NFT's Favorite Songs of 2014!

Room for one more?

101. Enabler - New Life
100. Riff Raff - Aquaberry Dolphin (feat. Mac Miller)
99. Locktender - The Piazza
98. Homeboy Sandman - Fat Belly
97. Criminal Instinct - Fever
96. Bad History Month - Staring at My Hands
95. Father - Look at Wrist (feat. I LOVE MAKONNEN & Key)
94. Bastions - Empty Vessel
93. Vulture Shit - I Love My Job
92. Kite Party - Halflife
91. Cara Neir - To Sprout from Decay
90. Dungeon Kids - Wife Out
89. Single Mothers - Marbles
88. Chance the Rapper - Wonderful Everyday (Arthur's Theme cover) [ft. The Social Experiment]
87. You Blew It! - Award of the Year Award
86. Baths - Ocean Death
85. RATKING - So Sick Stories (feat. King Krule)
84. Krieg - Circling the Drain 
83. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - High (feat. Danny Brown)
82. Adebisi Shank - Chaos Emeralds
81. Cold World - Hell's Direction (feat. Kool G Rap)
80. RVIVR - Goodbyes
79.  Solids - Over the Sirens 
78. The Body - Manic Fire
77. Attic Abasement - Talk
76. Ab-Soul - God's Reign (feat. SZA)
75. Cunninlynguists - Strange Universe (feat. Del the Funk Homosapien)
74. Kal Marks - It Was a Very Hard Year
73. Roomrunner - Slow
72. Sun Club - Cheeba Swiftkick
71. Idylls - Lied To
70. Go Yama - Kiki's Delivery Bump Truck
69. Never Relaxed - Safety Net
68. My Fictions - Wake Anxious
67. Grass is Green - Vacation 2.0
66. Lil B - Fuck KD (Kevin Durant Diss)
65. La Dispute - Woman (Reading)
64. Dog - Living stone on the cave of the vapor
63. Big Ups - Rash
62. Totorro - Chevalier Bulltoe
61. Radiator Hospital - Cut Your Bangs
60. Future Islands - Seasons (Waiting For You) [BADBADNOTGOOD Reinterpretation]
59. Tombs - Severed Lives
58. Zammuto - Hegemony
57. Cruel Hand - Monument Square People 
56. Speedy Ortiz - Everything's Bigger
55. Psymun - Blind (feat. Spooky Black & Bobby Raps)
54. Thou - Into the Marshlands
53. Hive Bent - Fedora
52. Saintseneca - Happy Alone (bonus: Fed Up With Hunger)
51. Tobacco - Eruption (Gonna Get My Hair Cut at the End of the Summer)
50. Special Explosion - Clotheslined
49. Kool & Kass - C.R.E.A.M.
48. Rosetta - Soot
47. Jerkagram - Olee-Wah
46. Earth - Torn by the Fox of the Crescent Moon
45. Ted Nguyent - My Body is the Temple of Doom
44. Helms Alee - Dangling Modifiers 
43. Falls of Rauros - Spectral Eyes
42. Buck 65 - Love Will Fuck You Up
41. Krill - Peanut Butter
40. Goat - The Light Within
39. Kool A.D. - Hickory (feat. Talib Kweli & Boots Riley)
38. Demonbrother - Journey to the End of the Night
37. Salem's Pot - Dr. Death
36. Hail Mary Mallon - 4AM
35. UltraMantis Black - Biomonster DNA
34. At the Gates - At War With Reality
33. The Caution Children - Psalms
32. Baptists - Dissembler 
31. Code Orange - Slowburn
30. Lovechild - Perfectionist (Perfectionism)
29. Angel Du$t - Let it Rot
28. Owls - The Lion...
27. SZA - Childs Play (feat. Chance the Rapper)
26. Open Mike Eagle - Doug Stamper (feat. Hannibal Buress)  (bonus: Informations)
25. Wreck and Reference - Stranger, Fill This Hole in Me
24. Run the Jewels - Blockbuster Night Part 1
23. 100 Onces - Boreder Patrol
22. Serengeti - No Beginner
21. Trace Mountains - Buttery Sprouts
20. Eyehategod - Parish Motel Sickness
19. Busdriver - Ego Death (ft. Aesop Rock & Danny Brown) (bonus: Eat Rich)
18. Soft Power - LVL UP
17. Protomartyr - Scum, Rise!
16. Mayor Creep - Bike Lane
15. Bearcubbin' - High School Field Trip to Murder Island
14. Flying Lotus - Dead Man's Tetris (feat. Captain Murphy & Snoop Dogg)
13. Tigers Jaw - Slow Come On
12. Sangharsha - Dharaap
11. Mantar - The Berserker's Path
10. Shellac - Riding Bikes
9. Butcher Boy - New Home
8. SLOTHS - Breadcrumb Trail (Slint cover)
7. ScHoolBoy Q - Man of the Year
6. Milo - You Are Go(o)d to Me
5. Swans - Bring the Sun/Toussaint L'Ouverture
4. Have a Nice Life - Cropsey
3. Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra - What We Loved Was Not Enough
2. Yautja - Faith Resigned
1. Spooky Black - Without U

CZARFACE

CZARFACE - Inspectah Deck + 7L & Esoteric = Czarface (2013)

Czarface is literally (yes, literally) everything I look for in a hip-hop album - from sweet 90's beats, Wu-Tang Clan, comic book themes, and, of course, pro wrestling references AND samples. This bad boy featuring the duo of 7L & Esoteric and Inspectah Deck from Wu-Tang fame has all that good stuff I mentioned above and more. Plus, I'm not just taking about one song here: this album is a beginning-to-end banger stuffed with only the coolest things you can find in hip-hop without being nerd rap. Well, without being tacky nerd rap.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined a song of any kind would include a sample of the National Wrestling Alliance's first and only 80's tag team from 2002, The New Breed and their long since forgotten Transformers inspired promo. Alas it exists and therefore has to be one of my favorite things ever put in a song. The song is called "Czar Refeali" featuring Oh No of Gangrene and is only one of many more action packed numbers.

If I did have to pick just one song off of Czarface to draw someone in though, it would certainly be "Savagley Attacked" featuring the one and only, Ghostface Killah. If this song does not hook you in, I don't think we can be friends. I'll still talk to you, I guess, but we won't be hanging out or getting ice cream together any time soon. Check this out:

Other guests in this comic book on HGH include: Roc Marciano, Cappadonna & Vinnie Paz, Mr. MFN EXquire, and Action Bronson as well as sample appearances by Iron Man, Batman, Sam and Vincent from Ronin, George Carlin, Vince McMahon, Tony Schiavone, The Road Warriors, and many more.

Last.fm

Monday XXXXXVII

Not as goofy as Das Racist's break-up...

Here's Monday 57!

Madson - Madson (2012)

Madson is a twinkly female-fronted act out of CT. It's got a very laid-back, jazzy, edge to it that makes very listenable. The fact that Madson's vox are a female's is also a nice treat since there is so many winy guys singing over noodle-y music these days.It's like that one white lady who works at The Panda Express in the mall...

No.. it's not like that at all.




Last.fm

Jel & Odd Nosdam - Geti Beats vol. 1

Geti Beats is a compilation of beats created for the one and only, Serengeti by Anticon mates Jel and Odd Nosdam (maybe you've heard about them from their numerous other projects via Anticon). The beats come straight off Serengeti's 2012 releases, Kenny Dennis EP and C.A.R. along with three other instrumentals that aren't marked where they belong so maybe they are new beats that Serengeti will be working his magic on very soon. I'd love to talk more about these wonderful beats and 'Geti, especially since he is my favorite rapper of this year, but I don't want to spoil anything before I write the all important AOTY's. So for now, these beats are here as teasers to what's to come (and teasers to anyone who has yet to hear the majestic mic skills of Serengeti).



Last.fm (Jel & Odd Nosdam)

Dan Deacon - Wish Book Volume 1 (2012)

This is Dan Deacon's gift to all us Mainers since he had to cancel his show last month at the Space Gallery in Portland.

Actually, this is a DJ set Dan Deacon created while on tour. It features some great chooses of music such as Animal Collective, Roy Orbison, Silver Apples, Lightning Bolt, The Misfits along with some relevant names and sounds by Psy, Diplo, Rihanna, Death Grips, Grimes and some classics i.e. Marvin Gaye, The Ronettes, Rod Stewart, and Wiz Khalifa. 

All those things are, of course, mashed together and spit back out to bring you a very fun and enjoyable time for any occasion. Because hey, that's the only way you're going to get me to listen to Rihanna... other than the green-screen performance she did on SNL which I actually thoroughly enjoyed. And yes, even while I was sober.

Last.fm

Wonka Beats

Darwin Deez - Wonka Beats

Wonka Beats is a rap project featuring samples and other goodies revolving around the 70's film adaption of Roald Dahl's chocolate-childhood-dream-fest, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It is curated by indie pop and worst hair contest winner of the year, every year, Darwin Deez. 

Throughout this wonderfully thought up tape, Darwin Deez isn't rapping so much as playing word association. Deez's goofy style can easily be compared to that of Das Racist and other "funny" rappers who are clearly Deez's influences and inspirations. Kool AD of Das Racist actually rears his ugly head in track 2, "Where's the Chocolate" and provides us with some more word associated raps and silly vocal antics. Other special guests include Xaphoon Jones of Chiddy Bang (who you may or may not know sampled Darwin Deez in their song, "Bad Day"; the same name as the Darwin Deez song they sampled.), Dev Hynes, and Donovan Deez who is not Darwin's brother, but Mash Deez's (Michelle Dorrance, the one to come up with the 'Deez' name). Darwin Deez's real name is Darwin Smith. A lot less hip.

There is also too extra tracks at the end of this tape after the outro. One is a remix of "The City" featuring DJ Hummus, and the other is a song called, "Today Was Dumb" featuring Scary Mansion. 

A really good idea of what I'm talking about with the whole "word association" rapping style would be the remix of "I Don't Like The Look" (originally by Lil Wayne or whoever). There's so much word play and clever little rhyming, it'll make your head spin:

All in all, you can't go wrong with Willy Wonka themed samples. Unfortunately though, there's a lot of good material you can use just from the 70's version that not all of my (and maybe yours) favorite bits and quotes get used. I would have loved to hear the "You lose! Good day, sir!" rant or any of the unexpectedly scary tunnel bits. Other than that, this is a quality mixtape with a lot of Wonka nostalgia mixed with non-stop, line-after-line, Darwin Deez rapping... or what ever it is he is doing. 

Enjoy!

Official site
Bandcamp
Last.fm

NFT's Got You Covered! With Bomb the Music Industry!

Bomb the Music Industry! - Others! Others! (Volume 1: 2005-2008)

Do I like ska? No. Do I like Bomb the Music Industry!? Yes. Do I like what Bomb the Music Industry has done to ska? Hell yes.

Others! Others! by BtMI! is a grab bag of goodies that Jeff Rosenstock and the gang have created for and as 7 inches, unofficial releases, original versions, demos and other rarities. The concept of this "Others! Others!" project was originally going to be as a release of covers from every band BtMI! has toured with. They scrapped this idea due to the fact that it would get pretty annoying for the other bands. I don't know why they would get annoyed. I wouldn't be annoyed in the least bit. I'm not everybody though and therefore this collection of extras is not full of covers.

The release still features five solid covers of bands BtMI! may or may not have toured with. "This Graceless Planet" (We Versus the Shark), "4 Inches" (Rick Johnson Rock and Roll Machine), "If Assholes Got Awards, I'd Have a Trophy Case" (Infamous Jake and the Pinstripe Mafia), "Little Brother" (Andrew Jackson Jihad), and "Gold Soundz" (Pavement) are the covers amongst the other goodies featured on Others! Others! Vol. 1.

Even though Bomb the Music Industry! has a bit of a ska influence and many things become driven my the off-beats; the covers, demos, original versions and bonus tracks are still supreme. BtMI! even takes the two ska bands Rick Johnson Rock and Roll Machine and Infamous Jake and the Pinstripe Mafia's (who aren't super terrible ska bands) tracks and makes them even less ska. Just because these guys are tagged as ska, doesn't mean they torment you with fedoras and jazz history (damn, that brings terrible images of my past to mind) . BtMI! are still looking out for the common good of punk music and are above all that bullshit that mainstream ska bands stand for. What do they stand for? Being lame, of course.

It's also really cool to see We Versus the Sharks on the other end of the covering process. It's pretty cool to see that these cover posts have gone full circle as well; We Versus the Shark and their cover album were the first band featured on NFT's Got You Covered and now they are the ones getting covered. With Bomb the Music Industry!'s whack at "This Graceless Planet", we see what was once a spastic but controlled math punk anthem becomes a spastic out of control vomiting computer made up of electronic keyboards and percussion instruments. The cover is actually really well done despite none of it sounding like live instruments and the difficulty of the piece. Bomb the Music Industry! are no strangers to crazy meters and looping in their own work either.

Other key elements and cool features of Others! Others! Vol. 1 has to be the demo version of "All Alone in My Big Empty Apartment", a track that was later released on Goodbye Cool World, this time with ukulele (I think that's a ukulele) instead of acoustic guitar. I personally like the demo version better and so does Jeff. Gosh, I'm slowly beginning to hate the ukulele (especially electric uke), but I will always love whistling and luckily for me, both versions of "All Alone in My Big Empty Apartment" still have the whistling, which is nice. The track "D13 4 YR GOV3RNM3NT" is a "megamix" for Anti-Flag. BtMI! made it for them to come out to as an introduction song while the two bands were on a little three day tour together. According to jeff after a short and funny story later, it never got played for them. Lastly, the track "This Year For President's Day, I'm Giving Up on Rock and Roll" sounds a lot like a Christmas song, well that's because it was going to a Christmas song. The track was for BtMI!'s split with Rick Johnson Rock and Roll Machine along with their cover of his track, "4 Inches". The split was scheduled to be released around Christmas time but it took too long and ended up getting released a few days after President's Day. So, they just changed "This Year For Christmas" to "This Year For President's Day". On the same BtMI!/Rick Johnson split, Rick Johnson Rock and Roll Machine cover BtMI!'s track, "Funcoland Vs. the Southern Electorate" off their first album, Album Minus Band (2005) (which also features a cover).

Most of my knowledge about this collection is from Quote Unquote (the first ever donation based record label) where Bomb the Music Industry! and other rad bands post their music (for free!) and sometimes write cool stuff. In the case of Other! Other! Vol. 1 on Quote Unquote, there is every song listed with the lyrics and some sweet stories and notes from Jeff himself (I'm guessing)!  Quote Unquote is an awesome site like If You Make It and everyone should check out all the cool stuff they have to offer! Now!

Bomb the Music Industry also released a new album last year called Vacation. It's pretty chill. Check that out too!

Official site
Last.fm

Monday XXVII

Happy birthday Tupac.

Tupac Amaru II that is.

Music:

Rites of Spring - End on End (1991) 

Very early emo from the DC area and rocked the Dischord label for only one full length and a 7". Oh, and they defied musical and stylistic rule or something. I guess you could say they were quite the trend setters. I could talk about how unfortunate it was that bands people don't like had to follow them and tarnish the name of emo by creating something different out of years of inspiration and hard work, but I'd rather just listen to whatever I want and not care about that gibba-gabba. If you really wanna cut out the fat all together, then call it punk. See if I care.

Brendan and Guy from the band went on to star in the influential film series Fugazi that spawned many sequels such as Margin Walker, 13 Songs, Red Medicine, Repeater, and The Argument. If you haven't seen any of them I'd suggest you go check 'em out. Ask your local library if they may have some of their laserdiscs lying around in the back there.

Dischord

Last.fm

Pianos Become The Teeth - Saltwater (2010)

Another band with an even more trolled genre, Pianos Become The Teeth play a mega emotional mix of "screamo" and post rock goodness. It gets really gushy and swirly all over the place but still hooks me every time. I was listening to a lot of PBTT last night and remembered that I have yet to post anything my them on here.. so here you go! Saltwater is their 2010 EP release and is probably my favorite all in all. I like to think it leans much more on the post rocky side at times especially with "All Children Make Mistakes" and the interlude. That side of it definitely tells the story of the album with much more ease and adds on another 100 pounds of emotion in the process. 

Last.fm

Zachg - sonTER MASic (2012)

For fans of Das Racist, Grand Buffet, Anticon,  and let's face it - we are white and aren't gangster so let's just be funny and goofy rap. 

I can't say I know a lot about Zachg other then he has this piece and is most likely associated with Rad Reef, "a collective for artists, and other people looking to survive life without it costing so much" because I found it on Rad Reef's bandcamp after randomly clicking through links and things. For anyone interested, I starting here. I also know that he wants to release 20 records this year; sonTER MASic being his fifth release and first LP of 2012. 

I'm also trying to figure out the name of the album. If you mix the letters of sonTER MASic around you also get MASTER sonic and A sic MonsTER. Not sure if I cracked the code there, but yeah... 

Bandcamp

Last.fm

Coma Cinema - Baby Prayers (2009)

Indie pop and what not. I noticed the name Coma Cinema once and a while last year but thought it was something else. I thought it was like Wu Lyf or Reading Rainbow, but Coma Cinema actually have much more of a listenable sound. I wouldn't have been surprised for a second either, if I saw "Elephant 6" somewhere next to the name. Don't get me wrong, that's not a bad thing. That's a good thing!

I also didn't know that Coma Cinema was actually just one guy. A guy named Mat Cothran who plays real instruments and records them on a bunch of different devices, no less. 

If Coma Cinema is really chillwave like I have read, this release, Baby Prayers surely is not. 

Last.fm

Monday XXV

More ramblings and four bands that have nothing in common; it's Monday!

Klessa - Aloha Demons (2009) 

At first I was having a little trouble with this find. What bothered me most was the constant use of percussion and other effects that are always going on in this release by New Paltz band of friends and their friends, Klessa. I felt it was a bit too clunky and much too noisy for such a project. A few more listens to Aloha Demons though and I started to enjoy the "everyone just grab an instrument and play on it" kind of friends jamming and having a good time vibe (kind of like the band Typhoon). To that degree, I started to become a little jealous that my experiences with getting a big group of pals together to jam out were not as good as what this sounds - if that makes any sense - and from there I really started to enjoy this big group of music makers. maybe it's just the fact that they have a singing saw (or at least it sounds like they do) or maybe it's how they have a clarinet, an instrument that I've seen in a lot of band's lately, but have not heard it played the way it is here. Either way it is a perfect sounding album for NFT and the Monday post, so here it is. 

Last.fm (only tag is "unreasonable")

If You Make It ("Layers")

Cathedraal - Voix Blanches (2012)

Cathedraal is a french band that likes to experiment. Experiment with what you ask? Oh, you know.. cool stuff. I like to think that these guys are what it would have sounded like if Daitro started making more songs like Part IV. With that being said, I think I am more glad that Cathedraal are not Daitro because then I'd be mad as hell they stopped being heavy and went with a more contained sound. Voix Blanches still sounds great and does have its moments of chaos. 

Sometimes it also sounds like a french Mike Patton project or My Own Private Alaska (you may agree to disagree). 

You can telecharger it for free! That means free DL!

Bandcamp

Last.fm

I keep finding myself trying to write about the negatives of these goodies I have picked up along the way. I apologize if my comments are a bit on the hurtful side, I just wanna be a good blogger and there's no better way to do that then to bury things you don't like and praise the stuff you think other people should. But seriously, I'm working on being a little less negative and sassy and a little more positive and witty. 

Wale - Mixtape About Nothing (2008)

Here's something that made me chuckle. I forgot about this album and how I was totally going to post it! 

This is a mixtape by D.C. rapper Wale called Mixtape About Nothing, a heavily influenced and sampled Seinfeld release. Wale has seen every episode of Seinfeld and is here to prove it with his first Seinfeld inspired mixtape with a sequel in 2010 appropriately called More About Nothing. Wale is supposedly a very successful rapper now and probably doesn't watch as much white boy sitcoms as he used to. I could be wrong though. 

The album features J Dilla beats, production by Best Kept Secret (oops! I told!), The Roots on a song called "The Roots Song Wale is On", The Budos Band, Lil Wayne on a song called "The Cliche Lil Wayne Feature (It's the Remix Baby!)", Bun B, Pusha T, Tre, Tawiah, and even Julia Louis-Dreyus AKA "Elaine" herself! Seriously, she is... 

...and so is Kramer saying the N word. Yep, and it's not Nostalgia. 

The beats tend to sound a little goofy and bumpin' all at the same time which makes Wales raps sound a little sillier than you'd think. Unfortunately, I don't think this is for everyone and even if it has Seinfeld written all over it (not literally), I don't think all Seinfeld fans would enjoy this hip-hop epic. If you are like me though, you will understand that there is only two ways to listen to hip-hop... ironically or not at all. Just kidding Aesop. 

PS I chuckled because of an inside joke about Seinfeld, you wouldn't understand.

10.Deep

Last.fm

Mai, Mai - Mai, Mai (2011)

Mai, Mai is a "chamber and popular music" based project by a local Portland, Maine (I believe) mulit-instrumentalist, Sean Morin. I found out about this gentleman from a show he played at a few weeks back. He wasn't playing as "Mai, Mai" but was actually in a band made up of other local musicians who came together just two days before the show. They had never played with each other before and had only 48 hours to come up with a 25 minute set along with four other frankenstein-y bands just like them that night. The event is the 48 Hour Music Festival and it is in its fourth year. I meant to mention it before but I figured if you were cool you would have already heard and went. 

Sean Morin was in a band with my home boy, Jesse Gertz AKA Glass Fingers, along with the bassist from grrl punk outifit,  The Outfits and the drummer of Sunset Hearts among other things. I'll post the full set for all of you who are not cool or had to stay home and feed your cat rather then hike up to Maine to witness the awesomeness or awkwardness (I don't know the difference) that was Clitt Romney (down below). Oh yeah... that was their band name for the night and are rumored to actually be going into the studio and record some stuff some day. 

For Sean's own music, it is a worth wild look at what this guy actually plays for music. I thought the whole, "I play the keyboard" thing was a joke. Guess not! Ch-check it!

I would mention the rest of the bands who played but I don't want to leave anyone out of get their names/information/instrument/band wrong. I have a habit of that. 

They are Clitt Romney and they are here to get you off!

Facebook

Monday XXIII

Happy Monday and happy Dead Prez day, everybody.

High Pop - Hippie Speed Ball (2011)

More like High Poop.

Lo-fi garage surf rock stuff. Like it was recorded in a high school gym. Very fuzzy...

Last.fm

Nails - Unsilent Death (2010)

Heavy and quick hardcore that people like to make up genres for.

Perfect for listening to while finishing off a bowl of nails for breakfast to get your day going.

Unsilent Death (the song) gets me so fired up! Ungodly riffage galore!

Last.fm

Glue! - Glue! (2009)

Glue! is/was a punk band that features Erica Feas of RVIVR and Hooky. Glue! is much more straight forward punk than her other bands and her custom scratchy vox are less clean and harder to understand. Still a cool listen if you enjoy things associated with RVIVR, however and it's only four tracks...

Rumbletowne Records (for live track)
Last.fm

Evian Christ - Kings And Them (2012)

Evian Christ (real name Joshua Leary) is a rising producer of some pretty dark hip hop beats. He started off posting his stuff on the Youtubes (which he has since taken down) and is now on super hip label Tri-Angle Records. I usually don't like anything from a record label with acts that have triangles, crosses, a bunch of O's or boring music in them, not just because they look really pretentious, but because I don't really like boring music and don't have time to constantly try to get in to them because it's just not rewarding in the end. Evian Christ, though, caught my attention instantly with his eerie/cloudy soundscape, deep bass and sparse rapping (mostly sampled) that is right up my alley these days. It's simple but I really like it!

I've been seeing a little bit of hype for this guy and every time I do, I always seem to see a comment that reads something like, "why do people like this, it sounds like that other stuff?" and I can't seem to agree. I still find Evian Christ pretty different. He's no Clams Casino or Blue Sky Black Death but he surely makes music that I want to listen to...

So take that.

Soundcloud
Last.fm

Happy Valentines Day

Happy V-day.

Here's something for you and your significant other or self to enjoy on this most intimate day:

Dirty South Joe & Flufftronix - Luvstep <3 (2012)

Every year mix/compilation/DJ/electronic/dubstep artists Dirty South Joe & Fluffronix come out with a little over an hour mix that explores the sensual side of dubstep and electronic music. This is the third year of their "Luvstep" project of which really kicks Valentines Day off with a bang for lovers of dubstep. But for me, the music isn't even the best part. No, honestly it's their teasers that they put up each year to, well, tease us with what they've got for showcasing artists. How they do it? They put it in a classic romantic film scene.

Exhibit A is this year's teaser featuring some smooth dub stuff over a very steamy scene from Ghost. The one where ghost Swayze gets his mack on with Demi Moore with a clay wheel thingy:

Exhibit B is my personal favorite. It's the first Luvstep teaser and features my favorite lovey dovey flick, Say Anything. This time, instead of Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" roaring from Cusack's ghetto blaster, we hear a very seduction and wobbly dubstep track to tempt his lover back into his arms:

The mix itself this year is actually really moving and features some familiar names such as Click & Whistle, Evol Intent, Clams Casino, Flufftronix himself, Ellie Goulding and Skrillex. But get this, the Skrillex song doesn't suck or curse the name of mainstream dubstep. Plus there are tons of other bands and tracks just waiting to be discovered. Like "Love Is On Your Side" by Sinjin Hawke, "Everything To Me (The Adventure Club Remix)" by LIPS, "Strange Behavior" by Feed Me Featuring Tasha Baxter and of course, the opening masterpiece "It Gets Better" by Mad Decent labelee (if that's a phrase) Derek Allen of which goes perfectly into the next track ("Life" by Kotez).

The mix can be DL'd as one big continuous MP3 or split up the way I like my mixes. Because I'm selfish and like individual tracks... Does that really make me such a bad person? Really?

Okay.

I don't always listen to Dubstep

But when I do, It's usually Luvstep

Luvstep.com
Last.fm

R.I.P. Martin Smith

Earlier this week I learned that the world was missing a really great character. Martin Smith was not just a close friend but also a major influence in my life. His ability and goal to be completely different than everybody else will always stick in my mind as one of the greatest features he (and anyone) could ever have. There will never be another guy like Martin and it is a shame everyone did not know him. He was something of mythes.

In honor of my lost friend, I would like to post some music that he either showed me, liked, or that we both had in common. I'll also post some extra stuffz and some stuff that reminds me of Martin as time goes by. 

Ratatat - 9 Beats

I remember one summer riding around with Martin in his beat up silver Volvo be got from is grandmother. He was one of my first friends I ever knew who could drive and that alone blew me away. At this point he loved to drive around to Ratatat's 9 beats; an unofficial release that included 9 instrumental tracks that were used on their remix albums of famous hip hop and rap stars' songs. The tracks are really bumping and totally get you going! Martin's Volvo's speakers never really worked so for a little bit he would use a dinky portable speaker to project his favorite beats. But none of that bothered me. 

Last.fm

 Pogo - Wonderland (2007)

It made sense that Martin got me in to tons of fun electronic, dancey and beaty music. Martin loved to dance (not like dance but like dance dance) and have a good time with his friends. My friends and I sometimes throw flash "dance parties"in each other's dirty little basements. It's just what we do. A lot of these dance parties have either been put on or featured a whole lotta really cool tracks found by Martin Smith himself. Martin introduced me to many electronic type bands back in the day, like Ratatat, Kraftwerk, Justice, Caribou, and even Pogo. 

Pogo is pretty famous for his special crafting of "Alice" a song using only chords, sound effects and vocal samples from the cartoon version of Alice in Wonderland. Pogo has also played around with more Alice in Wonderland in Wonderland, Disney's Up, Dexter, Harry Potter and many other films and bits of pop culture. Under all the glitch and bloops & woops, it actually sounds really chill and almost trip-hop like. I still remember the first time martin played this to me... Afterwards, I think I may have listened to it a hundred times that week.

Last.fm

Jamie T - Kings & Queens (2009)

Martin ripped this album for me a little after its release and I really enjoyed it.  I drifted away from this album and Jamie T for a bit but came back to listening to him after hearing his first album, Panic Prevention again. Jamie T definitely appeals to many people and could absolutely have a larger success here in the states some day. Nowadays I just like listening to the sadder songs on this one. 

Martin was always a giving person. Cliché, I know but he was! He would gave me a lot of weird things sometimes from a container of teeth to a little pink Jesus ring to a bunch of condoms after pretending to be a college and winning a big box of 500 prophylactics. But most of all, he would try to give himself to everyone of his friends including me! He would always try to entertain me every time we were together. Even when I was having a wonderful time just hanging around in his company, he still felt I was not having enough fun and would try his hardest to change that and thus, make my day. 

Last.fm

Titus Andronicus - The Monitor (2010)

One of Martin's favorites.

Last.fm

Pussy - Sings the Hits (2011)

Matin and Friends (Dx2, Will Horseman and Thee Jesse Gertz) singing the hits with meows. It's music for the kitties in all of us. The hits include: Ring of Meow, Pokemeow Theme, Pur the Magic Dragon, Just a Feline and The National Anthem among many others!

Martin will always be remembered for his cat art, pink CATS hat and all the other cat type creations and placements.

Some of Martin's finest works:

Empty Suit by Martin Smith

Martin Smith's House of Spaghetti House

RIP