Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain” packs so much heartbreak and pain into every note that it’s nearly impossible not to sing along and feel what she’s feeling. The song takes another turn with Diwon’s remix, bridging the upbeat feel of a club track and downtempo feel of a song meant for headphones and lonely nights. Get your Free Download below.
Leonard Cohen releases his 12th studio album, the profoundly moving Old Ideas, this week. None of his records has ever cracked the top 50, and his last album, 2004’s Dear Heather, peaked at No. 131 on the Billboard charts. Those few of his songs that are well-known—particularly the ubiquitous “Hallelujah”—are well-known for being covered by other musicians. He is 77 years old, and his peers are either nostalgia acts or four decades dead, icons of a church that’s fallen into sad disrepair.
But not Cohen: He’s featured on the album’s cover, dressed in a suit and a tie, donning his trademark fedora and wearing dark shades, sitting on a blue wooden chair in a Los Angeles backyard, grinning slightly, and reading a book. It’s a fitting pose for the man he’s become, the kind and pensive dispenser of profound truths who earns in acclaim what he lacks in raw popularity; he’s the only entertainer around who looks as natural receiving Spain’s top literary award from Prince Felipe as he does sharing the dais with Madonna and John Mellencamp at the 2008 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony that honored all three. Even that almanac of cool, the Financial Times, recently saw fit to lionize St. Leonard, calling him “a sage for the post-crisis age.”
Self described as Post Punk Electro Pop, Assaf Spector and Yula Beeri make up Kiss Slash Crooked Smile, anything Yula (singer / drums / keys / guitar / bass) or Assaf (Producer / singer / drums / keys / guitar / bass) touch turns gold and this new band of theirs is no exception. ch-ch-check the video and get ready for a lot more from these two New York-based/Israeli expatriates.
“Dear Julian according to the dictionary of American Slang, edited by Robert L. Chapman, “illin” means “stupid, insane.” “Wack” is defined as “worthless, stupid” The Dictionary of Contemporary Slang, by Tony Thorne, defines “illin” as “bad, uncool”, .. So it seems to me the clue is fine.”
- Will Shortz
January 9, 2012
The Takeover,” is the lead single from the forthcoming Y-Love LP. The song explodes with African rhythms and clever wordplay, featuring Jamaican dancehall artist Tj Di Hitmaker, and super star comedian/actor, Andy Milonakis (MTV/Jimmy Kimmel). The influence of the street is palpable as influences by new artists like Major Lazer and Nicki Minaj combine seamlessly with classic hiphop wordplay from Y-Love. Producer Diwon (mastermind behind Shemspeed Records) skillfully blends Middle Eastern beats with clubbed-out hip-hop, giving the record an entrancing worldly sound ready for the dance floor. Y-Love explores a variety of styles, from dance and world to pop, to express his underlying message of harmony: “Unity builds the world, all divisions destroy the world.” The Takeover music video is the first collaboration by these artists and lets the fans really feel like they are right there with the artists, it’s up close and in your face and the video editing takes a spastic ‘dj scratch and blend’ style creating an ADHD reggae hip pop video destined to motivate the masses.
Shemspeed just signed Shtar, one of our new favorite Jewish hip hop groups! They bridge west coast style rhymes with Gorillaz tinged choruses. The group Shtar consists of a producer / songwriter (Brad Rubenstein), hip hop lyricist (Ori Murray), vocalist (Dan Issac), bass player (Avi Sommers) and drummer (Tzvi Solomons) that help ensure their live shows compete with bands like The Roots. The unlikely team met while studying in Aish HaTorah a rabbinical college in Jerusalem opposite of the famed Western Wall.
Ori Murray from Seattle, Washington found his calling from growing up in a house party scene where the freestyle cyphen was always part and parcel to the situation. At 17 he found himself in high school poetry class. The immediate ease and connection to spoken word forced him into the cyphen. In 2002 at the age of 20 he began working on a full length album. Partially through the project the Drum n Bass scene took off in Seattle and Murray began MCing Clubs and Raves. After a bit of time Ori became a Resident MC under the stage name “Madsteez” for Seattle’s Grooveside and Kaos Theory Crews, and Played with world class DJs such as: Aphrodite, DJ Fresh, DJ Dara, Deiselboy, AK1200, Gridlock, and Mat the Alien etc. In the Midst of this Ori took a 2 week vacation in Israel and never returned to Seattle.
Binyamin Adam (Brad Rubenstein) from Essex, England, started his musical career at the tender age of 4 with piano, and continued to add a multitude of instrument mastery to his collection. Binyamin played numerous London clubs with various bands from an early age. Eventually he took his talents as a guitarist, songwriter and producer and lent them to the guitar-based-electronica band “Lisp” who were signed to London Records with the likes of New Order and All Saints.
Jan 24: Shi 360 - 'Shalom Haters' (LP) - info Feb: Brody - 'Urban Anxiety' Feb: Kyle Rapps & Diwon - 'Tyrone Gosling' March: Shtar - 'Infinity' April: DeScribe - 'In The Red' Tba: Dov Rosenblatt - 'When You Lie Down and When You Rise' Tba: Tj Di Hitmaker - 'mixtape' Tba: Diwon - 'Try Stopping'
FEB 11: SHTAR @ MIKE'S PLACE (INFO) FEB 16: BRODY, Y-LOVE, DIWON & GUESTS @ AMPLYFi (INFO) FEB 18: Y-LOVE & DIWON @ LIMMUD LA (INFO) FEB 23: SHTAR @ MIKE'S PLACE (INFO) FEB 25: BRODY @ LIMMUD WINNIPEG (INFO) FEB 25: Y-LOVE & DIWON LIVE @ JACKSON HOLE MUSIC FESTIVAL (INFO) MARCH 1: SHTAR @ KIBUTZ TELALIM (INFO) April: SHEMSPEED ARTISTS PERFORM VOICES FOR DARFUR @ TBA (INFO) JULY 28: MATISYAHU @ Floyd Fest 2012 (INFO)
Leonard Cohen releases his 12th studio album, the profoundly moving Old Ideas, this week. None of his records has ever cracked the top 50, and his last album, 2004’s Dear Heather, peaked at No. 131 on the Billboard charts. Those few of his songs that are well-known—particularly the ubiquitous “Hallelujah”—are well-known for being covered by other musicians. He is 77 years old, and his peers are either nostalgia acts or four decades dead, icons of a church that’s fallen into sad disrepair.
