Seems like I’m slowly getting more and more into dubstep! So, here are some fresh tunes out of the Ukraine for you. Dubmasta is from Kiev and likes to combine Dub, Dubstep and Reggae. He is also, or is part of, Vyzal Sound System, Foa Hoka, Now Future FM and SKP Records and has released a hell lot of albums from 2001 until now!
His myspace reads like this “like the ghosts in ukranian underground life they started to make tracks & performances in 2000. Under the VZRL guise was produced experimental electronic dub ambient albums & singles, released on their own SKP label. [...] all other information just in music.”
The tracks have quite a good atmospheric vibe and occasional hindi influences, so have a listen and download them from his soundcloud!
Jarring Effects, *the* French label for abstract electronics, dubstep and dark beats starts February with a new release from Reverse Engineering called “Highly Complex Machine”.
Their first album “Duck & Cover”created quite a big wave back in 2006 and surprised abstract hip hop and electronica fans equally. Followed by an explosive vynil release featuring Blu Rum 13 (from One Self, DJ Vadims Project), which spread quickly among DJ’s, they toured extensivly, played on major stages at Europe’s festivals and attracted an ever growing public with their mix of old school Sci-Fi, scratches, human beat box and hypnotic, haunting sequences.
”Highly Complex Machinery”, their second album, continues to surprise by plucking samples here and there and including some prestigious MC guests. Part of the party are Mr. Sayyid (Antipop Consortium / Airborn Audio) who dynamites three tracks and turns them into retro-futuristic tubes, their faithful MC Blu Rum 13, and finally the young Croatian MC Diyala on “World in reverse”, who suprises with disturbing charisma on RE’s metallic beats. “Highly Complex Machinery” can be called RE’s come back, but it’s also a statement in the electronic hip hop world.
Next one from Sean, now in Peru. “skipping down off the volcano i made it on to my flight to san salvador for my one hour layover before flying down to lima, peru. well, not really, since the flight was late and we missed the next one. a whole angry mob started growling at the airline people, yet this tall, interesting fellow and i seemed the only ones unperturbed. we got to talking and it turns out aleksi is a ukrainian raw foodist who had just come from LA bearing some of my favorite snack goodies and to-go food from RAWvolution, where i used to work.. crazy world. so i munched on raw vegan deep dish pizza and then the airlines put us up in a four star hotel and compensated us for everything. it turns out san salvador is in el salvador, which we got to explore for the afternoon. since they lost my bag for a day, the airlines gave me another $100.. lovely luck. Keep reading →
This is the first mail I got from Sean T, who I met together with his friend Stacey in Barcelona several years ago, where we were talking about vegetarian food and yoga places in Berlin and Barcelona. Since Barcelona is a very spiritual place with all sorts of yoga, tantra, vegetarian, vegan and raw food activists, it was just normal that a German speaking American and an English and Spanish speaking German with a similar interest in those things ran into each other. However, we exchanged mails as Sean went back to the states and since then I get once or twice a year long virtual letters with all sorts of incredible and funny stories from around the world, when Sean is following his spiritual path in India or like now Guatemala and Peru. I’m glad to receive those stories, as they remind me that there is more than just the routine we sometimes tend to fall in. So I asked him to share them with you and he happily agreed!
“hola!
i spent my last moments in the states hanging out with a beautiful friend and going to yoga rather than packing… yet the bag was somehow filled and i hopped on a plane and off in guatemala city the next morning. right outside the aeroporto waited some dude named victor from north hollywood who drove me to antigua where i immediately paid way too much and had to wait too long for my next shuttle to san marcos. this was actually perfect as i was then able to follow a yoga mat and its owner to yoga class, decompressing my body from the overnight flight.
lake atitlan is in the mountains of guatemala, home to lots of mayans (many of whom hike around carrying ridiculous loads of cement, cinderblocks, or other heavy bags on their back all the time) and twelve towns forming a ring around the lake. san marcos is the village known for it´s peace, tranquility, and healing arts. one main road runs through town, dividing the three local barios (neighborhoods) on the mountain above from the quaint cobbled paths below upon which most of the town´s businesses are located. here one finds restaurants and guesthouses, lots of healers and a few shops on the way down to the lake. the wandering paths are covered with lush vegetation, flowers and fruit trees, giving a jungle like atmosphere to the place. Keep reading →
I just got a mail from Giles, working for Lost Art Agency, who is doing the marketing for Red Bull Music Academy among others. The funny coincidence is that Red Bull – the company – is from Austria where I’m currently residing in my humbly mansion. Anyways, Red Bull the energy drink, founded in 1987 by Dietrich Mateschitz now in his 60’s, was the first drink sold in thinner cans than usually, for which people obviously took a piss out of Mateschitz before he started conquering the whole world. His idea for the cans came from the thinner coconutmilk and mango juice drinks in thailand, where he eventually lateron found his business partner in crime to produce the desired products (in conservative Austria they wouldn’t let him). He then set out to revolutionize the whole energy drinking and partying community, bought football stadions and football teams, publishes the “Bulletin” about sports, does all sort of crazy sport events like the Red Bull flight day for lovers of self-built flying vehicles, sponsors a hell lot of more sports companies, players, festivals and events and – well – does business with the Red Bull Music Academy. It’s interesting to know, that before being a multinational he was selling tooth paste, so now you know a superman idea can practically rise when you stand in balls in the bathroom brushing your teeth.
Back to Red Bull Music Academy, they asked me to cover their video interviews and radio programs, since they gathered the whole dubstep community to give lectures, and they kind of figured I might like it. I usually don’t like companies asking me to do advertisement for them, but the interviews are interesting and worth to share. So, here we go with Mala and Skream. Btw, I also met two participants from the RBMA Barcelona which took place in 2008; DJ Babao from Brazil in Barcelona the same year and Pursuit Grooves in new York last year. Both are worth checking out! Babao appears on Maga Bo’s “World Up” Mix album from 2007 and Pursuit Grooves will release her next album on Pinch’s label Tectonic.
Pursuit Grooves from Brooklyn presents her new podcast for February and as usual surprises with a unique track selection ranging from hip hip to dubstep, trip hop and electronics. Pursuit Grooves new album is coming out in April on Tectonic (Pinch’s imprint) and as far as I knowitwill make a slight twist to the dubstep side of things. She’ll also be touring Europe in June, so watch out for the live show!
Download: Nodding Grand Podcast on Podomatic Portishead – Humming
Apparat – Arcadia
Radiohead – Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Actress – I Can’t Forgive You
Rock the Boat – Aaliyah
Bilal – Love It
Hi-Tek ft. Mos Def Vinia Mojica
Metro Area – Strut
Lizz Fields – Day, Day, Day (Loungin’ Remix)
Benga – Someone 20
D Bridge – Creatures of Habit
Owusu & Hannibal – A Million Babies
Taylor McFerrin – Warrior Dub
Paul White – City Bright Lights
Pete Rock – The Boss
The Roots – One Shine
This is real freak shit, a crazy mixture of 8bit, distorted elctronics, rock, guitars, inflaming songs to fan then flames of West vs East, superpowers over third world countries, terrorism, badman’s politics and woman’s liberation all pressed into a masterpiece of an album called “Pashto Translator Needed” by 1-Speed Fukin Bike. No idea where they are from, it might be Canada, it might be Afghanistan, or a completely different place!
And download the whole album for free on Bandcamp! You don’t have to leave them your mail, only if you download a single song, which is quite fair since it’s recomendable to download the complete album anyways.
There is also additional info to the album, in which the band / the producer (?) poses some important questions of explosive content.
*****
“What is this war? They claim it’s to liberate woman and to fight drugs and terrorism but woman are worse off then under the Taliban and opium is triple and you can’t win a fight against a tactic. Anyways Osama Bin Laden used to work for them, like Manuel Noriega and Saddam Hussein, who will be next? Maybe its just to punish Afghanistan for being a mess because its been fucked over by other countries? So lets fuck them over too? People do fucked up things in Afghanistan, they hate woman and aren’t tolerant of other religions. We hate woman and anyone who isn’t christian so let’s bomb ourselves? Why do we only hear about Canadian soldiers dying? Why doesn’t the CBC report on how many Afghanis we kill every day? Do we ever kill any? Are we not very good soldiers? Does killing people get in the way of trying to save them? We don’t give a fuck about Afghanistan or Somalia or Haiti or Yemen or Ethiopia or Colombia or any Native Reserve in this country, of course not, no one in charge of this country cares about anything except making money and keeping power. And most people not in charge don’t care about anything beyond getting laid, making money, buying stupid shit they don’t need and pulling weird power trips on those closest to them. So fuck you too. Oh by the way, fuck your yellow ribbons, it’s a volunteer army, you take your chances, those bumper stickers are just a distraction. But what the fuck is wrong with us? Why do we let this go unopposed? Why aren’t we out there in the small town high schools talking to kids, the ones that the Canadian Army is out there recruiting? Why aren’t we out on the streets and malls about this?”
ENGLISH:
This is the call for photo-submissions for Belio 031! Yes! PHOTO! only pictures, no graphics, no digital filters or effects, just pure photography (digital & traditional) in relation with the topic that we propose you here: Abandoned.
The next Flog of Belio wants to be a compilation of beautiful and artistic pictures of ruins, empty buldings and hidden places from the urban common life. A portrait of all those places that have been forgotten, locked and covered in dust. From the underground of our cities to the closed factories far away in the middle of nowhere. Of course that’s the perfect subject for all kind of urban explorers… Oh! Don’t you know what’s “urban exploring”? Ok, if you haven’t hear about that before, please check out here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_exploration ) and here ( http://www.forbidden-places.net/why.php ) to get a better idea.
So, now grab your boots, a lantern and your camera and bring us your best shots!
THE DEADLINE TO SEND YOUR FILES IS MARCH 1st, 2010.
I got a mail from Milan, one half of Shazalakazoo out of Belgrade, a few days ago, if I could pay some attention to their music, so I did. Furthermore, I’d heard of Shazalakazoo before; they’ve played in Berlin, Dortmund and Vienna at some known places from world music people and seem to have a good following with their mix of balkan traditional and electronics. Their new album “Speaking Balkanian” is out right now and has a good floor filler bounce. So, dear readers, attention please, Belgrade is coming!
Seems like I’m slowly getting more and more into dubstep! So, here are some fresh tunes out of the Ukraine for you. Dubmasta is from Kiev and likes to combine Dub, Dubstep and Reggae. He is also, or is part of, Vyzal Sound System, Foa Hoka, Now Future FM and SKP Records and has released a hell lot of albums from 2001 until now! 
