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J Dilla – Donut Shop

As part of promoting their double vinyl + slip mat collaboration with the J Dilla Estate and Serato, Stones Throw has released the digital versions of  Donut Shop tracks. Best of all, they are free! This fresh set of donuts from the legendary J Dilla includes instrumental version of Mos Def’s “History” and Q Tip’s “Move”.

Yo! Check out the sugar coated Studio No. 1 (Shepard Fairey and co.) designed packaging for the double vinyl + slipmat version of Donut Shop! It includes the six J Dilla tracks, 2 sides Serato Control Tone (for use with Serato Scratch Live DJ software), and 2 donut slipmats. Looking at these, I see I could have probably added some sprinkles to a donuts inspired design a did a few years ago. Blast!

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Oddisee West Coast Beats – Hosted By Trek Life

DC area based producer Oddisee took a trip out west while producing Trek Life’s latest album and as he says on the bandcamp page, ” I don’t know if it was the palm trees, beaches, or burgers but this is what I was making in LA.”

Trek Life’s album, “Everything Changed Nothing” produced entirely by Oddisee drops on July 27th, and you can check some of it out on Trek Life’s  MySpace page.

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Dj Bahler – Mashin’ Pit

This is a pretty ambitious and awesome mashup project from LA’s Dj Bahler. Each track on the 14 track project revolves around a Passion Pit track or a track from one of their side projects. Check out the tracklisting and if you aren’t a Passion Pit fan, check it out anyway, there’s something interesting on every track.

Tracklisting + Details
1) Everything is Going to the Beat (Introduction)
Aislyn – Cosmic Paths
Jack Kerouac – The Beat Generation
Animal Collective – Summertime Clothes
Yeasayer – Grizelda

2) Forty Winks
Passion Pit – Sleepyhead
Goldfrapp – A&E
Mary O’Hara – ”rÛ Mo Bh·idÌn

3) Mum Mum Mum Moth
Passion Pit – Moth’s Wings
Lady Gaga – Poker Face
Major Lazer – Pon De Floor
Muse – Starlight

4) The Drinking
Passion Pit – The Reeling
T-Pain – Bartender

5) Open Secret
Passion Pit – Little Secrets
Afroman – Because I Got High
Beastie Boys – Alive
Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick – The Show
Taylor Swift – Fearless
J Kwon – Tipsy

6) I Thought I Knew You
Passion Pit – Seaweed Song
Ratatat – Alps
City High – What Would You Do

7) Touch The Ground
Passion Pit – Moth’s Wings (Stripped Down Version)
Coldplay – Life in Technicolor II

Mephitic Mantra
Shuttle – Rotten Guts
Drake Ft. Lil Wayne & Eminem – Forever

9) Swimming in Solace
Passion Pit – Swimming in the Flood
Blink 182 – First Date
Kid Cudi – Symphonies
Bob Marley – No Woman No Cry

10) Somebody Loves You
Passion Pit – Live to Tell the Tale
Janet Jackson – Someone to Call My Lover
Jay Sean – Down

11) Watch the Sun Rise
Ellie Goulding – Sleepyhead (Starsmith Remix)
Barry Louis Polisar – All I Want is You
Noah and the Whale – Blue Skies (Yacht Remix)
Oh No! Oh My! – I am Not a Monster
Sunloverz – Summer of Love
Tokyo Police Club – Sixties Remake
Cold War Kids – Hang Me Up to Dry

12) Potholes on Easy Street
Passion Pit – Tons of Guns
Yelle – Ce Jeu
Kanye West – Touch The Sky
Beatsteaks – Cut Off the Top (Timo Maas Dirty Rocker Remix)
The Bloody Beetroots – Mother
Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up

13) Reeling in a Dream
Passion Pit – The Reeling
Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes – Desert Song
Passion Pit – The Reeling (BURNS Remix)

14) Cluster Cuss
(0:00) Trans X – Living on Video
(0:04) Crooklyn Clan – It’s About Ta Get Hot
(0:18) Passion Pit – Little Secrets
(0:35) Destiny’s Child – Independent Women
(0:48) Passion Pit – Little Secrets (Jack Beats Remix)
(0:53) KRS One – Sound of da Police
(1:32) Crystal Castles – Air War
(1:47) Crookers – Knobbers
(2:17) Justin Bieber ft. Ludacris – Baby
(2:45) Passion Pit – The Reeling (Calvin Harris Remix)
(3:16) The Bloodhound Gang – Bad Touch (Eiffel 65 Remix)
(4:00) One Republic ft. Timbaland – Apologize
(5:04) Ian Van Dahl – Will I
(5:33) Outkast – Roses
(5:34) Sleigh Bells – Tell ‘Em
(5:49) Ying Yang Twins ft. Lil Jon – Salt Shaker
(5:54) Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg – California Gurls
(7:46) The Beach Boys – California Girls
(8:00) Salt-N-Pepa – Twist and Shout
(8:01) Passion Pit – Better Things
(8:03) Two Door Cinema Club – I Can Talk
(8:05) Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train
(8:17) Sara Bareilles – Love Song
(8:17) Holy Fuck! – Royal Gregory
(8:18) Sean Kingston – Beautiful Girls
(8:31) Chiddy Bang – Truth
(8:31) Chemical Brothers – Beats Made to Break
(9:30) Nas ft. Pharrell – The Flyest
(9:30) Psapp – Needle and Thread
(9:36) Jeremih – Birthday Sex
(9:38) System of a Down – Chop Suey
(10:07) Minus the Bear – Into the Mirror
(10:08) P. Diddy – Last Night
(10:10) Marvin Gaye – I Heard it Through the Grapevine
(10:56) Passion Pit – Smile Upon Me
(10:56) Kele – Tenderoni
(10:57) Miike Snow – Animal
(11:11) Passion Pit – To Kingdom Come (GRUM Remix)
(11:40) Calvin Harris – The Girls
(11:41) Santigold – L.E.S. Artistes
(12:09) Jason Derulo – In My Head
(12:11) Lady Gaga – Just Dance
(12:21) Ke$ha – Tik Tok
(12:35) Kevin Rudolf – Let it Rock
(12:46) Matt and Kim – Daylight (Outro)
(12:47) Chemical Brothers – Star Guitar
(13:02) Death Cab for Cutie – Tomorrow
(13:16) Kid Cudi – Day N Nite
(13:46) David Guetta ft. Akon – Sexy Bitch
(14:16) Shakira – She Wolf
(14:16) Kid Cudi – Day N Nite (Crookers Remix)
(14:44) Snap – Rhythm is a Dancer
(14:46) La Roux – Bulletproof
(14:46) Benny Benassi – Get Loose
(14:52) Chromeo – Fancy Footwork
(15:00) Wonder Girls – Nobody
(15:15) La Roux – Bulletproof (Foamo’s Dubstep Remix)
(15:29) Tokio Hotel – Monsoon
(15:30) Duran Duran – White Lines
(16:13) Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes – Home
(16:26) Pitbull – Hotel Room Service
(16:44) Vampire Weekend – Giving Up the Gun
(16:59) Whitey – Leave them all Behind
(17:12) Crippled Cranes – Neverending Hallway
(17:58) Passion Pit – Let Your Love Grow Tall
(18:05) Yeasayer – ONE
(18:48) Marina & the Diamonds – I am Not a Robot (Passion Pit Remix)
(19:02) David Guetta ft. Akon – Sexy Bitch
(19:34) MC Chris – OMC
(20:20) Royksopp – The Girl and the Robot
(20:20) Daft Punk – Robot Rock (Soulwax Remix)
(20:24) Flight of the Conchords – Robots [The Humans are Dead]
(20:37) The Crystal Method – Double Down Under
(21:31) Dizzee Rascal – Stand Up Tall
(21:34) Two Door Cinema Club – Something Good Can Work
(22:19) Lady Gaga ft. Beyonce – Telephone (Passion Pit Remix)
(22:25) Will Smith – Men in Black
(24:07) Ellie Goulding – Starry Eyed

(Courtesy of UNDRCRWN and Lunchbox Theory)

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Dj Jazzy Jeff and Mick Boogie – Summertime: The Mixtape

Yo! Do not sleep on this one! 49 summertime tracks mixed up by Dj Jazzy Jeff and Mick Boogie. Brought to you by UNDRCRWN and Motivation Boutique. Perfect blend of summertime soul and hip hop!

Tracklisting
1. Summertime Intro
2. Kool & The Gang: Summer Madness (Live Version)
3. Kool & The Gang: Summer Madness
4. Quincy Jones: Summer In The City
5. Ahmad: Back In The Day
6. Ice Cube: It Was A Good Day
7. Roy Ayers f/ Mary J Blige: Everybody Loves The Sunshine
8. Pharcyde: Passin’ Me By (Ffej Remix)
9. Jay-Z f/ Babyface: Sunshine
10. Ramsey Lewis: Sun Goddess
11. A Tribe Called Quest: Find A Way (Ffej String Edit)
12: Bush Babies f/ Mos Def: The Love Song
13. Jodeci: Get On Up
14. The Commodores: High On Sunshine
15. J Dilla f/ Dwele : Think Twice
16. Erick Sermon f/ Marvin Gaye: Music (Mick’s Marvapella Edit)
17. Bernard Wright: Who Do You Love
18. LL Cool J: Loungin’
19. A Tribe Called Quest: Hot Sex
20. Main Source: Live At The BBQ
21. Nuyorican Soul: Nautilus
22. Pharcyde & Sublime: Summertime
23. Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff: Summertime Remix
24. Michael Jackson: I Can’t Help It
25. De La Soul: Breakdawn
26. Musiq: Just Friends
27. Carl Thomas: Summer Rain
28. Faze-O: Riding High
29. Dionne Warwick: Walk On By
30. Skee-Lo: I Wish
31. Black Moon: Who Got The Props
32. Frankie Beverly and Maze: Before I Let Go
33. Nu Shooz: I Can’t Wait
34. Montell Jordan: This Is How We Do It
35: The Roots f/ George Benson: Breezin’
36: Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff: Time To Chill
37. Biggie: Can’t You See
38. James Brown: The Payback
39. En Vogue: My Lovin’
40. Bobby McFerrin: Sunshine Of My Life
41. Fifth Dimension: Let The Sun Shine In
42. Mos Def: Sunshine
43. Nine: Whatcha Want
44. Otis Redding: Sittin’ On The Dock
45. 2Pac: I Get Around (Mick’s String Edit)
46. Zapp: Computer Love (Terry’s Mirage On The Water Mix)
47. Seals And Croft: Summer Breeze
48. Jay-Z: Dear Summer
49. Weldon Irvine: Morning Sunrise

Central Texas’s Crew54 just dropped their latest EP, “The 54 Reality Show Tape” this past Friday in Austin. The project is available for download through the Crew54 Bandcamp page, go check it out and support! I had a lot of fun previewing and contributing to the project through the sleeve design. Photographs of Crew54 by Alejandro Crisologo.

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Soft Serve – A Summer Mix

The homie Chop Steak drops another mix just in time for the first weekend of summer! A smoothed out mix with the feeling of a cold creamsicle on a hot summer day. Oh yea!

Tracklisting

1. Goapele – Different f. Mos Def
2. Petey Pablo – He Spoke To Me
3. Beatnuts – Get Funky
4. Bishop Lamont – Right
5. Dilated Peoples – Worst Comes To Worst
6. Q-Tip – You
7. Zion I – Boom Bip
8. Freddie Gibbs – Ghetto
9. Redman – Tonight’s Da Night
10. Foreign Exchange – Raw Life f. Joe Scudda
11. Pete Rock – Queen f. AG
12. Common – Real Nigga Quotes
13. Johnson & Jonson – Told Me
14. People Under The Stairs – Days Like These
15. Cam’ron – Like Shiiit
16. Pharcyde – She Said (Jay Dee Remix)
17. Ludacris – Good Relationships f. Snoop Dogg & Nate Dog
18. The Game – Old English
19. Lil’ Wayne – Mo’ Fire
20. Three 6 Mafia – Da Summa

Artwork by The Honest Ape

Finally, the video for Breakbot’s “Baby I’m Yours”! The video is actually made up of 2000 watercolor painted images, painted by Irina Dakeva from French production company Wizz. *HEAD EXPLODES.

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Data Howler – Estate/Black Swans Single

I have to say Data Howler’s drastic change in artistic direction is not so much unexpected, but certainly surprising. According to Objektiv One Data Howler, the identity shift for both music and graphic design projects comes after a revelation six months ago and basic boredom with the genre he was slowly becoming popular in. Either way, the two new tracks from the newly dubbed Data Howler give listeners a quick glimpse into what the artist is now about. I personally hope he does not completely abandon hip-hop, but go explore a bit and come back and switch it up for everyone. Either way, check out his new tracks as Data Howler.

I was down in Austin for SXSW this past March and was kicking it with The LOEGz, who I’ve been doing some work for. The group was one of the openers on the Best in Texas Showcase, which had a Paul Wall and Chamillionaire reunion as the headliner. Somewhere between acts, Houston hip-hop legend Michael 5000 Watts threw on one of the Concealed Weapons t shirts that I designed, which had a bunch of people running to the merch table to buy them up.

At this point, I had left the backstage area and had gone off to trying to get into another showcase, so I never saw this happen. I did look up some video of it…pretty crazy feeling to see one of my designs on a legend. Dope stuff!

Dj Nick Nack has released a limited edition full digipack of his latest album, Dearly Departed. Only having 100 printed up, it is a “high quality matte lamination with spot UV and includes real vintage photos.” Each album also comes with a download coupon. The album is a dedication to Nick’s sister, who was killed in a car accident in 2004.

Correction: 1000 of the CDs pictured here. The “limited edition” copies are the same + signed + hand numbered + include Nick Nack’s previous release “Improving Silence”.

From CrowdControlRecords.com

Dearly Departed” is the follow up full length album to Nick’s highly successful “Improving Silence”. This new album can best be described as a combination of psych rock and funk. The result is a sultry, soulful downtempo instrumental sound that is sure to move you whether you like hip hop, soul, rock or downtempo electronica. DJ Ayres summarizes best by saying, “I would put this album in the same category as DJ Shadow – Endtroducing and RJD2 – Dead Ringer.”

The Check out pictures of the actual packaging designed by Dj Nick Nack after the jump and peep the video promo created by Nick Nack.
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