I’ve been on the record about dubstep, and in general I don’t think it’s a genre that will last. When it hits, it’s because it’s being taken in with other styles – however my impression of unruffled dubstep is that it will go the way of jungle. A few nostalgic nerds here and there will remember the days when but ultimately it’ll go away. Kingdom has always played around with dubstep, but it comes out as a way to experiment with his true loves–he invariably gravitates towards fierce female raps and divas, the gay dance floor and HI-NRG sap. That type of genre competence is the kitten heel to stiletto step, the difference between a trendy hack and a trailblazer. A few mixtapes and digital singles under his belt, Ezra Rubin has hooked up with the infallible Acephale Records for his first vinyl release: a 10″ hot-plate with “Mindreader” on the A side and “You” on the flip. The digital EP version has remixes by Todd Edwards, L-Vis, and Bok Bok, so broke DJ’s will get big bang for their little buck, but the two track vinyl is where the real story is. Acephale’s small but braggable catalogue has the first Salem EP, CFCF, Midnight Juggernauts, Air France and Memory Tapes, all limited, most of them already sold out. Get on it, this is limited to 500 copies with no repress, matte finish sleeve with silver foil embossing. YUSSS.
SO happy that this week will be packed with banjee-bass, dubstep, hip hop, R & B, Freestyle and house, all courtesy of NYC homothug, cutie and TPR pal Kingdom. A prolific DJ and producer to say the least, he’s been having successful residencies all over his home town and three consecutively hot mixtapes (that I can think of), Chicago is in for a treat. First, he’s got a slot this Thursday at Berlin’s Stardust, then he’s headlining over at Bouncement, a fresh group of energetic party starters that have been taking Chicago’s late night scene to sHtreets. $7 cover at Lava Lounge, but you and a friend can get in for free by email me at thinkpinkradio((@))gmail.com and telling me why you love homothugs. It’s that easy!
This week I got a nice note from TPR pal Kingdom about his new mixtape. Exclusively for Lower End Spasm, this fine blend of Freestyle, Hip Hop, Electro, House, and R & B keeps it on and poppin’ the way only a true banjee boy can. What I really like about Kingdom’s style is his ability to balance bass lines and melody riffs. Both bounce, ride, and snake but never get to that unbearable epic, ravey vibe that bogs down so much new dance music. Tracklist below, cover art above, spring time is here and Kingdom is helping shake our asses out of that winter depression. Get over to Lower End Spasm to download here.
01 – TIM DOLLA – Number Advisory
02 – KINGDOM – Mindreader ft. Shyvonne
03 – FR3E – Tribal Skank
04 – ROSKA – Elevated Level (Kingdom Edit ft. Brandy)
05 – VJUAN ALLURE – I Said Come On Elements
06 – KINGDOM – YOU
07 – SHAUN-D – Pullup
08 – SHAUN-D – Boeke
09 – SHAUN-D – Full Up Class
10 – MISTER RIES – Sugar (Kill Frenzy Remix)
11 – KILL FRENZY – Uuuh!
12 – BLACKBOX – I Don’t Know (Kingdom Remix)
13 – DEXPLICIT – Judas
14 – JAZMINE SULLIVAN – Need U Bad (Scottie B Remix)
16 – KINGDOM – That Mystic VIP
OMG Michelle has a new song up on their Myspace. “Got Me Open” is a lot more on the R&B tip, and while there is a couple of raps in their, this is more make-out and grind than juke and bump. Produced by Kingdom, this is his most layered to date. Check out his last hard-ass mix, “Club Vortex May 2008″ while you’re at it, and play it at your next party.
For this 3rd show, Ruth gets her first interview with Poppy, the leader of the Queer Queens of Qomedy, and Erik talks to DJ and producer Kingdom along with OMG Michelle outside of their show at the Bodega in Brooklyn. Learn about the correct uses of the terms “homothug,” “banji,” and “AG” and “post-queer.” So fun!
In case you haven’t noticed, anything Kingdom touches turns to bold ass gold. With his Mixtape Volume 2 having been out now for a little while, it’s clear he’s here to stay. Check my fave track from that mixtape, go and buy it, and pick up his latest remix, Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop” below. If you purchase the mixtape, you can get a high quality, 320 kbps of the Lil Wayne Remix as a bonus track.
I guess Volume 1 was really popular because this time around, a bad ass mixtape from homothug, DJ, producer and girl rap group svengali Kingdom isn’t free. He’s selling copies for 10 bucks, either in a digital kit or a mail order CD-R. I am okay with an artist trying to support himself, I mean the track list does contain some choice Kingdom originals (update! 14 of these tracks have been remixed/edited by Kingdom so this is quite an outing for him), but you could argue that selling a mixtape with other people’s songs is just as illegal as downloading them for free. But I digress. This mix is smoking hot, good for showers, working out, sexing, partying, you name it. You can stream it from his site for free so you’ll know what I’m talking about. Track list for the mixtape after the jump.
You already know how fabulous Kingdom is. Basically, you’ve been impressed by his skills on the decks and loved his take on a girl group. What else could you want from a hard working homothug? A blog. Don’t grumble, this will serve you well. See, as a music fan, you know how much amazing stuff is out there. I have a genuine passion for earnest indie and electro-house. I also have tongue in cheek likes/dislikes on the R&B and pop fronts that go deep–Top 40 hits are hard to ignore, you know?. About 4 months ago, could you breathe bar-fresh air without hearing those never ending “hey’s” from Rihanna’s tinny throat? No. So Kingdom shares the posting duties with his friend Zachary at Patent Leather Daddy, a site that combs through the charts and gives us the hottest tracks and slickest remixes perfect for your krump and hard style parties. Their passion, our boomboxes, everyone’s party.
Palms Out Sounds, always one of the best places to find the hottest floor-creaming tracks, is getting ready to break out in a major way. 2008 is literally the future as a record label, an expanded contributors list and cutting edge look and feel will give Palms Out first dibs on answering many questions about what the hell is happening to the music industry. With their first 12″ by Danish lesbian duo Fagget Fairys available for pre-order, we have the paradox of an Mp3 blog selling hard copies of music. I’m SO there.
This week, Palms Out clued me into the cock friendly mind of DJ, Producer, homothug and now svengali Kingdom–an attractive Brooklynite making his first splish-splashes in the music mogul hot tub. A slammin’ mixtape on the myspace, regular gigging and now a girl group Michelle–a Crime Mob-ish crew of divas ready to give hipster rap circles a new spin. Mp3′s and a link to his mixtape below, and while I couldn’t find the tracklist, R&B, house, thugrave, and old school hip hop are present in a fine 55 minute balance perfect for parties with tallboys and booties.
