Well it's arriving in less than 11 post away. We will reach the 200th post on Damion DJ & Producer Blog. I would like to take the time and thank everyone who visits, comments and supports this blog. It definitely has been a learning experience and its nice when I get feedback. I basically started this blog because I kept finding so many cool things online and didn't want to forget them. So I started this blog and have watched it grow slowly but surely.
So with that being said as a thank you I would like to have a Giveway Contest. The Winner of the contest will win a New 11x17 Poster designed by Damion Schweizer (see below). Here is how to enter: Leave a comment explaining what your favorite post was, or sign up to my RSS feed, or follow me on Twitter. You can be enter into the contest by three different ways (be sure to include an email so I can track you down if you win). Also if you do subscribe leave me a message so that I know that you have become a subscriber. If you’re already a subscriber, then just add a comment or follow me on Twitter and you’re good. The winner will be chosen randomly and will be notified. The winner will be announced on the 200th post.
So again Thank you and I value your opinions so please feel free to take this as an opportunity as well to make any suggestions.
Gorillaz have released their third album "Plastic Beach". It has been an anticipated album that so many fans have been waiting for its release. Gorillaz started twelve years ago by Damon Albran from Blur and the visual aspect of Gorillaz was done by James Hewlett who was also known for being the co-creator of the comic Tank Girl. Together they made the first fictional multi-media band. In this release you could basically call it Damon Albarn Project due to he writes, produces, sings and plays most of the music. I give him props for including a very comprehensive collection of guest on this album: Snoop Dogg, De La Soul, Mos Def, Lou Reed, and Clash's Mick Jones who all give great depth and style to each song they perform.
In the World of Plastic Beach feat. Snoop Dogg I enjoyed how Orchestral Intro (feat. Sinfonia Viva) slowly works your way up to Snoop Dogg's what would you call it dub funk track. The style in which he flows and his rhymes are slick that is why he is the boss dogg. Favorite line from this song is "Yeah, just like that Belly floppin' lockin' while I'm rockin' in the bubble bath" just the way he says it sounds smooth even though it doesn't make since. Then there is the Superfast Jellyfish (feat. Gruff Rhys & De La Soul) this is another great track on this CD. Gruff Rhys and De La Soul provide a fun rap-slap song which seem to be a spoof on a commercial for a morning breakfast product. When I hear this song it takes me back to the 80's cartoon style drawings and the cheesiness that went with it. Over all this is a great album which deserves a listen to. It may not have the same feel as previous albums but it definitely gives a whole new feel and style on this one.
Welcome to the new installment of the playlist series with Playlist-11 Compiled by Damion. In this playlist I have included some upbeat songs with some interesting piano synth sounds in a lot of the tracks that give each song a unique appeal. I would advice though to check out the last song "That White Girl" by Track Rockers Ent. It was written by Raybones and Produced by Mic Vicious. It currently is a promo track that as of yet is an untitled project by Raybones. Raybones and his partner Mic Vicious, the two collaborated on Raybone's first EP Dirty White Boy; together, the pair established Track Rockers, a dynamic duo who creates original beats and lyrics. Mic Vicious is actually a good friend of mine who is very talented in the producer arena. This man can put together a nice hip hop track for your listening pleasure. If you want to check out more by Raybones and Mic Vicious then check out their Myspace pages. If you want to check out any of the other playlist then click on Archived Playlist in this post or on the right hand side of this blog.
Cover art by: Damion Schweizer
Tracklist
1. Buoy by The Nightgowns
2. Falling From The Sun by Album Leaf
3. Flashes by Spirit Spine
4. Folding Under Stories Told by Letting Up Despite Great Faults
5. He Was Worse Than The Needle He Gave You by The Delta Mirror
6. I Can't Wait To Come Home by Dreamboat Money
7. Icarus by White Hinterland
8. In A Dream by Skybox
9. July Flame by Laura Veirs
10. Artichoke by Pandit
11. Sundy by Field
12. The Kids Don't Stand A Chance (Miike Snow Remix) by Vampire Weekend
13. The King and All Of His Men by Wolf Gang
14. Wide Eyes by Local Natives
15. Young Intentions (Feat. Goddamn Electric Bill) by IMMOOR
16. That White Girl by Track Rockers Ent.
I found some very interesting postcards from back in the day of the Expo67. If you want to know what the Expo67 was here is some information on it from Wikipedia. The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, or Expo 67 as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, category one World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It was considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with over 50 million visitors and 62 nations participating. It also set the single-day attendance record for a world's fair with 569,000 visitors on its third day.
After Expo 67 ended in October 1967, the site and most of the pavilions lived on as an exhibition called Man and His World, open during the summer months from 1968 until 1981. By that time, most of the buildings, which had not been designed to last beyond the original exhibition, had deteriorated and were dismantled. Today, the islands that hosted the world exhibition are mainly used as parkland and for recreational use, with only a few remaining structures from Expo 67 to show that the event was held there. Many Canadians from that time still regard it as one of the country's finest cultural achievements. Below are some old postcards from the Expo 67 that provide a great visual look back at 1967. More postcards click here.
I'm a sucker for interesting buildings and architecture and this one has caught my eye. What you are seeing is a real building. A company called Vitra a Swiss furniture manufacturer wanted to jump into the market of home interior and wanted a space for their collection. So they had designer Herzog and de Meuron design an amazing modern building which is comprised of 12 stacked houses. It was created in order to target individual customers with an interest in design. If you think the outside looks beautiful you should see the inside as well. The building is located on the border of Germany and Switzerland, in the town of Weil am Rhein. So if you every visit Germany I would check this out.
I found Steven Beckly work on Flickr and I can say I'm enjoying a lot of his photography and wanted to share with the readers his works. Steven Beckly is a photographer living and working in Toronto, Canada. He believes there is a beauty in everyday moments that normally go unnoticed. You can tell from his photography that he captures a lot of the everyday moments even when no one is around. If you want to check out more of his work or follow him on his social networks your in luck then. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr and his Blog.
I'm not one for camping but the Opera Camper could change my mind on the wonders of camping. The Opera Camper is a sleek tow-behind package and from the looks of this camper. It is a luxury type suite camper that can be taken where ever you want it to go. It includes a tweaked veranda, two electrically-adjustable beds that can be combined to make a larger single sleeping surface. It has a boiler for the hot water in your own compact kitchen and it includes a top-loaded fridge with 36L of storage. It comes with the a ceramic toilet of your own so no port A potty for you. Lastly it comes with a corian fountain with pull-out faucet head that doubles as an outdoor shower. It current price for this camper is not known yet so it is (TBA). If you want more info check out the brochure.
I found a new band that I haven't been able to stop listening to since I found him via Paul Tebbott twitter page. Portland-based Keith Kenniff, who creates music under the solo projects of Helios and Goldmund, as well as collaborating with his wife Hollie in Mint Julep. His music consists mostly of piano and guitar with atmospheric background sounds which will put your mind at ease. It will take you to places where you feel warm and safe like when you were a kid playing in the autumn leaves with the sun shining and your feeling care free to the world. It's producers like Helios that not only reflect on the sounds that they hear and produce but also the reflections of sounds the listener might feel. Music like Helios takes you places it might be to past experiences or thoughts of new futures. It's all up to how the music shapes your mind.
On a non philosophical note though Keith also runs a blog where he posts tracks that he produced or remixed as well as videos that he produced and wrote the music for. He currently is going to be releasing two limited edition CD's of "Unleft" and “Live at the Triple Door”. He states that he is having the albums professionally manufactured with full artwork, and remastered. Unleft will have the same track-listing as “Unreleased Vol.1” but will feature an extra bonus track called “The Morning Room”. He will only have 150 copies of each available for sale, and doesn't plan to repress them unless he receives another large order. If you want to preorder his CD's you can do so at the Unseen Shop. The albums are due to be released on March 1st. I have added some of his videos that I found interesting for you to check out as well as some of his tracks.
We all remember the days before the CD and the mp3 player. If you do then you can remember making mix tapes. You probably made many compilations of all your favorite music, to share with your friends and loved ones, on good old fashioned blank cassette tapes (I know I did). I have memories of trying to dub a tape or trying to record a song from the radio with my dual cassette recorder. Just saying that make me sound old school. If you miss making mixed tapes this product will inspire you again! I give you the Mix Tape USB Stick($16.00). It comes with a 128mb USB memory stick and can store up to 2hrs of music and comes in 6 different designs.
