So I was cruising through my email the other day and going through all the mixtapes that were being submitted when I came across this. Okay I have to admit, what really drew me in was the cover of the mixtape, I’m a sucker for nice packaging. The track listings actually was quite solid as well, see below. The American Dream Team or TADT, are from Brooklyn and have put together a solid second mix, the first can be found on their MySpace page. Here’s a quick excerpt from their bio:
Here at White House Headquarters we have been scouring what’s left of this country to build a production team of skilled musicians to represent the new “American Dream”. Covering every angle from party rocking to top notch club banging production, this group of undeniable American youths are hear to wave our great American flag with a fuck you lets dance mind set. For the land of the free and the home of the brave this blinged out team is here to ignite the females and dance floors across this great nation.
So definitely do yourself a favor and download this mix and be ready to get freaked, hard.
Quite a few new songs this week and some remixes. This’ll be my last post til I hit Virgin Fest out in Toronto, more on that story itself later. So this week Stones Throw released the Arabian Prince Anthology, with tons of classic jams and ones that I ain’t never heard before. This dude was a real ass innovator back in the day so definitely check out the song below and go cop this album. Next up is Kardi, his release date is this upcoming Tuesday the 9th, I believe, anyways song is a collab with UK’s RnB songstress Estelle. From there we have a mix of songs. The first one being from a Canadian band, from Montreal to be exact, called Duchess Says with their song called “Black Flag”, can Montreal do any wrong on the music scene, like for serious. Following that is another “Paper Planes” remix featuring 50 cent and crew, Montreal’s own Grandtheft (meant to post this awhile ago) remixing Chromeo (also from Montreal) and then there’s Niam from the BK, with a nice track of his own.
Mehdi Faveris-Essadi, better known simply as DJ Mehdi, is a hip-hop electro DJ outta Paris, France. Since getting started in the mid ‘90s, Mehdi has knocked down some collabos with Daft Punk, MC Solaar, Chromeo and Busy P, among others. Signed onto French label Ed Banger Records, Mehdi has brought some of the freshest mixes to all corners of the globe. And despite his current touring schedule, Mehdi recently gave some time to Killahbeez to answer some questions we’d been wondering.
You’re mad touring all over Europe right now. How’s that going?
DJ Mehdi: Going very good, thank you. I love touring here in Europe. It’s my home. I never get tired of it. France, U.K., Germany plus Scandinavia and the Mediterranean, so much things to see, so many good people, and the food is usually great. What more could I ask for?
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to link up for lunch with Dave 1 whom I’m sure many of you know is 1/2 of Chromeo, the beloved and infectiously dope electro-funk duo pictured above.
I ordered the grilled chicken panini and a diet Coke, he ordered the smoked turkey wrap and an orange juice - Then I pressed record and the following conversation spanning everything from the beginnings of the band to the current state of hip-hop is what transpired…
Montreal-based duo Chromeo has just released the video for “Momma’s Boy” off their 2007 album Fancy Footwork. While “Momma’s Boy” hasn’t been announced as an official single, it follows singles “Fancy Foowork,” “Tenderoni” and “Bonafied Lovin’.”
I must say, the video is pretty cute. The line drawings remind me a little of last year’s Oscar winner for Best Animated Short, I Met the Walrus. The song’s only 2:50 long, so the simplicity of the video definitely compliments and showcases the music itself.
New Black Kids video, “Hurricane Jane”, which is off of their debut album Partie Traumatic. The album is expected to drop on July 7th in the UK and July 22nd in North America. Video is directed by Rozan & Schmeltz (Surface 2 Air Paris studio), the same duo that created the promo for Justice vs Simian indie hit “We Are Your Friends”, as well as Chromeo’s video for “Tenderoni”.
I was initially introduced to Surface to Air via a friend in Montreal that brought me down to Reborn some time ago. Since then I’ve made a point to stop at Odin when I make it out to NYC, IE here in Vancouver and Nomad in Toronto to get my fix in terms of gear. (Note: you can now also find it in select Barney’s stores if boutique-type stores are not carrying it in your neck of the woods).
Many of you may already be very familiar with Surface to Air’s garments and accessories - which in my personal opinion, rival and perhaps even blatantly surpass the large majority of more recognized designers in originality and execution. However, their creativity spans far beyond fashion and reaches into several other aspects of design including but not exclusive to: graphic design, art direction, video direction, interior design - and the list keeps going.
Working with everyone from Coca-Cola to Chromeo, I thought it might be a good idea to throw up this video that Adidas put together when Surface to Air designed a high top sneaker during the Adicolor campaign back in 2006. The video is well directed and gives you glimpse into a few of the creative minds behind brand.
I highly recommend spending a few minutes exploring the Surface to Air NYC website for a few more surprise collaborations you may not have known about. As well, hitting the Paris website is worth it just to see photos of the Paris store…amazing - Links Below
The RIPOFF’s sophomore party may only be a few days away. But one half of THE RIPOFF, Chris Houston, dropped this spring time mixtape for all to download. Mixtapes are a tried and true method of brand marketing and promoting. And everybody loves music. Listen to the Imeem stream below and download it here. As for the party, arrive early. The Ripoff’s new home at the Geisha lounge has premium spacing. See you all there this Wednesday.
