Part of my BLOGCEMBER 2013 series- the Theme is Electronic Music *** As always, let’s set the mood: *** Ben Klock did almost a 2.5 hour set on Saturday night at […]
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Melissa Fong: Weekend DJ Feature: Nautiluss- 2013 BLOGCEMBER 8/31
I don’t even know how I became quite as obsessed as I am with Nautiluss- I don’t even like his individual tracks that much- I just honestly like listening to his sets….
Continue readingMelissa Fong: Weekend Party Announcement- Ben Klock in Toronto- 2013 BLOGCEMBER 7/31
One of the nice things is that Ben Klock is one of those legit artists that is still danceable. If you’re just getting into techno it’s a bit of a different style in terms of “the dance”. Techno tends to have a more frenetic… higher tempo beat than house. There’s
Continue readingMelissa Fong: Seeing a DJ is like going to a concert- 2013 BLOGCEMBER 6/31
If you go to these parties a lot- sometimes you’ll even see an entire crowd just facing forward to the DJ and watching him spin- they may crush up against the front to watch the details as soon as they come on stage. It truly is a concert experience.
Continue readingMelissa Fong: Ticket Price: What should you pay for a good party?- 2013 BLOGCEMBER 5/31
The purpose of writing this is to let you know that price points depend on a lot of things and I want people to make decisions on genuine qualities rather than buying into a scene. The problem I am seeing with a lot of parties lately is that they have
Continue readingArt Threat: Allegheny, BC: transformative theatre that shirks corporate culture
With six internationally acclaimed albums and a well-received book of poetry to his name, Rodney DeCroo is turning his talents to the theatre. I met with Mr. DeCroo in Vancouver at a Commercial Drive café in late August and talked with him about his current project. Allegheny, BC, directed by
Continue readingArt Threat: Ian Kamau: artistic reflections on city life
Ian Kamau is a Toronto based artist performing in Montreal for the Suoni per il Popolo festival at a concert organized by Howl!. Kamau is a key underground hip-hop artist creating today in Canada. This interview focuses on Kamau’s approach and specifically on the Traffic, a soul track from his
Continue readingArt Threat: Two songs about Rob Ford smoking crack
The Rob Ford crack controversy has a soundtrack. First we have the bluntly titled Rob Ford Smoking Crack by 21-year-old hip hop artist Corey Charron. The three-minute ditty tells a fictional account in which Charron, who recently won a $5,000 freestyle competition on US network BET, smokes crack cocaine with
Continue readingArt Threat: Sadly, Neil Young’s Ohio still relevant 43 years after Kent State massacre
It was 43 years ago today that four students were killed at Kent State University, shot dead by the Ohio National Guard as they protested US military involvement in Cambodia. The bloody tragedy would move Neil Young to write the timeless protest song Ohio, which was recorded and heard on
Continue readingArt Threat: Show us your moxy
The newest agit-POP video from the folks at the Albino Squirrel Vimeo Channel asks Morgan Freeman and CBC Radio host Jian Ghomeshi to stand with Palestinians and consider cancelling an event set to take place in a few days.
Continue readingArt Threat: Temps Libre: an album filled with hope, inspired by the printemps érable
Something happened last spring: a whole generation of Montrealers was mobilized, politicized, made aware that they had a voice. Finally opening their windows onto spring mornings as the snow melted into the grass, people converged outside, en masse, where the air was filled with promise. They filled their lungs with
Continue readingArt Threat: Buying music online is a bad deal
In the United Kingdom, music retailer HMV is on life support. Although HMV Canada’s parent company is mounting a rescue attempt, the brand responsible for 35% of the CD market in Britain may soon collapse, in large part due to the shift towards purchasing music online. While many consumers would
Continue readingArt Threat: Pussy Riot member denied appeal by Russian court
A Russian court has turned down an appeal by jailed Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina, who has requested to serve the remainder of her prison sentence in the future when her 5-year-old son turns 14. She had argued that their separation has damaging his development. Amnesty International criticized the ruling.
Continue readingArt Threat: Radiohead threatens to “sue the living shit” out of British PM
Radiohead’s Thom Yorke is threatening to “sue the living shit” of British Prime Minister David Cameron if his Conservative Party uses their music in an election campaign. “I can’t believe he’d like King of Limbs much. But I also equally think, who cares?” Yorke told Dazed & Confused. “As long
Continue readingArt Threat: Oil makes for a slippery slope
Today marks the start of a five day hearing process about the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline. About 330 speakers will have 10 minutes each to address the panel responsible for reviewing the $6-billion Enbridge project. A couple years ago Canadian musician City and Colour wrote the song “At The
Continue readingArt Threat: Sony hatches ploy to keep Bob Dylan out of the public domain
Bob Dylan has a new album out, but you’re not supposed to listen to it. Sony Music has released a box set of demos by the artist, entitled The 50th Anniversary Collection: The Copyright Extension Collection, Vol 1. With only 100 units available, the ultra exclusive release isn’t intended to
Continue readingArt Threat: Amnesty International goes Gangnam Style for Chinese dissidents
I’m tired of Gangnam Style. Especially so since Psy denounced his past anti-war performances in South Korea — presumably because criticizing the US military doesn’t jive with his newfound pop celebrity status in America. Even more exhausting are the endless Gangnam Style parodies and rip-offs, most of which are simply
Continue readingArt Threat: Pussy Riot videos banned by Russian court
A Moscow court has ordered Russian internet providers to block videos by Pussy Riot, calling them “extremist” and seeking to incite “mass disorder”.
Continue readingArt Threat: Stevie Wonder to perform at Israeli military fundraiser
Muscial icon Stevie Wonder will perform for a fundraiser to support the Israeli military, who recently ended their week-long bombing campaign of Gaza that killed 160 Palestinians and injured one thousand more, mostly civilians. According to Israeli news website Ynetnews, Wonder will appear at an annual gala hosted by the Friends of the Israel Defense […]
Continue readingArt Threat: Free mp3 from Montreal’s Léopard et moi
Today, Art Threat presents a track by the Montreal band Léopard et moi in the lead up to the sixth edition of the Howl! concert series in Montreal. Rooted in the Québécois underground music scene in Montreal, Léopard et moi was involved in the foundation of the celebrated La Brique
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