Gorillaz - "Doncmatic (All Played Out)" ft. Daley [Friday Jams]

Somewhere between releasing a new album and embarking on a world tour, Gorillaz found time to record this new track just in time for their gig at Madison Square Garden tonight, and more importantly for your Schiff Happens Friday Jams. Yours truly will be one of the lucky ones in attendance tonight, and this tune has me that much more excited. I was immediately drawn to Gorillaz when I first caught a glimpse of the incredible visuals that they fuse with their musicianship and have been pumped to see them live since before it was even a possibility. The closest I ever came was when I was living in London back in 2005 and I saw a flier for a sold out festival-type ticket featuring Gorillaz as the headliner pasted to the wall in some sketchy neighborhood as I made my way home from a night of drunken shenanigans at the roller disco. So yeah, despite my seat location in the 300s, I'll be considerably closer to the action tonight. HYPE and video via Hidden Track (emphasis mine):

The Live on Letterman webcast series rolled on last night with a not quite an hour set from Gorillaz. Gorillaz’s front man Damon Albarn clearly enjoyed the setting as he hammed it up throughout and expressed his excitement for tonight’s Madison Square Garden gig multiple times.

Guests on the webcast included Miho Hatori, Paul Simonon and Mick Jones of The Clash, De La Soul, a string quartet and Bootie Brown as the band played a total of nine songs including the suave Superfast Jellyfish, a gorgeous On Melancholy Hill and a Clint Eastwood closer that turned into a party when Albarn invited half the crowd on stage with him.

 

Finally, check out the new jam, "Doncmatic (All Played Out)" below. It's apparently "inspired by The Donca Matic - the groundbreaking Japanese-designed drum machine which started the Korg Musical Instrument Company in 1963." Okay then. Watch below or download here.

SO ready for tonight.

Friday Jams: Cee-Lo Green, "Fuck You"

Happy Friday, everyone. Sing it out.

Friday Jams: Andre 3000 does The Beatles, new Kanye & Eminem, more

Did your short week not feel quite so short? Neither did mine, but screw that--It's Friday! Sweet, sweet Friday! To keep your spirits high and your weekend bumpin, we're kicking out the Friday Jams because, well, that's just what we do around here.

First up, Andre 3000 gets his Beatle on in Nike's new Kobe Bryant spot. Really glad to see Ewing's signature Garden pump-up make it into the mix.



Next, new joints from two of rap's finest.
Kanye West (thankfully) gets back to rapping on "Power," likely the first single off of his upcoming new album Good Ass Job. Welcome back, Mr. Gay Fish, and huge props for the King Crimson (!) sample. Meanwhile, Eminem's new album, Recovery, drops June 22 and features this jam with Pink called "Won't Back Down."

Speaking of hip-hop giants, Nas has been at it for 20 years (we're old) and Steady Bloggin is celebrating with an exhaustive year-by-year breakdown of the best verses of his career, accompanied by a mix called 20 Years 20 Verses. (Incidentally, I'm trying to hit up Nas & Damian Marley at the Williamsburg Waterfront in Brooklyn on July 31 if any of you care to join me.)

Finally, B.o.B and Lupe Fiasco jump in on Janelle Monáe's "Tightrope." The last time Schiff Happens was in a room with Bobby Ray and Lu, the party positively jumped off. This track is equally dope.

Friday Jams are back on the eve of Worldwide Fame

Hey there, Schiff Heads! I know Ive been gone for a minute, but I told you things would be different in 2010 and that I'd never leave you hanging indefinitely like I did a few times back in The Year That Was Naught, and I'm sticking to my promise.

In the coming days we'll be breaking down the lineups for my three favorite festivals coming up this season and trying to decide which one you should be zeroing in on if you can only attend one, as all early signs indicate will be the case for Schiff Happens. However, the focus today is once again my ever-expanding global fame.

That's right, friends and fans of Schiff, the glorious moment is upon us! Tomorrow night on BBC Two, the final installment of The Virtual Revolution, starring the one and only Schiff Happens as "The Whopper Guy," airs for the whole world to see. Now, in this case, "The whole world" does not necessarily refer to the United States, or anywhere outside of the UK. However, the full episodes (at least the first 2) have been included in what the show's site is calling its 3D Documentary Explorer, a nifty little device that allows you to watch the shows in full, or explore individual elements in depth via a web of interconnected sites related to elements of each episode. Hopefully, Episode 4 will follow suit in due time. If not, we'll be here, waiting on pins and needles for The Virtual Revolution to finally land on BBC America.

So to celebrate this momentous achievement in Schiff Happens fame, we're bringing back a long-forgotten tradition that never should have been abandoned. Ladies and gentlemen, a warm welcome back to Friday Jams!

It's only appropriate that this week's Friday Jams feature a meeting of great minds from New York City and England, and with that in mind we give to you something we've been meaning to share for a minute now: Wu-Tang Vs. The Beatles: Enter The Magical Mystery Chambers.

I know you might be thinking, "Damn it, Schiff, another mash-up!?" or "Didn't Dangermouse already do this on The Grey Album?" but this isn't what you're used to, or what you're expecting. Turns out a 28-year-old music teacher from Brighton, England named Tom Caruana spent two months putting this together, going beyond the typical mash-up style of just slapping a vocal track over a different beat. Chambers mashes Wu-Tang a capellas with archival sound from interviews and newsreels, alternate instrumental samples and cover versions of Beatles classics, creating a new kind of mashup altogether. It had been downloaded over 27,000 times as of last month, and it's sort of amazing. Plus, the genius behind it is a freaking music teacher, an everyday bum like the rest of us, who says that if he ever met Paul or Ringo he'd say “'Cheers for putting in the great work over the years. You’re legends.' And then give them a high-five and run off quickly.” And if that doesn't get you, just look at him.



Ah-dorable.

Now go download it (It has been pulled from Caruana's site but that link will let you at least listen to it and points you to a direct download link. Sorry, best I could do), then keep an eye out over the weekend for your favorite international superstar. Like our friends across the pond might chant at their soccer matches, there's only one Schiff Happens.

I wanna know who got that N.A.S.A. music [we have liftoff!]

Tons to do today so could be a slow one for blogging, but let me just remind you of the only thing you need to know this morning: N.A.S.A. has launched, and we're already a day late.

If you don't know, you should have been learning along with me, because The Spirit of Apollo is going to be one of the biggest party bangers of the year. Write that down on the off chance that you didn't know already so I can take credit later, and read on for your 30-second tutorial.

N.A.S.A. (North America/South America) is a collaboration between DJ Zegon and DJ Sam Spiegel (aka Squeak E. Clean, aka Spike Jonze's brother) rooted in celebrating unity across a vast spectrum of artists. First, we heard "Gifted," featuring Kanye West, Lykke Li and Santogold (apparently now known as Santigold). Next it was "Watchadoin," which brought together M.I.A., Spank Rock, Santi, and Nick Zinner, and "Spacious Thoughts," an ethereal meeting between Tom Waits and Kool Keith. Schiff Happens was convinced after hearing David Byrne trade verses with Chuck D on "Money." Since then, we've heard even more tracks featuring The Cool Kids, Ghostface Killah, DJ AM, Scarface, KRS-One, Fatlip, Slim Kid Tre, Method Man, and even Schiff Happens favorite Ol' Dirty Bastard. “This record is about bringing the craziest combination of people together,” says Spiegel. Well no shit, Sam - mission accomplished.

In addition to the wild collaborations in the studio, N.A.S.A. have taken their concept a step further and enlisted some of their favorite fine artists, such as Marcel Dzama and Shepard Fairey (yea, that guy) to produce 5 interchangeable album covers which will all come with the album. The beatmakers then paired their artist pals with animators to create some fantastic music videos for songs off of Apollo. Check out the different covers here.

You can pick up your copy of The Spirit of Apollo at iTunes, Amazon, and purveyors of fine music everywhere, via Anti-. For now, enjoy a little taste with these videos.

N.A.S.A. "The Spirit of Apollo" Trailer


"Money" ft. David Byrne, Chuck D, Ras Congo, Seu Jorge & Z-Trip


"Hip Hop" ft. KRS-One, Fatlip, & Slim Kid Tre


"The People Tree" ft. David Byrne, Chali 2na, Gift of Gab, & Z-Trip


N.A.S.A. Previously on SH:
No- No- No more work this week! [Friday Jams]
More tunes! aka Where the F are my Friday Jams?
To all my people who don't wanna go to work [Friday Jams]

No- No- No more work this week! [Friday Jams]

It's been a minute since I posted an official Friday Jams, so I'm gonna try to blow this one out and give you some stuff to bounce around to this weekend (and you will need to remain bouncing, as it is brick city miserable my teeth hurt kinda cold out there).

[T-minus one month to liftoff] I've had my eye on N.A.S.A. since before I really knew their deal, but I really started paying attention when I saw David Byrne's name next to Chuck D's and listened to 'Money.' Turns out the duo of DJ Zegon and Squeak E. Clean (the brother of Spike Jonze) have a shitload of most awesome friends, and when I see a list of collaborations like this one, I get excited. Apparently their agenda is to bring together as much diversity and musical collaboration as possible, and from the looks of things they've done a great job. A few tracks have leaked here and there, so grab the ones you can download (with props to Pigeons and Planes), and check out the rest of the track list for the debut album, The Spirit of Apollo, out February 27.

01. Intro
02. The People Tree (feat. David Byrne, Chali 2na, Gift of Gab, & Z-Trip)
03. Money feat. David Byrne, Chuck D, Ras Congo, Seu Jorge & Z-Trip
04. NASA Music (feat. Method Man, E-40, & DJ Swamp)
05. Way Down (feat. RZA, Barbie Hatch, & John Frusciante)
06. Hip Hop (feat. KRS-One, Fatlip, & Slim Kid Tre)
07. Four Rooms, Earth View
08. Strange Enough (feat. Karen O, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, & Fatlip)
09. Spacious Thoughts feat. Tom Waits & Kool Keith
10. Gifted (feat. Kanye West, Santogold, & Lykke Li)
11. A Volta (feat. Sizzla, Amanda Blank, & Lovefoxxx)
12. There’s a Party (feat. George Clinton & Chali 2na)
13. Whachadoin? feat. Spank Rock,M.I.A., Santogold & Nick Zinner
14. O Pato (feat. Kool Kojak & DJ Babão)
15. Samba Soul (feat. Del Tha Funkee Homosapien & DJ Qbert)
16. The Mayor (feat. The Cool Kids, Ghostface Killah, DJ AM, & Scarface)
17. N.A.S.A. Anthem

[I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg] Gave you the heads up on the Paul's Boutique reissue, so in honor of my fellow tribesman here's one of my favorite tracks from that album. Love all the samples (Dust Brothers on production) and brings memories of 'Egg Raid on Mojo,' played at the aforementioned concert. Unrelated to any of that is this site which will consume plenty of your precious free time if you're a Beastie aficionado like myself. Beastie Boys - Egg Man

[If it ain't broke] Everyone is jumping on tracks with Santogold, and Three Six Mafia and Project Pat have proven, at least to me, that this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Santogold - Shove It (Mad Decent Remix) ft. Three 6 Mafia & Project Pat

[Don't say I never gave props to Cleveland] Kid Cudi's whole half-singing half-rapping thing threw me for a minute, but I've listened to more of his stuff and I'm excited to see what he does in '09. Could be a real big year for this dude, but like Asher says, "What do I know? I'm just a white kid." Kid Cudi - Embrace the Martian ft. Crookers

[This speech is my recital] Run D.M.C. were elected to an extremely irrelevant institution (hey, I can only be nice to Cleveland once in a given post), so I give to you perhaps my all-time favorite jam of theirs. Run D.M.C. - It's Tricky 

[What kind of a grown man calls himself "Puffy?"] Finally, something I just saw (thanks to Nah Right). I was jammin to Ready to Die and Life After Death all day yesterday in celebration of Notorious Eve. DJ Mike Nice presents a mixtape celebrating Brooklyn to get you more in the mood for the Biggie biopic, which I've been excited about for a while now. It's out today, so go see it. DJ Mike Nice - Brooklyn Bullshit (Mixtape)

Shady Happens [Legally This Time!]

Ashamed of myself for being so slow on this as well, but the track that led to the disappearance of Friday Jams and had me momentarily thinking that the feds were gonna come to my apartment and take my precious piece of the internet away forever has leaked once again for what appears to be the last time.

Henceforth to be officially known as "Crack A Bottle," Eminem's new track seems finally complete and includes verses from the still-flowin Dr. Dre and the surprisingly melodic 50 Cent(s Jackson). I really dig this track and the fact that these 3 are together again in 2009 on a track that feels like the ones I was bumping from my first year dorm room in 2002. From Rolling Stone:

The third and likely final version of Eminem’s “Crack A Bottle” hit the Internet today, complete with new verses featuring Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. The track is expected to be included on the Slim Shady’s upcoming comeback LP Relapse, due out in the first quarter of 2009. As opposed to those previous five song leaks that left Eminem “heated,” this time the song was actually distributed to the media.

Props to Pigeons and Planes for the download link, which I can happily include without fear of being added to the list of Most Wanted Internet Pirates. Our long national nightmare is finally over, (legally) enjoy your new Slim Shady.


"This one begins where the last one ends.
Pick up where we left off and get smashed again."

Eminem Joined By 50 Cent and Dr. Dre On New “Crack A Bottle” [Rolling Stone]

New Year, New Emcees

In an attempt to bring music back to their music television network, MTV News has produced a profile of several up-and-coming hip hop artists to watch in 2009. In an attempt to bring more music back to this blog, I share said video with you. Features clips from videos, performances and interviews with B.o.B., Charles Hamilton, Asher Roth, Wale and Kid Cudi.

MTV Shows

If ya didn't know: To all my people who don't wanna go to work [Friday Jams]
More tunes! aka where the F are my Friday Jams?

More Tunes! aka where the F are my Friday Jams?

Inexplicably, Saturday's Friday Jams have disappeared completely from the Schiff Happens radar. Please, someone, anyone, whoever you are out there - if this is your way of paying me back for posting unlicensed content, a simple "Cut that shit out" letter would have sufficed. Anyway, with my entire awesome post gone, here's the track list - you're on your own for download links this week I guess.

Ball Greezy - I'm the shit
Jay-Z - Brooklyn Go Hard ft. Santogold
Justin Timberlake - If I ft. T.I.
Eminem - Number One
Charles Hamilton - C Food
Asher Roth - Roth Boys (I'm pretty sure I can still embed the video, so see below)
N.A.S.A. - Money ft. David Byrne and Chuck D (also gonna repost this video)
Ghostface Killah - Ghostface Xmas
Vic & B.O.B. - Hot (from Collipark Christmas)
Run DMC - Christmas in Hollis

Roth Boys video:


Money video:


And of course as a special Festivus Miracle, in keeping with the Christmas jams at the end of the list and me wanting to spread some extra cheer for initially posting this late, here's the first episode of the new season of Flight of the Conchords.

Season 2 Online Premiere - Flight of the Conchords (US Only) - watch more funny videos

Update: I'm pretty sure my Slim Shady postings are responsible for the disappearance, as my post about where he's been and the leaked track has also disappeared. I still don't understand why these posts are just gone without any form of correspondence from Blogger or otherwise - if anyone out there can shed some light, please do so.

To all my people who don't wanna go to work [Friday Jams]

Ten tunes for your Friday feel-good head nod. Download, make yourself a little playlist, name it Schiff Happens: Friday Jams, get down.

Asher Roth - I Love College (because I'm pushing this Heeb on everyone right now, because he's gonna blow up in '09, because Rivers Cuomo should lighten up and because we all love college)

Kanye West ft. Mos Def - Good Night (off The Graduate Mixtape)

T.I. - Message to the Government (from the cutting room floor of Paper Trail)

DJ Bling - King of Rock Mixtape Volume 1 (it's no Girl Talk, but a fun mashup)

N.A.S.A. ft. Kanye West, Lykke Li and Santogold - Gifted (off N.A.S.A.'s new album The Spirit of Apollo)

Cornershop - Candyman (from the new LeBron Nike commercial that's oh so nice)

Jay-Z - Jockin Jay-Z remix ft. Travis Barker (if you know me, you know I'm all about rap meets rock)

Charles Hamilton - Brooklyn Girls

Ludacris - Press the Start Button (off the Dutch bonus to Theater of the Mind. Only Luda could make all those video game references sound so hard.)

Bob Marley - Iron Lion Zion (previously unreleased from Songs of Freedom, in case you're stuck on what to give me this holiday. Honestly, who could brighten up your Friday better than Bob?)