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Vic Mensa created quite the dust-up last week when it was revealed last week that the Chicago rapper’s pre-recorded cypher slammed XXXTentacion, the late Florida rapper whose career was mired in countless legal problems related to assault and domestic abuse. “Your favorite rapper is an abuser,” Mensa rapped. Mensa later apologized after learning that XXX’s mother was in attendance, but held fast to his desire to “reject the trend in hip-hop of championing abusers.” (Read: In a Rap Beef, There’s No Such Thing as Crossing the Line) Now, Mensa has shared a new song, “Empathy”, which directly addresses the situation. “In response to all the controversy,” Mensa wrote on Twitter when sharing the song. In it, Mensa owns up to his failings and lamented the ways in which they conflict with his message. “I say what’s right, but they don’t hear me ’cause of past wrongs,” he rhymes, appearing to reference the time he choked a girlfriend during a fight, an incident several of his critics have brought up in the past week. “Got a call from my ex, she forgive but she can’t forget,” he adds. The track, which hops back and forth between his own past and his current “good intentions,” very much finds Mensa in the midst of sorting through his feelings on the issue. “As a man we don’t understand the damages we’ve sown,” he rhymes, implicating himself as well as masculine culture in general. “Workin’ on my empathy,” goes the song’s refrain. We could all stand to do the same. Hear it below. Source

Orange is the New Black’s upcoming seventh season will be its last. Netflix’s popular prison dramedy will air its final episode in 2019, the streaming platform announced on Wednesday. Based on the memoir by Piper Kerman and created by Jenji Kohan, OITNB has ranked as one of Netflix’s most-watched original series throughout its run. It’s also garnered a number of accolades, including four Emmys Awards and 16 total nominations. To coincide with the announcement, the cast of OITNB shared a video message in which they give thanks to their fans: Warning: This may make you cry. The Final Season, 2019. #OITNB pic.twitter.com/bUp2yY0aoK — Orange Is the New… (@OITNB) October 17, 2018 Source

Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Productions is a modern success story, having perfected the microbudget approach to genre while also supporting the unique visions of visionary filmmakers like Jordan Peele (Get Out), David Gordon Green (Halloween), and James DeMonaco (The Purge). What the company hasn’t done, however, is produce a theatrically released horror film by a woman, which is surprising given the breadth of their output. Blum addressed this imbalance in a new interview with Polygon, in which he points out that he’s produced several projects with women at the helm, but no horror movies. “We’re always trying to do that,” he said. “We’re not trying to do it because of recent events. We’ve always been trying.” The answer comes across a touch hollow, however, once he drops the inaccuracy that “there are not a lot of female directors period, and even less who are inclined to do horror.” He’s not wrong in that the industry is male-dominated; Polygon points to a study published this past January by Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, which found that only 4.3% of the 1,100 top-grossing films released between 2007 and 2017 were directed by women. This is a problem of representation, not of willingness. Also, the only female names he drops in the horror realm are Jennifer Kent (The Babadook) and Leigh Janiak (Honeymoon), two successful filmmakers with their pick of projects right now. He says he’s offered them, in Polygon‘s words, “every project under the sun,” but they’ve yet to take him up on it. Maybe, with the topic brought to light, he’ll finally give an unknown female filmmaker the same chance he’s given to numerous male ones. The good news, however, is that Janiak is game to someday work with Blumhouse. She confirms she’s met with the studio and that they’ll “work together on something, someday soon.” Color us excited; Honeymoon was rad. Source

Canada just became the second country — after Uruguay — to legalize recreational marijuana. As of this moment, citizens are allowed to purchase and legally possess cannabis. The first legal transaction for recreational cannabis took place overnight, at midnight on Wednesday (02:30 GMT). Country-wide legalization of the substance fulfills Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s promise from his 2015 campaign. Of course, there are some lingering concerns including potential drug impaired driving and how police forces will tackle related problems. Public awareness campaigns are in place and information is readily available to combat such issues. Canada has posted signage at airports and boarder crossings to keep recreational cannabis users aware — crossing international boarders with the drug is still very much illegal. U.S. boarder patrol says Canadians may be questioned on whether they smoke cannabis, and could deny entry upon their discretion. Universal healthcare and legal weed? Canada is looking better and better every day. If the legalization does prove to be a success, more countries might follow suit. Source: BBC This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Canada Becomes 2nd Country To Legalize Recreational Weed Source

Download | Listen and subscribe via iTunes | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | RSS Welcome back to another episode of This Must Be the Gig, the podcast that gives you an all-access pass to the world of live music! On this week’s episode, host Lior Phillips is joined by rappers Mister Wallace and Roy Kinsey of groundbreaking LGBTQ-focused label Futurehood. The collective is currently exposing the world to queer-identifying rappers, DJs, and singers from Chicago’s fertile hip-hop scene. The duo chat with host Lior Phillips about the importance of representation, the origins of their artistic drive, and their upcoming showcase during Red Bull Music Festival in Chicago. This episode was brought to you by our friends at Vivid Seats. Listen above and subscribe now to keep your finger on the pulse of the live music world. Follow the series on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Source

One of Insomniac’s most genre-blending event Audiotistic has been revealed to return for the second time in 2018 at the NOS Event Center in San Bernardino on Saturday, Dec. 29. Although known for its legendary EDM, Insomniac will be bringing in some stellar hip-hop vibes that will please anyone and everyone. Audiotistic SoCal will bring 2018 to a close with state-of-the-art production as well as an intimate and exclusive experience for all concert-goers. This will be the perfect pre-party for Insomniac’s annual Countdown NYE the following 2 days. Audiotistic will sure make an unprecedented return to the area as a first ever Flosstradamus b2b 4B set takes the stage, as well as San Bernardino local Lil Xan, and Anti Up which includes Chris Lake and Chris Lorenzo as they make their first ever California performance. Tickets will go on sale this Friday here at 12 p.m PT beginning at $69.99 plus taxes and fees. Check out the full lineup below.. AC Slater Anti Up Ardalan Born Dirty Chris Lake Dombresky Drezo Electric Mantis Flosstradamus b2b 4B Lil Uzi Vert Lil Xan Phlegmatic Dogs Porter Robinson Quix sober rob Steady Rock The post Audiotistic SoCal Returns and Tickets on Sale Friday appeared first on EDM Maniac. Source

Following their ultra-timely anthem, “The Kids Are Alt-Right”, the venerable punks of Bad Religion have shared yet another new song, “The Profane Rights Of Man”. Short, fast, and packed with righteous harmonies, the song speaks to the state of human rights in America and the privileges of the upper class. “The song is based on the 1789 document, ‘The Universal Rights of Man,'” says frontman Greg Graffin in a statement. “Since we’re a band that has a longstanding tradition of championing the enlightenment, we wanted to emphasize that our society is based on a profane rather than a sacred theological justification for human rights. In sum, the song is about Bad Religion’s belief in a secular basis for the protection of human rights for all people.” The band’s latest tunes serve to tease more new music, as Bad Religion is currently in the studio working on a follow-up to 2013’s True North. Hear it below. Source

There’s a lot of division in our country right now, as a glance at any daily newspaper will tell you. But if there’s one thing we can all agree on it’s that Beyoncé is Queen, yas? Well, apparently not, according to a new poll that finds Bey is the most politically divisive celebrity in the US. Conducted by Morning Consult (via The Hill) the poll asked 6,609 Republicans and Democrats their opinions of members on the Forbes 100 list of highest-paid entertainers. While Beyoncé, who vocally supported Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid and gave a politically charged performance of “Formation” at the 2016 Super Bowl halftime show, received a net 63% favorable rating among Dems, Repubs had her at -3%. That 66-point gap was the largest amongst any of the celebs on the list, beating out Sean Hannity (65-point gap) and Rush Limbaugh (61-point gap) to claim the title of Most Politically Polarizing Entertainer Bey’s hubby, Jay-Z, came in with a 48-point gap, but had far lower net support amongst republicans at -16%. Considering Fox News’ constant slamming of the rapper, it’s actually surprising to see that both Republicans and Democrats hold a favorable opinion of Kendrick Lamar. The gap in his favorability (29-points) was also less than that of Lady Gaga (43), Rihanna (38), Katy Perry (44), and even George Clooney (36). Of the top 25 most divisive people on the list, only three were more heavily approved of by Republicans than Democrats: Hannity, Limbaugh, and Kenny Chesney, (Morning Consult’s article states two, but it appears they missed Chesney.) Find a complete list of the top 25 below, and head to Morning Consult for more. Source

Rostam Batmanglij returned in September with a new solo song called “In a River”. On the track, the former Vampire Weekend member explores uncharted territory with the help of a mandolin; he also described it as his first composition to fuse traditional studio recordings with actual audio taken from one of his concerts. It turns out “In a River” is just one of many new songs Batmanglij has been working on lately. Speaking on the latest episode of Kyle Meredith With…, he said the track is part of a “groundswell of new songs that are coming out.” He added, “There’s more coming down the assembly line… it feels like I’m in a good place.” In developing these new songs for his sophomore solo album, Batmanglij re-discovered a love for drums, and said that fans should expect an LP with an emphasis on percussion. “I have a ton of beats,” he remarked. “I’ve definitely been pushing myself to make a beat-driven record, so there’s kind of a little bit of a ’90s vibe and big drums.” Whenever the record comes out, it would mark his proper follow-up to last year’s excellent Half-Light. Batmanglij isn’t just booking studio time for himself, though. Known for his collaborations with Dirty Projectors, HAIM, and Lykke Li, Batmanglij revealed that he and former band mate Ezra Koenig have worked together on new music. “I think it’s going to come out at some point,” he said. “Our creative relationship continues just as we said it would, and our friendship endures.” Batmanglij stopped short of commenting whether this new material is for his own solo project or Vampire Weekend’s upcoming album. Tune into the entire interview below, which also features discussions about political music, his collaborative album with Hamilton Leithauser, his love for U2, Bob Dylan, and Madonna, and what it’s been like “starting from scratch” as a solo artist. Listen and download via iTunes | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | RSS Source

A countdown clock has taken over the homepage on the official Swedish House Mafia website. According to Reddit, the countdown is in seconds, and ends on October 22 at 10AM UTC time. After deciphering the website’s code, /DNAABeats has found that a sign up box will appear once the countdown is complete. This countdown is most likely an announcement about the trio’s impending world tour. We’ll keep you updated with any additional info. The post Countdown Clock Appears On Swedish House Mafia Website appeared first on EDM Maniac. Source

Rezz isn’t the only one who’s added a countdown timer to their website this week. In arguably bigger news, a timer has appeared on swedishhousemafia.com, and appears to be counting down over 400,000 seconds. The end date is October 22 at 10 am UTC. Aside from that, we don’t know much. The most likely answer is an official tour announcement from Swedish House Mafia. The three have been teasing shows for what feels like months now, and if so, we’re finally getting what we’ve wanted since five years ago at Ultra. Most recently, Steve Angello took to the mic at the end of his set at Ultra Mexico to confirm the group’s return in 2019. Before that, posters were appearing in Stockholm and London. The team behind the group is smart in keeping hype up – it’s not all that difficult when you’re one of the biggest electronic acts in the world teasing a comeback. Swedish House Mafia left in 2013 with only a handful of released songs, but many live shows under their belt. I don’t know what I’m more excited for: new shows, or new music. Stay tuned for more info as it becomes available. Photo via aLIVE Coverage for Ultra This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Swedish House Mafia Add Countdown Timer To Website Source

Last year, four former members of Ghost sued frontman Tobias Forge, claiming they didn’t receive their proper share of the band’s profits. Following a trial in Sweden last month, a decision was handed down today (October 17th) dismissing the lawsuit. The lawsuit, which forced Forge (aka Papa Emeritus and Cardinal Copia) to reveal his true identity, alleged that the frontman controlled the band’s business affairs even though there was a partnership between the former members (known as Nameless Ghouls) and Forge. Additionally, the onetime members — Simon Söderberg, Mauro Rubino, Henrik Palm, and Martin Hjertstedt — claimed they were surprised to find out that Forge viewed them as hired musicians, and not full-fledged bandmates. According to the Swedish website Linköping News (via Blabbermouth), along with the ruling, the former Ghost members were ordered to pay $146,000 of Forge’s legal fees, although the frontman had claimed a total of $225,000. In an interview with The Guardian back in June, Forge had said of the lawsuit, “A lot of the decisions that I made were based on trying to accommodate people’s wishes, trying to be a friend and set them up for life. That intention seems to have been turned into me trying to fuck people over. That feels like a betrayal because this was not done out of spite at all.” The former members have three weeks to file an appeal. In the meantime, Ghost just released a music video for the track “Dance Macabre”, and will embark on a North American tour later this month. See the dates here. Metallica’s Top 5 Songs Tool’s Top 5 Music Videos Behemoth's Top 5 Songs Alice in Chains' Top 5 Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” Annotated Video Source

Post Malone is one of the biggest names in the rap game right now, which would be enough to make him instantly recognizable to most music heads. Add in the trademark tattoos all over his face and neck, and he’d be hard pressed to blend in anywhere. Yet, give the guy a hand for trying, as he recently went “undercover” at as a record store clerk to promote his new Omaze campaign. Malone slipped on some glasses and a hat, but he was unsurprisingly called out by one fan almost immediately. “Are you Post Malone?” she asks within seconds of him walking over to her. “You can’t walk around with those tattoos and be invisible.” She’s got a point. He did manage to fool a couple folks, though, especially when he stuck to the older crowd. One white bearded gent told him he needs “more Jesus” after reading the lyrics to “Rockstar”, while another woman tried to encourage to chase his dream of being an “extreme” accountant. He did trick a few younger people, though, including one guy who tried to help him choose a rapper name; he decided “Young Fleshlight” might be “a little crazy.” The best moment was clearly when he asked a little boy what sort of music he listened to and he answered, “I like listening to ‘Better Now’ by Post Malone.” Just watch the kid’s face when Malone takes off his “disguise”. The whole thing serves to promote a fundraiser auction in which Malone is giving away a Bentley. The winner also gets to fly to Los Angeles for a joyride with the rapper himself. Find more information and enter at Omaze. Source

The Pitch: As another Chicago winter is greying out the city, a family is forced through one of the worst scenarios that any can be put through. Ruth (Blythe Danner), the beloved matriarch, is in the later stages of dementia and beginning to slip away. Despite this, her husband Burt (Robert Forster) refuses to let go of Ruth and put her into private care, even when she’s beginning to do things like wander out of the city in the middle of the night, hoping to catch a train back to her childhood home. Their son Nick (Michael Shannon) has shouldered the burdens of Ruth’s health and Burt’s immovability for so long that after her nighttime episode, he demands that his sister Bridget (Hilary Swank) return home to help. It’s time to let go for everyone, and none of them are ready. Our Kind of Town: What They Had is a decidedly Chicago movie in tone, and that’s not just homerism on our part. (CoS calls the dubiously named Second City its primary home.) Writer/director Elizabeth Chomko is likewise a Chicago native, and the film exudes the feel of the city in ways many filmmakers tend to miss. There’s a sardonic streak to What They Had that sets it apart from so many graver stories of late-life memory loss and the pain it causes all around it, and Chomko is deft about exploring those tragic corners with the proper emotional gravity while offsetting it with the gallows humor that such situations often create in everyday life. There’s a wash of color that overwhelms the city right around the time of year, and Chomko wisely uses it to her advantage, painting Chicago as a space of overwhelming monochromatic buildings and snowy isolation even as the warmth and humanity of her central family radiates off the screen. For a movie that isn’t overly saccharine about the agony of watching a family member’s personality slip away, What They Had packs an emotional wallop because of how entirely authentic and honest it feels. It starts with the setting, and spreads to the film at large. On Letting Go: A great deal of that authenticity also comes from the film’s performances, which bounce off one another with the kind of ease that great family dramas find. Shannon, himself a known understated presence in the city’s quieter bars, cuts his usual menace with the sarcastic manner of a working-class guy who’s worn himself down to the brink and can’t bring himself to admit it. Swank fits in so nimbly alongside him, as a California go-getter whose “perfect life” is beginning to wear thin, that they manage the all-too-rare feat of coming off as convincing movie siblings. Bridget is often Chomko’s proxy for the audience, as the outsider working her way back into a semi-familiar world, but Swank makes her nervously human. She’s a deeply intelligent woman who can’t think her way out of her dissatisfaction, or her family’s pain, and Swank draws out the nervous terror of not being able to solve a terrible, unsolvable problem. But it’s the film’s central relationship that really distinguishes What They Had. Danner is marvelous as Ruth, capturing everything from her lucid episodes to her most panicked moments of confusion with a sincerity all too familiar to anybody who’s ever seen it happen in real life. She’s not entirely lost, and one of the great strokes that Chomko’s screenplay makes is its refusal to deny Ruth her autonomy because of her condition. Burt may be far too understandably myopic to see that she needs more help than any of the family can give, but he has a point when he firmly maintains that “what she needs is her home.” There are moments when Danner brings so much light back into Ruth’s mannerisms that you can see who she was long before the film began. And then, just like that, it’s gone again. Forster, as her soulmate and self-styled caregiver, is equally as affecting in his own way. He’s the embattled heart of What They Had, a loving and devoted husband who can’t let go, and in doing so admit that the most significant relationship of his own life is over as well. There’s a grit to Burt that feels entirely earned beyond Forster’s natural charisma, a sense that he’s the kind of man who looked after Ruth the right way, decades before the story picks up. Yet as the very real possibility of moving her out begins to loom over the family’s Christmas, Forster begins to tease out the desperation behind the stubborn Midwestern posturing. Ruth is losing herself, and at this point, she’s losing a significant part of Burt with her. The Verdict: What They Had is an indie drama of a familiar cut, delivered so well that you’ll forgive its smaller inconsistencies. By keeping the focus tight on the film’s central foursome, Chomko doesn’t allow a great deal of time for any of the film’s side stories (Nick’s committment woes, Bridget’s wandering eye, Taissa Farmiga sweating the future as Bridget’s anxious daughter), but it also keeps the film from indulging in the ensemble sprawl that stories of this nature tend to adopt, lest they disquiet the audience by keeping the focus where it must stay. It’s painful to watch your loved ones let go, but it’s even more so to consider a future where they’ll no longer be around. What They Had is rife with anxiety about that future even as it attempts to take baby steps toward it, and it’s the rare story of aging and loss that feels honest about how people process it. While the performances are uniformly terrific, there isn’t a great deal in the way of monologuing or 11th-hour reconciliation. Chomko simply observes that life moves on, and we attempt to stay attached to the people we can as it does. This is the kind of sentimental film that audiences wait for when they derisively call movies “melodramatic,” a film of considered emotions and earnest love for the biggest faults of the people within it. Where’s It Playing?: What They Had enters limited release on October 19th, and will expand in the following weeks. Trailer: Source

Origins is a new music feature which finds artist reflecting on the inspirations behind their latest single. Acid Dad, a gang of Brooklyn rockers injecting a healthy dose of psychedelia into their livewire punk, dropped their self-titled debut LP back in March. Now, in advance of a sprawling fall tour of North America, the band has shared a brand new single, “Living With A Creature”. Written and released with the dim, leaf-strewn milieu of Halloween in mind, the stormy, rollicking track conjures images of insomnia and claustrophobia. It all swirls around the song’s central monster, which lives “under my house,” “under my floors”, and, most tellingly, “up in my head.” The accompanying music video channels the song’s bleary melodies and vampiric vocals, with blurry horror clips conjuring the warped TV antennas of yore. To watch the video is to relive those bygone midnights in the TV’s glow, knowing that a little bit of static isn’t enough to keep the Wolfman, Dracula, or Frankenstein from clambering through that screen. Watch it below. As an added treat, Acid Dad have shared the spooky, off-kilter Origins of “Living With A Creature”. Check them out below. Bauhaus – “Triadisches Ballett von Oskar Schlemmer”: Around the time I was demoing the track, my good friend and I would stay up way too late watching these trippy Bauhaus videos while listening to records. The “Triadic Ballet” was one of my favorites from these late night sessions. The colors, astonishing costumes and weird movements are so fucking weird. I can’t get enough of it. Murderous – “Nitzer Ebb”: I was listening to a lot of post-punk/post-industrial rock like Nitzer Ebb and The Prodigy recording “Living With A Creature”. I wanted to paint the same dark-cavern energy while playing with the repetitive rhythms and synth sounds from our Korg Monolog Synth. Flatbush Trap House Parties: I used to go to these parties in deep Flatbush at this ancient Victorian trap house when I first moved to New York. The song itself is about living in shitty environment with a toxic monster of roommate you can’t escape and always envisioned the setting at that house. The people, the building and the party were like an enjoyable nightmare. In addition to its upcoming North American tour, Acid Dad will also embark on a tour of the U.K. in January. See their full tour itinerary below. Acid Dad 2018-2019 Tour Dates: 10/22 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd Music House & Record Cafe 10/23 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA 10/24 – Seaside Heights, NJ @ Hemingway’s Seaside Heights 10/25 – New York City, NY @ (le) poisson rouge 10/26 – Trenton, NJ @ Millhill Basement 10/30 – Montreal, QC @ l’Escogriffe Bar Spectacle 10/31 – St Catharines, ON @ Warehouse 11/01 – Toronto, ON @ Adelaide Hall 11/02 – Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle 11/03 – Iowa City, IA @ Gabe’s Iowa City 11/04 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue & 7th St Entry 11/06 – Denver, CO @ Lost Lake 11/07 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court 11/08 – Boise, ID @ The Olympic Venue 11/10 – Vancouver, BC @ SBC 11/11 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza 11/12 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge 11/13 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill 11/14 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Cid 11/15 – Tucson, AZ @ Owl Club 11/17 – Dallas, TX @ Regal Room 11/18 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk Austin 11/19 – Houston, TX @ Satellite Bar 11/20 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa 01/26 – Brighton, UK @ The Hope and Ruin 01/27 – Bristol, UK @ The Old England 01/28 – Manchester, UK @ Gullivers 01/29 – Newcastle, UK @ Cluny2 01/30 – Glasgow, UK @ Nice N Sleazy 01/31 – Liverpool, UK @ Shipping Forecast 02/01 – London, UK @ The Shacklewell Arms Source

Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker and Theophilus London performed together under the banner Theo Impala during a sold-out show at The Peppermint Club in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. The duo’s set reportedly included all-new, previously unheard material. A setlist has yet to surface, but an audience member captured footage of them performing “Whiplash”, London’s 2016 track featuring production from Tame Impala. In a video post, London wrote that “show film + video + singles” are coming “out in a few days.” A representative told Pitchfork that Tame Impala leader Kevin Parker had produced a pair of songs for London. The two acts were also seen “on set” for an unnamed visual project earlier this month. Check out some footage and pics below. This past July, London dropped his Nights B4 BeBey mixtape. Tame Impala’s last full-length, Currents, came out back in 2015. Since then, Parker has produced for the likes of Lady Gaga, Kali Uchis, Travis Scott, and Tame Impala offshoot Pond. Source

To answer your burning question: yes, it’s a real phone number you can call. Released on October 5th by Brooklyn natives The Britanys, 1-833-IDK-HBTA is an introspective mixtape filled with nostalgia (listen below!). Known for their raw guitar riffs and a wavy, vintage sound, these alt-rockers have been often compared to The Strokes and are reminiscent of that early 2000s basement jamming era. But rather than stay in the past, these guys want to cultivate their art in the present. With the mixtape comes a multi-media experience including the actual phone number you can call and an interactive music video on their website. In doing this, The Britanys explore the effects of technology on our society and world. Frontman Lucas Long graciously delved into the world of their music for us: How did you guys get started in music? We’ve all been playing music since a young age, for me, guitar was the place I could go and be myself growing up, a place where I could build my own world, in dire times. Who are some of your musical influences? Everything, anything. Billie Holliday’s voice, Jimi Hendrix’ guitar, Pink Floyd’s shows, Django Reinhardt, The Beatles What do you think it is about your music that appeals to so many different crowds? We spend most of our time in the basement, it’s hard to think that anyone outside of that knows. But, our biggest mission is to write songs, and I think people can feel when there’s care put into songs. We know the hardship, and all we hope is in times of need, bliss, isolation our songs can be there for people to escape into. The Britanys by Sophia RagomoWhat draws you guys to that retro, 2000s, vibe? I guess it’s just the time we grew up. We never really had bands, or at least, it felt that way at the time, guess subconsciously comes out, learning guitar to “Seven Nation Army” or “Mardy Bum,” is bound to come through. Think it’s more of a subconscious expression rather than a design. Do you see yourselves as bringing something new to the table by innovating the alternative genre in this way, or would you rather give off the sense that you’re paying homage to alt-rock of the 2000s? I believe all current genres are irrelevant or archaic and don’t necessarily apply to the music that’s created in 2018. I don’t feel comfortable calling ourselves a rock band and yet don’t know what else it would be if that makes sense. Feels like we are standing in the precipice of the unknown, in many cultural areas, but our biggest worry is to just keep our heads down and make songs. At the end of the day, a song is a song and that’s all that matters. The line between technology and humanity is a big interest, and an area we plan to discover, who knows what will come from it. What is your favorite early 2000s clothing trend? Zip-off pants for sure. The pants you could zip off the bottom and would be shorts haha About your new mixtape, what’s the inspiration behind the visuals/artwork? Can’t speak for anyone else, but that room dynamic is something I’ve grown up with. Going over to friends for play dates, the person at the computer has the throne, there’s usually someone in a smaller chair, copilot almost haha, and then the rest spread around the room. That dynamic was the inspiration, and something we wanted to visualize. What was your creative process with this mixtape? The recording was all pretty spread out. We recorded some songs almost a year ago and other songs two months ago. It was all a process, a learning process, and I think you’re able to hear the evolution which I like. The creative process was to record the tracks like we did in GarageBand growing up and the first time we recorded this way, and also allowed us more control. We’d always start with drums/ bass, then scratch vocal, then guitars and then final vocals, by the end we had that process pretty streamlined. How did you guys come up with the idea for the interactive video? That was all from the feeling of going fast, that was the main overall feeling, but it wasn’t the thought, we didn’t think before recording these songs about going fast it just came and that’s what we ended up with. The game was our try at replicating that sensation. What messages do you hope to communicate to fans with your music or specifically with this mixtape? I just want people to feel that there’s a place for them and hopefully, they can find a place for themselves in the music. Photo courtesy of The BritanysWhat kind of experience do you want to create for fans in your music, visuals, and in your live show? One of unity, unity in pain, unity in happiness, acceptance and honesty with themselves and each other. I think every human being, and even as far as, every living organism, feels the same spectrum of emotion, from the darkest of the dark to the lightest of the light, no matter what path you walk, the feelings are inevitable. Feel like people are so caught up in portraying this happy life, but it’s almost a catch 22, because when you need someone the most is in time of pain and that’s when we tend to become the most isolated, whether out of pride or embarrassment or cultural acceptance, but unifying in pain can be the most powerful. The experience we aim for is one of humanity, the good and the bad, an experience for the person which I think is forgotten about more than ever in this current state of the digital age. Dream musical collaborations (any artists, dead or alive!)? I mean the obvious, to be in a studio with Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Bob Marley – out of those three I think if I had to choose it would be Bob Marley. I think for a collaboration, now, it’d have to be Gorillaz. In my mind, Damon Albarn is the most prolific artist of this millennium and I would love to steal all of his tricks. Anything else you want readers to know? My whole life I was seeking others approval or acceptance, trying too hard. What I’ve learned over the past year and through the recording process is that all you have to do is be. The mind is a muscle and it takes practice, but if you’re able to silence the outside world and truly listen, your body knows all of the answers. If we’re all able to follow this internal light, and be true to it, I believe humanity has a chance. Stay true to yourself and don’t take it too seriously. Listen to the full mixtape: Check out The Britanys on SoundCloud, Spotify and Instagram for more! The post [Exclusive Interview]: The Britanys’ Lucas Long Talks New Mixtape ‘1-833-IDK-HTBA’ and 2000s Vibes appeared first on Verge Campus. Source

I took a pill in Ibiza to show Avicii I was cool… That opening line of Mike Posner‘s track “I Took A Pill In Ibiza” has always left much to the imagination. Now, the artist is opening up about his work with the late producer, particularly on his most widely recognized track, “Levels.” In a recent radio interview with New York’s ALT 92.3, here’s what he had to say… “Tim always liked my stuff and my writing. So he would always — every 6 months or so — send me some tracks he was working on, and ask me to write to them. He actually sent me ‘Levels.'” Posner says he recorded “like six toplines,” because he “couldn’t get them right.” “They weren’t that good, that’s why he didn’t use them. I mean, they were good but not, like, the thing, which is… 90 percent of what I do is just not useable.” “Levels” would have sounded a whole lot different if Mike Posner was in on it, but it just wasn’t meant to be. We wouldn’t have this iconic song any other way. Listen again right here! Avicii – Levels This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Mike Posner Says He Was Almost Featured On Avicii’s “Levels” Source

The future certainly is female, especially for music. A new study by guitar conglomerate Fender reveals that females now account for 50% of young, aspiring guitar players across both the United States and the United Kingdom. “Today’s players have grown up in a different cultural context and popular music landscape, and rising artists like Mura Masa, Tash Sultana, Youngr, Daniel Caesar, Grimes and Ed Sheeran are changing the way guitar is being used,” says Fender CEO Andy Mooney. “As a brand, we are committed to creating tools – both physical and digital – that this generation of creators needs for self-expression, now and in the future.” The results echo Fender’s previous survey from three years ago in the US, which prompted the company to recalibrate their promotional campaigns, introducing new millennial-focused guitars in 2016 with acts like Warpaint and Bully. “The fact that 50 percent of new guitar buyers in the U.K. were women was a surprise to the U.K. team,” Mooney admits to Rolling Stone, “but it’s identical to what’s happening in the U.S. “There was also belief about what people referred to as the ‘Taylor Swift factor’ maybe making the 50 percent number short-term and aberrational. In fact, it’s not. Taylor has moved on, I think playing less guitar on stage than she has in the past. But young women are still driving 50 percent of new guitar sales. So the phenomenon seems like it’s got legs, and it’s happening worldwide.” Of course, calling this a “phenomenon”, or even attempting to explain this surge by suggesting it stems from a fanaticism with Taylor Swift, is rather egregious in itself. If anything, it only “gives legs” to the ridiculous notion that girls playing guitars has always been some myth. Obviously, as we see, it’s not … and never has been. Source

Listen and download via iTunes | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | RSS On the latest Kyle Meredith With…, Rostam Batmanglij touches on his debut record and recent collaboration with Hamilton Leithauser, the inherently political nature of music, and what the process of songwriting is like for a perfectionist. The songwriter and producer also shares his appreciation for Bob Dylan and U2, a bit of news about working with Vampire Weekend‘s Ezra Koenig, and what we can expect from his sophomore solo album. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth of musicians. Each episode, Meredith digs deep into an artist’s work to find out how the music is made and where their journey is going, from legendary artists like Robert Plant, Paul McCartney, U2 and Bryan Ferry, to the newer class of The National, St. Vincent, Arctic Monkeys, Haim, and Father John Misty. Check back Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for new episodes. Rate the series now via iTunes. Follow on Facebook | Podchaser | Twitter Source

We celebrate our pets with birthday parties, and at the end of their lives, even funeral ceremonies. One French conceptual artist named Sophie Calle has gone one step further by recording a tribute album to honor her late cat named Souris, as NPR points out (via Pitchfork). Not only that, but she’s successfully rounded up a group of famous musicians to assist in this musical eulogy: Michael Stipe, Bono, Laurie Anderson, Pharrell, and The National. Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, Jean-Michel Jarre, and The Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti also contributed to the effort, titled Souris Calle, which spans a lengthy 37 tracks. French for “Mouse”, Souris is remembered with song titles like Stipe’s “Souris nocturne” (“Night Mouse”), The National’s “Le violon blanc de Monsieur Souris” (“The White Violin of Monsieur Souris”), and Moretti’s “In Case of Separation”. The album’s opening arrangement features Bono reading a poem into Calle’s voicemail; meanwhile, Cocker’s contribution begins with “a haptic, ostensibly artificial buzz of a cat’s purr.” “When you say you’re sad about the cat, it’s a bit obscene for people,” Calle spoke of the project in an interview with Artnet this past June. “You can’t say that. I mean, if I say my mother or my father is dead, everyone tells me ‘Oh, poor thing, she lost her mother, oh, poor thing, she lost her father,’ but if we say that about our cat, we seem ridiculous. It makes me laugh, when for me, in my daily life, it was almost more violent, because I lived with my cat. I didn’t live with my parents.” Calle previously debuted Souris Calle during a show in Paris last week. In addition to the music, she broadcast some of the video footage she’d sent to the album’s contributors for inspiration. At least 10 of the artists included on Souris Calle actually knew the late cat personally. Stream the entire album below via Apple Music and Spotify. Physical versions of the record are available for purchase here. Source

Kanye has been adamant that he was not Pusha-T’s source for “The Story of Adidon”, on which Pusha revealed the existence of Drake’s secret child. Drake believes otherwise and has spent the last few months taking some not-so-veiled shots at Kanye. Now, however, Pusha himself has divulged the true source of his information — and it wasn’t Kanye. Rather, the Clipse rapper said he learned about Drake’s son from Drake own friend and producer, Noah “40” Shebib — or at least a lover of Shebib’s. As Pusha explained during an appearance on Joe Budden’s podcast: “The information came from 40. It didn’t come from Kanye, at all. 40 is sleeping with a woman, who begins to… he talks to her daily. Five, six hours a day… And ultimately speaks about how he’s disgruntled about certain things, notoriety and things involving Drake and his career, and so on and so forth. With that also came the fact that Drake has a child. With that also came the trip that everybody took to go see the child, and bring him gifts, and all this information. She divulged this information. That’s where it came from.” (Read: In a Rap Beef, There’s No Such Thing as Crossing the Line) So it seems like 40 unintentionally leaked the info that led to one of the most devastating diss tracks in recent hip-hop history. Pusha-T went on to say that the only reason he was making this public now was because of how Drake responded to the lyrics about 40’s MS in “The Story of Adidon”. “They did the backlight and they put the spotlight on his face, ‘When you said my friend…’,” Pusha said. “But your friend is the reason why. That’s how it came about. That narrative’s gotta die. Listen, it needs to die. It’s done. That narrative is done.” As Pusha-T continued, he cleared up any idea that there was any involvement or bad blood between him and Jay Prince, and the idea that he may not have won the contest of words. “All these false narratives are fueling and covering up, bro, we just had a battle, bro. And you came up on the short end of the stick of it. That was it.” Listen to the segment of the podcast interview where all this went down below (via Hot New Hip-Hop). Source

Less than 12 months after admitting to multiple incidents of sexual misconduct, Louis C.K. made his premature comeback to the stage this past summer. He turned up for a pair of short, surprise sets in New York City, but noticeably failed to address his past transgressions during both performances. He did manage to throw in a tasteless rape joke, though! Now, the disgraced comedian has finally addressed his problematic history. As LaughSpin points out (via PageSix), C.K. dropped in for multiple sets last week at local comedy venues Comedy Cellar, Caroline’s, and West Side Comedy Club. His shows at Comedy Cellar and Caroline’s didn’t differ too much from his two earlier comeback sets, but the Wednesday night gig at West Side Comedy Club saw a major shift in his demeanor — not only did he talk about his now-tainted reputation, but brazenly cracked a joke about his scandal. “Good to be here even though some of you might not like me,” he greeted the crowd. Later, he poked fun at his sexual misconduct fallout, saying, “I lost $35 million in an hour.” C.K. also joked that he’d been “to hell and back” (where he said he saw Hitler) since the controversy exploded late last year. (Read: How Louis C.K. and the Rest of Us Failed in His Comeback Attempt) According to LaughSpin, the West Side Comedy audience was more receptive than those at his early comeback shows. The other performing comedians at the venue were even more thrilled to have C.K. back. “It’s like he didn’t even skip a beat with the year he had,” said AMarie Castillo, who hosted the evening’s event. “He was so genuine and reflected on how weird his year was, tried out some new dark and dirty material…Sounds to me he is owning up, acknowledging, and trying to figure it out,” she continued. Other comedians in attendance remarked that C.K. “seemed more authentic and real.” Losing your million-dollar value in 60 minutes might be a wake-up call, but I imagine C.K.’s past inappropriate behavior has traumatized his victims for years to come. Maybe it’s still hell for them. In a New York Times article published in November 2017, five women accused C.K. of sexual misconduct. All five of his accusers worked with C.K. in some capacity, whether as aspiring comedians or on the sets of TV shows. They all made similar allegations against Louis C.K, detailing incidents in which he asked to masturbate in front of them — or physically did so without their consent. C.K. subsequently acknowledged that these allegations were true and apologized for his actions. As a result of C.K.’s admission, both HBO and FX ended their working relationships with the comedian. Additionally, the release of his movie, Love You, Daddy, was canceled. Source

Nicole Kidman has a good handful of projects due out over the next few months, from big budget blockbusters like Aquaman to indie dramas like Boy Erased. Of all her upcoming films, though, none may be as critically anticipated as Destroyer. The tense neo-noir from director Karyn Kusama is coming in December from Annapurna Pictures, and many are already claiming it’s a new high-water mark for both Kidman and the genre. The film follows the morally ambiguous quest for redemption by LAPD detective Erin Bell (Kidman). Years after going deep undercover into a gang with her partner Chris (Sebastian Stan), a murder brings her history crashing bloodily into her present. Grizzled and damaged, she’s determined to solve the new case as a means of reconciling with the trauma of the old one. Calling the movie “almost impossible to ignore,” Consequence of Sound’s own Sarah Kurchak praised Destroyer for its stunning cinematography, incredible cast, and potentially genre-altering impact. In her review from TIFF, she wrote, “It has the potential to nudge the boundaries of what’s possible for complicated characters — particularly complicated female characters — in complicated stories just a little wider for the current crop of filmmakers, writers, and performers. It adds even more nuance and ambiguity to a genre that thrives on such things. It also has the potential to inspire the next wave of storytellers, opening their minds to the possibilities of filmmaking, paving the way for even more boundary-pushing, genre-redefining, complex storytelling in the future. Destroyer will end up on its fair share of top ten lists this year. But it will be even more interesting to see what top influences lists it starts surfacing on in the years to come.” Check out the film’s first trailer below. Destroyer also stars Scoot McNairy, Shamier Anderson, Toby Kebbell, James Jordan, Tatiana Maslany, and Bradley Whitford. Find the official synopsis below. Destroyer follows the moral and existential odyssey of LAPD detective Erin Bell who, as a young cop, was placed undercover with a gang in the California desert with tragic results. When the leader of that gang re-emerges many years later, she must work her way back through the remaining members and into her own history with them to finally reckon with the demons that destroyed her past. Source

Update: Comedy Central has issued a statement to Consequence of Sound confirming that Nathan For You has officially ended. They insinuate that Fielder decided “Finding Frances” was indeed a perfect way to finish the show’s run and it was his choice to not bring it back for season five. Find the network’s statement below. “For the past five years Comedy Central had the pleasure of working with the brilliant Nathan Fielder on Nathan For You. His innovative and quick-witted humor has made the show a comedic touchstone and we’re proud to have been a part of it. We respect Nathan’s decision to end the series and look forward to geeking out over his next project.” — Original Story — Nathan For You’s fourth season was an absolute triumph, with its bravura final episode, the feature-length “Finding Frances”, achieving a heretofore untapped level of pathos in its exploration of love, memory, and perception. Many speculated that it’d be a perfect ending for the series, and now we have our first, unofficial confirmation that that could very well be the case. (Read: Comedian of the Year Nathan Fielder Redefines Reality TV) Last week, Vanity Fair journalist Maya Kosoff posted the below tweet, in which she recounts a conversation with the show’s Nathan Fielder on an airplane. After asking her if there would be another season of the show, he replied that there wouldn’t. He did, however, promise that he’s “not retiring” and that “other stuff” is on the way. A very Nathan reply, that. i sat behind nathan fielder on a flight to new york and asked him if there’s going to be another season of nathan for you. bad news: there won’t be; good news: he’s working on other stuff and says he’s “not retiring” — maya kosoff (@mekosoff) October 11, 2018 While by no means official, the tweet does help prepare us for an end to the inevitable end to the landmark Comedy Central series, as well as whatever it is Fielder will do in its wake. We’re very, very here for it. Source