Bass Thumpin Thursdays - Nas: 20 Years Strong

More New Eminem

Here's another couple of new tracks by Eminem. The first features Jazmine Sullivan and is called Cocaine. The second is a bit old but it is a potential Detox track featuring Dr. Dre and Nas. Though Eminem drops a verse, it is more likely a guide track for Dre, considering the subject matter.

Eminem ft. Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Stat Quo & Cashis - Syllables

Though this song is fresh spankin' new, it sounds like is was made a few years ago but never released. Fortunately you can check it out below and download the song here. Maybe this is a sign that Detox is finally coming.

The Black Keys - Too Afraid To Love You (Live in Studio)

This shit is sick.

Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg - California Girls (MSTRKRFT Remix)

Just because Summer is long gone, doesn't mean you can't warm up with a hot remix

Merry Christmas

"Now I'm the guy named Kurtis Blow and Christmas is one thing I know. So, every year about this time I celebrate it with a ryhme"

Kurtis Blow, Christmas Rapping

To you and yours, Digitally Read would like to wish you a very funky Christmas.

Hector's Hectic Life (1948) Classic Christmas Cartoon

I used to watch this all the time when I was a kid. This cartoon is classic.

Bass Thumpin Thursdays - Chillax Edition

Damn, the holidays are hectic. Traffic, weather, and shopping can all take it's toll along with holiday depression and we often forget to take the time to appreciate the little things in life. Well, this weeks Bass Thumpin' Thursdays is brought to you by the word Chillax and features four music videos from various artists and genres to help you achieve that feeling. Fun holiday tip: Note the titles of the videos and proceed in that order to really Chillax.

Tis the Season to Give

I don't know who the hell "Mike" is, but he is awfully generous in giving this nice young girl a new webcam. Tis the season to give and if I got thank you notes like this, I suppose I would be a more charitable person.

Rick Ross - B.M.F. (Blowing Money Fast)

There's exactly one week until Christmas and the stores are packed with people trying to purchase last minute gifts. I hear Macy's might start pumping this song into their speakers in order to drum up sales and stand out from all that fa-la-la-la-la noise. Not really. Blowing Money Fast is just a banging song and seems to be everybody's theme song for the past year.

Sister Sledge - He's The Greatest Dancer (1979)

The sample that made Will Smith get Jiggy wit it. Sister Sledge - He's The Greatest Dancer.

Bass Thumpin Thursdays - Gorillaz on Deck

You can look long and you can look far, but you still may not be able to find a group as inspired and original as The Gorillaz. Started as a musical project in 1998 by Damon Albarn (The lead singer and songwriter of Blur) and cartoonist Jamie Hewlett, co-creator of the comic book Tank Girl, The Gorillaz were conceived while the two were living together in London.

Hewlett: We were flatmates. One day, we were home watching MTV with our eyes just kind of glazed. Because if you watch MTV for too long, it's a bit like hell - there's nothing of substance there. So we got this idea for a cartoon band, something that would be a comment on that.

Albarn: We're the generation whose stars come from Pop Idol and celebrity-wrestling shows. And it's all a bit like a cartoon, really.

The result was a Virtual Band that lived in a fantasy world filled with wonder, amazement, and beauty and an eclectic sound that incorporates a diverse selection of styles, as well as artists, into their music. The formula has proved successful, selling millions of records worldwide and solidifying The Gorillaz as a headlining act and one of the most inspiring groups to ever make music videos.

Drum and Bass 2010

If you liked the posts earlier this month featuring Netsky and Danny Byrd, you're going to love this one too. Featuring an amalgam of who's who on the D and B scene, this song has non-stop head nodding bass. Check it out, and be sure to download the full mash-up mix here.

N.A.S.A. - Gifted feat. Kanye West, Santogold, & Lykke Li

How was this song and accompanying video not huge? It's like visual and sonic candy.

Beastie Boys - So What'cha Want feat The Roots live

The Beastie Boys kick it old school while The Roots play back up and it just goes to show that, no matter how old these guys get, they can still rip a microphone like it was toilet paper.

Black Eyed Peas: Is This the Beginning of the End?

I'm going to make this short and sweet. Should you buy the Black Eyed Peas' new album, The Beginning? Let me me put it this way: If you love auto-tune and the dramatic swing towards a blatant electro-pop sound Will.I.Am and The Black Eyed Peas seem to be heading, then by all means purchase the album. Just to give you a taste of what your in for, the first track off the album interpolates (I've Had The) Time of My Life from the movie Dirty Dancing and, in my opinion, heads downhill from there.

Will.I.Am has explained that he used to attend raves while he was in high school and that is why his music has gravitated towards a more technotronic sound but, at this point, it's hard to believe that Will.I.Am ever used to produce for Eazy-E's Ruthless Records. While the majority of the album seems to fall short in an attempt to seemingly reach a broader audience, the one shining spot on the album is track number eight: Don't Stop the Party, which is ironic seeing as it is the only track on the album that doesn't. Buy it if you must, but I recommend you pass over this album in favor of Deadmau5's 4x4=12 if you're looking for a good electronic music fix.

Netsky - Moving With You

A video so delicious it deserved it's own post, Netsky's Moving With You is a great song on it's own, but combine it with some stunning vintage videos and a little lesbian action and you get a treat that lasts 3-4 minutes.

Danny Byrd - Ill Behaviour

Today I'd like to bring you an awesome video by an amazing artist: Danny Byrd. Just try to listen without bobbing your head or tapping your foot. It's damn near impossible. I guess that's why Danny Byrd is signed to Hospital Records: He's too sick.

Lil Wayne - I Am Not A Human Being

Sometimes you feel like a Human. Sometimes you don't. Check out the Video for I Am Not A Human Being by Lil' Wayne.

The Black Keys - Tighten Up

Well, November has come and gone and that's something to be thankful for. I've never really had a particularly awesome Thanksgiving (or November for that matter) and this years was no exception. In that regard, and after a month of no posts, I'd like to bring you a video that has inspired me with it's message: The Black Keys - Tighten Up.

Happy Halloween

Kanye West - Runaway (Full Length Film)

Not just a music video. A music film.

The Prodigy - Ibiza Rocks Hotel

Check out The Prodigy performing at Ibiza Rocks Hotel 5th anniversary.

Bass Thumpin Thursdays - Weezer's Greatest Hits

In lieu of the traditional Bass Thumping Thursday consisting of select videos from various artists, today I thought it would be nice to show you a couple of videos by the same artist. Namely Weezer. While Weezer's albums have been hit-or-miss the last couple years, One thing that has always stayed consistent is their love for the expressive medium that is the music video. Through Happy Days references to cameos by Hugh Hefner and the Muppets, Weezer definitely knows how to stand out above the rest and without further adieu: Weezer.

Bernard Purdie Groove

Bernard "Pretty" Purdie is an American session drummer and is considered an influential and innovative exponent of funk. Known for his strict musical time keeping and "The Purdie Shuffle", Purdie is said to be The World's Most Recorded Drummer and has worked with many musicians including Charles Kynard, Grant Green, Aretha Franklin, Gil Scott-Heron, James Brown, Steely Dan, Miles Davis and Hummingbird. When Purdie worked as a session musician, he would place two signs beside his drum kit. The one on the left read "You done it!" The one on the right read "You done hired the hitmaker, Bernard 'Pretty' Purdie!"

Purdie was credited on the sound track album for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) and more recently he was the drummer for the 2009 Broadway revival of Hair and appeared on the associated Broadway cast recording.

Purdie is pehaps best known as a groove drummer with immaculate timing and makes use of precision half note, backbeats, and grooves. His signature sixteenth note hi-hat lick pish-ship, pish-ship, pish-ship is distinct and hard to copy and he is known for his versatility. He often employs a straight eight groove sometimes fusing several influences such as swing, blues and funk. Variations on this shuffle can be heard on songs such as Led Zeppelin's "Fool in the Rain" and "Rosanna" by Toto and the original Purdie shuffle can be heard on Steely Dan's "Babylon Sisters" and "Home At Last". Check out the video below to see why a drum machine can never replace "Pretty" Purdie.

Bass Thumpin Thursdays - Fuck You

What's up Digital Readers? The theme of today is Fuck You. Not you personally, but a celebration of the phrase and all of it's uses. Cee-Lo Green recently made a splash with his new music video titled (you guessed it) Fuck You. Though the expletive-laden track is relatively new, a few venues refuse to play the song or the video, instead opting for the more radio friendly, heavily censored F You or the inoffensively titled Forget You. The video is actually one of the freshest I've seen in a while and if you don't enjoy it, Cee-Lo's got two words for you...

Next up is a song that kids today will be calling old school before you know it, but I can remember when it first dropped. Fresh in 1999, was Dr. Dre's second studio album 2001 and it's hard to believe that it's been 11 years since Dre has dropped that bomb on us. This album is the epitome of classic and, like The Chronic, I can listen to the disc from front to back without having to skip anything in the middle. Soon after, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit and Eminem embarked on The Up In Smoke Tour where they performed a bevy of West Coast G-Funk. Among the songs in the set list: a little ditty called Fuck You. Warning: This concert performance is NSFW.

Clearly not as gangster or demeaning as the first two, I've got to throw Lilly Allen in the mix. From her second album, It's Not Me, It's You, This British songbird's track is a soft and smooth way to say the two words of the day although it was originally known under it's working title of Guess Who's Batman.

Lastly, I'd like to present a song that I discovered long before 50 Cent hit it big. When Fiddy was just starting out, he inked a deal with Columbia records where he recorded two discs Power of the Dollar and Guess Who's Back. Although neither one was considered commercially successful, a copy of Guess Who's back landed on a young Marshall Mathers' desk and by the end of 2002, 50 Cent had been signed to Eminem's label with  a one million dollar deal. The rest, as they say, is history, but let's not forget the album that started it all. Track number 10 on the album: you already know what it is... Fuck You.

The Simpsons Tap Bansky the Graffiti Artist for Show Opening

This isn't the first time Bansky has offered his interpretation on The Simpsons

When Digitally Read was first conceived, one of the first posts posted was a collection of the works done by Bansky the British graffiti artist. Now, surprisingly, The Simpsons tapped him to create an opening sequence for their newest episode that aired last Sunday (the first time The Simpsons have gone for help outside the studio) and he definitely didn't disappoint. The result is a humorous, and possibly literal, interpretation of the way 20th Century Fox outsources most of the animation required for The Simpsons to a South Korean animation studio.

According to Al Jean, executive producer on the show, "Fox Didn't Tweak it Too Much." Jean tells The New York Times that the producers submitted Bansky's script to the network's standards and practices department, and what came back was "95 percent... just the way he wanted." Jean describes the cut material as "even a little sadder" than what aired, and is quick to chime in that Bansky's version of the show's overseas facilities is "very fanciful, far-fetched. None of the things he depicts are true. That statement should be self-evident, but I will emphatically state it." See the opening for yourself below.

Midnight Juggernauts - Lara Vs The Savage Pack

A lesson in determination, this video by Midnight Juggernauts was shot frame by frame, then re-shot using over 2000 printed pieces of paper. Check it out.

Directors: Lucinda Schreiber & Beatrice Pegard

Editor - Jaan Ranniko

Producers - Jaan Ranniko, Sonia Tsai

Compositor - Simon von Wolkenstein

DOP - Tania Lambert

Art Directors - Virginia Mesiti, Kate Dougherty

Stylist - Angelika Nilsson

Masks: Stephanie Anderson & Dave Ladd

JT and Jimmy Fallon Give Us a Brief Tour of Hip-Hop

Now I know when most of you think "hip-hop" Justin Timberlake, or 'N Sync for that matter, should be the furthest thing from your minds. But, as time progressed and boy bands became extinct, JT was one of the few who survived the transition. Teaming up with Timbaland, JT released FutureSex/ LoveSounds, backed by the pulsing rhythms and hip hop drum arrangement that we've grown to love from Timbo. Suddenly, almost overnight, it wasn't gay to bob your head to the new Justin Timberlake track on the radio.

Now JT, to me, has always seemed like a bit of a wigger because it's hard to front like you're gangsta when you're dancing in synchronicity with four other dudes while singing about your broken heart, but he genuinely seems to have at least some basic hip-hop knowledge as evident on this excerpt from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Check it out and see The Roots, Jimmy Fallon, and JT take a tour through some classic, and not so classic, hip-hop tracks.

Edgar Winter Group - Frankenstein

Sorry for the lack of posting recently. My PC's motherboard died and in replacing it, I've run into a whole range related problems. Either way, I'm eager to get my computer problems solved and get back to bringing you the features you know and love. On a related note, Digitally Read is looking to expand and we're looking for contributing article writers and general music enthusiasts. if interested, email digitallyread@gmail.com with a sample of your writing and a list of your favorite bands and DJs. Get at us and join the revolution. Now for your enjoyment: the bong-rattling bass of The Edgar Winter Group.

Edgar Winter Group - Frankenstein

One Small Victory

well the good news is that The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) was not ratified last week. The semi-bad news is that the bill was postponed until congress is back in session in January. This is one bill not to be slept on and we've got to keep it moving if we want to preserve internet freedom.

Do You Want to Live in China?

As Banned Book week gets underway here in America and President Obama calls for a free and open internet, something sinister this way comes. I'm talking about a bi-partisan bill that could kill the internet freedoms we all know and love. In the United States, a new law proposal called The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) was introduced last week, and there will be a hearing in front of the Judiciary Committee this Thursday.

If passed, this law will allow the government, under the command of the media copanies, to censor the internet as they see fit, like China and Iran do, with the difference that the sites they decide to censor will be completely removed form the internet and not just in the US.

Please see the following article from the Huffington Post for more information.

If you are a US citizen, please take time to sign this petition.

DemandProgress.org - Petition to Stop the Internet Blacklist!

Read more about the bill: COICA Fact Sheet.

Bootsy Collins - Give Up the Funk (Live)

Who do you know funkier than Bootsy Collins? Frankly, It doesn't matter who you know, because Bootsy is the Funkiest there is.

Asian Girls Shredding

Not to sound ignorant, but I didn't realize Asian girls could shred on guitars like this. Hat's off to these hot chicks because I couldn't come close to matching their level of skill... yet. Check it.

Tina Fey - One Hot Mama

30 rock premieres tomorrow night and what better way to celebrate my love for Tina Fey than with a pictorial set? This chick is smoking hot in more ways than one.

The White Stripes - Under the Great Nothern Lights

In the summer of 2007, shortly after the release of their 6th album Icky Thump, The White Stripes headed north of their hometown of Detroit to embark on an ambitious journey across Canada. The plan was to play a show in every province and territory in Canada, from B.C. to Newfoundland to Nunavut.

Having never done a tour of Canada, Meg and I thought it was high time to go whole hog…from the ocean to the permafrost

We wanted to play out of the way towns that don’t usually get shows…the shows are better, it’s better for the people, it’s a better experience, it’s way more unique, something interesting is going to happen…hopefully.

-Jack White

Check out some clips from the documentary and be sure to pick up the DVD. It's amazing.

The White Stripes - Fell in Love With a Girl

One of my favorite music videos ever.

Stone Cold Steve Austin on Tom Green Live

Stone Cold Steve Austin's been doing a lot of movies lately and here he stops by Tom Green Live (yes Tom Green still has a show) to discuss his movies and take some calls. I always thought that Austin would be great in a comedy role. He would be perfect as the asshole neighbor that terrorizes a sitcom family. Just sayin.

Gamespot Interviews American McGee

Gamepot's interview with American McGee at the Tokyo Game Show 2010. They grill him on the development of the long awaited sequel to his twisted videogame about Alice of Alice in Wonderland, Alice: Madness Returns.

Style Wars: The Graffiti Movie

Of all the aspects of classic hip-hop including break dancing, DJing, and emceeing, graffiti has often gone overlooked in modern day hip-hop. Recent legislation has enabled tougher penalties for taggers and most graffiti is now associated with gangs trying to mark their territory but there was a time when writing your name on a train actually meant something. It was an artistic expression that let everyone know who you were as well as a rebellion to the mass commercialization of urban areas. With that I'd like to bring you Style Wars a documentary on tagging that originally aired on PBS in 1983. Check out this look into the Graffiti sub-culture of New York in the 1980's and reminisce about Hip-Hop when it was just a baby. You don't want to miss this one.

Graffiti is one of the few tools you have if you have almost nothing.
And even if you don't come up with a picture to cure world poverty you can
make someone smile while they're having a piss

-Banksy

Kanye Steals the Show

Well the VMAs have come and gone and aside from Lady Gaga's meat dress, all the talk has been about the live performances. Though I really couldn't care less about Justin Beiber or Taylor Swift's performances as well as Eminem killing it as usual, the crowning moment had to be Kanye West's performance. Preceded by a montage of the Taylor Swift mike-jacking that occurred at last year's VMAs, Kanye premiered his new song, Runaway. Check it.

Kanye West - Runaway 2010 VMA performance

Bass Thumpin' Thursdays

It's been a minute since the last BTT and were jumping right back into the mix with a few videos that have been heating up the internet. The first song is relatively unknown. Discovered on Youtube, Mr. Jiix has some pretty cool tracks. Here's a new one titled Get Up. If you like the track, Get Up and check out some more songs.

Get Up - Mr Jiix & Rodolphe L. Feat TomTox

The next artist is no stranger to BTT, and though her previous tracks Hot and Amazing are both adjectives one would use to describe Inna, her new track 10 minutes is really f-ing catchy. Don't worry though. The video is only 3:20.

Inna - 10 Minutes

DeadMou5 has been blowing up the last couple of years and even landed the gig of house DJ at the 2010 VMAs. Check out one of his lesser known tracks, Slip and be sure to keep your eye on DeadMau5, he's going to be huge

DeadMau5 - Slip

Last is a fabulous video by Fabolous. Light's Out only just premiered, but has garnered an impressive number of views and landed fab a guess spot exploring Brooklyn and hosting a video countdown on FUSE. check it out and Holla Back in the comments section

Fabolous - Light's out

Nas ft. Q-Tip: Live in NYC

VEVO Go Shows returns with Nas and his surprise performance during Q-Tip's DJ set at the Ace Hotel in New York City. Check both of them fire out the classics "N.Y. State of Mind," "One Love," and "Made You Look."

College Years: Beer Pong Edition (mixtape)

Need a soundtrack to your back to school studying drinking? Check out the new mixtape by DJ Moneybags entitled College Years: Beer Pong Edition. It's Guaranteed to get the party started.

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Provided by DatPiff.com

The Future of Turntables

Is the next step a completely digital touch screen interface?  Greg Werk does have a good solution to lugging around hardware, which is a problem even if you're 100% digital.  He made a way to completely customize a turntable set-up and store it in a flash drive.  I'd like to think it would catch on, but there would undoubtedly be some backlash from the old school knob spinners.

Check it:

--tonotopik

Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait

I don't know why, but I've been in an 80's mood as of late. The song below has been featured in numerous television shows and movies including Hot Tub Time Machine and The Cleveland Show. A one hit wonder and pure sample fodder, check out the music video for New Shooz' I Can't Wait.

Lakeside - Fantastic Voyage

Hey Hey. I know most you missed me and if not you can go to hell. I recently and spontaneously moved into a new place in L.A. with a close friend and though I spent the last couple of days hauling boxes and dripping sweat in triple digit heat, I'm back now and will be bringing you the features you know and love. In honor of the new move, check out the video for Lakeside's Fantastic Voyage.

30 Minutes of Hard Electronic Music

I understand why people don't listen to the harder varieties of electronic music -- even if you like it, it will get on your nerves.  A 30 minute mix is perfect, though.  Thanks to Frail Limb Purity for the following mix, filled with electro-house, fidget-house, electro-funk, dub-step, and other sorts of hyphenated genres.

Tracks included:

1. Fukkk Off – “Rave Is King (Le Castle Vania remix)”
2. Grum – “Go Back (Le Castle Vania Remix)”
3. Don Diablo & Example – “Hooligans (Noisia Remix)”
4. The Marvelettes – “Mr. Postman (Cragga ReFix)”
5. Jayou – “Western Jam (Jayou’s Gone East Mix)”
6. Skein – “Oblivion”
7. Justice – “Genesis (Slow Version)”
8. O Children – “Dead Disco Dancer (The Golden Filter Remix)”
9. Aphex Twin – “Windowlicker (White Label Dubstep Remix)”
10. I Love You Guys Alot (OUTRO)


--tonotopik

Re-Spun Sunday

Here's some classic tracks that were born-again through some creative mashups.  These are all part of the Matchstix.com Stanton Mashup Challenge, and I encourage you to support these DJs and vote for these tracks if you like them.


Frail Limb Purity - 
Rage Against the Machine, "Bulls on Parade" v. The Glitch Mob, "Drive it Like you Stole It"
Laying Bulls on Parade on top of Glitch Mob's deep electro-hip-hop gives the classic Rage song a whole new dark feel.



Top Flight - 
Missy Elliot, "Work It" v. Elvis, "A Little Less Conversation (JXL Remix)"
This remix works surprisingly well, both lyrically and musically.  Interesting choice of songs.



Bonez McCoy - 
Chemical Brothers, "Swoon (Boys Noize Remix)" v. Dr. Dre / Eminem, "Forgot About Dre"
A good mix of trance and hip-hop.  The Eminem break down about half way through the song is a good use of musical energy.



--tonotopik

Concert Review - Sander van Doorn

Last night Sander van Doorn tore down the house at San Francisco's Ruby Skye, mixing up floor shaking house and trance beats.  Sander blends dark riffs, minimal house style breakdowns (with bass so hard you can feel it in your lungs), and occasionally some melodic vocal tracks.  He varies from well known songs to rarities, and incorporates a lot of his own material.  One thing is for sure though -- the crowd did not stop moving until his decks stopped spinning.  With Sander's music selection you can take the vodka sans redbull and still have hours of energy.

Highlights from last night:

Steve Angello - Knas
This was my personal highlight of the night.  When the sultry breakdown came the lights turned low, the bass hit hard, and people got down.


Faithless - Not Going Home (Armin van Buuren Remix)
This perfectly tweaked Faithless track has become an instant classic.  The melodic, echoey, climbing synths at the end create a capacitor-like energy just waiting to be released.


The Killers - Spaceman (Sander van Doorn Remix)
With lights shining on the crowd, Sander hit mute and we sang, "The spaceman says 'everybody look down,' its all in your mind."  And then that heavy synth kicked in.  A touching moment, indeed.


And, of course, one of Sander's newest tracks, Daddyrock


--tonotopik

Bass Thumpin' Thursdays

This week is brought to you by the letter O.  For organ.  In modern times this King of Instruments is oft overlooked, whether its the giant pipes found in cathedrals or the electric variety.  From Bach to The Bloody Beetroots, organ keys and their infinite decay and sustain provide an unparalleled intensity in any type of music.

Jon Lord, organist for Deep Purple, is by far one of the most talented musicians to have fingered a Hammond.  Check out this live solo:

And for good measure, here’s Deep Purple’s “Hush,” one of the most distinctive organ songs:

As the organ is sometimes forgotten in the shadows, so are its greatest masters.  Everyone has heard of Jim Morrison, but when it comes to musical talent in The Doors, Ray Manzarek leads the troupe.  Here’s “When the Music’s Over”:

RJD2, a DJ with an ear for blues and soul, embeds organ clips in his crate digging style of hip-hop.  Next on the queue, “Seven Light Years:”

You might not have the time to watch this masterpiece in full, but it is well worth the ten minutes to bask in the glory of the Sidney Town Hall pipe organ as it pumps out Bach’s classic "Tocatta and Fugue in Dm".

And as foreshadowed, from Bach to The Bloody Beetroots (“We Are from Venice”):

--tonotopik