Another zany video to add to Chromeo’s collection. This one was directed by Jeremie Rozan from Surface To Air, who also did “Tenderoni” for them and the pottery version of “aNYway” for Duck Sauce. Check out my brother’s moves!
I’ve wanted to post something about Zdar for a while, so when I stumbled upon this video it seemed like the perfect pretext.
Philippe Zdar is 1/2 of Cassius (who in the 90s were known as La Funk Mob and used to produce hip hop tracks for MC Solaar) and he’s also my favorite mixing engineer. One of the true wizards of sound. He mixed down Chromeo’s Fancy Footwork album, which is how I came to hearing endless stories about the man and the myth, through my brother. Sometimes I mix Chromeo’s live backing tracks and I try to match Zdar’s work. It’s impossible. His tracks sound like they’re straight from the late 70’s, they’ve got more warmth and attitude than anything else out there today. He’s done a good part of Phoenix’s music as well.
In this particular clip however, he shows the good folks at Future Music his CS-80 synth and it’s just fun to listen to his accent.
In the months before his untimely passing, DJ AM was preparing the launch of his very own Nike Dunk sneaker. In fact I remember at the memorial service in LA they had just received the sample. Well, it’s been announced that Nike’s about to release the shoe and the images are out. Notice the turntable platter-inspired dots around the heel, and of course his logo on the tongue.
I don’t think a release date has been set, but in the meantime make sure to check out the DJ AM memorial fund Ebay auction of his notorious sneaker collection.
Just in time for all you holiday shoppers… hit the Fool’s Gold webstore to get Duck Sauce tees in white and black colorways, packed in a Chinese food take out box with a bunch of bonus duck stickers to enjoy.Greatest Hits vinyl here soon, along with some more surprise Duck Sauce treats. Quack quack!
My homie and frequent collaborator (and also kindred spirit to my art director Dust La Rock) Cody Hudson has relaunched his website Struggle Inc., which now also has the alias CodyHudson.net. Same thing.
Go spend a good half hour browsing through it, it’s a real joy. Very easy to navigate and full of great works including the images I pulled above.
Opening this week and running through till April 26 next year, Tim Burton is exhibiting a host of drawings, paintings and sketches all of which have been collated throughout his illustrious career. The exhibition takes place at New York’s Museum of Modern Art where further Burton works will be available to purchase. This is a great interview with into one of the most creative minds of our generation. Even though I didn’t enjoy his recent films quite as much, it’s undeniable that movies like Edward Sciossorhands, Beetlejuice and A Nightmare Before Christmas were huge favorites when I was growing up. These drawings are just seeping with creativity and imagination, they make me want to make SICK BEATS YO.
Buenos Aires based painter and animator Gualicho has finished up some new street work in Costa Rica and Cuba. Many of his creations are interactive with the walls and seem to hold up the structures.
This weekend I went to Mexico City for a gig and had a great time. There will be pics, recaps and mementos coming shortly, but for now I wanted to share a story about one of my favorite topics: laptops. I’m profoundly puzzled and wondering if anyone can help elucidate this business. It all started last year when I went to Mexico to play in Puebla. When I landed and went through customs and immigration, they searched my bags and asked me why I had 2 laptops. I told them I was there to work as a DJ, that one laptop is for my shows and the other for work. The officer said: “you’re a musician? do you have a card?” I looked at him incredulously. Like, a business card? I’ve always refused to have a business card. Categorically. But I wasn’t going to give this officer my schpiel about “why do I need a card? If I want to give someone my number I’ll just give them my number.” I simply said no, I don’t. To this guy, though, if you’re a professional musician you must have a card, if you have a card then you’re a musician and if you don’t then you aren’t. (Necessary and sufficient conditions. A question of logic.) It didn’t matter that I had an official work visa from the festival and letters stated that I was there to DJ. The fact that I had 2 laptops was a problem. After much pleading and interventions from the festival organizers they eventually let me through, but it was obviously a big problem to travel to Mexico with more than one computer, and in all my years of globetrotting I’ve never encountered anything similar.
This weekend when I was on my way to Mexico and filling out customs forms on the plane, I read the small print for the section where they ask if you’re bringing in professional equipment (and what you’re entitled), and lo and behold there was a clause about not having more than one personal computer. What in the world?? Thankfully this time when I went through customs they didn’t search me and I got in without a hitch. But I really felt like I was smuggling something. So strange.
Later that night I went to do sound check at the club. It was a big club and we had to fill out sign-in sheets. A security guard looked at my bag and guess where he stopped? He saw that I had a laptop! I had to fill out a sort of registration form just to walk into this club with my computer. Name, contact info, make of the computer and reason for bringing it in. All this for a Serato sound check.