Jan 012012
Dec 102010
“Jungle” is one of those tracks that knocks you right on the jab and you keep coming back for more. By far my favorite song on Professor Green’s album, the True Tiger produced heat opens up with a haunting melody by Maverick Sabre that still gives me the chills every time it comes up on the speakers. The music video, directed by Henry Scholfield (who directed four of Professor Green videos), is visually tense and a very literal illustration of a [hard] life in the [concrete] jungle. I’ve been pretty hooked on this track and realized it is mostly because of Maverick Sabre. Make sure to grab his mixtape here and, needless to say, keep an eye out for this kid! Below, catch the videos for Professor Green “Jungle” and Maverick Sabre “Sometimes.”
Dec 052010
In 2004, Reiko Kushibiki became the first female Sake Master in the US for Yaegaki, importing an art form that dates back to 1666 when the original sake brewery was founded in Japan. Known for brewing pure rice spiced with the richest local flavors, the brand is established on it’s high quality ingredients and use of traditional methods, even winning several prestigious awards.
Now, it took me years to give sake a chance, and it wasn’t till I discovered cold sake that I really made up my mind. After a modest start, sipping on a new one here and there, I one day was introduced to the Yaegaki craft. And what a craft!
YAEGAKI Dry represents the top of YAEGAKI’s domestic sake line. It is made with rice polished to the extent that the nearly 40% of each grain has been polished away, and is brewed at a low temperature for a long period of time.Full-bodied and slightly acidic, YAEGAKI Dry goes well with a wide variety of foods.
The meaning of Yaegaki implies that there are several layers of flavors. Thus working wonderfully with different foods… or none at all! It is also important to highlight that Yaegaki now comes in a 300ml bottle (pictured above), and can be found at a grocery (or specialty) store near you. Even better, the smaller bottle makes for a perfect Sunday night companion, packing just enough for you to work your way through Dexter and Boardwalk Empire, closing the weekend with class and style… and no hangovers.
Thanks, Reiko! And here’s one to girl power!
Dec 052010
A process that takes on average 10 hours to prepare for each photograph, is a way for 38 year-old Liu Bolin to express how he sees himself in his society, and how invisible he feels to the world. It’s inspiring how he turns a feeling that would depress and drag-down most, into a very creative form of self-expression and art. His social protest is a quiet but carefully crafted one, leaving us with images that get the message across loud and clear.
Read more on the story here.
Dec 042010
This is one of those songs that just won’t leave your head. I first discovered Fenech-Soler on the Groove Armada single “Paper Romance” earlier this year. The band has been around since 2006, but their first album just dropped this past September. I’m sure a feature on one of the best records of the year didn’t hurt getting things off the ground, but “Lies” has all that makes an electropop tune contagious. The production is a mix of Digitalism and Miike Snow with some occasional hints of Daft Punk, and the vocals have that Chris Martin quality to it… I dig it all around! Check out the video below:
Nov 232010
“Now I’m in your house… now I’m in your souls…”
Staying on topic and not intentionally. But I woke up to an email from Ethan Lader, who directed B.o.B.’s video for “Nothing On You” and just finished the music video for B.o.B.’s latest single, “Don’t Let Me Fall.” Just the other day I was surfing channels and came across an acoustic performance of this song on Palladia. It’s hypnotizing, I couldn’t switch until it was over. His delivery fuels me in such a way that it awakens all the butterflies inside and makes my whole body warm up. I just love this feeling and love it more when music does that. Check out below Bobby Ray’s latest single “Don’t Let Me Fall.”
“What goes up, must come down, but don’t let me fall” … can you feel it?!!
Nov 222010
B.o.B. aka Bobby Ray is a musical genius. At only 19, the Atlanta-native began his path to world take-over. From his lyrics, to his flow, to his production styles, B.o.B. is one of the few new artists that has true substance with a natural gift to entertain. His debut album features hit singles “Nothing On You” and “Airplanes,” and was pretty hard to miss, no matter where you were in the world. The album also highlighted the artist’s pop sensibility and quickly established it’s singles in the mainstream. Side note: That also brought out the haters and those who challenged him as a hip-hop act. Well, crazy. Hip-hop is a fusion of sounds & cultures… a musical manifestation of souls, and B.o.B. is capable of doing just that. So, if you have been hungry for some new material (treats!) or if you still have doubts about his hip-hop excellence (insane!), be on the lookout for B.o.B.’s No Genre Mixtape, unleashing December 7. Below, check out the video for the properly titled track “Beast Mode.”
Nov 212010
Nov 202010
Nov 202010
To cheer up his depressed 91 year-old grandma, french photographer Sacha Goldberger convinced her to pose for a series of absolutely awesome photos! Each shot was crafted with attention to the most minimal details, bringing depth and life to these staged shots and making you want to be Super Grandma. Check out the photos below and more on the story straight from the source.
Nov 192010
It doesn’t get much better than this! Bringing the best of two worlds together, Wick-it the Instigator cooks up the hottest track of the week. Black Keys “Tighten Up” + Big Boi “Shutterbug” = BLACK BUG.
Stuck on repeat.
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I was lucky to catch Adele doing an intimate performance of her new songs in LA a few weeks ago. Like many of you, I’m a big fan of “Chasing Pavements,” you can’t help but love her voice and way with words. I was surprised to find out she was only 19 when the first album came out. This was my first live experience, and girl just blew me out of the water. Her presence in enchanting, her voice sooo powerful and the new music is totally infectious. “Rolling In The Deep” rang in my head for the rest of the night and weeks. Now I can play this over and over again until the new album, 21, comes out on February 22. Enjoy!
Jun 072010
Just before we went on a little hiatus, I had the opportunity to hear the new Mark Ronson record. It was 2006, when Ronson’s version of “Just” was included in a Radiohead tribute album, and the soul of the record grabbed me even more than the original (crazy to admit!). A year later he followed with an instrumentally rich and elegantly fun collection of covers, or re-imaginations, or: Version. In 2010, the award-winning artist/producer is getting ready to unleash Record Collection, original and loaded with special guest from Q-Tip to D’angelo to Wiley and Simon LeBon (both on the title track which is also my favorite cut) the album is the one collection you will want to get this fall.
Check out the video for the first track to hit the net, “Circuit Breaker” (I love Zelda too!), and hear the first single “Bang Bang Bang” featuring Q-Tip and MNDR (Santigold?).
Bang Bang Bang:
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Apr 272010
On a much lighter note than our previous post, this may be old news for some over in Europe, but hey, they are the “L-E-K-I-D the only thing your momma ever wanna see!!!” They are just FUN! I love everything about this video, the song is hella catchy and I just want to be there with them, please! Besides, what’s with Sweden?!! Everything I fall in love with musically is coming out of that place lately!
Well, in anticipation of the summer season that seems to be taking a little longer to hit LA this year, enjoy the video for Le Kid “Mercy Mercy” below:
