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Das Racist is a rap group based in Brooklyn, comprised of two rappers, Himanshu Suri, Kool A.D., and their hype man, Dap. Trying to talk to them is difficult, because they are usually talking to each other in pop culture references stacked upon sarcasm and inside jokes. In this way, their normal conversation is very much like their music. Das Racist blur the lines between absurd comedy and culture-index genius. The attention received by their song “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell” has given them opportunities to travel, and hours after they landed in  Chicago for the first time, I sat down with them to eat some pizza. The following interview might not always seem like it makes sense, and that’s because that’s how they talk.

CT: Tell the world about Das Racist.

HIMA: We are a rap group from New York and California. We like rapping. We were once described as urban, disaffected and ethnic youth.

KOOL A.D.: We’re like the new Minor Threat.

HIMA: We’re a rap Minor Threat cover band.

DAP: Minor Threat, Major Problems was the original name of the group.

HIMA: Next question.

CT: Okay. Das Racist, you guys obviously have a collaborative combination cluster of all different areas of the cultural spectrum smashed into one rainbow that sounds awesome.

KOOL A.D.: You ever seen that Double Rainbow shit?

(more…)

“If the process of creating is stimulating then everything is beautiful.”

So reads the brief last.fm bio on Swedish pop/rock act, The Eyeshades. It’s a point of view that speaks to their music; bright, innocent, carefree, the quest for artistic expression seemingly more rewarding than the actual end product. Their tracks are simple, but have a lasting loveliness. You aren’t meant to read too far into the songs. Instead, you’re encouraged to just sit back and enjoy the pleasant sounds as the lyrics blur under the blanket of sleepy, jazz-inspired instrumentation.

You can download The Eyeshades second EP, ..of words we return… for free here.

The Eyeshades – In The Basement (160 kbps)

The Eyeshades – Ambivalent Manners (320 kbps)

Below is the latest edition of our weekly feature, Stuck On Repeat. The premise is simple, we’ve asked all our contributors to submit one track and a brief write-up. The track can be new or it can be old, just whatever we could not stop listening to this week. These are the songs we’ve had Stuck On Repeat.

:: selected by: V :: Bran Van 3000 – Drinking In LA (320 kbps)

The “summer jam” has been a constant topic of discussion in my life lately, which has spurred me to look back and reflect on some of the best summer jams of years past. There’s a tendency to gravitate towards hip-hop when one thinks of the summer jam and while my memories full of smooth flows and head-nodding beats, above all others sticks out Bran Van 3000’s “Drinking in LA”. This track hit prominence the summer of my high school graduation. I didn’t drink back then, nor had I ever even been to LA. Even in 1998 I found it a hard track to define. It’s definitely quirky, and littered with references to other songs (many of which are summer jams themselves), the laidback funk carries with it every adjective you could throw out on the topic of summertime.

:: selected by: BryanB :: Matthew Dear – Gem (192 kbps)

Since I am visual by nature and tend to create narratives and stories for songs I listen to, I will describe my Stuck On Repeat, Matthew Dear’s sorrowful “Gem” via the music video I have constructed for it in my head. It’s far off in the future, a dark, damp, flickering city on the brink of extinction, where humans wander the urban canyons searching for some kind of connection to their happier past. Matthew slumps down near a dumpster, completely exhausted and takes a look at his nearly broken communication device and realizes he has precious few minutes left of battery power left. With it’s last remaining moments of power, he accesses the only memory-file left, a couple of minutes of video he recorded of his children on a sun drenched beach. The file starts to play as we see Matthew’s face, the warm glow of the memory he’s watching shedding enough light on his face to see tears welling up. As the video starts to disintegrate he reaches his hand out, the glitches in the memory file moving sequences out of time, he tries to touch his long lost child as she approaches a breaking wave with trepidation. Matthew’s mouth attempts to utter the words “it’s OK” as the memory slowly falls apart, and entire video fades to black. Happy friday everyone.

:: selected by: Jams Dean :: Architecture – Pregnant (R. Kelly Cover) (192 kbps)

Architecture is the name of the side project from Chicago band Panda Riot. Bandmates Melissa and Rebecca have been doing extra homework on the side, and most excitingly, made this R Kelly cover. I usually am not a fan of covers, but this one works by taking the sound into a whole other territory. The lyrics take on a different level of meaning when being sung by the opposite gender. Architecture slows down the tempo, brings in far away space drums, and sings what could be interpreted as either mockery or response to R Kelly. It’s hard to tell which, and that’s why I think it’s good.

:: selected by: Moneyworth :: Flo Rida feat. David Guetta – Club Can’t Handle Me (256 kbps)

I’m not going to frame this post in typical blogger-experiencing-Top40 fashion like, “Sometimes I like to mingle among the common folk and check out the radio, because it’s super funny to ironically listen to whatever the fucking plebes are being force-fed these days.” Fuck that. Bloggers love claiming how much they love mainstream pop hooks but with a little insufferably elitist giggle, like when celebrities talk about how much they just love eating ice cream. This song is just dope and I don’t even care that it features David Guetta. Flo Rida has that power of making a song that annoyed you the first time get stuck in your head for days (“Low”? Come on.) and this is no exception. The obvious best part of this song, though, is the thought of bros in the club taking Jaegerbombs to the dome like, “Dude… bro… the club can’t even HANDLE me right now!” Listen, whatever, this is literally the song that’s been stuck on repeat and I don’t care if you make fun of me.

:: selected by: Danosaur :: Sylvio Cesar & BossaCucaNova – Consolação (267 kbps)

One thing I’ve been re-learning lately is that, even when there is a ’stereotypical’ sound for a region, or culture, there are ALWAYS very beautiful, and staggering, exceptions to the rule. “Consolação” is, most definitely, one of those outstandingly hidden treasures. Ripped straight from the heart of the Brazilian underground, this excellent track sways around in almost too many different genres to count. Treading in the realms of Lounge Jazz, Samba, Filter Disco and Deep House – Sylvio Cesar & BossaCucaNova have crafted an incredibly blended mix of sounds that flows and crashes like the waves on the beaches in Rio. “Consolação” brings you deep into the heart of Brazilian culture, and doesn’t let you leave without a new melody stuck in your head.

Since MJ’s death I think people have been generally reluctant to give his material the remix or cover treatment. Everyone and their dog got that out of their system immediately following his passing. It’s hard to act jaded towards such an en masse heartfelt gesture, but I think there’s been a general consensus of “MJ fatigue”.

But it’s been a year, and ultimately, Michael Jackson boasts a catalog that is both challenging, and fun to rework. UK future beat producer Ossie admits his own reluctance to remix MJ on his Bandcamp. Maybe MJ fatigue truly has passed, or maybe his remix is just so good everything else seems far-off, and tuned out. Either way, Ossie’s take on “Remember The Time” is a welcome addition to the cache of MJ homages. Metallic synths and finger snaps push the track, which combines elements of disco, funk and broken beat. The new jack swing roots of the original can still be heard, so it comes off as a fresh, modern presentation of a genre that has been buried in history, but that we all unabashedly loved and cross our fingers will someday return in new skin.

Also worth checking out is Ossie’s ReMixtape.

Remember The Time – Michael Jackson (Ossie 2010 Remix) (320 kbps)

Here’s all you need to know about the new Miami Horror album, Illumination: if all the songs were as catchy, lighthearted and damn near perfect as “Holidays” it would be an instant dance classic. Sadly, that’s not the case, but we can sit back and enjoy the breezy, filtered disco bounce of this magnificent slice of fun and wonder about all the things that might have been….

Miami Horror – Holidays (289 kbps)

Below is the latest edition of our weekly feature, Stuck On Repeat. The premise is simple, we’ve asked all our contributors to submit one track and a brief write-up. The track can be new or it can be old, just whatever we could not stop listening to this week. These are the songs we’ve had Stuck On Repeat.

:: selected by: V :: Wreckless Eric – (I’d Go The) Whole Wide World (192 kbps)

What makes a great love song? I don’t think it’s a question that can be answered with any sort of concreteness. Love is arguably the most complicated of human emotions; every romantic scenario forces your head to connect with a different side of what we consider “love songs”. In my mind, the best love songs are those with themes of throwing caution to the wind and giving in spontaneity. Which causes me to always return to Wreckless Eric’s “(I’d Go The) Whole Wide World” and question, is it the greatest love song of all time? Love can be a real downer—serious, stressful—but when you look back, damn those first moments glittered with freedom and abandon.

:: selected by: BryanB :: Benny Mardones – Into The Night (128 kbps)

“She’s just 16 years old / leave her alone / they say”… I remember being maybe 8 or 9 years old, staying up WAY too late, with my ear pressed up right against my radio in the dark of my bedroom, hoping not to wake the parents. Late night Chicago radio was absolutely AMAZING to me at that age. Scanning the dial I found Detroit house, techno, vintage rock and quiet storm R&B. And this newly-rediscovered track, “Into the Night” by Benny Mardones has to be one of the best damn tracks of my formative youth. Here’s this old white guy belting out his love for some underage girl while dreamy ivories are tickled and ghostly 10CCs-style synth vocals slowly build into a sex-deprived inferno. It’s a track that a prototypical R&B performer like George Benson must have wished he came up with, but this moment could not have been done better by any other singer on Earth. I dare anyone to listen to those throat-destroying wails as the track closes and tell me that they can’t hear the very literal sound of Benny’s soul weeping in pain. That’s how bad he wanted her.

:: selected by: Jams Dean :: Cloud Cult – Happy Hippo (192 kbps)

Cloud Cult is a total hippy, DIY alternative band from the city of Prince. They recycle their used instruments into textbooks for Indonesian orphans and their tour van runs on energy derived from a mix of organic sunflowers and lighting bugs caught in jars. I really liked them in 2006 for a minute, and then totally forgot about them until this week. Listening to their album Advice From the Happy Hippopotamus four years later gave me a new perspective on these peacemakers. Too much of their material drips with, well, hippy vibes, but every now and then they embrace some cool drum loops, throw in some thought and do something that makes your head nod. Probably the best track on the album, “Happy Hippo”, goes through some odd changes, but the ending leaves you with some group sung lyrics that put a little chill in your spine: a reminder that you only live once. Mother Earth would agree.

:: selected by: Moneyworth :: Cali Swag District – Teach Me How To Dougie (221 kbps)

This is probably one of the best rap songs to come out this year, and I am late to the party because I heard the remixed version with one million crappy guest spots first and got a bad taste. That remix is stupid, don’t listen to it. The original, however- I mean, can we first talk about the name Cali Swag District? I want to live in the Cali Swag District. “Teach Me How To Dougie” is basically the “You’re A Jerk” of 2010, but it’s a slightly different sound from the typical jerkin’ beat, and “the dougie” itself seems like you do some Macarena type shit with your arms in addition to jerkin’-esque moves. There is also cowbell in the beat. I’m really hungover, I don’t think I’m describing this song very well, but please just listen to this song if you are one of the like, three people left in the world yet to hear it.

A lot of you are probably going to click these tracks and immediately cover your ears, eyes winced, screeching about how Dem Hunger’s music is an unlistenable mess. There’s probably a fair bit of truth in that reaction, but once you get past the first knee-jerking notes of Caveman Smack and settle into the abyss, I think it’s one of the most interesting albums that will hit your eardrums this year.

Originally released on cassette (I’m not gonna get all Altered Zones here and front like I’ve listened to a cassette this side of 1993) Caveman Smack is a hyper-aggressive abstract ride through a dark tunnel of glitched tribal sounds. Each noise is heavier than the last, conjuring up images of glowing-eyed cannibals feasting post-sacrifice in an undisclosed jungle. A volcano thunders, lightning crashes and your fear heightens as your curiosity hits its peak. Amidst the omnipresent crackle of static drift severed radio clips, reminders of how far removed you are from modern civilization. Spears glint in your periphery. Your captors are closing in. Give in to Dem Hunger.

Two tracks off Caveman Smack, but to get the ideal Dem Hunger experience you really need to listen to the full release as though it’s a single track.

Dem Hunger – Fried Squid (320 kbps)

Dem Hunger – Zebra Skull Make From Snack (320 kbps)

Reminding me of a softer, more feminine ghost of Adult or Mount Sims and with disco leanings similar to Glass Candy or a smokey Nite Jewel, Cosmetics, a Vancouver, BC duo is bridging that span between late 90’s electro (think Gonzales, and Felix Da Housecat) and the ongoing resurgence of midnight-tinged Italo disco.

Visit their tumblr here to stay up to date on Cosmetics.

Cosmetics – Black Leather Gloves (192 kbps)

Cosmetics – Honey Honey (128 kbps)