Sunday, March 31, 2013

Oh the Humanity - When Creating a DJ Name Goes Wrong


Special Thanks to: 
Satan "Rest In Pandemonium"
Dude... who the hell names themselves "Satan". I would love to know what you look like in real life.
Genre: Demonic Drum and Bass / Exorcism Funk



Special Thanks to:
Jungle James "Magical Crack Den In The Woods"
When the track title is about crack and isn't Biggie's "Ten Crack Commandments", you might want to seek professional help. What I would really like to know is where this actual shed is on Earth.
Genre: Jungle Crack / Addiction Beat




Special Thanks to: The internet, for giving people a chance to listen and actually purchase this crap.


REVS - OG New York Graffiti Artist Profile


The above photo represents the very first REVS piece I had ever witnessed. Wet behind the ears
and completely clueless as to the story behind him and his work, I kept moving 
through the streets of New York always keeping an eye out for that huge REVS piece.
REVS is most widely known for his large pieces painted with house paint and paint rollers, high atop 
the facade of many buildings. It is easy to say that this man "gets up" anywhere he can 
risk his life, or create a massive piece that everyone can see from thousands of feet away.

Most people who see the work of REVS are used to only seeing the huge block letters
he paints, but upon further review, there is more that you didn't know.


New York city graffiti artists spend their time creating late at night, in deep dark places that 
you and I wouldn't go to in our wildest nightmares. These artists are constantly in unison, choreographing a paint induced dance with one very strong material: Metal.
After years of creating graffiti using paint, REVS decided to 
take his art and his creativity to the next level by creating some of the most permanent 
street art I've ever seen. Rather than spend all of his time outside in the streets, 
REVS creates metal graffiti in his metal workshop, then finds some very discreet and 
poignant places to weld his art up to.













As if you felt that the metal graffiti was some, "next level shit", you are clueless on the rest of REVS' story. After conquering the graffiti game high up in the air, permanently welding his work to 
the city itself, REVS decided to take on: the underground.


Made famous by the documentary, "Dark Days", there is a deep and dark under-belly to New York City that almost none of us will ever experience. Created over 70 years ago during 
New York's early architecture years, there are tunnels and passageways that our modern subway lines just do not go. They are closed down to the public and only open to MTA workers who are there to repair or fix something, but there is the rare occasion that regular folks adventure down into 
the belly of the beast. 
Enter REVS.




Treating this whole new area and underground life as a new canvas for REVS to work on,
he began writing his auto-biography on the walls in free flowing thoughts. 
Now if you take into consideration the location of all of these paintings, almost no one would
ever see what he wrote and you start to understand more about REVS as a person than an artist.
New York City Vandal Squads were furious with REVS and the amount of money it has cost
to remove the paint, stickers, metal and marker that REVS had spread over the 5 boroughs.
New York City police hired a task force to study REVS' work and find his ass.
And they did.
When they finally caught REVS, the cops and the city slapped a heavy duty fine on him.
Basically the police take photos of all of the graffiti in New York, where it is then transferred to a data file which links the alias and all related artwork to that alias.
So when you are an all city graf artists like REVS and the cops start to search through their database...
your ass is grass.
Police were very curious about one thing... How was it that REVS was able to paint almost 200 paintings in the underbelly of NYC without anyone batting an eyelash?
REVS would dress up in MTA gear that matched all the workers in the subway system,
so no one ever questioned why he was down there with paint and supplies in hand.
Sneak, sneak.






Special thanks to: Wouldn't it be cool if instead of Easter baskets filled with candy and eggs... if they sold big chocolate caves with a little marshmallow Jesus pushing the door to the cave open to Resurrect himself? I would buy that.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Music Mondays: Listen to M83's Title Track From Upcoming Film "Oblivion"

We're getting excited to see the upcoming film, "Oblivion," which comes from "Tron:Legacy" mastermind, Joseph Kosinski. Much like how that sci-fi film had an epic score from electronic duo, Daft Punk, "Oblivion" will feature new music from fellow French outfit, M83. The film's closing title track had been made available today and M83 fans should certainly be happy.

Listen to the title track HERE


Special Thanks: M83, Sci-Fi epics, Music Mondays, Francois K and fantasy basketball playoff runs

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Posterized - A look into the Top posterizings in NBA history

You be the judge.

Please go ahead and comment on this post to give your vote. 
Mine is going to Blake Griffin. At least his was over a very tough
and big physical player. De Andre Jordan's is 2nd only because of Brandon Knight's height. 
I can't say a tie, although I would like to.
This leads me to my statement that this is why the LA Clippers will not go to nor win the NBA Finals this year. You can't win a championship with high flying forwards who can't shoot.

 

John Starks on Michael Jordan in the 1993 NBA E.C. Finals



Blake Griffin - Beast Mode over Kendrick Perkins 2012


Tom Chambers over Mark Jackson - With an interesting commentary by Chris Webber. Random.


DeAndre Jordan " Wikipedia R.I.P. 'ing" Brandon Knight - 2013



Vince Carter 1 - Over Alonzo Mourning


Vince Carter 2 - Over Fred Weis


Special Thanks to: Dunkers!

The Evolution of A Beat

 In relation to their chronological order on the musical timeline,
every Hip Hop and Electronic form of music since 1979 comes from some other source of music.
Whether blues, jazz, rock, soul, reggae, funk or punk, everyone is sampling from everyone.
Although here at Upperhands, we embrace this beautiful fact. 
In the inaugural edition of "The Evolution of A Beat", we move from 1977to 1995 to 2013.



 
 Cannonball Adderley Quintet - "Together" 1977
You should listen to it for a little bit just to get a feel for the sampled vibraphone in the next track.

In 1995 the Los Angeles based hip hop group Funkdoobiest was spawned out of the 
success of Cypress Hill and mainly their DJ, DJ Muggs.
DJ Muggs produced and helped bring Funkdoobiest to a respectable level in the mid 1990's.
The opening track to their album "Brothas Doobie", gave us the song,
"Rock On" produced by DJ Muggs.
You'll notice that the vibraphone from the last track was used for the base sample of the hip hop track.





Fast forward to 2013 and I had completely forgotten about Funkdoobiest and their album 
I was rocking all the way back in 1995.
Brand new Drum and Bass artist James & Hetfield ( Yes, just like the lead singer from Metallica)
has released the track "If Your Soul Loves the Sun" ( Original and DNB Mix), which also
samples the Funkdoobiest track.
Bringing together that lovely sample with the smooth sounds of a new DNB producer is 
simply evolutionary. 








Special Thanks to: Sampling the good old days in all fascets.







Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Crate Diggers: Watch New J Dilla Documentary About The Late Producer's Infamous Vinyl Collection!

The legacy of the legendary late producer, J Dilla, is lovingly depicted in this dope new Fuse Documentary. Featuring commentary from his mother, Ma Dukes, DJ Spinna, J.Rocc and others, this goes deep and is simply not to be missed if you're a fan of proper hip-hop.



Special Thanks: J Dilla for creating some of the best beats you'll ever hear

Monday, March 18, 2013

Living in My Headphones: UNKLE Remix "The Walking Dead" And Offer New "A Night's Interlude" Mix As Free Download

Today I came across two new exceptional pieces of work from James Lavelle of UNKLE fame. While the band is currently taking a well-deserved hiatus, Lavelle has found time to do a fantastic remix of the hit tv show, "The Walking Dead," along with putting together one of his notrious genre-smashing mixes, which is is properly entitled, "Living In My Headphones: A Night's Interlude."

Both are absolutely essential and show why UNKLE continues to be one of my all-time favorite electronic music outfits.

Listen and Download James Lavelle's "Living In My Headphones: A Night's Interlude:"




James Lavelle presents Living In Your Headphones pt.1 'A Night's Interlude'
1. Intro (Excerpt from ‘Erebus’ feat Emiliana Torrini & Philip Sheppard. Music by James Lavelle)
2. La Funk Mob - Motorbass Get Phunked Up (James Lavelle & Charlie May Edit)
3. Noel Gallagher – AKA…What A Life? (James Lavelle & Charlie May Edit)
4. The Naked And Famous - The Sun (UNKLE Sounds Re-edit)
5. Ben Pearce - What I Might Do
6. Ame, Henrik Schwarz, Dixon - D.P.O.M.D. (Ame Live Version)
7. Osunlade - Envision (Ame Live Version)
8. UNKLE - Rabbit In Your Headlights (King Unique Remix)
9. Luis Junior - Athens
10. UNKLE - Lonely Soul (A Cappella)
11. Layo & Bushwacka - The Big Dream (Original Mix)
12. Layo & Bushwacka - The Big Dream (Martin Buttrich Remix)
13. Booka Shade - Tomorrow Belongs To Us (Club Mix)
14. Carl Craig - For My Peeps (Dubfire Rework)
15. Solomun - Dead Man (Original Mix)
16. Loco Dice - Definition  (Nic Fanculli Remix)
17. Radioslave - Grindhouse (Nic Fanculli Remix)
18. Thomas Schumacher - Fangbanger
19. UNKLE - Reign (King Unique Remix + UNKLE Sounds Edit)
20. Ame, Henrik Schwarz, Dixon - Where We At (Ame Live Version)
21. Lana Del Rey - Ride (James Lavelle Remix Lyla's Surprise)
22. Carl Craig - At Les (Christian Smith's Tronic Treatment Remix)
23. UNKLE - Follow Me Down / Heavy Drug (Fergie Remix) (UNKLE Sounds Edit)
24. Nicole Moudaber and Victor Calderone - The Journey Begins
25. Four Tet - Angel Echoes (Caribou Remix) (James Lavelle & Charlie May Re-edit)
26. Fleetwood Mac - Big Love (Live Acoustic Version)
27. Funk D'void - Diabla (Christian Smith Remix)
28. Radiohead - Everything In It's Right Place (Gigamesh Re-edit)
29. Mark Knight feat Underworld - Downpipe
30. Hot Chip ­ Flutes (Sasha Remix)
31. Pachanga Boys - Time
32. Rone - Parade (Dominik Eulberg Remix)
33. Luciano - Rise Of Angel (Mirko, Andrea Olivia and Original Mixes) (James Lavelle & Charlie May Re-edit)
34. Marvin Gaye - Mercy Mercy Me (A Cappella)
35. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (A Cappella)
Mixed by James Lavelle and Charlie May
Programmed by Charlie May
Additional edits by Paul Rogers

Listen and Download UNKLESounds "The End Pt. 1"





Mix by James Lavelle
Engineered and edited by Paul Rogers
1. Intro
2. Trouble In Paradise – UNKLE
3. Let The Lord Shine A Light On Me (UNKLE Remix) – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
4. F.E.A.R. (UNKLE Remix) – Ian Brown
5. Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (A Cappella) – Daft Punk
6. Restless (16 Bit Lolitas Remix) – UNKLE
7. The Runaway (A Cappella) – UNKLE
8. Natural Selection (Future Beat Alliance Remix) – UNKLE
9. The Answer (Trentemøller Remix) – UNKLE
10. Reign (String Reprise) – UNKLE
11. Reign (King Unique Remix) – UNKLE
12. No One Knows (A Cappella) – Queens Of The Stone Age
13. Money And Run (16 Bit Lolitas Remix) – UNKLE
14. Heavy Drug (Album Version) – UNKLE
15. Heavy Drug (King Unique Remix) – UNKLE
16. Heavy Drug (Future Beat Alliance Remix) – UNKLE
17. Heavy Drug (Fergie Remix) – UNKLE
18. Follow Me Down – UNKLE
19. 24 Frames (Redux) – UNKLE
20. Tomorrow Never Knows (A Cappella) – The Beatles
21. The Dog Is Black (Barry Jamieson Remix) – UNKLE
22. Heaven (Charlie May Remix) – UNKLE
23. Sayonara – UNKLE
24. Burn My Shadow (A Cappella) – UNKLE
25. In A State/God Moving Over The Face Of The Waters – UNKLE/Moby
Special Thanks: James Lavelle, UNKLE, Charlie May, Marvin Gaye and Daft Punk's "Electroma" film becoming a bonafied late-night classic when paired with the their "Tron:Legacy" Soundtrack.



Thursday, March 14, 2013

Daft Punk - Electroma - The Movie


In honor of Duke Du Rock touching down back on the West Coast tonight, 
Skitten Browning Productions proudly presents:
Daft Punk - "Electroma", The Movie

"I don't want to talk about it... I just want it to be seen."

Stay thirsty my friends.




Special Thanks to: Organic beef, iPhones, Magic Hat #9, the Incredible Burt Wonderstone starring Michael Scott, DJ Milkshakes' roots, Jameson Irish whiskey, St. Patrick's day being on a Sunday so I can celebrate on a Saturday, the "Parents Just Don't Understand" video with Fresh Prince ... Remember the white studio setup with the words painted all over the wall and floor?, Daft Punk, Daft Punk being crazy enough to make a film. 

Download FREE New Mixmag Drum & Bass Mix From Spectrasoul!

It goes without saying that Spectrasoul are easily one of the best new groups in the drum and bass scene. Their breakthrough 2012 debut album, "Delay No More" is still on heavy repeat on our stereo systems. So what a treat to see the Spectrasoul boys have put together an absolutely slamming new drum & bass mix for Mixmag which you can download for free! Trust, this one is absolutely essential.

Listen & Download Spectrasoul's new March 2013 Drum & Bass Mix below:



Tracklist:

1/ Break - Love So True VIP
2/ Calibre - Waterfalls
3/ Capone - Friday
4/ Calibre - Running
5/ Aldo - Hikori
6/ Ivy Lab - Afterthought
7/ SpectraSoul - Memento
8/ dBridge - True Romance VIP
9/ Extra Curricular - Last Day (SpectraSoul Remix)
10/ Calibre - Archive
11/ Alix Perez & SpectraSoul Feat. Peven Everett - Forsaken
12/ Breakage - Clarendon
13/ Dub Phizix & Skittles - Creator
14/ dBridge - Mourning Dawn
15/ SpectraSoul Feat. Terri Walker - Light in the Dark
16/ Fracture - Better than Tomorrow
17/ dBridge & Skeptical - Move Way
18/ Digital & Spirit - Phantom Force (Fracture Remix)
19/ Moresounds - Analogue Steak (Danny Scrilla Remix)
20/ Flosstradamus - Roll Up (Baauer Remix)
21/ Om Unit & Sam Binga - Gamma
22/ Rockwell - _)_
23/ Dub Phizix - Clock Ticks
24/ Tokyo Prose - Untitled
25/ Break - Run Off
26/ Ulterior Motive - Right Here
27/ Om Unit - Way Back


Special Thanks: Spectrasoul for the fresh mix, Mixmag, basketball shootouts with Upperhands, Kickin it with Kendrick Lamar at SXSW, my San Francisco 49ers stealing Anquan Boldin for only a 6th round draft pick and Daft Punk returning (finally).


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Freddy Finger - From Within



Upperhands unsigned talents Presents:
Freddy Finger "From Within"

For more Freddy Finger music:

Special Thanks to: Freddy Finger "Luminous" album, Freddy Finger "Recline" album, underground beat makers that I unearth from the doldrums of the hip hop world, diamonds in the rough.

Monday, March 11, 2013

LTJ Bukem - Atlantis the DJ Marky & S.P.Y. Rework






 Well people... You asked for it.
It seems like just yesterday that I got the chance to see LTJ Bukem and DJ Marky on the same stage,
but those days are over here in Southern California.
It has been a really long time since any of the Electronic Massives of Southern California have brought any real names to the table worth spending a weekend hanging out with 
a bunch of teenie ravers on ecstacy for the first time and are sweating all over you and smell like the drugs and fast food they ate with their ex and are now in actuality just a younger crazier version of you as a teen and you kind of respect it because they really like the music you like too... 
Don't Mind the Ravers - Damn they know how to have a good time. Quandry?

Luckily Los Angeles still has the longest running Drum and Bass night known as RESPECT.
Each week Rob Machete and the Junglist Platoon bring us bad ass DJs from around the world, with little to no teenie ravers and maybe the occasional fight, RESPECT kills it, with names like:
A-Sides, Marcus Intalex, DJ Dara, Aphrodite, S.P.Y., Calibre, AK1200, the list continues on and on!
And we love them for it.
Just recently RESPECT brought producer and DJ, S.P.Y., to bring some 
of his insane tracks, mixing abilities and some choice reworks of some classics like
LTJ Bukem's, "Atlantis".
When S.P.Y. dropped this track during his set only a month ago, I knew I was hearing something 
sweet, but I had no idea it was this good. Working along side his creative 
partner and confidant DJ Marky, S.P.Y. brings us back to the original days of 
Drum and Bass, re worked into a modern classic itself that is no doubt going to get you mooving no matter what you are doing. This track not only proves how amazing it is that Drum and Bass producers are always collaborating on some ill shit, but it also helps LTJ Bukem show the people....
That he just may be making a comeback.

 Special Thanks to: Discovering my love for Drum and Bass music in the summer of 2009, watching a child have an "a ha" moment, pinecones are seeds for pine trees, buying a ton of new music online for March's Drum and Bass mix, pieces of earth from 11,000 feet in the air, Jameson Irish Whiskcy, Miami Heat Harlem Shake video, Kobe Bryant going off the deep end and scoring insane points this season, The San Francisco 49ers making some really nice moves in the offseason, the New York Yankees payroll is as grand as the average age of players, Skullphone, Drum and Bass being accessible at all avenues because of the internet.


Saturday, March 9, 2013

Weekend Playlist: Download Gramatik's Remix of Blackstreet's Classic "No Diggity"

Always wondered why nobody has done a decent remix of the classic jam, "No Diggity," by Blackstreet? Well your prayers have been answered as Gramatik offer a funky fresh rerub for 2013. Keeping Teddy Riley's smooth vocals intact over one of their own soulful breaks, this one is the perfect addition to your weekend playlist.

Free Download Below:


Special Thanks: Blackstreet for having one helluva hit, Gramatik for the fresh remix, weekend playlists and Austin excursions.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Listen to "Starwaves" From M83's "Oblivion" Score!

If you loved Daft Punk's score to "Tron:Legacy," the director's follow-up film, "Oblivion" features another epic soundtrack by way of Anthony Gonzalez aka M83.

Just listen to the stunning first offering, "Starwaves"



Bring on the soundtrack and film this April!

Special Thanks: Joseph Kosinki for having the vision to hire acts like Daft Punk and M83 to score his films. 

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Daft Punk Advert on Saturday Night Live Previews 15 Seconds of New Music

We're getting closer! A whopping 15 seconds of new Daft Punk music played during a recent advert on Saturday Night Live...but we're certainly digging the disco-tinged vibes!



Special Thanks: Daft Punk + Disco = comeback

Sunday Anthem: Scuba's "NE1BUTU" Throwback Music Video

If this song from Upperhand's favorite, Scuba, doesn't put you in a good mood, you best check your pulse!



Special Thanks: Scuba's "Personality" album still sounding fresh, venice beach weekends, Randy Moss staying classy in SF for 1 season, revisiting the film "Juice" and seared ahi tuna sandwiches

Saturday, March 2, 2013