Universatile Music

MURS + special guests

admin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:37:20 +0000

He is the only rapper with his own music festival. Each album he releases sells more than its predecessor. He toured the world without having a major record deal. So, there’s a reason why independent rap stalwart Murs decided to name his major label debut album Murs For President. Murs wants to be rap’s leader and spokesperson, the artist who helps give rap a credible face to fans, the media and critics. After all, the Los Angeles rapper is articulate and well read. He doesn’t use drugs and his platform consists of peace, love, unity and having fun. “Let me speak for hip-hop. I’m the one guy who is qualified to represent us to the masses — which are obviously tired of us because hip-hop often can’t sell records. It can only sell ringtones. It’s become a mockery of itself. It’s become club music. For us to lead back into the marketplace and to be a respected art form, I feel that I’m the most qualified person. It’s time for hip-hop to have a change.” From front to back, the eclectic, genre-bending, politically charged, musically adventurous Murs For President illustrates a change of direction for rap. The vibrant, optimistic “Can It Be” marks Murs’ return to music, and his dedication to make a change for the better with his words and through his influence on others. The bouncy, horn-propelled “Looking Fly” finds Murs paying homage to his forward-thinking fashion sense, while “Science” breaks down blacks’ history in the United States and how it is tied to hip-hop’s evolution. As he has done on his earlier albums — which include such acclaimed releases as Murray’s Revenge and Murs 3:16 The 9th Edition — Murs examines his own love life on several Murs For President cuts. The angst-filled “Part Of Me” documents the immediate, often turbulent time when a relationship dissolves, while the soulful “Breakin’ Up” details the mixed feelings people have once they have some distance from what had been a long-term relationship. For Murs, it is important to make credible relationship songs because so few exist in rap. “For young black males, being in love has such a negative connotation,” he explains. “Usually, your mother has been screwed over by some guy. The first time you get hurt by a girl, you use that as your reason to mistreat women for the next 20, 30 years of your life. I’m trying to hold up the mirror to myself.” Indeed, part of Murs’ background is the reality that he was raised in the gang-infested streets of Los Angeles. Thus, he’s a product of and fan of gangster rap. Murs pays homage to his city’s love for heavy funk on “Comfortable,” which features hardcore rap crooner Kokane and documents Murs cruising throughout Southern California’s streets in his ’96 Cadillac. Then, on the heavy “You Think You Know Me,” Murs raps from the perspective of a Crip, a Blood and a Cholo, showing that gangbangers often have more to their lives than their street affiliations. “I know a lot of great men who, at first glance, you might be scared to death of, or you might not want to give a job to,” he says. “But, they’re trustworthy. They’re loyal to a fault. If you show them a little bit of love and trust and let their family grow, then they’re going to be loyal.” Being that Murs had the time and resources to record an album on a major label, he wanted Murs For President to explore all aspects of his personality. Thus, he worked with a variety of artists and producers, from Snoop Dogg to punk band Whole Wheat Bread to will.i.am to DJ Premier and DJ Quik. “This one is for all the marbles,” Murs reveals. “If this don’t go, it don’t go. This is it for me. I’m almost 30. I’ve been doing this forever and if I don’t know how to do it by now and I can’t make a platinum record, I’ve failed. If I can’t get a Grammy, sell a million records and initiate some type of change in the culture and the music that I love, then it’s time for me to step aside.” Murs is so passionate about his music and his place in the rap pantheon because he’s one of rap’s best independent success stories. As a member of the Living Legends, Murs learned the art of independent self-promotion by selling cassette tapes of his music out of his car and touring with Living Legends in Europe and Japan. Given his underground status, Murs also embraced the power of the Internet long before most artists realized the power of the burgeoning medium. “When rappers were screaming don’t download, I was screaming, ‘Do it,’ because that was the only reason people would know my music in Texas and I could go do a show there and that would get me paid,” Murs explains. “I needed them to go to the show so they could buy the T-shirt and get on my mailing list so I could build something. There’s not many rappers who have built their fanbase like that.” Through the Internet, touring and his flurry of independent releases with Living Legends, with producer extraordinaire 9th Wonder, as one-half of Felt (with Atmosphere’s Slug) and as a solo artist, Murs has become one of rap’s best success stories. His Paid Dues makes him the only rapper to own his own music festival. But for Murs, the success of Murs For President will dictate his legacy. “My whole life, I’ve been trying to be Ice Cube,” Murs says. “The little stuff that I’ve got that people trip off of, I’m not even tripping off of because Shaquille O’Neal has a platinum plaque and I don’t — and I call myself a rapper. That hurts my feelings when I wake up in the morning. That’s what I’m here to get. I’m making a decision to leave Planet Underground Hip-Hop. I’m jumping off right now. Whoever wants to come with me, come with me.”

* presented with Stateside Presents

Bangin Beats - Friday 3-26-10

admin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:55:03 +0000

Pickster One, Dj Melo & The Shop Presents:

Bangin Beats
Friday - 3-26-2010
A Night of Bangin Dance Music crossing many genre’s.
At The Hidden House (607w. Osborn rd - Phx, AZ)
21+ $5 before 11pm - Music at 9pm
(Hip-Hop, House, Indie, Funk, Disco, Cumbia, Dancehall)
As long as it’s funky!

Music Selectors for the Night:

Pickster One
(Crusher Sound System, Blunt Club, UM, Furious Styles Crew)

Twitter.com/PicksterOne
myspace.com/PicksterOne

Dj Melo
(Muzik Junkies, Karumba, Phoenix New Times Best Latin DJ of 2009)

Twitter.com/AzDjMelo
myspace.com/AzDjMelo
azdjmelo.blogspot.com

Kris The Fist
(Sneaker Beast, Dance Floor Movers)

Twitter.com/djkristhefist
myspace.com/kristhefist

Here are some FREE mixes to download to get you by, till “Bangin Beats” 2-26-2010

Dj Melo - Cat Nipples (Salsa Verde)
http://www.mediafire.com/?iub55lw1coa
Click here for Tracklist and More FREE Mixes

Pickster One - New Jack Swing Set
http://www.mediafire.com/?ntyij211bzv

Kris The Fist - The Lova Lova
http://www.zshare.net/download/723216678f60bef2

See You There!

B. Dolan “Earthmovers” (Video)

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:15:13 +0000

Album info, tour info, artist info and all other details are available at Fallenhouse.com

Grieves tour wrap up (Video)

admin — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:12:24 +0000

While out on the road with POS, Grieves and Budo put together this short video to share their experiences on tour. Lookout for a few shots from Grieves’ birthday party in Phoenix as well as a Rueben Martinez cameo.

Sage Francis w/ live band, Free Moral Agents, B. Dolan

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:08:40 +0000

Anti-Records is excited to announce the impending release of an impassioned new album Li(f)e by celebrated agent-provocateur of hip hop, Sage Francis. An underground star from his years as a battle champion, poet and founder of influential Strange Famous Records, Francis garnered even wider acclaim with his incendiary 2005 release “A Healthy Distrust,” a timely condemnation of corporate greed, war-mongering and American complacency. On his electrifying new album Li(f)e, Francis turns his keen observational skills to a culture of rampant hypocrisy and, in particular, organized religion.

This album is a marked evolution for Francis. His signature wordplay, a dazzling mix of sardonic humor and biting social commentary, is now complimented by a talented band consisting of producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Iron and Wine) and cohorts Jim Becker and Tim Rutili of the acclaimed Chicago outfit Califone. It proves an effective soundtrack for Francis’ riveting lyrical discourse. The record’s title Li(f)e is a deliberate amalgamation of the words life and lie. As Francis says, “What about life is a lie? What we’re told about God is a lie. What we’re told about race, gender roles, beauty, war, food, drugs, sexuality, capitalism, history, the nature of humankind…a gang of lies. I feel it in my gut, I think it in my brain, I write it with my hands and I speak it with my mouth. That’s what makes Li(f)e the general theme of this album.”

To help convey his impassioned message Francis has enlisted a cadre of uniquely talented songwriters. The album begins with a stirring Steinbeck imbued tale of prison break entitled Little Houdini’ with music written by ex Grandaddy frontman turned solo artist Jason Lytle. “We specifically sought out songwriters who had never worked with a rapper,” Francis explains. “And I didn’t want them to write music they thought they should for hip-hop. The music for ‘Little Houdini’ was a long epic instrumental piece Jason had just hanging around which I then worked my story into.” Next up is a rousing and energetic anthem entitled “Three Sheets” with music written by Chris Walla of the band Death Cab for Cutie. Subsequent songs feature compositions by Tim Fite, members of Calexico, DeVotchKa, and Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse – each interpreted by Francis and the band resulting in an entirely organic and captivating vehicle for Francis’ dramatic narratives.

Li(f)e is a thought provoking and unabashedly original album from an evolving artist with a refreshingly distinctive voice.

Sage Francis w/ live band, Free Moral Agents, B. Dolan

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:00:49 +0000

Li(f)e is a thought provoking and unabashedly original album from an evolving artist with a refreshingly distinctive voice.

Gaslamp Killer at Sonar Festival in Barcelona (Video)

admin — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 02:36:11 +0000

Move Somethin - Solstice Edition 3-6-2010

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:15:40 +0000

Dumperfoo & Pickster One Presents:

move somethin (Az’s Moving Monthly)
“The Solstice Edition”
This Month we take Move Somethin to the downtown Phoenix Hot Spot of “Solstice”
2 Storys of dance music. Hip-Hop/Classics Downstairs - House Music Upstairs
We also have an art exhibition by a group of Native American artists, called “Protect Ya Neck”

Music Downstairs Provided by…

Move Somethin Resident Dj:
Pickster One
(Crusher Sound System - Blunt Club - UM - Furious Styles Crew)

myspace.com/picksterone

Move Somethin Special Guest:

Dj Daddy Rich
(3rd Bass - X-Men)

^^^^^(didn’t have a new pic so we used a classic)^^^^^

You may have Seen him Gracing the Covers of the 3rd Bass albums
or in the Dj Battle of the Classic Hip-Hop Movie “Juice”
or heard his classic Hip-Hop Production for the 90’s MC “Kurious”
Dude is still killing it just as hard in the club!

Solstice Residents:

Dj Element
(Blunt Club - Furious Styles Crew - Armory Massive - Freestyle Sessions)

Dj Mane One
(Solstice)

Live art by:

RvSo & CloSoar

Keep up with us at:

Twitter.com/movesomethin_az
facebook.com/movesomethin

RJD2 “The Glow” (Video)

admin — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:05:27 +0000

P.O.S Video Collection

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:49:36 +0000