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It takes the Village

With the help of his crew, Kembe X has gone from high school dropout to hashtag hip-hop hustler
Leor Galil - 01/26/2012
In Rotation: Dusty Groove owner Rick Wojcik on early Rod Stewart

Plus: Reader music critic Peter Margasak on grand dame of tropicalia Gal Costa and Dusty Groove buyer Doug Arnold on Yo Gabba Gabba
01/26/2012
Artist on Artist: Joe Henry talks to Steve Dawson of Dolly Varden

The singer-songwriter and accomplished producer tells the Chicago Americana veteran: "When people are the most broken, that’s when they're susceptible to real revelation"
01/26/2012

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Music Column

Miles Raymer

The RIAA's most wanted

Did the feds shut down Megaupload at big content's bidding—to keep the site from launching an iTunes competitor?

Bleader: Music

Crickets / Music It is time to watch the "Dance (A$$)" video

Posted by Miles Raymer on Fri, Feb 3, 2012 at 4:22 PM

Big Sean teaches us the Spanish word for ass

Big Sean teaches us the Spanish word for "ass"

For the past couple of days I've been in Michigan dealing with a family situation that's reasonably heavy. It was a hastily put-together trip, and neither my sister nor myself brought any CDs or iPod hookups; because my family lives in a rural area that requires a lot of driving around, I spent a lot of time listening to the radio. One of the highlights of the trip was the opportunity to spend some time with WJLB, "The D's Hip-Hop & R&B" and one of my favorite radio stations in the entire country. Right now they're playing Big Sean's "Dance (A$$)" remix with Nicki Minaj approximately every five minutes or so, which is great because that song is, along with Nicki's "Stupid Hoe", one of the funnest, raunchiest things in pop music right at the moment.

From what I've heard from my friends, a lot of cases of Early Onset Februaries have been diagnosed around town, despite the recent heat wave. Luckily there is a cure, which is to make that motherfucker Hammer Time and repeat as necessary. To that end I've provided the "Dance (A$$)" video after the jump.

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Music / Post No Bills A new direction for Viennese electronica kingpin Patrick Pulsinger

Posted by Peter Margasak on Fri, Feb 3, 2012 at 1:59 PM

Patrick Pulsinger

In the 90s Patrick Pulsinger was a kingpin of the Austrian electronic-music scene, both as a producer (Sluts 'n' Strings & 909) and a label owner (Cheap), so I was surprised late last year to see his name on a new recording from contemporary classical label Col Legno. Besides Feldman captures a live performance during the Wien Modern 2010, a cutting-edge multi-arts festival in Vienna. The concert was part of a series called Feld(man) Forschung that Pulsinger curated. He assembled an unusual quartet to perform a piece that considers brilliant American composer Morton Feldman as a thinker and composer, without touching his actual music.

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Crickets / Music 12 O'Clock Track: Extra Life, "Righteous Seed"

Posted by Leor Galil on Fri, Feb 3, 2012 at 12:00 PM

Nearly four years ago Dan Friel of Parts & Labor recommended I check out Brooklyn art-rock act Extra Life at the now-defunct After the Jump Festival, and I'm glad I took his advice. The group played an acoustic set as a two-piece, and that unusually sparse setup highlighted the hypnotic somersaulting vocals of front man Charlie Looker and the lighter tones of his complex and beautiful arrangements, which on Extra Life's visceral, caterwauling full-band recordings sometimes get buried. I was instantly hooked.

Today's 12 O'Clock Track is "Righteous Seed," a thundering, boisterous, and slightly creepy cut from Extra Life's forthcoming third full-length, Dream Seeds. I'll have this song on repeat till the day Northern Spy releases the album.

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