M.I.A. Scores Kenzo at Paris Fashion Week

This past Sunday saw Kenzo’s Fall 2013 presentation for Paris Fashion Week, a young, fresh collection inspired by Indian and Nepalese religious architecture and aesthetics. Building on the strength and commercial success of Spring 2013’s “Jungle Fever” motif, Kenzo again slams this season out of the park—bridging East and West with remarkably executed prints and textures styled simply and cleanly.

2011 saw Carol Lim and Humberto Leon assume the dual roles of Kenzo’s creative directors, but Lim and Leon’s past 10 years have been spent growing Opening Ceremony, the cult global lifestyle retailer the pair founded in 2002. Lim and Leon’s operative business model for curating Opening Ceremony’s products and cultural influence is simple, but genius: discover and develop the best young designers from across the world by traveling to a new country each year and immersing themselves completely in the market, discovering design talent and dope food organically.

Lim and Leon back the brands they carry with all they have—affording unknown designers the world over the space and support to flourish in the American market. In addition to the novelty and uniqueness of this global exchange, OC has achieved a dedicated following through its creative collaborations with friends—a Where the Wild Things Are capsule collection with Spike Jonze, a recurring partnership (now in its 5^th year) with Chloe Sevigny, and archival reissues with Vision Streetwear, DKNY, Pendelton, and many more.

So what is this even doing on a music blog? OC doesn’t merely collaborate with pals on products—Lim and Leon get by with a little help from their friends all across the map. OCNN (Opening Ceremony New News), the brand’s blog, captures the intersectionality of New York’s creative scene in its entirety. Music, visual arts, television, food, whatever, all inform fashion, and OC does an amazing job sharing its friend’s projects with its customers. Enter M.I.A. The notorious Tamil-British spitfire launched a clothing collaboration with OC in 2009, and again worked with Lim and Leon for Kenzo’s most recent efforts. This time, however, M.I.A worked on the show’s runway soundtrack, following in the footsteps of DJ duo NGUZUNGUZU, as well as The xx’s wonder-boy producer Jamie xx.

The eight-minute “Matangi Mix”, most likely a mini smathering of tracks from upcoming album Matangi, opens with tribal drumming and moves into heavy synth loops—bridging similar sounds from the 37-year-old’s 2007 smash Kala with a progressive hip hop logic. The mix refashions Bollywood samples with killer kick drums in a much cleaner mode than her most recent effort Maya. M.I.A.’s verse on the mix considers themes well known to those familiar with her body of work: agency, political corruption, and dissatisfaction with Western ideals. While the mix is mostly instrumental, she takes a moment to spit: “OK, I got this/ I’m thankful for my hands, cuz it’s a good thrower/ I’m thankful for my body, cuz it’s a f***ing banger/ I’m thankful for my mouth, cuz it’s a real screwer/ but most of all I’m thankful for my power!”

M.I.A again shows her unique ability to reconsider sonic influences from across the globe in a new hybrid hip-hop—crafting a transnational sound all her own. It’s no wonder that someone so in tune with a multiplicity of culture and custom breeds such success with Lim and Leon’s projects. If the mix and the show are any indication of what to expect from both forces in the future, we’re in for a bright one.

Listen to the mix here!

-Emily Manning

INTERVIEWS, TICKET GIVEAWAYS, AND MORE FOR WRGW!

February has been a rip-roarin’ month for WRGW, and we’re only two weeks in.

This Tuesday, the 19th, we’re interviewing Big Gigantic and John Skehan of Railroad Earth! Twofertuesday, amirite?

Tune in at 2:30 to hear us chat with RRE’s amiable mandolin player, and stick around from 3-4 to listen for Big Gigantic!

Make sure to Like us on Facebook to keep up with all of our exciting events, interviews, giveaways, and more.

THE SLUTUMENTARY: Killlin Yall’s Interview With DC’s Own Slutty Boyz

As many fans, readers, listeners, viewers, and whatever else of WRGW may know, we welcomed Fat Trel (DC’s biggest rap name to date aside from a certain Wale Folarin) to the studio a little over a year ago for some freestyle and interview action. He rolled into the studio real heavy and brought some of his Slutty Boy crew with him. But being the slutty gentlemen that they are, the guys let Trel take center stage as he answered questions about the major label attention he was getting at the time.

Fast forward a year, and Trel is signing with Alley Boy under Master P as the Louis V Mob, indefinitely vacationing out in California. We’ll welcome him back to the studio upon his eventual return to DC.

In the meantime, with a Trel-sized void in the DC street rap game, his 1135 label signees are beginning to establish themselves. Young Moe and Chris Bo are both polished and promising talents, and both have dropped by the studio recently to share what they’re up to.

The real wild cards though are the Slutty Boyz– charismatic and undcompromisingly original, their music stems straight from the streets of DC, incorporating the city’s native GoGo music, and above all, its grittiness. Establishing themselves as solo artists has only furthered the DMV takeover, with Dew Baby, P Wild, and Yung Gleesh all taking on the challenge and revealing very distinct characters.

With the Slutty Boy name already fairly well-known, and various group members already having tested the waters with their own solo projects, Boosa Da Shoota and Meatchi are stepping into the limelight with their own releases. Boosa, the youngest in the crew at 20, has gotten some attention for his ‘Who Dat’ song as well as his ‘GBSB’ track which features Trel, Chief Keef, and Fredo Santana. We sat down with both of them near the end of December (a few days before Boosa’s Shoot2Kill tape dropped) to discuss their projects, slutty beginnings, and all things gleesh.

- Download Boosa’s Shoot2Kill tape right here: http://bit.ly/ZkRL44
- Download Meatchi’s Free Crack, which dropped only a few days ago on the 16th, right here: http://bit.ly/109bumK
- Make sure you catch the new season of Killin Yall Saturdays from 8-10 PM this semester.
- And of course, check out the interview below.

A New Year

Thanks to all who have visited the blog this year! In 2012, the WRGW Music Blog received hits from all over the world, including Indonesia, Belgium, and even the exotic coasts of Canada! We hope you have discovered some new artists, put some concerts on your to-do list, or laughed at one of our brilliant DJs.  New programming begins on January 21st, so be sure to tune in at gwradio.com.  Here’s to 2013!

There And Back Again: A Series Of Traveling Playlists: Part 2

Having now lived in London for upwards of two months, I can almost claim to partially understand maybe some of the innumerable peculiarities of British people.  They drive on the wrong side of the road on the wrong side of the car, put milk in their tea, and are “subjects” of the Queen, rather than “citizens.” You may live in the city of London but not The City Of London.   Don’t call a Scot British, don’t ever try to walk on a moving double-decker bus, and above all else, don’t ever speak poorly of The Beatles.

The playlist I’ve compiled blends the best of British past and present. Enjoy with a side of clotted cream and a pint of Fuller’s.

Part 2: British Inspiration

You Better Believe It- The Small Faces

There She Goes- The La’s

Strawberry Fields Forever- The Beatles

I’m So Bored With The U.S.A.- The Clash

Wish You Were Here- Pink Floyd

You’re My Best Friend- Queen

Let’s Dance To Joy Division- The Wombats

Disorder- Joy Division

World In Motion- New Order

All Day And All Of The Night- The Kinks

Seventeen- Sex Pistols

Over The Hills And Far Away- Led Zeppelin

Girlfriend In A Coma- The Smiths

The Blues Are Still Blue- Belle and Sebastian

Idioteque- Radiohead

Brianstorm- Arctic Monkeys

Cheers!

There And Back Again: A Series Of Traveling Playlists, Part 1.

For so many of us in those formative, collegiate, quasi-”real-life” years, travel is crucial.  We feed on Anthony Bourdain, reblog infinite photos of exotic coasts, and envy the tales of our intrepid, cultured friends who take “gap years” or, more likely, the oh-so-fabulous Semesters Abroad.

Your narrator currently straddles the line between Travel Channel addict and actual traveler; my semester in London begins in a few days.  And, like any musicophiliac, what good is packing without a sensational playlist on the side?  It’s time to bask in the glory of Springsteen and LCD Soundsystem before pumping myself fresh with English culture.

And so begins my playlist series, featuring some classic artists and some who should be.  Check back in a few weeks for my London-licious British playlist and, in a few months, one for the return trip home.

Part 1: To Get America Out Of Your System

Time To Get Away- LCD Soundsystem

Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough- Michael Jackson

Jessie’s Girl- Rick Springfield

Ashes of American Flags- Wilco

Pretty Girl At The Airport- The Avett Brothers

The entire Grease soundtrack

We Built This City- Starship

Jenny From The Block- Jennifer Lopez

Shake Your Rump- Beastie Boys

Blue Ridge Mountains- Fleet Foxes

Don’t Stop Believing- Journey

That’s No Way To Say Goodbye- Leonard Cohen

Under The Bridge- Red Hot Chili Peppers

Rock n’ Roll High School- The Ramones

US 41- Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Born In The U.S.A- Bruce Springsteen

The song responsible for turning lillylivered liberals into cowboy boot-stomping, flagwaving, barbequeing monsters.

-Tori Kerr

HVZEL – Bird of Paradise (free download)

Little is known of Winston Berg. A legend in the minecrafting scene, one can easily hear how the skills yearned in such a productive use of time spill over into his songwriting.

I only joke because I’m not sure how to talk about his music, but don’t let that stop you from listening to it. Show some love for a GW student that’s really doing his own thing – stream here and pay what you want for the full release.

-Drew Bandos

Bloc 2012 Artist Profile: Jacques Greene

There are probably more people who have seen Jacques Greene’s face than people who know his name. Flash back to mid-late 2011 with Azelia Banks’ “212”–that’s him wearing the glasses while Azealia Banks proclaims “I’ma ruin you cunt” in his ear.

His unabashed visibility is ironic since the 22-year-old Montreal-bred producer tends to keep his identity under the radar. Even the name–Jacques Greene–is just an unusually normal alias reflecting his Anglo and French-Canadian roots.

However, over the past two years, Greene has steadily emerged out of obscurity into the forefront of a scene dominated by producers from the United Kingdom. Following the release of white label vinyls in late 2010, he has released EPs on notable labels such as Night Slugs and LuckyMe. His growing prominence with the release of Another Girl caught the attention of Radiohead, who recruited him to contribute to The King of Limbs remix compilation, TKOL RMX 1234567.   

Greene’s sound largely consists of a blend of house and garage with some overt R&B influences. Two of my favorite tracks of his, “Another Girl” and “Tell Me” best exemplify why  I find his music so appealing–they’re melancholy, deep and slow-burning with vivacity all at once.

Forthcoming is his EP Ready, which sounds to be an exciting debut on 3024–the imprint run by Martyn (who is also playing at Bloc Festival). The approach on Ready shows off his versatility; While it is a little more assertive than what I have come to perceive as his sound, he still makes room for a nice groove.

With such consistently solid releases and with the internet on his side, Jacques Greene will quickly prove to be a face and a name to know.

Stop Stressing! (Justin Peroff’s downtempo mixtape)

Justin Peroff, drummer of feel-good(lost) mainstays Broken Social Scene, just put out a most excellent mixtape of the best in bloops, beats and dopeness. Perfect for remembering that while finals may be more than enough reason to stress, there are just as many reasons to relax. Also, I found out Peroff was in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Too bad that doesn’t affect my interest in watching it. (via Drowned in Sound)

Stop Stressing! (Justin Peroff’s downtempo mixt…, posted with vodpod

-Drew Bandos

Interview: Xiu Xiu

Jamie Stewart, frontman of experimental group Xiu Xiu, called in to the WRGW studios to talk about the new album “Always” ahead of their North American Tour, which kicks off tonight in Raleigh, N.C. Xiu Xiu plays D.C. tomorrow night, May 2, at the Rock and Roll Hotel with Dirty Beaches and Father Murphy. Doors are at 8, tickets $15.

Xiu Xiu Interview:

-Jim Walls