Hip-hop’s global empire is a juggernaut, racing from braggadocio to backpack-toting purists who shun the materialistic. But the true demographic of the genre is harder to nail down than a Pauly Shore fan. The once strictly urban b-boy ideologies have overtaken the suburbs, grabbing the youth market, which is hastily…
After the one-two punch of “Hey Ya!” and “I Like the Way You Move,” Outkast proved its universal appeal by sealing the deal with an Album of the Year award at this year’s Grammys for the bipolar double set Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. In the last year, Outkast’s dynamic duo of…
Despite the fact that Tibetan freedom has become a popular celebrity cause in recent years, the Dalai Lama and his peeps remain helplessly tucked away in the snowy Himalayan mountains while the Chinese continue to occupy his country. China’s Communist government has replaced the official language from Tibetan to Chinese,…
As Mo’ Wax label chief and main conspirator behind the intriguing UNKLE project, James Lavelle has already carved a successful path for himself as entrepreneur and producer. In between day jobs, though, it seems he can’t shake his roots, which lie behind the decks on the dance floor. On the…
With the latest in the Blue Series Continuum — a conceptual pairing of nonjazz artists with famed New York pianist Matthew Shipp and his talented cohorts — El-P has whipped up another stimulating recording. This time, though, the intellectual rapper/producer belies the mic throttling to focus on the potential beauty…
It might seem that downtempo’s nascent era is far removed, as many of its famed alumni, including Massive Attack, Portishead, and Morcheeba, have either disappeared or regressed. Unfortunately for Lamb, the latter has become apparent. Through the late ’90s glory days, the duo of Andy Barlow and Louise Robinson stood…
Arguably the progenitors of true industrial music, Germany’s finest machinists, Einstürzende Neubauten, have returned with more kling klang (de)construction on their first new offering since 2000’s Silence is Sexy. With the current lineup intact since 1996, the quintet, led by Blixa Bargeld, continues a devoted, refined path in search of…
Though the word genius can be as misused as a condom on a Mötley Crüe tour bus, it would be daunting to find a better description for director Chris Cunningham after viewing his masterworks. Another stunning entry in an already brilliant concept, Cunningham’s edition of the Director’s Label Series (which…
Slovenia’s finest export has been creating its propulsive music as a sardonic response to the turmoil in its homeland for two decades now. With Laibach’s first release in seven years, the fearless foursome evokes memories of a once-bleak landscape, this time with almost effortless electronic purity. It’s political techno-rock. The…
Improvisation doesn’t always equal innovation. Sometimes, the lack of connection among a group of musicians can result in nothing short of a muddled affair. Thankfully, Vienna-based trio Trapist has the talent and cohesion to turn an organic sound into an at-times-brilliant portrait of electronic orchestration. A concept album of sorts,…
As the electro movement’s glitz-addled popularity seems to have waned in the past year, it’s only inevitable that a new form of punk rebellion rides the wave of backlash. With a name lifted from the German translation of a Burroughs short story, Berlin-based artist T. Raumschmiere has buried the genre’s…
After recent, overindulgent, and sometimes-uninspired offerings from the experimental ilk, there seemed to be a stagnant air in this genre. Then again, one should never say never, and with Atlanta native Richard Devine’s latest offering, the sonic blueprint has once again been revamped, transmitting some of the most jaw-dropping cerebral…
With a name that immediately strikes curiosity and perhaps deserves a good-natured chuckle, Los Angelinos Kittens for Christian may sound like some sort of teen dance band or a German-rock rip-off. But once the novelty of its moniker wears off, the three-piece band’s no-frills, no-wave style on its major-label debut,…
Movie documentaries can veer in many directions, from shocking investigative reporting, like Errol Morris’ The Thin Blue Line, to nine-hour Ken Burns indulgences that require more Dramamine than a Yanni concert. Where rock ‘n’ roll is concerned, however, the lens almost always follows the artist, from public to private. So,…
Though the word auteur gets tossed around in the film industry like a salad (Vincent Gallo?!), many seem to overlook the real progenitors of filmmaking. Lloyd Kaufman not only defines the label, but over the past 30 years, he has mutated its commercialized confines with a button-pushing, all-out motion picture…
