DJ Funk -Booty Clap EP

DJ Funk, "Booty Clap" (YSI link)

DJ Funk, "Put Yo Back N 2 It" (YSI link)

DJ Funk, "Sex Drive" (YSI link)

DJ Funk, "Work That MF" (YSI link)

Mang, this is all that I've been listening to lately, all the ghettotech and ghetto house stuff that has come out of Detroit and Chicago respectively. Not sure what brought it back to #1 status right now, but to be honest, it's never that far from top status. There's just something about that pounding, heavy sound with the filthy lyrics, oftentimes from a clipped, robotic voice. How can you not like this stuff? Do you not smile in life? I worry about you if you do not download these tracks and play them for hours straight, I really do.

DJ Funk is a legend. It's as simple as that, the man most responsible for developing the Chicago ghetto house sound in the 1990s.

-I dream of living abroad. It's events like this, Switch's new monthly at Fabric that only make it more necessary. Radioclit, Sinden and Switch in Room 1! Holy fuck!

-New LA monthy. Calling All DJs at Avalon (1735 N. Vine St.) with guests Justin from !!!, Adam-12 from She Wants Revenge, my bol Daniel from Le Disko.



-DJ Sujinho brings some baile funk to Richmond, VA at the Cobra Kai guy's monthly Mint

-Carl Craig at Studio B in Greenpoint for Demon Days



-Shelly and June D of White Dove at Club Purple tonight in the East Village



-Low Budget with Grandmaster Flash at Lotus in NYC

-As always, Hands and Knees at the M Lounge in Fishtown, Philadelphia, USA.

Science Faction - Grime

Regal Players, "Rude Boy (remix)" (YSI link)

Ribz, Nappa, Flirta D & Shizzle, "Pull Up Dat" (YSI link)

Jammer, "Murcle Man" (YSI link)

I had actually written a sunny, upbeat post about some glorious underground disco, but it's snowing and I read the news and I haven't received a message back from someone and yadda yadda yadda here's a post on a nice grime compilation. It's sad that there are only a few compilations that have made it into wide distribution in the states for this music, as it's some of the freshest, most interesting music of the past decade easily.

I recently came across this new compilation from Science Faction, a label dedicated to covering the underground genres that have popped up recently or have just got attention from the blogs and DJs, like dubstep and Baltimore club. This grime compilation seems too little too late, as there's a sense that this movement has begun to splinter. In essence, this is the sort of thing that everyone outside of the UK was clamoring for a few years back. But, I don't want to take away from a great CD with that kind of bitching. Let's be thankful that we got anything at all, let along something that compiles the big names and some up and comers that I hadn't heard from before. It's all mixed by DJ Cheeky, meaning that this isn't much help for the DJs out there. What you do get is a decent overview of the scene at this time, particularly the more rhythmic music of the scene.

The first half of the CD is the strongest, bringing the harder beats and the harder lyrics. It's got a more varied, dance-y sound than the Dizzee Rascal, early grime sound of the pirates. While I prefer the older, dystopic, brutal shit, this is nothing to sneeze at. I feel like Wiley looms over this compilation, and not just because he has a song or two on here. Rather, he has always seemed the most open to other sounds and opening grime up from its lo-fi beginnings and that permeates throughout. While I wish 2004 could have lasted forever, I'm excited to hear where this scene goes. I'm gonna try to do a better job staying on top of this, please get in touch if you can point me in the right directions. Go here to buy this one, look for it at most major CD stores as it's got good distribution.

-Philly, you need to be here, as Broadzilla drop their first 2007 party. They will change your life. "A Total Destruction Dance Party For You and Yours."



-NYC, check out Even Further with my bol Project Matt. Happy ending (302 Broome)




-And/or head to the West Village for Cheeky Bastard with special guest DJ Juan MacLean. Hiro Ballroom (



-LA, here's you new best friend, the BFF weekly party. Dirty Dave and Blake from Moving Units spin. Beauty Bar (1638 N. Cahuenga Blvd.)

Tactic - Money Shot Volumes 1 & 2

Tactic, Money Shot Volume 1 (YSI link)

Tactic, Money Shot Volume 2

Tracklists for both volumes are in the comments.

I've been mentioning that I want this site to be an outlet for friends of the blog and all the good people out there grindin', makin' new tracks, djin' and makin' us dance. Here's a great start to this new direction, as this Money Shot mix was sent to me by two hard working kids in the Midwest and it kills. Repeat, this mix fucking kills. Tactic are Ben Fuller and Brent Lippincott a.k.a. djcandlewax and they hold down Kansas City with various parties and opening spots for Diplo, Flosstradamus and my bol White Girl Lust.

The two volumes of Money Shot are just what I needed right, that great blend of hip hop club bangers and street stuff combined with the best of the indie dance stuff. Yummy. I'm not going to choose a favorite, as they're both essential and reasonable sized files, so grab them both. Do not sleep, people, for real, as you're going to be talking about these guys in the near future and you'll be able to say, Please, I knew about Tactic way back, that shit's so 2007" and girls will jock you for your music hipness. What I like best is their willingness to follow the good music, whether that takes them to Paris or Atlanta or East London. It's the same ethos that dominates here, which is why I am so happy to consider them a friend of Pound for Pound.

It's not all just bedroom mixing, however. The Tactic bols hold down a monthly called Shake and Pop at The Hangout in Kansas City, along with a few other nights that you can see on their myspace page schedule. I have to highlight their new ghettotech night, Go!, which will destroy Lawrence, Kansas this Saturday. They've got special guest Bitch Ass Darius there, making The Jackpot the place to be. If you live within 8 states of this, be there.



These guys are starting to make a lot of noise, glad that we can help spread the word here.

Erol Alkan Reworks

Klaxons, "Golden Skan (Erol Alkan's Ekstra Spektral Rework extended)" (YSI link)

Hot Chip, "Boy From School (Erol Alkan's extended rework)" (YSI link)

It's always special when Erol Alkan redoes a track; it's the music equivalent of a link or mention at Pound for Pound. Shut up, it is! Anyway, he's brought his vision to a rising name in the UK, Klaxons. You've heard all about them, they've been mentioned here before, they're the leaders of the new rave scene that's blowing up across the Atlantic. Sadly, all of this new rave talk and style takes away from the fact that these guys make some great music. It's

If you don't know the second song, I feel sorry for you. "And I Was A Boy From School" was one of the best tracks from one of the best albums of 2006, Hot Chip's The Warning. Make sure you own this one, go here and buy it immediately.

-Make it to High Voltage tonight at Sutra! Best Wednesday party in NYC!



-Not sure if you've been following this story about the recent purge of US Attorney across the country. TPM Muckraker has the list and the news that there is a little know provision in the Patriot Act that allows the White House to appoint interim replacements for the remainder of his term. Would you be shocked to learn that these prosecutors were all involved in cases and investigations into Bush and GOp corruption? Would you be even more shocked to learn that the first replacement is a lifelong Republican hack whose career has mainly been digging up dirt on Democrats? These are truly frightening times.

-I just wanted to give a shout-out to all the people behind Sunday night's madness at Studio B in Greenpoint. It was hands down the wildest, craziest I've ever seen a NYC crowd and that is a very good thing. Flosstradamus killed it, as did Cosmo, Pase Rock and Naeem. Y'all know I love Kudu, their set only made this a legendary night. Late night at the Bell Biv Davoe house, what happens there, stays there.

M. Ward - Post War

M. Ward, "Post-War" (YSI link)

M. Ward, "Chinese Translation" (YSI link)

Sorry for the lack of posting around here lately, it's been a crazy time at Pound for Pound. One might go so far as to say that I am in Narnia, except for the fact that there are people waiting for that very phrase. We'll be picking things up again now, be excited.

One good thing about focusing on music so much is that it has made me more willing to take chances outside of my comfort areas, meaning that I'll explore an artist that catches my ear even for a few seconds. M. Ward fits into that category, as I recently caught a clip of him on the New York Noise television show, performing at the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago or the Siren Fest at Coney Island.

Unfortunately, a listen to his latest album, Post-War, hasn't hit me in the same way. I'm having a hard time explaining why this one misses, as he has a great, unique voice, songs about loss and love, all the things that usually do it for me. The best I've come up with is that his songs just aren't to my liking. They're too slow a lot of the time, almost losing the momentum that is so pivotal in stripped-down acoustic music. The best comparison for me is to Jenny Lewis' solo album, Rabbit Fur Coat, which Ward produced. Lewis' album had great songs throughout and this one just doesn't in my opinion.

I understand that this is Ward's first album with a backing band and I'm curious to check out his earlier, solo work and see if that's more to my liking. Above are two of my favorite songs, beautiful, touching tracks. The title track, especially, kills, as Ward's voice sounds on the verge of tears at times. I'm not saying that this is a bad album, it just doesn't hold my attention throighout. For an opposing viewpoint, check out this glowing review at Pitchfork. Go here to buy a copy and decide who's right.

-Unfotunately, we are not in a post-war period. In fact, I think we're in a pre-war mid-war clusterfuck. It seems like we are going to war with Iran and/or Syria, or at least trying to provoke them, as Laura Rozen makes clear in this article. Juan Cole takes a look at the recent raid of the Iranian consulate in Northern Iraq. For a reminder of the devastation the last neo-con war has wreaked, check out the recent totals of Iraqi civilian deaths in 2006. Bush, his administration, the neo-con supporters and complacent media truly live in Narnia.

-Read this post at Digby's on Martin Luther King Jr. and the real conservative take on the man, with a great excerpt from Rick Perlstein's article in The New Republic called "The New Reckoning"

-RIP Philadelphian Michael Brecker

Martin Luther King Jr.

I'm a day late, but hopefully not a dollar short. I wanted to do a brief post on Martin Luther King Jr., a true hero and a figure that still provides inspirations 3 plus decades after his death.

I can think of no better way to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. than to listen to his words. I'm not sure there is anything more powerful or musical than King's greatest speeches. These speeches still give me chills, the same feeling I had hearing them in the second or third grade for the first time. I wanted to highlight one in particular, the one he gave in Memphis the day before his death, the "I've Been To The Mountaintop" speech. It was a speech in support of the striking janitors of the city, a cause that was very dear to King in the last months of his life. For me, it's his greatest speech, a dark, nearly apocalyptic message, where King eerily talks about the fact that he may not see the new world he is fighting for, but that we will get there. In spite of the darkness, there's a hope and joy at its heart, like the best blues songs. Read the full text here, then give it a listen at the video below:



I'm not going to ruin that with my own words, just want to simply say that this gives me hope like little else, that we can make it through the dark times.

Max Sedgley - Slowly

Max Sedgley, "Slowly (original mix)" (YSI link)

Max Sedgley, "Slowly (Hot Chip remix)" (YSI link)

Max Sedgley, "Slowly (Metronomy remix)" (YSI link)

I'll have the music up as soon as I get back to Pound for Pound HQ, wanted to get all of this party info put in the meantime. Go out and dance and drink and kiss and come home to some great music. Yeah!

-Downtown NYC runs it tonight. Best Fwends and Sweatheart at Cake Shop (153 Ludlow) tonight with Nick Catchdubs

-OMFG with Dimitry and Alex English at Beauty Bar (231 E. 14th St.)



-Home Sweet Home (131 Chrystie St.) with special guest DJ Sergio Vega



-Rocktronik with Frog at Remix (27 Park Place, bwtn Church and Broadway) late night



-There's nothing going on Philadelphia except for the Eagles and Philadelphyinz at Medusa (21st and Chestnut).

-Last but not least, DJ DJ Dylan holds down MJQ in the ATL FYI LOL ROTFL OMG BRB

2 Great New Philly Parties This Weekend

I want to give a special heads up about two new Philly parties that are starting up this weekend. First up, the good folks at Seclusiasis have started up a new monthly called Open Fire. They're taking over Upstairs at Sal's On 12th for a night of all that is good in this horrible, fucked up world, a.k.a. bass music. Here's what they plan to play:



Tomorrow night, volume 2 of the Philadelphyinz party jumps off, heading uptown to the Rittenhouse Square area. This one's at Medusa (27 S. 21st Street), a great place for a night of sweaty dancing, dry humping and raving. My bol Skinny Friedman and Apt One have been holding down the Khyber with volume 1 for a while now, consistently one of the best parties in the city. I have even higher expectations for this one, as this space is purrrrfeect for that mix of Giorgio Moroder and rap bangers and all out mayhem. This is the place to be Saturday, things start at 10 pm sharp.

Again, I reiterate, I want Pound for Pound to continue to help get the word out about cool shit. This is a place for all the city people doing big things, we're on some grassroots, up with the people steez. Get at me via email or myspace and let me know what's good.

DJ Slugo - Back Da Fuck Up

DJ Godfather, "Bang Them Walls" (YSI link)

DJ Godfather, "Jiggle Yo" (YSI link)

DJ Godfather, "Back Da Fuck Up" (YSI link)

Friday is here, a three day weekend lies ahead, so much going on. I figured that I'd do my part by putting another classic ghetto house single, the sickest, raunchiest shit you've ever heard. DJ Slugo actually comes out of the Chicago juke scene, having dropped his early hits on the Chi-town based Dance Mania label. This label and Slugo helped define the ghetto house genre, which developed at the same time as Detroit's ghettotech. I think you'll notice immediately the difference between these songs, the A side to the "Back Da Fuck Up" EP, and say, DJ Assault's work. Back Da Fuck Up came out in 2001, as his first release on the CWAL MOB Recordings label. It's filthy and banging and the best thing in the world.

I have a lot more to say about Slugo, but it'll have to wait. For now, enjoy some classic music, dance floor destruction guaranteed. If you don't like this stuff, I feel really sorry for you.

-West Coast people, there is only one place you should be tonight: Milk Bar in San Francisco for Vin Cougar's mixtape release party. We'll have more on this CD, but tonight go hear bol spin with Steve Aoki and Richie Panic, know that you are at the best party on the entire coast





-Great new gallery has opened near Rittenhouse in Philly, tonight's their opening night. It's a great one too, featuring the works of the WowchWowch dudes. Dave P's [click] is the official afterparty at Fluid, so that's a night, there's your night.




-My bol JHN RDN and Ian St. Laurent have the already legendary Hands and Knees in Fishtown tonight (foreshadowing here) with special guest from Miami, Jess Is For Jerk

-My bol Dimitry is spinning tonight at Calling All Kids with Melody Nelson and Eamon Harkin. The party's celebrating its first anniversary, so wish them a happy birthday




-Finger On The Pulse Radio at 7, Finger On The Pulse party later at Royal Oak, that's your night, there's your night

---

Monica - The Makings of Me

Monica feat Dem Franchize Boyz, "Everytime The Beat Drop" (YSI link)

Monica, "Sideline Ho" (YSI link)

I've been meaning to get to this one for a few months now, sorry for not doing it sooner. I'm not a huge r&b fan, so you can definitely discount this review as that of some hipster interloper. It's true. I like to think that being an outsider allows me to bring fresh eyes

-Baltimore Bass Connection's new monthly Fully Fitted at Lit with guest Nick Catchdubs tonight



-GBH, Dimitry et al drop another Cheeky Bastard, this time with The Filsm doing a live set

-B.F.F. at the Beauty Bar in LA tonight with guest DJ Junior Sanchez



-I will be staying in, hiding under the bed, crying while I contemplate the fact that we are probably going to war with Iran and Syria. Lots of amazing events coming up, check in for weekend plans.

The Return of Theme Time Radio Hour

Bob Dylan, Theme Time Radio Hour #28 (Sleep)

Bob Dylan, Theme Time Radio Hour #29 (Food)

Bob Dylan, Theme Time Radio Hour #30 (Thanksgiving Leftovers)

Theme Time Radio Hour set me free, knowing that it had to let me do other posts and return because it was meant to be. Seriously, I never got tired of these shows, as the entire series was one of the best developments of 2006. Hell, the whole year was a big one for the man, what with the new album, going #1 on the charts, another huge tour. It's an amazing another act for the man, shocking when you consider how few artists have more than one moment, let alone when you think about the impossibility for anyone over the age of 30 to hold such an important spot in the musical dialogue of today.

Unfortunately, these mp3s of the radio shows are single mp3s, not divided up into the individual songs. I'm gonna try to figure out a program to do this, but for now you'll have to listen to the whole thing straight through.

It's worth it though, continuing in the same vein as previous episodes. You get Bob Dylan's own look back at the history of music, the songs and music that has impacted his life. Here's two topics dear to my heart, food and sleep (sorry Thanksgiving leftovers, but I'm putting you under food). I've always thought sleep is one of the those amazing topics I wish I had studied. It seems like this amazing ground between science and art, the real and the imagination. In some ways, I always look at Dylan's break during the 60s, when he went from being the poster boy of the protest movement to being the poet of the personal reflects a similar concept. Sorry for being a little convoluted here, but I'm thinking out loud.

In The Beginning There Was Rhythm

The Slits, "In The Beginning There Was Rhythm" (YSI link)

The Pop Group, "She Is Beyond Good and Evil" (YSI link)

I've been talking about digging deeper into that epic period in the late 70s and early 80s which helps inform so much of what this blog is about. When rap and disco and electro and no wave were all beginnging to bubble up. This particular compilation, In The Beginning There Was Rhythm, chronicles the aftermath of the fall of punk. It was one of, if not the key, moment for Pound for Pound, when dance and rhythm reemerged in rock and punk. I don't hate punk music, I just hate the mindset and biases that informed so much of it. Anger and politics and youth are all great things and the culture produced some powerful stuff, like The Buzzcocks, The Sex Pistols, etc. However, it also bred this ridiculous, elitist, borderline homophobic, sexist and racist mindset that dancing and rhythm were horrible, embarrassing things.

The songs above are two favorites from the Soul Jazz compilation. Y'all know I love The Slits and it seemed stupid to not include the song that gives the CD its amazing name. It's perfect Slits, angular, forceful, bass heavy bottom. The Pop Group are a lesser known name from this period, the defining group in the Bristol sound. Their sound was, like The Slits, most influenced by Jamaica and the sounds coming out of that country. While neither has an explicit reggae sound, it's a clear influence. The Pop Group's first single, "She Is Beyond Good and Evil," was produced by legendary Jamaican producer/artist Dennis Bovell and dub is a major part of their steez.

What you'll notice with both songs is how un-punk they sound, how open and experimental this ish is. It's everything that music should be for me, open to new sounds, wild, crazy, danceable, fun, political. In other words, human and complicated. It doesn't surprise me that this is the music we return to today, as opposed to the stale, orthodox sounds of punk. We're going to dig a lot deeper into this period and of course all of the stuff that was breaking around this time.

-Congrats to Nancy Pelosi, first woman Speaker of the House. It's sad that it took this long, but it's happened and this is a great thing. P.S. Wearing purple in honor of the suffragettes at your inauguration, so gully.

-John McCain is a man of convictions, a truth teller, say the pundits. He is not. He is a panderer and The Carpetbagger Report lists his many flip-flops over the past few years. Democrats and liberals, please see this man for what he is, not what you want him to be.

-Great weekend. I had a chance to check out the Man Man/Plastic Little show at the Bowery Friday night, an early contender for show of the year (2007 is all about hyperbole and overusing the best-of concept). Philly took over NYC and destroyed as usual. Man Man were amazing, so great to see a sold-out crowd going crazy in this big space. PL were great, crowd was into it despite the early start. So great to see lots of Philly people, as usual. I got to check out the People Don't Dance No More party, although got a later start than intended. I'm hoping that David et al do it again, as this one has so much potential.

Sadly, the F train and my own inability to figure out the D train map meant that I missed my friends at Home Sweet Home and was in a pissy mood for Project Matt's Saturday night throwdown with the Baller's Eve bols. Sad, as it was a great crowd, sweaty, dancers, Dirty South bangers, a gorgeous bartender a.k.a. the blueprint, but I didn't have it in me. Next week...

-E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles!!!!!

DJ Unk - Walk It Out

Unk, "Walk It Out" (YSI link)

Unk feat. Andre 3000 and Jim Jones, "Walk It Out (remix)" (YSI link)

Unk, "2 Step" (YSI link)

Yeah yeah yeah, this song has been out forever and it's lame for me to be putting it up so late and the South is ruining hip-hop and blah blah blah. This song is the jam and it's all I want to listen to walking around in this beautiful summer weather. Shout out to global warming, btw, as I'm loving the warm weather/light jacket steez. Anyway, y'all have heard "Walk It Out," but make sure to give "2 Step" a listen as it's just as good. This is the sound that sounds right to my ears coming out of hip hop, that minimalist snap production. Grab the full length CD, Beat'n Down Yo Block, and learn that I am not a self-respecting music fan, according to Amazon reviewer Patrick L. Randall, a.k.a. Big Irish Guy. School me big guy, school me.

-Baller's Eve invades Home Sweet Home. DJs Dirrty and Minski join with Project Matt for the best party in NYC.



-On your home to Brooklyn, hit up the 265 McKibben Winter Solstice Roof Rave with Lauren Flax and Dances With White Girls




-Black Dice and Excepter at the Bowery Ballroom (head to Home Sweet Home a few short blocks away after)

-LA, get out your puffy shirt and celebrate Dirty Dave's bday with the best DJs in the city - Franki Chan, Daniel LeDisko, Blake from Moving Units and more. RSVP at rsvp@princehouserecords.com. Numerous booty references all night long!



-DJ DJ Dylan holds down MJQ in Atlanta

-Philly, you know what to do tonight - The Re-up with Crimp Yr Hair bols at Upstairs at Sal's with special guest Holland Boys



-San Francisco's

-DJ Never Forget does Sweden tonight at Klubb Ace

-We got love for the Midwest! Shake and Pop tonight in Kansas City with special guest DJ Sku



Lots of shit going on, enjoy the weather and support your local DJs and clubs!

The Rapture - Get Myself Into It remixes

The Rapture, "Get Myself Into It (Prince Language disco edit)" (YSI link)

The Rapture, "Get Myself Into It (Sebastian remix)" (YSI link)

The Rapture, "Get Myself Into It (Serge Santiago UK re-edit)" (YSI link)

I've been waiting to finally get a hold of this single, as I've been loving The Rapture's recent album, Pieces Of The People We Love, more and more and this is one of the better songs on that. For real, these boys were slept on in 2006 big time. Grab the album now, or wait for a few more words this weekend when I dropped my top albums of 2006.

This single features three remixes to make this one a little more (non-indie kid) dancefloor ready. First up, New York's Prince Language drops a disco edit that sounds so right it's crazy. He adds these wonderful horns that brighten up the music tremendously, not what you'd expect from the dark, guitar driven sound of the band. Serge Santiago's re-edit takes a similar approach, extending the original, upping the percussion. It's a little too busy, especially in comparison to the Prince Language one. Finally, it wouldn't be a hot single without someone from Paris getting in on the action. Ed Banger's SebastiAn steps to the plate for this one, bringing another great remix with that punk electro sound Pound for Pound loves so much.

-Don't forget, People Don't Dance No More tonight at Element (Houston and Essex) with Druzzi from the Rapture spinning and much more. Check my post from yesterday for all the info. Check the NY Press' preview from today.

-Holy shit LA! Franki Chan starts 2007 off with a bang. Iheartcomix and Puma New Year Kick Off with Flosstradamus and Lazaro Casanova at the Short Stop



-ATL vs. NYC. Au Courant is a live fashion installation tonight at The Mark in Atlanta. My bol DJ DJ Dylan is spinning his electrocrunk all night. Beautiful Southern belles and bolles, amazing fashion, the best music. Be there.



-Finger On The Pulse tonight holding down Brooklyn at the East River Bar

-What's going on in the greatest city on Earth? The 51:51 bols have your Philadelphia weekend plans all laid out nice.

-Philly runs NYC as always. I'll be at the Plastic Little/Man Man show tonight at the Bowery Ballroom. It's sold-out, so check craig's list if you are desperate.

People Don't Dance No More At Element!

It's 2007 and Pound for Pound is gonna try to highlight some of the great parties going on in the cities of the world even more this year. I want to give more individual attention to all of the great ish going on out there. What better way to start this year off than with a new jawn from the dudes behind two of the best blogs alive (besides this one, suckas!), my bol David at Slap You In Public and Robot Blair at Music-for-robots?

This is the first episode and it's jampacked with special guests, including Druzzi from The Rapture. James F!@#$%^ Friedman and Johnny Love of Guns 'n' Bombs (Kitsune signed) also are spinning, making this a must-attend and dance-at. Go here for all the info and rsvp at peopledontdancenomore@gmail.com ASAP for reduced admission ($10). Show some love to people doing real big things, always good to see people commited to downtown freakouts! See you there!

Chicken Lips - He Not In

Chicken Lips, "He Not In (original edit)" (YSI link)

Chicken Lips, "He Not In (Stanton Warriors She Not In edit)" (YSI link)

Chicken Lips, "He Not In (Stanton Warriors Or Is She edit)" (YSI link)

I hope to delve deeper into dance music in the coming year, getting into more labels and sounds than the dirty, filthy, indie stuff coming out of Paris and Australia and the States. Chicken Lips are a huge name that have been a great way for me to get into a lot of the more dance-y stuff than what I've listened to before. They're actually a duo from the UK who've been making music for a long time. How long? They were big players during acid house's hey day. Now, they are leading the way in the electro-house scene, consistently putting out the best tracks and remixes of the genre.

"He Not In" was a huge hit in 2003, getting played by every major DJ in the genre and being picked up by Azuli Records for a compilation. It's definitely not what I would think of as an anthem, but it probably does define the dubhouse sound. Not surprisingly, the music sort of sneaks up on you, as things sort of slowly play out. A far cry from the immediate sounds that I normally go for. The Stanton Warrior edits are much more in this vein, as the bass asserts itself a lot more on these two. Let us know what you think, as we'll try to go deeper if people are feeling this.

-My bol Project Matt is spinning at Supreme Trading in Williamsburg tonight with Iron Mike, just do it

-Peter Hook from New fucking Order is spinning tonight at Hiro



-Brendon Bring'em's weekly Thursday night at Bamboo Lounge in Philly kicks off 2007

-BFF in LA with its new resident DJ Dirty Dave!

All Saints MSTRKRFT remix

All Saints, "Rock Steady (MSTRKRFT remix)" (YSI link)

All Saints, "Rock Steady (album version)" (YSI link)

Here's a quick post, as I'm working on my best albums of 2006 post and wanted to get the word out about a few happenings tonight. What better song to throw up than a remix by one of our favorite artists of 2006? Not All Saint's, our bols from Canada MSTRKRFT! This remix came out late in the year, not sure how much attention it has gotten. It's not one of their best, in my opinion, as it takes a little to get rolling. Around the midway point, the bass starts to

-My bol Dimitry and friends set off more High Voltage. Secret guest will be spinning, according to an inside source.



-My girl Elizabeth is spinning in Berlin tonight for a new monthly called




-first Driz Horse of 2007 tonight at the Khyber in Philly with Julie G and AJW

Bob Dylan - I Threw It All Away

Bob Dylan, "I Threw It All Away" (YSI link)

Bob Dylan, "I Threw It All Away (live)" (YSI link)

Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, "I Threw It All Away (1)" (YSI link)

Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, "I Threw It All Away (2)" (YSI link)

Yo La Tengo, "I Threw It All Away" (YSI link)

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, "I Threw It All Away (live acoustic)" (YSI link)

Blixa Bargeld, Nick Cave and Mick Harvey, "I Threw It All Away" (YSI link)

For some reason, I've never really listened much to Nashville Skyline, Bob Dylan's 1973 countryish album. I have no good excuse, other than there is only so much time in the day and only so much Dylan a man can listen to in his life. Recently, I've been digging back into the Johnny Cash catalogue (stay tuned!) and I came across a Youtube video (see below) of Dylan performing this song and finally listened to the Dylan/Cash Sessions that have leaked, which give a great behind the scenes look at the making of this album.

I feel like "I Threw It All Away" is a great counterpart to our recent post on "She's Your Lover Now," a sincere testament to love in the face of a breakup, filled more with regret than anger. The first thing you need to notice is how different Dylan's voice sounds here, much less ragged, much cleaner. For anyone who has heard "Lay Lady Lay," it's just like that. I love this sound. Not surprisingly, the album version is my favorite, a minor song in the Dylan canon that still gets interpreted by others and would be one of the best songs for another artist. The theme of the song, the self-loathing, regretful tone, may work more for me, but who knows? It's hard to imagine that there is anyone out there who hasn't felt like they've lost a great relationship because of their faults.

The cover versions are hit and miss. Yo La Tengo hits, as Ira Kaplan provides beautifully fragile vocals. The band holds pretty true to the original, making it a highlight of their early album President Yo La Tengo/New Wave Hot Dogs. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds hit big time, with a sparse acoustic version that brings out the self-loathing dark side the best. Not a great sound quality, but it's well worth a listen. This Blixa Bargeld/Nick Cave/Mick Harvey version misses big time for me. It was a part of the soundtrack for the movie To Have and To Hold and features Scott Walker on vocals. Ugh, he does his normal baroque, cabaret steez and it completely ruins the gentle, sad nature of the song, loses it in avant egotism.

-Check out this amazing footage from the old Johnny Cash show in 1969 (a.k.a. the first version from the Dylan-Cash Sessions above), where Bob sings "I Threw It All Away"



-Allen Iverson played the Sixers for the first time since he was traded to the Nuggets. It was not a good one for AI, as he was ejected at the end, struggled some offensively and lost. While his comments after the game about the ridiculous way that Billy King and Mo Cheeks handled his criticisms of the team's style of play are right on, my advice to AI, from someone who has gone through the same sort of emotional breakup, is to let it go. Look forward buddy, there's no sense in looking back as it will only frustrate and anger you and darken the future. The

-The only football player I've ever truly liked will return to the Eagles for the playoff run. Koy Detmer was resigned yesterday, reversing the fact that the organization threw it all away. Welcome back Koy, it's good to have you back where you belong.

2007

Posting will resume shortly, as we took yesterday for recovery and lots of Arrested Development. I hope that everyone had a great New Year's Eve/Day and had a chance to hang out in their city and go to lots of parties and dance and drink and kiss. Pound for Pound had an amazing start to the year, celebrating the ball dropping on a Bushwick rooftop, getting to hear DJ Funk and DJ Assault in a loft packed with dancers, Bloc Party and "Young Folks" at Movida, helping a girl who called me George with her luggage in the pouring rain and on and on. It was the perfect start to the year, as I only regret that I couldn't make it to see DJ Assault at Studio B.

I really am excited about this year ahead, as I feel like I have put 2006 firmly behind me now and I am just SO FOCUSED. We're gonna keep going in the same direction we've always had, taking a look at the best music today and the foundations from years ago. I hope that people will comment with this post and let me know any suggestions or criticisms they have and that can be addressed. As always, please get in touch with me via email or myspace and say hi, telling me what you're feeling out there, let me know about the projects, music, parties, businesses you are involved in and want to get the word out about. 2007 is going to be huge year for all of us, I feel it.