And I'm Out Like The Vapors

Have a great holiday season. Thanks for stopping by and reading, contributing and inspiring things to happen on this blog for another year... Hope my Analytics reader sees you again in 09.

Ayo... Why Every Mixtape Gotta Have An Intro?

My music taste changes like Melbourne's weather... but in 2008 I've been fiening for some great new hip hop. I don't want to be constantly disappointed and falling back to (my) tried and true classics - Ready To Die/Blueprint/Reflection Eternal/In Search Of... I want new shit. Crazy soulful shit that moves you and begs to be played loud. It feels like it's been a while.

Being a fan of hip hop in Australia is hard work. Mainly because Australian hip hop is just... errrr, I dunno wanna say anything negative, but it just can't compete. It has ZERO swagger, zero charisma. That being said, hip hop heads downunder need to hit the net in order to stay on top of what's goin on. That or you're idea of "hot right now" is whoever's dropping a verse on the latest Ne-Yo single rotating across Nova 100.

That being said, 2008 was def the year of the mixtape for me. There were a number of awesome tapes that dropped and gave a sneak peak at the rap class of '09. Here's my fav from 2008...

Black Milk - ELEC
This is a collection of the producers 25 hottest tracks. For me, the standouts were Motown 25, Call Me, Bar Tap (one of my fav tracks of the year, sooooooooo, good!), The Matrix (beat is fire!), Bang That Shit Out, and though it wasn't on this mixtape, the track Losing Out is worth finding, HOT!

10. Deep Presents "The New Deal"

All you need for a party that everyone wants to be at. This tape just has the best vibe... I love every track on this in some way. It's going to be getting a hard thrashing during summer.

The Hamiltonization Process



"Sometimes somebody just comes along and makes you say... hold the fuck up!!"

This kid is fresh. Maybe it's because I work in strategy and appreciate the slow build of a bigger idea rather than the quick execution; but I've been digging this get-to-know-me-the-right-way approach from Charles Hamilton. His free to the web mixtapes are litered with amazing influences and samples. Who the fuck else is going to rap and sing over Incubus Echo? There are just too many great moments across these 8 mixtapes...



I feel like there's too much for me to even get my ears and head around... but the expeirence so far is great. He's brash, whitty, cocky, part angry part plain crazy... everything Kanye West was when he was young and hungry.

Hamilton is the ultimate hipster rapper. Discovered through the web, alive through the web. It'll be interesting to see if he manages to cross over to actual recording artist without losing what's made him so good in the first place. Signed to Pharrell's label makes this an interesting story about to play out in 09...



"I'm Charles Hamilton and I just proved my point... I'm nice!"

Yessir.

2 Of My Fav Songs From 2008...

Love the intro from Inside the Actors Studio host, James Lipton.

And this chick straight floored me...



Get her album.

Want To Be Prime Minister?

Too bad, you're fucked. Well at least you would be today... well unless you were a bit of a techno-snob... yeah you know the type... "Facebook is shit, I'm sick of everyone talking about Facebook! I'm not gonna get Facebook just BECAUSE everyone ELSE has Facebook!" Whatever, you dick.

But guess what. These people... there the ONLY ONES who are going to be able to run our countries one day. In all our excitement to boast about how much more exciting our lives are compared to say... yours... are we basically handing a loaded briefcase of potential character assassination material over to the masses? Facebook, MySpace and whatever else comes next... they're jammed packed with incriminating photos and "suggestive" in-jokes plastered across walls for our 400+ friend whores to read too much into. You think office Xmas party pics of Kevin Rudd dressed in drag posing with some managing directors PA pretending to do it "doggy style" will ever grace the front cover of the Herald Sun? Where's the photo of Obama dancing without his top on pinging off his tits at Summerdaze?

Makes you wonder just how different the future is going to be when it's our generation ruling the population.

Timely

N*E*R*D "Sooner or Later" clip just dropped... One of my fav songs on the album, especially that sensational guitar part.



One thing though... WTF is with the completely whack Microsoft Zune product placements? I'm kinda disappointed the guys would go for that obvious shit. The band has always fitted nicely into this not-quite-commercial/mainstream not quite indie... and their fans are kinda the same. Microsoft damn, fucking desperate.

I Roll Wit Da Ninjas

Seriously? Pirates? GTFO!

Watch how the Ninja's get down...

(chill out, it's all here.)

My Commercial Of The Year 2008

It's been a few months since I've watched this and just sitting through it again now before I wrote this, it's given me goosebumps yet again.

No doubt in my mind... this was the best commercial I saw this year. For so many reasons too... the pace, the realism, the fact that it puts you in a place only a privileged few have ever been, the mind boggling cameos, the way it manages to capture the unique skills and personalities of every single player you see, the incredible direction, the unfathomable technical feat in pulling this off, and above all the feeling it leaves you with.

If the brief was to inspire aspiring footballers to push themselves as far as they can, then this execution took them all the fucking way no doubt. This 3 minute ad captures the dream of every footballer on the planet. No exceptions. Kudos, you just did it.


Take it to the next level from evan on Vimeo.

Sounds Like 2008

So I've been thinking about starting one of those internet meme things and without further ado, here it is... my meme contribution for 2008.

If you're using iTunes...

File
New Smart Playlist
Match the following rule
Date Added
Is After
01/01/08
Limit to 30
Selected by most played often
Live Updating

Ok so what this'll do is show you which tracks (added since the 1st of Jan this year) you've been groovin to the most.

Now mine is kinda screwed a little because I lost a lot of music when I changed to a new computer at work, but it has given me a really cool insight into the different things going on this year in my life. Remember though, these are individual tracks, so there's a lot of albums that get lost here. I might do an album wrap up next week some time...

Anyways, here is my iPod Top 30 songs added since Jan 1st 2008...

(click to enlarge)

I'm actually surprised there's not more hip hop. Unknowingly, seems the hour and bit commute to and from work was filled with a lot of (old and new) N*E*R*D and salsa music (!!)... nice. That's how I roll... on the train... ola mi gente, bitchez.

So here's my laptop Top 30...

(click to enlarge)

Not much difference here apart from an injection of The Carps (who are fucking awesome!)

So 2008?

Getting back into N*E*R*D, thanks to the new album and finding a crazy Neptunes remixes mixtape, especially "By Your Side" (remix).
Appreciating the percussive brilliance in salsa music - that shit can start a party anywhere at any time.
A lot less John Mayer... new album out soon so I'm sure that'll change. Though I AM feeling less depressed (could be a direct correlation there!).
And a highlight? Corrine Bailey Ray "Call Me When You get This" is - at least to my ears - one of the nicest songs ever written.

Anyways... that's my meme contribution for 2008, so here's the folk who I'm tagging...

Julian - cause I know he's got style.
Lauren - because I know she's into completely different stuff to me and I'm down with that.
Rob - simply because I'm scared as to what we'll find... hehe

Rock/hop/dance on...

The Six

Been so busy of late I've hardy been able to keep up with the start of the NBA season.
Whoooop!

In all honesty, I don't think anyone will be able to touch Boston this year. Which annoys me because they're an arrogant bunch of fucks. So it comes down to only two others who can do the job...

Kobe - leading a surprisingly balanced Lakers.
Or King James and the Cavs.

Speaking of LeBron, I just came across the latest ad from his Internet Channel to help launch his 6th season (and Nike PE shoe). This - out of W+K Portland - is smothered in corniness and kinda disturbing at times but Nicole Scherzinger looks SUPER STUPID SHUT-THE-GATES UBER hot.



PS. Ain't Tyrone Davis' "In The Mood" just one of the fucking smoothest tracks ever!?

Fresh Kid

Apparently... she "put's it on for her city".



Kanye x Hannah Montana shirt x Wayfarers x Lil kid = awesome

More Engaging Than Any Car Ad Ever Made Ever

Having worked on a two major car brands now I can honestly say; the following clip does a 100000% more effective job of selling this Fiesta then any advertising ever could. Ford has a lot to be thankful for here... including the interwebz so the world can see it!



How could SBS possibly think that an Australian version of Top Gear could ever compete with that?! Whoa, a tractor driving down Toorak Rd, amazing! PUHLEASE!! Not everything needs a localised version! Oh no...

Try Harder

Ok, so I've let loose on Adidas a few times on this blog. God forbid one day it'll probably cost me a job somewhere but whatever... this time it's not just Nike fanboyism, it's warranted!!

Adidas... or 180 Amsterdam... your new commercial for Predator boots is a sorry-ass attempt to be everything that Nike has been since before you could sign language "COOL INTERNET VIRAL AD" whilst sucking down nutrients from your mothers placenta.

Seriously, is...



anything different from...



or this??



or this??



or this??



or this??



or this??



Apparently, originalty IS nothing!!

Beautifully Addictive

This game is a threat to your productivity.

iPhone please!!

Never A Truer Video On YouTube

Fuckin' A.



Inaccurate is one thing. Completely bullshit and misleading is another.

vilken den helvete?!

Yeah that's Swedish for "what the hell!" (I think).



At the very least, the cat in this ad is almost identical to the one I recently delivered to my friend - and avid In My Atmosphere reader - Ben. Cute little bugger with possibly the best cat name ever... Walker Texas Ranger. Yeah it sounds awesome, only thing is you try and yell that as quick as possible when you see it clawing the shit out of the cables in the back of the TV.

"Wuktxrangrr!"