Elegantly Wasted Mixtape Vol 1 hosted by M.O. & DJ Blaster
www.momusiclive.com www.djblaster.com www.elegantlywasted.info
FIRST ‘AFRICA’…NOW THE WORLD! Karl Wolf poised for International Superstardom!
“Africa”, “Carrera”, “Yalla Habibi” - all three songs have become monster hits for Lebanese-Canadian singer/songwriter Karl Wolf. Now, Karl is ready to build on this success with his next single “Hurting” which is being delivered to radio stations across the country this week. ”Hurting” shows a whole new, serious side of Karl: it’s a powerful song that’s very close to his heart and shows signs of being another out of the box smash. Accompanying the track is Karl’s best video to date, which stars Nicole Holness from MTV Canada and which multi-talented Karl directed himself. You can catch a sneak peek here:
2009 was a stellar year for Karl at Canadian radio as evidenced by his 3 nominations at the Canadian Radio Music Awards: Best New Group/Solo Artist of the Year (Mainstream AC), Best New Group/Solo Artist of the Year (Hot AC), and Fan’s Choice. Karl will be performing at the Awards, which are taking place at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto as part of Canadian Music Week 2010; the awards will be handed out during a gala luncheon.
In addition to the CRMA nominations, Wolf has also been nominated for three SOBA (Sounds of Blackness Awards) in Quebec: Anglophone Single of the Year ”Africa”, Anglophone Best Artist or Group and Anglophone Best R&B Artist or Group. Those awards will be presented on February 28th at the Outremont Theatre in Montreal.
Last, but certainly not least, Karl has announced that he has just recently signed a deal with Universal Republic Records to release his album Nightlife in the United States. Speaking about the signing, Avery Lipman (Co-President and COO of Universal Republic Records), said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Karl Wolf. His distinctive sound and international appeal makes him a force to be reckoned with. The entire company joins me in welcoming Karl Wolf to Universal Republic Records.”
The first single from the US release is “Africa”, which is already being added at radio stations across the country. “Africa” was a triple platinum, Top 10 hit in Canada and will surely repeat that triumph south of the border. Coupled with his successes in Dubai, Japan, Lebanon, Egypt, and of course, Canada, Karl is poised to take the rest of the world by storm!
Grammy nomination great surprise as group of montrealers set up Antler Films
Montreal Producer Sach Baylin-Stern and director Ben Steiger Levine received a nomination at the 2010 Grammys for Best Short Form Music Video, titled “Mr. Hurricane”, played and interpreted by Montreal based trip-hop duo Beast (Verve Forecast).
They are up against some of the biggest names in the industry - Coldplay (Capitol), Black Eyed Peas (Interscope Records), as well as Depeche Mode (Capitol).
The future will be very interesting as Executive Producer Sach Baylin-Stern, and associates Jeremie Saindon and Christophe Collette strive to set up Antler Films.
Antler is a collective of reputed filmmakers and artists (Ben Steiger Levine, Jeremie Saindon, Christophe Collette, Joshua Sherrett, Thibaut Duverneix, Dave Pawsey, The Sanchez Brothers, Greg Kaufman).
This grouping of such young and accomplished artists is particularly exciting - each person having unique skills. Antler’s team has specialists in film/video production, cinematography, 3d visual effects, motion design, and conceptual/fashion photography. They constitute a body of talent that is particularly open to exploring new ideas and methodologies. This young roster’s body of work is comprised of hundreds of music video’s (including Beast, Chromeo, Sam Roberts, The Stills, We Are Wolves, The Most Serene Republic, Dumas, Plants and Animals, Hey Rosetta), several dozen films, short, interactive, and feature length, (including 300, Sin City), and advertising for countless clients local and international (though Antler will not produce advertising).
With talent, patience, and support, this production company is set to make an impact.
Underground Realroad – Montreal’s Formula-Breaking Collective – Release Their Debut, Slave To The Game, on January 26th
Underground Realroad, Montreal’s progressive, formula-breaking collective, drop their fresh debut album, “Slave to the Game”, on January 26th.
Bored of traditional hip-hop, Underground Realroad deliver their vision of what hip-hop should be. “People limit themselves creatively because of the industry side of things,” says Drex, and so they strive not to emulate what is popular, but opting to make their own scene with creativity and originality is what you can expect from their music.
Recorded in their hometown of Montreal, the album features fifteen tracks, which fuse old-school hip-hop with innovative twists, along with collaborations with some of Canada’s freshest up-and-coming talent like Mr. Bits and Miss Tee.
Their name, a play on Canada’s historic involvement in smuggling American slaves through the Underground Railroad, represents the road they’re taking: “Trying to be free of influence and emancipate ourselves from it.”
What it comes down to, as Bricc quotes, is: “Life is not made to find you, but to create yourself.”
Don Cash inks new deal with URBNET Records
Toronto hip-hop/electro phenomenon Don Cash is greeting the new decade in style, as his critically acclaimed 2009 LP “Freshy Fresh” is being remastered and rereleased (with several brand new songs) in March 2010 by URBNET Records, the pre-eminent independent Canadian rap label.
“I’m really excited about this partnership with URBNET,” Cash says from his apartment in the Toronto neighbourhood of Parkdale. “I’ve traveled around the world and had records released in Europe and Asia but this is the first time I’ll have a proper LP release in North America. It’s something I’ve wanted for a long time and I think it will be the beginning of big things for me.”
Cash, who initially gained international notoriety by releasing CD-Rs on his private Stereoeagle label, says he hopes the new deal with Urbnet will allow his records to be played on Canadian radio stations and his videos shown on the country’s TV networks.
“I started out underground, and that’s still a big part of who I am,” Cash says. “But even when I was putting out CDRs, I met people in the industry who felt that my music had huge pop potential. Naturally, as an artist, I was initially suspicious, but as I improved as a producer and a songwriter, I realized that in order to reach my ultimate goals, I would at least have to make the attempt to succeed within the music industry.
“It took a bit of time to find the right situation and last year’s credit crisis didn’t help, as several deals fell through because the companies I was talking with either lost their backing or couldn’t get loans. However, once Urbnet reached out to me, I realized this was an opportunity I couldn’t afford to pass up. They’re licensing the record from Stereoeagle, so not too much is going to change on my end. The only real difference will be the vastly improved sound quality and the fact you’ll finally be able to buy my records in stores across Canada.”
Following on the heels of the international success of Toronto MCs Drake, Isis (of Thunderheist), Knaan, and K-oS, Cash is bullish on his prospects for the year ahead. Still he has one particular goal in mind above all others. With the increased visibility provided by URBNET’s nationwide promotional muscle, Cash is planning on a tour of Canada in 2010.
“I’m a Canadian and it’s important for me that people understand that I make Canadian music,” Cash says. “Don Cash II (the 2007 blockbuster that propelled Cash’s star in Europe) was released on a Berlin label, but it was written and recorded in two months in an apartment in Mile End in Montreal.
“Just last year I got the chance to play in Vancouver for the first time and I was shocked at how many people knew about me and my music out west, considering the fact that my records weren’t out there. Van City is awesome! I’ve got standing offers to play in a bunch of Canadian cities, so I’m hoping it all comes together and we’ll make it happen this year.”
2010 marks the start of a new decade, a time of endings and beginnings. For Don Cash, he hopes the year will mark the beginning of a fresh new phase in his wonderfully prolific and eclectic career.
“I’ve been so lucky in my life” Cash says. “It seems like I’m always at the right place at the right time. The last six months in Toronto have been the best ever. Every show is more electric that the last one. Things really seem to be opening up for me in Canada and I’m so happy about it because it’s a real vote of confidence in my life and work. “I mean, just getting a record release anywhere is an achievement and I’ll always love Europe for giving me the push I needed to get into the mainstream. Still, I’m totally looking forward to the day when my record comes out and my friends and family can say, ‘hey I saw your record in the shop today’ or ‘I heard your new one on the radio today and it rocks.’”
Poirier Set To Release RUNNING HIGH March 30th
Rhythms have been run, Soca systems have been sounded (not to mention air-horns), ceiling’s have been brought down, and now it’s time for the man called Poirier (Pwa-ri-ay) to rewind and come again (selector that he is…)…
A twelve month period has seen the release of three EP’s, all showcasing very different (yet at the same time very coherent) sides of Poirier’s production…from digi-dancehall bangers, to hyper Soca rhythms, and techno/Caribbean hybrids. That same time frame has also seen Poirier reaching to all parts of the globe to drop his signature “all things bass” sound on ever increasing crowds. Whether as a solo DJ or with one of his various M.C’s by his side, he’s murdered it in pretty much any place you can pronounce on a map, and along the way has cemented his status as one of the top names in an ever growing group of producers rocking dancefloors with a globally curated pastiche of sounds.
Now it’s time to drop the culmination of those last twelve months into his 7th full length (2nd for Ninja Tune)… the two disc “Running High” album.
Disc 1 compiles the 3 EP’s into album running order. Originally released in such a way as to focus on each facet of his production, these tracks are now compiled in such a way to show the ease with which it all meshes and to present within a new context. Revisiting the tunes that smashed the floors… with Burro Banton, MC Zulu, YT, Face-T, and Mr Slaughter on the mic…and presenting them for the first time to the public at large… however don’t think of this solely as a collection of EP’s…. rather more like an album where the vinyl has been released early.
Disc 2 presents an alternate version. Taking elements from Disc 1 and presenting them as alternately voiced rhythms, remixes, and new tracks. It’s both an audio companion and a statement/document of the scene that Poirier finds himself running in. Kicking off with a new tune featuring Warrior Queen (last seen on Ninja Tune on The Bug’s ‘London Zoo’), followed by re-voiced rhythms with Canadian/Juno Award winning reggae sensation Mikey Dangerous, chart topping hit Erup’s ‘Click Mi Finger’ meshed with the ‘Untrust Rhythm’, and the spanish flow of MC Boogat ; remixes by France’s
Douster, UK funky/ two step heavy hitter Sticky, UK sound-system Mungo’s Hi-Fi, WILDLIFE!, Uproot Andy, Baobinga, Marflix, Maga Bo, Stereotyp, and rounded off with Poirier’s remix of the Busy Signal hit ‘Cool Baby’…
Not one to rest, 2010 sees Poirier racking up more air-miles with stops in Australia/New Zealand (Big Day Out and more), cross Canada/US tour, SXSW, a return to Mexico, and Europe/UK dates already confirmed in support of this album.
Who is DJ CHAMPION?
No one could accuse Maxime Morin of modesty. The nameplate he’s affixed to his mighty electro rock Voltron - DJ Champion - doesn’t exactly reek of humility. But that kind of bluster passes the smell test when “electro rock” can mean everything from thumping spaghetti-western to ethereal house in the same damn song (See: “No Heaven”, which features acclaimed chanteuses Betty Bonifassi of Beast on vocals). On No Heaven Borderlands, the Montreal-based Morin’s stateside debut (and his fifth release overall), DJ Champion takes the unchecked zeal of his Juno-nominated (equivalent to the Grammys… but Canadian) Chill ‘Em All to the max with a series of remixes and re-interpretations. Capitalizing on a surge in interest behind “No Heaven”’s placement in a recent advertisement for the new Borderlands video game, the new short-player is sure to reign over a whole new set of fans, which we’re betting will include you after you take a listen to the song below.
MP3: “No Heaven”
DJ Manifest presents: SOKE
The object of this message is to present to you a new roots/reggae artist named:Soke
We giving you access to his new mix tape (Di most critictly acclaimed) presented by DJ Manifest.
Here the Free link to get your copy of the cd:
BAD NEWS BROWN // “Born 2 Sin” Single & Video shot by RT!!
The video shot in Toronto by RT last month.
BNB has been traveling the world opening for some of the biggest names in the business and released his debut album “Born 2 Sin” in August (under Trilateral / Fontana / Universal)
He is scheduled to be one of the opening acts for the upcoming 2010 cross canada Sean Paul tour.
Empire ISIS - Participate
Montreal’s international Gangstress, Empire ISIS, is letting loose “Participate”, another hot track & video from her latest album “Brand New Style”. Hitting the charts and getting some serious attention after being placed on MTV’s The Hills , The City and ABC Family’s Make It or Break It. Participate is a track you won’t soon forget. Check it out on iTunes and EmpireISIS.com.
CANADA’S NICO ARCHAMBAULT SET TO DANCE ALONGSIDE POP ROYALTY AT THE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS!
Multi-talented Montreal native, Nico Archambault is about to add another accomplishment to his already impressive resume. The award-winning dancer and sought after choreographer has been personally selected by pop music icon Janet Jackson to perform alongside her during her opening performance at the American Music Awards on November 22. Already a household name in Canada, having been voted “Canada’s Favourite Dancer” for the first season of the hit show So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Nico’s work with Jackson is a powerful endorsement of his international appeal.
“Every dancer has dreamed of performing with Janet Jackson. She is an icon and a pop music innovator. I grew up inspired by her landmark videos and live performances. I’m truly honored and privileged to have been chosen to dance alongside her!” says Nico.
Recently, Nico also danced alongside Jackson in the video for her new single Make Me and unbeknown to the public, at the beginning of 2010, Nico had previously been invited by Kenny Ortega to audition for Michael Jackson’s comeback mega-show at the London O2 arena. In a gutsy and risky move, Nico turned down the offer, which would have required a two-year contract, to remain committed to various artistic and personal projects.
In addition to being a formidable dancer and choreographer, Nico is also establishing himself in the acting world with a supporting role and his first film choreography credit in the upcoming Family Channel TV-movie Vacation with Derek, based on the hit TV show Life With Derek, which was distributed worldwide by the Family Channel and Disney.
Nico is a co-founder of the critically acclaimed electro-pop group Pinup Saints and is directly involved with the staging of its raunchy shows. The group released their debut album Golden in September of this year and recently inked a deal with S.L. Feldman & Associates for their live representation. Their debut video, Mister can be seen on Much Music’s The Wedge and Musique Plus online.
Known for his edgy and alternative sense of style, Nico appeared in the Gotstyle runway show at LG Toronto Fashion Week 2009, sporting clothing by designer Costa Pavlou. Most recently, he has lent his name towards a charitable cause close to his heart, teaming up with apparel retailer TXT Carbon to design the limited edition “Stand UP! Rise Above” T-shirt as part of Family Channel’s Bullying Awareness Week campaign. Two exclusive media launch events for this campaign will occur in Toronto on November 24 and in Montreal on November 25.
MONTREAL DJ AWARDS CONTEST
The GrooveMaker Dj Contest is open. Please log onto http://www.mdja.tv/index2.html and hit the RED contest button. Register to upload your remix, your pic and a video on why you think you should win. Producer’s/Djs feel free to get as creative as you like. As you can see the prizes are well worth it!
Don’t forget to tune into blog.peacemagazine.com to watch this years Montreal DJ Awards on Nov 16th LIVE! 7:00pm (EST) “
MIXHELL ANNOUNCE LIVE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
HEAVY TECHNO WITH HEAVY METAL DRUMMING MUST BE SEEN TO BE BELIEVED
Mixhell is the husband and wife dance music duo of Iggor and Laima Cavalera. Iggor was the drummer of Sepultura - one the heaviest metal bands of all time that sold millions of albums and terrified your parents. Mixhell will be bringing their incredibly intense and unique set to clubs this fall, starting October 29 in Calgary and wrapping November 8 in Austin. Since forming in 2006 Mixhell have linked up with heavy hitters like Soulwax, Justice, MSTRKRFT, Diplo, James Murphy and Busy P and have sold out out clubs in South America and Europe. If the thought of seeing Iggor pound away on a drumset in the middle of the dancefloor while Laima drops beats from the DJ booth doesn’t seem electrifying you might want to check your pulse - because you’re probably dead. Tour dates and more info below.
DOWNLOADS:
MIXHELL X METALLICA “For Whom The Bell Tolls (edit):http://02dc342.netsolhost.com/MIXHELLXMETALLICA.mp3
BLACK METAL SOUNDSYSTEM MIXTAPE:
http://maddecent.com/blog/2009/10/12/drumburzum/
TOUR DATES:
Thu Oct 29 Calgary Hi-Fi
Fri Oct 30 Los Angeles Hard Halloween (with 2ManyDJs)
Sat Oct 31 San Francisco Poleng Lounge
Mon Nov 2 Chicago Debonair Social Club
Wed Nov 4 Toronto The Mod Club
Thu Nov 5 Quebec City Dagobert
Fri Nov 6 Montreal Belmont
Sat Nov 7 Miami White Room
Sun Nov 8 Austin Beauty Bar (Fun Fun Fun Fest)
M.O. Better Late Than Never (free mixtape download)
After 4 successful releases with his group, FAMN, M.O. has just released his debut solo mixtape ‘Better Late Than Never’ with DJ Technical. The release of this collection of exclusives and remixes is an appetizer to wet the appetites of the hungry fans who have been patiently waiting, for M.O.’s solo album “Vicarious”, which is long overdue, hence the name ‘Better Late Than Never’. “Vicarious is set for release in the new year and M.O. promises no more delays.
Watch for M.O.’s Club tour coming Winter 2009/2010.http://www.sendspace.com/file/1a0zmq
A TASTE OF MONTREAL (free download)
Muzique Main Room resident DJs, Payce & Keith Dean Mix CD (Electro/Urban/Top 40) with lots of remixes.
Sarah Linhares’s “Messages from the Future” and Free Download
Soul music Heads!! don’t sleep on Sarah Linhares’ “Messages from the future EP” came out this summer and getting some love from all corners..