quitting smoking, day four: eh, yeah it blows.
i'm not the world's biggest pharell fan, but i don't really have anything against him. when it comes to his new joint with kanye, however, i gotta say that i'm gonna stick with goldfrapp on this one:
pharell feat. kanye - number 1
goldfrapp - number 1 (alan braxe and fred falke mix)
let's get this wednesday started.
god i want a smoke.
spank rock - far left
beans - databreaker
el-p - end to end burners
quitting smoking, day three update: so my plan of quitting over the long weekend and getting myself together for the week was a bust. i just left work early and got home. i've always had shakey hands, but for a while i thought i was spasming at work. and i don't care what they say, "improved" nicorette still tastes like ass.
brogues - i ain't no miracle worker
lfo - freak
not sure if i'll be feeling up to it, but looks like the show tonight at don hill's featuring disco-not-disco faves plastic little is gonna be pure silliness.
quitting smoking, day three: the one weird side effect of not smoking that i didn't anticipate was the dreams. i have a really hard time falling asleep - and usually i'm one of those people who starts snoring before my head hits the pillow - but then once i'm out i have a string of crazy livid dreams. last night there was some long saga involving me moving into a dorm at school, three feet of snow, and a precious JFK lithograph. oh, and at one point i was at a carnival on the high line where dj's were competing to see who could play music that would make dogs throw up. yikes.
tv on the radio - dreams
belle and sebastian - dirty dream number 2
talib kweli and hi tek - africa dream
primal scream - keep your dreams
quitting smoking, day two recap: first totally smoke free 24 hours, hardest 24 hours in recent memory. i really felt like walking death all day long. i got up this morning and thought that cleaning the dishes would make me feel better, and it did, until i reached down to unclog the drain and found a disgusting moldy lump of peanut shells, fried garlic, and penne.
"what kind of sandwich did you get for lunch?"
"peanut butter, eggs, and dice."
for most of the day i shuffled around my apartment and watched my nicorette gum melt from the air conditioning-less heat of my apartment. i know it's for the best, but it was a really really really shitty day.
air - how does it make you feel?
morrissey - how can anyone possibly know how i feel?
devo - through being cool
they say that quitting only gets easier. it better fucking get easier soon...!
quitting smoking, day two: so the thing about cigarettes is that they stop your body from expelling a lot of the junk that it should. thus, today i feel like i have the world's worst cold/flu as shit that's been trapped in my throat and nose for the past six years is making a desperate attempt at freedom.
x - nausea
the doves - friday's dust
but now it's time to start on my to-do list! off to get some motherfuckin bagels! WHAT!
e-40 feat. the fed - go hard or go home
quitting smoking day one recap: went pretty well. felt like shit for most of the day, but only ended up smoking half a cigarette a couple hours ago. figure a decline of 19 and a half is pretty good. and i only snapped at a couple people on the phone when they called to see how i was doing.
the coup - last blunt
whitey - leave them all behind
i was wicked antsy and on edge all day, so i think i need to plan out some activities for tomorrow to take my mind off of things.
to do:
- throw out old pizza boxes
- clean up the living room and rearrange if i'm feeling ambitious
- buy pants
- get plants for the fire escape
- return netflix dvds
- start ripping old vinyl to mp3s
- check out new era store
- watch mishima again
phillip glass - osamu's theme
quitting smoking, day one: this fucking sucks. i've only been awake for about four hours now, but didn't realize how weird it would be to skip my morning routine of coffee and cigarettes. and this nicorette gum tastes like death. i made the mistake last night of going to the smokiest bar in the city to celebrate my last day with cigarettes (basement of lit), but now all my clothes reek of delicious stale smoke. but at least i haven't smoked yet today.
siouxsie and the banshees - nicotine stain
rjd2 - smoke and mirrors
annie - chewing gum (headman vocal mix)
continuing my week of celebrities, tim robbins was shooting something on 37th st last night. he was dressed in black and they were putting some kind of bondage straps / harness on him. seriously though, dude is like 7 feet tall. so big that i was worried he might kill me with his mind as i walked by.
uncle luke feat. trick daddy and jacki-o - move something
the pixies - gigantic
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i got my new mishka tshirt in the mail yesterday - was able to snag the last "he's a whore" big black shirt they had in stock. go check out their shit, i'm really feeling the sonic youth "bull in the heather" shirt as well.
speaking of online purchases, i've gotten addicted to looking at stuff i can't afford on we sold out! a streetwear store with some vague ties to colette. they have lots of great , hard to find items like bbc x new era hats and the entire (i think) adicolor range of kicks and clothes.
ellen allien - i need no money to be rich
refused - new noise
(i was looking through my music trying to find a song about money or clothes or something and came across this guy. good way to start a thursday, no?)
i don't know if i'd call this the song of the summer, but it certainly has some kick to it:
rick ross feat. jay-z and young jeezy - hustlin (remix)
i'm starting to think that this might be my song of the summer:
linda lamb - twins
i can still clearly remember laying on the roof of my aunt's building across the street from the chelsea hotel during the blackout. i only had one aa battery to last me for three days, and i used it to power my old discman so i could listen to "hot room" over and over and over.
linda lamb - hot room
thanks to illnoise and "mr stalin" for letting me know about lee scratch perry's live show...i'll probably still check it out anyways, but good not to get expectations up too high!
toots and the maytals - funky kingston
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going to see lee "scratch" perry with some folks on thursday night at bb kings. kind of a last minute decision to go - anyone seen him live before?
lee scratch perry - space dub
i had an interesting encounter with another musical luminary yesterday. as i was smoking a cigarette outside of work, david byrne came out of the building, unlocked his bike, and rode off towards 9th ave. i restrained myself from gushing, and instead gave him a neighborly nod as he walked by. wonder what he was doing in the building? i have my suspicions...
talking heads - born under punches
speaking of work, check out the video for pearl jam's "world wide suicide" here. we did a little bit of effects at the very end of the video (read: when the ball turns into a globe)
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been running through some albums i haven't listened to in a while, and here are a couple of gems that i've been sleeping on recently:
clinic - walking with thee
big audio dynamite - james brown
liz and i have been arguing over whether or not the "buildings of disaster" series of miniatures available at moss are interesting, relevant, or stupid. i think that these tiny replicas of sites like three mile island, the world trade center, and the unabomber shack point out the culture of disaster porn. in a way, they are the physical manifestations of the way in which cultural structures and collective memory imbue physical sites with emotional import. the buildings are secondary to the impact upon human lives, but they are a simple way to package an event as a cultural event/souvenir. liz thinks that they're heavy-handed, obvious, and simplistic. good article in the nyt magazine about it today, check it out.
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was flipping through artforum yesterday, and noticed an ad for the relaunch of the saatchi online gallery. seems to still be under construction to a certain extent, but still worth checking out for loads and loads of images from the impressive collection of late 20th century art.
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so i'm finally living out every 14 year old's dream and starting a band. or at least getting together with some friends and messing around. i have to pick a song to cover, and here're the ones i'm thinking of:
the faint - worked up so sexual
black flag - tv party
tom vek - i ain't saying my goodbyes
what do y'all think? let me know...
pretty excited to hear that kevin shields will be remixing bow wow wow tracks for sofia coppola's new movie. but i have to say that i'm surprised he hasn't chosen to include "louis quatorze" in the soundtrack...i mean really...
bow wow wow - louis quatorze
my bloody valentine - soon (andrew weatherall remix)
i guess it's pretty appropriate that bow wow wow nymphette annabelle lwin is burmese, as the girl who showed me around burma while i was there a few years ago is in town tomorrow. my aunt reminded me to dress nicely when i see her so that i don't bring "shame on the family". guess i'll take her to misshapes?
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went to the opening of brooklyn sugar at the old domino sugar factory garage last night - i think it might have been the worst night out i've had in new york in years. it was fucking terrible. one part hipsters, one part greasy crobar-ites, one part filthy hippies. just a mess. and the motherfucker was empty! i don't understand the logic of putting a mega club (complete with bouncers in black suits everywhere) off the beaten path in wburg. i felt bad because i also missed larry tee's set, but i can't really imagine it would have gone over very well...
t.a.t.u. - not gonna get us (larry tee's electro mix)
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even though it's been featured to death on the web by now, i still can't get over how amazing jose gonzalez's cover of "heartbeats" by the knife is. and it's got three great videos!
jose gonzalez - heartbeats (official video)
jose gonzalez - heartbeats (graffiti research led throwies video)
jose gonzalez - heartbeats (sony video - the best one!)
what does it say about art and commerce that i saw the official video for the first time today but have been watching the ads that feature the song for months? probably not much.
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i have to call korea for work in five minutes - time for some upbeat transnational calling music!
talking heads - the book i read
trinidad steel drummers - cissy strut
glc - spaceship '06
sorry for the lack of posts recently, been crazy busy at work and had the folks in town this weekend. luckily, i had time to pick up killa season yesterday. i've only had time to listen to it a few times, but even though it doesn't jump off like purple haze did there are still plenty of bangers on this one. i bought the record off of itunes and it was priced at $9.90 - wonder what coolfer will have to say about this digital pricing move...
cam'ron - white girls
(i know this has been floating around the internet for a while, but the beat is crazy)
cam'ron feat. hell rell - he tried to play me
check out this article on sohh.com about cam's most ridiculous outfits
dipSET.
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my admiration for peter saville's work is pretty well documented, so is it any wonder that i've been salivating over these kicks for the past week or so? seriously, someone please buy me these shoes. thanks.
if you're around brooklyn on thursday don't sleep on this one - party at the old domino sugar factory featuring larry tee, the rock steady crew, the turntables on the hudson guys, and dub trio. sure, it's sponsored by red bull, but it's gonna be massive. (event info from flavorpill)
anyone go to the white rose movement show last night at the bowery ballroom? i couldn't bring myself to trudge out there, because i was tired and have seen the 5 o'clock heroes too many times and heard mixed reviews of wrm live shows.
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while fluxblog tosses out phenomenal song recs on an almost daily basis, i usually try to abstain from reposting tracks on my site right after they pop up there. but i just can't help myself on this one.
the knife - we share our mother's health (trentemoller mix)
not only does this mix up the driving ante of the original, but i think it really understands where silent shout was coming from in terms of vocal tweaking and reappropriating almost trancey elements. fuck. i dare say i almost like it better than this classic knife remix:
the knife - heartbeats (rex the dog remix)
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is this going to be the summer of timbaland? first there was that nelly furtado banger, and now this? i'm not a big lloyd banks fan, but anyone who uses "i'll jack you" lyrics is ok in my book
lloyd banks - my house
i snagged this from the out of control forum on low budget's page
as soon as erol stepped up to the decks on wednesday night at don hill's, i felt like i was transported straight back to trash. jdh had ended with the romping soulwax mix of "dare", and erol proceeded to completely flip the script with a one-two punch of "all nite disco party" and "standing in the way of control". fuck. the energy was also super high in no small part to the $2 sparks (!) pluses that the bar was featuring...
gorillaz - dare (soulwax mix)
brakes - all nite disco party
the gossip - standing in the way of control
i hate to say it, but i had a great weekend up at dartmouth. all the work shit went well and it was nice to get out of the city for a few days. fuck, i even played some touch football. the hotel we were staying at was also across the street from the tip top cafe in white river junction vermont - the place where i had my first ever paid dj gig. this was the first song i played that night:
ladytron - seventeen
and this song totally cleared the dancefloor on the same night:
adam and the ants - goody two shoes
it was also really nice to drive again, especially on the crazy winding country roads up in nh and vt. some songs that i used to have on permanent rotation in my car during school that i wished i had with me this weekend:
alec empire - suicide
low - dinosaur act
blonde redhead - missle
i'm going away through sunday for work.
two gallants - steady rollin
to the middle of nowhere in new hampshire.
nick cave and the bad seeds - where do we go now but nowhere?
which happens to be the same place where i went to school.
the panthers - theory is famous
i'm kind of dreading it.
see you on sunday!
i'm super excited because erol alkan is coming to don hill's next wednesday. erol has been holding it down at trash in london for years now, and has been one of the best - and most reliable - remixers on the indie dance scene since its inception. while i have quibbled with his extended remixes on several occasions, his dj'ing is pretty much stand alone. i was in london in the fall of 2002 doing a study abroad program in college (read: smoking too many cigarettes and spending too much money at rough trade), and went to trash every monday night while i was there. if i was someone else, i would say that the highlights were the live shows i got to check out in an intimate club environment: lcd soundsystem, suicide, fesit, gonzales, midnight mike. but for me, the real highlight was dancing with a topless courtney love. surprising fact: she's the best smelling person i've ever met. looks like a total junkie, but smells like an angel.
anyways, here are songs that erol would play every monday night in the fall of 2002 (for real!)
the pixies - bone machine
duran duran - my own way
the faint - agenda suicide
david bowie - moonage daydream (this is the song i danced to with courtney!)
and a recent-ish remix:
death from above 1979 - romantic rights (erol alkan's love from below mix)
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at the end of last year i was sick and watching daytime television. now, i don't have cable, so that means my options are ridiculously limited between the hours of 11 am and 5 pm. i stumbled upon starting over. at first i couldn't figure out what the show was about. it felt a little bit like the real world, but with a "cast" of middle aged women. and life coaches would flit about in the background. and when a woman would do a confessional segment to the camera, there were enigmatic captions such as "ELISSA - running away from her past" or "LISA - blaming herself for mr. internet". needless to say, i was hooked. i kept my fascination with this bunim-murray project for the aging set a secret, both because i rarely had the chance to watch television at noon during the week, and also because i was ashamed. fuck, if someone i knew told me they about this show i would smack them in the mouth while giggling. several months ago, however, a co-worker let it slip that she too was taken in by starting over's mysterious appeal. and then it happened. it seemed like the show was always coming up in conversations - i would mention it at a brunch where i didn't really know anyone and make instant friends, i would make allusions to it around friends and everyone would know what i was talking about. now this article in nerve. how much longer before there are sparks-sponsored viewing parties at union pools? fuck, i'm there.
even though i'm a disgusting, coughing, sickly mess today, i'm sure as hell excited to turn on nbc at noon.
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one last note for the day. i hesitate to mention it as i've been geared up to see them a few times before and they've always cancelled, but disco-not-disco faves white rose movement are scheduled to play the bowery on the 12th. have yet to pick up a copy of kick, but check out the review at playlouder
white rose movement - girls in the back
update: delia and gavin song deleted as per the request of dfa records.
and check out a video of tim sweeney tweaking the song live here
i was going to post another couple gonzalez & russom tracks, but unfortunately they've become standbys when i dj and i left all my gear and music at work. y'alls just gonna have to wait.
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so apparently the place where i had linked the momonga picture i was using as "my photo" on blogger no longer exists. anyone have a suggestion for a new pic i should use? i can't decide if i want to stay in the realm of cute, exotic animals, or maybe move on to something more like this.
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the one thing that i really love about itunes is the ability to stumble onto a track that you haven't listened to in years, and probably would never have sought out had it not been right after something else. this happened to me yesterday when i was furiously download all the plastic little tracks i could get my grubby mouse onto. what should follow these philly MCs? just a banging plastikman track, of course.
plastikman - spastik
(and it's from an old jockey slut comp, no less!)
