I’m DJ Travis Holcombe and you can catch me on the air on Tuesday nights at midnight~3AM (which is technically Wednesday morning). Here are my two cents:
1) Until the new Hot Chip album is ready, we’ll all have to settle for the myriad side projects the Alexis, Joe, Al & Felix send our way. Of the lot, my favorite side group thus far has been Joe Goddard‘s 2 Bears project with Raf Rundell. 2 Bears‘ makes fun, bouncy dance music somewhat reminiscent of Hot Chip‘s The Warning/Made In The Dark output.
If you’ve been listening to my show, you know I’ve been playing the hell out of their remix of Death Cab For Cutie‘s “You Are A Tourist” and previously, their excellent track “Bear Hug”. 2 Bears will release their first full length, Be Strong, on January 30th via DFA Records. Here’s their latest video for the song “Work” — the perfect soundtrack for your week.
2) After exploding into the (indie) mainstream in 2009-2010, Kid Cudi had a relatively quiet year in 2011. That’s about to change in the new year with his forthcoming WZRD full length, set for release on January 30th. The first single from the album, “Teleport 2 Me” is already making the rounds on the internet in snippet form and it is NICE. If those discerning listeners among you get the feeling that the song sounds vaguely familiar, that’s because the track samples a huge chunk from Desire‘s “Under Your Spell”, from the excellent Drive soundtrack released earlier this year.
3) Also looking to make big moves in 2012 is French duo, Air. Head over to NME‘s website to stream the beautiful new single from their forthcoming effort, Le Voyage Dans La Lune. The track is called “Seven Stars” and features guest vocals from Victoria Legrand of KCRW favorites Beach House. Of the new album, Air‘s Nicolas Godin says it will be “undoubtedly more organic than most of our past projects”.
4) Remember back in the day when the first McDonald’s opened in Russia there was that craaaazy line several blocks long and Americans were all, “Whoa, dude — chill out, it’s not In-N-Out!
Well, Russia has stepped up its fast food game since the fall of communism. After seeing this video, I think it’s safe to say that America has spent way too long resting on it’s laurels when it comes to fast food. In America we have a creepy guy in a mask that doesn’t move. In Russia, tattoos at the Burger King? Check. Benihana-style tomato chopping? Check. DJs spinning on hamburgers? Check. Your move, America.
5) As we are in the midst of the time of year where everyone is making “best of” lists and making declarations that 2011 is the “Year Of The _______”. I’m here to declare 2011 the Year Of The Dubstep meme. Whether it’s dubstep dancing or dubstep juggling, It seems like every week someone on youtube has come up with an ingenious new use for the genre. I’ve done my best to highlight several of the finest moments from this video making sub-genre and now I present to you, the latest: DUBSTEP FACE CONTORTIONS.
BONUS MEME! Baby rappers!