The Ancient Astronauts are Kabanjak and Dogu hailing from Cologne, Germany. The downtempo, hip-hop and funk infused duo features some great talent in Bajka, Pharcyde, DJ Zeph and Azeem. Their debute record We Are the Answer is in that Unkle, DJ Shadow and RJD2 type hip hop record. This is certainly a promising debut from these two dudes from Cologne. Great record.

Mp3: Ancient Astronauts - "I Came Running"

Buy: Get the record here.

I got the opportunity to see two nights of Pearl Jam at the United Center this week. Sunday night's show was amazing and it really displayed why this is the greatest American rock band of the last decade. On Monday I had great seats, however they recycled many of the songs from the Sunday night set which I always find a bit disappointing. Regardless, its great to see a group that is still making great music and that conjures up such great memories of the past.

This new video is the first single from the upcoming release, Backspacer, which is September 20th and worldwide September 22. Video I believe was shot at the Showbox in Seattle, WA a place were I frequented growing up and in college. Pearl Jam is releasing this record independently which is always a cool concept. I should also mention that I think its great when bands use your celebrity to promote great causes. So many bands in this contemporary era just sit back and let the checks roll in. Always refreshing when bands add some social and political commentary.

Just back from tours in the United States and Europe beat maker, Poirier, releases another hard hitting EP. Run The Riddim, his second, and latest, in what will be a three-part series from Ninja Tune, is set to be released soon and showcases his amazing selection of dancehall reggae vibes and uptempo beats.

Known for his mixing of electro and worldly rhythms, Run The Riddim Poirier features veteran Jamaican DJ, Burro Banton, alongside the latest dancehall vocalist from across the pond, MC Zulu and longtime collaborator, Face-T. Check out a track off the upcoming record.

Mp3: Ghislean Poirier feat. Burro Banton - "Trust None of Dem"

Buy: Get the EP here.

Looks like Adrien Brody and sings like Prince. Francis Farewell Starlite and his band The Lights were formed at Wesleyan University and their first show was a performance of the posthumous Otis Redding record The Immortal Otis Redding in its entirety according to Wikipedia, pretty cool. Mind you this is not new by any means, "Top" the track featured in this video was released over a year ago, I just happened to run across them now thanks to Fader Magazine. Looking forward to a whole record, they have just released a collection of EPs at the moment.

Mp3: Francis and the Lights - "Lime"

New video fro the track "Jeffer" of Boys Noize's Power album is due out sometime in October. If you don't have anything scheduled for Halloween yet, I recommend you consider the Congress Theater on October 30th. Freaky Deaky Friday is set to feature Boys Noize, Chromeo and Crystal Castles. Read more about it here.

Dam-Funk's debut album Toeachizown will be released this Fall as a 5/LP set - two and a half hours of music - with CD version to follow. Mr. Funk has already released the first two parts of this set. Vol. 1 is LAtrik and Vol. 2 is Fly, the collection is Dam-Funk's venture into the genre he calls "electric-space-funk" and in my opinion is the coolest sound in 2009. If you have had the pleasure of listening to the first two volumes you are certainly excited about the idea of the completed record. Check out a track off of Vol. 2.


Mp3: Dam-Funk - "10 West"

Buy: Get Vol. 2 here and Vol. 1 here.

It is highly likely that Dam-Funk is coming to a place near you and I recommend you check out his set. I saw him here in Chicago at Sonotheque and it was awesome. He is even coming to Japan for my overseas readers! I know I have a couple.

Upcoming shows

Aug 18: Dam-Funk, Ortley Beach, NJ
Aug 19: Dam-Funk, Foxboro, MA
Aug 20: Dam-Funk, Portland, ME
Aug 21: Dam-Funk, Burlington, VT
Sep 09: Dam-Funk, West Hollywood
Sep 18: Dam-Funk, Tokyo
Sep 19: Dam-Funk, Osaka
Sep 20: Dam-Funk, Kanazawa
Sep 21: Dam-Funk, Morioka City, JP
Sep 22: Dam-Funk, Sendai City, JP

Since I am currently on the list kick I might as well share with you a list I put together for the always on point weblog, Passion of the Weiss. Hip hop bloggers were asked to submit their favorite hip hop albums of the last decade, no small feat.

Here is the list I put together. You can read the final results of Jeff's lists with in depth descriptions here. Most difficult part of this whole exercise was placing them in some type of order. I would love to hear what people think are some of the best hip hop records of the last decade, records I overlooked or albums you think have no place on this list.

My list:
Kanye West - Late Registration
Outkast - Stankonia
J Dilla - Donuts
Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow
Madlib - Beat Konducta, Vol. 1-2
Common - Like Water for Chocolate
Aesop Rock - Labor Days
RJD2 - Deadringer
DJ Shadow - Private Press
Reflection Eternal - Train of Thought
Common - Be
Murs - 3:16 The 9th Edition
Masta Ace - A Long Hot Summer
Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele
Talib Kweli - Quality
Jurassic 5 - Quality Control
Jay-Z - The Blueprint
Madvillain - Madvillainy
Kanye West - College Dropout
Danger Mouse - Grey Album
NERD - In Search Of…
Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030
People Under the Stairs - OST
J-Live - All of The Above
Atmoshere - God Loves Ugly
The Roots - Phrenology
Big L - The Big Picture
Danger Doom - The Mouse and the Mask
MF Doom - MM..Food?
El-P - Fantastic Damage
Dead Prez - Lets Get Free
Quasimoto - The Unseen
Coup - Party Music
Q-Tip - The Renaissance
Kanye West - Graduation
Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein
Binary Star - Masters of the Universe
Outkast - Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below
Blue Scholars - Blue Scholars
Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
Jedi Mind Tricks - Violent by Design
Gangstarr - The Ownerz
Rhymefest - Blue Collar
Prefuse 73 - One Word Extinguisher
Madlib - Beat Konducta Vol. 5: Dil Cosby Suite
Wu-Tang Clan - The W
Dilated Peoples - The Platform
Lupe Fiasco - Food and Liquour

Entire list of top records by various webloggers.

photo by Matthew Fang.

Nice breezy summer video from Mayer Hawthorne off of his Strange Engagement record out on Stones Throw records.

While we are over halfway I would hate to miss the opportunity to take a look back at my favorite records of 2009 so far. I would love to hear from readers regarding their top records for 2009. Maybe I can find some records I haven't listened to yet. Check out the list.

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Miike Snow - Miike Snow

The Gaslamp Killer - My Troubled Mind

Tosca - No Hassle

DJ Quick and Kurupt - Blaqkout

Lindstrom and Prins Thomas - Lindstrom and Prins Thomas II

Mos Def - The Ecstatic

Mayer Hawthorne - A Strange Arrangement

Junior Boys - Be Gone Dull Care

Tanya Morgan - Broolynati

Burial and Four Tet - Black Moth

The Emperor Machine - Space Beyond the Egg

Nosaj Thing - Drift

Dam-Funk - Toeachizown Vol. 1: Latrik

Still waiting for...

Clipse - Till the Casket Drops

Kanye West - Good A** Job
Lupe Fiasco - LupEND
Wale - Attention: Deficit

Daft Punk - Tron: Legacy Soundtrack

photo of Chicago's "L" by Rach

Not simply for the bees anymore, Pollination is the moniker of downtempo artist Nick Noeding, Jr. Described as a "desert storm chaser, mirage fabricator, and electronic musician" Noeding Jr. makes some great music.

From Albuquerque, New Mexico and his new record is Inca Orange which blends psych, noise, field recordings, and good old fashioned hard electronic beats. The record has been called "the perfect soundtrack for your daytime trips and explorations into the desert." While I won't be venturing out into the desert anytime soon, it certainly works for relaxing in the park in the summer sun. For the music nerds the The Zoomzip remix from Inca Orange is currently the highest ranked download on XLR8R. Check out a remix off the record.


Mp3: Pollination - "Some Sun" (Yppah Remix)

photo of New Mexico desert by Jeremy Burgin

New cut from the Blue Scholars forthcoming Hawaiian influenced EP, Oof, which will be released on August 25th. Oof is set to feature 10 new Blue Scholars tracks. Not sure what a "Hawaiian influenced" hip hop album will sound like, but it certainly has my interest peaked. For those that don't know Blue Scholars make some fantastic hip hop out of Seattle Washington. Check out a new track.

Blue Scholars - "Hi-808"

photo by George Talusan.

Note: On the operations side divShare is going to be canned real soon and I will get the flash player up again hopefully by this weekend.

English composer and former lead singer and guitarist of Pop Will Eat Itself, Clint Mansell has been making fantastic soundtracks for the last 11 years. His original foray into soundtracks was with his score for the haunting film π in 1998. Since, he has released some of my favorite atmospheric and contemporary classic music with Requiem for a Dream and the Fountain. His track "Lux Aeterna" remains one of my favorite pieces of contemporary music despite its over use in movie trailers.

Mr. Mansell has again created a fantastic film score for the film Moon (which happens to start one of my favorite actors, Sam Rockwell). I have not had the opportunity to watch the film but certainly look forward to it after listening to this sound track several times. Check out a track and go see the movie.

Clint Mansell - "Welcome to Lunar Industries"

Buy: Get the soundtrack here (iTunes).

Oh No is following up his fantastic Dr. No's Oxperiment album (Turkish & Lebanese Psyche samples) with Dr. No's Ethiopium - all Ethiopian samples. This album will be released exclusively on Stone Throw's website in August. Check out a sample.

Mp3: Oh No - Ethiopium Snippets Mix

“Heavy” from Dr. No's Oxperiment got heavy use, from the Skate 2 Soundtrack it is also the beat for Mos Def's “Supermagic” off his new album The Ecstatic. I do not think its an overstatement to declare that Dr. No's Oxperiment is a hip hop staple. Its simply classic.

Queens-born DJ JS-1 has enlisted some top hip hop talent for his new single "Ridiculous." The original featured OC and the mighty Pharoahe Monch, two New York emcees. Out now is a remix of the single featuring a brand new, old school, synth-chopped beat and a guest verse from another legendary emcee, Masta Ace. the remix proves to be just as ridiculous as the original.

Mp3: DJ JS-1 feat. Masta Ace, OC & Pharoahe Monch. - "Ridiculous" (remix)

Buy: Get DJ JS-1's record No Sellout on Fat Beat Records here. (iTunes)

photo of Queens museum is by SonySchoey

Sound is classic 90's hip hop, Speech Debelle is a Mercury Prize-nominated artist who drops her Big Dada debut Speech Therapy on August 18th with guests Roots Manuva and Micachu. Her soulful rhymes about growing up as a Londoner are very addictive. The record is produced by Wayne Lotek (Roots Manuva) and Big Dada founder Will Ashon. Check out a track off the upcoming record.

Speech Debelle - "The Key"

Mp3 link: Speech Debelle - Go Then, Bye (Photomachine & EL-B Remix)

photo by Samuel Hicks, stylist is Sarah Nashy and make up is by Melisa Evans.

Free upcoming show featuring electro music innovators Daedelus and Ernest Gonzales. The show will be next Monday (8/10) at Empty Bottle in Chicago. As I have said before Daedelus puts on a great live set and Ernest Gonzales of Anti-Pop records is no slouch either. Show is free so you have nothing to lose if you don't believe me. Check it out if you are in Chicago.

photo by Noom Srisunakorn.