LISTEN UP :: Mmm Mmm Mmmm. LOVE Me Some Minnesota.

 ............................................................................................................................

MINNESOTA throws down some of the nassstiest, mind-blowing, body-moving, Dubstep/Glitch-hop/Future Bass, that, upon first listen, evoked from deep within me, feelings only comparable to those I have experienced when falling in love at first sight.

............................................................................................................................

Minnesota's music didn't grow on me...it had me at hello. And the more I listened, the harder I fell. And now, after more than two months of bumping his tracks, they still tease me, and please me, make me scream out, "Yessssss!" and  always leave me craving for more.

"Setting the record straight. No, I do not live in Minnesota. I live in Santa Cruz, CA. BUT, I grew up in Minnesota. And when I moved to Cali, everyone called me Minnesota. When I started DJ-ing, my friends called me DJ Minnesota. And I was never able come up with a cool DJ name, so it stuck. BAM!" (Facebook)

Minnesota's tracks can be heard in sets played by electronic music makers, such as: Bassnectar, Reid Speed, Blackheart and Rastatronics. In addition to making music, Minnesota is a cofounder of the production company, Vital Sc, and is also associated with the MalLabel, Tycho Records, and Gruntworthy music labels.

"I'm currently a History major at UCSC...I have almost no time to work on music, so most of my music comes when I have breaks from school." (Soundcloud)

Minnesota, who started producing electronic music more than 2 years ago, is now considered a major player in the Bay Area bass scene. His name has appeared on bills with big name DJs, such as: Nero, Flying Lotus, Rusko, Benassi, Ghostland Observatory, RJD2, Datsik, Excision and Skrillex.

"These are my jams! My goal is to make bass heavy dubstep/glitch-hop music that'll get you dancing, but is not the same old, 3 note transformer-step....I try to focus more on the melodic side of Dubstep, and hopefully, make quality song writing a more relevant factor in the genre." (Soundcloud)

.:: PREVIEW SOME MINNESOTA TRACKS ::.

GET TUFF (Minnesota Drumstep RMX of Skulltrane / FreshYoungMinds RMX of Helicopter Showdown)

SPACE MOUNTAIN

MEOW

KITTY KAT

.:: TONS OF FREE DOWNLOADS ::.  


. ORIGINALS .

BASS POWER  /  DUNE  /  DANE'S SONG
FLOURESCENT TURTLE SURFING  /  EMISSIONS
ORIGINAL GANGSTAAA  /  RIVERSIDE  /  IN THE SKY

. REMIXES .

Bob Marley :: ONE LOVE  /  OAKLAND BABY  /  WHO SHOT YA
Dirty Projectors :: STILLNESS IS THE MOVE  /  Dr. Dre :: FORGOT ABOUT DRE
Jeremih :: BIRTHDAY SEX  /  Modeselektor :: LET YOUR LOVE GROW V.2
ODB :: GOTCHA MONEY  /  The Mamas & Papas :: CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' 

. MIXES .

DRUNKSTEP  /  HARDLY STRICTLY DUBSTEP
DUBSTEP, BRO MIX  /  Biggie + Kelis :: SLOWWW GRINDIN MIX

:: FB FAN PAGE : EMAIL : BOOK MINNESOTA ::

LISTEN UP :: Magnetic Man Whips It Up.

Hmmm...I don't know what Magnetic Man (a.k.a. Benga, Artwork, and Skream) was thinking when they decided to turn Willow Smith's Pop/RnB tune, "Whip My Hair," into what sounds like, in my opinion, a Darth Vader impersonator spittin' rhymes over a chopped and screwed electro track. Give this one a listen below and then post a comment! I am curious to know what others think about this track...

LISTEN UP :: Pass That Dutch.

LISTEN UP :: On That "We Are The Future" Bass Tip.

Mmm mmm mmm 8 )

Someone must have overheard my pleas to the bass gods, because my prayers have been answered!

Comin' to you straight outta The Bay is GruntWorthy, a Future Bass music label and the brainchild of producers Dr.Knobz and Carly-D. The label focuses on all sub-genres of bass music, including, but not limited to: Dubstep, Drum and Bass, Glitch Hop, Breaks, and 4X4 Wobble. 

GruntWorthy made a name for itself among local Cali Bassheads by putting on a hosted monthly, GruntWorthy 3rd Wednesdays, which began in June 2010 in Berkeley and now goes down at The Blue Macaw in San Francisco. The event has featured DJs and producers such as: Stephan Jacobs, Samples, NastyNasty, NiT GriT, ChrisB. and many many more. 

Okayyy, now back to my bass prayers being answered! GruntWorthy recently dropped an amaaazing compilation LP featuring future bass tracks from names both well-know and on the come-up. The LP, as a whole, for me, represents the future of electronic music...because I believe collaboration between artists/producers has had, and will continue to have, a huge influence on the evolution of electronic and, more specifically, bass music. will and is so good that I've had that ish on repeat at my house and bumpin' so loud that a friend of mine told me he could hear the bass from the street when he pulled up in front of my house. I truly believe that the diverse array of talent represented on this LP will  definitely be hard to match.

If you know me, then you know I'm all about helpin' out and showin' mad love for my homies. So, of course, I have to give some BIG UPs to the artists and tracks on this LP that are special to me....

Samples :: I don't know Samples personally, but I know he kicks it with/knows some of my homies here in Chicago. What else I know, is that the kid throws down nasssty and only seems to get better and better each time I hear a new track from him. 

Billy Blacklight :: Billy gets special mention because while I was working on this post last night, I took a Facebook break annnd what did I see? A new friend request...from a guy I've never met and had never heard of before then...BILLY BLACKLIGHT! The coincidence was just toooooo uncanny and too awesome not to mention in this post.

Minnesota :: I am currently working on an enormous post featuring Minnesota. Why? Because I have yet to hear a track by this dude that I don't like (and I've heard EVERYTHING he has available online), and I always play his tracks from beginning to end. Ohhh and did I mention he hails from the Midwest (represent represent!) and is a full-time college student in Cali? What a unique combo!

Carly-D :: I can't lie...don't know much about Carly-D, but y'all know I LOVE LOVE LOVE me some Mochipet! 

Below, are Soundcloud and YouTube players that you can use to preview the LP. There are also links to free downloads of each individual track, as well as a bonus track that isn't included in the Soundcloud player tracklist (a remix by Energy Alchemist) and, for your convenience, a link to download the entire LP as a zip file. I hope you enjoy all this nasssty DOPE bass as much as I have : )

.:: PREVIEW THE LP ::.

.:: DOWNLOAD THE LP ::.

Lil Troy :: WANNA BE A BALLER (HEADLINER RMX)

AudioBomb ::THIS IS WHY WE WHOMP

Sauce FT. Konfadense :: THE UNION

DU3 :: SUBMERGE

M.I.A. :: STEPPIN UP (RUFF HAUSER RMX)

+verb :: SPESHIL NIGHTS

Sneaker Pimps :: BLOODSPORT (ZIPSE'S 80s RMX)

Little John :: ROLL 1 UP (FT. KRUMPLEDIM)

Mochipet :: PYTHAGOREAN HYPHY PROOF (CARLY-D RMX)

Dr.Knobz :: POLAR BEAR CRUNK

Samples & Stephan Jacobs :: NANO PUPPY (STEPHAN'S BONE THUG'S RE-EDIT)

Sugarpill :: MALEFIC PLANET (FT. CHRIS B.)

Hypha :: LIMONA

Modeselektor :: LET YOUR LOVE GROW V. 2 (MINNESOTA RMX)

Energy Alchemist :: HOLDING ON

Billy Blacklight :: GLASS BOTTOM CEILING

BOOtZ :: ERP.P.PANTIES

Konekta :: DUB SELECTION

Planet Funk :: CHASE THE SUN (BUILDER RMX VIP)

M.I.A :: CAPS LOCK (MiHKAL REMIXXX)

Supertramp :: BREAKFAST IN AMERICA RMX (ENERGY ALCHEMIST RMX)

The Beatles :: BECAUSE (GOLDRUSH RMX)

JaLe :: BEAUTIFUL DISASTER RESIDES 1

SUBADDICTION :: B.M.F. DUBSTEP RMX

**  GruntWorthy :: WE ARE THE FUTURE (Full LP ZIP) **

.:: OTHER GRUNTWORTHY RELEASES ::.

GruntWorthy Vol. 1 :: Features tracks from Stephan Jacobs & +verb, sugarpill, Minnesota, Dr.Knobz and Carly-D with Doug Surreal. 

HiDef - Synthetics EP :: A 4 track release from LA producer HiDef (aka Edmondo Annecchini).

Energy Alchemist EP :: - Beatport exclusive release

Carly-D & Dr.Knobz :: Fourthcoming Feb 2011

Future releases :: HiDef, Energy Alchemist, Builder, datgirl livepa, Erin Jale, SUBADDICTION, CLAY, Bodie, DU3 and more.

* If you would like to submit your music to GruntWorthy for consideration, their email address is: info@gruntworthy.com

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CAPTURED :: We All Have Our Demons.

I find this photograph to be a good reminder to myself, that... 

No matter how good a person is, we all have demons, of one kind or another, within us.
We must own up to our imperfections and face our demons; not ignore them.

CAPTURED :: Before The Show.

CAPTURED :: Moneygami.

LISTEN UP :: Yelle Is Coming.

My obsession with French Electropop band Yelle began when I first heard the song "A Cause Des Garcons" playing in the background during a scene from, what was once, one of my fave TV shows. The only way I can adequately communicate how hard and how quickly I fell in love with Yelle's music, is to take you back in time with me...

It's 2008 , I'm sitting on the futon in the living room of my Damen Ave. apartment, annnnnd I almost feel embarrassed saying this, but I'm watching The Hills on MTV. The star of the show, LC, is in Paris with coworker and friend Whitney on a fashion mission assigned to them by LA-based badass fashion bigshot (a.k.a their boss) Kelly Cutrone. After picking up a dress from a Parisian couture designer, LC and Whit exit the shop to head back to their hotel and get ready for a night out on the town. 

As they step inside their sleek and shiny ride, and their conversation comes to an end, a catchy Electropop beat starts to play quietly in the background. And once LC and Whit were comfortably seated in the back of their chauffeur-driven BMW, the song's instrumentals are on full-blast and the voice of a highly enthused, sassy, French chick kicks in.  

It was at this point, that I literally jumped off the couch and began dancing around my living room like someone had just lit my ass on fire; my arms flailed wildly above my head, and my hips rolled in circles and bounced side-to-side, in perfect unison with my bare feet as they moved across the floor to the beat. 

That night, while searching online for the song I had heard on The Hills, I stumbled upon a Tecktonik version of one of Yelle's songs; directed by Bastien Lattanzio and Guillaume Berg. The video uses a Tepr remix of a Yelle song and features Tecktonik dancers Treaxy and Vavan dancing beside the letters of the word "Yelle."

From that night (when I first heard the band and saw the dance) on, for almost a year, I was hooked on Yelle and Tecktonik.

 

LA MUSIQUE (TEPR RMX)

CE JEU (TEPR RMX)

A CAUSE DES GARCONS (TEPR RMX)

A CAUSE DES GARCONS (TEPR RMX / LONG VERSION)

.:: YELLE TOUR DATES ::.

4.16 :: Indio, CA : Coachella
4.17 :: Phoenix, AZ : Rhythm Room
4.18 :: Tuscon, AZ : Club Congress
4.19 :: Albuquerque, NM : Launchpad
4.21 :: Dallas, TX : Granada Theatre
4.22 :: Austin, TX : Mohawk
4.23 :: Houston, TX : Fitzgerald's
4.25 :: Atlanta, GA : Masquerde
4.26 :: Chapel Hill, NC : Cat's Cradle
4.27 :: Washington, DC : 9:30 Club
4.29 :: Boston, MA : Royale Boston
4.30 :: New York, NY : Irving Plaza

5.02 :: Quebec City, Quebec : Le Circle
5.03 :: Montreal, Quebec : Le National
5.04 :: Toronto, Ontario : The Opera House
5.06 :: CHICAGO, IL : BOTTOM LOUNGE

5.07 :: Minneapolis, MN : First Ave
5.08 :: Madison, WI : Majestic Theatre
5.10 :: Denver, CO : Bluebird Theater
5.11 :: Salt Lake City, UT : Urban Lounge
5.13 :: Vancouver, British Columbia : The Commodore Ballroom
5.14 :: Seattle, WA : Neumos
5.15 :: Portland, OR : Wonder Ballroom
5.17 :: Reno, NV : Tonic Lounge
5.18 :: Santa Cruz, CA : Rio Theater
5.19 :: San Francisco, CA : Regency Ballroom
5.20 :: San Diego, CA : The Casbah
5.21 :: Los Angeles, CA : Henry Fonda Theatre

LISTEN UP :: Ellie Goulding / Tour Dates.

3.16 - 3.19 :: Austin, TX : SXSW
3.22 :: Washington, DC : Rock And Roll Hotel
3.23 :: Boston, MA : Brighton Music Hall
3.24 :: New York, NY : Webster Hall
3.25 :: Philadelphia, PA : World Café Live Downstairs
3.27 :: Toronto, Ontario : Great Hall
3.30 :: CHICAGO, IL : LINCOLN HALL
3.31 :: Minneapolis, MN : Fine Line Music Café
3.02 :: Boulder, CO : Fox Theater
3.03 :: Salt Lake City, UT : Avalon Theatre

4.10 :: Vancouver, British Columbia

4.11 :: Seattle, WA : Neumos Crystal Ball Reading Room
4.13 :: Portland, OR : Doug Fir Lounge
4.14 :: San Francisco, CA : Rickshaw Stop
4.16 :: San Diego, CA : Casbah
4.17 :: Indio, CA : Coachella

STEEZ :: Black Allure / Vogue Italia.

LISTEN UP :: Cut Copy Megapost.

As I'm sure many of you are aware of by now, Cut Copy's new album, Zonoscope has officially been released. What I find most interesting about the release of this album is that some retail copies of Zonoscope include a special bonus hour-long mix, entitled "A Tale Of Two Journeys," which, according to a press release, is...

"...a medley of hits performed live at the Island Diamond Dance Hall in '87 by Bobby Boomerang and his band."

However, while perusing Pitchfork's "News" section, I stumbled across an article, entitled Hear a New Cut Copy DJ Mix by Tom Breihan, which included the following commentary on what was stated in the press release (see above)...

"This is, of course, not true. Instead, it's a collection of smoothly funky tracks that moves freely across genre lines. Highlights include the Brothers Johnson's "Strawberry Letter 23", Ace Frehley's "New York Groove", and A Guy Called Gerald's "Voodoo Ray".

I included the previous tidbits of info pertaining to Zonoscope for those of you who actually enjoy knowing more about an album than just its name. But for those of you who are, at this point, saying... "Fuck it! I just wanna hear some music!" ...in Cut Copy album bonus fashion, I too have a few goodies for you ; )

.:: 4-PART DOC :: THE MAKING OF ZONOSCOPE ::.

.:: STREAM TRACKS FROM ZONOSCOPE ::.

Cut Copy :: NEED YOU NOW

Cut Copy :: TAKE ME OVER

Cut Copy :: WHERE I'M GOING

.:: STREAM & DOWNLOAD :: A TALE OF TWO JOURNEYS ::.

Guess what? You don't actually have to buy the album to hear the bonus hour-long mix, entitled "A Tale Of Two Journeys." Stream the mix and/or DOWNLOAD IT FOR FREE.

.:: BONUS FREE DOWNLOAD ::.

TAKE ME OVER (THEE LOVING HAND / TIM GOLDSWORTHY RMX)

LISTEN UP :: Get Your Freaktion On.

Sources: Soundcloud & Mad Decent

LISTEN UP :: Booty Farm Bass.

This once in a lifetime collection of Heavyweight contenders features no less than 1200 individual hand crafted Bass samples, presented in 24Bit resolution and formed using state of the art digital and analogue studio technology. The pack is formed of 93 Loops for DnB, Hip Hop and Dubstep and 47 Ready to play multi-sampled Basses for Soft synths compatible with Reason NNXT, Halion, Kontakt, EXS, and SFZ. (From Loopmasters Blog)

Sources: Soundcloud & Loopmasters Blog

LISTEN UP :: This Is Dub / Dub and Dubstep Are Not The Same / In Case You Needed Some Clarification.

The Prince Fatty sound is designed to dub your feet with Rock Steady beats delivered in an up-beat, positive and organic funk fashion. Mixed in an analog haze of vintage spring reverbs, tape echoes and custom hi-grade mixing consoles, Prince Fatty won’t disappoint the lovers of the early 70s Jamaican Rock Steady , Dub and Roots Reggae.

From Heavy Dub Basslines, Spring Reverb Vox, Multi Tapped Delays, Funky Horns, Bubbles and Chops, Skanks, and some of the most heavy hitting live and programmed Dub and Reggae Drum loops known to man or Rasta! (From Loopmasters Blog)

Sources: Soundcloud & Loopmasters Blog

LISTEN UP :: Heart / Love & Light.

LISTEN UP :: Brave Remix.

STEEZ :: ROYGBIVLSD / GRC.

Here's a sneak peek of a mockup of the inside of the Grassroots California (GRC) Saxton Waller hat. 

Yuppp, you're not trippin'...it says ROYGBIVLSD.

LISTEN UP :: He Knows How To Beat It.

A very talented drummer I know, my brother BEN, turned me to CHRIS COLEMAN a few months ago. It doesn't matter whether you're like me, and truly love and live for beats and bass, or someone who just likes good music in general. Either way, you need to watch the vids below, because...

CHRIS COLEMAN IS A  BEAST.

Source: Drummerworld.com

IN MOTION :: Feel Good / Modestep.

LISTEN UP :: Run You Down.