A few weeks back, we held our most recent Indaba Get Heard original mix competition, and after sifting through hundreds (actually thousands!) of entries, we had chosen Skomaeniac , with his track 'Virign,' as the winner of the contest. Javier ‘Skomaeniac' Hernández a native of Carolina, Puerto Rico, (previous winner Double Dust also reside there, more on that later) started mastering his musical abilities at age 14 because according to him, listening to music was not enough. Momo’s Tapas Bar, Club Hype and Red Shield are just a few of the local spots that [...]
History has been filled with many successful partnerships since the beginning of time. From Lewis and Clark to Batman and Robin to Jordan and Pippen, it seems like everywhere you turn there are dynamic duos tearing up the world and leaving destruction in their wake. All of these duos have varying degrees of contribution from each member, with some of them being equal partnerships – OutKast for example – and others where one member carries the other – such as Chris & Lil Neefy . It’s hard to talk about duos in hip hop without talking [...]
Like it or not DJ culture is all grown up. Starting out in warehouses, basements, lofts and clubs in the '70s and '80s, and evolving into massive raves one-offs, festivals and global tours in the late '90s and '00s, its long and winding road has set the stage for a new generation of formidable talent and musical innovation. If you consider where DJ culture is at the moment, it's hard to see things cooling off anytime soon: DJs are gracing the front covers of old guard print magazines , scoring movie soundtracks , touring with shows [...]
Unfortunately, in our society, there's this God-awful misconception that insanely attractive people aren't talented and lack substance. And while that may be true for Beyoncé, in most cases, it's far from accurate. I stumbled upon Tinashe's music late one night while fishing around Youtube, checking out a music channel a friend suggested to me (Thanks, Gabby). One click led to another and eventually I was listening to a remix of the 19-year-old's "Boss," which was reworked by Ryan Hemsworth. Tinashe - "Boss" (Ryan Hemsworth Remix) I loved the song so [...]
It seems like most new albums are measured by the number of solid singles they contain, rather than the strength of the album as a whole. But let’s be real, when’s the last time you listened to an album all the way through, from start to finish? I sit down and do this right after I’ve gotten something new, but it’s usually the first and last time that happens. You can’t ignore the fact that the way we listen to music today has had an impact on the notion of what makes a great album. Listening to music [...]
"Don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years." LL Cool J famously opened his 1991 hit-record, “ Mama Said Knock You Out ,” with these words—signaling to his critics that he was still a force to be reckoned with in the rap arena. Fast-forward 21 years and those words ring true for a few of Hip-Hop’s biggest artists in 2012, who just so happen to be on the second and third winds of their career. The way that Pusha T, Juicy J and 2 Chainz have been able [...]
"Don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years." LL Cool J famously opened his 1991 hit-record, “ Mama Said Knock You Out ,” with these words—signaling to his critics that he was still a force to be reckoned with in the rap arena. Fast-forward 21 years and those words ring true for several of Hip-Hop’s biggest artists in 2012, who just so happen to be on the second and third winds of their career. At the top of that list are Pusha T, Juicy J and 2 Chainz. [...]
This will probably come off as reactionary pontification, but I'd like to think of it as a reaction to reactionary harangue. ( ooh, so meta! ) Whatever the case may be, I'd be remiss not to at least state my intentions. Now, difficult discussion ahead: Much of the national discourse recently about crime has centered around inner-city, and probably (but not limited to) gang related gun violence. Nowhere in the US is there a more concentrated volume of such crime than Chicago. Tyler Zimmer of the Chicago news and culture site Gaper's Block cited Chi-Town's [...]
James Murphy, of the now defunct LCD Soundsystem , has partnered with Canon for “Project Imaginat10n,” where he’ll pick ten consumer photos to inspire a short film he directs under the mentorship of Ron Howard. Jamie Foxx, Eva Longoria, Biz Stone and Georgina Chapman are also part of this endeavor. Here's how it works: Fan upload photos to imagination.usa.canon.com . Canon and Howard will then edit down the images withMurphy and each director will then choosing 10 photos to inspire their films. In the video below filmed in Brooklyn, Murphy explains the story of [...]
It's Electric Zoo eve and since it's been a few months since the last major festival in the Tri-state, we've decided to give you a refresher course on all the weirdness you will encounter. Print this out and tuck it away in your back pocket. When you are shifting between tents, check off all that you see. A Adderall - Did you think 12 hours of just beats will just keep you awake? Aching Feet - Don't be a hero and wear flip flops. Your hooves have a lot [...]
Earlier this year, Frank Ocean took over the stage on Jimmy Fallon, but his platform is set to become even bigger. The "Pyramids" singer has just been announced as a performer for the 2012 Video Music Awards . Although it is unclear what Ocean will sing, the performance is sure to be yet another memorable moment for the singer who has already filled his year admitting shocking revelations as well as gaining stellar reviews for his debut album. Frank, who is nominated for three awards , joins a jam-packed event [...]
London’s Vinyl Factory art gallery, in collaboration with The Mott Collection, has announced Kraftwerk 45 RPM , an exhibition of 45 73 covers from the iconic and groundbreaking German electronic group taking place September 13 until October 5. Kraftwerk 45 RPM will feature covers from releases issued in various European countries, culled from collector Toby Mott's own collection. A limited edition commemorative publication, featuring all 45 covers and a 73 disc of a 2009 Kraftwerk interview, will also be made available to 300 lucky collectors for £80. Mott will also autograph each book.
Thanks to releasing a steady stream of quality house tunes over the years, German house duo Booka Shade — Arno Kammermeier and Walter Merziger — need no introduction to Big Shot readers. Yesterday it was announced that the Teutonic duo known for running the mighty Berlin-based Get Physical label have inked a deal with Steve Aoki's LA-based Dim Mak. The relationship has gotten off to a quick start with Dim Mak just releasing Booka Shade's Honeyslave EP. Obligatory press gush from Steve Aoki about signing Booka Shade: “One [...]
A funny thing happened to DJ Inquisitive on the way to his gig at Avalon in Singapore on August 8 — a court injunction filed by LifeBrandz, the owner of Zirca, a competing club where he's a resident at, legally prevented him from playing the gig. Breach of the injunction could've brought the DJ a fine and/or jail time. The story goes that DJ Inquisitive told Zirca's brass in late July that he wanted to leave Zirca, but the club says otherwise. LifeBrandz chief executive Bernard Lim told The New Paper [...]
Electro-rap pioneer and head of Universal Zulu Nation Afrika Bambaataa has been appointed to a three-year term as a visiting scholar at Cornell University. The appointment – made by Cornell University Library’s Hip Hop Collection in conjunction with Cornell’s Department of Music – marks the first such university distinction for a hip-hop pioneer of Bambaataa’s stature. Bambaataa isn't a newcomer to Cornell; last year he appeared on an academic and musical symposium on the origins and lasting impact of the hip-hop movement (watch the video here ). [...]
This is a guest post by Eric Coomes, a copywriter at Mixed in Key and Kansas City, MO-based DJ. Harmonic mixing is a DJ technique with roots in music theory used by some of the world's most popular DJs: Above & Beyond, Armin van Buuren, David Guetta, Kaskade, Markus Schulz, Sasha, Swedish House Mafia, and many more rely on the technique. Whether you are an aspiring or experienced DJ, harmonic mixing helps ensure that your song transitions won't clash, and that your mixes sound musically seamless. [...]
Winter Music Conference just announced that its 2013 installment will take place March 15-24, 2013. In past years the directors of WMC have waited until the late fall to announce the dates of the next conference. Perhaps with Ultra Music Festival and Miami Music Week now more than well established the team worked to secure their dates earlier than usual. Obligatory press release gush from WMC's Managing Director, Margo Possenti: "Last year's expansion of the WMC dates was a resounding success in opening many new avenues for artists and industry participation. Over 2300 artists and DJs [...]
Pioneer’s DDJ-ERGO-V controller is known for its usability, sleek design and compatibility with virtually all DJ software. Now available in black, the unit undergone a bit of a remix thanks to chrome-plated Play/Cue buttons, white LEDs encircling the jog wheel, and rubber pots on the dials. The DDJ-ERGO-K has been ergonomically designed to work natively with Traktor LE 2 software which comes bundled in the box. The controller’s layout mirrors Traktor LE 2’s graphical user interface so the software’s most important features are intuitively positioned and accessible at the touch of a button. The DDJ-ERGO-K will be available [...]
It's a quarter to noon on a warm Sunday morning. "Potent... I need whichever is your most potent." That's what I mumbled, swiftly avoiding eye-contact with the sweaty, 20-something, hairy Italian guy in a Bad Brains t-shirt. I'd only spoken to him through a series of rash, equivocal text messages, but we each knew what the other was thinking. He put a nearly-full, transparent bag down on the table. Then another, a bit larger in size. Then, a third; this one with a blue tint, larger still, and nearly bursting [...]
Last month Axwell gave an interview explaining why Swedish House Mafia disbanded . Now Steve Angello is echoing his soon-to-be-former groupmate's sentiments. Talking to Rolling Stone , Angello said the reason for the trio calling it a day is because the threesome felt they had attained its creative threshold and couldn't go any further. "We just decided that we reached a point where we don't know what the next move would be," he told RS . "We always like the challenge. And we don't like to repeat ourselves. We just felt [...]
Electronica Oasis
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Big Shot Magazine
Dancing Astronaut
Frau – Tarian Sari (stream)
Watch Empire of the Sun perform “Alive” on Kimmel
Full Moon Official After Party: Yuksek x Zimmer @ Drom (85th Avenue A)
Arctic Monkeys | Do I Wanna Know? (Official Video)
