Here’s the official invite to a Comic-Con afterparty which gets the Monster seal of approval. On Thursday, July 22nd at Red Circle (420 E. Street in San Diego) from 9PM-2AM, check out good music at a nice venue. The event features a special DJ set by RUSKO + open bar reception from 9PM-10PM. This is a guest-only event, so please confirm your RSVP by emailing Megan [at] dubfrequency [dot] com!
Is there a doctor in the house? Hell yeah there is. Playge’s awesome Doctor (dark Retailer Version) is now in stock. Limited to 300 pieces worldwide, the 6-inch vinyl toy includes: 2 sets of arms, jeweled ‘hidden’ sword-cane, shotty, doctor cloak with revolve pattern, cloth hood, vinyl hat and a removable helmet. An additional Squadt QPMNT PAC is being sold separately. Both are in the shop now!
Japanese streetwear brand, A Bathing Ape, is launching a new range of Daruma dolls. The traditional hollow, round dolls were originally created to represent the founder of the Zen sect of Buddhism. Now, Nigo and BAPE have given them an urban infusion of camo and Baby Milo patterns. The figures, which were all handmade by local artisans, are for an August 7th exhibition at BAPE GALLERY in Kyoto. If you’re looking for urbanized production Daruma dolls, try Chocolate Soop’s DCTOs.
Tokyo’s Ambush Design dropped word of a new accessories collection hitting stores next month. Ambush has been in the game for a while, but their name may be less familiar on our shores. In 2004, they launched the jewelry brand, Antonio Murphy & Astro using 18K gold, platinum, diamonds and other precious stones to create “comical renditions of the mainstream Hip Hop jewelry popular at the time”.
With Ambush, VERBAL and YOON are able to be more experimental, using different types of metals, stones and plastics “to express yet another realm of jewelry design”. The collection includes skull pendants and rings and the punny “Eye Got Ballz” rings. The skull jewelry comes in several colorways, including GID. The eyeballs come (naturally) as pairs in gold, black metal and silver.
When they aren’t designing, the dynamic duo counts among their other passions: producing music, DJing, styling and PRing for Billionaire Boys Club. If you can rock this look, watch out for it in July.
guru and dj premier of gang starr
47-year-old Keith Elam aka Guru, hip hop LEGEND, died on april 19th of cancer. He had been in a coma since February.
He was truly a pioneer. Former partnerin Gang Starr, DJ Premier released a tribute mix to celebrate his former partners’ musical legacy and we wanted to share it with you. you can listen here.
The “letter” he mentions in the beginning is referring to a letter supposedly written by guru on his deathbed insisting that DJ premier could no longer trade under the gang starr name or receive any royalties. foul play is suspected given that guru’s condition could not have allowed him to physically write this letter. read more here.
guru will live on through his music, go listen to some gang starr!
RIP GURU WE WILL MISS YOU!
Thanks to today’s Twitter tip-offs, we can see another example of a major corporation picking up on toys. The Kia spot is actually the rare commercial interruption when I don’t get up from LOST to grab another beer. Gotta love a jet-skiing Sock Monkey. The AT&T ad replaces retro toys with modern figures from Toy2R, Julie West, Delme and Shawnimals.
That’s not our shop in the video, but we do have 3 of the 4 highlighted figures currently in stock! Toy2R’s – 8″ DIY Qee Bear (Orange), Julie West’s Bumble and Go Lucky Neko mini-figures by Delme. Congrats to the designers on the crossoversauce!
Afghan Raiders are already known for their remixes, and their live set was also nothing short of impressive. Upbeat and energetic, they put on a performance that kept everyone on their feet dancing and cheering for more when their set came to an end.
Rob Roy’s rapping style has been compared to Andre3000 and singing to Jodeci. It’s one thing to sound like one or the other, but both? That’s a lot of talent in one guy. Rob’s energy is infectious. His one of those artists that seem possessed by the very music he makes, which is a really cool thing to witness and you can’t help but to get into it too.
LexiconDon, part of the LA based record label, Binary Entertainment, was the last band to perform at the dF Loft. Saturday was an unseasonably cold day in Austin, but you wouldn’t have known that during their set. They put on a high energy show with feel good songs reminiscent of the never ending summers of SoCal that transported everyone in the Austin cold out to a beach party with all their bestfriends dancing in the sand.
Looking for Friday’s lineup with YelaWolf?
Looking for Thursday’s lineup with Hudson Mohawke?
Photo credit: Huy Doan
Watching YelaWolf you were convinced he already was the biggest star. He had the confidence, he had the skills and he knew it. There’s no denying YelaWolf’s craftmanship; he didn’t miss a single beat and his rapping sounded even better live than his studio tracks. Even better was his stage presence. He interacted with the crowd, from the shy girls in the front to the drunk guy in the Slayer shirt, he made sure everyone was part of the show.
Since he dropped This Charming Mix Tape, Theophilus London has been the artist to watch and he’s clearly living up to, if not beyond, the hype. He effortlessly blends genres, races, cultures with his music, his message and style. He’s everybody’s man but not in the way of a sell out: he has an incredible ability to connect genuinely with every single person he reaches with his songs. This was no doubt the case as he mesmerized everyone with his smooth style and charisma during his performance at the Loft.
The Cool Kids closed out the show on Friday and by the time they got on, the crowd was ready for them. Everyone in the packed house knew who they were, which speaks of their appeal that stretches over every genre of music. They’re already veterans of the game with countless shows under their belt, but they have a way of always keeping things fresh. They’re never static, which is what keeps their loyal fans coming back every time screaming their name and singing their songs.
Looking for Thursday’s lineup with Hudson Mohawke?
Photo credit: Huy Doan
Body Language is a relatively unknown band outside of the NYC music scene, but they had a dedicated group of fans enthusiastically cheering them on and quickly into their set won over everyone else watching them. Smooth electro beats with soothing vocals harmonizing, they had the perfect combination. They’re set to go on tour with Sia and taking from their performance at the dF Loft. There’s no doubt they will be quickly gaining fans outside of their home base.
One of the best things about SXSW is the fact that you get huge artists mixed up in the line up with the virtually unknown. The Crystal Method can pack a huge venue anywhere in the world. The chance to see them just a foot away (and we did) with just few hundred others is an opportunity you’ll rarely have. The second they hit the decks you saw everyone grabbing for their phones to snap that photo or video to send to their friends, ‘look at where I’m at!’ Their set didn’t disappoint, everyone was so into it, including the band members themselves, which was really awesome to see!
Hudson Mohawke came on after The Crystal Method as a special unannounced guest, and he was able to keep the crowd excited with his diverse repertoire. In interviews, he shoots down all labels associated with his music (from aqua-crunk-step to glitch-hop and “wonky”) settling at “turbo soul” as the only acceptable label. So it was no surprise when Hudson brought out a special guest of his own, it was Theophilus London. A seemingly unlikely pair, their music complimented perfectly. Both artists have a lot of energy and undeniable soul. We’ve got a little video clip of the magic for you here.
Photo credit: Huy Doan.
Not that I’m biased, but the three-day event at the dF Loft we presented was definitely the highlight of all unofficial SXSW parties this year. The diverse line-up encompassed all musical genres and ensured everyone got what they wanted AND was exposed to something new. The venue and location provided a comfortable, refreshing environment for those seeking some quality daytime entertainment a safe distance from the insanity closer to the epicenter of SXSW. When you were there, you knew you were exactly where you wanted to be.
Veterans The Crystal Method killed it on the decks playing to the mesmerized crowd who held onto their every beat, while scene favorites like The Cool Kids did not disappoint as they had everyone in the packed house singing along to all the hooks. Buzz artists like Theophilus London and YelaWolf proved themselves to be more than just this year’s hype by putting on two of the most dynamic performances of all.
There will be more SFSX recap to come all week, but for now enjoy this exclusive montage of photos (click to make it huge) from Neon Monster @ the dF Loft!
