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Mad Decent, an imprint of Jeffree’s, dropped a brand new release by EDM artists Zeds Dead today, Zeds Dead and Omar LinX present: Victor, featuring seven amazing tracks on this new mixtape.  Catch them on tour now with Araabmuzik throughout the US. You can stream it here or download it here, both for free.

Zeds Dead has earned an excellent reputation amongst a new generation of producers as artists Read more

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Making a few surprise stops by SXSW was probably a good idea for Wiz Khalifa. His new mixtape, Taylor Allderdice, came out Tuesday.  It was downloaded so much and so quickly that it caused mixtape website Datpiff which hosted it to crash. He appeared both at Fader Fort, and also at the Mountain Dew Green Label Sound Showcase, with Juicy J and Lola Monroe. They are his new label Taylor Gang’s newest  signees. During AllHipHop’s Breeding Ground showcase at the Vibe House, hosted by Chevy Woods, he brought out Wiz Khalifa and the rest of the Taylor Gang as well. It was announced on Twitter March 1st that he is now engaged to Amber Rose, his girlfriend who is both a singer and model.

Photo Credit: Jessica Lehrman

Here is the brand new Read more

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You just never know which rumors to believe or doubt at SXSW.  I heard on Wednesday from an older white woman in her 50′s that looked like a Grandmother that Snoop Dogg was to be making a special, secret performance during the week.  Since she didn’t seem to be a credible source, I made the mistake of ignoring her tip.  Sure enough it was true, Snoop did show up for an unscheduled show, thanks to an event by Dorito’s.  Then the previous rumor from earlier in the week was that Eminem and Jay-Z would be showing up together. That rumor proved partially true Friday night when Slim Shady made a surprise appearance with none other than 50 Cent.

Appearing on stage with a camouflage bullet-proof vest and a Yankees cap, 50 came out  Read more

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One of our newest readers to get involved with our site is a great photographer from Austin named Bryna.  We were able to give her a chance to chat with Josh “Scruffy” Wallace from the Dropkick Murphys.  He has played both the bagpipes and tin whistle for the group since 2003.  Dropkick Murphys and Bridge Nine Records have teamed up to release a limited edition live picture disc 7″, according to Absolute Punk.

They stopped by the Texas state capital on their current tour, in support of their latest effort, Going Out In Style: Fenway Park Bonus Edition. In addition Read more

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Since SXSW is happening this week, we had no choice but to choose a video from an artist who will be there. If you don’t yet know this band, it will probably be the last time you haven’t heard of them. The up and coming buzz worthy and blog favorite band Of Monsters And Men are a six piece from Iceland, who previously have only played a handful of shows in America, only in NYC.  They have an upcoming tour of North America, which is mostly sold out.

They are one of the most discussed groups here at SXSW this week, and have the potential to become as popular as quickly as Mumford And Sons and Foster The People. Their most popular single is “Little Talks”, which is already getting air play on some radio stations. Not only is it an amazing song, the video is both surreal and mesmerizing. Oh yeah, it already has a ton of views, before SXSW, so I predict it will gain a lot more. I have a hunch you will like this, so be sure to also watch the video of them performing this song live and unplugged for KEXP in a living room. You can get their new record April 3rd.

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You can read part 1 here

This week is going by so fast, Wednesday, our 2nd day of SXSW is in the books. And what another incredible day of experiencing shows in the live capital music of the world. The weather has been nice and warm in the 80′s during the day and 60′s late at night. About 90,000 people have invaded the downtown state capital to see the best in today’s music, and to see the best up and coming bands of tomorrow.

I bounced from show to show over the course of about 13 hours, and was able to catch sets from Young Magic, Tennis, Caveman, Hospitality, Read more

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The New York 5 piece hard rockers Every Time I Die (ETID) have just released their new record, Ex Lives, on March 6th. They will also be playing the Van’s Warped Tour this summer. They have most recently been posting video of themselves from the studio while they were making the record.

ETID have never been an easy act to categorize and that’s one of the key reasons why the band’s fans have never turned their back on this innovative act’s unique brand of music. While the band started out in the late ’90s hardcore scene, over the past decade they’ve continued to evolve and push the boundaries of heavy music, a process that’s culminating with their sixth full-length Ex Lives. Recorded by Joe Barresi (Tool, Queens Of The Stone Age) Ex Lives sees the band—vocalist Keith Buckley, guitarists Jordan Buckley and Andy Williams, drummer Ryan Leger—coming together to create the most forward-thinking album of their career.

We had a chance to ask about what music they have most recently been listening to, and what they would recommend. You might be surprised!  In no specific order:

• Washed Out- Life of Leisure
• Local Natives- Gorilla Manor
• El-P- I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead
• Bon Iver- Bon Iver
• Rustie- Ultra Thizz
• Apparat- The Devils Walk
• Talk Talk- Laughing Stock

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As you probably already know, SXSW 2012 is well underway. All eyes on our Austin this week, it seems everyone is here already or on the way. Last week began the annual film fest, which is now getting comparisons to Sundance. Everyone from hip-hop sensation Danny Brown to surf punk badboys FIDLAR to CNN are part of this year’s festivities so far. Even the three stars of Comedy Central’s hit comedy television series Workaholics will be making appearances. It truly is a unique experience.

It’s nearly impossible to be anywhere near downtown and not hear live music.  It is impossible to find any part of the city not influenced by the fest.  The state capitol and college town stand in stark opposition to the staunch, overly conservative nature of it’s civil and political leadership. There are countless parties, drinks, and live shows which are as diverse as the artists playing. The city has been invaded by photographers, publicists, groups, bloggers, journalists, musicians, media, and companies. No websites seem to agree on exactly how many bands will be here this week, but the guesstimates range from 1000-2000.

Jason and myself will be your eyes and ears into this wonderful and amazing experience. Jason lives in Austin, and I arrived yesterday. Jason saw 3 bands, and I was able to see two. You can listen to his experience here. 

The first band that I watched during SXSW 2012 was the trio Yellow Ostrich. They played as part of an event called the Warby Parker Citizen’s Circus, which was free outside in a park. Approximately 150 of all ages were in attendance, including children and dogs. They just released their new record Strange Land last week, which is one of my early selections for potential best of the year. They began their set with their popular hit “Whale”, then continued by playing “I Got No Time For You”, “Daughter”, “The Shakedown”, “Mary”, and a few more. Their set lasted 30 minutes.

The second, and only other, live performance we observed was Nneka. The up and coming R&B artist just recently popped on my radar when a new staff member wanted to cover her concert for us. Her band consisted of herself and four others–there was a drummer, keyboard player, and then one guitarist and one bassist. One of the most engaging songs was one called “VIP (Vagabond In Power).

We walked around and waited, but unfortunately weren’t able to make it into any other shows. Plenty of time for plenty of shows the rest of the week!

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As most of you know, South by Southwest is going on right now in Austin, TX. The reason you should know is because our editor Ben Oliver has been providing us with some terrific scouting reports for the last six weeks leading up to the legendary annual conference. Read more

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Everywhere you look, it’s Danny Brown: staring out from newsstands on the cover of The Fader’s spring style special and XXL’s Freshman issue, featured onNBC’s Late Night With Carson Daly and “certified” by MTV2′s Sucker Free, and blasting through SXSW all this week, headlining showcases before embarking on a sold-out spring tour of North America with Childish Gambino.

The Detroit MC’s lauded XXX (named Best Rap Album of 2011 by Spin) hits iTunes today in a deluxe edition featuring a full digital lyric booklet and three brand new, unreleased tracks. Vinyl connoisseurs will be able to pick up XXX a few weeks later on a special Record Store Day 2xLP set on white vinyl with a limited bonus 7″ of “XXXapellas” only included in the RSD pressing, on sale 4/21. Here is his brand new video just released, “Radio Song”.

The new music Read more