June 26, 2009
I attended the ¡Pachanga! Latino Music Festival last month and took pics of the three acts we featured in pop quizzes as a mini-countdown to the event. This Charanga Cakewalk show pic-olio is 3 of 3. (Part 2 David Garza here or scroll down for it and Part 1 Maneja Beto here or scroll down.) Check out the Charanga Cakewalk popolio pop quiz here and enjoy this last pic-olio of the ¡Pachanga! series.
June 4, 2009
PREPMODE DJing@Nordstrum
PREPMODE will be the DJ on the ones and twos for TONIGHT’S Summer Sizzle fashion show at Antone’s. Remember, doors open at 8PM. More info here.
Check out his answers to our 5 Questions below before checkin’ him out tonight. Before that, listen to his Extended Dance Mix of “Hiroshima” and check out his MySpace Page for more.
* * *
1. How did you get involved with Summer Sizzle? NCD Resources booked me.
2. Have you played a fashion show before? DJs seemed to get tapped a lot for fashion shows. Why do think that is? Is there something more accessible about a DJ than an artist or band? Yeah, I’ve been doing runway shows for 8 years. When you look at the major fashion designers throughout the world, they have been using DJs for their shows for years, I think many people just see it as a standard. It’s almost more out-of-the-ordinary to have a live act play during a show.
3. The age -old discussion: The connection between music and fashion. What’s your take? Music and fashion constantly change and consistently influence each other. Today’s world moves at an incredibly fast pace. The marriage of music and fashion defines what is relevant (culture-wise).
4. What is a must-wear item for a DJ during a set? Why? Headphones…..so the DJ can keep the mix on beat. haha
5. Why is your name PREPMODE? Because a 1 word name is easy to remember.
May 29, 2009
As a mini-countdown to the ¡Pachanga! Latino Music Festival THIS SATURDAY popolio is featuring 3 ¡Pachanga! Artists in pop quizzes Wednesday through today.
Maneja Beto [Bobby Garza] pop quiz
David Garza pop quiz
* * *
Last, but certainly not least, is Charanga Cakewalk. This Austin-based artist (né Miguel Ramos) brews various distinct Latin rhythms (Tejano, merengue, and , prominently, cumbia), throws in a dash of lounge, and sprinkles in some electronic beats to create a jambalaya of sound. And that’s just for starters. Yesterday’s pop quizzer, David Garza, has guested on his work. His lyrical content adds to an experience that becomes somewhat of a sonic stream of consciousness. He plays the Plaza Stage at 8:15PM (at Fiesta Gardens). Check the ¡Pachanga! Fest site here for more 411.
May 29, 2009
Name: Charanga Cakewalk
Genre: Latino
Latest Release: Forthcoming Third Release (Self-Released)
Release Date: TBD
This, That, or the Other
1. Underground OR Mainstream? Mainstream?
2. Maintain Artistic Integrity and Vision OR Make a lot of Money? (or both)???Maintain Artistic Integrity and Vision and make a good living.
3. Studio or Stage? Studio is my favorite.
4. Spirituality or Hedonism? Spirituality
5. Make Love, Have Sex, OR %$*!? Well…Fuck of course.
Fill in the Blank
6. Music is my life.
7. I’m musically inspired by passion and emotion.
8. My favorite old school joint is “In the Midnight Hour” by Wilson Pickett.
9. If I was a super hero I’d be Underdog.
10. Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll should change to Bump and Grind.
Short Answer
11. I make music because: There is nothing else.
12. I want my fans to: Know I love them.
13. If I could share one thing about myself it would be: I love sports.
14. Wild Card! Editor’s Note: N/A
15. I want my musical legacy to be: That I always did my best.
May 27, 2009
I’ve been wanting to do a countdown featuring songs about songs (you know, songs about music, dancing, and/or a certain genre). I have my 10 songs, but even as I posted Number 10, I wasn’t sure about the order. So, this one will form as I go. I normally have my list ready to go before I start. MY TOP 10 is a music video countdown, but with some songs (maybe two in particular) occuring before the MTV era, I will have to improvise and pull something from Dailymotion or YouTube. Here goes.
5. Common “I Used to Love H.E.R.”
The quintessential ode to hip hop. Common broke it down no holds barred professing his affection for hip hop as a woman as well as his dissapointments with her. Weaving an instant classic, he takes you through the different eras of the genre balancing his roles as narrator and commentator. He highlights what he sees as its glorious aspects and denotes its downfalls. His skillful flow and a killer beat take it to the next level.
We’re starting the second half of the countdown, so I wanted to throw in a BONUS.
***BONUS*** Rihanna “Don’t Stop the Music”
I don’t think this has been around long enough to be part of this all-time TOP 10 list, but it’s almost there. It’s an infectious song with a clever interpolation of the famous Michael Jackson chant from “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.” Definitely, a dance floor buster.
May 5, 2009
This post kicks off a NEW FEATURE — LTR (Long Term Review). This is my very first full-length album review for popolio. I’ve reviewed singles before in our Single and Listening feature, but never a full-length project.
Aux.78 was previously featured in a pop quiz here. In celebration of this new feature, I’ll be reviewing another artist’s album this Thursday. So, stay tuned for that.
LTR (Long Term Review)
Full Release Review
♪
all over the place ♫
carries a tune ♫♪
part of the chorus ♫♫
featured soloist ♫♫♪
conducting the choir
Aux. 78 A Worn Ballad
Released: November 8, 2008
Aux. 78 is equal parts soundtrack composer, country guitar strummer, new age guru, and techno DJ. A Worn Ballad is a solid collection of ambient soundscapes, sparse strings and vocals (there’s some drums in there, too, on “Concrete”), and futuristic effects that doesn’t lose focus.
“Live Onto Life,” one of the two more traditional tracks, could easily set the tone for a western saloon shootout scene. The other, “Guns That Smoke,” is a stirring soliloquy that explores the darker side of life. “Hollowed Out” is reminiscent of an Alfred Hitchcock film. I can see someone on a motorcycle; after riding for awhile he gets off and starts following a perfect stranger on foot. It’s late, dark, and wet from a hard rain that has just settled. When they round the concrete corner of the sidewalk…something ominous will go down. “Tomorrows Fade To Today’s Light,” the longest track at 10:40, plays like the sountrack to a 1950s flying saucer B movie (to my imagination, anyway).
Experimental, yes, but with pleasing sounds that leave you with a familiar feel-good feeling at the end of the listening experience. It’s like leaving a movie (Yes, folks!) that made you laugh and cry with a little comedy, drama, and some action and suspense thrown in with a lot of heart; all in equal measure. ♫♫
Standout Track: “Guns That Smoke”
Check Out: “The Passing,” “Wood,” and “Hollowed Out”
January 1, 2009
Photo courtesy of FreeFoto.com
Two Banks of Four “Wake Me 5:30″
The English duo, Two Banks of Four, has been weaving electronics and jazz in recorded form since 1998. Although their latest work, Junkyard Gods, was a slow sell for me initially, this track caught my ear immediately and continues to be a favorite from this CD.
Valerie Etienne’s pristine vocal makes you feel like someone is actually waking you up before dawn to gain the clarity for the day. 
For more Two Banks of Four music visit Last.FM for streamable tracks and buy/download links
December 24, 2008
1. Young Love “Find A New Way”
I was introduced to Number 1 through J. Lo’s MTV reality show about dancers trying to make it, DanceLife. I love to dance. Not a trained dancer, but not a bad freestyle/club dancer, if I do say so myself. And I love J. Lo. So, I checked out the show and loved it. Wish MTV had picked it up for a second season.
Anyway, Young Love’s “Find a New Way” was the opening song. And the routine the dancers on the show do to it just bananas. I also think it was genius to use this song for a J.Lo vehicle. You would think it’d be a J.Lo song or pop/R&B song, but they used this instead.
It embodies what the show was about and what a passion for dancing entails. I liked it so much I checked out Young Love. I didn’t know if it was just a guy or a band or what. I still don’t really know. Dan Keyes seems to be the main guy. I picked up the debut album, Too Young to Fight It. Loved it! He really felt like a rich man’s Justin Timberlake; really hipper than JT, to me. Not as poppy and R&B, more electro. I just dug the sounds and songs.
His record company won’t allow the videos to be embedded on YouTube, so I could only link them here. The first video is the DanceLife intro so you can see my inspiration. The links that follow are 2 versions of Number 1 – the original version and a black-and-white version directed by fashion photographer Terry Richardson and featuring model Kemp Muhl. I really do love to dance! Just felt like confessing that to the universe.
TERRY RICHARDSON DIRECTED VERSION FEATURING MODEL KEMP MUHL
December 16, 2008
6. Basement Jaxx “If I Ever Recover”
I got on Basement Jaxx a little late and only for one album. I remember hearing the name being tossed around by people as that new hot underground “it” band when they first caught on. I even remember hearing Janet Jackson saying she liked them on TV. I had no idea who they were.
2003′s Kish Kash was the album that I gravitated to. Part of the reason is that they featured Meshell Ndegeocello on 2 songs and, her, I am a fan of. I also had heard JC Chasez, from N’Sync fame, was on another track, “Plug It In.” I had picked up his Schizophrenic, an album I liked, where they produced a song I liked, “Shake It,” and wanted to see how he returned the favor on Kish Kash. (I alway had secretly hoped he was the gay one before anyone came out. He’s around my age and I do think he’s cute. I thought we’d meet down the line in life and he’d be my man.)
So much for unhealthy fantasies, anyway, I picked up the album and I fell in love with it. I remember a friend saying he didn’t like it and that it didn’t sound like other Basement Jaxx stuff. I have nothing to compare to; I just know this album was genius to me. I like that it is ensemble-y. Not sure if they always feature different vocalists and artists because they seem to be more producer-dj-types, but it works well on this album.
I worked out (like, yeah, worked out to it) the hell out of it, but at the same it’s mellow, too. So you can either dance to it until your soaking wet or just listen and groove to it sweat-free. I like that it works at both levels.
There’s no official video for “If I Ever Recover.” This was all I could find out there on the internet — posted and featuring photographs by some person named Stephanie Taylor. This is definitely the stand-out track for me. It doesn’t sound like the rest of the album in a good way. I can listen to it over and over. I also love the 2 Meshell tracks, so as a bonus you’re getting the track that closes the album, “Feels Like Home” (no official video, either). The other is track 2, “Right Here’s the Spot.” Oh, just go get the whole album!
December 12, 2008
The December husband-and-wife pop quizzes of ElectroLegs (remember that’s their group project, but we’re presenting their individual personas here) continue this week with, Muekanisms. Last week we featured her hubby, Aux.78. Like I previously stated, they’re a little more experimental, but what is “pop” anyway? Let’s challenge the paradigm! Anyway, this week, the wife is up. Straight outta’ El Paso (reppin’ my hometown) — check her out.
Again, much thanks to Fran Santelli for having these guys on her MySpace Page or else these last 2 pop quizzes would never have happened.
December 12, 2008
Name: Muekanisms
Genre: Electro/Experimental/Other
Forthcoming Release: Muekanisms (Self-Released)
Release Date: January 2009
This, That, or the Other
1. Underground OR Mainstream? Underground
2. Maintain Artistic Integrity and Vision OR Make a lot of Money? (or both)??? Both
3. Studio or Stage? Both
4. Spirituality OR Hedonism? Both
5. Make Love, Have Sex, OR %$*!? Have Sex
“Persist” from the upcoming January 2009 self-titled release, Muekanisms. Enjoy!
Check out her MySpace Pages at:
Muekanisms
ElectroLegs
December 5, 2008
December’s pop quizzes kick-off with a husband-and-wife duo from El Paso, Texas, who do solo work and group work, as well, as ElectroLegs. For pop quiz purposes, we’ll feature them as their individual personas. They’re a little more experimental than what you might expect from popolio. But, that’s the point. We don’t want popolio to become too predictable if we can help it, now do we? I also wanted to rep my hometown of El Paso with some interesting artists. First up, this week, is the husband, known as Aux.78. Check for his wife, Muekanisms’ pop quiz, next week.
Shout out to Fran Santelli for having them all on her MySpace Page first!
December 5, 2008
Name: Aux.78
Genre: Experimental/Electracoustic/Ambient/Hard to Define
Latest Release: A Worn Ballad (Self-Released)
Release Date: November 7, 2008
This, That, or the Other
1. Underground OR Mainstream? Underground. I’m too musically moody to be mainstream. Mainstream would bore me. I would try to turn too many corners and want too much artistic freedom. I am Underground because I’m sure the Mainstream won’t embrace my music.
2. Maintain Artistic Integrity and Vision OR Make a lot of Money? (or both)??? I set me goals to earning enough money to break even or luckily to make a little bit more cash for the next CD’s duplication, promotion costs.
3. Studio or Stage? I love the stage but I get more pleasure and creative freedom in the studio. The studio can be an open place where the aspect of recreating the work live does not always matter. That is another aspect of music that I have always loved. I can pop in a CD and listen to a dead man. I can listen to a song that was never intended to be performed live. Is the live audience cheated? I don’t think so. Aux.78 is mostly a recording project. Every once and a while I’ll perform solo but the majority of my live work is with ElectroLegs.
4. Spirituality OR Hedonism? Spirituality in creativity. Seeking inspiration is spirituality in itself.
5. Make Love, Have Sex, OR %$*!? %$*! the daylights out of the one I love!…and war is for past generations.
From Aux.78′s latest, A Worn Ballad, here’s the track, “Live Onto Life.” Enjoy!
Aux.78′s favorite old school joint!
