Egyptian Lover tonight at Turntable Lab!

concert calendar (courtesy of Filter Magazine)

FEBRUARY
2/26 Eastern Conference Champions @ Silverlake Lounge
2/26 Division Day @ Spaceland
2/26 Simon Dawes, Sabrosa Purr @ The Echo
2/27 Foreign Born, The Hectors, Molecules @ Boardner’s
2/27 Mezzanine Owls @ El Cid
2/28 French Kicks, Scissors for Lefty @ Troubadour
2/28 Great Northern @ Little Radio Warehouse

MARCH
3/1 State Radio, New Amsterdams @ Troubadour
3/1 Josh Ritter, The Submarines @ El Rey
3/2 Alexi Murdoch, Midnight Movies @ El Rey
3/2 Clinic, Seawolf @ Troubadour
3/3 Annuals, Aqueduct, Pilot Speed @ Spaceland
3/3 Midlake @ Troubadour
3/3 Moving To France @ The Roxy
3/3 MSTRKFT, John Digweed @ The Vanguard
3/3 Snowden, Malajube @ The Echo
3/3 Weird Science @ El Rey
3/4 The Spinto Band, dios (malos), The Changes @ Troubadour
3/5 Great Northern @ The Viper Room
3/6 Young Knives @ Safari Sam’s
3/6 Expatriate @ Cinespace
3/6 Albert Hammond Jr., Mooney Suzuki @ El Rey
3/7 Young Knives @ Spaceland
3/7-8 Bright Eyes @ El Rey
3/8 Bright Light Fever @ Spaceland
3/8 Spindrift @ The Echo
3/8 Expatriate @ Silverlake Lounge
3/8 Dustin O’Halloran performing live on KCRW @ 11am
3/9 Sebadoh @ Troubadour
3/9 Earlimart @ Getty Center
3/9 Razorlight, Mohair @ El Rey
3/10 Sebadoh @ Spaceland
3/10 Do Make Say Think @ Troubadour
3/10 Menomena @ The Echo
3/11-12 The Mountain Goats @ El Rey
3/11 Viva Voce, The Village Green @ The Echo
3/13 Youth Group @ Spaceland
3/14 Dr. Dog @ Troubadour
3/14 El Perro Del Mar, The One AM Radio @ Hotel Café
3/15 The One AM Radio @ Tangier
3/18 Under Byen, Frida Hyvönen, & Au Revoir Simone @ The Knitting Factory
3/19 The Fratellis @ Troubadour
3/19 The Horrors @ The Echo
3/19 Amy Winehouse @ The Roxy
3/19 The Western States Motel @ The Viper Room
3/19-20 Bloc Party @ The Wiltern
3/19-20 The Feeling @ House of Blues
3/20 The Helio Sequence, Dirty On Purpose @ The Echo
3/20 Amy Winehouse @ Spaceland
3/21 The Electric Soft Parade, Goldrush @ Spaceland
3/21 Sondre Lerche @ El Rey
3/21 Expatriate @ The Gig
3/22 Badly Drawn Boy @ El Rey Theatre
3/23 Let’s Go Sailing, Elvis Perkins @ Largo
3/24 West Indian Girl @ Spaceland
3/24 As Tall As Lions, Cute Is What We Aim For, Circa Survive @ Avalon
3/26 El-P @ Troubadour
3/26 Dustin O’Halloran @ Hotel Café
3/27 Kate Havnevik @ Hotel Café (Record Release)
3/29 Jill Cunniff (Luscious Jackson) @ Hotel Café
3/30-31 TV On The Radio @ Henry Fonda


APRIL
4/2 Ratatat, 120 Days @ Henry Fonda
4/4 Richard Buckner with Six Parts Seven @ The Echo
4/5 Ken Andrews @ Troubadour
4/6 The Thermals @ The Echo
4/6 Richard Swift @ Spaceland
4/7 The Gossip @ Troubadour
4/7 Mew @ Henry Fonda
4/12-13 Ted Leo & The Pharmacists @ El Rey
4/13 Hella @ The Echo
4/14 The Ponys @ The Echo
4/20 Trans Am @ Troubadour
4/21 Art Brut @ Troubadour
4/24 Sean Lennon @ The Roxy
4/25 The Cinematics, Mutemath @ House of Blues
4/30 The Kooks @ Slim’s

When it's snowing....Chin Up!! Chin up.

the girls are back in town

I'm really into the recent DJ set buy the Acid Girls from Costa Mesa. I'm sad that I missed them when they played in Los Angeles and really hope they they drop more remixes soon, if not venture out into the world of original production. Get the Guns 'n' Bombs remix and DJ set here.



I'm also digging Oxy Cottontail , who combines punky disco with simple rhymes a la Fannypack. She's produced by Aaron LaCrate and Low B so you know it's good.

Grammy Roundup: STEVEN COLBERT

LA - Acid Girls at Safari Sams TONIGHT

The Lefsetz Letter

For those who like to follow what's going on in the music "industry" - sales, trends, et cetera, you must read this blog. Bob Lefsetz is an industry veteran who has been publishing his weekly newsletter for over 20 years. Meaning, "I have no clue what he does" (don't you love how informative this blog is??), he is one cranky mother-effer. Please give it a spin. If you're jaded like me, you will love it.

http://www.lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php

Love is All

Because I work on a PC during the day now and a MAC at night (sucky - I'm a devoted mac fan), I've been looking for an instant messenger that works on a PC besides trillian. I downloaded the new AIM 6.0 which comes embedded with interactive features such as video, radio, and add-ons for mobile. I went straight for the embedded XM radio which works like a charm. It's totally seamless, integrating well with the AIM and has had no buffer time in the past 6 hours. So my point is that I stumbled across this adorable little band called Love is All from Sweden. Give them a listen, they're super cute and punky like a looser version of the Noisettes.

http://www.myspace.com/loveisall8
loveisall.se

mumm-ra

Oh no, another super poppy band from the UK - but wait, they rock in a sunshiney and non-threatening sort of way? Check out the videos on the myspace page. Totally too cute to say no.

http://www.mumm-ra.com/
www.myspace.com/mummra

check me out - January 2007 mix (link tbd)

Lou Rawls "Lifetime Monologue"
Charlie Parker and Dizzie Gillespie "Relaxin' at Camarillo"
J-Dilla & Madlib "The Red"
Flevans "Dumb Ballad"
Mumm-Ra "These Things Move in Threes"
The Sunshine Underground "Commercial Breakdown"
The Rapture "Whoo! Alright! Yeah...Uh Huh"
The Noisettes "Sister Rosetta"
Tokyo Police Club "Citizens of Tomorrow"
DeVotchKa "Curse Your Little Heart"
The Good, The Bad, and The Queen "Three Changes"
The Little Ones "Cha Cha Cha"
Albert Hammond Jr. "Hard to Live (in the City)"
The Harlem Shakes "Carpetbaggers"
Yppah "In Two, The Weakly"
Bonobo "Recurring"
Air "Mer du Japon"
Saint Etienne "Through the Winter"
Mates of State "California"
Inara George "Fools in Love"


stream coming soon

Modeselektor DJ set at MIDEM

These guys are incredible. I've been following them for awhile and it's one of those things where the show always makes the final decision on your public stance on whether like them or not.

This was by far the best performance at MIDEM this year. Modeselektor blew out
hi-fi grime/dubstep/dub and some of the deepest bass that was EQ'ed and tweaked beyond belief. Along with freaking dirty ravey electro in front of a huge led screen, everyone was going mad. Keep an eye out for these two.

www.myspace.com/mdslktr
http://www.modeselektor.de/

Coachella lineup announced

MIDEM Day 3

What time is it, you ask?

My watch says 10:45am but my laptop says 1:46am.

Nevermind!

Just look around.

10am – everyone sips espresso.

12pm – the ladies are sipping wine.

4pm – the guys are drinking beer.

6pm – everyone is drinking vodka. Where did it come from??

Has an hour gone by? Just wait for the intercom having to remind people that this is a non-smoking building and you’ll know.

Don’t bother to ask someone if they’re American, you can tell by the following:

1. Tumi business carry-all
2. blasphemously outdated cell phone or Bluetooth headset
3. excessive yak yak yakking or barking into aforementioned headset
4. speed walking

to be continued....

The NRJ Awards

Cannes is abuzz with the MIDEM Music Conference and last night was no exception as the convention center welcomed the NRJ Awards.

Apparently there are a few French celebrities staying in my hotel as papparazi and autograph-seeking fans lined the walkway and jammed the lobby - quite entertaining.

For the full list of winners, go here.

Albert Hammond Jr., Yours To Keep

So The Strokes lead guitarist and frontman has come out with a solo debut. I've always been enamoured by his vocal talent and this record is just amazing. It's lighter than the typical Strokes stuff but isn't a boring exploratory of the inner workings of a pensive musician gone solo. Keep an eye out for this one.

www.myspace.com/alberthammondjr
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hammond,_Jr.

The Good the Bad and the Queen

The Good, The Bad And The Queen is the new project formed by Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz) and features the legendary Paul Simonon from The Clash on bass, drummer Tony Allen (Fela Kuti) and guitarist Simon Tong (Verve). I'm really digging this record, at first I thought it would be much more uptempo but it's actually not at all.

The guys at NME have this to say:
http://www.nme.com/reviews/the-good-the-bad-and-the-queen/8113

more info:
www.myspace.com/thegoodthebadandthequeen
www.thegoodthebadandthequeen.com

Liberation EP

I highly recommend grabbing this collaboration between the infamous producer Madlib and the amazingly talented (and amazingly well dressed) Talib Kweli - "Liberation". The beats are quality and vocal stylings catchy as all hell. I received it a few days ago and have been listening to it since. http://www.rappcats.com

Nix Pix for Dec 06

Here's a great mix of stuff that i put together with the holidays in mind, which for me means traveling tons, bundling up and spending time with people i haven't seen in a long time. Family, old friends, friendships rekindled and sitting by a real fire while chowing down on biscotti and random holiday goodness. Here, I've included some indie shizz with an occasional twist, enough to keep it real for the holiday season. It's unlike my usual electronic.hiphop mix and so I love this mixtape, and hope you do too.

xo-nic.



HERE

None of your frizzness! dance tunes for 11/06

And So It's Fall.

The air is crisp. Certain sports are in season. I always look forward to the new fall releases as I get ready to slow down and get my fall on - and this year there are a'plenty. For starters check out Darkel, the solo project from AIR member Jen-Benoit Dunkel. The soothing atmospherics of AIR are noticeably present and while the production isn't as unique, it makes for a great listen. Other relaxing picks for fall include the new Album Leaf which I can't seem to get enough of and The Rapture's long-awaited sophmoric release.

Check out the radio player on the music page (see link to the right). A few of my favorite releases are here including the new Charlotte Gainesbourg, The Kooks, and others. Many more to come....

xo nic.

For feedback, submissions,
and supervision inquiries holla: nicole@cifani.com