In case you missed it, the masked Italian duo, The Bloody Beetroots recently unleashed their first LP, Romborama, a 20-track melting pot of arduous beats and synth. Artists featured on the LP include The Cool Kids, Steve Aoki, Lisa Kekaula (of the BellRays), Cécile and others. So, what does shrimp, lobster, shark and craw fish have to do with the Beetroots? It is simply a line from their track “Awesome” – which can single-handedly describe the album.
Hard Fest describes them as the love child of the Misfits and Daft Punk, but the Bloody Beetroots are nothing short of “bloody” fantastic. Perhaps its the Venom masks and their subtle play with the Comedy of Art of Venice, but there is a mad brilliance underneath the noise and mask that conjures a contemporary orchestration of music - dramatic with so many layers of sounds, the album could be the work of a musical ensemble. Artfully influenced by opera and infused with electronic media, their collaboration with the featured artists takes this vacillating album (in a good eclectic way) and makes it a titillating experience.
Check out the “Awesome” track below and click through for the video to another recommended track from the album, “Butter.”
Click here for photos from our last encounter with the Bloody Beetroots at Webster Hall by Oliver Correa.
Bloody Beetroots featuring The Cool Kids – “Awesome“
Dim Mak recently released “I’m In The House”, a new video from Steve Aoki featuring Zuper Blahq (yes, we know, who???). The house behind MSTRKRFT, the Bloody Beetroots, Dim Mak seems to have acquired a new member to the family. The video and single with Zuper Blahq is Steve Aoki’s first foray into production.
Under the guise of a mask, the mysterious Zuper Blahq fits the lyrical profile of someone very familiar. We have it on good authority that Zuper Blahq is comprised of Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am and the Peas’ DJ/Producer Poet Name Life. Will began exploring electronic music on his 2007 solo album, Songs About Girls; given the electro stylings of BEP’s latest album, The E.N.D., Will and Poet’s Zuper Blahq doesn’t come as a huge surprise.
Click through to watch the video for “I’m In The House”. For those in town this Labor Day weekend, Steve will take the stage tonight (Saturday) on Randall’s Island at the Electric Zoo Festival. Also, check out photos from our last encounter with Steve at Webster Hall by Oliver Correa and Kenroy George.
Click here for pictures of Steve and others from the first day of the Electric Zoo Festival.
Over the weekend, Jay-Z made headlines with the release of his single D.O.A – Death of Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune, the audio processor used to correct pitch in vocals and instruments, is typically used to disguise precisely tuned recordings. As of recent, rappers have come to embrace this sound in attempts to sing by changing the levels of their voice to a point where they sound robotic. From Kid Rock’s Only God Knows Why to Kanye West’s album 808s and Heartbreak, the processor has come to a wide acceptance among artists who utilize the tool as an annoyance more so than a contribution to their creativity. Surprisingly, Jay-Z’s upcoming album, the Blueprint III – slated for release on September 11th, is produced by Kanye West, who also had a hand in D.O.A’s production along with producer No I.D. Its questionable that the rapper who created an entire album with Auto-Tune also produces the track that knocks on industry’s door to stop. With Jay-Z’s access to a wide audience, D.O.A has spread across the web within a couple of days like fire, but he isn’t the only artist making some noise about rappers utilizing the Auto-Tune. KRS-ONE and Buckshot are also highlighting the Auto-Tune trend on their upcoming album Survival Skills with their lead single Robot (produced by Havoc of Mobb Deep). The album is set to release on August 25th.
Perhaps Auto-Tune may return to its days of subtlety in the studio for singers. Kanye West and T-Pain may be two of the few rappers who can utilize the processor’s ability to skew pitches and make it sound good, but with Kanye producing D.O.A, one has to question if he plans on walking away from using the tool in the future. More important than the timing of Death of Auto-Tune is Jay-Z’s ability to call attention to the matter by creating some anticipation and buzz for the Blueprint III, all while making a statement to the industry.
