SHELTER (2 playlists)

among the giant dandelions of Winding Way in the Malibu hills

SUMMER STROLL - 26 free MP3Z

Summer Stroll - Part 1 (mediafire)
Summer Stroll - Part 2 (mediafire)

alright, i've been emphatuated with The xx all summer long
& have included them in several of my playlists this year,
including this one today with Shelter (the original & a remix).
i'm happy to now have another band i can listen to on repeat:
♥ ♥ ♥ LITTLE DRAGON ♥ ♥ ♥
this playlist has a few of their new songs to be released next
month. here's the video for track #6, directed &
animated by the father of the band's singer,
Yusuke Nagano:



click here see Little Dragon perform another song live.
the playlist also has a few other Swedes in the mix:
The Knife, Fever Ray, Lykke Li...

Peaches kicks ass!!!
the song is not in the playlist but the video just came out:

new videos for Lose You here and for Serpentine here...

The Warriors is an amazing movie!!! check out these excerpts,
this time cut rather well to "Teknique" by Burns (track #15):



i forgot to upload & post last week's playlist so here you go:

i took this photo on the wall of the Hollywood & Vine metro stop

SUMMER STAR - 24 free MP3Z

Summer Star - Part 1 (mediafire)
Summer Star - Part 2 (mediafire)

one of my favorites in this playlist is # 5: Adriano Celentano's
Prisencolinensinainciusol... here's a performance of the song
on the TV show hosted by Raffaella Carra (the blonde who
sings with her guests & dances furiously throughout):



isn't this amazing? what else??? oh yeah, i wanna be your lover:



this is song #7 & #17 on the playlist. i love it!!!

phew, it's time for a commercial break... this sexy summer ad
starring Angie Dickinson matches the playlist, you know, for
when you're in your white mood, feelin' light & sunny yeah:



i've already posted a few videos from The xx, which i still can't
get enough of, and this remix of Basic Space. here's the
original as well as another one of their songs: VCR.
click here for the Basic Space video,
here for the Crystalized video
& here for the song live.

everyone else is credited properly:
Neil Young, Radiohead, Hope Sandoval, etc.

the playlist ends with Calvin Harris' Ready For The Weekend;
his fun video was posted at the bottom of my previous entry.

my favorite shelter on Escondido in Malibu:


since SUMMER BREEZE is out of bandwith till next
month & some of you can't wait, here's a treat for ya:

Summer Breeze - Part 1 (mediafire)
Summer Breeze - Part 2 (mediafire)
Summer Breeze - Part 3 (mediafire)
Summer Breeze - Part 4 (mediafire)
Summer Breeze - Part 5 (mediafire)
Summer Breeze - Part 6 (mediafire)


Sunday 23rd of August 2009 at the Stories bookstore in Echo Park

check THIS too... i love DUBLAB...

Neon Indian's Deadbeat Summer is #21 on Summer Animal...

Summer Animal (playlist)

my brother took this pic of me last year on Calle Ocho in Little Havana...

SUMMER ANIMAL - 55 free MP3Z...

this one starts with another classic from Les Paul: How High The Moon from 1951, then goes into tracks from the likes of A Flock of Seagulls to Survivor all the way down to South African DJ Mujava's "Township Funk," which kinda falls in line with this month's amazing District 9. GO SEE IT!!! Mujava was raised in a South African township where local taxi drivers started distributing CDs of his music to local fares, which trickled all the way down to some major indie record labels, such as Warp!

again, there's a little bit of everything i like, and in the spirit of the rare late nights i've managed to pull together, we end this set with some deep tech house i can either dance to or fall asleep to... anyhew, for more Les Paul, i posted Vaya Con Dios & some documentary footage of him here... this article is good too.

now that each box/playlist bandwith usually runs out before you all get to download the music, for those of you who don't make it early enough, i am now making my playlists available as downloadable folders via mediafire as well. that's just they way it's going to be for as long as i keep it lean & mean:

SUMMER ANIMAL - Part 1 (mediafire)
SUMMER ANIMAL - Part 2 (mediafire)
SUMMER ANIMAL - Part 3 (mediafire)
SUMMER ANIMAL - Part 4 (mediafire)

check out Bobby McFerrin demonstrating
the power of pentatonic scale at the World Science Festival:

for some of the songs on this playlist, the videos were posted earlier on this blog. here are a few more...

i love Miles Fisher's cover of Talking Heads (track #7). here's his homage to American Psycho showcasing the hooker acting talents of the delightful Lydia Hearst: Miles does Christian Bale so well. still, he looks a whole lot more like Tom Cruise whom he parodies even better here:

this is hysterical! read this if you want to know more.

i like fashion lookbooks, and lately i have really been drawn to lookbook videos, such as the ones by Acne Underwear and now Chris & Tibor. they are like beautiful little abstract films and sometimes they have equally beautiful soundtracks. in this case it’s the serene shoegazer "Digital Suicide" Lullaby by Heartsrevolution (track #21):

on an even artsier note, Daniel Rossa worked with urban screen to create the 555 kubik façade video projection at the kunsthalle in Hamburg (Germany). i love it! giant hands appear to manipulate the surface of the museum in a surreal sequence that is the result of Rossa asking the question 'how it would be, if a house was dreaming?' The conception of this 555 KUBIK project consistently derives from its underlying architecture - the theoretic conception and visual pattern of the Hamburg Kunsthalle. The Basic idea of narration was to dissolve and break through the strict architecture of O. M. Ungers "Galerie der Gegenwart". Resultant permeability of the solid facade uncovers different interpretations of conception, geometry and aesthetics expressed through graphics and movement. A situation of reflexivity evolves - describing the constitution and spacious perception of this location by means of the building itself...

ok, back to the music!

i really dig Stones Throw's Mayer Hawthorne (track #6):
here's La Roux (track #8 here) doing the song live:
here's an early 80s clip for song #26 by A Flock of Seagulls: this song is sooo amazing!!! so is the hair. i luuuuuuv it!!!

Lissy Trullie has grown on me. here's the video to song #46:

i haven't made it to one of those late night downtown LA loft parties in over a year or so, but my friend Catherine who's visiting from the small Caribbean island she lives on was in serious need of some big city fun, which got my ass out way past my bedtime on friday:

we go way back! here's a pic i took of her in front of the Bass Museum in Miami... here's another one of us from 10 years ago - Miami 1999 woohoo:

here's a different kind of animal... baby pandas are too cute:



check out this much sexier animal in another lookbook video:

i recommend you play song #37 while you watch it:
Animal by Miike Snow.
or try it with track #31 by Belgians Le Babar...
or better yet Nirvana's Lonely Boy...

humans are the only animals who can be made into synthesizers:


here's the bright & sexy Calvin Harris video by Ben Ib:

sex on a string...

is the closely guarded happening that Ryan Heffington and the CraZydAnKs put together, planning this on-foot traveling art adventure through the east side...
involving 30 artists, performers, carpenters and the like, the hush hush tour is a night of “exploring themes of sexuality, submission and sexual evolution.” the best part of the invite:
be sure to wear comfortable shoes!

this starts at 7:30pm at the Short Stop in Echo Park.
rsvp: sexonastring@gmail.com
for Ryan's Sweaty Sundays, info included in my previous entry.

Summer Club (playlist)

SUMMER CLUB - 40 free MP3Z...
(make sure they're sorted by name to keep the order)

since the number of you downloading music from my box has
skyrocketed, the link above quickly runs out of bandwith
so here's another free way to get it:

SUMMER CLUB - PART 1 (rapidshare)

SUMMER CLUB - PART 2 (rapidshare)

well it's been a week since the man who pinned down Americans so entertainingly & endearingly on film has moved on... i must have watched each John Hughes film more times than i can count... here's a cool clip revisited by Diplo:


if you like to dance too & keep a good figure, some friends started
Sweaty Sundays a while back & it's now getting written up in the NY Times.
here, members of this creative class — artists, photographers, fashion designers and screenwriters — dance off the previous night’s excesses to a soundtrack of indie rock, techno, and 1980s new wave hits. and they do it while looking fabulous in Jane Fonda leg warmers and belted leotards. they wear pink leg warmers, sparkly headbands and the type of tiny shorts not seen since Richard Simmons felt the burn in them in the 1980s!!!

as for the playlist, it has a few nods to John Hughes movies with songs from
the likes of Simple Minds, Orchestral Manoeuvers In The Dark,
Echo & The Bunnymen...

another great who's moved on is Les Paul...



Les Paul & Mary Ford - Vaya Con Dios
(bonus MP3 from 1955)

Les Paul & Mary Ford - Vaya Con Dios (rapidshare)

as the father of the electric guitar, he was not only one of the world's
greatest innovators but a legend who created, inspired and
contributed to the success of musicians around the world.
all lovers of warm, dense, solid tones should raise a toast to Les Paul!

this playlist kicks off with a chill African beach tune, followed by another song from a band a can't stop listening to: The xx...
they played in New York last night & have another show in Manhattan on Friday; tonight in Brooklyn...
i'm just gonna have to be patient & wait till they make it to California... sigh!!! anyhew, the playlist goes as far as
finishing things off with Igor Stravinski mashed up
with some new music, courtesy of Kaiser Karl.

Andreas Nilsson is one of my favourite directors. here's his latest VIDEO
for PBJ's It Don't Move Me (track #19 on this playlist):


yeah, i dance just like that too. i'm in love... anyhew, Andreas told me
he's off to Nepal to meet the Dalai Lama for a documentary
he's shooting. i can't wait to see what that's all about!!!

here's the trippy video by Eli Stonberg for LA Nocturne (track #37)
for an old college buddy of mine - Daedelus:



i'm bringing back my first favourite Junior Boys song (track #12) & VIDEO
by Jaron Albertin, the latest to host the Q Department Directors Series:



Into The Clouds by The Sound Of Arrows is the over-produced &
super campy guilty pleasure of this playlist (track #25).
here's the new video by Mattias Johansson:



the videos for Heart Breaker & Secret Lover were posted here...

as for the cinema, another director who's taken on Q Department to do his music/sound & participated in the directors series is Joseph Kosinski
now keeping busy on his first feature film Tron Legacy:

earlier this week i got to see a splendid classic at the roosevelt.
here are some super low-fi pics i took on my cell:




The Masses' Matt Amato made some montages of classic Hollywood men
to illustrate a song about them Ann Magnuson wrote & performed
in front of the screen. here's one of my faves - Steve McQueen:

finally the movie starring Carol Lombard:

i stuffed myself with this plate from the hotel's burger joint:

Ann Magnuson with music man extraordinaire Carlos Niño:


GO TO FLUX SUPER 8 ON SATURDAY
for more cool video/film/design from around the world.

here's one last clip for track #17 of the playlist,
directed by the band members themselves:

WILD THINGS!!!

i just posted Basic Space by The xx on my last playlist (track #61). i can't get enough of them & you'll find more of their songs on previous posts (enter "The xx" in search engine of my blog to get to it). here's the video by Anthony Dickenson:


"the xx are four precocious 19 year olds from south west london who provide the hushed minimal strokes of young marble giants and early cure but through the minds of a young act obsessed with the r&b turns of ciara and aaliyah, having gone so far as to cover the latter's 'hot like fire' as the b-side for their first single, 'crystalised' and having first been picked up after recording a sensational version of womak and womak's 'teardrops'. having signed to xl sub-label young turks earlier in the year the band begun to record with a host of the finest producers going, including brazilian giant diplo and up-and-coming hotshot kwes the four eventually settled with the option of recording at xl's in-house studio, with 'xx' eventually produced by the band themselves. this is a inspired, broken and uplifting record, packed with melancholic charms that recalls the suburban disillusion of the previous burial records and portishead's 'dummy'. this is a remarkable debut record from a remarkable new act." -rough trade

as for the cinema, here's Spike Jonze's latest:



i'm so excited this movie hits theaters soon...

my man on monday

Heath Ledger & Isaac Brock receive a PETA Award for THIS:

definitely download the video on iTunes to support the cause!!!

MODEST MOUSE - KING RAT (MP3)

The Masses, co-founded by Matt Amato & the late Heath Ledger, hold a cool invite-only film series this summer at the Roosevelt... Matt Amato & Ann Magnuson are the hosts...
the movies are projected on a big screen outside by the pool.
i can't think of a better way to spend my monday evening...
i'll be there; please let me know asap if you'd like to join...
scroll down for info on this monday's theme & movie...



Event Description - Monday 10th of August, 8pm to 11pm:

A Hollywood classic film from the Great Depression screens at a Hollywood classic hotel for the Great Repression!

MY MAN GODFREY is not only one my favorite screwball comedy but possibly my favorite film ever. This is because it is one of the few ‘moving pictures’ I could watch over and over again and never tire of. Released in 1936 and starring the luminous Carole Lombard and the dashing William Powell (they don’t make movie stars like those two anymore!), MY MAN GODFREY will screen poolside at the (in)famous Roosevelt Hotel.

As part of The Masses summer movie series “Return To Form”, I feel MY MAN GODFREY shows Hollywood at its moviemaking best. Everything about this film is flawless: the script (oh, the wit and intelligence!), the photography (oh, that exquisite Black & White!), the acting (oh, that perfect comic timing!) and the star power (oh, that old Hollywood glamour!). Plus it’s hysterically funny! And it’s short! (Running time 94 minutes. None of this tedious 2 hour-plus stuff back in 1936.)

We encourage but by no means require folks to dress appropriate to the period: Idle Rich or Forgotten Man (or Woman).

Or just forage in your closet and recreate that fabulous vintage Hollywood glamour. But please bring a sweater or jacket. Or (faux) fur. Or even a blanket (perfect if you are going for the down-on-your-luck look) because it does get cold at night and there are precious few –if any- space heaters. (FYI: there are also only a few rows of seats in front of the screen but plenty of seating around the pool.)

Please join us for what is sure to be a very glamorous evening of guaranteed entertainment and celebrate the reason we all flocked to Hollywood like moths to the flame in the first place!

John Hughes RIP

Summer Breeze (playlist)

SUMMER BREEZE - 99 free MP3Z

woah, this is the longest playlist i've put together since my trip back to south africa... these 99 tracks are all over the map & should make for good vibes on the beach... from Piero to Proyecto Uno, La Lupe to Little Boots, Righeira to Raphael Saadiq, Bananarama to Bat For Lashes, Pink Floyd to Phoenix, John Lennon to John Legend, Mano Negra to M83, Peacock to Passion Pit, Gainsbourg to Grizzly Bear, The Legends to The Mummers, The Dodos to The xx, David Bowie to Bag Raiders, Jorge Ben to Jay Z, Sheila to Sade, Freeze to Fever Ray
and the list goes on...

click here for Dublab's sweet selection of summer activities.



i've finally recovered from losing The King Of Pop to drugs... the timing couldn't have been more perfect for The Queen Of Camp to reclaim the stage - the one & only Grace Jones took the Hollywood Bowl by storm in Eiko Ishioka...





it's sad how drugs will take one down, but inspiring to witness another surviving them only to show up on stage stunning at
61 years old in a g-string & her backside lathered in oil
for "La Vie En Rose"... Grace Jones is bad ass!!!




check this article to get the details on the show...
check this link for the rest of her phenomenal costumes.
God bless Grace Jones!!! her tunes sprinkle this playlist as well.



i can't get enough of this song, and i love the retro video too:

this morning, don't miss LYKKE LI LIVE on KCRW:



i've posted about her many times before, you can get photos & more MP3s on THIS LINK which has even more links to previous ones... most recently i've posted a Buraka Som Systema remix of Dance Dance Dance on HERE...

back on the East Coast, my brother Eric Alexandre got to hang out with my former LA housemates, The Silversun Pickups who are touring all over the place; they did an acoustic set poolside in Washington D.C. on Saturday then a live show in Baltimore on Monday evening... don't miss them when they make it to your neighborhood!!! here's Eric with Brian & Nikki in D.C...

alright, here's for those of you who wanna shake that ass:

with all this talk about The King Of Pop & The Queen Of Camp, how could i forget to mention the latest video for PEACHES,
THE uncontested Queen Of Smut?!!! watch her strip all
the waydown to her Brian Lichtenberg fringed leotard
outfit... f.y.i. "Serpentine" is posted in this playlist as well: