Upperhands. weekend pick: DJ Premier in Deep Concentration

Featured on Gangstarr's rookie album, No More Mr. Nice Guy, "DJ Premier in Deep Concentration", became one of hip-hop's earliest examples of turntablism, simply using turntables and sampling machines to create lyrics, with no one emceeing over the track.

Gangstarr : No More Mr. Nice Guy, 1989

Using advanced scratch techniques for its time, mixed with

samples of Ahmad Jamal and Herbie Hancock,

this is truly a classic and a track that put Gangstarr and

specifically DJ Premier on the map

as a credible source of conscious underground hip-hop.

DJ Premier in Deep Concentration

Listen

Special thanks to: DJ Premier's life-long sidekick: Guru ... R.I.P.

New Music Tuesday: Download Quakers Podcast from Stones Throw Records

New music Tuesdays have been a tradition of ours ever since CDs were still relevant. Why?Because that's always been the day when new music is released. But with blogs dropping free downloads, mixes & podcasts left and right now, it's kinda watered down the excitement.

But here at Upperhands, we sift through all the rubbish to find YOU some true gems to listen to.

This week we bring you a fresh podcast from Stones Throw Records, the legendary underground hip-hop label from Peanut Butter Wolf that has talent like Madlib, Strong Arm Steady, MED, the late J.Dilla and so many more on its roster.

On their latest podcast - they drop something exceptional from new supergroup, Quakers, which is comprised of Geoff Barrow of Portishead fame, Stuart Matthews and newcomer Katalyst. Together they team with an army of hip-hop all-stars who serve up some serious rhymes over "EarthQUAKE-sized" beats.

Peep the label description below and then download the podcast, plus 2 tracks from the album HERE

"Quakers are a 35-member hip-hop collective centered around three producers - Fuzzface (Geoff Barrow of Portishead), Katalyst (Ashley Anderson), and 7-Stu-7 (Stuart Matthews). Their album drops on Stones Throw on March 27.

This is the "Hip-Hop Quake Mix" by Katalyst, a 40-minute set featuring some of the work that has inspired the project. "

Special Thanks: Stones Throw Records, Geoff Barrows, Katalyst, Quakers, Portishead, Synkro, Marty Party, Tim Tebow 24/7 trade rumors, Dan Patrick's return to the airwaves, Orange Chickenless dinners and the stickiest of the icky

A minor tribute to the homeless of Los Angeles

Special thanks to: Duke Blue Devils bowing out of the tournament way too early, the Broncos fan who actually cares more about what will happen to Tim Tebow than making the illest upgrade ever, jungle music still being made by anyone out there, getting wrapped up in Republican and Democratic primaries when we all know the electoral college picks our president, eventually bombing Syria and iran, the walking dead, cringer and baker actually talking for a bit at respect the other night, Dfrnt fund raising to get his album done, synkro talking about that terrible warehouse party he never got to dj at, sitting in front of computers for long periods of time.

OBEY 2012

Nice to see he's still getting up.

Goldie ft. Natalie Duncan "Freedom" VIDEO

Goldie ft. Natalie Duncan "Freedom"

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

St. Patrick's Day Pick : Gangstarr ft. Kci and Jojo "Royalty"

Upperhands St. Patrick's Day pick:

Click below to hear it.

Gangstarr - Royalty

The Peyton Syndrome

I'll never forget the first time that I saw an ex girlfriend with her new boyfriend.

Even though I dumped her over the phone, even though we had some of the best times,

seeing her with some new guy made me feel

like I did in game 7 of the 2004 ALCS: freakin miserable.

(They destroyed us in yankee stadium, I'll never get over that!).

Now that Peyton Manning, arguably the third best quarterback from 1980 to now, behind Joe Montana and John Elway is definitively in the throws of free agency,

let the "seeing your ex with her new boyfriend", sports analogies begin!

Who could forget watching the greatest basketball player of all time

wither away in the District of Columbia. Winning 6 championships in a span of 8 years, the Houston Rockets can thank him personally for sitting out the 94, 95 seasons.

Jerry Krause, you should be ashamed of yourself for letting Michael jordan wear

any other jersey than a red, black and white # 23.

Championships: 0

One of the most emotional, trade press conferences of all time, Wayne Gretzky

won three Stanley cups with the edmonton oilers, only to be torn away by the Los Angeles Kings. Result: One Stanley Cup Final loss and brief stints in St. Louis and the New York Rangers.

Championships: 0

Joe Montana... Duke, I'll leave this one up to you.

Ahhh yes, the man they call johnny damon. You single handedly destroyed the New York yankees with 6 RBIS including a grand slam, putting us out of championship contention

for basically the next five years, only to be signed to the Yankees at the Red sox dismay and win a world series with the yankees in 2009.

Championships: 1

I will gladly admit to hating every dallas cowboys team that has ever suited up other than their

glory years of the early 1990's. even though my father raised me as a die hard new york

giants fan, you couldn't help but appreciate what those teams did with Super Bowls.

Emmit Smith Made running backs what they are today. Arian Foster, Ray Rice, that's

Emmit Smith right there.

Unfortunately Emmit just couldn't retire early enough, taking his talents to

the Arizona Cardinals.

Championships: 0

depending on how much of a man you are, you will handle seeing your ex girlfriend with her new boyfriend differently on all levels: either you sulk and cry yourself to sleep one night watching Lifetime Channel wondering why you dumped her, call her 800 times begging her to come back to you and eventually her father answers the phone and tells you he's going to shoot you if you call her again, you try to kick the new boyfriend's ass - only to get your ass kicked, or you persevere, ignore it and move on.

Which one are you?

here we are now. here is what we have all been waiting for. the million dollar question:

where will peyton play? reports say teams working Peyton out have walked away "very impressed" with his throwing ability.

Here are the Upperhands mock scenarios:

Denver Broncos

Perfect fit, but their schedule this year is absolutely brutal. Only way john elway can do what

we all have been hoping he'll do and get rid of Tim Tebow who isn't really that good yet.

John Elway will school Peyton and do anything he wants because he knows what quarterbacks need. My Upperhands pick of where I see the best fit. Came within a game of the Super Bowl last year, can defintely win now and into the future.

San Francisco 49ers

As much as it pains me to say it, this is really an amazing team if he goes to the West Coast. I don't believe that he would like to have to face Eli to go to the Super Bowl, so I don't think it will happen. Even though the 49ers picked up Randy Moss and are now talking to Mario Manningham and other receivers around the league. They obviously remember that the only receiver doing anything in the NFC Championship game was Vernon Davis, and he's a Tight end.

Championship is definitely possible now, unless they have to go through the New York Giants.

Tennessee Titans

Peyton Manning with Chris Johnson... enough said.

My guess is he will make his choice sometime in mid-week next week. Peace.

Special thanks to: Baker, duke getting blown up by lehigh (huge upset), andy pettite signing back with the yankees (roger clemens eat your heart out), rainy saturdays in los angeles, traktor scratch pro, ltj bukem, respect thursdays, tall boy pbrs.

Lightning in a Bottle 2012 Line-up Announced!

Wow, it's almost that time again! The Do LaB's Lightning in a Bottle (LIB) Festival, one of our favorite North American music festivals, has just released the 2012 lineup and it's a mighty fine bill of top talent from around the world!

Sure there's some familiar faces, but a festival like LIB always brings out the best, so you know headliners like The Glitch Mob and Bassnectar will be playing plenty of exclusive, never-heard-before material.

Tickets are going fast and will sell-out, so click HERE to pick up yours before they're gone!

Special Thanks To: The Do LaB, Everyone who attends LIB, Good bass music, The return of Leg, Food Warlock, Energy warlock, Gigantic bathtubs, Woogie Stage, Temple of Consciousness & afterhours debauchery

When Upperhands. met Lucent Dossier Experience. met Herakut. - The LOMO Series

In a sea of digital dominance and using Photoshop to alter images, I strive to stay true to my original photography roots.

I am part of a photography movement that works closely with Lomography, a counterculture camera company that uses modern technology to re-invent and re-make film cameras that our ancestors used to capture the images of the 70's, 80's and 90's.

For two years now, I have been bringing analogue photography to The Do Lab and their amazing events. The Do Lab has truly provided me with countless moments of artistic inspiration, combining cutting-edge performances and inspiring artwork. In an effort to showcase their creative world in a different light, I have been combining my experimental film photography of Los Angeles with the artists and fans of The Do Lab. Every photograph is randomly shot on top of each other, leaving me with a spontaneous result that I could never in my wildest dreams predict. I've ripped through countless rolls of film using multiple photo technology, layering photos on top of each other and NEVER using digital cameras or photoshop to manipulate my work.

In this piece, The Do Lab hooked me up with an all-access pass to the Lucent Dossier Experience and Herakut performance at the Palace Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles.

Whether spending time backstage capturing the antics of the Lucent Dossier Experience, or profiling the sculptural costumes of the Herakut duo, there was no lack of inspiration at every turn.

For your reading pleasure, I have also included some creative writing based on my experience to compliment the images taken at the event.

There is anticipation of a visionary performance at The Palace Theater tonight and I am in search of it.

Summoned with the task of capturing these mesmerizing figures on color negative film, Upperhands embarks on a journey of color and visual stimulation.

From the belly of the beast, I peer out and find many creatures surrounding me.

Rats move steadfast past my feet in pairs.

I see animals with paint-stricken bodies, morphed into organic forms, spliced with

memories of a nightmare's past.

Who are these people, and what do they want with me?

The curtains rise and the faint smell of aerosol is unmistakable.

Fast spitting spray cans and drips upon drips.

Their bodies move in such elegance and coordination.

Fire spinning in all directions!

The animals are dancing.

The lunatics are on the grass.

We rejoice and revel in the creative madness.

When Upperhands. met Lucent Dossier Experience. met Herakut.

Special thanks to The Do Lab, Lucent Dossier Experience, Herakut and the Lowriderz.

Photos and words courtesy of Upperhands.