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On my way back from SXSW to New Orleans we stopped to pay tribute to the late great DJ Screw at Screwed Up Records and Tape. The interior of the shop is super minimal- a rack of RIP SCREW tall tee’s and a couple of well worn binders with lists of hundreds of Screw CD’s and Tapes. While I was browsing the catalog a middle-aged woman walked in and asked the young cashier behind the bulletproof transaction counter about a CD she was looking for. He responded, “We only sell screwed up music here, m’am.” Of course, they had the latest Z-Ro mixes and some other Southern artists- but she thanked him and left. In the land of Swisha House  the air was heavy with dank.

Here’s an extra tape compressed, phased, distorted, heavy, heavy Screw version of the Master P’s blunt and heem anthem. It came on this morning while I rode to school- I tried to bump it- but the sound refuses to ever return to its Caddy and Box Chevy 12″ king-kong in the trunk glory. The newer Screwed tapes from DJ Michael Watts and the rest are Serato Box Fresh – but something about these poorly transcoded and squashed tapes keep me coming back. The distortion is a reminder of the sounds displacement, forcing you to reflect on Houston and a particular draped up and dripped out southern ambiance.

DJ Screw – Pass Me the Green (Master P)[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/DJ_Screw_Pass_Me_the_Green_%28Master_P%29.mp3]

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We’re speeding up the content production/consumption cycle in the instant update world… and no one does snarky music world twitter better then Disco Shawn (who was also dropping gems on Muddup a couple weeks ago LISTEN HERE) h/t to him for this video which defies commentary beyond the fact that sometimes its cool to live in America where something like Sensation (source of some of the clips below) could NEVER happen.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhyNCLiBtRI[/youtube]

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Finalkalup low res
Kalup Linzy

Just about everyone in the DA camp will be in Austin this week for SXSW… everyone except /rupture who will be holding down NY in our absence. If you have the privilege of time/cashflow to get down to Austin- come say whats up- if not- I’ve got a nice new treat for you. Chief Boima, whose African By The Bay E.P. absolutely took the world by storm a few months ago has a got a new E.P. entitled “Techno Rumba” set to drop at the end of next month.

DJ /rupture took the instrumental remix that he and Matt Shadetek did of the title track “Techno Rumba” and invited one of our favorite artists, Kalup Linzy, to add his magic vocals on top. This is straight post-breakup soul-searching material. If your not familiar and DOWN with Linzy’s work- act like you know. NEXT LEVEL.

Chief Boima “Techno Rumba (DJ /rupture & Matt Shadetek remix feat. Kalup Linzy)” [audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/ChiefBoima_TechnoRumba_DJRupture+MattShadetek_remix_feat.KalupLinzy.mp3]

Catch Boima down south this week.
Wed: Bersa Discos party 9-10pm
Fri: at Creekside 1-2am
Sat: in San Antonio at Lava Lounge

It feels practically useless telling anyone to go see anything in Austin- since the flux of people just moves along with its own brownian motion. But you can catch me tag-teaming with Mosholu Park Thursday early at Bersas, Friday night afterhours at the Green Owl Ranch, and Sunday out at Dubbel Dutch’s spot. Follow DA on twitter for more real-time updates.

The myth that once propelled bands to pay out of pocket to come out for events like SXSW and CMJ was of a label A&R discovery- and a consequent big signing bonus. Now that (hopefully) no one is waiting on that dream- we can all just admit that events like this can just be about celebrating quality music and finding some time to spend with your extended musical family.

Check the post below for JD and Matts SXSW damage.

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvpP0ORcDMA[/youtube]

I can’t believe I missed this phenomenal banger from Quik and Kurupt… I guess singles culture kept me from listening to all of BlaQKout… BUT DAMN!!

If your feeling like getting out on Friday in NYC- Mosholu Park, Tombs and myself will be tearing up one very small part of the massive FLUX FACTORY space up in Queens. I used to live in the old space they had- and they KNOW how to throw a party.  NES.Avi will be on live video duties – even if we wern’t gonna be there this party would be fucking insane. From Flux facebook event-

Join us on Friday, February 19th for Housebroken, Flux’s inaugural show! In celebration of our newest home, we’ve invited dozens upon dozens of artists to create works throughout the building. Housebroken is easily our biggest project ever, with over 100 installations, performances, and homey additions to our factory. Eclectic performances and unparalleled reverie begin at 8 pm, continuing on into the night. 39-31 29th Street, LIC, NY 11101

Suggested donation, $15 (tax-deductible)
Open bar courtesy of Campari, 21+
Please rsvp to rsvp@fluxfactory.org
Housebroken will remain on view every Saturday and Sunday from 12 – 6 pm until March 21st.

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If you happen to be in the greater Boston- or have a British style pension for traveling great distances to hear electronic music and turn your brain to mush- then next week should be fairly pleasant. Together Boston is a freewheeling many venue, many genre festival whose schedule looks kind of like a regular week in Berlin, but an absolutely exceptional one in any North American city. Check the website for a ton of great lectures, workshops and parties… After the cut is my ideal schedule for the week with venues and times.

For a quick summary- Rupture on Monday, Kingdom on Tuesday, Untold and myself (at different venues unfortunately) on Wednesday, Sinden on Friday, and an all ages showcase that Ill be playing a special noisy turnablist set at on Saturday. Come say hello!

(more…)

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Extra late reminder that tonight between 6:30 – 10:00pm at Ovest (513 West 27th Street and 10th Avenue) in Chelsea we’ll be participating in Electro Skins.

From the curator Virginia Villari:

Inspired by the collaboration between New York based DJ /Rupture and Matt Shadetek (whose album SLR dropped on the Agriculture Records) and the Italian video artist Sara Taigher, author of the video clip for the Solar Life Raft Medley track, Electro Skins presents the new released album by Rupture and Shadetek, Solar Life Raft, and a selection of Sara’s video artworks, together with a performance by circus artists Seanna Sharpe and The Circustentialists.

Electro Skins seeks to highlight the deep connection between the human and the technological: how electronic music perfectly expresses human feelings, how video art strikingly represents the human condition, how performance – the body movement throughout the space – can be inspired by electronic sound and images. Electro Skins uncovers the mutual creative exchange between diverse art forms, which get empowered by this contamination and ultimately become one.

Videos will be projected on the walls from three projection stations, turning the space into a giant video installation, DJs will play their brand-new tracks, culminating into a moment when Solar Life Raft Medley will be projected from all the three stations, the djs will be playing it and Seanna and The Circustentialists will be performing a piece specifically created for the event’s site and concept.

Check Contaminate NYC for more info

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Quick little mini-tour hitting San Francisco and L.A.

Tonight I’ll be burning down BollyHood with The Crooked Clef, Chief Boima and Slayers Club….
$10 ($5 before 11 with RSVP on going.com). Bollyhood Café, 3372 19th St., SF.

Then Wildness on Tuesday – which if you dont know is supposed to be the most bangin’ weekly west of the mississippi

and finally Dance Right on thursday… no flyer yet but its sure to be gorgeous…

Also if your in the bay Jess Jubilee is going to be killing Tormenta Tropical on Saturday…

See you there.

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Unrelated Submerged Second Life Picture- but watch for an amazing video coming soon from Sara Taigher

Solar Life Raft- the mix that keeps on giving- has finally made its way to your local record stores. /rupture and Shadetek working together is a serious Voltron force. It’s safe to say that I have listened to SLR over a hundred times since it was recorded- and I’m still finding reasons to go back. Opening with Time-Blind’s abstract tone poetry and closing with a gorgeous re-work from /rupture and Shadetek of Telepathe, it’s easy to miss all the ground the mix has covered.

Tracklists are the weird anathema of the DJ Mix- always reminding us as producers and consumers that for some reason the sounds cant just stand alone. A tracklist can mark a DJ’s access to dub-plates and exclusives or their prodigal digging- but always the tracklist serves as a sort of roadmap for listeners that want to go beyond the mix and gain some traction in it. Often I’ll look to a track list before deciding whether or not to listen to a given mix. Or I will return to the tracklist after hearing something amazing that I want to be up on.

SLR stands alone without the tracklist- and the hype that goes along with it- people read the tracklist and think, “Wow, this sure is eclectic”- but it’s not grab bag by any means- its laser precision etched in bass. It is hard to believe after listening to SLR that you’ve just digested sounds as seemingly diverse as Cardopusher, Paavoharju, and Luc Ferrari. One you get used to these sorts of mixes- where genre-orthodoxy and rigid notions of sonic-geographies are left behind- it gets pretty fucking hard to go back to an hour of any BPM mixed seamlessly at the start of 8, 16 and 32 bar phrases and movements.

/rupture and Shadetek can really cook in the lab. I’ve always rated Matt for his back-from-the-crossroads skills in Logic. I mean- from what I know- he was the first stateside producer to actually be doing production for grime dudes in London. /rupture on the other hand has always been off in a zone that seemed far more experimental- where quantization was frowned upon and standard timing or track development was laughed out the door. Through the last few years they seem to have tempered each others workflows and styles in all the right ways- and SLR should be an announcement that these two can make tracks with the very best of them. The album is almost a third original production and its the home grown tracks that really provided the convincing narrative that holds the mix together.

Effusive praise can ring hallow coming from ones own crew- but I’m not just trying to ramp up sales- Solar Life Raft is remarkable. Do whatever your ethical radar tells you in regard to consuming music and somehow, someway, find yourself a copy. If that happens to be amazon, boomkat, itunes, or beatport….just think of it as investing in more music.

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/leaky/MattShadetek-Strength_In_Numbers-SOLAR-LIFE-RAFT.mp3]
Matt Shadetek – Strength In Numbers

[audio:http://secretgooglecheatcodes.com/GGD-Bebey-DJ_Rupture+MattShadetek_RMX.mp3]
Gang Gang Dance – Bebey (DJ /rupture and Matt Shadetek Remix)

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poutine
When you spill out of a tremendous /Rupture set at four in the morning (dont let the screen shot time fool you) in Montreal and find yourself sw/sta-ggering down the street with your favorite ethnomusicologist and two of the best dancers in the club…. there is only one logical destination.

Ghislain’s new Karnival party also got its start last weekend in the land of the Bixi Bike…. absolutely fire sets from Paul Devro, Tim Dub Boy, and the tropical Rick Rubin himself. Whether your in Bristol or Montreal- don’t miss the next edition.

And if your looking for something to hype up your Friday night:

This is a mix I finished on ableton for the London Crew Get Me! before I returned back to my beloved 1200’s this fall. I was hoping to rerecord the mix as a longer serato based project… thats not happening anytime soon so I figured I’d let this one drop as is.

Taliesin Get This! Mix 45.9 MB
[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/Taliesin-Get-This.mp3]
Tracklist:
La Lenta (Schlatchthobronx RMX) – Madera Limpia
It’s Hot Down Here – Emynd
Glitch Dub- Emvee
Bad Girls Roor – Tactics
Dem Nuh Like It feat. 77 Klash and Spoek Mathambo – Jahdan Blakkamoore
Higher to the Bass – Nate Mars
Get it Shawty – Lloyd
Dumelang – Skeat
Love Vs. Money Pt 2 – The Dream

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Nautilus
BD1982 is at the top of my criminally slept on list. Representing the Seclusiasis camp from Tokyo, where he moved from NYC a few years ago, dudes managed to get in with Goth-Trad and the infamous Back to Chill crew while simultaneously cooking up some of my absolute favorite tracks. He’s got a new 12″ that is dripping Xenon.

A. side is Dutty family 77Klash on the gunman tip over the crushing Water Faucet Riddim. The flip is the skittering Space Boots with remixes from some of the the biggest up and comers on the scene the U.K’s Slugabed and Montreal’s Hovatron. It’s hard to describe what happened in Vancouver last month when I dropped the Slugabed mix (Dev79 call it “hyper color style”) since the combination of howling low end fiends and gorgeous writhing Canadians basically led to sensory overload and total black out. If this is the sort of thing your interested in….cop the rest of the tracks @ Beatport Bleep Juno Download iTunes

[audio:http://nyc.duttyartz.com/mp3s/BD1982_Space_Boots_(Slugabed_Remix).mp3]

BD1982 “Space Boots (Slugabed Remix)

More soon from the infatiguable Seclusiasis!

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Having only been away from the states for nine months I’m amazed at the diversity of produce available at the grocery store. I’m equally excited about the excellent shows laced up and down the best coast these next few weeks.

First up is Tim Turbo from Seen (aka the non-hippie reggae and dance hall site) and Danny Scrilla doing dates down California  and then over into Texas… “equipped with black duffle bags, brimful with Ghetto Lazerbass.”

Turbo and Scrilla Tour Mix Tracklist HERE

[audio:http://www.seen-site.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Tim-Turbo-Danny-Scrilla-Lazerdaze-Tourmix-2009-hosted-by-Prince-Zimboo.mp3]

August 5th, San Francisco @ Vessel Nightclub
August 6th, Santa Barbara @ EOS Lounge
August 7th, L.A. @ Lot 613
August 8th, San Diego @ The W Hotel
August 12th, Dallas @ Zubar
August 13th, Austin @ Barcelona

I really wish they could have joined me up in Cascadia- where I’ve got a few things going on in the next week.

I’ll be dropping down to Portland for a party this Saturday- August 8- with the Various crew at Branx… You can listen to the exclusive mix “DefinatelyMaybe” I did for them HERE.

Next week, the 13th,  I’ll be up in Vancouver  with the Thursday Ting! Crew at The Woods Studio @ 2nd and Ontario

Come through!

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STORM

About ten minutes into my set last night on top of a Ukranian stone carring ship thats docked on the Danube river my subs had unexpected consequences on the  distribution of  heat on the surface of the earth…. A massive wind storm whipped up- for fears that the roof of the boat might fly down towards the Black Sea (and my needles flying around like leaves)… we had to cut things short. HOWEVER……..

If you happen to be in Berlin tonight or tomorrow… come out for my last two European Union shows before my return to Seattle at the end of the week.

Friday July 24(EARLY like 9PM) @ Jacki Terrasse on Schilling Brücke with the Dense record shop crew.

Saturday July 25 (Regular like midnight) @ Sick Girls summerfest at Picknick – live band and amazing food.

Berlin lets get it!