LCD Soundsystem: "Dance Yrslf Clean"
I accidentally learned about LCD Soundsystem about 7 years ago. In my late night internet music longings I was searching a now defunct music service for the yet unreleased Rapture album, "Echoes". In that search I looked for "DFA" the relatively new label producing/releasing the record, and came across the LCD Soundsystem 12", "Give It Up". That lead to the infamous "Losing My Edge" single, and I was hooked. In 2004 I had my "I Was There" moment when I ditched the Pixies reunion at Coachella 2004 to catch the LCD Soundsystem set. Of the ~50,000 people at the festival that day, ~150 saw that set. Seven songs, Forty-Five minutes, I'll never forget it, one of the best sets I've ever heard. And that brings us to the new record.
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LEP: "Chicago" Video
LEP's "Chicago" video is cinematic and shows what life is like in the windy city for some. For others, it's a movie and a story they've only seen on TV and the big screen. That's the diversity of Chicago, exposed alongside its ills in this Visionaryz directed clip. See it below.
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Zimmerman Maxi Dress
I love this dress. I was cruising through my usual fashion sites and came across this amazing dress at style.com. This versatile maxi dress by Aussie label Zimmerman, is featured as the item of the week for obvious reasons: it's the perfect summer dress! This is the kind of dress that you can throw on and go to the beach or run your daily errands in, but also dress it up with an amazing belt, strappy sandals, and silver cuff for an effortless evening look. I also really dig this print, it's a cool blend of edgy and bohemian without weighing too much towards one trend. This isn't the only hot item designers Nicky and Simone came up with, check out the website for more fabulous summer wear!
Soul Assassins Radio w/ DaVinci & Curt@!n$
Our homies over at Soul Assassins put together some of the dopest shows to hit the air waves of commercial free radio. This weeks XM66 and Shade45 Soul Assassins slot hosted by none other than DJ Muggs and Mr. Choc (who was absent for this weeks show) highlighted the talented rising emcees Curt@!n$ and DaVinci. Muggs gets it in with Curt@!n$ about SXSW, The Winter Music Conference, as well as his upcoming projects, while DaVinci drops some knowledge coming off of his recent debut, The Day The Turf Stood Still. Check out the entire episode in downloadable format below and make sure to tune into Soul Assassins radio every Monday to catch the latest music, news, and interviews, with DJ Muggs and Mr. Choc.
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YahZarah: The Ballad Of Purple Saint James Sampler
Foreign Exchange family member YahZarah has always been on my radar with her extremely dope solo cuts in Hear Me and Blackstar but now the DC native singer is readying the release of her latest project, The Ballad Of Purple Saint James. To get you ready for the May 4th release, the good people of FE Music have released an album sampler to let you know what you'll be getting with the full length. It's crazy how you can go from being a back-up singer for Erykah Badu to having a successful solo career that doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. I'm behind YahZarah's music to the fullest so take my advice and lend your ear to the sampler and your eyes to the tracklist here.
Alsarah: "Vote" featuring Oddisee Video
This is my first time getting up on the Brooklyn stationed songstress Alsarah. Besides the fact that she has a beautiful voice she stands behind strong messages which is ever apparent in her recent release of the video "Vote." The visuals and record show the struggle for a fair electoral process in Sudan right now. The country is going into it's first election since 1985 and the process has already been debouched by rumors of cheating resulting in candidates dropping from the entire election. It just goes to shows you a glimpse of the political struggles that a lot of countries have to go through. The people in Sudan have a new voice screaming democratic change now but the organization of that voice as one is key and Alsarah makes sure that the message can be spread through her music. Please give her video a watch and school yourself on some world affairs of what Sudan must go through now to make democratic changes to their country.
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NARS Cosmetics Summer 2010 Collection
NARS cosmetics summer collection 2010 is almost here! I love NARS, especially their lip colors because they are so creamy and high pigmented. The new Love Devotion lipstick is the exact shade of red-orange I've been longing for! I can't wait to try it on. The Burn It Blue cream eyeshadow and the Enchanted cream blush (featured below) are also very high on my wish list, for the sheer fact that they're fun colors that have not yet made an appearance in my makeup bag. Cream blushes add such a youthful and dewy glow to the skin, they're ideal for the summer months that are fast approaching. These sexy hues will be the perfect accent to that beautiful bronzed skin that we will soon be blessed with! Counting down the days 'til summer...
"I designed the makeup to bring a natural-looking glow to the skin, while allowing women to have fun with color. After all, summer is a playful season, nothing should be to complicated!" - François Nars
Check out the new collection at NARS counters and nars.com April 15th! More pics below.
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Fresh Produce April Promo Video
Producer showcases and beat battles have really been popping off lately as well as proving to help the music industry get to know each other within the city of wind. Chicago's own rising star Mikkey Halsted has been hosting a monthly beat battle/showcase/special guest performance/advice show called Fresh Produce and I hadn't even heard about it until this nice little promotional video popped up. It looks like the next rendition of Fresh Produce will be held at Reggies Rock Club on April 23rd. For more information on the event head over to Mikkey's website (ran by the powers that be RubyHornet) and check the promotional video under the cut.
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