This summer, Hard is going bigger than ever, with not one, but TWO New York City visits from the LA-based party machine.
On July 24, Hard will carry on one of NYC’s favorite summer pastimes with an outdoor concert at Governor’s Island. Headliner M.I.A. will be joined by fellow Creators Project alums Die Antwoord and Sleigh Bells, along with Skream, Benga, Rye Rye, Theophilus London, Borgore, Destructo, 12th Planet, Nguzunguze and Ninjasonik, all coming together for an evening of music you won’t want to miss. [tickets + info]
This August, Hard will also hit the road for their first tour, stopping in 12 cities across the US and Canada. Crystal Castles, Sinden and Destructo will take over NYC’s Terminal 5 on August 21, with more performers to be announced at a later date. [tickets + info]
To prepare you for the madness, the good folks at Hard released a promotional mix featuring artists that will perform at Hard this summer. Though the mix is geared towards the L.A. events, the mix is not only free, but also good, so who are we to complain? Listen to the mix below, or CLICK HERE download. Peep the tracklist after the jump…
This week, Theophilus London debuted the first official music video from his latest effort, I Want You. The seductive video for the mixtape’s title track – London’s second – was directed by longtime pal VaShtie. The grainy black and white quality of the video, shot with a handheld camera at the Chelsea Hotel, has Theophilus London written all over it (look no further than the cover art of his three mixtapes for evidence). Va$htie cites French new wave cinema as inspiration; indeed, the atypical style of “I Want You” is a departure from London’s MTV-ready music video for “Humdrum Town”. A sexy through-the-legs shot evokes memories of Anne Bancroft and Dustin Hoffman in the 1967 classic tale of seduction, The Graduate.
Watch the music video for “I Want You” after the jump, and CLICK HERE for a free download of the mixtape.
Last Wednesday, Theophilus London released his highly anticipated mixtape, I Want You. Gone is the sense of urgency in his voice, heard in tracks like “Ultraviolet” (Jam!) and “TNT” (This Charming Mixtape); the Theophilus London we hear in I Want You is cool, laid back and smooth as ever. The best artists are ones that evolve from project to project while retaining their signature sound, and Theophilus does this beautifully on his third release.
A free mixtape gives an artist the freedom to sample, remix and cover tracks without having to pay astronomical fees for the rights, giving them a creative reign they may not necessarily have on an official label release. Theophilus has capitalized on this opportunity in the past (see “I Will Always Love You” on This Charming Mixtape), and does it again on I Want You, bringing a newfound originality to familiar songs. The mixtape’s title track stays true to Marvin Gaye’s original while adding a modern twist, the Hudson Mohawke-produced cover “Oops (Oh My)”, is a bass-heavy update of Tweet’s 2002 hit, and “Give it up Dad” is an upbeat track that has Theophilus rapping over Vampire Weekend’s “Giving up the Gun”. Remixes on the mixtape include the long awaited release of The Very Best’s “Julia”, which he often performs live, and Ellie Goulding’s “Starry Eyed”.
Fusing LA electrofunk, UK indie, tropical escapade and obscure afropop with the signature style we’ve all come to know and love, Theophilus London weaves a delightful story of life and love. Listen to my personal favorite, “Flying Overseas (Version 1)” below, click through for the music video for “Accept the New”, and above all, CLICK HERE to download the mixtape.
Last Friday, Theophilus London performed at the American Museum of Natural History as part of the monthly event series, One Step Beyond. London kicked off the performance – his first US appearance in 2010 – with a new song that begged the listener to “accept the new”, a fit opening considering over half of the songs in his set were from his upcoming mixtape, I Want You.
With lyrics like “Hollywood has taken my heart” and “I’m going overseas, come fly with me”, the new songs are a reflection of London’s lifestyle over the past few months. Island-infused electro beats and funky bass lines impart a more mature sound from London, who draws inspiration from a wide range of artists and styles.
He played old favorites from This Charming Mixtape, including ”Humdrum Town”, “I Will Always Love You”, “TNT” and “Crazy Cousins”, and closed the set with the title track from I Want You, a soulful piece imbued with a Marvin Gaye vibe.
Keep up with Theophilus London’s travel adventures on his new blog for HypeBeast, where he has posted a preview from I Want You – “Life of a Lover” featuring Jesse Boykins.
CLICK HERE to see photos from his performance at One Step Beyond, and listen to the preview track below.
Theophilus London Featuring Jesse Boykins – “Life of a Lover” - [download]
This Friday, One Step Beyond, The Fader’s monthly party at the American Museum of Natural History, will return with live performances by The Very Best, Theophilus London and Ninjasonik. One Step Beyond, which is held in The Rose Center for Earth and Space, pairs the museum’s unique ambiance with top musical acts from around the world. Past performers include Kanye West, Talib Kweli, Simian Mobile Disco, Switch, Matthew Dear, Jazzy Jeff, Amanda Blank and Kid Sister.
The Very Best and Theophilus London have crossed paths (so to speak) on London’s remixes of “Warm Heart of Africa” and “Julia”, and while we’ve witnessed stellar independent performances of “Julia” by both artists, we look forward to the prospect of a live collaboration. As for Ninjasonik, they’re the type of band you just have to see live.
Make sure you get your tickets in advance; the last installment of One Step Beyond - featuring Animal Collective and Fischerspooner - was completely sold out.
After the jump, catch a sneak peak of Theophilus London’s latest mixtape, I Want You, with a behind-the-scenes video from Va$htie, who is featured on the song “Flying Overseas”. The songs previewed on the video reveal a more laid-back side of London, who has clearly evolved since his last two projects, Jam! and This Charming Mixtape. Be on the lookout for I Want You when it drops this spring.
Between his Gucci-themed record with Chauffeur and his recent six-page photo spread for Complex Magazine, Theophilus London continues to walk the line between fashion and music.
The photo spread, which was shot in November and is being released in time for Fashion Week, adds a splash of color to the artist’s signature style. “Everyone wanted me to feel comfortable and let me do my own thing,” London says in the accompanying interview, “They kept reminding me—this is about you; be yourself; be you, let you come out in the photos, and I just did that.”
London also proves that style isn’t just about the clothes: “It’s just great to project my aesthetic in pictures, not just present myself in a photo. I wanted to present a statement without talking.”
That he does. Click here to read the full interview and after the jump, check out Complex Magazine’s exclusive video of the shoot, which is scored with TL’s own “Cold Pillow” and “Fatality” from This Charming Mixtape.
Talk about starting the year off with a bang – Theophilus London debuted his first official music video for “Humdrum Town” on MTV2 today. The video, which was shot in Brooklyn last December, showcases the artist’s unique style and point of view. Watch the video after the jump, and for an added bonus check out a live performance of “Humdrum Town” at CMJ last October.
For all you jet-setters out there, Theophilus will be performing at a Diesel event in Berlin on January 20, and at the World Wide Awards in London on February 2. Click here for tickets.
Last Friday, GBH decked out Webster Hall to celebrate the holidays. Mark Ronson headlined the event with support from Aaron LaCrate and Girls & Boys residents Alex English, Rekles, Gavin Royce and Kids with Snakes. The evening had a great turnout that included Theophilus London, Spank Rock, Prince Terrence (of HEARTSREVOLUTION), DJ Treats, Dances with White Girls and The Chainsmokers.
This week, Theophilus London has been shooting the music video for “Humdrum Town”, his first single on Green Label Sound, released last month. The video won’t be out for a couple of weeks, but in the meantime, you can watch a live performance of the track from the Hype Machine/Babelgum CMJ Showcase this past October:
Theophilus London – “Humdrum Town”
Click here for a free download of “Humdrum Town” from Green Label Sound, and check out his CMJ performance of “Ultraviolet” after the jump.
After weeks of anticipation, Theophilus London finally released his first single, “Humdrum Town”, on Green Label Sound. Since the debut of This Charming Mixtape in January, Theophilus London has made considerable strides in both his work and his career. Not only has his music matured, he is also a member of Chauffeur, a supergroup that also counts Mark Ronson, Sam Sparro, and The Dap Kings’ Victor Axelrod and Tommy Brenneck as members.
Last month, the up-and-coming artist packed in a whopping six appearances during CMJ’s five-day period, including the Green Label Sound party at the Brooklyn Bowl on October 23. Rocking a pair of sunglasses, Theophilus London’s presence on stage is decidedly cool. He made good use of the large stage, engaging the audience with his slick dance moves. Set highlights included “Humdrum Town”, “Ultraviolet”, and remixes of Amadou & Mariam’s “Sabali” and The Very Best’s “Julia”. He closed with his catchy rendition of Whitney Houston’s “Always Love You”.
It was clear that his sound developed considerably since the mixtape’s January release, evident in the drastic reimagining of “Ultraviolent”. The original version on This Charming Mixtape is punk rock fused with hip-hop, in a manner reminiscent of N.E.R.D. The new version, renamed “Ultraviolet”, retains the punk influence in the bass line and drums, but adds a synth-pop melody that gives the song a completely different feel. A silvery hook and smoothed-out vocals complete the transformation. Listen to the two tracks for yourself:
Theophilus London – “Ultraviolent”
Theophilus London – “Ultraviolet”
If you think Theophilus London’s music isn’t enough evidence of his growth, look no further than his latest incarnation, Chauffeur. Described by Mark Ronson as “a fictitious supergroup”, Chauffeur was commissioned to record a song to tie into the release of Mark Ronson’s new line of shoes for Gucci. There are very few bands that are fronted by both a vocalist and a rapper, proven to be a winning combination when Chauffeur performed at the Levis/Fader Fort on October 24.
With one original song under their Gucci belts, Chauffeur’s set only consisted two songs: a cover of Sheila E’s “This Glamorous Life”, and “Soles on Fire”, which has a soft electro melody over a subtle hip hop/funk beat. With lyrics like “Guccis on my feet, it’s about that time” and “I ran so far, my soles’ on fire”, Chauffeur does a great job of producing a solid track while tying in the brand. Gucci is giving away an exclusive 12″ vinyl of “Soles of Fire” with the purchase of Mark Ronson’s shoes.
Chauffeur has shown a lot of promise in their debut track, and we have a feeling this isn’t the last we’ve seen of their unique collaboration. As for Theophilus London, based on what we’ve heard in the past year, there’s no doubt in our minds that we have a lot to look forward to.
After the jump, check out a few photos of Theophilus London’s recent CMJ performances, and be sure to click here for a free download of “Humdrum Town” from Green Label Sound.
