JayeL Audio

These 4 videos, originally posted on Pitchfork:
A) led me to the purchase of Bromst
B) which resulted in the purchase of 2 tickets to see Dan Deacon, this Friday, October 2nd at the Eyedrum in Atlanta, GA
C) and will either make Laura think I’m either insane or deaf

Who says free internet promotion doesn’t lead to money for the artists? $14 for the album + $25 for tickets = a worthwhile $39 to the wily composer from Wham City in 2009. Not to mention his cut of the ticket I bought to the Girl Talk/Dan Deacon Chicago show in Winter 2008 (didn’t get to see his entire show though).

Dan Deacon – Snookered

Get your $10 tickets to the Eyedrum show here.
Pick up Dan Deacon – Bromst here.

Try your hand at this nutso contest Mr. Deacon has going on. There are some worthwhile prizes involved.

Dan Deacon Tour Dates
October 1st – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
October 2nd – Atlanta, GA @ Eyedrum
October 3rd – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
October 4th – Birmingham, AL @ The Bottletree
October 5th – Nashville, TN @ THE END (VENUE CHANGE)
October 6th – Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone Cafe
October 7th – New Orleans, LA @ Big Top
October 9th – Austin, TX @ Emo’s Alternative Lounge Outside
October 10th – Marfa, TX @ The Shade Structure (100 S Highland)
October 14th – Irvine, CA @ The Pacific Ballroom
October 15th – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
October 16th – Los Angeles, CA @ The Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock
October 17th – San Francisco, CA @ Treasure Island Music Festival
October 19th – Sacramento, CA @ The Fungarden
October 21st – Eugene, OR @ Agate Hall
October 22nd – Portland, OR @ Worksound
October 23rd – Portland, OR @ Holocene
October 24th – Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project
October 27th – Denver, CO @ Rhinoceropolis
October 29th – Northfield, MN @ Carleton College The Cave
October 30th – Chicago, IL @ Logan Square Auditorium\
November 1st – Gambier, OH @ Kenyon College Horn Gallery
November 3rd – Toronto, ON @ Sneaky Dee’s
November 4th – Toronto, ON @ Great Hall
November 5th – Montreal, QC @ Il Motore
November 6th – Montreal, QC @ Eastern Bloc
November 7th – Middlebury, VT @ Middlebury College
November 8th – Boston, MA @ Pozen Center
November 9th – Providence, RI @ Machines With Magnets
November 10th – Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street Nightclub
November 13th – Troy, NY @ Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute
November 14th – Worchester, MA @ The Grind at Clark University
November 15th – Ithaca, NY @ Emerson Suites at Ithaca College
November 16th – Purchase, NY @ SUNY Purchase
November 18th – Baltimore, MD @ The Ottobar

Beat Radio has been circulating on playlists of mine since early this summer. Organizer and lead singer, Brian Sendrowitz, even thanked me for featuring his music on JayeL Audio. The easy storytelling and lo-fi indie pop emitting from the band is hard to ignore. The band is more of a “project” since members have came and gone. Currently, Dan Bills is keyboardist and Brian Ver Straten is drummer.

The latest track released, “Sunday Matinee”, tells the goings of young anxious teenagers at punk shows with a reflective lo-fi beat. Kinda makes me feel like I missed this scene when I was in high school. As usual, Brian’s off-key harmony guides the bouncy beat and infects your mind for the rest of the week.

Beat Radio – Sunday Matinee

Beat Radio is releasing their new lp, safe inside the sound, this week for free download. You can also order limited edition cds and donate to this hardworking band’s cause.

There is a good chance this will be my favorite cover of the year. Remember the Ghost Town DJ’s? So So Def Bass All Stars? Yea, I didn’t think so. Well, the video below was on MTV Jams (remember Ananda Lewis?) constantly circa 1996.

Detroit-based artists Desktop made a cover/remix that blows away the original. Mixing Auto-Tuned vocals and spacey electro beats plus a sample of our favorite Gremlin’s hit, “A Milli”, turns out to be a dance-worthy gem.

Desktop – My Boo (Ghost Town DJ’s cover)

Desktop (Keith Thompson of Electric Six and Zach Curd of The Pop Project) also has a free self-titled EP over at their website (pre-order in vinyl here) that I’ll get too later. It happens to be amazing as well.

Thanks to Eat This City (via Popdose).

I usually try to picture what a song’s video will look like in my head.  I’m almost always way off (except for “Big Pimpin”), but this time I wasn’t even close.  Below is my favorite track sung in Hebrew ever, “Surprise Hotel” by Fool’s Gold.

Fool’s Gold – Surprise Hotel (free and legal mp3)

Fool’s Gold Tour Dates:
10-03 Joshua Tree, CA – Manimal Festival
10-08 La Jolla, CA – The Loft – UC San Diego
10-09 Los Angeles, CA – The Roxy Theatre
10-10 San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill
10-11 Portland, OR – Holocene
10-12 Seattle, WA – Nectar Lounge
10-13 Vancouver, British Columbia – The Red Room
10-16 Brooklyn, NY – Cameo
10-17 New York, NY – Cake Shop
10-18 Brooklyn, NY – Sycamore
10-19 Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory
10-21 New York, NY – Bowery Poetry Club (IAMSOUND CMJ Showcase)
10-29 Los Angeles, CA – Westfield Century City (KCRW’s World Music on the Terrace)
11-10 Nashville, TN – 3rd & Lindsley
11-11 Athens, GA – 40 Watt Club
11-14 Charlottesville, VA – IS Venue
11-15 Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
11-16 Washington, DC – Black Cat
11-17 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
11-21 Northampton, MA – Pearl Street Downstairs
11-22 Burlington, VT – Club Metronome
11-23 Montreal, Quebec – Petit Campus
11-24 Toronto, Ontario – El Mocambo Club
11-27 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall *
11-28 Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
11-29 Minneapolis, MN – The Varsity Theater
12-01 Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater
12-02 Telluride, CO – Sheridan Opera House
12-10 Eugene, OR – WOW Hall

Props to Pitchfork.

One of my favorite mash-up artists, QUIX, just released a video for one of his top mash-ups. “What You Know Scientist” introduces Clifford Harris aka T.I. to Chris Martin and company for chilled out rendition to the acts’ biggest tracks. QUIX vs ELLIOT trades DJ Toomp‘s bombastic beats for the endearing sounds of Coldplay.

I think this track was on Mashed Up 2, but the track is available for mp3 download below.

QUIX vs ELLIOT – What You Know Scientist (T.I. vs Coldplay)

Thanks to QUIX for the heads up.

Considering that Chromeo was one of the bands that got me interested in electro/dance over the past year, its about time Dave 1 and P-Thugg got back in the mix. “Night By Night” is more ’80′s inspired fare that I just can’t seem to get enough of. This track certainly wouldn’t feel out of place backing a club scene in 1985 and fits the retro movement many artists (see Lady Gaga, Kanye, etc) are pushing these days.

According to Chromeo’s myspace, they are working on a follow-up to the stellar album, Fancy Footwork. I’m not sure I can wait that long, but this track will have to do for now.

Download it for free at Green Label Sound.

I had to take a brief break to make the inevitable move to a self-hosted blog, but here we are. Thanks again to Logan and Millhouse for the financial backing that made this move materialize much faster than I imagined. JayeL Audio will still be your main source for all new music bouncing off my ear drums. Run-ins with the RIAA will probably mean I can’t post the newest “leaks”, but I will be utilizing players (most likely LaLa or Last.fm) for new music and linking legal promos for download. Mixtapes will still be present either here and/or by way of e-mail.

I’m still playing with all the settings, plug-ins and themes that come with WordPress.org, but I hope to have a more professional and original look soon.

As usual, suggestions are welcome.

Free and legal music below:
Kyle Lucas – This Love (freestyle)
The Static Jacks – My Parents Lied
Cool Catz – Nitro
Basia Bulat – Gold Rush
LAKE – Don’t Give Up
Chris Bryant – Already Lost
Little Tybee – Building A Bomb

Thanks to Largehearted Boy, Kyle Lucas, The Cool Catz, Chris Bryant and The Static Jacks.

…while I get acclimated to my new home.  New music coming soon…

I’ve had some more interesting artists frequent my inbox as of late. Here are the few that made the cut.

Yukon Ho

Matt & Kim’s gem single, “Daylight” (amazing video btw), has been getting a lot of attention thanks to Bacardi. Yukon Ho (named after a comic fav. of mine) decided to pass along this remix he completed in ’08. Its pretty glitchy, but manages to keep the bouncing fun of the original. Simon Ho aka Yukon Ho is a young (18) producer from the West Coast. He’s also crafted remixes of TLC, Eiffel 65 and some original tracks.
Matt & Kim – Daylight (Yukon Ho Remix)

yOya

I’ve certainly been enjoying the moody, alt rock courtesy of L.A.-based yOya. They list influences like Radiohead, MGMT and The Dodos. The Thom Yorke effect is present on “Blood River”, which highlights lead singer Alex Pfender’s falsetto amid glittering sounds. My personal favorite is the indie rock effort, “I Will Be Your Eye”. Pick up the yOya EP here (or on iTunes)
yOya – I Will Be Your Eye

Alan Wilkis

You probably heard The Very Best’s “Warm Heart of Africa” if you were at the cottage in July. Yes, it sounds like something straight out of The Lion King, but its catchy and the perfect summer jam. What if I was to tell you I had an electro-funk remix, is that something you might be interested in? Alan Wilkis makes you wonder what The Very Best would have been like in the ’80s instead. You should have already heard Alan’s stellar Prince-esque, funky original track, “N.I.C.E.”. Pick up Alan Wilkis’ EP Pink and Purple here.
The Very Best – Warm Heart of Africa (Alan Wilkis Remix)
Alan Wilkis – N.I.C.E.

Plenty of heavy-hitters (Snoop Dogg, Drake, Lil’ Wayne, KiD CuDi) newcomers (Donnis, Despot, Mr. Marcellus) and ghosts from Nark‘s past (Freeway, Kurupt, Raekwon, KRS One) make appearances on Nark Legacy.

A few observations:
A) I’m not sure why Snoop Dogg can’t consistently come up with bars like he does on “Gangsta’s Life”, but its good to see he’s working with talent like buzz-worthy West Coast-er Nipsey Hu$$le.
B) The only reason Birdman made the cut is the Drake feature. Feel free to fast forward that no talent clown on verse 2.
C) I’m a sucker for posse cuts (see “Passing Me By ’09″ and “House of Flying Daggers”), and Eminem pretty much murders the competition on Drake’s single, “Forever”. We can only hope Relapse 2 will be more like this verse.
D) The KiD CuDi track is an unreleased demo not on the album. There are too many good songs on Man on the Moon: The End of Day, so just pick it up on 9/15.
E) Is it possible that J Dilla out-Wu’ed RZA? Check out “House of Flying Daggers” for a nostalgic trip back to the 36 Chambers. Only Built For Cuban Linx II drops today.

Also, check out the Tron Legacy-inspired artwork crafted by Mr. Logan Groulx. Be sure to comment/reply (here: http://wp.me/poWon-j6) if you like what you see. When you load the album in iTunes, the artwork should load as well.

Nark Legacy: http://www.sendspace.com/file/jhb2r5
1. Chamillionaire – Good Morning
2. Clipse – All Eyes On Me ft Keri Hilson & Pharrell
3. Nipsey Hu$$le – Gangsta’s Life ft Snoop Dogg
4. Raekwon – House of Flying Daggers ft Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah and Method Man (Produced by JDilla)
5. B.o.B. aka Bobby Ray – Use Your Love (Produced by Jim Jonsin)
6. Kidz In The Hall – Flickin’
7. Donnis – Gone
8. Drake – Forever ft Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne & Eminem (Produced by Boi-1da)
9. Despot – Look Alive
10. The Knux – F*** You
11. Kyle Lucas – Passing Me By ’09 ft Jon Hope, Sean Faylon & Donny Goines
12. Birdman – Money To Blow ft Drake & Lil’ Wayne
13. Kurupt – Check Check ft Freeway (Produced by Tekneek)
14. Young Joc – Choose Me ft Chris Brown & Pleasure P
15. Lil’ Wayne – Million Dollar Baby (Produced by Just Blaze)
16. KRS One & Buckshot – The Way I Live ft Mary J. Blige
17. KiD CuDi – Follow Me
18. Mr. Marcellus – Think It Over ft ST 2 Lettaz
19. Jay-Z – Reminder (Produced by Timbaland)

Thanks to Kyle Lucas, Pitchfork Forkcast, MP3Waxx and 2dopeboyz.