This has been so long overdue it’s not even funny. This mixtape was probably made a few months ago with a few tweaks here and there…and I wanted to make more changes as every week brings new music and would work so well in this mixtape but alas, no more procrastination! <Clear the Runway> is pretty awesome. Not gonna lie. It has a some songs from my previous mixtape but no worries, it remains Awesome. Perfect for the weekend. Body movin’ body movin’ we be gettin’ down and you know we’re crush groovin’.

Download: Mixtape – Clear the Runway

Track list:

01 Curren$y & Wiz Khalifa – Car Service

02 Drake – Best I Ever Had

Y’all know my obsession for Drake. Seriously if his mixtapes So Far Gone and Property of October didn’t already leave you completely satisfied, as well as the “Forever” track featuring Eminem, Lil’ Wayne, and Kanye, well, you need to get your priorities straight! This boy is seriously blowing up! Not even an album and already he’s got a Grammy nomination. Watch out for some crazy Drake mania in the two zero one oh. This is his best song.  Hands down.

03 Spank Rock – Loose

Off the Bangers and Cash EP. So dirty it’s right. COP IT NOW!

04 Trouble Andrew ft. Diplo – Run, Hide

Not the biggest fan of Trouble Andrews, but this song is pretty sick.

05 Modeselektor ft. TTC – 2000007

Aaaaah my favorite German electronic artists. WHy oh WHYYY aren’t they more well known. It makes me angry. Yet at the same time I’m happy that I have them all to myself…well and a few others. They’ve already released two albums, Happy Birthday and Hello Mom which are ridiculously amazing and seriously unrecognized. They are amazing live. I can’t wait to hear a new album, which is hopefully in the works?

06 Moderat – A New Error

Modeselektor + Apparat. In case you didn’t know. Two huge German powerhouse electronic artists come together and made easily one of the best albums this year, self-titled Moderat. Electronic music, though rising, is continually under-represented! Errrrrbody is all up Indie’s ass with the St. Vincent, Dirty Projectors, and Animal Collective. Sure these albums are great (they really are). But electronic music in the decades and end of year lists are seriously on the back burner. Shit. Moderat is easily in the tops in the decade and end of year for me.

07 Paskal – Sweet Settings (Original Mix)

08 Siriusmo – Nights Off

Download: Mixtape – Clear the Runway

09 TMDP – Running

10 Steve Angello and Eric Prydz – Woz Not Woz (Norman Doray & Arno Cost Remix)

11 DatA – One in a  Million

12 Ducksauce – aNYway

13 Basement Jaxx ft. Lightspeed Champion – My Turn

14 Miami Horror – Make You Mine (Fred Falke Remix)

15 Rustie – Zig-Zag

Electronic artist from G…lasgow! This is off the Body Language Vol. 8 compilation. Short and sweet.

16 Vitalic – Second Lives

17 Trickform – Grain Plek

18 Misteur Valaire – Astronef (SP4 Lovers)

19 Cougarettes – Ego Head

20 Massive Attack – Unfinished Sympathy

No words can describe how STOKED I am for the upcoming Massive Attack’s Heligoland to be released next year. Splitting the Atom EP was released late this year. It is a short taste of what’s to come and I think it’s pretty sweet. I must admit it’s defs not along the lines of Blue Lines or Mezzanine but it’s freakin’ MASSIVE ATTACK! It will be awesome regardless. This is one of my favorite songs of MA. Enjoy!

21 Craig Armstrong ft. Elzabeth Fraser – This Love

Download: Mixtape – Clear the Runway

Last week I caught my favorite Swedish pop band, Peter Bjorn and John’s show at Webster Hall. PBJ hit the stage with an all-star cast that included El Perro Del Mar, Spank Rock, U-N-I, Matt Sweeney and Andrew WK in what felt like a Monday night variety show!

The onstage collaborations were great but the duet with El Perro Del Mar for Young Folks was the highlight of the set as well as Andrew WK’s puzzling interpretive dancing. My only complaint was the omission of Up Against The Wall, one of my all-time favorite songs by the band.

The afterparty at Bowery Electric included a Japanese band called The Suzan, chosen by Bjorn as a surprise for his bandmates. The Suzan performed interesting covers of PB&J songs and in the end I got my fix of Up Against the Wall in an unexpected form.

More pictures from the show can be seen HERE. Check out my review of their gig at The Music Hall of Williamsburg HERE and remaining tour dates via their MySpace.

MP3: Peter Bjorn and John – The Chills or zShare

MP3: Peter Bjorn and John – Lay it Down (The Golden Filter Remix) or zShare

I’m not going to even talk about that ex-beauty queen that can’t make it through an interview. On to other blondes with better communication skills, this was definitely the week of Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga made an appearance too. Swift certainly stole the show on Saturday Night Live and the coveted Entertainer of the Year Award at the Country Music Awards this week. I admit that this non-country music fan has a soft spot for Swift. How can you not? Every since the first time I heard about her two years ago, this teenager has managed to remain just that, a teen. She is never over sexualized or stumbling out of clubs at two in the morning. She is more of normal teen than most normal teens. I know she has a lot of time left to screw it all up, but so far she has been able to avoid the pop-princess fate that has claimed the careers of Britney, Lindsay, and now Miley. I like Taylor because she is being herself. And I like Lady Gaga for the same reason. Her new video “Bad Romance,“ the first single off her new album Fame Monster, debut on MySpace on Monday. The song and video pick up where Paparazzi and the MTV VMA performance left off. I know people think she is just too weird and have gotten lost in that sex-change rumor, but here’s the deal: Lady Gaga is an artist and art usually has a message behind it. Gaga is projecting some major messages about fame and celebrity in America. We should really be listening. Her latest video may seem like a kinky homage to co-dependant relationships, but it’s a warning that we have blurred the lines of fame and it’s destroying us. I concur. For the good of society, we could all do with a little less Speidi. Don’t you think?

And now a Band of the Week who is also just being herself…Amanda Blank!

Amanda Blank is a rapper and singer from Philadelphia. I just discovered her recently and I am loving her tracks. You must check out the explicit “Lemme Get Some.” Also, check out her version of “Might Like You Better.”  If you’re looking for something a little less explicit, check out Santogold’s version of LL Cool J’s “I Need Love” featuring Blank called “I’m a Lady.” She also has a couple tracks worth a listen with Spank Rock, MIA, and Lykke Li. Her album I Love You is out now, but, on November 13, Blank goes on tour with the original nasty girl Peaches.

Until next time, “loving you is cherry pie,” L. Gaga – K

Oubliez tout ce que vous connaissez sur le sexe, vous éprouverez l’expérience ultime d’un voyage gonzo au cœur d’un coït avec une bombe-à-stick grâce à Amanda Blank. On vous l’a pourtant expliqué, la misère sexuelle c’est devenu la norme. Après les plaisirs solitaires cinq-minutes-chrono sur Youporn, la copulation consanguine et les massages thaïlandais à Châtelet-les-Halles, c’est dans des étrons discographiques que nous allons dénicher nos fantasmes cheap. Fini PJ Harvey, fini Alison Mosshart. Au revoir Christina Aguilera, qui reste la dernière diva chiante mais bandante. Et si vous n’êtes pas d’accord avec moi, regardez Shine A Light de Martin Scorsese. Une certaine partie de mon être ne s’est toujours pas remise de son bref passage entre les mains de Mick Jagger.

Passons aux choses sérieuses, et plongeons dans l’album. Douche froide. Le hit est censé être Might like you better (j’ai véritablement honte de mettre une majuscule au titre de cette cochonnerie). Ça vole très haut. Ça plane. Les « baby », « wanna hold you », « show you what I got » et autres « I got what you need » fusent dans tous les sens. Et Amanda se la joue biatch de club branché (« get large, get hard, go fuck, go far », « ride, no lie, just get inside me »). Ma chaine-hifi crie presque un truc du genre « s’il te plait, vire ce skeud du lecteur ». Amanda, ma pauvre enfant, puisse-tu trouver la rédemption. Bien qu’anti-religion, je me persuade que Dieu doit exister, et qu’il va bien faire quelque chose pour arrêter ce désastre.

a

Mention spéciale à A love song (fichue majuscule). Un titre vaguement hip-hop, soutenant un dégueulis verbal qui tient à peu près ce langage : « you told me that I was pretty and that you’d love me for life / take care of me forever cause you’d make me your wife ». Au moins, pas besoin de me tanner à vous traduire cette impressionnante littérature.

a

Après ma première écoute (il y en eut deux en tout, quel boulot à la con !), je compatis avec le guitariste, surement fan de Led Zep et de Hendrix, qui a du enregistrer les bandes. J’espère qu’il a été payé correctement, sinon qu’il porte plainte pour atteinte à la dignité d’autrui.

a

Pour reprendre son discours, Amanda Blank veut de la queue de la chanson 1 à la chanson 10 (j’ai unilatéralement décidé de ne plus nommer ces trucs). Donc de deux choses l’une. Je suis censé être excité par ça ? J’ai beau être un indécrottable obsédé, c’est les sourcils froncés que je découvre le vide intersidéral des mots de la pucelle, avec son ton lascif tout ça tout ça, et le mid-tempo insupportable qui refoulerait même les ardeurs d’une Paris Hilton sous ecsta qui voudrait se trémousser. Et puis s’il est convenu que sexuellement rien n’est « sale », suis-je pour autant obligé de connaître un pic de libido lorsqu’une gonzesse me claironne dans un disque et sous mon casque qu’elle veut ma bite tout en accompagnant son message d’une musique répugnante ? Vous êtes certes dans votre droit de ne pas adhérer à ma thèse, encore faudra-t-il me convaincre.

a

Le niveau de provocation s’étant aujourd’hui réduit à ce genre de discours, notamment et je l’affirme nûment, à cause de la nouvelle hype dans la musique, il est très probable que ce disque marche car soi-disant séditieux, subversif ou même carrément rebelle. Il est pourtant tout ce qu’il y a de plus convenu, la « culture » clubbing a profondément abruti une large frange de notre belle jeunesse et celle-ci s’appropriera très certainement Amanda Blank. Juste pour info, voilà la définition de l’adjectif « blank » en anglais : « devoid of activity, interest, or distinctive character. Empty ». La traduction : dénué d’activité, d’intérêt, de caractère distinctif. Vide.

Article publié sur le site Internet du magazine VoxPop : http://www.voxpopmag.com

Since this is officially the last year of “the oughts” or “the oh-oh’s” or whatever you want to call it, that means only one thing: we now need to figure out what we call the next decade (the teens, I guess?). It also means I need to figure out my top 50 or 100 or whatever albums of this decade.

This week its 2006, with the first repeat artist at the #1 spot. I will take a few weeks off before finishing up with 2007 and 2008.

1. TV on the Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain (Interscope) – My number one at the time, and still my number one for 2006. A great follow-up to Desperate Youths, Blood Thirsty Babes that shows more polish while incorporating a lot of different sounds and rhythms.

2. Band of Horses – Everything All the Time (Sub Pop) - I struggled with possibly putting this album at number one for 2006 before ultimately going with my original pick. Everything All the Time is a wonderful indie rock debut that takes influence from My Morning Jacket, Neil Young, and Flaming Lips. I have so many songs I love on this one – “The First Song”, “The Great Salt Lake”, “Funeral”, “Weed Party”, “Monsters”, and “St. Augustine.”

3. Clipse – Hell Hath No Fury (Re-Up Gang/Zomba) – The second album took four years after the debut Lord Willin’ due to a label dispute, but the result is a monster of an album. In addition to fierce crack rap anthems, production is a highlight of the album, with duties wholly handled by the Neptunes.

4. Belle and Sebastian – The Life Pursuit (Matador) – The Life Pursuit finds Stuart Murdoch as the indisputable leader of B&S, and the result is an eclectic album that dabbles in 70’s AM rock, glam, R&B, and Motown.

5. Spank Rock – YoYoYoYoYo (Big Dada) – A banger of a party album that introduced me to the Baltimore sound. Rapper Naeem Juwan and producer XXXChange create an album brimming with sex and bass and old school rap anthems.

Others receiving votes: Phoenix – It’s Never Been Like That (Source), Girl Talk – Night Ripper (Illegal Art), Tapes ‘n Tapes – The Loon (XL), Liars – Drums Not Dead (Mute)

“disco dance with you (remix)”- Teki Latex f/ Spank Rock & Amanda Blank

“Teki Latex, lead lothario of French electro-rap crew TTC and sonic proprietor of Institubes and Sound Pellegrino. Armed with a mission to “be innovative in this world of Elves dressed like The Strokes,” Teki tends towards ATL-gone-sci-fi, blending Ralph Lauren, Nikes, golf caps and edgier, textured embellishments—the odd Sixpack scarf or knitted socks from Henrik Vibskov. Our current favorite is a look he titles “Major Blazer,” a combo of cardinal blue deck shoes and tailored Lauren blazer flossed with a black silk Roc Star square as a shawl. It’s not stuffy prep so much as “classy in the club,” perfect for transitioning from daytime on Harvard yard to a nighttime rave on a boat.”

-via Fader

This song totally makes me want to dance my ass off. Even now, although I’m a sick puppy complete with swollen eyes, sore throat, stuffy nose, pounding headache, and a fever, to top it off.
But this brightens up my day.
And of course it helps that Spank & Amanda are in this remix.

<3

“Hold the Line” – major lazer f/ santigold & mr. lexx

&
i always thought this was funny.
Spank Rock, Amanda Blank, & Benny Blanco counting down the top 10 songs to do it to… then a clip of a live set. Miss Blank kills it as always. (opens in new tab, but seriously peep it)
Bangers & Cash Top 10 Songs To Do It To

<3

Of course its a thursday!

Amanda Blank live at the Burbon…..this thursday only brought to you by

My! Gay! Husband!. And Color Magazine.

This video is perfect. I love the balloons!

This is a sweet Color sponsored video of some great Vancouver skate spots and with a mirror disco ball sort of effect. If you know what I mean. Oh and good soundtrack too.

Here I am again. Not a whole lot of traffic as of late and I know that I’m doing this for my own benefit anyhow, but I’d like to drum up some interest somehow. What better way than with hip hop?

Spank Rock – YoYoYoYoYo (2006)

Track list:
1. Backyard Betty (3:28)
2. What it Look Like (3:08)
3. IMC (2:33)
4. Rick Rubin (3:33)
5. Touch Me (3:24)
6. Bump (5:19)
7. Sweet Talk (4:19)
8. Chilly Will (4:33)
9. Top Billin’ From Far Left (3:53)
10. Coke and Wet (2:10)
11. Outro (Screwville USA) (2:03)

Let’s look at the world for rap and or hip hop as if it were a fruit market of sorts. For whatever reason folks are buying all sorts of brown, rotten, nasty, old fruits. The rap game is sorta tired and lame with the same ‘ole beats and pop choruses. Meanwhile this perfectly ripe, fresh addition to the scene is being largely ignored. Spank Rock is an emcee out of Baltimore, Maryland who crafts tunes that is a wonderful clash of rap tunes and glitchy electro. The result: quite possibly one of the better dancy albums of the decade. Just you know, blare it and shake your groove thang. Go on…

For your convenience I have a mediafire link for ya:    Become hep to my jive

Rating: 3.75/5

Scribbled by Mellow

This video is like a music explosion on acid. Watch it and you’ll understand.

N.A.S.A. “Whachadoin?” (feat. M.I.A., Spank Rock, Santogold, & Nick Zinner)

I was slightly ambitious in thinking that i could complete my program today, but I’m quite sure that i can complete it by end of play tomorrow. I’ve been listening to these while I bang my head against the wall.

and

The wedding was great and i was a complete professional when it came to drinking. Though i’m sure some pictures of me with my buttoned down shirt and cigar will emerge at some point.

Ok guys. Long time since my last mixtape. I made TWO. One for ATM, and one for the other amazing blog I contribute to, Ca Va Cool. The one below, is a longer version and IMO a bit better because it has some old school feel to it. The one at CVC is a shorter version, it has pretty much the same songs but less old school groove. Both are GREAT! It just depends how much longer you want your dance party to go on for.

=)

Download ATM’s “Leave Your 9-5 Up On The Shelf” Mixtape

Go to CVC to download CVC’s “Leave Your 9-5 Up On The Shelf” Mixtape
(give it possibly up to a week before it shows)

The playlist after the jump! GO GO GO!

Mixtape: Leave Your 9-5 Up On The Shelf

Playlist:

01 | DatA – One In A Million

DatA recently released his first album, Skywriter. It has a wicked cover and is full of that French electro that I’m so in love with. It’s a great listen if you like a low down version of TEPR and DJ Mehdi and is fantastic to put on if you want an easy playlist for your dance parties. But, there isn’t anything about super special about Skywriter so I don’t think it will be on any lists this year. And with the current albums from the likes of SMD, Calvin Harris, Sally Shapiro, Frankmusik, etc, I think DatA might be put on the back burner. Regardless, if you get the chance to see him live, DO IT! He kills the floor and would burn all those summer ice cream calories in minutes! “One in a Million’ is one of my favorites off the album!

02 | Duck Sauce – Anyway

Duck Sauce consists of A-trak and Armand Van Helden. Yes. You read that right. A-trak and Armand van Helden! This is the Moderat of house!!! Hooorah! I believe their name was inspired by the duck sauce that comes with chopped duck that you can get at Chinese vendors. But, this is a guess informed from the extremely sparse information on their myspace so, I could be wrong. Quack quack. They are working on an LP?! EP!? I have no idea. BUT! I do know that Duck Sauce is “coming in September” and that we should brace ourselves. Armand van Helden has disappeared for quite some time, and I honestly didn’t find anything he did after “Hear My Name” worth listening to. But this collaboration will be great for both of them, and their recent release of “Anyway” is MASSIVE. Infectious disco house. I am excited for September.

03 | Dizzee Rascal ft. Chrome – Holiday

Another Dizzee Rascal track produced by Calvin Harris. IMO, not as great as “Dance Wiv Me” but, still a great listen.

04 | Calvin Harris – Yeah Yeah Yeah La La La

Check out my review here!

05 | Misteur Valaire ft. Ariane Moffatt – Astronef (SP4 Lovers)

Ugh! How I heart Misteur Valaire, one of Montréal’s best kept secrets. Ariane Moffatt too. How these guys haven’t made it across Canada really boggles my mind. I had the pleasure of seeing them once more at the event where I first discovered them two years ago, the Montréal Jazz Festival. Their psychedelic grooves and experimental clings and clangs all mesh together into one massive pool of Awesome. They recently released a revamped version of their first and only LP, Friterday Night, in 320 aaaand a bonus song which happens to be this one! I prefer the original SP4 Lovers only because it’s longer. But this version with Moffatt is fantastic. You can DOWNLOAD THEIR ENTIRE ALBUM FOR FREE!

Check out my review of their show at MJF here!

06 | Cougarettes – Ego Head

I discovered Cougarettes this year at MEG Montréal, the part of Osheaga that is more dancy, hipster, and indie. The Cougarettes are so. bad. ass. That is the only way to describe them. They make every other music genre shudder like pansies. When I first walked into the show, I at first thought it sounded like Metric on ketamine. Bordering on the brink of absolute incoherence, the Cougarettes meld experimental, rock, metal, 8-bit, and electronic goodness into one big vat of noise that is not repulsive but rather, indulgent and audibly welcoming. You can hear it on their recent release, Milk Fangs EP.

Check out my review of their show here!

07 | Dub FX ft. Mr. Woodnote and Flower Fairy – Flow

He is a busker who performs predominantly in the UK. He uses loop and effects pedal, his amazing beat boxing skills, and the ocassional help from friends to make the sickest songs to be heard on the streets. Dub FX has only one studio album out, Everythinks A Ripple, which was released this year. If you’ve been following him the past few years, you’ve probably heard all the songs. He does have another live album, Live Onda Streets of Europe, which is better than the studio album because this man live is incredible. It’s just his voice, the pedals, and the occasional sax creating layers and layers of sounds that the studio can’t even replicate in quality. This is the unfortunate part…so buy the album for support but listen to his youtube vids for your parties jaja. You have to watch this video of “Flow” (and all his other live street videos up on the internets) to know what I mean. Dub FX is amazing.

08 | Modeselektor ft. TTC – 2000007

09 | Simian Mobile Disco ft. Alexis Taylor – Bad Blood

Check out my review here!

10 | Moderat – A New Error

One of my top songs of the year.

11 | Miami Horror – Make You Mine (Fred Falke Remix)

Surprise surprise. Fred Falke makes it into my mixtape! Miami Horror released a short EP, Bravado a month or so ago featuring his hits “Don’t Be On Her”, “Make You Mine” and a few others. Recently, the remix EP came out featuring the aforementioned songs by Fred Falke, Cassian, Treasure Fingers, and so on. Fred Falke proved to be the best one, once again! And plus, I find remixes of Miami Horror tracks to be better than the originals. Kind of like how I feel about Burns. Anyways, this remix is solid solid solid and nearly rivals Falke’s remix of Annie’s “Anthonio”, which I still hold to be the top remix this year so far!

12 | Miike Snow – Silvia

These guys came out with a self-titled album this year. It’s not too bad but nothing special. “Silvia” is defs my favorite track.

13 | Amanda Blank ft. Spank Rock – Gimme What You Got

Read ATM’s review of this album here!

14 | Spank Rock – Loose

15 | Mr. Hudson – There Will Be Tears

16 | Trouble Andrew ft. Diplo – Run, Hide

Read about Trouble Andrew, Amanda Blank, Spank Rock, and Santigold live here!

17 | Erykah Badu – The Healer (Live)

No amount of words can describe how much I love this Lady of Hip-Hop. Ugh. I love it. Read about her live show here!

18 | Erykah Badu ft. Lenny Kravitz – Back in the Day (Puff)

Such a classic, classic song.

19 | Stevie Wonder – Isn’t She Lovely

Love, love, loooooove this man! Read about his amazing performance at MJF here!

20 | Kool and the Gang – Fresh

Classic.

I don’t know what else to say that hasn’t already been said. For me, all those youtube tributes were fantastic. I especially loved how Toronto celebrated his life. Unforts here in MTL there wasn’t anything of the sort (that I knew of). But, I celebrated in my own way. For a few weeks one of my flatmates and I wore a white glove all day (one half of the day I got the right glove, woohoo!), started the day with MJ, ended the day with MJ…eventually they got tired of this and started singing the Jon Lajoie song over and over again. But I don’t think I’ve stopped reminiscing quite yet. Pas encore.

21 | Micheal Jackson – Get on the Floor

22 | Michael Jackson – Off the Wall

23 | Michael Jackson – Girlfriend

24 | Michael Jackson – We’ve Got A Good Thing Goin’

25 | Michael Jackson – I Wanna Be Where You Are

—

Download ATM’s “Leave Your 9-5 Up On The Shelf” Mixtape

Go to CVC to download CVC’s “Leave Your 9-5 Up On The Shelf” Mixtape
(give it possibly up to a week before it shows)

We have double passes available to anyone who emails us here at (soulofsydney@gmail.com) asking for them

Event Details:  Friday 16 October 11:30pm @ Oxford Art Factory (38 Oxford St Sydney)

Feat: Pase Rock (Spank Rock),+ Dangerous Dan, Tha Fizz, Mirror Mirror,Mik Menace,Cassettezz

Tickets: $16 @  Moshtix Info : E-mail : anita@onthefly.com.au Phone: (02) 9211-1610

Facebook: Event Link

PASE ROCK – Lindsay Lohan’s Revenge

DJ Am & Pase Rock – Digital  Lovee – LIVE @ LAX 2008

Spank Rock, Pase Rock ft. Amanda Blank (Live at McCarren Pool Brooklyn 2006)

Event Info + Bio

Dim Mak Party ft. Pase Rock (Spank Rock/NYC), Tickets $16 @ moshtix.com

More Links + Media

Pase Rock Interview @ Onthefly.com.au

Links:

Info @ Onthefly.com.au

Pase Rock @ Myspace

Facebook: Event Link

Tickets: $16 @  Moshtix

Facebook Event Link