The former EFF staff attorney, Wendy Selzer (although her interviewer seems to have dropped that affiliation from her bio) tells us of how the future is circumventing the nation state, ending copyright and that artists need to tour (forever, apparently).  She looks forward to the destruction of the “megastar” in favor of “local acts” (who presumably would be prevented from becoming “megastars” in some way?).  (Of course, that “geek around the nation state” theme is something we’re heard many times before, such as from former White House Czar Susan Crawford.)

She tells us that the real threat to liberty are monopolistic entertainment companies, telecommunications companies and one or two big social networking sites.

Not a word about monopolist Google.  Not. One. Word.

For more “information” she suggests first and formost Reddit–shocker–and the ORG, EFF and Public Knowledge.  Those aren’t all funded by George Soros, are they?  So if you’re looking for more “information”, why not cut to the chase and just go to www.soros.org?

Article source: http://musictechpolicy.wordpress.com/2012/05/16/effs-wendy-seltzer-on-organizing-org/

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LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – The MTV Video Music Awards ceremony is getting some roomier new digs. MTV’s annual awards ceremony is moving to Los Angeles’ Staples Center this year, giving it a lot more elbow room than its previous location, the Nokia Theatre. The Staples Center, home venue to the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Kings, has a seating capacity approaching 20,000 for concerts and special events, compared to the Nokia’s 7,100 capacity. …

Article source: http://www.hitsongsdeconstructed.com/2012/05/15/mtvs-video-music-awards-get-a-big-new-location/

Many people who have written reviews on the Beats Monster website report it is one of the most professionally designed and managed instrumental rap beats and hip hop music providers. In fact, the website was created specifically for musicians who are serious about their music and want to take their music to another level.

The site offers only the best instrumental beats for artists looking for rap instrumental music including ballads and pop music. A few of the categories on the site include ballads, free beats, pop, RB beats, dirty south beats and club beats all at incredibly low prices.

“I just love you guys website. Every time I’m thinking of writing a song I picture your site in my head and I get inspired. I’ve already created two songs with beats I got off your site and everybody that listens to them thinks they were professionally done. I highly recommend Beats Monster to anyone who wants to create their own music.” – Tyrone James

The high-level of quality music the website offers on hip hop beats and instrumental music has never been accomplished via a downloadable beat music website until now. Musicians can easily produce professional songs with contemporary sounding music beats which will allow them to compete with up and coming artist and make a name for themselves in the local music scene.

BeatsMonster Beats have been designed for professional use. Our hip hop beats are the perfect complement not only for hip hop artists but also for commercials, video, websites or even talk shows. BeatsMonster is the solution for anyone who needs professional quality instrumental rap beats and instrumental music now.

Beats Monster
BeatsMonster
6462333200
http://www.beatsmonster.com/

PR Courtesy of Online PR Media

Article source: http://world.einnews.com/pr_news/96009425/hip-hop-beats-and-instrumental-rap-music-available-at-50-discounts-on-the-new-beats-monster-website

Just days ago General Electric’s bulldozers entered a third year of around-the-clock dredging along New York’s Hudson River where the energy giant is still working to undo the contamination it created during the Seventies During that time GE dumped toxins from two of its manufacturing plants into the water poisoning…

Article source: http://www.hitsongsdeconstructed.com/2012/05/14/new-york-musicians-to-fight-fracking-at-albany/

LAGOS, May 15, 2012 (AFP) – With a curved stick in one hand, a five-year-old Nigerian pre-schooler staggers as she tries to steady what’s been slung from her shoulder: a drum and many generations of history.

“The children need to carry on our culture, our tradition, and you need to catch them young,” Aralola Olamuyiwa, popularly known as Ara, said after giving an hour-long lesson at a Lagos nursery and primary school on the talking drum.

The West African talking drum, an hour-glass-shaped instrument usually made of wood and animal hide, is deeply embedded in the region’s culture, having served as a means of communication long before phones, not to mention email and text messages.

But while it has lost its practical purpose, the talking drum is a long way from dying, having now been incorporated into not only traditional music, but also African hip-hop and the songs of global stars such as Erykah Badu.

Nigerian-born Sikiru Adepoju has gained acclaim for his talking drum expertise, in large part thanks to his collaborations with Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart.

Ara is one of Nigeria’s rare female talking drummers and has performed with Stevie Wonder and for the Queen of England.

She visits schools teaching children to play, calling it “a way of preserving our heritage through our children who are going to be our tomorrow, our future.”

Earnest goals, indeed, but the instrument and its varying tones are infectious and are a key reason why contemporary musicians have used them to accent their tunes.

Nigerian-British female rapper Weird MC, also known as the Rappatainer, used a talking drummer when she released her single “Ijo-ya” (Let’s Dance) in 2006.

Born Adesola Idowu, she said she wanted to mix contemporary sounds with the traditional drum to create something that sounded new, “which at the time was a very unique thing to do.”

“So we ended up getting the club feel and the African feel as well,” she said. “It sounded so different, so unique. It was really heavy and edgy at the same time.”

The talking drum had in the past been used as a way to communicate between villages, with a complex set of sounds roughly mimicking the words of local languages.

Also used for African oral poetry, “it operated like today’s telephone or intercom,” said Tunde Babawale of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation in Nigeria’s culture and tourism ministry.

From the way the drum is beaten, those familiar with it can tell if it is announcing a birth, death, marriage or declaration of war.

“You can follow intelligently what the drum is saying. What it does is not just ordinary speech, it is poetic,” said Mobolanle Satunsa, a language lecturer at Nigeria’s Babcock University and author of a book on talking drum poetry.

During a recent talking drum festival in the southwestern city of Ibadan, a traditional Yoruba leader at his palace demonstrated this by having his aides beat a talking drum to alert him of visitors.

Its versatility has allowed it to transition from a tool of communication to one of celebration, keeping many a dance floor occupied.

“There’s no music that can’t use the talking drum,” said Nigerian percussionist Wura Samba.

“It can play more than one tonality … like what the guitar does on a major scale.”

Samba said he wants to see it become as widely available throughout the world as the djembe drum, another West African traditional instrument that has made its way into the music of the present.

But despite its use in contemporary music, preservationists warn that it must continue to be promoted and taught to ensure it does not one day fall out of favour.

For Weird MC and others, the beat must go on. Anything else would be tragic.

“It’s an instrument, in my opinion, which is very sacred,” the rapper said. “It is indeed the drum that speaks.”

Article source: http://www.mysinchew.com/node/73530

Jay-Z is in a Philadelphia State of Mind.

Article source: http://www.hitsongsdeconstructed.com/2012/05/14/jay-z-set-to-announce-2-day-philly-music-festival/

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“A 40 and a blunt/ that’s all she really wants…” – “Slow Down” – Brand Nubian

From the moment Mitchell O. Barry scoped Jameka Jumpoff strollin’ down the baby food aisle of Wal-Mart, she didn’t stand a chance. Over a value meal at Micky Dee’s he seduced her with his sweet talk about how he was gonna make life better for her and her kids. After taking her home on the city bus, he charmed his way into her bedroom, telling her everything that she had ever wanted to hear, as “We Shall Overcome” played softly on his iPad. When she woke up the next morning, Mitch and his promises were gone. The only reminder of the wonderful night that they spent together was the “I Just Voted” sticker stuck to her headboard….

As we head full steam into a heated political season, most ethics and special interest groups are getting their lists of demands ready to put in front of candidates who are, aggressively, courting their votes. However for the Black community, there is no courtship. Just a sip of a cheap malt liquor, a one night stand, and a promise that “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

For politicians, less affluent African Americans are a cheap date or the political equivalent of a late night booty call. We, enthusiastically, give up the goods with no strings attached.

Although, you are allowed to diss the Democratic and the Republican candidates unmercifully, there is an unwritten law in this country that says that under no circumstances are you ever, ever allowed to pose the simple question…

“Why should I vote for either one of you losers?”

I don’t know about you, but nothing ticks me off more than some old Civil Rights-type person lecturing me about how “my ancestors died for my right to vote.”

I’m like, “Back up off me homie, you don’t know me like that, and I haven’t seen you at one family reunion!” My kin folks didn’t die for the right to vote. They died trying to get free by any means necessary.

This year, some Black leaders have a new slogan, “Vote… because Trayvon Martin would have wanted it that way…” How many of these opportunists who are using Trayvon Martin as a political pawn when he’s dead would have even given him (or his peers) the time of day when he when he was alive? How many Black commentators who have sampled the infamous 911 call for a “get out to vote” remix use their air time to politically educate the boys in the hoodies?

What most political crusaders will never admit is there is a disconnect between them and the Hip-Hop Nation.

Hip-Hop has long addressed the contradictions surrounding America’s politics. Back in the ’90s, Chuck D said, “Neither party is mine/ not the jackass nor the elephant” on “By the Time I Get to Arizona”. Also, on “Ah Yeah,” KRS-One scolded, “Remember the chains/ remember the whips/ remember the rope man/ You Black people still talkin’ ’bout votin’…” More recently, Lupe Fiasco gave a strong critique of the current administration when on “Words I Never Said,” he rapped “That’s why I ain’t vote for him/next one neither…”

That’s not to say that some in Hip-Hop (mostly the filthy rich) have not been political pimps over the years. During recent elections, there have been various campaigns where politicians have used millionaire rappers to convince Lil Tyrone that if he didn’t go to the polls, a gang of gold-toothed goons was gonna show up at his front door and give him a beat-down for neglecting his civic responsibility.

However, it ain’t gonna be that simple this year, as the suckers who bought into the whole “Vote or Die” hype back in 2004 are the same people who, in 2012, believe the Mayan Calender prediction that the world is going to end before the next inauguration, anyway. So why bother?

Although, the alternative sexual lifestyle has been a hot topic in Hip-Hop for years, any discussion of alternative political lifestyles has been taboo.

With all of the resources that Hip-Hoppers possess, why has there never been a serious effort to form a Hip-Hop Third Party, or at least consider the strategy of being independent of a particular party affiliation?

Although, there have been various people referred to as “Hip-Hop candidates,” over the years, they have been mostly politicians with a little store-bought swagger who knew how to kick a Run-DMC lyric. A rare exception being longtime Hip-Hop activist, Rosa Clemente, who was the Green Party vice presidential candidate in 2008.

Even the current Prez has to realize that listening to Lil Weezy on his iPod, or givin’ the Snowman (Young Jeezy) a shout out, doesn’t make you down with the streets.

Contrary to popular belief, some of us actually read. We have studied the works of economic thinkers such as Dr. Claude Anderson (Powernomics) and Dr. Amos Wilson (Blue Print for Black Power). A few of us have read Robert Greene’s 48 Laws of Power and know that America is not really a Democracy, but what John Perkins in “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man” called a “Corporatocracy.” And while we brace for Armageddon every four years, the corporations that run the planet have already factored the upcoming elections into their 25-year agendas for global domination.

The Hip-Hop Nation must also realize that “civic responsibility” does not begin and end at the ballot box. It’s pretty easy for your favorite celebrity to motivate your crew to go out and vote once ever four years, but can you get your peeps to go to city council and school board meetings on a regular basis? As they say, “All politics is local,” and the ‘hood needs fewer drives for voter registration and more classes for political education.

In 1964, Malcolm X predicted it was gonna be “the ballot or the bullet.” This year, we have to decide whether it’s gonna be “the ballot or the booty call?”

Are we going to have real change, or are we still going to be neglected and disrespected by the major political parties?

As Ice Cube said in the classic flick, Boyz In the Hood, how long are we gonna rep’ for people who “either don’t know, don’t show, or don’t care what’s goin’ on in the ‘hood.”

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott’s weekly column is “This Ain’t Hip Hop”, a column for intelligent Hip-Hop headz. He can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com, on his website, www.NoWarningShotsFired.com, or on Twitter (@truthminista).

Article source: http://allhiphop.com/2012/05/14/beats-ballots-and-booty-calls-why-should-we-vote/

The Additional Funding Announced In This Week’s Federal Budget To Support Australian Music Export Programs Will Help Contemporary Australian Musicians And Songwriters Succeed On The World Stage

Article source: http://www.hitsongsdeconstructed.com/2012/05/14/budget-support-for-music-exports-is-a-welcome/

Chris Brown has been added to the list of superstars set to perform at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, which airs live May 20 on ABC at 8 p.m. ET from the MGM Grand Arena. Previously announced performers include Justin Bieber, Carrie Underwood, LMFAO, CeeLo Green, Kelly Clarkson, Usher, The Wanted, Linkin Park and Nelly Furtado.

Article source: http://www.hitsongsdeconstructed.com/2012/05/12/chris-brown-to-perform-at-billboard-music-awards/

Post by Andrew Watson, May 10, 2012 at 8:58 am
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Jahlil Beats recently had a chance to speak about what it was like for him to grow up in Chester, Pennsylvania and explain how he got into the music industry. The producer connected with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation back in October 2011 after making waves with his work on Meek Mill’s ‘I’ma Boss’ and told the Hov-driven blog Life+Times that he was thankful for the opportunity he’d been given.

Beats spoke about the neighborhood he grew up in and explained that his background made him aware of the importance of his deal with Roc Nation. “I come from one of the worst projects from Chester, PA, so for me to even sign with Jay-Z, that opportunity alone is like a dream. I’ve got a lot to prove, I’m excited… I grew up in [that] neighborhood from elementary school to high school, and when I got to college, I lost my financial aid, so I ended up coming back. That’s when I met Meek, and that’s when I really started taking [music] serious,” Jahlil Beats told Jay-Z’s Life+Times.

Jahlil Beats explained that his interest in music was passed down from his parents and said that his father maintained a studio, while his mother had an interest in dance. “I come from a heavy music background. My pops – he came had a little band back in the day. We had a little home studio and we used to cut little demos, singing and rapping and stuff. I mean, that’s how I started. My Ma used to dance, too,” said Jahlil Beats.

Beats has had a chance to produce with some of the hip hop industry’s top acts since he broke out including Tyga, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne and Diddy.

Article source: http://thisbeatgoes.com/hip-hop-news/jahlil-beats-talks-about-roc-nation-deal-and-growing-up-in-chester-pa/

The largest independent college of contemporary music in the world has awarded honorary degrees to the Eagles and Grammy Award-winning country singer Alison Krauss at a ceremony in Boston.

Article source: http://www.hitsongsdeconstructed.com/2012/05/12/eagles-krauss-honored-at-boston-music-school/

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Since signing to Roc Nation this past October, 24-year-old Jahlil Beats has gone from a relative unknown to one of the most sought producers in Hip-Hop. The triumphant horns of “I’m A Boss” grabbed everyone’s attention, giving Meek Mill his biggest record to date and giving young Jahlil the distinction of “hitmaker.” Now the kid from Chester, PA, talks with XXL about how he’s been in the studio with just about everybody, from rap rookies to seasoned vets.

“Roc Nation treating me good,” he said.

“They got me working for real. I did some stuff with J. Cole, we cut a couple joints. Big Sean. Busta Rhymes. I was out in London working with Leona Lewis and somebody else that we ain’t really gonna talk about right now, but it’s ridiculous. I’m also working with ‘Kiss, Styles. I got Ross. We just dropped Ace Hood’s single for his album. I’m on Khaled’s album. DJ Drama,” he added.

Revered producer No I.D. has apparently also taken notice of Jahlil’s talents and wants to tutor the young beatsmith.

“He about to take me under the wing like he did with Kanye,” Jahlil says. “He gonna help me on different angles of production, ’cause there’s always room to improve. I’m 24. I’m a student to the game.”

Of course, you can also add Roc Nation boss Jay-Z to that who’s-who of collaborators, as Jahlil says the two have “been going back and forth.”

“He picked a couple of my joints that he’s working on,” Jahlil said. “I don’t even wanna say too much about Jay, but we definitely working on some stuff. I haven’t even sent him a bunch of beats. I sent him my favorite stuff. He hit me right back like, ‘Yo, I’ma go in on this,’ or, ‘I like this.’”

Jay-Z’s website Life+Times recently debuted Streets Is Watching: Jahlil Beats, a mini-documentary exploring the producer’s journey from preteen beatmaker to Roc Nation signee. Watch it here.

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Follow @SoulCulture

About Max-El
Student of Hip-Hop. Lover of women. Purveyor of dopeness. Read me at SAFFOLDink.com. Follow me @TheRealMXL.

Article source: http://www.soulculture.co.uk/lifestyle-2/scnews/jahlil-beats-talks-increased-workload-working-w-jay-z-music-news/

1.  Slow Down, Molassas (Saskatoon) “Light” @slowdownmolasse

2.  Boy Friend (Austin) “Egyptian Wrinkle” @boyfriendmusiq

3.  Me and My Drummer (Berlin) “Heavy Weight”

4.  Not Squares (Belfast) “Fall Far” @notsquares

5.  Family of the Year (Los Angeles) “Stars” @familyoftheyear

Article source: http://musictechpolicy.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/newmusic-weekend-slow-down-molasses-boy-friend-me-and-my-drummer-not-squares-family-of-the-year/

Mort Lindsey, a composer and jazz pianist who was a music director for Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland, has died. He was 89.

Article source: http://www.hitsongsdeconstructed.com/2012/05/11/garland-music-director-mort-lindsey-dies-at-89/

Musicians who want to take their music production to a new level can find awesome hip hop beats and the newest rap beats on the Beats Monster Website. The Beats Monster website was created specifically for musicians who want to create professional full-length songs with as little work as possible as all the beats are available as instant downloads.

The high-level of professional and quality music on each rap beat the website offers has never been accomplished via a downloadable beat music website until now. Musicians can easily produce professional grade songs with contemporary sounding music beats in a few easy steps. Each new song the artist creates will allow him or her to easily compete with all the up and coming artists and make a name for their sound not only in the local music scene but in the international scene as well.

BeatsMonster.com offers downloadable instrumental music and hip hop rap beats that come in a wide variety of different tempos and styles which are sure to fit every artist’s needs. All of the beats are radio-length and they are at least three minutes and thirty seconds long which is a plus for both singers and song writers.

“I couldn’t believe how easy it is to make music on the Beats Monster website. All I have to do is download the beats I want and add my own lyrics and I got a song that I can market to the masses simply by burning it on a CD. I’ve made about 5 songs so and I’ve sold my music on iTunes and online”. – Seymour Pier

One of the main reasons the company is able to offer such high quality music is simply because the executive leadership team maintains relationships with seasoned producers and writers and they have a vast network of contacts in the music industry built thru many years of AR experience. The senior staff members at the company also continue to work with major artists on a regular basis which allows them insider access to the music industry and to offer the hottest beats available anywhere online.

BeatsMonster Beats have been designed for professional use. Their hip hop beats are the perfect complement not only for hip hop artists but also for commercials, video, websites or even talk shows. Beats Monster is the solution for anyone who needs professional quality instrumental rap beats and instrumental music now.

Beats Monster
6462333200

http://www.beatsmonster.com

PR Courtesy of Online PR Media

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Article source: http://news.topwirenews.com/2012/05/11/Beats-Monster-Launches-Website-For-Hip-Hop-And-The-Newest-Rap-Beats/%

RapidComposer is billed as a ‘music prototyping application’, which means that it’s designed to help you sketch out compositions. From our experience with it over an extended review period, we’ve come to the conclusion that it’s essentially based around an elaborate MIDI editor. Where this MIDI editor differs from that of a standard DAW is mainly down to its composer-friendly workflow. “We see RapidComposer as an indispensable tool for anyone who needs to produce a large body of music in a short space of time.” Each project typically begins with the Master Track, which is where you set up the scales and chord progressions of the piece. This initial step is essential, since all events from here on in will intelligently ‘match’ themselves to the chord at that point

Article source: http://www.hitsongsdeconstructed.com/2012/05/10/musicdevelopments-rapidcomposer/

Musicians who want to take their music production to a new level can find awesome hip hop beats and the newest rap beats on the Beats Monster Website. The Beats Monster website was created specifically for musicians who want to create professional full-length songs with as little work as possible as all the beats are available as instant downloads.

The high-level of professional and quality music on each rap beat the website offers has never been accomplished via a downloadable beat music website until now. Musicians can easily produce professional grade songs with contemporary sounding music beats in a few easy steps. Each new song the artist creates will allow him or her to easily compete with all the up and coming artists and make a name for their sound not only in the local music scene but in the international scene as well.

BeatsMonster.com offers downloadable instrumental music and hip hop rap beats that come in a wide variety of different tempos and styles which are sure to fit every artist’s needs. All of the beats are radio-length and they are at least three minutes and thirty seconds long which is a plus for both singers and song writers.

“I couldn’t believe how easy it is to make music on the Beats Monster website. All I have to do is download the beats I want and add my own lyrics and I got a song that I can market to the masses simply by burning it on a CD. I’ve made about 5 songs so and I’ve sold my music on iTunes and online”. – Seymour Pier

One of the main reasons the company is able to offer such high quality music is simply because the executive leadership team maintains relationships with seasoned producers and writers and they have a vast network of contacts in the music industry built thru many years of AR experience. The senior staff members at the company also continue to work with major artists on a regular basis which allows them insider access to the music industry and to offer the hottest beats available anywhere online.

BeatsMonster Beats have been designed for professional use. Their hip hop beats are the perfect complement not only for hip hop artists but also for commercials, video, websites or even talk shows. Beats Monster is the solution for anyone who needs professional quality instrumental rap beats and instrumental music now.

Beats Monster
6462333200
http://www.beatsmonster.com

PR Courtesy of Online PR Media

Article source: http://world.einnews.com/pr_news/95242007/beats-monster-launches-website-for-hip-hop-and-the-newest-rap-beats

NARM And Digitalmusic.org Have Created A New Music Industry Events Alert Service That Notifies Retailers Whenever An Artist Is Nominated For A Major Award Or Selected To Play A Music Festival.

Article source: http://www.hitsongsdeconstructed.com/2012/05/10/narm-and-digitalmusic-org-introduce-new-alert/

• Tight spelling?

Unless you’re an aspiring emcee looking for some quick beats to rhyme over, it might be hard to wrap your dollar bills around any legitimate hip-hop producer’s instrumental releases. Many of us don’t have any use for background boom-bap without vocals, anyway. But in 9th Wonder’s case—where many of his devoted followers pride themselves on collecting all of 9th’s jams, be they popular, unreleased or leaked—he’s now cashing in on an audience that views his work as classic compositions that mark a prestigious era in post-J. Dilla producer adoration.

Earlier this week, 9th released his 40-track beat tape, Tutankhamen, which features several of his classic soul-sampled beats as well as previously unheard ones. The tracklisting reads like a computer-generated printout of generic titles, or a compilation of Twitter hashtags—“HoneyBeeChopSoul,” “JoyJoyJoy,” and “AscensionHaSoul.” That could be 9th’s way of encouraging rappers to re-title the jams should they choose to use the beats for their own songs.

You might notice, however, that unlike most of the material that Jamla has released over the years, Tutankhamen isn’t free. It comes with a price tag of $9.99. Free doesn’t last forever, and now Jamla Records has shifted its focus from gratis .zip files to a record label with a business model and the potential for its artists to earn a cool penny. Previous instrumental albums from 9th Wonder’s Jamla Records production team, The Soul Council, include Eric G’s Stars Lights, Ka$h’s The Jamla Files and Khrysis’ more recent, Funkwhatuheard LP.

Between these four beat adventures, there’s a couple of hours of heavy warm-up listening until May 29 , when Jamla emcee Big Remo throws his street-friendly conversation on top of The Soul Council’s newer creations for his sophomore album, Sleepwalkers. If Jamla Records can stay in full-stride, then it’s quite possible that 9th Wonder—as NC’s hip-hop King Tut—can help everyone on his team gild their bottom lines.

Article source: http://www.indyweek.com/scan/archives/2012/05/09/with-tutankhamen-9th-wonder-wants-you-to-buy-the-beats

You may love dance and electronic music, but Santigold hates it.

Article source: http://www.hitsongsdeconstructed.com/2012/05/09/singer-santigold-sounds-off-on-dance-music-new-cd/

May 8, 2012 11:00 PM ET

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The contestants on “The Voice” haven’t had an uneventful season by any means. There were celebrity feuds, babies born, parents lost — but finally, the final four emerged. Tony Lucca, Juliet Simms, Chris Mann, and Jermaine Paul took their places on “The Voice” stage tonight for the last time this season.

Before any decisions were made, though, the artists got to have a little fun. It was a refreshing, laid back, no-pressure performance night for the contestants who have been singing for their lives week after week.

First up, Jermaine Paul invited his pals Jamar Rogers, James Massone, and Pip to join him for “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5. They embraced the boy band spirit with matching outfits, and even some choreography. Jermaine said he chose the song because he really felt that America wanted those fellow contestants back on the show — and after such a smile-inducing performances, we’re inclined to agree with him.

In the spirit of the night, we got to see some gag reel style bloopers from the judges. After some, er, tension this week, it was a nice reminder that coaches Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, Cee-Lo Green, and Adam Levine actually know how to have a good time — and even kind of like each other. Sometimes.

Later on, Flo Rida was joined by Juliet Simms for a medley of his hits “Whistle” and the increasingly popular “Wild Ones.” Simms took over the lyrics usually sung by Sia, and we loved the rocker edge that she added to the hip hop dance track. Next up, Chris Mann invited Katrina Parker and Lindsey Pavao back to the stage to perform “Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve. It was a strange choice for his particular vocal style, but it definitely highlighted his friends, so for a final performance that he wasn’t judged on, it was a selfless choice.

It was then the boys’ turn to sing with an established artist. Jermaine, Tony, and Chris joined Hall Oates for their classic “Rich Girl.” No word on whether Christina took this one to heart, too. After a fun performance of “Superstition,” in which eliminated contestants Naia Kete, Kim Yarbrough, Sera Hill, and Cheesa got their diva on, there was a bit by “Parks Recreation” stars Chris Pratt, Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, and Rob Lowe, keeping it all in the NBC family.

Jamar’s great attitude behind-the-scenes paid off, because he was invited back not only by Jermaine, but also by Juliet. Juliet’s final performance was “A Little Help From My Friends,” with Jamar, Erin Willett, and RaeLynn. “We’re kind of like a family, and it just felt like the perfect song,” Simms says.

Carson Daly had some fun with a package about Purrfect, Cee-Lo’s cat, before Lady Antebellum sang, giving “The Voice” contestants a small break, as they performed their single “Wanted You More” without accompaniment.

For his last song, Tony Lucca performed “Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac, with vocal powerhouse Jordis Unga. “I think her voice is amazing,” he said, singling out her “Maybe I’m Amazed” performance as a turning point in the competition.

Finally, Justin Bieber sang his single. As much as we love a good summer jam, Bieber was not the true draw of this show, so listening to the high-pitched screams of the audience as he whisper-sang “Boyfriend” was a bit grating as we neared the final decision.

The moment arrived. Of course, before Carson made his announcement, we heard a few words from each singer. “Winning would mean… just… it would mean the world to me,” Jermaine Paul said, visibly choked up.

“I feel like I kind of grew into my own, right in front of everyone’s eyes,” Chris Mann said, “as cheesy as it sounds, being myself for the first time, being yourself for the first time is the only way to get here.”

Juliet Simms thanked her family and loved ones for their sacrifices. “Honestly, you spend so much time practicing your songs for the show, you don’t really spend time practicing what you would say if you got here,” she says. “This is my childhood dream and I’m standing here right now.”

After a tumultuous season, Tony Lucca said, “It feels like all of the work that I’ve done up to this point wasn’t in vain, and my presence here was warranted. I’m beyond grateful to every piece of this puzzle.”

In fourth place was Chris Mann. Less than 0.25% separated him from the third place finalist, Tony Lucca. Only four percentage points separated the second place finalist, Juliet Simms, from winner Jermaine Paul, who sobbed his thank-yous as the show came to an emotional close.

Congratulations to his coach Blake Shelton for the win!!

Article source: http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/05/the-voice-winner-jermaine-paul-beats-juliet-simms-tony-lucca-and-chris-mann.html

Although CBGB officially closed its famed New York location in 2006, the shuttered club has continued through CBGB fashions and radio. Now, the first ever CBGB festival will take place July 5-8 at venues across the city.

Article source: http://www.hitsongsdeconstructed.com/2012/05/08/cbgb-music-festival-conference-coming-to-nyc/

The five year journey that brought students, instructors and their families friends to this event, actually began in 1992, when Shifu – founder and Chief Abbot of the Temple – defected while on the first-ever Shaolin Temple Monks tour of the United States. A unique and sometimes dangerous journey from San Francisco to a basement in New York City, somehow helped to forged a desire to share the ways of Shaolin with anyone who wanted to learn. Over the years, that list of eager disciples has grown to include a number of notable celebrities, such as Rosie Perez, Bokeem Woodbine, John Leguizamo and countless others. Also on that list is Wu-Tang Clan co-founder The RZA, who was able to attend yesterday’s celebration, bringing with him positive words, and even an impromptu jam session.

Other than the fact that this was “The RZA” walking around the grounds of the 88 acre campus, what intrigued me most was that, this was not the RZA from Ghostdog – cool, camouflage-wearing urban samurai. Nor was this the musician who has scored more than 35 movies and produced hundreds of records. Nor was it the director who just wrapped a major Hollywood martial arts film, where he shares the screen with Russell Crowe, Lucy Lui and Pam Grier. The person I shook hands with – who gave my friend Alvin a pound after graciously posing for a shot – was Robert Diggs, a student who came to show his support for an instructor he obviously respects tremendously.

It’s clear that what’s stressed at USA Shaolin Temple, along with many other martial arts schools I’ve visited for this ongoing project, is that what’s taught is much more than the physical aspects of fighting. In fact, one student from Brooklyn mentioned to me that the most difficult aspect of his training is the “inner” rather than the “outer.” I also sensed after seeing the near-pristine condition of the 7 buildings that make up the newly-opened Temple, that discipline is key to successful training at USA Shaolin Temple. Much of the work on the previously dilapidated structures was completed by volunteer students and “Shihans,” who made the 2 hour journey on weekends, where they cleaned, cleared, built and painted.

The cultural practices of Chan Buddhist philosophy has successfully adapted itself to Western traditions and ways of life, through the school’s cultural diversity and Shifu’s approachable persona. Through all of the lion dancing, gymnastic flips and kung fu, it seems that Shi Yan-Ming is creating a new type of American dream, but one based on thousands of years of tradition.

Future plans for the location include a summer camp for kids as well as an extended stay training program.

Amituofo!

All photos taken by me – Rene Carson – and Alvin Pettit.

Article source: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-786471?hpt=hp_bn8

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – “Once,” the Tony-nominated Broadway musical based on the 2006 film, will launch a national tour in the summer of 2013. The production, written by Enda Walsh and directed by John Tiffany, received 11 Tony nominations, including Best Musical. “Once” stars Steve Kazee as “Guy” and Cristin Milioti as “Girl” in the roles made famous in the movie by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová as an Irish busker and a Czech immigrant who meet by chance, find romance and make music together. …

Article source: http://www.hitsongsdeconstructed.com/2012/05/07/broadway-musical-once-to-tour-in-2013/

» by Latifah Muhammad May 7, 2012, 12:26pm

Thieves in New York City have great taste when it comes to the items they like to snatch. According to the New York Post headphone theft has increased in the city, and the most popular brand just happens to be Beats by Dre. “They’re very hot among thieves,” explained a police source. “It’s like, ‘I see it. I want it. I can have it. I’m taking it for me, or my sister needs a pair.’”

Oddly enough children are the easiest targets and have become the victim of theft ever since the latest Beats models were released last Christmas. Suspects beat up, threaten, and in some cases use weapons, to get their hands on the earphones, “They’re being snatched from teenagers aboard subways or as they walk to and from school. People’s heads are buried in them. They don’t even know what’s going on,” added the source.

A video posted on WorldStarHipHop shows a Bronx man jacking someone by jumping onto the Subway tracks and using a broken glass to slash the neck of his victim. Meanwhile, last month, a “Bonnie-and-Clyde” team ran up on a 14-year-old boy near Columbia University stole the headphones and danced away wearing them.

The pricey earphones, which recently cut ties with their distributor, Monster, run between $300-$500 and are looked at as a “status symbol,” and rightfully so.  Pretty much everyone in Hip-Hop either owns pair, or hawking their own brand of headphones. The popularity has also trickled down to the sports world.  Just before the Super Bowl, New England Patriots star Chad Ochocinco bought $28,000 worth of the headphones as a gift to his teammates.

Dre, who is allegedly still working on the myth that has become Detox, has yet to comment on the matter.

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Views Tags: Beats By Dre, detox, dr. dre, Headphones, monster, new york city, Theft

Article source: http://hiphopwired.com/2012/05/07/beats-by-dre-headphone-theft-is-on-the-rise-in-new-york-city-video/

As A Result Of The Combination, All Assets Of NJYS Will Be Acquired By A Newly-formed Subsidiary Of WMC. All Six Trustees Of NJYS Will Join The Current 13 Trustees Of WMC In An Expanded Board.

Article source: http://www.hitsongsdeconstructed.com/2012/05/06/the-judith-g-wharton-music-center-and-new-jersey/

1.  The Nameless Girl (Devon) “Bipolar” @tngirlmusic

2.  Andrew Bird (Chicago) “Despiration Breeds” @andrewbird

3.  Miles Kane (Meols on the Wirral) “First of My Kind” @mileskanemusic

4.  Martin Solveig Madeon (Nantes) “The Night Out (Madeon Remix)” @madeon

5.  Miaoux Miaoux [Julian Corrie] (Glasgow) “Discopolis” @miaouxmiaoux

Article source: http://musictechpolicy.wordpress.com/2012/05/05/newmusic-weekend-the-nameless-girl-andrew-bird-miles-kane-martin-solveig-madeon-miaouxmiaoux/

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) – MTV and the Viacom Music Group are returning to the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll for the third O Music Awards, staging a road trip from Memphis to New Orleans in which one band will break the Guinness World Record for “Most Live Concerts” in 24 hours. That record currently belongs to Jay-Z. The awards show, which honors music but with a focus on digital, will combine 24 hours of both awards and musical performances – all of it live. A bus of musicians will travel from Elvis Presley’s home city through the Mississippi Delta to The Big Easy with performances along the …

Article source: http://www.hitsongsdeconstructed.com/2012/05/04/mtv-o-music-awards-to-set-new-concert-record/

The 30-year-old Eisenberg is half of the Wolf ?+ Lamb duo, together with his good friend Gadi Mizrahi, 36. The two New York Jews specialize in slow, groovy disco and house music. In the past few years they have become one of the hot names in the world of clubs and electronic music. They tour internationally, run three flourishing music labels and have been favorably profiled in the dance music media, as well as in the more mainstream media: Indeed, the Guardian, reviewing a serious of parties they gave in New York, called them “a talent hothouse [that] demands serious scrutiny.”

Gadi Mizrahi ?(left?) and Zev Eisenberg.

Praise for the duo is on a constant upswing: Mixmag magazine named their 2010 debut album “Love Someone” one of the five best albums of that year; last year they made the list of the 100 top DJs of the year, compiled by the online magazine Resident Advisor. There’s more where that came from, though not enough to make it clear to Mama Eisenberg what her boy Zev does. Maybe because this is not exactly the career they had in mind for him at home.

Eisenberg is the third of eight children in a Chabad Hasidic family from Brooklyn. At the age of 15, Zev, whose childhood in New York included an unforgettable meeting with the Lubavitcher Rebbe himself at the age of seven, was sent to a “strict rabbinical school” in Bnei Brak, a largely ultra-Orthodox city adjacent to Tel Aviv.

Eisenberg with the Lubavitcher Rebbe

“I grew up Haredi, but I didn’t believe in it,” he says by phone from New York. “I always found it ridiculous. I went to study in Bnei Brak in order to give it a last try, [feeling that] maybe I had overlooked something. But Bnei Brak is such a backward city that it felt like I was in the Third World. If this is the religious lifestyle, I thought, I have no connection to it.”

Eisenberg subsequently moved to Jerusalem. “I lived with relatives and gradually shed the Haredi way of life. During the first year I learned once a week with a friend of my father’s, so that my parents wouldn’t worry. But that became once a month and then never. I started to do graphic design for a small magazine, picking up the profession on the job. Every time I came home I wore fewer marks of religion ? beard, skullcap ? until they all disappeared. My family is cool. I am among the older siblings, so they didn’t have anything special to say, and anyway I didn’t care what they thought. My father respects his children’s decisions. After two years in Jerusalem I returned to New York.”

The music he heard at home was mostly religious pop ?(“It’s really depressing ? someone sings about how terrible life is and how God will improve our lot”?), but in Jerusalem, of all places, he discovered new sounds.

“When I was learning how to be secular there, I also started to try drugs,” he says. “There is a large community there of kids who were sent by their parents to be religious and discovered that the secular world is more fun. One day we were walking toward the entrance to Jerusalem after a night of partying, and I heard music coming from the direction of the convention center. We went over to check it out. It was a psychedelic trance party, Infected Mushroom style, and I thought: Oh my God! This is where we have to be! I didn’t like the music ? it was too fast for me ? but the idea of so many people coming to hear it really resonated with me.”

Chabad ‘lite’

Gadi Mizrahi also comes from a traditional, albeit less pious, family. “My parents escaped from Egypt in 1967, or before one of those wars. My father was in the Egyptian army and a few years later in the Israeli army that fought the Egyptian army. He escaped to Italy and a little later to Israel. He fathered four children there before I was born. The family moved to New York in 1975, where I was born a year later. I attended a modern-Orthodox Sephardic school, even more ‘lite’ than Chabad. Shabbat and kashrut are observed, but without a skullcap. “My parents listened to Arabic music ? Abdel Halim Hafez and Umm Kulthum. I listened to a lot of hip hop, Funk, R ‘n B. And then 12 or 13 years ago an Israeli friend introduced me to trance and later on to minimal techno. I also listened to the music my older brother liked: New Wave, Depeche Mode, Echo and the Bunnymen, and also Prince, Sade, Stevie Wonder.”

Mizrahi was also sent to Israel to have his faith reinforced before entering college. At the age of 20 he moved to the Old City of Jerusalem; he spent two years there, studying and afterward teaching at the Shehebar Sephardic Center ?(which runs rabbinical training and other programs?). But he too lacked inner conviction. Back in New York, he studied psychology, and worked for a few years in the family’s hip hop clothing store. Then, about 10 years ago, Mizrahi’s nephew introduced him to Eisenberg at a party. The connection was immediate between them.

“We started living together and discovered that we were both excited by music,” Eisenberg says. “I already had records and turntables, and I played at small parties. Gadi’s older brother was also a DJ. So very quickly we started to play for friends.”

Two years later, Mizrahi suggested the stage name Wolf ?+ Lamb ? the English translation of their first names ? “because ‘Zev and Gadi’ wasn’t a catchy name, and we started to produce parties that were appropriate to our music.” The brand developed, and Wolf ?+ Lamb became the name of a successful line of parties in New York, a thriving music label, and the name of a collective of artists who release music under that label, among them Seth Troxler, No Regular Play, Soul Clap and the rising star Nicolas Jaar.

“It’s a comprehensive musical concept,” Eisenberg notes. “The artists who work with us see it as a family way to create and disseminate music, as a community.”
The two manage another label, W?+L Black, which releases reedited old pop and disco hits. Plus Gadi also has a label of his own, Double Standard, which enables him “to expand musically ? I like to discover and manage artists.” One of the artists he has signed in this framework is “a kid from Givatayim” named Pinhas Falah, who contacted Mizrahi via Skype. After he was signed he took Mizrahi’s advice and adopted the stage name Double Hill ?(a translation of Givatayim?), because “in English Pinhas sounds like penis.”

As befits a collective, Wolf ?+ Lamb and their satellite groups do guest spots on one another’s albums, remix each other, write together, play gigs together and sometimes even live together. Last year, for example, Gadi and Zev rented a place in Florida along with the two members of Soul Clap. Deniz Kurtel, who is also a member of the collective and who recently issued a new album, has been Gadi’s partner for the past four years and is naturally part of the close group.
“I wrote part of her album with her,” Mizrahi says, “but it doesn’t flow smoothly like when I’m working with Zev. She also has a strong personality. With Zev it’s give and take. With Deniz, these are her first years in music and she is still trying to prove herself, so the dynamics are different.”

“But that’s how we work,” Eisenberg sums up. “With everyone around.”

Clearing the floor

In the new Wolf ?+ Lamb album, which is due out “in July or September,” Gadi and Zev felt their lack of formal musical training for the first time. It happened as “our tracks became more melodic and less based on loops,” says Eisenberg.
“We reached the limit of our expressive ability in the previous album,” Mizrahi says. “That’s why the new album has a guest from our label on almost every track. They helped us round off the work, because at first we weren’t satisfied with the result. There’s a limit to how much we can do musically. The album is very diverse. We try to be more pop, indie dance, like Metronome or Little Dragon. And we started taking piano lessons together, to help us improve.”

Their success has been translated into a successful international career. After wintering in Florida, Gadi moved to Berlin, while Zev stayed in New York. They will spend the coming summer together in Ibiza, off the coast of Spain. In recent years, they have usually played separately.

“I had health problems, so I had to stay home,” Eisenberg explains. He’s referring to cancer of the thyroid gland and of the testicles. The disease attacked him three times in the four years after he turned 23. “Every time we started a tour I got sick,” he says. “For the past three and a half years, everything has been fine. The last time I did natural therapy after the operation. Five days after starting chemotherapy I left the hospital ? I didn’t believe in it anymore. The first times, I did everything the doctors said and had radiation treatment, but the cancer came back.”

“We have only played together twice since releasing ‘Love Someone’ two years ago,” Mizrahi adds. “The fact is that we haven’t yet done a tour together as we should have. This is our first real joint tour now.”

As part of the tour they will DJ at the Block Club in Tel Aviv on May 10. A hint of what to expect can be found on their “DJ-Kicks” album, which they released last year ?(together with Soul Clap?). It features a continuous mix of the kind of music they play ?(see below).

“In the past few years we have played at ever larger clubs,” Mizrahi says, “and we still play deep and slow, under 100 BPM [beats per minute] at the peak. That has become our niche.”

It took time for clubbers to digest the idea that dance music could be so slow during the entire party, they explain.

“In a gig in Costa Rica, and also in New York four years ago, we started to play and cleared the dance floor,” Eisenberg recalls. “It was hard and upset us in the short term.”

Mizrahi: “But it strengthened our distinctive musical identity. And even if the whole audience doesn’t dance and go wild, I hope people come out of it with something. One time we played in Berlin and the people in the first three rows went wild, but everyone else just stood there. At the end of the evening the owner of the club told us that it was a breakthrough and special.”

Their growing popularity has encouraged the duo “because when we come to a new place, people have usually already heard of us and know what to expect,” Mizrahi says. “Our reputation precedes us and we know that people have come to hear us. We also have rules ? namely, that whoever opens must not play fast techno but only ambient or hip hop, so the energy doesn’t fall when we start to play.”

Eisenberg: “Our agent makes sure that it’s understood what we will play and that whoever goes on before us knows he is not going to steal the show.”

Yiddish in Berlin

Wolf ?+ Lamb plan to spend three or four days in Israel, “and if it goes well, we will come back often, because we will be based in Europe,” Gadi says. “It’s exciting and a little scary. There is no other place we identify with like Israel. And because I was in Jerusalem and not Tel Aviv, I didn’t see the Israel that everyone talks about, with an enthusiastic audience of dance and clubs. It’s important for me to make an impression. I want us to be wanted over and over. We are friends with [internationally acclaimed Israeli DJ] Guy Gerber, and Nicolas Jaar and Deniz Kurtel have already played in Tel Aviv. We heard good things about the Breakfast Club and the Block Club.”

The two also have relatives in Israel ?(Mizrahi: “My big brother lives in Herzliya Pituah”; Eisenberg: “I have uncles and aunts and cousins in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh”?). After growing up religious and spending time in Jerusalem, they understand Hebrew but are too shy to use it. As a result, the interview was conducted in English. “Hebrew is my third language, after English and Yiddish,” Eisenberg notes.

Did your common Jewish roots help connect you?

Eisenberg: “In a deconstructive way: We helped each other to be less Jewish. We left the Jewish identity behind.”

Mizrahi: “Berlin was the center of the music we used to listen to, but to tell our families that we would play in Berlin was weird.”

Berlin is now known for its hard, dark techno, which is not so much your niche.

Eisenberg: “We play in different styles, and people like diversity. We also got along with the German sense of responsibility and the way business is done there: very professionally, very precise. We manufactured our records and discs there.”

Mizrahi: “It’s also very cheap there, and there is a very large American community in Berlin. We always had work there. And you don’t have to speak German.”

You could try Yiddish.

Eisenberg: “Yes, but I preferred not to.”

Article source: http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/leaving-the-rebbe-to-drop-some-global-beats-1.428089