Two years ago, Too Much Love moved from First Avenue’s upstairs VIP room to the legendary mainroom. Since then, it’s become synonymous with Saturday nights, and moved to the forefront of the Minneapolis dance scene, as resident Sovietpanda has pushed forward-thinking dance music and brought in some of the DJ world’s leading talent, both local and from across the country.
To mark the occasion, TML is throwing a birthday party, and it will be a party for the ages. Headlining is Alex Epton aka XXXchange, one of dance music’s front runners as a cutting edge DJ, producer and remixer extraordinaire. Sovietpanda opens, and expect TML giveaways, a City Pages photo booth, drink specials including 2-4-1′s on all tequila brands, and the kind of get-down madness you can only count on from Too Much Love at First Avenue.
As always, admission is only $3 or $1 with student ID, 18+ to party, 21+ to drink. Plus get out early for 2-4-1′s on rails and domestics.
XXXchange’s production credits include work for Spankrock (YoYoYoYoYo album and singles), Kid Sister (“Control”), Amanda Blank, Pase Rock, and The Kills (Midnight Boom). He’s done remixes for an impressive clientele including CSS, Lily Allen, Beck, Thom Yorke, Beck, Panda Bear (of Animal Collecitve), Santogold, Bjork, Dave Gahan (of Depcehe Mode), Van She, Bag Raiders, Bonde Do Role and more. He’s also a part of the Fully Fitted crew, putting out bomb re-edits for the dancefloor, and blogging a ton of unreleased gems.
For more info, check out XXXchange’s Live At Home mix for the Fully Fitted blog, his We Make It Good movie-themed mix for Shilo, or his interview at the Fool’s Gold blog where he talks about playing drums, interning at the DFA studios, starting Spank Rock, working with A-Trak and Kid Sister, and more.
The New Eras from our new line Amongst Friends has just arrived. These fitteds are exactly what it reads, “Classic”! We have two color-ways to go along with the belts that recently arrived, white x red polka dots and a white x black polka dots. Full size run, so come get your size before it goes! Also be on the look out for polos that will be coming in shortly. Stay posted!
Game over. This new Alife jacket called “R.I.P. O.D.B. Varsity Jacket” just went up on Alife’s online store. This jacket is sick from the concept to the patch work and stitching. It’s going for $450 and I can only image what this jacket is going to go for on Ebay. The jacket speaks for it’s self. Talk about a classic. Who is going to be the first to rock the Wu-Tang dunk hi’s and the R.I.P. O.D.B Jacket?
This video is from Muja’s appearance on Parker’s show last night at about 8:30 p.m. or so. The duo talk about many things, not the least of which was Parker’s rant about local hip-hop. Parker also asks Muja about how he earned his success, to which Messiah answers that people need to be self-reliant. Muja Messiah also relates an anecdote about an encounter with Def Jam head Russell Simmons. There’s a freestyle at the end of the interview that Muja kills!
I wasn’t feeling Muja that much when I first heard some of his tracks. Since hearing his track over M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” and some of his new tracks and appearances in the last year, I’ve become more aware of his talent and seen the progression he has made as an artist from the Twin Cities. What do you guys think about Muja Messiah?
Carrie Munden (my future ex-wife), the creator/mastermind behind the Cassette Playa line graces this month’s issue of RWD magazine. This 28 year old native of the U.K. fashionista has been at the forefront of men’s wear for the last four years or so now. With here keen sense of style, color mixing, prints, still images, and patterns, has created a line like no other! This article in RWD explains it all. check it out here. And Carrie if you come across this holler at your boy!
N.A.S.A.’s new album, Spirit of Apollo, confirms for me a longstanding suspicion I have had about famous musicians: they have a secret island somewhere that they sneak off to in order to have fantastic parties and mingle far from us “regular folks.” If someone were to somehow get onto that island and record what goes on there, it might sound something like Spirit of Apollo, the recent collaboration of DJ Zegon and Squeek E. Clean, as well as a veritable who’s who of the industry’s movers and shakers. If the group’s name is any indication (N.A.S.A. is short for North America/South America) then I am guessing that the mysterious island lies somewhere in the Caribbean. Anyway friends, you and I will probably never get there. From the sound of it though it’s a hell of a place.
The first track, “The People Tree,” alone contains collaborations by David Byrne, Chali 2na, Gift of Gab, and DJ Z-Trip. Before you can say “holy fucking shit,” Byrne is back in the next song “Money,” rubbing shoulders with no less than Chuck D, Seu Jorge, Ras Congo, and Z-Trip. Don’t pause to consider the irony of a few of the industry’s most successful musician’s singing a chorus that “money is the root of all evil”—if you do you might miss Method Man, E-40 and DJ Swamp chiming in next to shout out to N.A.S.A. (and the Wu Tang Clan) in “N.A.S.A. Music.” Essentially it just keeps going on from there—M.I.A., Tom Waits, Santogold, RZA, George Clinton, KRS-One, and a whole host of others lend their voices to what is essentially a top-tier musician campfire singalong. It isn’t so much an album as it is a great party mix, curated by a couple of DJs who have a shared taste in old school Brazilian funk and a whole slew of real important friends.
Considering the amount of talent involved Spirit of Apollo never really has a chance to dilute or settle. If there is any weak sauce here I haven’t found it. The Tom Waits and Kool Keith collab in “Spacious Thoughts” is one of the best, if not most idiosyncratic tracks on the record. Featuring some Tropicália sampling, Keith’s rapping, and Waits’ barking; it brings a whole new meaning to the genre “World Music.” Though M.I.A’s childlike chorus in “Whatchadoin’” gets a little grating (when she plays with the band do they become “N.A.S.A.L.” to incorporate London into the name?) the track is still one of the strongest due to some bangin’ beats, Spank Rock’s sex-a-dellic rhyming and Nick Zinner’s blazing guitar. Those of you who lost money betting on the belief that Kanye and Swedish warbler Lykke Li would never work together—console yourself with their song “Gifted,” which also features Santogold and an irresistible rhythm. One of the few tracks that doesn’t seem to have any big name partnerships, “N.A.S.A. Anthem” finishes out the record with fat beats and a whole chorus of drunken-sounding carousers in the background (could it be all of the artists on the album combined?). Just when you think it is finished the track extends all of fifteen minutes into a “hidden track” (remember those?) which sounds like a rap version of a James Bond theme song.
Not surprisingly, the album is a great one. I mean, was it even a possibility that getting all these artists together would produce anything less than fantastic? Shit, if I could get Chuck D and KRS-One to collaborate with me, I would probably sound good too. Not to play down N.A.S.A.’s achievement here though. To be fair, each song is impeccably arranged and produced, with a whole slew of dusted off Brazilian funk samples. Zegon and Clean obviously knew what they were doing, both in creating beats as well as picking who to work with. The only glaring chink in Spirit of Apollo’s immaculate armor is an obvious impossibility of bringing the whole party to the live show. Whether this means that all the celebrities’ voices will be piped in for the live set, or just left out completely is a question worth pursuing. N.A.S.A. has a March 6th show at our very own Triple Rock Social Club so I expect to find out then. Perhaps Byrne, Kanye, Waits and the rest will all show up at the bar to do their parts. I highly doubt it, but am going to take a few minutes now to imagine how fucking awesome that would be…
Vintage All-Court Reds
Women’s Storm Warrior Hi
Lunar Rejuven8 Mid+
Foamposite "Pearl"
10 Deep Fall
Gourmet Footwear Fall
Phenom 5 Pannels
Nike Air Griffey Max 1 Quick Strike
Triumvir Fall
The Hundreds Fall
JGoods Brotherhood Tournament Tank
Vintage All Court Pine Green
AM90 Turbo Green
Gourmet The 24 Brown Suede & Grey Suede
Nike Air Force 1 High ’07 Light Charcoal/White
Nike Lunar Air Max 180 “Ultramarine”
Play Cloths Fall
Nike Air Max Uptempo 97
Perforated Pack: Dunk Hi AC/AF1 Low
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