At the forefront of instrumental hip-hop and modern electronic music, Take has spent years helping forge a strong scene within his native Los Angeles, but also constantly evolving to avoid stasis. Before critics got misty-eyed over James Blake’s sweater set this winter, Take had already covered similar territory, manipulating and stretching his own vocals over […]

Robert Henke is many different things to many different people – performer, lecturer, software developer, technician. In truth, the Berlin-based artist busily juggles all four descriptions, but when he gets on the phone you can understand why he does so well in front of a bunch of university students: the man loves to chat and […]

Perhaps you’ve heard of this fellow. As the man who wrote “She Watch Channel Zero,” I have to ask what you think of the Charlie Sheen tomfoolery that’s been dominating the cable news networks as  the Middle East is simultaneously in the midst of a regional Revolution. The corporations have been extremely at successful at […]

Last Friday at the EMP Pop Conference, Tal Rosenberg and I presented a paper on the economics of Wu-Tang. In the course of our research, I interviewed Power, the financial mastermind of the Wu-Tang. Therein, I learned about Wu-Wear’s re-launch, the history behind “Wu-Wear: The Garment Renaissance,” and the unfulfilled plans for Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s […]

How many questions can you ask in fifteen minutes? That’s the challenge when told you’re getting a quarter hour with Prince Paul. Having so much to discuss wasn’t helped by the fact that Paul turned out to be one of the chattiest and most intelligent guys I’ve ever interviewed. Also, he takes the prize for […]

Sach O grew up black hearted. Sometimes, good music finds you. A few weeks ago, Zilla sent us a link to the BLKHRTS Bandcamp page, claiming they were like ” M.O.P meets Morrissey,” a risky if intriguing proposition. A few streams and an EP purchase later, I was hooked with the combination of 2K10 production, […]

While it occasionally seems like the Smith Westerns don’t have a care in the world, lead singer Cullen Omari adamantly believes that constant touring defines a band in its inception. After touring with Girls, MGMT and Florence and the Machine, the band is currently barnstorming the US on its own headlining tour, in support of […]

“Fuck a limousine, I’d rather ride Caprices,” sneered Rittz on “Box Chevy Pt. 3,” a standout on last year’s “Trunk Muzik.” Since then, the greater Atlanta-raised red beard has released a flurry of double-timed amphetamine raps that demand evaluation on a proper system, while going 85 down 85, or 110 on the 110. The combination […]

The big talk in the lead-up to the release of The Go! Team’s third full-length LP, Rolling Blackouts, was bandleader and producer Ian Parton’s new found focus on songwriting. To that end, the sampling was assigned a backseat and a bunch of esteemed guest vocalists drafted in – including Satomi Matsuzaki of Deerhoof and Best […]

It’s interesting to consider what’s been going through the collective heads of Cut Copy over the past twelve months. Their last record, “In Ghost Colours,” was a monster, the Australians arriving with the right sound at the right time to be handed the keys to the United States – a very grand dream that few […]