Bombay Monkey’s new album ‘130 Astronauts’ is the third in a “trilogy of four parts” following ‘Vanish’ (2005) and ‘Time Travellers’ (2006). Although ‘130 Astronauts’ is themed around space, the album title is actually derived from the number of space cadets that used to drop by at 130 St Johns Road in Tunbridge Wells, where Bombay Monkey first started making tracks together.

Bombay Monkey describe their sound as being “not unlike alchemy, constantly searching for the perfect balance of numbers – high magic through high maths -  mixing the past with the present and the organic with the chemical.”

 ‘130 Astronauts’ features Rosko John, Mr Thing, Red Eye, Sound Sanctuary and The Origamis and was recorded at their own studio located on a very old farm in The Ashdown Forest, although the initial Bombay Monkey sessions were a very different story. Andy explains:

“Guy shared the flat (the ground floor of an old Victorian semi) with two rappers, Natty and Dwella, and a skater/graffer Jay. I'd turn up with an MPC 2000, a zip drive, and a stack of vinyl while Guy had a mini disc recorder, another stack of vinyl and a stack of DVDs and videos. In the summer, we'd work in the garden - a reasonably over-grown space that was just about far enough away from the road that we could record. In the winter it wasn't quite as easy. The flat was in a pretty bad state of disrepair with holes in the floor, a broken front door, no light in the bathroom and no heating anywhere. Winter recording was never as comfortable. We'd work in Guy' room using an oil radiator for heat when we could afford it and as many tea lights as we could find when we couldn't.”

It was here that Bombay Monkey established their way of making music - avoid computers as much as possible, never use pre-sets, keep tracks short. Old vinyl and old television would prove to be their biggest source of inspiration. Strange coincidences kept the synapses firing, how a sample from a Spanish singer would mesh with Hawaiian guitar in exactly the right pitch and key as Rosco sang about leaving a broken down town.

Bombay Monkey shows utilise custom built visuals created from vintage film clips, fresh film clips and extremely fresh animations care of the exceptionally talented 'CPU'. So far this year, BM have supported Hexstatic at Cargo, appeared at Digital City and played various a/v club nights around London and the South East.

Live Dates:

Sat 19th July - Concrete, Hayward Gallery (Istanbul release party)

Sat 9th Aug - Moorfest, Leeds

Thurs 14th Aug - Big Chill House

Sat 30th Aug - Festinho, Suffolk

For more information go to myspace.com/bombaymonkey or lo-tek.co.uk

Bombay Monkey’s new album ‘130 Astronauts’ is the third in a “trilogy of four parts” following ‘Vanish’ (2005) and ‘Time Travellers’ (2006). Although ‘130 Astronauts’ is themed around space, the album title is actually derived from the number of space cadets that used to drop by at 130 St Johns Road in Tunbridge Wells, where Bombay Monkey first started making tracks together.

Bombay Monkey describe their sound as being “not unlike alchemy, constantly searching for the perfect balance of numbers – high magic through high maths -  mixing the past with the present and the organic with the chemical.”

 ‘130 Astronauts’ features Rosko John, Mr Thing, Red Eye, Sound Sanctuary and The Origamis and was recorded at their own studio located on a very old farm in The Ashdown Forest, although the initial Bombay Monkey sessions were a very different story. Andy explains:

“Guy shared the flat (the ground floor of an old Victorian semi) with two rappers, Natty and Dwella, and a skater/graffer Jay. I'd turn up with an MPC 2000, a zip drive, and a stack of vinyl while Guy had a mini disc recorder, another stack of vinyl and a stack of DVDs and videos. In the summer, we'd work in the garden - a reasonably over-grown space that was just about far enough away from the road that we could record. In the winter it wasn't quite as easy. The flat was in a pretty bad state of disrepair with holes in the floor, a broken front door, no light in the bathroom and no heating anywhere. Winter recording was never as comfortable. We'd work in Guy' room using an oil radiator for heat when we could afford it and as many tea lights as we could find when we couldn't.”

It was here that Bombay Monkey established their way of making music - avoid computers as much as possible, never use pre-sets, keep tracks short. Old vinyl and old television would prove to be their biggest source of inspiration. Strange coincidences kept the synapses firing, how a sample from a Spanish singer would mesh with Hawaiian guitar in exactly the right pitch and key as Rosco sang about leaving a broken down town.

Bombay Monkey shows utilise custom built visuals created from vintage film clips, fresh film clips and extremely fresh animations care of the exceptionally talented 'CPU'. So far this year, BM have supported Hexstatic at Cargo, appeared at Digital City and played various a/v club nights around London and the South East.

Live Dates:

Sat 19th July - Concrete, Hayward Gallery (Istanbul release party)

Sat 9th Aug - Moorfest, Leeds

Thurs 14th Aug - Big Chill House

Sat 30th Aug - Festinho, Suffolk

For more information go to myspace.com/bombaymonkey or lo-tek.co.uk

Shadow's first full-length work, Endtroducing... was released in late 1996 to immense critical acclaim.

Endtroducing would make the Guinness World Records book for "First Completely Sampled Album" in 2001.

The only piece of equipment Shadow used to produce the album is the AKAI MPC60 12bit sampling drum machine.

Now available is a limited edition cover artwork print available on a heavy, coated matte stock approximately 15" x 38"

Go buy online a turntable lab

An experimental journey in the freestyle, unconscious mind

Mr Basista, ex Juice FM host, Freestyle lyricist and longtime Defcon artist, presents his debut solo album THUNK.

THUNK is a daring debut solo project, an all out bold collection of tracks, captivating and fresh. THUNK beats comprise powerful funk and hip hop influenced sounds and samples, combining them fluently in a jazz atmosphere which is complimented by interjecting frank, rhythmical lyrics. THUNK is written, produced and performed by the extra ordinary talent, Mr Basista.

Mr Basista (Big. In. Japan., Defcon) has previously recorded and released critically acclaimed tracks alongside Fenna Rhodes and The True ingredients as well as featuring on mix tapes ‘Play times Over’ &‘Hiphoperation’(Chameleon Records) and for Baggy Flag Records alongside UK rap heavyweights Supa Nova, Wordsmith & Dr Syntax.

THUNK provides a fun and funky soundscape for listener’s ears, Basista begs us to revel and roll in funk and electro indie without ever sacrificing his hip hop roots. Upbeat tracks Booda and Bait King featuring hard funky horns and shuffling keys will be banging DJ favourites, and wouldn’t sound out of place played at a funky house or disco club night. In contrast the honest imagery & flowing rhymes in ‘Dad and Me’ will satisfy all the head nod hip hoppers out there.

For any one who believes the UK rap scene takes itself too seriously, for any one who believes we need a fresh perspective. We have found the man for the job.

THUNK, by Mr Basista is OUT NOW and available to buy from: www.mrbasista.co.uk or www.roughtrade.com

Art Battles is a live-art competition where artists create work side- by-side in front of a live audience. For six years Art Battles have been a platform for talented artists to showcase their skills in and around NYC in a most unique setting and under tremendous pressure to perform. There's no time to sleep on your ideas, no chance to mull the nuance of each brush stroke. No, with Art Battles, time is as much of the essence as is inspiration and talent.

In May 2007, MTV hosted Art Battles live on the picturesque MTV outdoor deck overlooking Times Square. That evening, 12 artists vied for a chance to have their art displayed in Times Square for public judging.

After almost two hours of paint-induced frenzy, eight finalists were chosen:

Concep, Nick Poe, Leif McIlwaine, Martina Kubinyi, Ben Angotti, Brian Ermanski, Kevin Ragnott and Megan Whitman.

Now, the artwork they created during that Art Battles session has been reproduced onto shades that hang in the MTV TRL studio windows high above Broadway, the most famous street in the world. These artists are veterans of the Art Battles that have been staged all over New York.

The only difference is that this time, the ultimate art jury is you.

Check out the eight finalists and see their work. And be sure to watch the video montage of the May 4 event to see what they did to get into the finals. Art Battles are as much about the finished pieces as they are about the personality and performance of the artist in the moment.

After you've gotten to know the artists and their work, cast a vote for your favorite and tune into TRL on June 11 when the ultimate winner is unveiled LIVE! The winner gets the coveted center shade in our studio windows and bragging rights.

You decide who has the illiest painting skills and whom deserves the title of the 1st MTV Art Battle.

HISTORY:
Created by Sean Bono, Art Battles began in 2001 on a small lot on 45 E. Houston Street in downtown New York City. Since then, there has been tremendous organic growth in the movement with artists battling independently all over the world. It is a means of breaking down the boundaries of elitism and making art more social and tangible to everyone.

At its most basic, Art Battles are a competition in which two or more artists compete against one another in front of a live audience. Painting or drawing on canvas, they strive to create their best piece of artwork in the moment. The artists are limited only by the amount of time each has to complete their painting.

The true essence of Art Battles is the unearthing of the struggle an artist experiences when confronted with an unfamiliar atmosphere and an audience. It is here that the balance of raw talent, creativity and ingenuity can trump an opponent. To the viewer, this is the beauty of watching an Art Battle unfold, often unpredictably.

The connection the viewer feels after being part of the creation process is what compels them to choose their favorite at the end of every competition, with the winners judged as much on the quality of their art piece as they are for their performance in the heat of battle and their personality.

For more information on Art Battles check out www.artbattles.com.

THE FOUNDER
Sean Bono moved to New York City in 2000 from neighboring New Jersey in pursuit of a future in art. He made his first big splash in the NYC art scene at 19 years old, as the creator of Art Battles, a live competitive art show he staged in a junkyard gallery/ performance space in downtown Manhattan. Sean's skills have since become polished, yet still maintains an explosive painting style. At 25 years old Bono is an artist with a very exciting career to come.

‘It’s Pop It’s Art’ is built upon a passionate love both of music and art. Taking their lead from the world’s influential musicians, typographers and the pop art icons of the 1960s. They aim to visually celebrate the many bands that can catapult our emotional states any-which-way with the use of microphone, guitar, drum machine and a trusty pen & paper. The song is where the emotional connection sparks and the lyric is where that whole trip begins.

All fonts have been hand drawn and designed especially for this project. All prints are signed by the designer, numbered, limited to 300 and printed on high-grade 216g astrolux paper. Each print is 100cm x 70cm and fits neatly in a Habitat ‘Birch’ frame. We use the same printers as Damien Hirst and London’s Serpentine Gallery.

They have also started doing custom prints for that special track of your choice. ‘It’s Pop It’s Art’ is a collaboration between Airside and EMI Music Publishing UK. Check out www.itspopitsart.com for more information.

Indeep - Last Night a DJ Saved My Life Print

The final colorways of the new Gorillaz figures are here! Rebirthed in new and improved sculpts only 1000 sets of the 2-Tone edition exist.

Because of the success of the last sets of figures which released with their platinum album Demon Days, we have teamed up with Jamie Hewlett and produced a new set of 3D vinyl creations based on the world's first virtual band

For those unfamiliar, the Gorillaz are the creation of designer/illustrator Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn, the lead singer of Blur. This animated band went platinum with their self titled debut and repeated their success with Demon Days last year.

The four Gorillaz characters - 2D, Noodle, Murdoc, and Russel are brought to life in beautiful vinyl. Each comes with various accessories including a wrench, a busted drum, guitar, bass, and microphone stand. Each comes packaged in a semi-transparent display box.

These figures will be released on Thursday, February 22nd at 11am, EST. Due to the limited run of only 1000 of each figure made, Gorillaz 2-Tone will only be available in sets.

Coming soon at www.kidrobot.com

Flash-player in a chrome-plated steel body frame.

Control elements and LED-display are covered by flexible, semi-transparent plastic. Log in to a computer and charging are via USB port.

Concept: "A form of the player is inspired by the original Christian symbol, the cross. Indeed, we wear it in the same manner as a player - around the neck.
We are playing not only with the form, but with religious symbolsycs. This player immediately brings many questions - whether it is possible to listen to any kind of music on it? Whether it can keep on playing a role of the religious symbol? Does everybody have a moral right to wear this thing?"

Perfect for those who Listen to music religiously! Waaa hahahahaa

via Size7

All the featured artists on http://maarav.org.il/draftedart/ are Israeli citizens or individuals that live, work and create art in Israel but oppose the actions of the Israeli government and military. They feel it is important that this statement comes out of Israel and is created by Israelis, therefore they are not accepting art from fellow artists abroad. They would, however, welcome any future collaboration focused on joint struggle, especially with artist in our neighboring countries.

http://maarav.org.il/draftedart/ more pics on Flickr

From The Basement is a music series that features the most intimate live performances from the finest musicians on the planet.

From The Basement sets a new standard for music TV production. The show is beautifully filmed in high-definition at Maida Vale studios in London with the live sound by producer Nigel Godrich. From The Basement has no host and no studio audience, instead the artist and their performance take centre stage.

The first episode is very special. From The Basement launches with Thom Yorke on the piano exclusively performing songs from the new Radiohead album, alongside incredible performances from The White Stripes and an improvised collaboration between Four Tet's Kieran Hebden and genius drummer Steve Reid. The whole episode has been filmed by acclaimed director Sophie Muller.

Each episode's performances will be available via download only to allow repeated viewings. Downloads are available right here and from iTunes.

Down In The Basement looking up at the Stars

J Rofe, Tommy B and Andy Jepsom

Mskyo is a reminisence to the good old ghetto blaster. In the Good old granny trolley a new innovative roll around soundsystem which has not only shown incredible sound qualities in a veriety of Locations, but also attracted a lot of attention.

Order your own Mskyo with CLAASSEN & PARTNER and experience the sound walks.

For more information go to http://www.claassen-partner.de/16/?L=1

www.archiebronsonoutfit.net

iPod Gelaskins designed by top international artists including Bob Dob, Nate Williams, Brandt Peters and more. GelaSkins are very thin, protective iPod covers made with high grade 3M vinyl and patented adhesive technology. An ultra-clear, scratch resistant, glossy coating is then applied to the GelaSkin for added durability and a photo quality finish.

iPod Mini GelaSkin Punk Rock Blues by Bob Dob


iPod Mini GelaSkin Las Americas by Nate Williams

iPod Mini GelaSkin Vaccine by Aaron Kraten

For more 'Gelaskins' designs for all iPods including iPod Nano iPod Mini and iPod Video goto UrbanRetro

Following  on from yesterdays post 'Paris Hilton and Banksy Collaboration (ish)' some clever fellow who happened to be in the right place at the right time with a camera managed to get these shots of the Paris Hilton CD as doctored by graffiti artist Banksy. Found in Birmingham HMV, UK. Thanks Sharl

Why Am I Famous?

Race To The Bottom of the Pile

Thou Shalt Not Worship False Icons

Life Wasn't Meant to be Fair

Every CD you buy puts me even further out of your league

90% of Success is just Showing up

Everytime someone asks me how I am I hesitate for Little too long

Hundreds of Paris Hilton albums have been tampered with in the latest stunt by "guerrilla artist" Banksy.

Banksy has replaced Hilton's CD with his own remixes and given them titles such as Why am I Famous?, What Have I Done? and What Am I For?

He has also changed pictures of her on the CD sleeve to show the US socialite topless and with a dog's head.

A spokeswoman for Banksy said he had doctored 500 copies of her debut album Paris in 48 record shops across the UK.

She told the BBC News website: "He switched the CDs in store, so he took the old ones out and put his version in."

But he left the original barcode so people could buy the CD without realising it had been interfered with.

"It might be that there will be some people who agree with his views on the Paris Hilton album" HMV spokesman

Full story on the BBC

The Earworm Assault Devices (EAD) are a set of weapons for the propagation of highly infectious sound or music (earworms).

"Sound is unavoidable (the ear can't be shut like the eye) and evolutionary hardwired into our cognition apparatus, it can reach into the subconscious and arouse emotions. A well made sound can get stuck in the head of the hearer and loop for a varying time span. The infected person oftentimes repeats the sound involuntarily by singing, humming or whistling, eventually spreading the earworm like a virus. Messages can be modulated onto earworms like radiowaves on a carrier frequency, as a result earworms can be used to distribute messages or manipulate the individual. This fact is recognized and commercially exploited in various fields of modern life - like pop music, cellphone ringtones, audiobranding or elevator music to name a few.

Global brands are using huge budgets to propagate their earworms by means of multiple costly channels, the respectable citizen remains defence- and powerless. Until now:

The Earworm Assault Devices (EAD) enable individuals or small groups to distribute their own earworms. Small pieces of highly infectious sound or music can be recorded onto the devices and fired at single or multiple persons, eventually spreading your message out into the world. They come in different shapes and sizes and are affordable for small budgets."

Currently, the following models are available:

EWM-12
Earworm Mine 12’’

AAV-1