Alpha Pup » Passion of the Weiss

Nov
10

Nosaj Thing – MIS, Brasil 2010 (leg. português) from Cauê Ito on Vimeo. If you subscribe to the ideology that beats need raps to be fulfilled, you’ve probably already long ceased to read this blog, or are in the process of breaking away to download the latest MP3′s from Games, Tennis, Weekend, and Troubled Jai… Continue reading »

Oct
26

Nosaj Thing – “Fog” (Jamie xx Remix)

As the photo above indicates, Jamie xx and Jason Chung share the same wardrobe designer. A garlic averse soul who sculpts their suits in a lampless cavern deep in the bowels beneath SoHo. Neither of them have tasted clean oxygen in weeks, which serves to explain the artistic synergy that the two possess. They share… Continue reading »

Oct
11

Montana Meets Mykonos

Beyond the Crooklyn Dodgers drop on his BTS mix, the mixtape MC release pace, and a name that calls to mind an ironic Butte-based white rapper, it’s clear how much classic hip hop production factors into Young Montana’s aesthetic. With the glory days of sampling long gone, Montana takes an almost traditionalist tack to his… Continue reading »

Sep
27

Heat Stroke and Sacre Cool

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZT0wlH4y8k The mercury was a mocking 113 this afternoon, making recovery from Off the Books impossible. Slurred recollections and crystalline images will come later. In brief, Mount Kimbie came through and crushed the buildings, holding 200 people-plus hostage until 1:00 a.m. on a Monday morning. Shlohmo remixed “Pretty Boy Swag” until he looked like Jesus,… Continue reading »

Aug
18

In the Red Zone with Young Montana

Young Montana hails from Coventry, so it’s a safe bet that he didn’t derive his name from the San Francisco 49ers string of Hall of Fame quarterbacks. I’m guessing it’s a British variant on American rap names–one that makes me want to tout him as that new dope boi Yung Montana. That said, G-Side would… Continue reading »

May
06

Mary Anne Hobbs — Volcano Refugee Party in L.A. Week 2 ft. Matthewdavid, Nosaj Thing, Gaslamp Killer, Samiyam, Daddy Kev

Admittedly, I’m still not finished listening to the second week of Mary Anne Hobbs Vs. The Volcano, Or I Got Stranded in LA and All I Got Was This Lousy Podcast, but I suspect that like last week, it will go down as one of her finest shows of the year. Hobbs calls a mix… Continue reading »

May
04

Nocando – “Hurry Up and Wait Remix” ft. Murs, Intuition, Open Mike Eagle, & Dumbfoundead

Lest I cannibalize myself (and not in the inspiring Alive way), should you have any interest in reading my thoughts on Nocando’s excellent “Hurry Up and Wait Remix,” I will point you in the direction of my Sam Zell-owned feudal overlords. The concise version is that its arguably the best morning commute anthem since “9-5ers… Continue reading »

Apr
29

Taking the Summit

Take “Incredibright” from Alpha Pup on Vimeo. Aaron Frank has never climbed a mountain nor played an electric guitar. However it happened, Take had a right to be irate that Only Mountain leaked a month early. A driving force behind the underground LA beat scene for the last decade, Sweatson Klank’s debut not only evidences… Continue reading »

Apr
11

Low End Theory Podcast XIV: Nobody & Take

It’s hour 36 and the the hyperbolic decompression from Friday night’s show continues. By all accounts, the evening was a smashing success. Rah Al Milio’s mushroom fondue went over well, 5 0′ Clock Shadowboxers revived Blue Oyster Cult for the millenial generation, Nocando taught the bespectacled and be-blazered set how to freestyle, and The Holloys… Continue reading »

Mar
31

Inexpensive Robotics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBxKOmSIORE Admittedly, I get occasionally over-enthusiastic in my hometown pride — consider it overcompensation for the previous decade in which I hung my head with shame. But it’s worth noting again that Free The Robots’ Ctrl Alt Delete is a great album and now finally available for purchase. For those in town, the release party… Continue reading »