Nuclear Beef

TV Soundtrack Audio Beef Today. Hurley has killer Desert Island Discs.

ABC's 'Lost' is over for the season, people are wondering what's up with the spooky island with all the spooky stuff. They told us just enough stuff, mercilessly killed some folks, made up some more crazy crap and of course.. the cliffhanger ending. Here's a quick fix for those who appreciate the show, a Willie Nelson gem that Hurley listened to in the first season episode 'House of The Rising Sun.' It's a good thing that they found that crazy hatch because otherwise the producers wouldn't have been able to reference popular music after Hurley's walkman ran out of batteries!

This track is one of the demos that Willie Nelson recorded when he was under contract to Pamper Records. These versions are are frequently much better than those he would record later. When I first saw the episode and decided to post this song, I bought a 3CD European box set which had 'Are You Sure' and it was a multitrack electric 70s version. No thanks. This kind of thing, all you really need is Willie, a guitar and a load of tape hiss.

(Shouts out to all the Lost fanatics. You know who you are.)

Posted by darwin at 10:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

German Techno Pop Audio Beef Today. It takes five German guys produce... Einmusik.

Sometimes when I'm listening to my Winamp shuffle, I come across a song by an artist I've never heard. In the best cases, this random play opens a window into a whole new world. First, I find out who the artist is and what label they're on. I then start collecting their work and other material on associated labels until I hopefully have many new entries in my "favorite artists" list.

Other times, I hear a good song and discover that it's literally the only good song by the artist. This club track from German acts Coburn and Einmusik is one of those cases. I hunted down the rest of their work and none of it really had the same feel or excitement. I even listened to everything else on 'Great Stuff' Records and was disappointed to find that it all pretty much sucks!

How can I like a remix of artist whose music I don't like by another artist whose music I don't like? I'm confused, but I can report for certain that I do rather like this track.

'We Interrupt This Program' is a piece of Techno-Pop fluff which I'm sure went over huge in the German market. It would never in six billion years be played on American radio, because it's a loopy little club anthem with more energetic glitchy edits than editorial foundation. I suppose I've become addicted to glitch-pop in 2006, perhaps my mind is going soft but I increasingly find myself wanting to hear music that's stumbling over itself. It also doesn't hurt that the lead synth is a new-school rave hoover sound and that all of the breakdowns are well constructed. Solid choon all around, really, and designed for the peak hour dance floor.

Einmusik is a group made of three DJs, one each of whom plays Gabber, Drum And Bass and Techno. Unfortunately, that unique pedigree doesn't show in most of their relentlessly typical music. I suppose that the quality of this remix is another case of every dog having its day. Weird.

(Shouts out to Moebius Rex, who I think of when I rock out to this track. Also shouts out to my man man, none other than Charles Ives and the cdub who brought him into my life.)

Posted by darwin at 02:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

DJ Data Corruption Classic Hip-Hop Remix Audio Beef Today. Data goes up against Grandmaster Flash on the magnetic wheels of steel.

DJ Data Corruption is my anthromorphized DJ homie, and his funky fresh remix styles keep coming. Today's selection is one of the true classics of hip-hop, which Data has given an ultra-modern Data Dada remix... while I wasn't looking. I'm tired of the original, but somehow this mix is refreshing. Maybe it's just that I love lyrics like "Used to be a FAG / living in a BAG" or "broken glass / don't care / everyWHERE" but I could listen to this all day. Or at least the eight minutes (!) that DJ Data Corruption has dedicated to this remix.

Hoo lawd, don't push him. He's close to the... edge!

(For those of you who are here for Kari Byron stuff, I promise I'll post some more pics soon. Until then, check out these two Kari videos which reader Matthieu posted on youtube! Thanks, and if anyone wants to help me sort Kari pics, it's still nuclearbeef AT gmail d0t com)

Posted by darwin at 11:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Long Overdue Forward Electronic Music Audio Beef Today. Daedelus denies the day's demise like a ninja and does some crazy dancing in Daly City.

'Samba Legrand'
from the forthcoming (May 2006) album Denies The Days Demise on Mush (US) and Ninja Tune (International)
Both tracks by Daedelus.

Behold, it is I, the Prodigal Beef. I have returned. This crazy 'real life' thing won't get the best of me!

Today's slices of Audio Beef come from Santa Monica experimentalist Daedelus. Longtime readers know that Daedelus is a Beef favorite because of the panache with which the man programs and performs his music. Most of all, his music reminds us that it's actually the twenty-first century... music is dead, long live music.

'Crazy Dancing' comes from a compilation on Mochipet's new Daly City Records label. It's an appropriately named mix of dancehall and IDM which is permeated with orchestral vibes. Like much of Daedelus' work, it has an almost-live feeling and a sense of humour that render the otherwise disjointed elements into a coherent whole. The samples evoke the early 20th century but the buzzsaw bassline is pure 2G-aughts. Downtempo meditation clashes with rave-style excitement and frantic transitions.

When I spoke with Daedelus at the Baby Godzilla record release party, he mentioned his love for 'Rave' music, and it definitely shows on Denies The Days Demise. 'Samba Lagrande' is a good example of an evolving style from a fearless Daedelus, a man who is clearly not pulling any punches. It also illustrates the Brazillian undercurrent which permeates the album. FM synths and video game sounds ride a chain-gang clap-step rhythm which sweeps and turns itself inside out and back again. By the time the towering anthemic vocoded bassline kicks in, it's clear to all in listening range that Daedelus has made an album with a measure of magic.

It's 2006, be on notice..

(Shouts out to my partner in crime and of course the cdubble, who enjoys herself some Daedelus. Kari Byron fans, I haven't forgotten about you. If there's anyone out there who actually wants to help me with the posting of pics, feel free to email nuclearbeef AT gmail d0t com)

Posted by darwin at 06:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Just Say No To Coke Audio Beef Today. Willie Rosario and Pato Banton share the wisdom of the ages with the hipsters of the aughts.

'Don't Sniff Coke' (DJ Data Corruption Remix)
by Pato Banton from his 1987 album Never Give In, remix by DJ Data Corruption.

Today's Audio Beef is a post I shouldn't have to make. Suffice it to say that I'm concerned with the degree to which my extended peer group of young hip folks is cavalierly playing around with cocaine. I mean, I know you guys think that you're so much smarter than that, but what do you think.. you're so much better than 80s stockbrokers?

This isn't a new story, as the smoking track from Latin music titan Willie Rosario attests. His track my be from 1968, but it's a clever Boogaloo story about the costs of messing with 'The Shining Knight and His Big White Horse.' A scorching vocal from Joe Cuba veteran Willie Torres makes it clear that people understood the risks in the late sixties. Two decades later, Pato Banton drops the science about the relative merits of sensimilla and the dread (no pun intended white powder. Two decades after that, this mp3 was corrupted while transferring and given a deluxe remix by DJ Data Corruption, my anthropomorphized DJ buddy. The extended DJ Data Corruption mix is eight minutes long and makes me laugh while also making it very very clear why you should not sniff coke, only burn the ganja.

Seriously, y'all. Check yourself before you wreck yourself. That's my word.

(Shouts out to the smokers crew. All tight.)

Posted by darwin at 05:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Internet Memorial Audio Beef Today. No clever summary line or picture.

A recent comment on this old post about Liquid Cop reminded me of an update I've been meaning to post for a long time. This is the first time I've done something like this, so I hope this post is properly respectful.

Here's what I said in that original post :

Liquid Cop is an enigma wrapped inside a mystery wrapped inside the Bay Area. According to this page full of CD-R treats at Aquarius Records he is from San Francisco, but I can assure you he is flying deep under the rader here. That's why he doesn't have a web page link... he doesn't have a web page.

It's a shame, because his album Data So Nice I Saved It Twice is one of my top ten of 2003.

I regret to inform you that my best friend, Kevin Rearden aka Liquid Cop, is no longer with us. He passed away last February at the age of 35. He was a pure genius to me. He allowed me the honor to design his CD Cover for "TheClearAlbumEP". He is my inspiration for making music myself. I actually wrote the original track for "webcam girl" when it was called "silent". Leave it to Kevin to freak it with some moan and groans and give us what he did. He made music for about 5-6 years. He used very few programs to do his music. I think it was just sound forge or something. I work on a mac so i'm not sure exactly. He worked on an old PC. He was not one for fancy gimmicks. Just record your hand hitting the desk and call it a base drum. Slam a cabinet call it a snare. That kind of guy. He was all about having fun in his music.

Actually he was just about having fun in life. Lord knows we had some good times. Kevin used to come to my house in the Mission every Saturday morning, smoke a joint, watch a little kung-fu, and make beats for the next few hours. He was so much fun to work with. He did not care about what samples were in it, cuz it's not about money to him. If he got sued, that would mean he hade made it to the mainstream, and if someone wanted to use his beats it would become their problem to get it cleared. He blatantly used metallica samples as a big fuck you to the industry and the overpaid bitches within that industry. He was the fuckin MAN. I really miss him, and I am glad that someone else out there got a chance to hear his genius.

hope this helps answer some questions. If you have anymore questions, please don't hesitate to ask. These things help keep his legacy alive.

Chris Davis
aka HiGRADE, QRIS24, WASABIONE, THE LAST TREE

We here at Nuclear Beef offer our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Mr. Rearden. We offer this post as an internet memorial to a talented individual whom the world lost too soon. We have posted his song 'My Neighbor Sidney Is From Brazil' as an audio tribute to his musical legacy. May he rest in peace.

(I have also contacted Aquarius records about finding a CD quality copy of this album, for archival purposes. If anyone out there has a copy that they'd be willing to encode lossless, I can provide archive space. It'd be a shame for this album to be lost to history. email to nuclearbeef at gmail dot com.)

Posted by darwin at 01:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

New School No-Wave Lo-Fi Hi-Fi Audio Beef Today. Casiotone For The Painfully Alone and Prince ruminate on sadness.

There's a new Casiotone album coming out, and a few new releases are available at his recent live shows. Unfortunately for most people, he recently moved to Chicago and isn't going on tour again for a while. The new stuff drops at retail next Tuesday, but The Beef brings it to you today. (Yes, yes, I know that Young Shields and the new album are on P2P, but I actually bought this music. I went out and sourced something unique, which hasn't been posted already by 6000 mp3 bloggers. Imagine that!)

The first track is from an odd little CDEP, which collects a new track, two previously vinyl-only remixes and... this weird little cover of 'When You Were Mine,' a classic Prince B-side. I like Casiotone and I like Prince.. is it any surprise that I like Casiotone covering Prince? This track showcases the semi-gloss shine of the new Casiotone sound. He implied at a recent show that his record company had sent him some cash and hardware and it's clear he's been busy putting it to good use. You're not going to mistake this record for anyone else, but this cover and the new tracks he played at the live show indicate that he's definitely taking things to the next level.

'The Only Way To Cry' is a short songlet of classic Casiotone. A clever lyric and a dirt simple melody. Loverly. It's from a 7" on brand-spanking new Stationary (Heart) Records. This 7" is split with 3 tracks each from Fox Pause and Casiotone. According to their website, it's limited to 350 copies so you should hurry if that's your sort of thing. Personally I wish people would stop issuing music on vinyl. Fuck vinyl to death. Note the awesome scratches and pops on this BRAND NEW, NEVER BEFORE PLAYED 7". Oooh yeah, vinyl is awesome.

(Shouts out to Cinnacism and Cdub, who dig Casiotone. Also shouts out to Liza, who digs Prince covers.)

Posted by darwin at 06:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Spoken Word Gulf War Audio Beef Today. Ice-T leaves it out on that note.

("I want to shoot you so bad... my dick is hard!")

I'm back, baby. I've been off doing various things which I find more essential and rewarding than entertaining random people on the internet. But you know... the motherfucking party doesn't stop. You can't stop the Beef Rush.

This album was completed on January 15th, 1991
By now, the war has probably started
And a whole bunch of people have probably died out there in the desert
Over some bullshit
There's a war going on right now in my neighborhood
But I really can't determine which one is worse
I think the one we're all fighting is fucked up
And that's the war inside our brains, you know?

It should go without saying that we here at The Beef do not necessarily agree with or endorse Ice-T's view on the first Gulf War. I do agree with him about one thing, though.. Fuck Tipper Gore.

I know that at least half of my readers only come here for pics of nerdy TV hottie Kari Byron, and that's dispiriting sometimes. But maybe some of you guys occasionally look at the other quality Beef which we here at Nuclear Beef strive to provide. Sure, the only people who ever comment about the music are people I know personally, but they're cool people and they have good taste in music. What more could a blog-guy ask for?

This post marks my 100th Music Audio Beef post, and what a weird ass journey it's been.

I've posted more than a few historical musical political oddities lately. I've also been branching out into weird (occasionally cheesy) electronic music, music which I wish I could post 10x as much as my free time allows. But the Good Lord knows that I'm a sucker for a well-written song by a well-respected songwriter. We've also done a few themed weeks to widespread indifference acclaim.

Many of the mp3 links in the above posts (the ones which haven't been wh0red by Russian mp3 indexing assholes) still work, so you should feel free to click around if you missed any Audio Beef. Thanks for visiting, even if you're only here for the Kari Byron pics. There will be more Beef to come, or my name's not C. Montgomery Burns Darwin. 2006 is the Year of Rip Fuel. What ever it is that you have to do this year, do it to it until the wheels come off.

(Extra special shoutouts to all of my friends out there. You know who you are.)

Posted by darwin at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Wacky German Freestyle Cheese Rave Audio Beef Today. Black Dildo, Shaun Baker, DJ Falk and Longy give your eardrums a proper fucking.

Rave may be dead, but the weird cheesy dance music keeps on coming. Today's slice of choice Beef is from the mostly loathsome genre known as 'Freestyle' which is basically a mix of cheese trance, happy hardcore and hip house. Yes, it's about as good as it sounds. If you don't know what any of those genres are, consult Ishkur's Guide To Electronic Music and reel in horror as you realize how truly awful the pedigree of 'Freestyle' really is.

I'm the man in town
I'm a sexy lady fucker
I get around
Cause I dress to impress
When I go out to dance
I drive a big shiny car
I leave nothing to chance
I'm the living black dildo
To fuck your ass
Make you come
So listen up when I say
I'm the only one (2x)
I'm a freestyle fucker!

(Extra special annoyed-me-until-I-linked-him shoutouts to Spitler at Why Aren't I Famous?, a new MP3 blog or something.)

Posted by darwin at 01:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Flash Back To The Future War Audio Beef Today. Moxy Fruvous remind us that as far as Iraq is concerned, things are the same as they ever were.

What makes a person so poisonous righteous
That they'd think less of anyone
That just disagreed?
She's just a pacifist
He's just a patriot
If I said you were crazy, would you have to fight me?
...
Don't tell me I can't fight
Cause I'll punch out your lights!
And history seems to agree...
That I would fight you.. for me

(Shouts out to Scotto, who hooked me up with a non-corrupt MP3 of this song. Also props to his little homie coe, who just guest posted some great Bassnectar (aka DJ Lorin) tracks over at Comfort Radio)

Posted by darwin at 08:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Illegal Business Audio Beef Today. KRS-One and Moises Naim explore Illegal Business.

'Illegal Business'
by KRS-One from his 1988 album By All Means Necessary

As at least some of you know, I listen to Fresh Air on my drive home from work. I particularly enjoy the diversity of their selection of interview subjects and topic, and today was no exception. Terry's guest today was Moises Naim, who has written a book called 'Illicit' about the extralegal trade which accounts for a large percentage of all trade in much of the developing world.

Illegal business controls America
Ganja business controls America

As usual, Terry asks some good questions and some very NPR-naive ones. Moises comes off as very informed, though he seems to take the party line on media piracy. Regular readers of The Beef will know that, while I agree with and respect so-called intellectual property rights, I believe that they need to be balanced with the needs of the public. Mr. Naim seems to be more of a stickler for the corporate perspective on IP, but this is consistent with his background and the 'crime' theme of the book.

From the reviews, it seems that Naim believes that criminal trade is trade first and crime second. This matches my experience of various grey markets: they are markets first and grey second. In particular, I've always viewed copyright infringement as being about culture first and trade a very distant second. This Audio/Video blog is a testament to my belief that art is culture, and that our first obligation is to enrich each other with it. I consider for-profit bootleggers as criminal as I gather Moises Naim does, but I find it essential to differentiate between piracy for art and piracy for money.

Unfortunately, our law makers disagree, so I have a simple suggestion for all of you. If you value the commons, the joy and wisdom and illumination that art and music brings.. educate yourself about Fair Use and be an informed consumer. Don't support people who don't support you. That is all.

(Floating shouts out to c., for talking to me as I wrote this. Also, teh extra mega special shout out goes to the Friend of Beef who mailed me this t-shirt bundle of joy. It is TEH own.)

Posted by darwin at 09:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Weird Euro Pop Audio Beef Today. Aqua and The Chixie Dicks prove that less English songwriting ability is more better.

by the Chixie Dicks, from their 2004 album Sluts Of The Industry

(First, I need to note that that there is no buy link for this album, and I can't even find mp3s of it. Yeah, I know. They're supposed to be on Tribe Records but that page is broken. The email address listed bounces. It's a mystery to me. I guess Tribe Records is a failed Norweigan record label. The closest thing I can find to a buy link is this, which is a link to this CD single at some Norweigan store. I can't speak Norwegian, but I think Bestillingsvare: sendes vanligvis innen 1 - 5 virkedager means that they can order it in 1-5 days. In other words, their database is obsolete. This thing doesn't exist on the web. Anyone with information can feel free to contact me at nuclearbeef AT gmail dot com)

Today's Audio Beef is a slice of weird Euro-Dance Pop Music. I think they're actually kinda serious about it, but it's hard to be sure from this one song. This page, though written in Norweigan, seems to indicate that the Chixie Dicks are Runar Lindin and PV Staff. It also, confusingly enough, says that this song is a cover of a song by Aqua of 'Barbie Girl' ... um.. fame. I haven't heard the original, but I'm pretty confident that it sounds not too much like this. I certainly hope it doesn't.

Oooh, straight or gay,
You swing it either way!
You've got to whip it up,
Into a frenzy!


Ooh! It's what you feel,
Yes, it's my shock for real!
Flash it, it's no big deal!

This song makes me Donna Martin Graduate crazy. That's good.. sorta.

(Shouts out to the Dixie Chicks, Chicks With Dicks, Chicks With Dicks That Would Put Mine To Shame Part 2, &c.)

Posted by darwin at 01:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Ripped From The Headlines Time Warp Reggae Audio Beef Today. Macka B tells Salman Rushdie to run from the Ayatollah.

by Macka B, previously unreleased track (recorded circa 1989) from his 1999 compilation Roots And Culture

In honor of the recent controversy and death threats in Denmark surrounding a newspaper publishing cartoons depicting Mohammed, today's Audio Beef is a flashback to those halcyon days of 1989. Back then, Jihadi terrorism didn't exist. Well, actually Jihadi Terrorism existed, but it only killed Israelis and Filipinos and Persians and so what, right? No Americans... oh, except for those American Soldiers in Lebanon. (* cough *)

Christopher Hitchens dates his awakening about 'Theocratic Fascism' to the 1989 Fatwa calling for his execution issued by Ayatollah Khomeini.

Salman Rushdie, I wouldn't like to be in your shoes
You write a book, but to the Muslim you is a crook!
So here's some advice now!

(Chorus)
Run, Rushdie, run!
The Muslim them a come!
Run, Rushdie, run!
The Muslim them a come!
Ayatollah gone but the Muslim still a come!
...
Him write one book about the Muslim-lim
A make fun of fi dem prophet and thing
The whole of the Muslim vexed with him-him
Them a said he a blasphemin
...
Now Iran is a country where you find the Ayatollah
And the Muslim faith a what most a dem a follow
Ayatollah get the book, Ayatollah start to holla
Anybody kill Rushdie get three million dollar!
This is an insult to the prophet and to Allah
...
It seem like Salman Rushdie forget
If you live in a this world you have fi have respect
Him write nuff book, nuff money him make
The man is supposed to be an intellect!

He used to be a Muslim, so what him expect
Him know that the Muslims would a get upset
So why him want decide fi risk him own neck
Cause Salman a think about a big fat check

(Shouts out to case, who confirmed my translation of the caption to the cartoon, above. It says (paraphrased) ' Mohammed was actually pretty damn practical.' I should point out, though, that the cartoon probably doesn't actually depict Mohammed, as I don't think Mohammed lived in the age of indoor plumbing. Also shouts out to hawk, who likes Macka B.)

Posted by darwin at 02:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Techno-Glitch Audio Beef Today. Rebus Tape has a Community-Fusion on a Sketch Show.

(Rhiannon Rose, right, and Heidi Farnola enjoy pot yesterday at Marijuana Party bookstore in Vancouver. Photo: Lyle Stafford/The Globe and Mail)

'I.N.V.'
by Rebus Tape vs. Co-Fusion

Both tracks from the 2003 Toshiba EMI Limited (To Make It!) various artists release Space Invaders.

First of all, big ups to the smoking hot lady above. Girl, you is well fit. Respect.

Today's Beef is Japanese Beef. No, it's not from Kobe. Frankly, I don't know where it's from... cause I can't read Japanese. (If only I knew people who could read Japanese -- perhaps they'd read the linked pages and see if there's anything interesting there?) The best I can figure it, Co-Fusion are Shuji Wada (DJ Wada) and Heigo Tani. Rebus Tape is Shiro Nakajima, and Sketch Show is Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi. All other biographical details are for Japanese speakers only!

I happened upon this weird Japanese-only techno release when the Sketch Book track came up in the shuffle. It's only a minute or so long, but it made an impression. I then discovered that Space Invaders is mostly sorta boring shuffley Japanese techno. I know there's a lot of people who really like Shufflemaster and Chester Beaty and Ken Ishii but the drumtracks-lite style just never did anything for me. I had no idea that there was glitchy Japanese techno!

So imagine my surprise when I heard 'I.N.V.', a track which could have easily come from the Subhead boys or Justin Berkovi. It's complex and layered but still pounds with that live, unleashed feeling. I wasn't too surprised to find out that Co-Fusion has done more than a few releases on Projex, DJ Rush's legendary ghetto techno (not ghetto tech) label. It sounds like you'd love to hear it on a dancefloor, but it's actually not well designed for DJing. This may not be immediately apparent, but the counter-punctual rhythm that starts at about minute 4 sounds as if two tracks are playing out of sequence. When you're trying to mix in a third and you can't tell if it's drifting or that's the weird record, it's bad news. This is great listening techno, but I wouldn't want to try to mix it during its middle 4 minutes.

Turn it up in your headphones, close your eyes and pretend you're not at work for a few minutes.

(Shout outs to forksclovetofu and ready rock rex, who I think will both enjoy today's selections. I also have some Beef Programming Notes: I will be posting a lot more dance music because god damn it someone's got to and it ain't gonna be Cloneblog 4000. I love me some other music and I'd love to spend time posting it, but y'all clowns are killing me. I've got so much good techno, you don't even know. Finally, for the Scottie Chapman fans out there: I got a bunch of good caps from her appearance on Monster Garage (wtf?) and I'll post them if you ask real nice in comments.)

Posted by darwin at 11:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Persian Drum And Bass Hip-Hop Audio Beef Today. Deev shows that the Persians are ancient masters of the 2-step. Boh!

Iranian soldier, anytime you stand up freedom begins
while you sit alone the dark and black night continues
decision is your, it's your choice, you personally have to want freedom
Iranian soldier, Iranian soldier

what you hear is voice of a new generation
demanding the right for freedom of speech
and for the freedom of anyone whom
are jailed for voicing their opinions

our struggle will continue on
until the lion-and-sun is displayed on our flag

(Shoutouts to Persian bloggers The Spirit Of Man where I first heard Deev. Is it just me, or does the Iranian Persian Nationalist symbol above look a bit like a false-color Rastafarian icon? Lion of the Tribe of Persia? Babylon is right next door...)

Posted by darwin at 12:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)

It's All The Same Song Rock Audio Beef Today. The Pixies and Tom Petty spot their Girls and Men.

'Here Comes Your Man'
by The Pixies from their 1989 album Doolittle

Today's Audio Beef is two tracks which are seperated by 10 years. One of them is considered mainstream, the other alternative. Both are ultimately the same song, a tribute to that flush of excitement when you see your lover coming. Of the two, I probably prefer the Tom Petty song because I'm a maudlin sap. The Pixies song, however, I would play at top volume in the shower. Ah, the rich tapestry of life.

A few years ago, Neil Young was playing a show when a heckler yelled out "They all sound the same!" Neil, being the cool customer that he is, immediately replied "It's all the same song!" There's been a million songs about Boy meeting Girl and their coming and goings. There will be many, many more, and I'm glad of it.

(Extra extra extra special shout outs to the Slackster, who just made the world a richer place. Yay!)

Posted by darwin at 12:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

'Bad By Myself'
by Biz Markie from his 1993 album All Samples Cleared on Cold Chillin' Records

Now it's no secret that The Beef is a fan of Johnny 'Guitar' Watson. Sure, he was an immensely skilled guitarist who changed with the times and had success in more than one genre. What I really love about his music is the raw personality that comes across. You get the feeling that the man means what he's saying, and also that a live show would blow your top off. I suppose it's a testament to his love of performance that he died on stage. Respect.

Larry Williams has an amazing life story. You should click that link, because it's a shocking example of what failure and misfortune can do to a talented man. Or maybe it's just another example of how the music industry eats people. Discovered at age 19 in New Orleans, he had some early success making R&B and Rock & Roll records. Then he was busted for 'selling narcotics' (now that's gangster) and drifted for a while. In the 60s, he hooked up with Johnny Watson and made a few records for the legendary Okeh records which had some success. The 70s didn't go so well, and at the start of the 80s he was discovered in his home with a bullet wound in his head. Damn.

On this record from 1967, Larry is shining. Johnny gives counsel to Williams over an uptempo R&B track with some somewhat questionable orchestration. But with a vocal duet like that and such a hopping drum track, it's hard to complain too much. It was 1967, everyone was doing that stuff.

You can go on and find you somebody else
I can live cheaper by myself!
I don't need no woman to help me starve to death! Can you dig it?

I can do bad by myself
I don't need no help
To starve to death
I can do that on my own

I have a tendency to focus on the benefits of a relationship, and ignore the costs. It's nice to have friends like Biz and Johnny 'Guitar' Watson to remind me that the choice is mine. I don't need no help making myself unhappy and stressed out. K. Thx.

Then she popped the question
And asked me for some dough
I looked her in the face and said
"Hell No!"
You're a head nurse and you want my dough?
You must be crazy as hell

(Introspective shoutouts to Cinnacism, who I hope does not get blown away by Hurricane Rita.)

Posted by darwin at 11:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Decade-Plus MC HipHop Audio Beef Today. Don't front, you know he got you open.

Before I start ranting, I'd like to let you know that these two tracks are from Buckshot and 9th Wonder. Buckshot is a MC from New York, 9th Wonder is a producer from North Carolina. They both have a history of accomplishment and their new album together is really quite good.

Both of the tracks above feature Buckshot's bulletproof flow over sample-based beats that recall the Beatminerz and, well, sound great. Subject matter isn't extradimensional but Buck's still got it. Punchlines, tight rhymes and personality to spare. Some of the beats sound like 9th Wonder's second-string, but the first string is going straight on the radio so I don't blame him. If this album had marketing behind it (or if Hip-Hop radio wasn't pay-for-play) there'd be at least two singles off it. But it's 2005 so you've got to hear it on my little MP3 blog.

Enjoy. Ok. Now the ranting.

(I'm wondering if maybe MP3 blogging really has jumped the shark. You see, elbo.ws is indexing over 500 MP3 blogs. Since they started indexing them on January 30th, there have been 419 posts about the Arcade Fire. 205 Posts about Kanye West! 183 Posts about M.I.A.

Even this guy (whom I personally dislike) posts about new music with some frequency. What's he got that you ain't got? Why do I have to post Hip-Hop tracks that the guys with pure Hip-Hop blogs should have posted two months ago? MP3 blogs suck.)

UPDATE: To the dipshit who keeps trackback spamming this post. If you had two fucking braincells to rub together, you would notice that all of your disgusting trackback spam gets FUCKING DELETED MOMENTS AFTER YOUR AUTOMATED BULLSHIT PROGRAM SUBMITS IT. PERHAPS YOU SHOULD GET THE FUCKING MESSAGE, YOUR SHIT ISN'T BEING INDEXED BY GOOGLE WHEN YOU DUMP IT HERE. GO FUCK WITH SOME BLOG WHERE THE OWNER IS TOO STUPID TO DEFEAT YOU. IDIOT.

Posted by darwin at 01:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Hip-Hop Supersession Audio Beef Today. The Wu Vet travels to Cypress Hill for a Grandmaster chess championship.

It seems as if Hip-hop artists are developing some sort of longevity program. After being cut from the.. um.. Cold Chillin Labels, they end up on either Sanctuary Records or BabyGrande. I'm glad for it, because the music sounds fresher than their desperate attempts to hit again on the majors.

Due out in late October, we have a chess-themed offering from these two industry veterans. The GZA, of course, is from the legendary Wu Tang Clan, DJ Muggs is the beat titan behind Cypress Hill. Neither has changed much over the years, but they've steadily developed their craft. Muggs still has an amazing ear for a spooky loop and GZA can still rip it in slow motion.

The 'Unknown Title (Crime Story)' track is a classic storytelling rap from the Genius. He's one of the best out there at this technique, which with this subject matter comes across like a Hip-Hop CSI. 'All In Together Now' is a tribute (with RZA) to the late, great ODB. Remember, kids... don't do drugs.

(The rest of the advance sounds pretty darn good. Certainly worth a listen if you ever enjoyed a Wu Tang or Cypress Hill album. DJ Muggs is apparently also doing Mash Up Radio on Sirius Satellite radio. Weird.)

UPDATE: MP3 links fixed.

Posted by darwin at 03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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)

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!