Azari & III: Deal of the century!

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks to Scion's sponsorship, Azari & III (pronounced "Azari and Third") have released their new EP "Into the Night" for free download at full 320 bit glory! What else are we going to do while out of commission, sprawled out on the couch after eating too much stuffing, than listen to these house mavens?


Scion A/V Remix: Azari & III- “Into The Night Tracklisting

Azari & III – Into The Night (Original)
Azari & III – Into The Night (Prince Language Remix)
Azari & III – Into The Night (Renaissance Man Extended Mix)
Azari & III – Into The Night (CFCF Remix)
Azari & III – Into The Night (Troxler, Masomenos & Jaw – Live in Paris Mix)


To download the entire free EP, visit here.

To learn more about the Scion A/V Remix series and other involved artists, visit here.

Bjorkatat

Just a quick post before I slip out into the night!

Ratatat remixed Bjorks "Wanderlust" a while back, and it's really a masterpiece. Since I'm a huge snob and a purist I rarely trust remixes, but god damn, who has ever heard such improvement? The vocals, the guitars, the upbeat-yet-oddly-frightening feel of it all...When you get to the first chorus, your knees will buckle under the intense weight of it's glory.
Thanks to my buddy Nathan for showing it to me those many months ago.

Alright, hope you have a good night Phatties!

Fresh Sounds

The following are receiving heavy rotation on my Sansa mp3 player. Enjoy.


Fly Catcher by Time Stretch


Spencer & Hill - LESS GO! (Porter Robinson Remix) by Porter Robinson


Rustie - Hyperthrust (taken from Sunburst EP out 4/5 October) by Warp Records

Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Leaked

That's right! If you don't feel morally obligated to "purchase" music, then you can go ahead and search the net for Kanye's new album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, I promise you it's out there, and technically free. You'll know it when you see it; the naked hawk monster on the cover is a dead giveaway. If you're wondering about the quality of it's contents, just check out the music video for Runaway, 35 minutes of pure ego on display.

If you're a Kanye fan, you already know what's going on here. For months now, Ye's been throwing tracks at us via Twitter, and they're almost all here, some slightly altered (Nicki Minaj's "Dark Fantasy" now features a couple of auto-tuned fembots, alongside a full chorus). This album, more than any Kanye effort before it, is aiming for celestial heights, full of string arrangements and angelic backup choirs, not to mention some surprisingly sweet instrumental breaks. Oh, and it seems the media may have actually done a little damage. Tracks like "Runaway" and "Lost in the World" present a vulnerable, almost apologetic Kanye, unseen since the classic "Through the Wire" on debut College Dropout, written about the near fatal car accident that had him eating food through a straw for months. But don't be fooled; Kanye is still all for the glory, fame, and fortune. If he wasn't, who would all the lil' show offs look up to?

All that, and not a single crack about the VMA's. Aren't you proud of me?
I know I am.
Cheers.

Breaking News- Beatles on iTunes at Long Last!

"In 1964 they came to America, now they're coming to iTunes."
Well, fanatics, the day has finally come! The four lads from Liverpool have entered the digital age with their entire catalogue, including their 2009 remasters box set and some video exclusives, including the concert film  "Live at the Washington Coliseum, 1964", and a series of ads welcoming the British rock legends to iTunes. 
"We’re really excited to bring the Beatles' music to iTunes," said Sir Paul McCartney. "It's fantastic to see the songs we originally released on vinyl receive as much love in the digital world as they did the first time around."
"I am particularly glad to no longer be asked when the Beatles are coming to iTunes," said Ringo Starr. "At last, if you want it—you can get it now—The Beatles from Liverpool to now! Peace and Love, Ringo."
Thanks Ringo. As Paul wrote in his song that was a hit for Badfinger, "If you want it, here it is, come and get it!"
It's the British invasion all over again, ya ya ya! Announced 7:00 this morning, Los Angeles time via apple.com, the Apple website and iTunes home pages were plastered with Beatles related images and features.

Concert Review: Nosaj Thing @ The El Rey Theater

 


There is no better way to spend a Thursday evening than with the Dublab crew! Although Jogger and Toro y Moi opened up with rather tasteless sets (there is only so much mindless looping one can endure), Nosaj's performance was definitely worth the wait. Nosaj's compositions are so intricate that it's hard to believe that he is able to justifiably replicate them live. Thus, the true marvel is witnessing Nosaj's live set; his physical stage presence in combination with his improvisational techniques renders the crowd awestruck and malleable to his musical will. That said, the ending of his set was a bit abrupt, but he made up for it by playing a rendition of Snoop Dogg's "Gin and Juice."


Nosaj is on tour for the rest of November:

11.10.10 The Loft – La Jolla, CA


11.11.10 El Rey Theatre – Los Angeles, CA

11.12.10 Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco , CA

11.13.10 The Red Fox Tavern – Eureka, CA

11.15.10 Holocene – Portland, OR

11.16.10 Neumos – Seattle, WA

11.17.10 Biltmore Cabaret – Vancouver, BC

11.19.10 Urban Lounge – Salt Lake City, UT

11.20.10 Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO

Kid Cudi Fridays Volume I

The day has come, kids, for Kid Cudi to deliver the follow up to his debut, "Man on the Moon: The End of Day". Cudi fans worldwide, the question is can "Man on The Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager" surpass his first? Time will tell, space cowboys, but this album is a different beast than the first, and it's seriously kickin'.

Cudi is not your average cookie cutter formulaic radio-ready MC. He, like me, tells it like it is.  'Erase Me' is a tease- it's the only radio ready single here. This a dark and spacey album, contrary to the annoying timber of T-Pain wannabe Top 40 hip hop.

The lyrics are honest, emotional and beautiful; this record takes you on a personal journey that is really exceptional, in my view. Here are two personal favorites from the new record. Check it, peeps.

See you in a week for our next Cudi Friday II: The Legend of the Second Installment (if Jeremy doesn't fire me first).

Kid Cudi- Marijuana

Kid Cudi- All Along

-Zach Maleh, PhatFellas Cudi-intern-in-resident, recipient of the coveted 2010 Cudi Prize

Concert Review: Sufjan Stevens at The Wiltern

Dearest blog readers, be sorry you weren't at this one. If you were, you'll know what I mean when I say that it was a beautiful show of epic proportions, easily one of, if not the best concert I have ever seen. Seamlessly combining his intimate precious folky tendencies with his newfound love for electro-orchestral bombast, Stevens delivered a show that was at once strikingly intimate and epically large-scale. Accompanied by an 11 piece band that included guitars, banjos, synths, trombones, two drummers, pianos, basses, auto-harps, lots of acoustic and electric percussion, and two backup dances wearing space-age silver lamme suits, Stevens began the show simply and quietly with "Seven Swans", a classic from his album of the same name. Initially accompanied only by his banjo, the song grew into a hard-rocking percussion orgasm held down by the two drummers. An incredibly tight unit, the large band rocked, funked, and were sensitive as called for by the individual song. More a piece of performance art than a concert, the band played between two sheer screens that appeared like mosquito netting. This was used to magic effect on the brilliant new song "Vesuvius", during which a volcano was projected onto the back screen and the lava and debris was projected onto the front screen. Pretty far out stuff.

The music was just as brilliantly bombastic as its presentation. Holding up better live than in the studio, Sufjan's main set, with the exception of "Seven Swans" and a phenomenal set closing rendition of his hit "Chicago" was comprised exclusively of new material from his "Age of Adz" album and "All Delighted People" EP. As Sufjan explained awkwardly during a monologue that felt like it went on 20 minutes, the new album explores the life of Royal Robertson, a schizophrenic Louisiana sign painter/folk artist/prophet. That should give some indication that this was not your typical Sufjan show. "Age of Adz" and "Vesuvius" were even more epic than on record; this electro-orchestral music sounded huge, and was especially striking accompanied by the wailing of the backup singers/dancers. On "Impossible Soul", a 25 minute masterpiece of genre melding gold, Sufjan went from folk to funk to auto-tune to '80's aerobics video style herky jerky dancing in neon clothing. Serious stuff.

To alleviate the bombast, Sufjan showed his sensitive folky side between the songs with "palate cleansers" such as the appropriately haunting "Enchanting Ghost" and the beautiful "Heirloom".

The encore, after an INSANE standing ovation, was comprised of acoustic classics from his "Illinoise" and "Seven Swans" records. "Casimir Pulaski Day" stood out as one of the more chilling and emotional moments of live music that I have ever seen, and by the time Sufjan closed the show alone with his acoustic guitar with the creepy yet gorgeous "John Wayne Gacy Jr.", the crowd were swept off their feet. A magical evening with a magical performer.

Setlist is as follows:

1. Seven Swans 


2. Too Much 


3. Age of Adz 


4. Heirloom 


5. I Walked 


6. Futile Devices 


7. Vesuvius 


8. Now That I'm Older 


9. Royal Robertson Monologue

10. Get Real Get Right 


11. Enchanting Ghost 


12. Impossible Soul 


13. Chicago 


Encore:

14. Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois 


15. Casimir Pulaski Day 


16. The Dress Looks Nice on You 


17. John Wayne Gacy, Jr.

Now, here's some video from the show:

Concert Review: Ornette Coleman Quartet with Flea at UCLA

Ornette Coleman is one badass 80 year old trailblazer. Ornette's classic '50's and '60's Atlantic oeuvre (check out the 'Beauty Is A Rare Thing' boxset to have your mind seriously blown) is some of the most seriously hip and boppin' music of all time; from the time of its release until today, the music remains relevant, mindblowing, and revolutionary. The inventor of free jazz was in fine form last week at UCLA. Playing with his son Denardo, who has been his drummer since 10 years of age, acoustic bassist Tony Falanga and electric bassist Al McDowell, Coleman was spellbindingly phenomenal as he and his crack band improvised their way through Coleman tunes both classic and newer. I was initially hesitant about the two bass lineup, but it turned out to be for the best; the acoustic bass played voice like bowed leads and provided a throbbing rhythmic foundation, whereas the electric bass served as a guitar like chordal instrument. Ornette's tone has not diminished with his age, and he still conjures up human-like cries from his alto that echo with the ghosts of bop and the blues. Far out stuff, this was. "9/11", a relatively new song, was one of the scariest things I've ever heard; Denardo's throbbing disco beat combined with Tony Falanga's mournful droning bass and Ornette's piercing alto for one funky, and harrowing tune. Other highlights were classics, among them "Peace", "Blues Connotation" and perhaps Coleman's most famous and enduring tune, the encore "Lonely Woman". One interesting moment came when Coleman soloed over a Bach piece played by Falanga. Tré cool. Less cool was the collaboration with Japanese singer Mari Okubu, who sang like an operatic Yoko Ono.

One of the most special moments of the night came when a third bassist walked on stage, this one playing a Fender jazz model, and wearing a suit, tie, and green hair. Yes, green hair. He almost outdid Ornette's outrageous suit. This monster was none other than Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who prepared to shred through the heads of Ornette Coleman standards with virtuoso skill and funky intensity. Announced the day of the show, the addition of Flea gave the evening a fusion/funk turn that set it apart from a typical Coleman gig.

Overall, a brilliant evening with a master who continues to defy convention, and a rocker who proved his chops in jazz once and for all.

Here is the setlist:

1. Following the Sound
 2. Sleep Talking 
3. Jordan 
4. 9/11
 5. Sphinx
 6. Turnaround
 7. Blues Connotation
 8. Bach 
9. Mari 
10. Out of Order 
11. City Living
 12. Peace
 13. Call to Duty 
14. Dancing in Your Head 
15. Song World
 16. Song X

Encore:
 17. Lonely Woman

The Dramatics + Hall and Oats

We here at Phat Fellas love everything about Hall and Oats. So when we discovered that they cowrote this amazing tune with The Dramatics, we immditately knew that this was blog-worthy. (That horn intro is a sampling goldmine)!
Enjoy:

Time to Relax

Good news! I've just submitted my college apps to my early application schools, so I can finally relax (at least a little bit). That means this post will be a chance to kick back, calm the nerves, and hopefully veg out for at least three hours. With that in mind, let me introduce you to Elbow: they're a standard pop rock outlet that barrows from early Radiohead, minus the paranoia. Equal parts sad, catchy, and charming, I still don't understand why they never get any radio play.

Enjoy.