I remember back in 2006 it was Nas’ release “Hip Hop is Dead” that got me into hip-hop on a deeper level than your standard radio airplay. Nas combated his statement with a record packed with street tracks, collaborations and message behind his music. It was his attempt to give life to his genre. Since then, I’ve seen myself slowly fade back into the mainstream hip-hop scene listening to the Young Money label heads and the “next generation” hipster MC types. Well, I’ve found a reason to look back a little deeper to the true sense of hip-hop: Black Milk.

In the past five years, the man born Curtis Cross has really cut his name into the Detroit music scene as one of– if not THE– best producers in the industry. His production is on point, and he has developed musical swagger by using eccentric, atypical drum beats along with lacing the tracks with soul samples just like the Motor City king J Dilla did.

Well in 2010, Dilla’s heir has stepped up to the plate and crushed one, Troy Tulowitzki style, with his new release entitled Album of the Year. Although he didn’t mean it, it has the potential to be just that. Reviews everywhere are hyping it as a must listen album and also claiming Black Milk as a must see artist live. And that’s where we are now.

This Sunday, October 3^rd, Black Milk cruises through town for his record release party at Hollywood’s Roxy Theatre. But here’s what makes it so fresh: he’s rolling through with the backing band that he used for his album: keyboard/vocalist AB and drum machine Daru Jones bringing the beat just like Black Milk imagined it. Some of my favorite aspects of the album are the sprawling jam sessions that close out a few of the songs and you know that Daru & AB will be going bananas live. The Roxy will be packin some serious punch this Sunday.

Tickets are just $12 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com or The Roxy Box Office.

 On Monday, a heat wave came through and blasted Los Angeles with the hottest weather the city had ever seen. 113 degrees. A record. Tired of this heat? Cool down with a little Miike Snow.

After their self-titled release made nearly every top 10 album list for 2009, Swedish electropop trio Miike Snow has not slowed down in 2010. Created by American songwriter Andrew Wyatt and well-known production team Bloodshy & Avant, Miike Snow has developed the perfect electropop formula combining synths and beats with shrill male vocals. Their music is fun, danceable and downright catchy.

But let’s leave the successful album on the table for a second. Miike Snow kills live. Back in late May/early June Miike Snow played three shows in Los Angeles, with one of them being added on by popular demand. And let’s not forget their tent packing performance at Coachella which was tabbed by many magazines as one of the festival’s best. They simply know how to perform, take it from a guy who was lucky enough to catch one of the May shows. Well, the masked men are back in town playing two shows, at Club Nokia on the 14^th and The Wiltern on the 15^th. You can expect both to sell out so jump on tickets NOW! It will be a night you won’t want to miss.

 On Monday, a heat wave came through and blasted Los Angeles with the hottest weather the city had ever seen. 113 degrees. A record. Tired of this heat? Cool down with a little Miike Snow.

After their self-titled release made nearly every top 10 album list for 2009, Swedish electropop trio Miike Snow has not slowed down in 2010. Created by American songwriter Andrew Wyatt and well-known production team Bloodshy & Avant, Miike Snow has developed the perfect electropop formula combining synths and beats with shrill male vocals. Their music is fun, danceable and downright catchy.

But let’s leave the successful album on the table for a second. Miike Snow kills live. Back in late May/early June Miike Snow played three shows in Los Angeles, with one of them being added on by popular demand. And let’s not forget their tent packing performance at Coachella which was tabbed by many magazines as one of the festival’s best. They simply know how to perform, take it from a guy who was lucky enough to catch one of the May shows. Well, the masked men are back in town playing two shows, at Club Nokia on the 14^th and The Wiltern on the 15^th. You can expect both to sell out so jump on tickets NOW! It will be a night you won’t want to miss.

Many, many apologies, but “I’m in a Band..” – The BEST in Unsigned Music will not air the first week of the quarter due to mysterious circumstances.

Tune in Tuesday, Oct. 5th at 4pm for a SUPER BIG SHOW featuring the BEST in Unsigned Music.

Meanwhile, see DJ Octoon’s Unsigned Music Show Blog for show updates and everything else.

Again, apologies to all the unsigned artists who expected to hear their tracks.  We’ll get ‘em on the air Oct. 5th!

Seriously.

Like many other venues the Bootleg Theater is very small and by looking at it from the outside you wouldn’t think that it was a venue. But it is and that’s where my friend and I made our way to see Circa Survive. I knew it was going to be a great night once everything started. (more…)

Before this show I wasn’t a huge Thrice fan but this night changed everything. (more…)

Hailing from Thessaloniki, Greece, And.ID (aka Andreas Dimitriadis) has been entrenched in music his entire life. From the age of 10, he grew up ears-deep in his father’s record collection and began playing in bands, producing tracks, and creating film scores, and studying trumpet.

Nowadays, And.ID is known for his one-man ensemble of techno, house, jazz, and bossa nova music which he harnesses for Mobilee Records. Please enjoy the following interview I recorded with the gentleman in anticipation of his visit to the states:

(more…)

I N C O G N I T O
@ Somewhere in Hollywood

Saturday 11th September 2010

BUY ADVANCED TICKETS – HTTP://HIFIVE.EVENTBRITE.COM

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Mobilee Records was launched in 2005 and quickly established itself as one of the brightest new stars in Berlin’s glittering galaxy of electronic music labels, producers and DJs. Founded and owned by Anja Schneider and Ralf Kollmann, the label boasts a sound that is simultaneously familiar and innovative. Based on the timeworn structures of house and techno, mobilee’s approach is a triple threat: its records reference vintage dancefloor minimalism, trade ideas with like-minded contemporaries, and suggest surprising new directions for a genre that has weathered both hype and backlash—yet keeps on clicking.

Hi Five mobilee! This summer the mobilee team are not just celebrating five successful years of the label, but also the fact that they are still loving what they do and there is a lot more to come! To mark the occasion with something special, they are organising a world tour across all continents, with a three-day Sonar extravaganza to get the ball rolling. They are also releasing a compilation featuring 16 exclusive tracks from mobilee artists and friends, and to accompany the album, there is a three part 250 copies limited edition vinyl series with selected tracks.

More than any particular stylistic hallmark, surprise is the defining characteristic of mobilee’s releases: rhythm becomes a game while drumbeats and acidic squiggles serve as playing chips, puzzle pieces, and rolling dice. mobilee’s palette is broad (and bright: you won’t find better sounding records, from the deepest sub-bass to the most crystalline highs), but no matter the sound source—from grinding machines to digital glitches—the groove is paramount. mobilee’s dubby, laid-back cuts are as quietly compelling as its anthems are immediate. Strings and rave stabs somersault through the grass; smoky voices throw shadows across the darkest corners of the club. Aspiring to be more than the manufacturer of simple DJ tools, mobilee publishes tracks full of finely turned hooks and hypnotic depths, the stuff of today’s charts and tomorrow’s classics.

mobilee-records.de
myspace.com/mobileerecords
twitter.com/mobilee

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?? ANJA SCHNEIDER
?? mobilee records, berlin
?? www.anjaschneider.com, www.myspace.com/anjaschneider

?? RALF KOLLMANN
?? mobilee records, incognito, berlin
?? www.myspace.com/ralfkollmann

?? AND.ID
?? mobilee, berlin
?? www.myspace.com/andidnon

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venue ………………………………………………………..
?? Somewhere in Hollywood
?? Los Angeles, CA 90028
?? 12MN-5AM

advanced tickets ……………………………………………..
?? Eventbrite – http://hifive.eventbrite.com

?? $20 Advanced – Limited Tickets
?? $15 Designated Driver Discount

follow us ……………………………………………………….
?? http://www.incognitola.com/
?? http://twitter.com/incognitola
?? http://incognito.fanbridge.com/ – email newsletter
?? http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7975670820