Nuclear Beef

Heartfelt Hip-Hop Friendship Audio Beef Today. KRS-ONE knows who his friends are.

(First off, it seems that Friday always comes late in a Nuclear Beef theme week. Now that I've done it twice, I'm going to call it a tradition.)

Our final entry in Nuclear Beef Friendship Week comes from a Nuclear Beef favorite artist, KRS-ONE. This comes from a transitional period in the career of KRS, by which I mean that this album has a guest spot by.. P. Diddy. There's also about four really great songs, including this one.

KRS-ONE breaks down the fundamentals of friendship and what differentiates a true friend from a false friend. As my roommate would say.. 'Science!'

I send this record to the well respected
friends that I've collected,
I hope I am what you expected

Extra special friendship shoutouts go to all my friends across the globe. Thanks for making Nuclear Beef Friendship Week a success.

Beef Friendship Week, Monday : Jimi Hendrix Is His Own Best Friend
Beef Friendship Week, Tuesday : Adam Ant Is A Friend Of A Friend
Beef Friendship Week, Wednesday : All Of The Kinks Friends Were There
Beef Friendship Week, Thursday : Morrissey Just Might Need A Friend
Beef Friendship Week, Friday Sunday : KRS-One Definitely Needs A Friend

Posted by darwin at 09:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Introspective Plaintive Friendship Audio Beef Today. Morrissey holds on to his friends.

It's almost Friday, and thank "Bob" for that.

Tonight, Morrissey reminds us what friends are good for. You never know when you'll need them, but when you do it helps to have real good ones. Even morose, romantic, falling-against-walls bastards like Morrissey need to have friends. Otherwise, who would read his livejournal?

For the fourth night in a row, Nuclear Beef salutes our many far flung fine feathered friends.

(Yes, I really like this album, too.)

Resist - or move on
Be mad, be rash
Smoke and explode
Sell all of your clothes
Just bear in mind :
Oh, there just might come a time
When you need some friends

Join us here all this week for more slightly overwrought friendship dedication Beef!

Posted by darwin at 11:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Neurotic Psychedelic Friendship Audio Beef Today. The Kinks' friends stand and stare.

The true proof of a friend is if they'll stand by you when you're down. Today's Friendship Beef from The Kinks reminds me of my true friends, those times when they were there for me. Thanks.

And just when I wanted no one to be there,
All of my friends were there.
Not just my friends, but their best friends too.
All of my friends were there to stand and stare,
Say what they may, all of their friends need not stay.
Those who laughed were not friends anyway.

Join us here all this week for more neurotically self-conscious friendship dedication Beef!

Posted by darwin at 11:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Early New Wave Friendship Audio Beef Today. Adam Ant is like, totally on the guest list.

In the Big Shitty in which I live, people are very socially competitive. Limited resources + benefits to the successful = levels upon levels of fakeness and game. Ultimately, it really is who you know, not what you know or what you can do.

Now, I know a lot of people. But I don't pretend to be friends with all of them, or to know them when I don't. I also don't do that thing where people actually want to be friends with everyone. All that said, I sure wouldn't mind some more friends who put me on the guest list and give me drink tickets.

Applications are encouraged.

This Adam And The Ants song is another case of what George Herbert Walker Bush once called 'The Vision Thing.' Imagine sitting down to record this song in 1979. People are passing this sound off as fresh in 2005, for chrissake. Apparently Malcolm McLaren stole The Ants from Adam after they made this album, and they become.. um.. Bow Wow Wow. (Fucking Malcolm McLaren...) It's a damn shame because the band is rock-solid throughout Dirk Wears White Sox. They're no Buzzcocks, but they're a damn sight better players than, say.. Joy Division.

Adam convincingly sells his vocal performance of a clever and catchy lyric. I admit it, this song makes me laugh like hell. I picture a scenester desperately trying to get himself on the guest list. His first name drops don't work, so he claims to be a friend of.. Michael Jackson! (He took a shit at my house once, you know..)

Ah yes, life in the Big Shitty. The more things change...

Join us here all this week for more relentlessly melancholic friendship dedication Beef!

Posted by darwin at 11:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Post-Humous Hendrix Friendship Beef Today. Jimi Hendrix introduces you to his best friend, who talks, looks, sees and feels like him.

Janis Joplin is ok. The Doors made some good records. But when we lost Jimi Hendrix, we really lost something.

To inagurate Nuclear Beef Friendship week right, here's a Hendrix blues about those true friends we all have.

(I know I don't see you guys as much as maybe I ought, so I hope that both of you enjoy this. The best part about this touching tribute to my friends is that I can do it from the comfort of my home. Seriously though, thank you all. Even those of you who are (as The Manolo says) 'The Internet Friends.' Y'all make life worth living. You and, um, music.)

This track was recorded as part of the sessions which were going to become the Hendrix album First Rays Of The New Rising Sun. The very first time I heard about this album was earlier this year while reading Lewis Shiner's iridescent novel 'Glimpses', which was recommended to me by my (former?) friend, the mysterious Ready Rock Moe Rex. In it, the relentless music nerd lead character develops a time-warping super-power ability to produce recordings of the great albums that never happened. He starts with the last Beatles album, but eventually gets around to this Hendrix. The way he described the incomplete tracks made me want to hear them something fierce. Fiercely, yes, but apparently not fiercely enough to make any actual effort to hear them.

A few days ago this came up on my shuffle. Imagine my surprise when I realized what it was I was listening to. It didn't even require any time-travelling literary devices! Just my insatiable thirst for new (old) music. This MP3 is from a 1997 official release from the Hendrix Foundation, who had previously been fighting the IP cartel for control of Jimi's music ever since he died. I know that this music is old news to Classic Rock nerds, but man.. I'd rather hear Jimi's unfinished album than the one that Brian Wilson finished.

In 'My Friend,' Hendrix brings a swinging blues with masterful and almost understated guitar work. The lyric is clever and ironic, and delivered in a mature voice that Hendrix was just discovering when he died. The party sounds and hollering in the background give a studio track a magical live feel. I want more.

Join us here all this week for more long distance friendship dedication Beef!

Posted by darwin at 09:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a Monday night long distance dedication to all the Kari Byron fans who regularly make obscene comments about Kari in the comments pay us a friendly visit here at The Beef. You've been very patient, suffering waiting all through Nuclear Beef Remix Week for another glimpse of the rare and radiant Kari Byron from the Mythbusters. Today we have a special treat for you perverts true Kari fans out there! Kari in a bikini from the Mythbusters Shark Week Episode.

First, we have Kari hearing the good news about Buster punching that shark in the face.

(click for larger)

I can't come up with a witty tagline for this one. I'm too busy ogling Kari's mind-boggling fitness.

As Ali G might say :

"Girl, you is well fit."

(click for larger)

Enjoy. And please, no obscene comments or I'll have to waste my time censoring them. Thanks!

Posted by darwin at 11:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (89)

Jungle Hip-Hop MC Audio Beef Today. KRS-One and Goldie meet in a hardcore style.

For all the hype over this supposed new genre called 'Grime,' I haven't heard anyone in the music press acknowledge that people have been rhyming over electronic beats for a long ass time. Even if discount the early electro days of Hip-Hop, we have a long tradition of (mostly wack) Junglist MCs babbling over rolling breaks. Like, ten years of history, and virtually no crossover stars of the form. Did I mention that most Jungle MCs are really wack?

What makes 'Grime' something special? I gather that it's because the MCs can rhyme slightly better than your average Jungle MC. Unfortunately for them, KRS-ONE Will End Your Career, by which I mean that if it involves rhyming, KRS-ONE has already done it.

Listen to KRS-ONE flow smoothly over this uptempo jungle track from Goldie and tell me you'd rather hear Dizzee Rascal. Thought so. Then realize that KRS-ONE did it in 1997. When he rocks raves, he lets off shock waves.

I bet they'll mention me in the next century:
KRS-ONE, innovator in early rap-poetry.
Simultaneously, you will be forgotten..
While in the year 2000 Criminal Minded will still be rocking

(This mix is actually the 12" mix, which is slightly different than the album cut. Unfortunately this MP3 dates from 1999, and it isn't the best rip. It was either this or a truncated clean edit. I also feel I must mention that KRS-ONE says 'Representing like The Internet' in this song. Nuclear Beef, you know how we do.)

Posted by darwin at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Remix Week Hip-Hop Remix Audio Beef Today. Descry gives N.E.R.D. The Look.

Original on the 2004 N.E.R.D. album Fly Or Die. Native Tongue Remix from the CD Single She Wants To Move. Descry remix from the upcoming promo Beatcrafters Mixes And Blends

First things first, I know it's not Friday. It turns out I was unable to get clearance from the artist to post the remix I was planning to post on Friday. I had to come up with something suitably special for the end of the first ever Nuclear Beef Remix Week, so.. um.. it took me until Sunday. Yeah, that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it.

Here's an another excellent remix from Bay Area producer Descry. He re-imagines a N.E.R.D. party jam as a syrupy romantic meditation. He only uses three verses from the Native Tongue remix : Common, Mos Def and Q-Tip. Behind this is a bold sample from Vic Damone's 'The Look Of Love.' The drums have that thump that I love and each MC sounds exactly on beat. Take my word for it, that's not a simple task considering the quirkiness of the original beat!

What's truly remarkable about this remix is that I have been a fan of the N.E.R.D. remix for a while, but didn't recognize the verses in Descry's remix. I think it means that you've succeeded, when the same verse sounds totally different over a new track.

Thanks for reading, listening and hopefully enjoying the first ever Nuclear Beef Remix Week. Here's a recap for those who are late to the party :

Beef Remix Week, Monday : Descry Saves Ghostface
Beef Remix Week, Tuesday : Darwin Makes Blackalicious Feel That Way
Beef Remix Week, Wednesday : Darwin Meets Dionysos At The Alien Bar
Beef Remix Week, Thursday: Darwin Does Dionysos All Wrong
Beef Remix Week, Friday Sunday : Descry's Got The Look

UPDATE: Some wack ass MP3 search engine must be indexing me. The Native Tongue Remix is no longer available. Thanks, guys.

Posted by darwin at 01:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Remix Week Techno Remix Of Techno Audio Beef Today. Darwin Spins Dionysos' Records All Wrong.

This is the second of the two Dionysos remixes I mentioned yesterday. This track was called 'Nackastix' when I remixed it, but apparently was renamed 'All Wrong' before it was released. In any case my remix is the usual Darwin techno business, pretty good if you like that sort of thing!

Mastering is generally ok, considering I made it on crap monitors in 2003. I think the bassdrum could be tuned a bit better. I particularly enjoy the vocal snippets and the intricate percussion patterns. The original is more of a chugging affair, but the tracks still sound a bit similar due to the distinctive drum sounds.

I spin records, bitch!
I don't breakdance!

Of course, the way I pattern it, it sounds a lot more like "I spin records / Everyday" which I considered a pleasant accident.

Tune in tomorrow for more original remix loving!

Posted by darwin at 11:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Remix Week Techno Remix Of.. Techno Audio Beef Today. Darwin finds out at the Alien Bar.

We have some original Darwin techno beef for day three of Nuclear Beef Remix Week. Hopefully the banging techno beats will help get the hump up out of your week.

This is a remix I did for Dionysos in mid 2003. He solicited remixes from a techno mailing list we're on, and I submitted a pair of them. As I prefer to do when remixing, I didn't listen to the original track until after I finished my mix. I just took the remix kit and wrote a full-length techno track in Propellerheads Reason.

I'm happy with the result, though I think the track could use a re-mastering. The lead bass sound needs work. Everything else is pleasantly intricate and funky, just how I like it. I remember when I sent these mixes to Dionysos, he said that they both have that "classic Darwin flavor" which may or may not have been a compliment.

The original "Alien Bar" is a moody, thumping techno track. My remix ads a bit more bounce and a heavily tweaked vocal snippet from The Jolly Boys. The ultra-fast gaps/snips on the vocal let you know that.. you'll find out.

Tune in all this week for more original remix loving!

Posted by darwin at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Remix Week Techno Remix Of Hip-Hop Audio Beef Today. Darwin concurs with Blackalicious that it's love.. it's love.

It's a little known (but true!) fact that Darwin, your humble music blogger here at Nuclear Beef, is also a DJ, producer and remixer. This is probably due to the fact that I'm terrible at promoting myself. I've done quite a few tracks, mixes, whatever, but nobody has ever heard them. It's a shame, because they're really quite good. (Did I mention humble?) I figured remix week was a good pretense opportunity to post some of my favorite remixes from the archives.

I did this remix in late 2002, shortly after the Blackalicious acapella became available. At the time I was working almost exclusively in Propellerheads Reason, and the version with the capable sampler was not out yet. All of the vocals in this track are arranged with slices of verse-length loops in the Recycle loop player. I increased the BPM from 110 to around 130, so the vocals are completely re-arranged to sound as if they're on beat. The original acapella is a bit awkward because of the laid back, irregular flow.. and the fact that there's background vocal accents. This project was definitely an education in working with a vocal, and I think it turned out well.

The original Blackalicious track is jazzy and laid back, but when I did this remix I focused around the spoken section at the end. I thought about what techno dance parties had meant to me and the thoughts echoed the joyous feelings he describes. Techno and dancing make me "Feel That Way" and so you can consider this remix my love letter to everyone I've ever danced with. Even the dubbed out section at the end is a bit of a homage to the DBX techno classic "Losing Control." It's love.. love.. it's it's love.

Tune in all this week for more original remix loving!

Posted by darwin at 07:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Remix Week Hip-Hop Remix Audio Beef Today. Descry Saves Ghostface as the World Goes On.

To start Nuclear Beef Remix Week off right, here's an excellent remix of a Ghostface track from his most recent album. Descry, a Bay Area up-and-comer and part of the Beatcrafters collective, chops off the weak first verse and sets the final two verses to a beat that accentuates the emotional content. The track is built around a monster of a sample which also provides a chorus, something which was also lacking in the original.

This song is yet another case where I heard the (unauthorized) remix first and vastly prefer it to the original. The original beat is a great beat, except for the Kanye West inspired rhyming-over-a-full-vocal and the beat's unsuitability for the lyrical content. It's a bouncy funky beat, but Ghost is trying to get poignant, which is incongrous to my ears.

Descry's remix nails the mood perfectly. Over his beat it sounds like Ghost is just about to cry. I've woken up with this remix in my head more than once since Descry sent it to me, and I confess I've been overwhelmed by it in unsuspecting moments.

To all the ladies who love they man
Though they fucked up and you still let 'em back in
Make some noise if you cook and you clean for 'em
Out of love doing jux for 'em
For all my niggas who love girls with good brains on 'em
Bag 'em and get your name tattooed on 'em

Tune in all this week for more original remix loving!

Posted by darwin at 08:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)