Thursday, May 29, 2008

Jay Smooth Drops Knowledge

OMG Virtual Turntables!!!!


Final Product // ATTIGO TT from Scott Hobbs on Vimeo.

The ATTIGO TT was created by Scott Hobbs, a student at Dundee University studying innovative product design. Go to his site for more info. For his final year project he’s created a touch screen turntable that lets DJ’s loop, sample and scratch wave forms just as you would a record. The size of the touchtable is approximately the same as a standard turntable, making the physical interaction nearly the same. Where this takes off is in the flexibility and features included right at your fingertips, no longer locked up on a computer screen. The ATTIGO TT is currently a working prototype, and Scott is looking for manufacturers to partner with.

The Cool Kids "Bake Sale" EP


The rebirth of fresh is upon us. '80s and early '90s style, positive party vibes, a new school twist. These are the things Chicago's Cool Kids represent. In the last year they've been featured on Entourage, placed a song on NBA LIVE and toured with M.I.A. Their debut EP "The Bake Sale" is now out on Chocolate Industries.

Puma X Santa Cruz "Screaming Hand"


The Screaming Hand is perhaps the most iconic & legendary graphic to emerge from skateboard culture over the last 30 years. Created by Jim Phillips, legendary rock poster artist & art director for Santa Cruz skateboards from 1975 –1990, this release is a tribute to Santa Cruz Skateboards, Jim Phillips and all the skaters that rocked PUMA’s back in the day.

First unleashed in 1987, the Screaming Handgraphic became an instant classicwithin the skate community and counter culture in general. During the same year, the PUMA First Round made an appearance onthe cover of "Thrasher" skateboard magazine. 33 years later, PUMA takes a look back to honor Santa Cruz, perhaps themost credible skate brand of the 1980‘s and today and pays homage to the skaters wearing the PUMA brand between 1987 –1992.

The First Round Hi features a blue nubuck upper with a glossy 3Dscreen-print highlighting the black line-work found on the Screaming Handgraphic. The heel has amolded silicon Screaming Handgraphic and the sockliner sports an enlarged versionof the graphic. Other features include a pearlized patent form strip and collar, blood and veins leather lining, embroidered Santa Cruz logo on the tongue and 4 lace options.

Hanon will be releasing the shoe on August 30th.

Bomb It! Graffiti Documentary


Bomb It! is a movie documentary that tells the history and updates the current story on Graffiti on an international perspective. Directed by award-winning director Jon Reiss. the movie takes you through interviews and guerilla footage of graffiti writers in action on 5 continents, and tells the story of graffiti from its origins in prehistoric cave paintings thru its notorious explosion in New York City during the 70's and 80's. As well as providing an update to the current status in the world of graffiti. The movie premiers on the 5th of June at Laemmle's Sunset 5 and will feature some of the most influential artists from all around the globe, along with old school legends as well as current favourites such as Taki 183, T-kid, Os Gemeos, TATS CRU, Cope 2, Mear One, and Blek le Rats just to name a few. Certainly an event worth checking out if you are in the area. Click on the image below to see the full promotion poster or Visit the website here for more infomation. Thanks to 12ozProphet for the heads up.

Portishead Loves America (haha)

Great feature from Remixmag on Portishead’s recent production on Third. Geoff Barrow takes a moment to dis Timbaland’s attempt to produce a record for a british band, Mark Ronson’s last record, and Dj Spooky for pretending that there are no black people in the UK art community. He also praises Madlib and Flying Lotus for their originality. In the past, Geoff Barrow has also mentioned preferring to ‘poo in his mum’s Sunday Roast’ before he would let Danger Mouse produce a Portishead record. Link

“[America's music] is shit, isn’t it?” he continues. “The hip-hop artists are just rubbish. Jay-Z’s records always sound good, but he got the sack from Universal. If you end up with a country Britney, it doesn’t matter ’cause they’re all twats anyway. Timbaland came to England trying to find a Coldplay to produce. Everyone told him to fuck off. He went to America and got his own band and they are gi-normous, the most revolting people you have ever seen in your life. They are called Timbaland. We all like it underground but no one is buying it. Even Moby is struggling.”

“Mark Ronson’s record is shit,” Barrow exclaims, referring to the celebrated Amy Winehouse-associated producer’s release Version (Allido, 2007). “He is a massive superstar in the UK. He considers himself as Quincy Jones. I’ll tell you who else is really bad: DJ Spooky. He is so full of shit. At least Mark Ronson is talented. I saw DJ Spooky at the Knitting Factory, and I tried to buy a beer to throw at him. There are black people in England, so you don’t have to come here and make out that there aren’t any black people in England’s art community. You have someone like Madlib who is a fucking genius — a genius! [He's] a real true artist in what he does, when he takes American TV soundtracks and turns them into hip-hop. Then Spooky turns up and plays a couple shit European drum ‘n’ bass records.”

“The new album is less hip-hop if you listen to modern hip-hop,” Barrow (drums, production) suggests. “But Third is purely influenced by old hip-hop [and metal drone group Sunn O))), as Barrow says later]. For me, it’s Public Enemy, Marley Marl, EPMD, Flying Lotus and Madlib. That is pure mad music, out-of-tuneness and noise. But people are worried about making money. I’m not; I just want to make a decent album that is heavy.

“Every single thing was absolutely agonized over,” Utley says. “For everything you hear, there were at least 10 things that we spent fucking hours making that we didn’t use — a real voyage of discovery. Sometimes it was enjoyable, but mostly it’s kind of frustrating and difficult. The process of creativity is not always what you think. You are surrounded by the most beautiful equipment, but it doesn’t mean anything if you haven’t got an idea that is worth recording. You could record through the worst preamp with the worst microphone in the world, but [whether you have] a good idea is the most important thing. If you don’t have an idea, it’s better to go to a house in the country with a porta-studio and any old guitar just to purify your mind. Having amazing equipment doesn’t give you the solution to creativity; it’s merely a tool for recording it.”