No doubt one of the most highly anticipated hip-hop releases of the year, 8 Diagrams is the latest effort from the Wu-Tang Clan. Pushed back several times, and surrounded by an incredible amount of hype, this album had a great potential to suck - particularly in light of the Wu's last couple of albums. Fortunately, however, 8 Diagrams packs enough heat to make it the best Wu album since their classic Wu-Tang Forever.... [continue]

I love shooting macro photos, especially involving things that don't move. It really allows you to leave the shutter open for a while and get some crazy detail on very small objects. For me, it takes a lot of things that people would find mundane and turns them into objects of beauty. I took a failed trip to McLogan's this morning, not knowing that they would be closed on Friday. As the foremost supplier to...... [continue]

A follow-up to video artist Lasse Gjertsen's "Amateur" video, yesterday's 4:20 Video. I think I am pretty jaded towards web video gimmicks, but I sat slackjawed when I saw these for the first time a couple of days ago. Enjoy! ©...... [continue]

Love, ©...... [continue]

Located in the farthest eastern part of Los Angeles county, Fontana is infamous for its distinction as the birthplace of the Hell's Angels and as perhaps the key southern California hub for methamphetamine distribution. Fontana's image to the outside world is now largely the product of its NASCAR speedway, which makes TV appearances throughout the year. Fontana is hot, dry, windy and dirty. The only geological feature of this industrial center in what would... [continue]

Contains NSFW language if that's a problem. Enjoy! ©...... [continue]

There is pretty much nothing that I love more than great electronic music. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't ever get into electronic music because it is something that you really have to seek out, because like any other type of music, most of it sucks. Add to that the fact that there is a very limited radio audience, only a handful of credible domestic labels, and very little marketing associated with the good...... [continue]

With a ton of much-deserved hype, Calvin Harris descended on the Echo on Friday night. His debut album has been an official repeater in my studio for the last three weeks. I remember my third or fourth listen one night. I heard a song that I really loved, finished the album, and then went back to find the track, but the entire album was so good that I couldn't find that one track. To... [continue]

You can reproduce the amazing flavors of true Santa Maria BBQ in your backyard on a much smaller scale, using a 2-3 lb. tri-tip in place of a 20 lb topblock. Looking to watch your urbane clique revert to their primal roots, forsaking knife, fork, and plate for fingers, bulged eyes, and wide smiles? Want to see your veggie and vegan friends split into groups of people either salivating because they want a taste, or are fully repulsed at such a carnivorous feast? Want to make something awesome, with $20, and at the last minute for a group of 4-5 people? This is your answer. ... [continue]

The fact that the good old CD has been on the market for 25 years is the latest factoid to make me feel like I am getting downright old. I didn't actually get on the digital audio bandwagon until around 1989. Up to that point, while there were vinyl albums around the house, my world was all about cassette tapes. These days, I am well-informed / jaded enough to look at any new format...... [continue]

I have been loving this song since I heard it a couple of months ago, and here is the video. Maybe I am just a sucker for talking animals. It's a new Chemical Brothers track featuring Fatlip from Pharcyde and his friend, Sammy the Salmon. What it DO? Enjoy! ©...... [continue]

Few directors are more well suited to 4:20 Video Time than British auteur Chris Cunningham. His work with both Squarepusher (here), Bjork and Aphex Twin have set a high bar for weirdness and imagination in the area of music video. Enjoy! ©... [continue]

The story of Justice is almost as awesome as the music which they create. Two former graphic designers from France start playing with electronic music production. Their efforts produce much illness, which creates a ruckus in the dance music scene. They get a deal with what would soon be the hottest dance label out of the hottest scene in the world, a recent project of longtime manager and opening DJ for Daft Punk named... [continue]

Patrick Goldstein has a great idea. Replace advertising on the LA Times front page with a CD full of new music. Given that the recorded music business is pretty much over, and that exposure via film, TV and concerts is the primary revenue source for musicians outside of publishing assets for bands that write their own material, this seems like a pretty good idea. Talk to Prince. He has sold tens of millions of...... [continue]

One of my primary goals when I started working in the music business was to, some day, meet with somebody from Warp Records. As an eager newbie DJ in 1990, I was fortunate enough to discover this label through a couple of releases that helped form my sensibilities in a way that was so profound that it endures to this day. Coco Steele & Lovebomb's "You Can't Stop the Groove" and Power Pill's "Pac...... [continue]

Daft Punk last performed in Los Angeles proper in 1997 in support of their now classic debut album Homework at the club Pink. I was ill that evening and couldn't make the show, although my next door neighbor at the time went and raved about how awesome the show was for the following several weeks. When Daft Punk played at Coachella in 2006, southern California fans were treated to, by all accounts, one of...... [continue]

This is the second piece in a series celebrating some of the most classic albums to ever come out of Los Angeles.Part two is all about the west coast hip-hop classic Death Certificate, a true masterpiece from one of the OG architects of LA hip-hop....... [continue]

Enjoy! ©... [continue]

This is the first in a series of albums that I feel are crucial to the experience of the city of Los Angeles. These are the albums that endure year after year, and continue to make me feel alive and thrilled to be living in LA. Some of these are going to be obvious, and some are hopefully going to inspire you to go listen to something you have never heard before. In an era...... [continue]

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