My esteemed associate Mike Paradinas (a.k.a. µ-Ziq) brings us this very interesting mix of what he tags as Juke/Ghettotech /Footwork /Ghetto House /Chicago House. Basically what the kids are dancing to in Chicago and other points in the midwest. Sez the man himself:

Here’s what I’m excited about right now. A mix of Footworking tracks from Chicago. Footwork has hyper syncopated rhythms, sub-bass, offbeat tom fills, triplets and pitch manipulated pop samples; it takes a while to reprogram your brain, but it’s worth it. This sound has evolved over the decades from Chicago House, Ghetto House, and is part of Juke.

Leave it to a Brit to pluck the best of an American phenom (again) ! I often think that rock music has utterly failed for at least the last 20 years to be any kind of irritant for the older folks, but here... well that’s a different story all together. I’d like to believe that this music would likely drive most people over 30 completely batshit. And that’s an excellent thing !
 

 
Richard sez : “That music is the precise intersection between Steve Reich and Larry’s Theme by Grandmaster Flash!” Sounds about right to me…

 
The wonderful Tracii Macgregor at Gargamel Music hepped me to this latest project put together by New York hip-hop DJ/producer/scene-vet Rich Medina. Like any device, the mash-up/remix can yield a good amount of garbage (Gaga vs. Bieber, etc.), unless the sources are well-chosen and assembled.

It hardly gets better than pop king Michael vs. Nigeria’s Afrofunk prez Fela Kuti—much has been made of how Fela and James Brown mutually influenced each other, so the R&B/Afrofunk connection is hardly a surprise. Medina’s put together 10 rounds of it for The King Meets the President in Africa, which is downloadable for free. Unfortunately, the videos below are uncredited—if Rich did these as well, I’d consider him even more of a badman talent than I already do.
 

Thriller vs. Zombie from MJ Fela on Vimeo.

Billie Jean is Shakara from MJ Fela on Vimeo.

 
Absolutely superb! More from Chenille Steele here.

Via Popbitch

 
Over a year ago, Bournemouth University student Jack Chute released this truly impressive short film chronicling the hard lives of Sudanese, Afghani, Palestinian and other immigrants stuck in the French port city of Calais. On a clear day, these guys can see England, a country with far more lenient visa regulations than those of France. In short, they see their futures.

Located directly across the English Channel from the White Cliffs of Dover, Calais has been a historical touch-point between France and England since ancient times.  It was bounced back and forth between the two countries from the 14th through 19th centuries, and served as a crucial decoy to Hitler while the Allies invaded Normandy.

Now it’s a harrowing human locus of the New World Order. Since the film’s release, French police have raided and destroyed the migrant’s refuge, unofficially known as the Jungle.
 

Reaching Albion from Jack Chute on Vimeo.

 
Don’t bury the lede!
 
(via BuzzFeed)

 
Yes indeed, it’s time again for me to pimp some o’ my own wares here on the DM. The lovely and talented Hometapes imprint, the label which released my first solo LP, Neighbor Singing a few years back, has announced an August 24th release date for my latest psycho-delic art-rock LP entitled Natural Selections. That’s the cover image up there, a photo of my boss son, Julian who also sings a tune of his own creation on the LP. Have a listen to one of the cuts below if you wanna.

 
Read more of the comic here.
 
(via The Daily What)

 
Founding member of the Kinks, bassist Pete Quaife, who played with the band until 1969, has died. Quaife suffered from kidney disease for many years.
 

 
Original Kinks Bassist Pete Quaife Dead at 66 (Rolling Stone)

 
I do not like her, Sam-I-am.
 
Let it be no secret I loathe Lady GaGa. Sorry, Richard.
 
Thanks, Marc Campbell!

 
The global metropolis is seeing a golden age of street art nowadays, as seen in the evolution from spraycan through stencil/wheatpaste and on to other outdoor installations. The Luzinterruptus crew from Madrid has been doing some amazing light-work lately with some compelling underlying themes.
Their latest, Ejército de platillos volantes desechables (above), saw them land an army of disposable flying saucers in Parque del Oeste, the home of the rebuilt ancient Egyptian Temple of Debod.
 

 
Before that, the Luz’ers’ Publicidad herida de muerte (Mortally Wounded Advertising) commented on the thick layer of posters that cover the city’s walls by making them bleed fire.
 

 
Some months ago, curator Sebastian Buck in Good Magazine surfaced Luz’s Tanta Policía, para tan Poca Gente… (Lots of Cops for So Few People), in which the crew protested the increased police presence in their East Villagesque Malasana neighborhood by decorating 50 random cars with homemade replicas of the city’s official blue siren.