TAG: alias

Feb26

Star Eyes & Jubilee Share Their Ten Favorite Grime Tracks (MP3)

Photographer: Michelle Lawson

We here at URB have always been fond of the twosome of Star Eyes and Jubilee; both these Brooklyn-based gals are some of the most iconic DJs in New York City, known for melding their sets with house, techno, booty bass and um…grime. Yes, the dynamic duo love their grime, and the locals who surrounded them knew that well and adored it so. However, when Unknown To The Unknown released “Locked” in late January, suddenly the world knew that two producers out of Brooklyn made some top-notch dance music with that lovely hint o’ grime. Despite the fact that we knew it all along and understood their fascination for the genre, we thought this would be an opportune time to let the ladies of the New York underground school us with their grime favorites. In their own words, here’s their ten favorite grime tunes, after the jump. Try not getting some cobra neck going after these bangers hit you.

…MORE

Nov30

B. Dolan’s “Weight of the World Tour” Wrap Up + Free MP3 (Video & MP3)

Show’s over for this year, kids.

I played my first set of 2010 on January 2, alongside Sleep and Cecil Otter, and the itinerary never looked back after that. All in all the schedule said I’d play 101 shows this year. I ended up making it to 93 of them before life intervened.

This year has been an absolutely unrelenting gauntlet of work, love, loss and tragedy. It included the release of my most ambitious album yet, and the most substantial platform and success I’ve ever gained as an artist. It also included the long sickness and eventual death of my father on October 26, the exact day I was set to return from the final leg of touring. These things were happening simultaneously all year long, and needless to say I haven’t quite caught up to any of it yet.

Through much of it though, the only place I found peace was during the minutes I shared on stage with you all every night. It’s corny to say ‘all of the shows were special,’ but all of the shows were special this year. To thank you for that, here’s a tune on the house.

B. Dolan – 50 Ways (Paper Planes Remix) – live in London by Strange Famous Records

…MORE

...MORE

Jun09

Sage Francis @ Belly Up (Live Review)

06/07/10

Who said the underground rap scene was dead? On Monday night, a sold-out Belly Up Tavern welcomed Strange Famous Records’ revolutionary-bearded duo Sage Francis and B. Dolan to town with open arms and some of the most enthusiastic call-and-response I’ve heard in years. As B. Dolan relayed the opening line from “Joan of Arcadia,” (“Joan of Arc had a dildo named Jesus made of wood from the cross of its namesake”) audible gasps arose from the uninitiated which quickly gave way to knowing laughter. With a voice like a jackhammer and stage presence to spare, Dolan is a prime example of art imitating life. Having founded the consumer awareness site Knowmore.org in 2005, Dolan uses witty spoken word pieces and boom-bap anthems to illuminate social ills ranging from the fallout from the Bhopal disaster to the political career of Sarah Palin. Obviously this style of art can be off-putting when done wrong, but Dolan knows how to use his sense of humor and the earth-shattering beats of Alias to his advantage.

Dolan’s all-too-brief set was primarily a showcase of the impressive Fallen House Sunken City record, which dropped earlier this year. His juxtaposition of “Fifty Ways To Bleed Your Customer” with M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” got feet moving to tales of corporate greed and his powerful tribute to Marvin Gaye resonated through the jaw-dropped walls of the tavern. Lest things get too heavy, Dolan had a couple tricks up his sleeve such as the Evel Knievel-inspired stunt jump over a fan which has become a trademark of his performance. With momentum at its crescendo, Dolan closed things out with a brilliant, take-no-prisoner rendition of “One Breath Left” to heavy applause from more than a few new fans. …MORE

Mar21

B. Dolan – Fallen House, Sunken City (Review)

B. Dolan

Fallen House, Sunken City

Released by Strange Famous Records


At first glance, it wouldn’t be too difficult to cast B. Dolan off as Sage Francis Lite. They're both Caucasian, portly, heavily-bearded members of the Hip-Hop community; not exactly a stereotype. Sage met Dolan years ago, and has released both of B.’s albums on his Strange Famous Records label. The pair toured together last summer doing Rock the Bells shows, and both could be safely grouped in the world of indie-rap, a subgenre that’s lost much of the presence it had about a decade ago. But, musically, big differences exist between the two. For one, Sage has never done anything nearly as elementally hip-hop as Fallen House, Sunken City. Here, Dolan abandons the poems (both recorded and live) that laced much of his previous effort, The Failure, in favor of some straight-up rapping, all over Alias’s drum-heavy boom-bap-influenced production. The result is an in-your-face, no-holds-bar album of emotion and activism that would undoubtedly scare the living shit out of your CEO father or investment-banking uncle.
(more...)
Feb23

B. DOLAN: 5 Ways to Bleed Your Customer (Video)

Firsthand account of corporate world's ills 

In the song “50 Ways to Bleed Your Customer,” from the Fallen House, Sunken City album, I play a cynical character giving advice to the listener on how to get ahead. When URB offered me this space, I figured I’d take the opportunity to dissect the song a little bit and talk about the meaning and issues behind some of the songs lyrics.

1. “Treat the side effects with side effects, supply the next disorder.”
Common side-effects of anti-depressant drugs may include: dry mouth, constipation, bladder problems, blurred vision, potentially serious or even fatalserotonin syndrome, fever, confusion, muscle rigidity, cardiac, liver, and kidney problems, and thoughts of suicide (no shit).

…MORE

...MORE

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2