Spinner http://www.spinner.com Spinner http://www.spinner.com/media/feedlogo.gif Spinner http://www.spinner.com en-us Copyright 2013 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this headlines and excerpts feed are available for limited commercial distribution. You may repost this feed to your site provided you link back to the original story, do not edit the material, and do not remove this copyright notice. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ Cadence Weapon's Mom Thinks Everyone is Biting His Style http://www.spinner.com/2012/09/17/cadence-weapon-mom-polaris-music-prize/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/09/17/cadence-weapon-mom-polaris-music-prize/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/09/17/cadence-weapon-mom-polaris-music-prize/#comments Filed under: , ,


Upper Class

You might not be a fan of Cadence Weapon, but it's hard not to like the real life side of Rollie Pemberton. The Edmonton-born rapper -- once that city's poet laureate -- who recently relocated to Montreal knows all about his hate-it-or-love-it reputation.

"I made my bed for myself, you know? I can't be surprised," he tells Spinner, noting that rappers are already at a disadvantage within the general music landscape. "I make music that is inherently divisive."

His newest record, the newly Polaris Prize short-listed Hope in Dirt City, feels like a response to those detractors. It's Cadence at his most lyrically accessible and relaxed. Production credits are split between himself and some of Canada's fast-rising weirdos, like Doldrums and the LOL Boys. Considering the breadth of references, there's a nice cohesion between early '90s sample-heavy rap aesthetics and organic-sounding arrangements. And it was all intentional, he says, in an effort to be more accessible but without losing himself. ]]> Cadence WeaponCadence Weapon hope in dirt cityCadence Weapon interviewCadenceWeaponPolaris Music PrizePolaris Music Prize 2012polaris prizePolarisMusicPrizePolarismusicprize2012 Anupa Mistry 2012-09-17T14:00:00 00:00 Cadence Weapon on Drake: 'You Can't Front' -- Rapper Approves of Fellow Polaris Nominee's 'Take Care' Album http://www.spinner.com/2012/07/19/cadence-weapon-drake-polaris-music-prize/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/07/19/cadence-weapon-drake-polaris-music-prize/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/07/19/cadence-weapon-drake-polaris-music-prize/#comments Filed under: , , , ,


Upper Class

You might not be a fan of Cadence Weapon, but it's hard not to like the real life side of Rollie Pemberton. The Edmonton-born rapper -- once that city's poet laureate -- who recently relocated to Montreal knows all about his hate-it-or-love-it reputation.

"I made my bed for myself, you know? I can't be surprised," he tells Spinner, noting that rappers are already at a disadvantage within the general music landscape. "I make music that is inherently divisive."

His newest record, the newly Polaris Prize short-listed Hope in Dirt City, feels like a response to those detractors. It's Cadence at his most lyrically accessible and relaxed. Production credits are split between himself and some of Canada's fast-rising weirdos, like Doldrums and the LOL Boys. Considering the breadth of references, there's a nice cohesion between early '90s sample-heavy rap aesthetics and organic-sounding arrangements. And it was all intentional, he says, in an effort to be more accessible but without losing himself. ]]> Cadence WeaponCadence Weapon Hope In Dirt CityCadence Weapon Polaris Music PrizeCadenceWeaponPolarisPolaris Music PrizePolaris Music Prize 2012Polaris Music Prize Short List Anupa Mistry 2012-07-19T12:00:00 00:00 Steve Aoki: DJ Pumps Out 'Wonderland' Featuring Kid Cudi, Rivers Cuomo http://www.spinner.com/2012/02/21/steve-aoki-wonderland/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/02/21/steve-aoki-wonderland/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/02/21/steve-aoki-wonderland/#comments Filed under: , , , ,


Steve AokiCindy Ord, Getty Images

Everyone knows Steve Aoki. The 34-year-old is a scion of cool: L.A.-reared socialite, world-traveling DJ, record producer, and the founder of Dim Mak Records, which broke artists like Bloc Party, the Gossip, MSTRKRFT and the Bloody Beetroots. Now, with the full-length record 'Wonderland,' Aoki is on his own roster and says he considers himself less of a tour DJ, more a live performer.

"This is a proper live show. I'm not DJing with CDs, I'm playing Ableton Live so all my music is cued with the visuals and lighting," Aoki tells Spinner from St. Louis, MI, the latest stop in a 60 day run of shows with Datsik. "It's all of my own stuff -- my new remixes and songs from 'Wonderland.' It's a full take on my music." ]]> steve aokiSteveAoki Anupa Mistry 2012-02-21T15:00:00 00:00 Doldrums Delights in 'Happy Accidents' That Won Him Portishead Approval http://www.spinner.com/2012/01/27/doldrums-empire-sound/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/01/27/doldrums-empire-sound/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/01/27/doldrums-empire-sound/#comments Filed under: , , ,


DoldrumsKate Struthers

When Doldrums' Airick Woodhead isn't making ephemeral, drummy collages of noise and video, he's at home in Montreal YouTubing James Brown videos. "There's this one of him giving dance instructions but he's really just high out of his mind," Woodhead, the former lead for Toronto-band Spiral Beach, tells Spinner. The Doldrums' sound -- spastic, otherworldly, and proudly textural, like on the Portishead-sanctioned remix of 'Chase the Tear' -- doesn't immediately recall such normal and inane activities, but Woodhead's an aural magpie who revels in the beauty of happy accidents.

Spinner talked to Doldrums about the music found on his latest six-song EP, 'Empire Sound,' touring, the beauty of imperfection and why Canadian musicians are so unique.

You're just off touring in England and the U.S. How was that?

It was nice in England. People get more excited about Canadian artists over there. I feel like my music makes more sense over there. Maybe it's because the audience lives in an insanely tabloided, saturated culture and my music is just like largely, referential. I don't sample weird obscure shit, and it's most effective for people who might be more attuned. ]]> Doldrums Anupa Mistry 2012-01-27T14:00:00 00:00 Digitalism on North America's Preoccuption With Dubstep http://www.spinner.com/2012/01/23/digitalism-i-love-you-dude/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/01/23/digitalism-i-love-you-dude/ http://www.spinner.com/2012/01/23/digitalism-i-love-you-dude/#comments Filed under: , , ,


DigitalismKitsuné Music

Jens Moelle and Ismail "Isi" Tüfekçi, of the Hamburg-born electro house duo Digitalism, were raised on Eurodance and the cultural movement that is Berlin's electronic dance Love Parade, so North America's current obsession with all-things-electronic, particularly dubstep, is a little passé to them.

"Can we skip dubstep?" Isi, faux-tired of talking to North Americans about music they don't even make, asks Spinner. He laughs, and adds, "They are saying it's the new hip-hop."

Moelle intervenes, because even though Digitalism -- who released their second studio album 'I Love You, Dude' in June -- doesn't really do dubstep, it's clearly still a contentious, fun thing for the two longtime DJs to talk about.

"Yeah, apparently the guys from Korn say dubstep is the new metal because they did an album with Skrillex," he says, before elaborating on how the tides have turned for global electronic music culture in general. ]]> digitalism Anupa Mistry 2012-01-23T16:00:00 00:00 Nadastrom on Origins of 'Moombahton' Genre: 'Reggaeton's Weird Little Cousin' http://www.spinner.com/2011/12/05/nadastrom-moombahton-massive-xi/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/12/05/nadastrom-moombahton-massive-xi/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/12/05/nadastrom-moombahton-massive-xi/#comments Filed under: , , , ,


NadastromCourtesy of Nadastrom

Within certain dance music circles, the story of moombahton's flukey origins is new lore. In fall 2009, Dave Nada was being a bad influence to his teenage cousin by DJing his "skipping party" in Washington, D.C. Between reggaeton records, he cued up and pitched down the Afrojack remix of Silvio Ecomo and DJ Chuckie's 'Moombah' and it fit, almost seamlessly.

Pairing the infectious syncopation of dancehall and reggaeton's dembow beat with the siren-call frenzy of Dutch house became the foundation for what he termed moombahton. "It sounded like reggaeton's weird little cousin," Nada, who operates under the banner Nadastrom with friend Matt Nordstrom, tells Spinner's RPM. ]]> Nadastrom Anupa Mistry 2011-12-05T14:00:00 00:00 XI Says Rusko Shouldn't be Linked to Aggressive 'Brostep' Scene http://www.spinner.com/2011/11/02/xi-rusko-dubstep/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/11/02/xi-rusko-dubstep/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/11/02/xi-rusko-dubstep/#comments Filed under: , ,


XICourtesy of 2+2 Management

Christian "XI" Andersen is amongst the leaders of Toronto's ever-growing, room-throttling experimental electronic music scene. Lurking around the loose confines of dubstep, house and breaks, the 25-year-old DJ/producer -- a product of the city's legendary drum 'n' bass and jungle scenes -- commands more and more international attention with every release, in particular, this year's 'Gamma Rain.' Spinner caught up with the genre-forging beat-maker to hear his thoughts on 'brostep,' Rusko and his "dark garage" sound.

How long have you been making music?

I've been making music since 2002 or 2003, but I did start in punk bands from like '98 or '99. Playing drums was the segue, but I was also a big fan of the Prodigy and Aphex Twin and that left-field approach to writing music. So I applied it less in terms of sound palette, but in the philosophy of how I write music, a more brash approach. ]]> XI Anupa Mistry 2011-11-02T15:30:00 00:00 Infected Mushroom Defend Dubstep, Say They're 'Bored' by Other Music http://www.spinner.com/2011/10/19/infected-mushroom/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/10/19/infected-mushroom/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/10/19/infected-mushroom/#comments Filed under: , , ,


infected mushroomCourtesy of Infected Mushroom

Prolific, as constantly touring DJs should be, Infected Mushroom have been creating and releasing music virtually every year since their inception in 1997. 'Pink Nightmares' is the psytrance group's frantic, pop-tinged 2011 showpiece. Formed in the Israeli port city of Haifa, Infected Mushroom has since relocated to Los Angeles -- a nod to the group's success and tendency toward stitching together seemingly disparate genres like metal and pop with their brand of hypnotic trance. With an American tour about to launch, founding member Erez Eisen talks with Spinner about the resurgence of electronic music, dubstep and the difference between European and North American scenes.

What are your thoughts on the commercial resurgence of electronic music?

It doesn't affect us in the sense of "Lets do something commercial or stupid that everyone will like." If we make stupid stuff it's because we like it and it's fun. We've done some dubstep tracks, too. Lots of people are saying because dubstep is big it means you're getting commercial as well. But, to be honest, we like the sound a lot; we're big fans of Skrillex and Nero. I don't see Skrillex as a commercial artist at all. He's difficult to listen to at times but he's also No. 1 on iTunes in the dance charts -- he's commercial like Prodigy used to be, in a good way. ]]> infected mushroomInfectedMushroom Anupa Mistry 2011-10-19T17:00:00 00:00 South Rakkas Crew Rep Diplo's Mad Decent Label http://www.spinner.com/2011/09/22/south-rakkas-crew-diplo-mad-decent/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/09/22/south-rakkas-crew-diplo-mad-decent/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/09/22/south-rakkas-crew-diplo-mad-decent/#comments Filed under: , ,


South Rakkas CrewMad Decent

South Rakkas Crew may now be based out of Florida, but the DJ duo Alex Greggs and Dennis 'D-Rakkas' Shaw originate from greater Toronto, an another area boasting a strong dancehall scene. But what took South Rakkas -- part of an early wave of Mad Decent-cosigned artists -- beyond the Caribbean diaspora was how they were able to transcend dancehall to incorporate electro, Baltimore club and other forms of bass music.

South Rakkas Crew are returning home to Toronto as part of the Manifesto Festival's Red Bull Music Academy Culture Clash Sept. 22 event, where they'll represent Diplo's Mad Decent imprint against greats like Afrika Bambaataa and come-ups like Hudson Mohawke. Spinner talked to D-Rakkas about the group's new member, Mad Decent's cultural influence and their new EP, 'Gangsta Revival.'

How has your approach to making music changed over the past five years?

Individually it hasn't changed much. I kind of take a DJ perspective and imagine myself hearing the music in a club. I have to feel it first, and then hopefully other people feel it, too. With this latest EP release, 'Gangsta Revival,' I produced seven or eight of the songs on my own -- Alex G has been involved in a few other projects that have taken his time away from South Rakkas. I've kind of felt we haven't been productive enough over the years so my new resolution is to drop new product every few months. ]]> DiploMad DecentMadDecentSouthRakkasCrew Anupa Mistry 2011-09-22T16:45:00 00:00 Afrika Bambaataa, Hip-Hop's Godfather, Talks Rap, Radio and Extraterrestrial Tunes http://www.spinner.com/2011/09/22/afrika-bambaataa-manifesto-festival/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/09/22/afrika-bambaataa-manifesto-festival/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/09/22/afrika-bambaataa-manifesto-festival/#comments Filed under: , ,


Africa BambaataaBen Stansall/AFP | Getty Images

Afrika Bambaataa is a South Bronx legend. 30 years ago, he pioneered a sound and culture that's been co-opted into a billion-dollar industry: hip-hop. But Bambaataa, who began hosting parties to draw kids out of gang culture, says he wants a return to the original movement which encouraged b-boying and street art as well as MCing and DJing. "There are certain groups that still try and keep it social and political," Bambaataa tells Spinner, but only after he calls out radio stations and the media for promoting a one dimensional view of hip-hop culture. Ahead of a headlining appearance at Toronto's Manifesto Festival Thursday, Sept. 22, Spinner talked to Bambaataa about an idea perhaps only he can answer: is hip-hop dead?

30 years ago, before hip-hop even had its name, what was it that you set out to do?

I definitely had a vision that I was going to be making music and spreading it around the world with respect to all the soul and funk groups that were out. And this became this culture, this movement called hip-hop. ]]> Africa BambaataaAfricaBambaataaZulu NationZuluNation Anupa Mistry 2011-09-22T16:00:00 00:00 WEMF Is Resurrected With Dubstep Stars Rusko and Skrillex http://www.spinner.com/2011/08/12/world-electronic-music-festival-wemf-2011/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/08/12/world-electronic-music-festival-wemf-2011/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/08/12/world-electronic-music-festival-wemf-2011/#comments Filed under: , , ,


SkrilexC Flanigan, Getty Images

"This year the scene just blew up," Ryan Kruger, co-founder and promoter of Southern Ontario's World Electronic Music Festival (WEMF), tells Spinner. Established in 1995, the three-day outdoor festival was held annually in varying picturesque locations around the Canadian province until 2008. "We'd gotten to a point when we were just getting tired and wanted to do something different," explains Kruger. "So we decided to put it to bed, thinking if we wanted to do something similar again we could always do a smaller reunion-style weekend."

But it was culture that came calling instead. "It felt like 1995 again across Canada and the U.S.," Kruger notes, citing the particular excitement surrounding dubstep. And so he and his business partners, along with Toronto's trendsetting promotions group Embrace, have come together for WEMF 15, which will run August 12-14 in South Algonquin, ON. ]]> InfectedMushroompendulumRuskoSkrillexXI Anupa Mistry 2011-08-12T10:30:00 00:00 Drake Delivers With Surprise Guests Stevie Wonder, Nas + Lil Wayne at OVO Fest http://www.spinner.com/2011/08/01/drake-stevie-wonder-nas-lil-wayne-ovo-fest-2011/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/08/01/drake-stevie-wonder-nas-lil-wayne-ovo-fest-2011/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/08/01/drake-stevie-wonder-nas-lil-wayne-ovo-fest-2011/#comments Filed under: , ,


Drake, Stevie Wonder, Lil WayneWireImage | Getty Images | FilmMagic

By 4PM on Sunday, July 31, the day of Drake's second annual October's Very Own (OVO) Festival at the Molson Amphitheatre in his hometown of Toronto, Twitter was a flutter with the rumour that Stevie Wonder was currently soundchecking at the venue. At last year's inaugural event, Drake proved his growing clout and procured two of rap's biggest stars, Jay-Z and Eminem. Building momentum for the release of his second album, 'Take Care,' and making the festival an international draw means that, of course, he would try to one up himself this year.

But at 8PM, when local golden boy Abel Tesfaye -- otherwise known as the R&B-loving act the Weeknd -- took the stage, Wonder was still a secret tucked away for when things possibly couldn't get any more incredible. ]]> drakeLilWayneNASRickRossStevieWonderweeknd Anupa Mistry 2011-08-01T12:00:00 00:00 The Weeknd Draw Drake and Bad Boy Records to Sold-Out World Debut in Toronto http://www.spinner.com/2011/07/25/the-weeknd-drake-diddy-debut-toronto/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/07/25/the-weeknd-drake-diddy-debut-toronto/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/07/25/the-weeknd-drake-diddy-debut-toronto/#comments Filed under: , ,


the WeekndJoshua Ostroff for AOL

It was with quiet confidence that the Weeknd mastermind Abel Tesfaye executed his very first show Sunday night (July 24) in Toronto at the Mod Club. But the hour-plus, outrageously anticipated performance itself was anything but timid. No one knew what to expect from the stealthy, press-shy R&B singer. We've never seen him. He's never even performed live.

Scheduled to open next Sunday's massive OVO Fest at Toronto's Molson Amphitheatre, alongside rapper Drake (who throws the annual to-do) and Miami don Rick Ross, Tesfaye clearly needed this debut to calm his nerves. Perhaps even as much as his fans needed to hear tracks off his much-hyped 'House of Balloons' mixtape finally unleashed live. ]]> diddydrakeTheWeekndweeknd Anupa Mistry 2011-07-25T12:45:00 00:00 Babe Rainbow Winds Down 'Endless Path' With 'Chopped and Screwed' Beats http://www.spinner.com/2011/06/30/babe-rainbow-endless-path/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/06/30/babe-rainbow-endless-path/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/06/30/babe-rainbow-endless-path/#comments Filed under: , ,


Babe RainbowRyan Walter Wagner

It's only been two years since Vancouver's Babe Rainbow, aka Cameron Reed, began dreaming up dense, diabolic beats on his computer, but he's already releasing a second EP for super-esteemed electronic label Warp. The 'Endless Path' EP is an eight-track collection of Warp-encouraged sonic experiments in free-form bass music traipsing through surreal, cinematic territory. Part of a wave of renewed, Internet-fueled enthusiasm for forward-thinking beat scientists, Babe Rainbow is also fresh off playing Mutek, Montreal's digital music fest, and producing for a curated list of up-and-coming rappers.

Straddling the cusp of so many scenes might seem daunting, but Reed is affable and totally nonplussed leading up to the release of 'Endless Path.' Spinner caught up with him to talk about Vancouver's electronic scene, working with Warp, and why no one really knows how to make electronic music.

Okay, so I never really associate Vancouver, B.C., with electronic music...

I came from punk/noise scenes and it wasn't until getting picked up on Warp that people from the electronic scene began paying attention and reaching out. I've learned over the last two years that the scene is small but the attention toward it is growing quickly. At Mutek, I was part of the New Forms Festival showcase, and played with a collection of West Coast, Victoria, and Vancouver electronic beat artists. Seven acts of varying styles, from the same place, in a city like Montreal, at a festival that highlights the cutting edge of electronic music ... seeing how people responded to that was really incredible. ]]> babe rainbowBabeRainbowwarpwarp records Anupa Mistry 2011-06-30T17:00:00 00:00 Miles Jones Experiments With a Vocal Style Known as 'Singing' -- NXNE http://www.spinner.com/2011/06/17/miles-jones-nxne/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/06/17/miles-jones-nxne/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/06/17/miles-jones-nxne/#comments Filed under: , , ,


Miles JonesMyspace

Multi-faceted musician Miles Jones -- rapper, songwriter, composer and producer -- recently re-released his 2010 album, 'Runaway Jones,' in the U.S., and the "trickle back" buzz has him hyped for his third year of NXNE. With a new collaborative instrumental project out alongside D-Sisive producer Muneshine, aptly titled Muneshine Jones, the 28-year-old dynamo is spending his days juggling multiple projects. Spinner spoke to Jones about his balancing act, giving straight-up singing a whirl, and what he has in the works for Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.

You re-released 'Runaway Jones' in the U.S. earlier this year but you're already working on something new, right?

I have four or five songs written already for it and I'm hoping to release a single this summer, and an EP or LP in the fall. It's probably going to sound a little different from 'Runaway Jones,' because I feel like I've matured my sound and I'm experimenting a little more, both lyrically and sonically. I guess there's some vocal experimenting going on more... something called "singing." ]]> Miles JonesmilesjonesMuneshineMuneshine Jonesnxnenxneartist Anupa Mistry 2011-06-17T16:45:00 00:00 Tanika Charles Has a 'Real Problem With Frank Ocean' -- NXNE http://www.spinner.com/2011/06/17/tanika-charles-frank-ocean-nxne/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/06/17/tanika-charles-frank-ocean-nxne/ http://www.spinner.com/2011/06/17/tanika-charles-frank-ocean-nxne/#comments Filed under: , , ,


Tanika CharlesDesiree Butler

In the year since Tanika Charles released her 'What? What! What?!' EP, the Toronto-based R&B singer has been playing show after show around the city. But, as her performances get bigger, Charles maintains that it's the small club shows that best match the vibe of her soulful, spirited music. "You can connect with the audience so much more when you can actually see them," she tells Spinner. "It gets really hot and sweaty, and that's the best." And her set-up is only going to get sweatier: Charles' is currently working on her next album, due in the fall, which will be recorded live in the studio. Spinner caught up with Charles to talk about performing at NXNE, her angry alter ego Ms. Chawlz and her "real problem" with Frank Ocean.

Tell me about this album that's coming out.

Right now I'm in the studio all the time working on demos. It'll be a live album, so everything's going to be recorded with a band off the floor. This is a bit different than the EP, which I worked on with producers from around the city, so it's exciting for me because it's going to have that really pure, thick, heavy, sexy Motown feel to it. ]]> frank oceanFrankOceanNXNEnxneartistTanika Charlestanikacharles Anupa Mistry 2011-06-17T14:00:00 00:00