Tony Z. spins Nu Pschidt tonight at Halcyon, Brooklyn's best DJ culture shop, from 7 pm to 9 pm.
Category: Culture
Recognize! – A hip hop exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery
I'm recently back from a trip to Washington D.C., where I was fortunate enough to see the Recognize! exhibit; art, spoken word and video mashups commemorating hip hops contribution to American life.
DJs love Insight Bikinis
Like any respectable DJ blog on the Internet, we've got to cover (or uncover) just about anything that has to do with DJ culture. Surely we'd be neglecting our readers if we didn't at least show important advances in fashion (yeah, right!). As we're an equal opportunity blog, we'll hit you with some men's suits over the next few weeks. For now, we're pushing the female Lycra.
Fluid Turntable Watch
DJs sure love turntables! Despite all things going digital nowadays, we can keep the turntable close to our hearts by slapping one on the wrist. This watch by Fluid has both leather and steel wristbands. It’s $70 at Karmaloop.com.
Groove Armanda at Cielo
Last night, I dropped by Cielo for a set by Groove Armada. Their latest tune, "Love Sweet Sound," washed over the crowd and pushed them into a sweaty frenzy on the dancefloor. It was the highlight of the night--then again, I did leave at 1:30 a.m. and couldn't say for the whole show. I can't justify a 4 a.m. night out on a Tuesday with homework due for class tonight!
Karmaloop's exclusive RBK Pump Fury
Working at StarStyle for the past two-years has had an influence on me. Although the site is going the way of the dinosaur and I am no longer with the company (yep, that's right), I thought I might as well carry on some a little of the traditions we built up by adding some fashion to mix. We all love fashion, right? So, in the interest of trying to make a few bucks here while shilling for the man (in this case, Reebok), I thought I'd drop these new kicks from Karmaloop (disclaimer: I get a rev share if you buy these) on the blog tonight. At $139 U.S., they're a little pricey. Since there are only 60 pairs in the U.S., you know why.
Get The Look of Lupe Fiasco's Superstar Video
MTV.com's Buzzworthy blog folks posted our StarStyle.com "Get The Look" widget of the styles from Lupe Fiasco's "Superstar" video. Visit MTV.com's blog or just select the styles from the widget below. You can also take the code and post it on your page by using the Get Code button. Enjoy!
If It’s Retail, Is It Still Rock?
As many of you may know (and for those of you who don’t), I spend my days as VP of Music at StarStyle.com, building on of the first, successful efforts to allow fans to identify, bookmark and purchase the products and merchandise they see in music videos. It’s everyone idea, really. We were just the first to bring it all together. With the help of a dedicated music staff who have a wide degree of insight into the music video production process, StarStyle has enabled commerce opportunities for over 50 music videos. In just a few short years, we will have accomplished what many others set out to do, but did not have the tools, technology or vision to accomplish.
This article that appeared in today’s edition of the New York Times (online) talks about the emerging symbiotic relationship between artists and brands. It’s especially important for the dance music industry to take notice, as the genre has been one of the last to adapt relationships with brands. There are a number of reasons for this. Mainly, the dance music industry lacks a coordinated focus to raise its profile in the United States. As the genre continues to support track-based releases instead of artist and song driven music, mainly because its cheap to produce, market and distribute, there are no stories to tell, no artists that transcend the genre, no organized effort to tap into today’s media culture.
Why is this? I don’t have all the answers, but from experience I know that most dance music industry folk lack the business knowledge to develop comprehensive, long term, revenue focused business plans. As a matter of fact, I’ve rarely even seen a dance music company produce a business plan. This gives the genre an air of disorganized organization. A chaotic message to say the least. It’s something that individuals such as I have to bring back to the genre, after stretching out arms into the larger world of pop music and online media. That’s hard to do, when many of the owners of these dance music organizations don’t care to understand where the bigger opportunities lie. They are quite content to control their market share and although they may support others who want dance music to grow and prosper, they’re sitting pretty and would hate to change the status quo.
I hope you’ll take this article as a sign things are changing in the music industry. In order for dance music to benefit, serious conversations and change in business philosophy must take place.
New MTV shows: Kaya or Tila Tequila?
Why is Tila Tequila getting her own dating show? The girl has absolutely no talent. Why would any guy (or girl) in their right mind want to go out with a self-promoting, C-level porn star who has the intelligence of a mouse. If life really is all about the sex, then the relationship will be so shallow that respectable porn stars will scoff. I can’t believe I’m even writing about it. Yes, we the media are responsible for her improbable rise to Internet infamy, so I’ll shut up now.
On the reverse, I’m kind of digging this new show, Kaya. It seems to be about a girl fighting for her self-respect while on the cusp of rock star infamy. That’s what I got from the 30-second commercial anyway. Let kids see the real of the struggle. Let them understand that being a rock star is not all about fame and fortune. There is a tangible, emotional and physical cost. Hopefully, this show will not just glamorize Kaya, but show the dark side of world of rock and roll.
Get the look of Paul Van Dyk on StarStyle.com
StarStyle.com, a web site that provides music fans with a way to purchase the items seen in music videos launched its first dance music video: Paul Van Dyk's "White Lies" featuring the vocals of Pussycat Doll, Jessica Sutta."