Apparently winner is chosen from the one with most views. Personally, my money’s on Cop Dickie’s remix. To each his own tho, listen and share with others if you feel so inclined. Good luck to them all, I’m a big fan of Chrispy and Cyberoptix as well. And no clue on Beiber’s cameo.

Cop Dickie

Chrispy

Cyberoptix

Mat Tha Hat

Take “Rude Boy (CHRISPY REMIX) home.

I am recently OBSESSED with dubstep. It’s SO COOL. Listening to this music is not just listening, it’s having an experience. An acid-induced, high-as-a-kite experience. WARNING: You must listen to this with a loud bass system, or it won’t be half as cool. Trust me. This is good. Actually, it’s amazing. Disgustingly, unbelievably, crazy amazing.

Jillboard Twitter

“Like” This

This is one of three available covers for the single.

I’m excited to be reviewing a release by my fiance’s favorite band!

Nightmare is back, commemorating their ten year anniversary. Congratulations, guys! Seems like a lot of artists have been observing anniversaries lately. Maybe its just me who notices that. Hmm..

I’ll cut straight to the chase. a:FANTASIA is positively amazing. It builds with a lot of tension and rapid guitar playing and is just totally exhilarating. Yomi, despite his diminutive stature, can definitely sing. He sounds amazing in this song. (by the way, if you’ve ever watched lives of Nightmare/listened to their live album you’ll hear that he sounds just as great live. Actually, he sounds BETTER live to me!) Listen to the song here.

Romeo, like Love Addict on their last single Rem_, also got a PV! I really liked Yomi’s blonde perm and blue contact lense-wearing look in this video. I have to admit that he is one of the better-looking j-rockers. (cringes at Yasu from Acid Black Cherry)

Yomi becomes a member of the Aryan race.

Romeo carries on a:FANTASIA’s hard, fast sound. Overall, I liked it but it didn’t leave as big of an impression on me as the first song. I liked this song’s PV a lot better, though.

Rover closes out the single. Its much slower and completely forgettable but a nice way to end the single because it kind of mellows out the mood presented in the previous two songs.

In Conclusion: I realize that I have been overlooking Nightmare lately, as Majestical Parade and Rem_ were both pretty meh for me. This single was refreshing and I’ve had the a-side in my head for about three days now. Highly recommended to any fan of j-rock!

~Alisa~

Many Dubstep fans have been advocating for Chrispy to come play in the States… and they’ve gotten their wish! He announced Friday he will be playing here in December. No details yet.

The beats that compose his track “Cockney Dream 2010″ are lifted from the film Requiem for a Dream’s theme song. Mysterious and beautiful.. and creepy.

Dubstep tracks tend pile up over time because there’s always something else to post. To make up for their absence, I gathered some I’ve been listening to the past month or so. (The songs are in no particular order.)

If you’d like to listen to the whole thing without having to click them one by one, here’s a player with all the tracks in it:

First up we’ve got a nice Skelley track with the vocals sampled from 300.

Skelley – Spartan Style

Zeds Dead never disappoints, the “boom” comes after a minute by the way.

Zeds Dead – Here Comes The Boom

Even though a bit repetitive, Flux Pavilion‘s “Got 2 Know” is enjoyable for sure.

Flux Pavilion – Got 2 Know

Excision and DZ, two of the most known people of the dubstep scene. With tracks like “Round 2″ it’s not really a surprise.

Excision & DZ – Round 2

This is a “soft” dubstep remix (if it can even be called dubstep), but variety is never a bad thing.

Sia – Breathe Me (George Young Bass’d Out Remix)

Quality bassline, awesome vocals – Subvert is definitely doin’ it right, you can buy the Party Alarm EP here.

Subvert – Bad Magic

I know I’ve featured NiT GriT once, but the guy’s just too good not to post more from him. Buy his album if you haven’t already.

NiT GriT – 12 Gauge

Oh yes.. vintage songs – remixed or not – are just way too good. Brenda Lee recorded the original 50 years ago, and thanks to Woodhead & Blenda it won’t sink into oblivion yet.

Brenda Lee – I’m Sorry (Woodhead & Blenda Dubstep Remix)

Not fan of the vocals, but we’re talking about Nero here, which means unmatched wobble-making skills. You can purchase the high-quality version (and other tracks) here.

Nero – Innocence

It’s nine tracks so far, so I’m just gonna add this Inspector Gadget refix by Chrispy to make it ten. Thanks for listening, see you tomorrow!

Chrispy – Inspector Gadget (Dubstep Refix)

Britney Spears – Freakshow (Instrumental)

It’s always good to start off with a controversial one, but in fairness, if you want to turn a Britney Spears tune into a good tune, take Britney Spears out of the equation! What you’re left with is a pretty solid dubstep track. It’s from her album “Blackout”, which came out after her hair-shaving, photographer-assualting phase. It turned out to be a good career move, because her producers obviously realised that her stock couldn’t sink much lower, so they did something outrageous – they made an interesting album full of cool ideas.

Tomba – Symphony 666

Ok, here’s one for the Dubstep purists; it’s a really interesting mix of organic-sounding orchestration and heavy bass, and the end result is rather impressive. The highest rated comment on Youtube describes it as “what it sounds like to walk around in Hell”. That’s definitely a good thing in my book http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x89xYsd3VBY

Rusko – I Love You

Rusko is all set to make waves with his new album

Leeds-born Chris Mercer, aka Rusko, is one of the biggest players on the dubstep scene, along with his pal Caspa. This is from his new album, OMG, and it’s got everything you could want from a Rusko tune.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXGe3BMy7n4

Skream – Repurcussions of a Razor Blade

Oliver “Skream” Jones was still in his teens when he burst onto the Dubstep scene in 2005 with “Midnight Request Line”, one of the first commercially successful Dubstep singles. Since then, he has gone on to cement his position as High King of the genre. This is a B-side from one of his most recent releases, “A New Dawn”. It shows the more restrained, introspective style which still manages to work well in any setting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx7Cgf-FvrA

Cragga – Mr Postman / Chrispy – Rude Boy Remix

Remixes are a great way for dubstep artists to get well-known. The most famous example to date is probably Skream’s rework of “In for the Kill” by La Roux. These are two really inventive remixes by two young artists. Cragga shows he has flair and imagination by taking the Marvelettes’ Motown classic “Mr Postman”, and turning it into a thrilling piece of work. Chrispy, on the other hand, performs nothing short of a miracle by turning Rihanna’s “Rude Boy” into something that is not just listenable, but actually really good.

Mr Postman http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=417AUI_dNzc

Rude Boy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kv3BkWnhIc

Trolley Snatcha – Shake It

Trolley Snatcha’s dark, heavy tunes are typical of the new style of dubstep that has been coming out recently. I’m still fairly on the fence about this fella, but when things get going around 0:54, it’s pretty hard to resist. Cool video as well.

La Roux- Bulletproof (Chrispy Remix)

]]> http://indieprep.com/2010/04/15/hype-machine-hits-death-and-taxes/ Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:59:12 +0000 whataboutgalkin http://indieprep.com/2010/04/15/hype-machine-hits-death-and-taxes/ Things have been extremely busy and time has been flying by this year. Unfortunately I haven’t been finding the time to listen to nearly as much Hype Machine and other new stuff that I would like (especially since it’s blocked at work). So with that said I’m keeping this one short and simple with just a playlist of some of the better HypeM selections that I have been able to listen to that caught my attention from the recent past. There’s some very good stuff below including covers, remixes, mashups, and original songs – everything under the sun.

Au Revoir Simone – Another Likely Story (Aeroplane Remix)

Hello Seahorse! – Won’t Say Anything

Penguin Prison – Worse It Gets (RAC Mix)

Cocorosie – Lemonade

We Are Wolves – Blue

Ivan & Alyosha – Easy To Love

Seabear – Seashell

Magnet & Gemma Hayes -  Lay Lady Lay (Bob Dylan Cover)

Hawa – D.A.N.C.E. (Justice Cover)

Jónsi – Time To Pretend (MGMT Cover)

Yeasayer – Madder Red (Doctor Rosen Rosen Rx)

Temper Trap – Science Of Fear (Rockdaworld Remix)

Yuksek – So Down (Feat. Chromeo)

Crystal Castles – Crimewave (Midnight Conspiracy Remix)

Chrispy – Inspector Gadget (Dubstep Refix)

Atmosphere - Shoulda Known

Kid Cudi Vs Postal Service – Man On The Moon (Such Great Heights Remix)

The Hood Internet – Nuthin’ But A Journal Thing(Dr Dre Vs Class Actress)

Sigur Ros Vs Mobb Deep – Shook (Emancipator Mash-Up)

Jay-Z Vs Black Kids – Not Gunna Encore (Ha! Yes Mash-Up)

————-

PLAY ALL

The OST, with main character Lightning on the front. I gotta say, her character has grown on me over time, but she's nothing compared to Fang. <3

I felt like doing this write-up because I’m such a loser for FFXIII these days. I don’t play it, don’t know how to play it, and don’t pretend to know how to play it so I’m sort of a poser fan. My experience with the game involves me shoving the PS3 controller into my fiance’s hands and saying “play it.” Yes, I have enslaved my own fiance just so I can watch him play this game for hours on end while I drool at it like a babbling idiot. And I don’t think he minds it much.

What’s funny is that I totally hated the game at first, would roll my eyes when my fiance turned it on, and went off and buried myself in Pokemon. I thought the game, despite having great graphics, was over-the-top and had storylines that were so nauseating that it turned my stomach. This is because I had never fully understood how Final Fantasy works. Its nothing like the games I’m used to playing, where you have a clear objective, you go do it, and then its over. When you play a Final Fantasy game, you live it. You feel like you’re best friends with all the characters just because they become so believable as the game progresses.

Okay, ranting aside, and on to the review.

The music of Final Fantasy XIII was composed by Masashi Hamauzu, and it is a far cry from the music we were used to Nobuo Uematsu cranking out. Because FFXIII takes place in a more futuristic society, the music reflects that. The battle theme for the game is really rock-ish with some heavy thumping guitar driving the beat. The battle theme has some elegant, yet still really contemporary strings in it, which screams classic FF but with a twist. My favorite song from the game is called Will to Fight and is the music from the Fifth Ark dungeon. Its a very hard and tense song, but also incorporates harp and some angelic vocals. I loved the contrast here, because it really works and doesn’t seem strained. You can listen to Will to Fight here:

Not every song in the game is modern sounding. There are some that sound like older FF pieces. Examples include The Promise, which is absolutely beautiful and breathtaking, like we expect FF songs to be. Another orchestral piece is Fang’s Theme, which is a strong and confident number and totally captures the aura of butt-kicking Amazoness Fang. She is totally my hero.

Another song worth mentioning is Sazh’s Theme. Sazh is a ridiculously cool character because he’s got super powered guns and a BABY CHOCOBO which lives in his afro. How much more crazy awesome could you be? Sazh’s Theme is a smooth and jazzy piece which is really unique, I thought.

In Conclusion: The OST for Final Fantasy XIII is four discs, so there’s no way I’m going to cover each track in detail. NO WAY. Just trust me in saying that all the music is great, and is a seamless blend of old and new. I think the music is part of the reason I love the game so much.

~Alisa~

video tapez – amplive ft del the funky homosapien

Download: 02-video-tapez-ft-del-the-funky-homosapien.mp3|leftbg=FFFFFF|rightbg=0x33CCFF|width=260|loop=yes

amplive

animal hospital remix – coven

Download: coven-animal-hospital-remix.mp3|leftbg=FFFFFF|rightbg=0x33CCFF|width=260|loop=yes

inspector gadget theme – chrispy

Download: chrispy-_inspector_gadget.mp3|leftbg=FFFFFF|rightbg=0x33CCFF|width=260|loop=yes

starry eyed (jakwob remix) – ellie goulding

Download: ellie-goulding-starry-eyed-jakwob-remix.mp3|leftbg=FFFFFF|rightbg=0x33CCFF|width=260|loop=yes

enjoy. sunny days around the corner.

Tracks:
Liquid Stranger – Mission AD
Chrispy – Roll Out
Welsh – Operation Mindfuck
T Vicious- All Tings Nice
Standard Procedure – Them
Phear Phace – My Face
Sub Warriors – Health Insurance
Fraksure – The Thing
Magic Mash – Crab People
Tomba ft. Ortega & Sheron Stoned – Come Out And Play

Ohhh crap.

I’m innocent! Blame my fiance for this! It is his fault if this holy grail of video gaming causes any absences from the blog world.

I’ll try to get to work on that e.via review… just as soon as I get my Spinarak up another level…

~Alisa~

You can find his remixes and original tunes on his Youtube page.

Check out his Myspace page or be his fan on Facebook!

(This Q&A was conducted via Myspace messages)

——————————————————————————————————————————–

Q: Tell me a little about yourself. 

A: I live in North Wales, UK. I’m still studying at school and I have no job :p

Q: So what’s the music scene like in the UK? 

A:Since the genre originated in the UK, a lot more people know about it here. I’ve heard it’s getting more known in America though.

Q: Yeah it definitely is, but it’s still underground. Do you think Dubstep is going to become more mainstream?

A: Yes it is becoming more mainstream, but I don’t think it will ever become ‘mainstream’. When I started producing I didn’t know a lot of people that knew about the genre, but in the past few months I’ve come across a lot more people that know about it.

Q: What were you making before Dubstep?

A: I tried a variety of music before dubstep, I made some drum and bass, house, and trance most of the time.

Q: Why dubstep? Whats so appealing about this genre of music to you?

A: I like the tempo and the half time drums, you can be very creative with them. I also like the heavy basslines.

Q:You’re quite popular on Youtube, anything to say about that?

A: I made an account just to show my music to a wider audience and it went very well. I’ve got 1000′s of views on my videos and over 1000 subscribers now, which I am pleased with. I didn’t expect to get that much so soon.

Q: What’s with the lion? What do you really look like?

A: I just like the animal really and it’s a symbol of reggae/dub music which Dubstep comes from. If you go to my top friends on my myspace, my personal profile is the first one so there is a picture of me.

Q: On your myspace page it says you are now taking bookings? Any luck with that?

A: I’ve got one in Brixton, UK next month and one in Belgium in June so far. I will hopefully get more soon though.

Q: Wow that’s great. You must feel so accomplished for being only 18! Do you see yourself as accomplished?

A: Well I’m pleased with what I’ve done so far. When I get more bookings around the world and more people listening to my music then I may feel accomplished. I would like to play somewhere like America or Australia.

Q:You said you were still in school. Are you planning to study music in the future to continue with Dubstep?

A: I’m not planning to study it, I just see it as a hobby really. But I will still continue to produce music and will hopefully go further with it.

~Alisa~

The album's cover. Click on it to visit Aquamarry's Myspace!

Track 1: Flapjack- What a start to an album! Some hard guitar and strange, hollow-sounding beats on the drums start off the song and then back off when the jumpy vocals begin. This is what I would consider a “party song.” It’s pretty good, and accomplishes the task to giving a taste of Aquamarry’s sound.

Track 2: プラスチックロボットボーイ- So, I know that I am supposed to be praising this band but this song is just awful. However, I can forgive them for it.

Track 3: Mirror Ball- This is the leading track from the album, and even has its own PV! You can watch it here! It’s pretty terrible, to be honest, but you can’t forget that this is an indie band so you shouldn’t expect any bells or whistles as far as the PVs go.

One time, I made a list in my head of the best songs I had ever heard. This song was number 6 on that list. Before it came “Mizerable” by Gackt at #5, “D-tecnolife” by UVERworld at #4, “Planetarium” by Ai Otsuka at #3, “Colors of the Heart” by UVERworld at #2, and the beautiful “Kingyo Hanabi” by Ai Otsuka at #1. But you can’t count out Mirrorball! It’s just perfect. I love the guitar in it, and the melody is very unique.

Track 6: Tender- Another perfect song! Unfortunately I have only heard it in a pathetic bitrate of 96 kbps. This is sad, no? I still really like it because the acoustic guitar seems to flow along with Cinnamon’s gentle voice. Yeah, you read that right. The vocalist calls herself Cinnamon. INDIE!!!! If you like a more relaxing kind of rock, check out “Tender.”

Track 8: Water Sprite- I have come to realize that Aquamarry’s trademark is the sound of a guitar that has a significant echo, so much so that it gives the feel of being submerged underwater. Perhaps this is why they are called AQUAmarry? The “underwater guitar” is prominent in the vocals while an echo effect is added to Cinnamon’s voice. In the hook, the echo disappears and the voice gets stronger. Then in the chorus, the “underwater guitar” takes a backseat to the drums. The cycle repeats seamlessly into the second verse/hook/chorus. It’s a great piece of music with equally great transitions that don’t feel rushed, awkward, or out of place.

In Conclusion: “Infinity” by Aquamarry is a ten track album, and as you see here only five songs were reviewed. I am going to own this album someday. I am determined to have it because it is THAT GOOD! If my fiance is reading this then “HEY CHRISPY, GO BUY ME THIS ALBUM PWEEEASE!!!!”

Next time, I will do Aquamarry’s second release, “Fairyshift.” Luckily I have been able to listen to all of it.

Hopefully this review has done something to spread the word of a band that nobody has heard of, but should know about. Be sure to leave me comments about what you thought of this review and/or if you know anything about or have an interest in Aquamarry!

~Alisa~

This is Galactic Rock, apparently. Sure, it looks like your average run-of-the-mill visual kei band but trust me. They're worth listening to.

Okaaaaay… This is my first review so hopefully this goes okay. (nervous)

XodiacK is a relatively new band. At first glance, anybody would peg them as a  standard visual kei band, but this group calls themselves “galactic rock.” What this means is beyond me, but I believe it translates into “awesome.” From what little information I have found on them I have seen that the goal of the band is to channel the spirit of the God Eros. (or “Cupid” to us average joes. How fitting, with Valentine’s Day around the corner!)  I guess this is why the vocalist uses the stage name Eros.

Track 1: Kuroi Taiyou – Oooooh, a song titled “Dark Moon!” You would expect this to be something hard and angst-filled.  You get the angst part, but the hardness just isn’t there. I don’t know why but I feel like this is the weakest track on the single. I just don’t feel it. I think my problem with this song is Eros’ growling vocals. I’m not going to sugarcoat this one bit. This man does not sound threatening by any means. His voice during the supposedly menacing portions of the song sounds to me like Scooby Doo got choked on a chicken bone. The vocals are great when there is actual singing but then it quickly moves into a masochistic squeal which disturbed me quite a bit on the first listen. The vocals are just all over the place, but the instrumentals are nice. Nothing spectacular, but there’s a touch of piano adding some class to the song. Not the best single opener, guys.

Track 2: Kimi ni Furu Zetsubou no Ame- Just allow me to say one small thing before I review this song:

HOLY CRAAAAAAAAAAAAP!!!!!!!!

I explained to my fiance last night while listening to this song that when I am looking for a good rock song that I want something that makes me feel like I could beat the ever-loving crap out of someone and look good doing it. This song fits the bill. The track begins with some hard guitar and nice use of the drums. Then, Eros begins to sing and we are treated to a pulse-pounding beat on the drums, an astounding bass line, and some other guitar that almost reminds me of Gackt-era Malice Mizer. The chorus takes flight as Eros flawlessly transitions from a hatefully low voice to a soaring falsetto. I would compare his vocal style to that of the legendary Asagi from D. This track never slows down or loses its thunder. You will be clenching your fist from the sheer intensity of this song for the full three minutes and fifty four seconds. This is the most refreshing J-rock song I’ve heard for about a year, and it is highly recommended. However, I have one bit of advice: DO NOT WATCH THE PV! As perfect as this song is, the music video is laughably bad. Just don’t watch it. I don’t want anyone’s experience with this song to be tainted by something as minute as a bad video.

Random photo of frightening XodiacK guitarist Agito! I am terrified of this dude.

Track 3: Kimi no Koe- After the awesomeness of the previous track, you can imagine my disappointment when I saw that there was only one song left on this single. It opens up with some very old-style guitar. I’m thinking of good ‘ol Luna Sea or X Japan when I hear it. I think that the main draw to this song is that it showcases Eros’ vocal quality and range. There’s a beautiful wolf-like howl around the middle of the song, and actually believable screaming. Eros is a great screamer, but he needs to never growl again. Ever.

In conclusion: I’ve seen a handful of bloggers out there saying that XodiacK is the band to watch in 2010, and I am happy to jump on that bandwagon. I am pretty sure that “Kimi ni Furu Zetsubou no Ame” will be their signature song and I doubt they’ll ever top it, but I am curious to see what kinds of experiments they pull off with their “galactic rock.” Hopefully they will not disappoint.

~Alisa~

http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/AlisaBrown&ChristopherPayne

so in any case, was rotting with the ba peeps at the cafe in the lib tdy and idk why we started to gossip (!) lol. anyways, talked abt my ex (u-all-know-who) and stuff. and idk why they had to mention “vroom vroom”. hello, that guy has a name k? lol. and his name is QX. alamak. so in any case, xueyi was talking abt why i posted his pic on my blog and not hers. and urm, all i can say is, i dont have ur pic!!!!! n if i post the not so nice one, later i kana scolded *sobs* so i have decided to buy my daddy the powershot G9 tt he so wants so i can take the canon ixus (which is not very good either!) and then i’ll bring to school and take pics of all the ba peeps so i can blog more abt them! lol. i will dedicate the next entry solely to my lurvely ba peeps k?? promise!!!!

looky wad xueyi drew!:

sorry its so small and not clear. it was the middle of class (*ooops*) and my phone camera is seriously only 2.0mp!

in any case, i havent posted pics of qianqian for EVER!!! so, here’s more updates on qianqian. she recently got injured in a catfight again. i mean, catfight. literally. so now her right front paw has this gash and is kinda swollen. poor qianqian is limping… but one thing good is, she’s finally eating her science diet without looking for her friskies at all!!! yippees!!!

qianqian eating her dinner aft getting injured.

the injury on her paw. doesnt it look painful??
*awwww* guai guai k? mommy blow blow.. sayang………

it musta been painful for her to rest in this position cos she normally doesnt do that.

in any case, the pics i upload are quite ginormous, so i cant put on full size if not it’ll look something like this:

yes. very pixelated, and very big. so, im sry peeps, juz gotta click on the photos to enlarge it if you have to.

me is looking for a new bloghost with the exception of livejournal and blogspot. any recommendations anyone? drop me a comment. cos meebo is not my type of tool. -.-”

so in any case, was rotting with the ba peeps at the cafe in the lib tdy and idk why we started to gossip (!) lol. anyways, talked abt my ex (u-all-know-who) and stuff. and idk why they had to mention “vroom vroom”. hello, that guy has a name k? lol. and his name is QX. alamak. so in any case, xueyi was talking abt why i posted his pic on my blog and not hers. and urm, all i can say is, i dont have ur pic!!!!! n if i post the not so nice one, later i kana scolded *sobs* so i have decided to buy my daddy the powershot G9 tt he so wants so i can take the canon ixus (which is not very good either!) and then i’ll bring to school and take pics of all the ba peeps so i can blog more abt them! lol. i will dedicate the next entry solely to my lurvely ba peeps k?? promise!!!!

looky wad xueyi drew!:

sorry its so small and not clear. it was the middle of class (*ooops*) and my phone camera is seriously only 2.0mp!

in any case, i havent posted pics of qianqian for EVER!!! so, here’s more updates on qianqian. she recently got injured in a catfight again. i mean, catfight. literally. so now her right front paw has this gash and is kinda swollen. poor qianqian is limping… but one thing good is, she’s finally eating her science diet without looking for her friskies at all!!! yippees!!!

qianqian eating her dinner aft getting injured.

the injury on her paw. doesnt it look painful??
*awwww* guai guai k? mommy blow blow.. sayang………

it musta been painful for her to rest in this position cos she normally doesnt do that.

in any case, the pics i upload are quite ginormous, so i cant put on full size if not it’ll look something like this:

yes. very pixelated, and very big. so, im sry peeps, juz gotta click on the photos to enlarge it if you have to.

me is looking for a new bloghost with the exception of livejournal and blogspot. any recommendations anyone? drop me a comment. cos meebo is not my type of tool. -.-”