida, Busta Rhymes, The Game, Bun B (of UGK, RIP Pimp C), Wale and most recently Jay-Z, as well as production work for T.I.

On a more pop level, he has also played drums for Pink and Avril Lavigne. I'm just wondering how much of these influences will be incorporated into any new Blink-182 material. Obviously I don't think Blink should become a rap-rock band, but the hip-hop aesthetic might creep in, and I don't think that would be a bad thing. Travis's connections in the hip-hop world could also make for interesting guest spots and remix possibilities (a chopped'n'screwed Blink album?). Just throwing that out there...

Here's some links to give you a taste of what that might sound like:
Expen$ive Ta$te mixtape
DJ AM mixtape (amazing! tracks from Johnny Cash, Public Enemy, M.I.A., Led Zeppelin)
Travis Barker remixes

Watch this video of the Soulja Boy remix: