[Video Interview] LOUDPVCK
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This post was originally posted on our affiliate site, Chicago Music.
LOUDPVCK is made up of two DJs/producers, Kenny Beats and Ryan Marks, who met in college while studying at Berklee College of Music and started producing music together. They have exploded all over the music with collaborations and remixes from Nervo, Skrillex, A-Trak, Dillon Francis... the list goes on. We spent the day doing some of their favorite things ahead of their recent Chicago show at The Mid. There's no doubt these guys are true music lovers, as well as "marijuana connoisseurs," as Kenny likes to put it. Be sure to check out their new EP, Botany, as well as their upcoming tour dates.
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[Video] Boyhood Making-Of Featurette
Barring any last-minute, Hail Mary releases over the next three weeks, Boyhood will officially be my top film of 2014. In my four years of critiquing and reviewing films, Boyhood is the only new release I've actively had to consider giving a perfect score (I ultimately gave it a 9.75 out of 10 at this year's Sundance). Richard Linklater's always taken cinematic risks with his films and has found critical success because of his desire to push the boundaries of what film can be. Boyhood, as it stands, truly is his greatest film to date, and with its VOD release yesterday, many of those who weren't able to see it during its festival circuit run or at arthouse theaters can now see what the hype is about.
To commemorate the film's VOD release, IFC has released a behind-the-scenes featurette documenting Boyhood's process over the film's 12-year production. The 10-minute long video features interviews with Linklater and film stars Ellar Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater at the beginning of production, throughout the ensuing 12 years, and just as the project was wrapping up earlier this year. It's an informative look at 2014's best film, and one fans of Linklater and Boyhood won't want to miss.
[Video] Randy Class: "Cocaine Kisses"
Randy Class, the R&B crooner from the Bronx, has released a new video for his song "Cocaine Kisses" off of his latest EP, Metanoia. Check it out below.
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[Riot Fest] Riot Fest 2014 Video Playlist
With Riot Fest starting in a mere few hours, I thought it'd be fun to compile a video playlist of all of our 20 recommended bands for this year's festival. For the most part, Brynn and I incorporated live videos of each of our selections. I feel that live videos give a way better representation of an artist, especially when you're preparing to see them. The playlist order goes chronologically based on when they hit the stage, so the flow is admittedly not as cohesive and smooth as a playlist normally would be. However, we can all overlook this, right? Anyways, enjoy some amazing footage from some amazing bands below!
[Clip] Scarlett Johansson is a Badass in New Lucy Clip
We've already seen Scarlett Johansson portray a superhero in Iron Man 2, The Avengers, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but her Black Widow character is more of a really talented athlete with heightened senses and not exactly a "superhero." The perception will soon change in her next film, Lucy, which is written and directed by the illustrious Luc Besson (Nikita, Leon: The Professional, The Fifth Element). If you haven't seen the first trailer for Lucy, I recommend checking it out. The film is about a woman forced into trafficking drugs for a group, but in transit, they leak into her system, giving her the ability to use more than 10% of her brain.
Yes, the "10% of our brain" trope is so overused and cliche in sci-fi, but when it comes to Scarlett Johansson being given a reason to become a complete badass, who cares? Many similarities exist between Lucy and Bradley Cooper's Limitless, but whereas was like a drama thriller, Lucy is a straight sci-fi action film, which should make for some amazing sequences.
Watch this new red band clip of the film in which Johansson shows off the aforementioned transformation into baddassery and pulls a bullet completely straight out of her chest. Hopefully, it'll be enough to tide you over until Lucy's theatrical release on July 25th.
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[Video] Teklife Brings Footwork to Serbia
Feloneezy and Jackie Dagger, Serbia and Mystic Stylez’ two officially inducted members of Teklife, have taken Chicago footwork and bestowed it upon Eastern Europe. By doing so, they have radically changed up the music scene of a country that has been equally as stagnant and conservative as its political infrastructure, and have honored the legacy of DJ Rashad, the father of footwork, to a level that transcends the music scene alone.
Footwork took off after Feloneezy saw DJ Rashad’s right hand and Chicago’s own DJ Spinn perform in Graz, Austria. Immediately after returning to Serbia, he joined forces with Dagger to resurrect their country’s music scene, a scene heavily infused with outdated hybrids of turbo-folk, a synthesis of original melodies and electronic beats, techno, “mainstream” music, and electro house. This scene has been considerably impacted by the Balkan wars, which to this day contribute to Serbia’s struggling market economy, exceptionally trickling downward and discouraging the growth of Serbia’s artistic community.
The Serbia x Teklife collaboration started taking shape at the 2012 SHARE conference in Belgrade, where Feloneezy and Dagger hosted guest Fatima Al Qadiri. Fatima informed Rashad about Belgrade’s exploding footwork scene, which triggered communication regarding joining forces and bringing Rashad to perform in Serbia’s capital. A few months down the line, Rashad and Spinn came out to Belgrade, played with Feloneezy and Dagger, extended their stay, and invited them to join Teklife.
Each time I visit my family in Belgrade, I notice a prevalent sense of fragility in the atmosphere that has stemmed from countless accounts of historical and political turmoil. The turmoil runs from the wars in Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo and the separation of former Yugoslavia to the NATO bombing of Belgrade in the late '90s. It also stems from visa controls and sanctions that have limited imports and travel, ultimately converting Belgrade from an avant-guard and forward-thinking city to one of isolation and stagnation. For a country with such a deeply disturbed past, a healthy music scene plays a key role in constructing a healthy future. Witnessing Feloneezy and Dagger spin in Belgrade did more than just encourage me to rep Chicago while lifting a weight of historical guilt off of my chest; it allowed me to be a part of one of the largest steps that Serbia has ever taken toward transforming its music scene. This is history in the making.
Check out the Boiler Room session below, where Feloneezy and Dagger represent Teklife by channeling Chicago from Belgrade.
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[Video] Vic Mensa x Damon Albarn: "Clint Eastwood" (Live)
Header photo by Derek Brad
Damon Albarn and Vic Mensa tag-teamed the stage on day one of Governors Ball in New York City, performing a live rendition of the Gorillaz classic “Clint Eastwood.” This performance was a big moment for Chicago, seeing their up-and-coming rapper share the spotlight with a music legend, but an even bigger moment for Vic himself, whose performance with Damon was a celebration of his 21st birthday.
Vic contributed to the piece with an improvisation on Del Tha Funky Homosapien’s verse, referencing Nick Cannon, Mariah Carey, and OutKast's "Ms. Jackson." However, the one celebrity he should’ve shouted out was Chris Brown for inspiring his blonde hair and the look he went for with his outfit that night. I’m Team Vic as much as the next Chicago hip-hop enthusiast, but I wasn’t feeling the new “post-Disclosure tour, eclectic zebra print couture,” especially during such a momentous sharing of the stage with an iconic performer.
While Vic’s eccentricity is one of his admirable traits, I would respect if his look was as consistent as his music. Although his grind is not fashion-oriented by any means, syncing up his outward appearance with the vision he’s crafting as a rapper would help the public better interpret his image and understand what he’s going for as an artist, thus making him more marketable. Then once he reaches the fame he’s aiming for, I’d say it’d be cool for him to pull out whatever kooky prints his heart desires (just as long as he keeps his hands to himself).
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[Video] Pennybirdrabbit: "Look For Love"
Pennybirdrabbit brings adorable to the next level with her video for "Look For Love," the single from her For Love EP out via OWLSA/Big Beat. The super sweet imagery reflects the loveliness of the LA singer/songwriter's voice, causing you to develop a crush pretty quickly.
Directed by photographer Angelo Kritikos, the music video shows Penny and Young as two lovers goofing off, breaking and entering, and eventually escaping jail, with a vey cops and robbers vibe that's all in fun. Watch the video and listen to For Love in its entirety here.
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