moving on

for my fans.
I actually only know of three people that read this blog. Anyways, it is moving to a new home in an effort to integrate the GReain experience into one unified format. Don't worry, the checkonetwo blog is still there with a cool new [chart] section so you always know what's in the iPod. The crazyfast blog is there too, along with all the accompanying GR pro cyclist crap. Lots of cool new features too, so don't be shy - explore!

out
//GR

more dope beats

been listening to:

buckshot & 9th wonder - chemistry (duckdown records); tight, tight production

ghostface - the pretty toney album (defjam recordings); highly underrated release from 2004

//G

New Faves

micatone - plastic bags & magazines (tiefschwarz mix)
yoshimoto - do what you do (trentemoller mix)
brazilian girls - jique (mstrkrft mix)
juliette & the licks - what's it gonna be (mstrkrft re-lick)
roger sanchez - lost (d. ramirez mix)

out
//G

Tracks on a plane

I haven’t done shit on this blog in a while, so hopefully there’s someone still reading this. I’m also a little down on ideas, but this should tide you over until I find the groove again.

This is the tracklisting from the latest mix I made, somewhere over the Atlantic on my flight from Heathrow to MTL waaaay back on 2 November. I am saddened to say that that means I had to use the old laptop to get it done, but whatever, it’s all about the music right? The Hamburg kids are loving it and since it is an intrinsically more hip city than Ottawa - I take that as a good sign.

Available now on very limited release in MTL, Ottawa & Hamburg. Feel special if you have one…

01. groove armada – i see you baby (future shock stripdown edit)

02. les visiteurs – snoop’s acid drop

03. daft punk – around the world

04. fischerspooner – you’re my disco

05. the knife – we share our mother’s health (trentemøller mix)

06. justice vs. simian – never be alone

07. tiga – you’re gonna want me

08. mstrkrft – work on you

09. dillon & dickens – queers are doing it

10. mstrkrft – easy love

11. scissor sisters – I don’t feel like dancing (linus loves full vocal mix)

12. madonna – sorry

13. chanel – my life (seamus haji vocal mix)

14. the source ft. candi staton – you’ve got the love

15. shapeshifters – incredible

16. britney spears – toxic (armand van helden remix)

//G

Random

I love record shopping. That's probably a well known fact, but anyway. So I picked up some sweet Earth, Wind & Fire today, along with some Prince, Ike & Tina Turner and the Commodores. It's all like in mint condition. How can you go wrong?

So. I haven't been keeping too up on anything new lately; I've mainly been keeping myself busy with projects involving less than brand new shit, but bangers nonetheless. Maybe more on that some other time.

Perusing my WinAmp playlist which is currently topping out at over 300 regularly listened-to tracks, here are some things that I've been most interested in:

- junior boys - in the morning
- MSTRKRFT - work on you
- the knife - we share our mother's health (trentemoller rmx)
- the white stripes - blue orchid
- naughty by nature - feel my flow
- 10cc - dreadlock holiday
- atmosphere - musical chairs
- rufus & chaka khan - tell me something good
- death from above 1979 - sexy results (MSTRKRFT rmx)

I'm not too into Lupe Fiasco. Everone's like "he's the new Kanye" or whatever. I say whatever.

Billy Talent is blowing up in Germany right now. Nice to see. They've been huge on TRL since I got here at the start of September.

aw-ight
//G

mtv.es

The MTV European Networks actually have some pretty cool shit on from time to time.

barrio19, yo

Personally, I like the wok skating segment.

Freestyle

Freestyle - The Art of Rhyme.

Mo brought this DVD back from Van City for me before I came over here. Frankly, I'm surprised that I haven't written anything about it yet...weird. Anyway, this doc is dope. I can't really write much of a review, but suffice to say that it provides a pretty complete overview of freestyle MC culture. Plenty of names that you know, many that you don't, and tons of dope rhymes.

If you are at all into hiphop, you have to see this.

Cop yourself a disc from Palm Pictures

Loads of other dope stuff there too; also highly recommended for hiphop heads is Scratch.

//G

In the beginning...

...was Daft Punk.

Now there is Ed Banger records.
Coming to you from lovely Paris.
Bringing you GReain favourites such as Justice & Uffie (of course), among others.

Justice vs. Simian - Never be Alone
Uffie - Pop the Glock, Ready to Uff, & Hot Chick

Long live Franco-Disco!

//G

rudebox???

Robbie Williams is such an idiot. Quoting the Beasties AND Chuck D ? Nig** please. Don't front.

//G

minus 8

Wow. I am such a philistine.

www.m-nus.com

(connected podcast 3)

Mandalay

Just got back from my favourite club in Hamburg for sure. Good crowd, good clothes, good atmosphere and above all good music. Accessible, danceable techno. Not the shit that NorAms think of or that chin stroking I'm-an-electronic-music-cognoscenti bullshit, I mean some quality Teutonic party music. Check out Richie Hawtin DE9 - Closer to the Edit for something reasonable close, but not quite as good.

Also go to www.mtvutr.com for a taste of the wierd. choose the Deutschland option. I don't know if this is in NorAm yet or not, but it is a trip.

Also on the new here- Scissor Sistors single, I Don't Feel Like Dancing. V.O. is so-so, but the Linus Loves full vocal mix just kills it.

Favourite on the old school tip: Claudja Barry - Dance, Dance, Dance (Tom Moulton Mix). Disco inferno, y'all.

//g

Graphic Disease

Where does everyone get the cool blog templates from? I feel like some kind of inept internet user. And my blogs look poor.

BTW, there are more MSTRKRFT remixes floating around than you can shake a stick at. Or a rolled up Canadian Tire lawsuit, for that matter. No, I am not clever, I recycled the Crappy Tire thing from elsewhere. Weak, weak, weak. Guitar-powered fun on the dancefloor for rockers who don't want to admit dance music is dope. DFA 1979 did, so get yo head out yo ass son.

Hamburg f-ing kills it.

Nothing new here

But I am exploring the strange and mystifying world of German hip hop. Weird.

Currently reviewing the Gnarls Barkley disc; some hot production by our friend Dangermouse. Just in case he hasn't blown up enough already, this will seal the deal. As my source in Canada tells me, this just got released over there the other day but the single 'crazy' has been getting hammered by MTV.de for the last two months (and is UK 2006 single of the year acc'd to me informant, it's only May, crazy!). Incidentally, crazy is far from the strongest track on the disc and it's not bad. I'd tell you to check it out, but you'll be hearing that enough this summer.

Some of my favourite-est beats in hiphop -

gangstarr - code of the streets
gangstarr - full clip
eric b & rakim - microphone fiend
pete rock and cl smooth - the reminisce over you
run DMC - down with the king

gr

yet another reason why MTL is hot

tiga

(as if you needed another)

far from home
comfortably numb (pink floyd covered by scissor sisters rmxd by tiga...?what?)
washing up (thomas andersson, rmx by tiga)
put the needle on it (dannii minogue, dub by tiga)
shake yer dix (peaches, where were you in '92? rmx by tiga)


synthelectrohouse a la felix or the lovely miss kitten
new disc out now, www.tiga.ca

gr

And furthermore...

I forgot to mention you should also check out the Professor Green remix video of When You Wasn't Famous. I think the lyrics is funnier on this one. (www.the-beats.co.uk)

www.the-streets.co.uk

GR

The Trials & Tribulations of Mike Skinner

when you try to pull a girl
who is also famous too
it feels just like when you wasn't famous

um, yeah. Rough life Mike.

So you were at some posh do tryna have a chat with Keira and she slags you off it's because-
a) she's famous
or
b) you're a hamster-looking geezer with a permascowl and ill pullovers (www.igotstagetspaid.blogspot.com)

So, the new Streets album was realeased here in Europe last Friday. Just so happened I as on a rest day and chilling in the centrum with Florian so I gots me a copy.

Now, you'll know that I've been pretty big on The Streets in past, so I'm probably not gonna be too rough on Mr Skinner's 3rd full-length The Hardest Way to Make and Easy Living. But here's the deal - I don't find it quite as thrilling as Original Pirate Material or A Grand Don't Come for Free. Where Pirate Mat'l was chock full of raw beats, tough witty lyrics and grit, and A Grand was a brillo "concept album" (fuck I hate that term) detailing both the shitty and good times of city life, Hardest Way seems lacking somehow. I might have to give it a few more times around before I pass full judgement on it, but on first listen I found myself hitting the ffd to bypass tracks that were devoid of both a dope beat and clever lyrics. That's not a good sign. The production work is getting too clean, almost over produced, and some of the lyrics try to get a little too deep. Mike's at his best banging out rough beats and chatting about random day-to-day bullshit, not tackling issues. OK, so ask me in a week what's up with the Streets.

Standout tracks:
can't con an honest john - classic(ish) Streets beat-work
when you wasn't famous - funny as shit, club mix frenzy for sure (you heard it here 1st)

Sadly, it's a good thing that this disc tops out at 37 minutes. Another way to look at it is that if I had to pick tracks to play in a club, there's only be 2 or 3 out of the eleven on here. Bummer.

Apologies (and props) to my man MattP for some ideas I ripped off for this piece; I miss hanging out with that cat a lot.
www.igotstagetspaid.blogspot.com
www.skidrow.biz

GR

a week in the life of my headphones

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Gold Lion
i self divine - Love Song
Masta Ace ft. Jean Grae - Soda & Soap
White Stripes - Dead Leaves & the Dirty Ground
The Clash - Guns of Brixton
Afu-Ra - Defeat
Billy Talent - Red Flag
Jazzyfatnastees - All up in my Face
The Vines - Fuck the World
The Specials - Ghost Town
RJD2 - Clean Livin'
The Roots - Don't Say Nuthin'
Bran van 3000 - Afrodiziak
The Hives - Two Timing Touch and Broken Bones
The Clash - White Man in Hammersmith Palais

London Burning

I am reading this awesome biography of The Clash right now, supplied to me by my main man RobbieO. It's called "Passion is a Fashion - the real story of The Clash", written by former MoJo magaizine editor Pat Gilbert. Even if you are not a big fan of The Clash or punk rock in general, you should still read this as it provides an excellent insight into the beginnings of punk music in London in the late 1970's and the music scene there in general. I'm usually not a big fan of the whole biography thing, but I highly recommend this one.

GR

The Goosebump Theory

That's the main test for good shit. If it creates goosebumps, it's good. If it still creates goosebumps after multiple plays, then it's great. The head-bob test works too, but pretty much only for hiphop.

peace
gr

Top 5 Tracks I've Downloaded in the last 24hrs

So this is me being regular with my top 5...whatever, top 5's are fully played anyway.

1) Ultramagnetic MCs - Ego Trippin' (so so so old school Kool Keith)

2) Delinquent Habits - House of the Rising Drum (check the bass loop, word up RobbieO!)

3) mcenroe & Birdapres - 5000 watts (props to my man MattP for tipping me on this, Van City hands up)

4) Bloc Party - 2 more years (all over D-Land MTV, not released in NorAm)

5) Madd Skillz - The Rap up 2005 (won't last long, but tight to the point)


I don't know if anyone even reads this shit.
GR

Uppers/Downers

Most disappointing hiphop album that got madly overhyped in '05: DangerDoom - the mouse & the mask

Most impressive album that got no hype in '05: Atmosphere - you can't imagine how much fun we're having

I finally got around to buying DangerDoom like the day before I left to go to Germany for 2 months, and I didn't really get to listen to it before I took off. Got in yesterday night, threw it up on the turntable this morning and was highly not impressed. I can't say that it is bad, but it just is not what I would come to expect from a producer and an MC who are (supposedly) at the top of their respective games. Sorry guys. Dangermouses best works are still DM & Jemini - Ghetto Pop Life (www.lexrecords.com, import only & mad $$) and "The Grey Album" (download only, you didn't hear it from me), which has also been so madly overhyped by now that I actually saw it mentioned in yesterday's Guardian G2 insert complete with a photo that is supposed to be Jay-Z, but clearly is not, and some half-baked idea about how Grey was produced. Note to Guardian editors and clueless pop writer - if you're going to expound on a hiphop related matter in a non-hiphop piece, please at least research your shit and get it correct. And while I'm at it, I know Dangermouse did some dope shit on "Grey Album", so I don't need people stepping to tell me how hype it is when they just found out about that shit last week; it's been around for years kid. Doom's pinnacle is under his alias Viktor Vaughn on "Vaudeville Villain" (SoundInk Records). I got lucky and found a fresh copy on vinyl in a small-ass shop in some hick town in the Catskills on a chance and have never even seen it anywhere else, so have fun with finding that.

I never read shit about Atmosphere's new release, even while DangerDoom and Mmmm..Food (also disappointing) were still getting props after like 4 months in ExClaim, but again, got lucky at Vertigo records in Ottawa one day. I listened to this a lot in Germany and am still digging. "You can't imagine..." is available in Canada now on Rhymesayers, also home to the Boom Bap Project; fully worth checking out also. While you're at it you can dig out some of the back catalogue too and it does not disappoint. Without getting all sentimental and shit, this is some of the most intelligent and observant hiphop I've heard in a long time, and the production is mad tight. Normally intelligent lyrics are accompanied by wack beats (except for Common's work), but not here. And just when you think shit is getting too heavy, you get some frivolous rap to break it up. Still haven't heard any played at a local hiphop night, but I'll probably be waiting for a while. Props to Algonquin College radio CKDJ for breaking this way back in the summer while all the local club DJs were playing Sleeping Beauty.

Next time- why Kanye deserves to get hit by a car (again)

GR

bbc.co.uk

dope,dope,dope Coldcut mix up on bbc.co.uk right now. Latest Essential Mix archive; get it while it's hot.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/dance/essentialmix/reviews_coldcut06.shtml

If you consider yourself into hiphop to any degree, this mix is completely worth checking out. Coldcut are the dudes behind Ninjatune, so you know they've got the goods. The one track you gotta recognize from these cats is their remix of Eric B & Rakims 'paid in full' (delivered in this mix, no surprise there). What may be a little more surprising is the use of AC/DC loops, Pink Floyd vocal quotes and a teddy bears picnic record in the mix. Got skills?

Normally Pete Tong is a little disappointing, but he got it right with Coldcut this week.

GR

Introducing - The Weekly top 5

I'm hoping to keep this on a moderately regular basis, like hopefully every week, but we'll see how that goes. Music downloading is a travelling bike racer's best friend, and since I seem to be travelling a lot, I get to be on really good terms (for better or for worse) with whatever music I happen to have with me. This way I can let you know what's hitting the top of my playlist every week. As if you care.

Spinning season is in full swing back home in snowy Ottawa, so first up is something for those stuck inside a stinky room with a bunch of sweaty people.

The Inaugural Weekly Top5 - House Music.

1) Max Coleman ft. Laura Vane - Inside Out
2) Britney Spears - Toxic (Armand van Helden mix)
3) Madonna - Hung Up (Tracy Young Stand Up & Dance mix)
4) Red Carpet - Alright
5) Les Visiteurs - Snoops Acid Drop

out