I’ve been squatting on this pick for a few months, since I felt like I was bombarding you guys with pick after pick without putting up much other content. I just caught this New York duo when they were in town last week with The Antlers. It was a great show and I would definitely try to catch them live if they’re coming near your town.

Read more about them in their wiki bio.

My favorite tracks: When I’m Small & Futuristic Casket.

Snag it on vinyl or MP3.

Phantogram – Eyelid Movies

Wax Pick: Phantogram – Eyelid Movies is a post from: wax&wires

In it, you’ll see hip hop legends and other artists like Public Enemy, De La Soul, Beastie Boys, etc. You’ll also witness the argument from the side of the artists who have been sampled including mister p-funk, George Clinton, Clyde Stubblefield and more.

Check your PBS showtimes for Independent Lens, as it begins showing on Tuesday (though I can’t catch it until Sunday)!

Copyright Criminals: This Is a Sampling Sport examines the creative and commercial value of musical sampling, including the related debates over artistic expression, copyright law, and (of course) money.

This documentary traces the rise of hip-hop from the urban streets of New York to its current status as a multibillion-dollar industry. For more than thirty years, innovative hip-hop performers and producers have been re-using portions of previously recorded music in new, otherwise original compositions. When lawyers and record companies got involved, what was once referred to as a “borrowed melody” became a “copyright infringement.”

The film showcases many of hip-hop music’s founding figures like Public Enemy, De La Soul, and Digital Underground—while also featuring emerging hip-hop artists from record labels Definitive Jux, Rhymesayers, Ninja Tune, and more. It also provides an in-depth look at artists who have been sampled, such as Clyde Stubblefield (James Brown’s drummer and the world’s most sampled musician), as well as commentary by another highly sampled musician, funk legend George Clinton.

As artists find ever more inventive ways to insert old influences into new material, this documentary asks a critical question, on behalf of an entire creative community:

Can you own a sound?

Copyright Criminals: This is a Sampling Sport is a post from: wax&wires

[via bang]

The Ting Tings are to work with Jay-Z on their new album.

The ‘That’s Not My Name’ duo have signed to the rap superstar’s record label, Roc Nation, in the US and he is reportedly set to give their career a huge boost by helping with them on their second album.

A source told Britain’s Daily Star newspaper: “Jay is hoping to lend his production skills to some of the new material.

“The Staccato rhythmic style of The Ting Tings sits well with what he does best, so that was the attraction.

“Jay can make them one of the biggest British bands in America.”

While the duo are thrilled with their deal, they are unlikely to be happy with the amount of time they will have to spend in America.

The group – made up of singer and guitarist Katie White and drummer and programmer Jules de Martino – recently said despite their huge success, they have been homesick since they started touring the world in support of their debut album ‘We Started Nothing’ in May 2008.

Katie said: “We’ve seen the world. God, we’ve seen it about five times. We were even flying over Siberia the other day, from the aeroplane there was just not one sign of life, not one tree, nothing. It was amazing.

“Japan, Hong Kong were great. America’s good, we do long tours there and you know, there’s some amazing cities there, but you’re driving for so long just to get to the next city.”

Jay-Z has also signed British girl group Sugababes to Roc Nation in the US.

(C) BANG Media International

The Ting Tings Collaborate With Jay-Z is a post from: wax&wires

An album featuring the Black Keys and some of the biggest names in hip-hop will be released Nov. 27 2009 (the so-called “Black Friday” day after Thanksgiving) under the name Blakroc.

The project was spearheaded by rapper Jim Jones and also sports contributions from Mos Def, Q-Tip, RZA, Raekwon, Ludacris, Pharoahe Monch, NOE, Nicole Wray, Billy Danze and the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

You can get more info, or even pre-order the album, at blakroc.com; and catch more webisodes on their YouTube channel.

VIDEO: Mos Def In The Studio With The Black Keys is a post from: wax&wires

[via Rolling Stone]

With Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 officially no longer Island Def Jam property since the MC bought out his old contract, the album’s producer Kanye West gave MTV an update on Jigga’s anticipated LP. “Jay is in control of everything in his domain,” Kanye said. “He’s just been working on it, and it’s gonna be amazing when he drops it.” West didn’t say if early songs from the album, like the Grammy-winning “Swagga Like Us” (which ended up on T.I.’s Paper Trail) and “Jockin’ Jay-Z,” would wind up on the final track list, but did add that the duo have made some changes to the album since they began recording the disc last year.

One of the changes — a positive or a negative depending on how you feel about West’s own 808s & Heartbreak — is that all Auto-Tune-enhanced vocals have been removed from the album. “We actually removed all the songs with Auto-Tune off of his album to make the point that this is an anti-Auto-Tune album, even though I released an album that has all Auto-Tune!,” West told MTV. “It doesn’t matter to me. It’s music; it’s just sonics.”

Kanye made the Blueprint 3 remarks while on a promotional tour for his advice book Thank You and You’re Welcome. Kanye had some more interesting comments to impart, this time to Reuters, admitting during the book tour that he doesn’t actually read and takes pride in being non-literary. “Sometimes people write novels and they just be so wordy and so self-absorbed,” West said. “I am not a fan of books. I would never want a book’s autograph. I am a proud non-reader of books. I like to get information from doing stuff like actually talking to people and living real life.”

Kanye’s Thank You, what he calls “a collection of thoughts and theories,” is a mere 52 pages long and features pearls of wisdom like “I hate the word hate!” and his personal favorite, “Get used to being used.”

Dear Kanye, shut your mouth; it’s damaging your career. You’ve given us some amazing beats, and tracks that we can’t help but dance to, but you make some of the most asinine comments. Your music got you to where you are, let’s stick with what works. As the adage goes, less talky, more rocky.

Kanye Undoes Auto-Tune On Jay-Z’s New Album is a post from: wax&wires

The video cites not a lack of business as the reason for the decline of vinyl pressing shops, but rather a lack of craftsmen willing to repair the pressing machines and learn the trades of old to keep dad’s shop open.

I like the idea that Mike mentions in the video about artists including digital download cards with their vinyl records. That’s a great way to meet the needs of music connoisseurs in this digital climate, but still guarantee an album sale and give them something tangible to enjoy.

Vinyl interest has definitely surged lately, as a newer generation has come to appreciate all things vintage. Newer genres like hip hop and dance have re-adapted records for new purposes, and I think we’ll continue to see a niche market for that… if nothing else in super avant-garde fashions. With the advent of Serato scratch, new interfaces, and digital mixing, where will vinyl be in the next 50 years?

If you’re interested in having a record pressed at Archer, check out their website.

Detroit’s Last Vinyl Pressing Plant – Archer Record Pressing is a post from: wax&wires

Minneapolis hip-hopper POS lands in the line up covering “Why Go,” and actualy stands out as potentially the only redeeming cover in a list full of boring acoustic renditions by artists like Staind and The Academy Is. He does a solid job at not messing with the arrangement or progression, not trying to imitate Vedder, and yet making the song completely current and styled to his own genre; a great balance of the original track with new flavors, which is what every good cover should be.

Extra super bonus points for being a rapper that didn’t pull the Auto-Tune card too, even though he had to actually sing the song. He holds his own pretty well and what his vox lack, he makes up for in spades with his keyboard riffs.

We’ve all heard more than enough about Lil Wayne and how his biggest influence is Nirvana, mostly because he keeps reminding us of how original and out-of-the-box he is with his musical tastes. POS, while not as well known, cites Minor Threat as a key influence in his music, and I’m actually more inclined to believe him. As a skateboarding, midwestern, black punk youth in the 90s, POS claims that the angst and alienation represented by Minor Threat and other punk outfits struck a strong chord with him, even listing his genre as “hip hop/indie/punk”. A quick listen to the tracks like “Half-Cocked Concepts” and the guitar and drum driven “Drumroll” lend credibility to his claims and help fill in the gaps as to whether or not he belongs on the notoriously punk rock warped tour.

We’ve been seeing a cross-pollination of genres lately, and I’m digging it.

Rapper P.O.S. Covers Pearl Jam is a post from: wax&wires

New York’s Ratatat has been cranking out some great electronic music for the past 4-5 years. Their latest album, LP3, was released this past summer. I read somewhere that they actually made this whole album in just a few weeks. If you’re into electronic music, be sure to pick this one up. They combine really great synth patches with solid percussion and circuit bent samples to create a sonic tapestry not found in a lot of today’s music. You can pick it up on Amazon for $1.99 right now.

Ratatat – LP3

Wax Pick: Ratatat – LP3 is a post from: wax&wires

Ferenc Szasz, professor of American and Scottish culture at the University of New Mexico, claims that the modern rap battle finds its origins in medieval Scottish “flyting.”

Read the full article here.

I always knew Black Knight was a documentary!

Special thanks to Kyle Starr for shooting this one our way.

Rap Music Originated In Medieval Scottish Pubs is a post from: wax&wires

You’ve undoubtedly heard some of Santogold’s tracks in commercials and the like. All I can think of when I hear Creator is BudLight Lime. You may have caught her performance on the MTVU Woody awards too. Needless to say, Santogold is on the rise. A lot of people have mistaken the Philly-born songstress for the UK act M.I.A., so if you’re into M.I.A., be sure to pick this album up.

I’m not sure how much longer it will last, but Santogold’s whole album is just $5 on Amazon right now.

Santogold – Self Titled

Wax Pick: Santogold – Self Titled is a post from: wax&wires

Kanye’s new album, 808s & Heartbreak, is $3.99 on Amazon right now. If you can stand the autotune, the beats are pretty good.

Download the whole album here:

Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak

Wax Pick: Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak is a post from: wax&wires

You can snag Common’s brand new album on Amazon right now for just $3.99.

It’s got some fun and bouncy tracks on it. Lyrically, I’ve always liked Common for his social commentary more than the songs about girls and clubbing (which this album has far too much of the latter, so give yourself a pass if you’re looking for anything that you can listen to with your grandma, as this plays right into the stereotype of hip hop lyrics). I dig the production though, which makes it worth the $4 in my book. Pharrell Williams (Neptunes, Justin Timberlake, N.E.R.D., Billionaire Boys Club, Ice Cream shoes… as if you needed all the descriptors) produced most of the tracks from what I understand, continuing a producer/artist collaborative dating back to 2003.

Have fun!

Wax Pick: Common – Universal Mind Control is a post from: wax&wires