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Music Video: Cajmere x Major Lazer

What a pop culture clusterfuck. I love it.

Name all the references. Go!

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Major Lazer & La Roux Present: LAZERPROOF

So apparently Major Lazer & La Roux banger collab broke the Mad Decent server. I guess everyone is desperate for some new summer party jams and this is exactly what this mixtape is, nothing more nothing less. Be sure to check out The Creators Project video piece on the genius and madness that is Diplo. He is just a dude that just gets it.

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The 52nd Grammy Awards Re-Cap

Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix wins Best Alternative Album of the Year and Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody” wins Best Record of Year beating out Lady Gaga and Beyonce. I am kind of impressed with the Grammy’s this year. Beyonce deserved what she won especially after that great cover of Alanis Morissettes’ “You Oughta Know”. I especially enjoy the fact that the Music Industry community has paid their respects to Phoenix and Kings of Leon, bands that have paid their dues in the rock sense – that have toured for over 10 years and have made more than 2 records. But it is definitely the last time we see acts like them. We are moving into a new era where every band has to reinvent themselves every release. They have to treat themselves as a start-up company that has to develop a cutting edge and revolutionary business plan with every single/album/EP that they create and put out.

When Taylor Swift accepted her first award and said “I want to thank my record label for letting me write all my songs.” I finally decide that this industry is done. We are in a time where everything is fair game. Yet another paradigm shift in the musical business world I guess we just need another Radiohead album to show everyone what we should do. Bands, artists, DJs, Producers, labels, promo companies, everyone that is still clinging onto this shell of an industry, it is time to do things differently. Let’s not just send out the same promo emails with the same old free mp3s, press releases and press photos and post it on our blog, let’s all take the time and show that we are trying to do something new and different with our art and crafts. Let’s show that we care about the quality and work that an artists puts into their work. Whether it is a band like Phoenix who spends 2 years crafting an epic song such as “Love Like a Sunset” and never settling even when it was just an infant tune called “Twenty One One Zero” or a band like Kings of Leon who have toured endlessly. Let’s just not settle for mediocrity. Not too sure what I am trying to get at with this rant or what I want to see happen to the industry. No doubt this is an argument/conflict that has been going on for decades in the industry. But I just know it is an exciting time for music.

Also I have so much love for Diplo, who I feel is a walking middle finger to the music industry. He is like thanks for giving me this Grammy for “Paper Planes” – let me shit talk everyone here at this event via twitter. Here is Diplo & Co’s lovely take on multiple Grammy winner, Beyonce’s “Halo”.

[audio:http://diestruktur.com/asianmandan/music/Feb%202010/Major%20Lazer%20-%20HALO%20(Beyonce%20Cover).mp3]
Major Lazer x Elephant Man – HALO (Beyonce Cover)

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Mishka presents: Keep Watch Vol. 10 – Major Lazer

Download: Mishka presents: Keep Watch Vol. 10 – Major Lazer

Mishka NYC Blog

Tracklist.
After.
Jump.

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Major Lazer x Classixx

Classixx = Sounds of the summer.

[audio:http://diestruktur.com/asianmandan/music/July%202009/Cash%20Flow%20Classixx%20Glass%20Bottom%20Dub%20Mix.mp3]
Download: Major Lazer – Cash Flow (Classixx Glass Bottom Dub Mix)

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Asian Dan Summer 2009 Tour Review: Phoenix, A-Trak, Major Lazer, and Passion Pit


Photo by J-CIO

Last week was the Asian Dan Summer 2009 Tour a 4 day marathon of shows in NYC and Boston featuring Phoenix, A-Trak, Major Lazer, Steve Aoki, Auto Erotique and Passion Pit. Special thanks to Glassnote Records, Biz 3 Publicity, Adam Gill of Embrace Productions, Nicky Digital and Shuttle for hooking it up.

Phoenix – Live @ Paradise – Boston, MA – 6.17.2009
The tour started off in Boston with Phoenix. Amazing show. Finally Phoenix is getting the attention and respect they deserve for being such great pop that are able to move minds, hearts, and feet with . And everyone who thinks they are just a slick pop rock band, the drummer Thomas Hedlund shows that they are really rock and roll through and through. What a beast of a drummer, he is just so amusing to watch. I was most impressed by the songs they played off of It’s Never Been Like That such as “Rally” and “Sometimes in the Fall”, they had this raw quality that reminded me of The Police. The amazing setlist after the jump!


Photos by The Phoenix

Embrace Presents Bacardi B-Live featuring A-Trak, Major Lazer, and more – Live @ House of Blues – Boston, MA – 6.18.2009
Thursday night Bacardi’s B-Live show came to Boston’s House of Blues, I was most excited for Major Lazer and A-Trak. Got there as Matt & Kim started their set which was indie-tastic and lackluster, Kim is quite the energetic young lady. Steve Porter spun but did not play his Slap Chop Remix so I was thoroughly disappointed. A-Trak came on next and as usual struck the balance between technical proficiency, amazing track selection and overall just geting the crowd moving. Props to him. Major Lazer closed the night but unfortunately half the crowd had left and Diplo and Switch didn’t seem too into it. But they made up for it by dropping “Pon De Floor”, one of my summer jams.


Photo by Nicky Digital

Phoenix – Live @ Terminal 5 – 6.19.2009
Phoenix in my opinion is one of the most underrated bands of the past 10 years and am glad they finally getting the recommendation and respect they deserve. Which is warrants me seeing them twice in less than 3 days. Terminal 5 is not the best venue to see a band but Phoenix was able to blow me away again. Once again their drummer, Thomas Hedlund just astonished me. I also noticed how much guitarist, Christian Mazzalai reminds me of Jimmy Page. After seeing Phoenix live twice they have solidified my opinion that they are my favorite band of the last 10 years.

Steve Aoki & Auto Erotique – Live @ Webster Hall – 6.19.2009
After Phoenix I rolled down to Webster Hall to with Mr. Nicky Digital to catch Steve Aoki and Co. I was impressed by Auto Erotique who brought it quite hard, everyone watch out for this other Toronto duo. <3 T-dot. Check out a quick Asian Dan Q&A with Auto Erotique from a few months back here.


Photos by The Edgitator

Passion Pit – Live @ Bowery Ballroom – 6.20.2009
I’ve never been a huge fan of Passion Pit but I think that is a huge element of pop music, that guilty pleasure element, that I shouldn’t like these guys because of all the hype and the hooks. There is no doubt that their music is direct, catchy, gets stuck in your head, and gets people moving. All the proper elements of pop music. Compared to everyone else in the band frontman Michael Angelakos did not seem as into it, I guess that is part of his whole cloistered/shy frontman M.O. Props to my boy Nate, Shuttle who held it down on the drums. Also be on the look out for an Asian Dan Exclusive Shuttle Mix in the near future 🙂

Checkout after the jump Phoenix’s setlist from the Boston and NYC show, their Letterman Performance of “1901”, and a interview from The Fader with A-Trak in Boston.

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