Thursday, July 27, 2006

2006 Spin Off DJ/Turntable Competition Grand Finals

The press release below is a bit old, but the graphic above is new and gives the actual date, performers and ticket info for this great event taking place at the Great American Music Hall right here in the biggity Bay Area. It might be a little hard to read so here ya go:

The performances are Madlib, JRocc, A-Trak, Peanut Butter Wolf, plus a J Dilla tribute (RIP). Tickets are $12 and are available at www.tickets.com.

Get out there if you can. I'm looking forward to attending if I get a chance. If I can somehow swing some free tickets I'll do a contest here on the blog for you guys.

GUITAR CENTER LAUNCHES 2006 SPIN OFF

Nation’s Premiere Turntable Competition is Alive and the Prizing Is
Massive


WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. (April 18, 2006) – Guitar Center today
announced the launch of its 2006 Spin Off competition, the largest and
most prestigious DJ/Turntable competition in the country. Up for grabs
is over $40,000 in prizing and the Spin Off Grand Champion bragging
rights.

“Spin Off pays tribute to the battle DJ movement that shaped the
turntablism art form,” said Jack Sonni, Vice President of Marketing
Communication for Guitar Center. “A throwback to the original days of
the movement, battle DJs represent the purest form of the genre.”

Scheduled from May to September in the nation’s larger markets, Spin
Off is a three-tiered competition in which contestants are judged on
originality, technique, style, stage presence and overall performance.
Following the District Competitions starting May 23, winners advance to
District finals, Regional finals and ultimately Grand Finals, scheduled
for September.

Guitar Center has partnered with some of the nation’s leading brands
including Toyota Scion, Technics, Rane, Nike, Stones Throw Records,
Obey, Napster, B-52 Professional, SOBE, and Scratch and XXL magazines.

“It’s a given that every Stones Throw artist, and most of our staff,
shops at Guitar Center on a regular basis as nearly all of us are DJs,”
said Eothen Alapatt, general manager of Stones Throw. “There couldn’t
be a more natural partnership for Stones Throw Records.”

Parallel to the exclusive nature of the competition, this year’s Grand
Prize package features a 2006 Scion XB, a trip to the Nike iD studios
and a session with a Nike laser designer, a $2,500 Obey shopping spree
and a one-of-a-kind “Obey the Champ” Technics SL-1200MK5 turntable.

“I've been a music fan all of my life. To me, sampling in hip-hop is
the sonic equivalent of what I do as an artist and designer, which is
finding old references and remixing them to form something new,” said
Fairey, a world-renowned visual artist. “I used the ‘sampling’
approach, as I do for many things, on the Spin Off graphic. And to
create the official event t-shirt, I combined influences including old
school hip-hop flyers, elements of turntables, propaganda, and vintage
label art.”

About Stones Throw Records
Peanut Butter Wolf, founder and president of Stones Throw, became
popular as a DJ in the Bay Area in the 1990s. He has since transformed
into an artist in his own right and the head of one of the most
influential indie hip-hop labels in the country. By remaining true to
his musical philosophy, Wolf has introduced musicians such as Madlib
into the hip-hop scene and has brought some of the genre’s most
respected artists to the label such as the late J. Dilla and (MF) DOOM,
creating a varied catalogue that includes new hip-hop, undiscovered
gems of soul and inspiring niche and cult projects. His efforts add up
to a recording company that transcends a brand and takes on surprising
new directions with every release.
For more info, visit www.stonesthrow.com.

About Shepard Fairey
A world-renowned visual artist, Shepard Fairey is a critically
acclaimed, prolific and “notorious” street artist whose memorable
graphics work and fame has spread all over the globe. In addition to
his studio work (www.studionumber-one.com), Fairey also is known for
his work with the “Obey Campaign,” which can be explained as an
experiment in Phenomenology. For more info, visit www.obeygiant.com.

About Guitar Center
Guitar Center is the nation's leading retailer of guitars, amplifiers,
percussion instruments, keyboards and pro-audio and recording
equipment. We presently operate 168 Guitar Center stores, with 127
stores in 50 major markets and 39 stores in secondary markets and 2
stores in tertiary markets across the U.S. In addition, the Music &
Arts division operates 87 stores specializing in band instruments for
sale and rental, serving thousands of teachers, band directors, college
professors and students. Guitar Center is also the largest direct
response retailer of musical instruments in the U.S. through our wholly
owned subsidiary, Musician's Friend, Inc., and its catalog and web
site, www.musiciansfriend.com. More information on Guitar Center can be
found by visiting the Company's web site at www.guitarcenter.com.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Some New Vids & Shit

Big Rich "That's The Business"



Celly Cel "Bay Classics"



The Federation "18 Dummy"



Bullys Wit Fullys (Guce & Messy Marv) "So Hood"



Bailey "U-C-It"



and for the wacky tobaccy lovers...

Aceyalone "High Lights"



Here's a link to the video at the Project Blowed website for a little better quality.

Acey's not from the Bay, but I've decided I'm gonna be covering a lot more stuff from outside the Bay Area. There's just too much stuff out there that people should hear and see.