Exhibition: Banksy

If you have the money to spend on a flight across the pond this summer, be sure to put Banksy on your calendar. His latest exhibition opens this Saturday, in his hometown of Bristol.

Banksy has provided little information on the exhibition so far, but the website promises that more details are to follow.

Feature: The Modern Mixtape

This was a piece I wrote a couple moths ago about the mixtape and how my laptop has replaced the newspaper. Enjoy:

THE MODERN DAY MIXTAPE AND MY MORNING CUP OF JOE

After my morning shower, I get dressed and sit down at the kitchen table with my laptop and an empty mug. My routine no longer includes picking up the newspaper at the Bodega on the corner; instead I open a few bookmarks at a time, while I wait for the water to boil so I can get my daily caffeine fix. The bookmarks I use daily have their own toolbar. After checking my email and Facebook, and setting my lineup for my fantasy sports team, I pour my coffee and check what’s going on in the world. The world is a big place and it can take nearly 45 minutes to check every bookmark on my toolbar. After reading the headlines on the bookmarks I have labeled nytime’s and washpost, I move on to the blogs which have labels which seemingly don’t belong on the same toolbar: yanko, gvb, drunkfish, nahright, getright and spear. This is the world I check every morning as drink my cup of coffee and get ready for the day. This is the sample of the wider world, which I choose to follow on the web; it is a relatively small slice of the world, but it is enough for my daily cup of coffee.

The Internet has become a part of our day, a part of our routine, replacing the newspaper for some of us. I don’t know a single person who still uses dial-up, and you probably don’t either, because as of June 2008, over 90% of internet users access the internet through broadband, with only 9.51% of users connecting at dial-up speeds of 56 kbps. The Music industry as a whole is still deciding how to deal with the Internet. Look up a song on Youtube and you may find that although you can watch the music video, it is without sound. This is because Warner Music Group owns the rights to the audio track. The company is currently in negotiations with Youtube over tracks used not just in music videos but also in user-generated content. But the Hip Hop industry has embraced the Internet, at least as a promotional tool.

In the new age of Music, the up and coming artist has a variety of tools at his disposal which he may use to gain recognition in the industry, but one tool has become more important than ever, and has moved from the toolbox to the belt. The Internet has become the go-to tool for young artists hoping to get their big break, and Hip Hop artists have lead the charge. Mixtapes used to be a series of songs recorded in specific order onto a cassette tape, you probably made one for a road trip or when you were to cheap to get your girlfriend a real gift. The modern day version, which is produced by a DJ, and released digitally, has been wholly embraced by the Hip Hop world as a promotional tool. Google mixtape and you’ll the first page is entirely devoted to websites offering Hip Hop or R&B Mixtapes. All these websites offer mixtapes by well known artists as well as new ones, for free download.

Yanko Design is an industrial design Blog and Spear is a blog created by Josh Spear, who calls himself a trendspotter, but the other four bookmarks are Music blogs. gvb is my label for Gorilla vs. Bear, a music blog, which covers multiple genres but focuses on Rock, and Indie-Rock, drunkfish is my label for aquariumdrunkard, a blog that is dedicated to Indie-Rock, Alternative Country and Classic Rock. Nahright and Getright Music are both Hip Hop blogs. Nahright is the powerhouse of the Hip Hop blog world, and young artists have been quoted saying that if they can just get on to Nahright, they know they’ll blow up. Getright is more selective and only offers mixtapes whom the writers deem worthy of a download. The Get Right Music website proudly proclaims “if it’s not here, it’s not worth a download.” This sentiment reflects the intrinsic problem with the Hip Hop mixtape, which is sheer volume. Get Right Music is an interesting example because it offers quality control. While other sites try their best to offer as many mixtapes as possible, Get Right Music offers the opposite, and it’s their readers who benefit from it.
Music blogs devoted to other genres do offer downloads, but not mixtapes. It’s nice to hear a new single from a band I follow, but I want more. I want the artist to put together a series of songs in a specific order. A mixtape is a chance for an artist to showcase his talent and his creativity, because it allows so much more freedom than a studio album. Hip Hop mixtapes are in many ways a collaboration between artist and DJ, but the modern mixtape involves less mixing and cutting and more producing. Expanding the mixtape to other genres would mean giving young producers a chance to showcase their work as well.

The Mixtape is successful. Lil Wayne made the jump from Mixtape King to King of the Music world, this past year, and was named Rock Star of the year by Rolling Stone. Backed by the clothing rand 10 Deep, Hip Hop artist Kid Cudi and producer Plain Pat collaborated for a very well received mixtape, and the Cleveland MC was immediately signed to Kanye West’s music label: G.O.O.D Music. In April 2009, Chester French successfully brought the mixtape to the Indie-Pop world with the help of DJ Clinton Sparks. The mixtape, titled Jacques Jams Vol. 1: Endurance, featured numerous Hip Hop artists including Clipse and Wale, and was featured on both Indie-Pop blogs as well as Hip Hop blogs. The 24 track mixtape included 19 tracks recorded specifically for the mixtape and was well received overall.

The Mixtape is a winner for all, and has become one of the most interesting parts of my morning cup of coffee. The artist and producer get a chance to showcase their talent and creativity, gain recognition or promote an upcoming album. The corporations can benefit too, 10 Deep was already a successful street brand, but it surely broadened its following when it backed Kid Cudi. It’s the fan who really wins, because he gets a chance to add another artist to his collection, or expand on an artist he already follows, and it’s all for free. So please aspiring artists and producers of all genres get together and put something out for the music hungry like myself.

Sneakers: Nike Air Trainer 1

You probably missed out on the exclusive Manny Pacquiao edition of the Trainer 1, but Nike says the standard version will be available in the U.S. come july for about $90. Inspired by Bo Jackson's Air Trainer, the Trainer 1 employs all the latest technology including flywire, and a patent pending outsole called DiamondFLX.



images courtesy of NiceKicks.com

Mixtape: Top Ranking

This mixtape was a hit last summer, but I overlooked it. If you also missed out last summer, make up for it in the upcoming summer months. The mixtape offers more variety than Santogold's debut album. It has an electro feel to it, and includes a cover of "Gunshots in Brixton" by The Clash. The tape is worth rediscovering if you already have it and feels just right when accompanied by the sun.The mixtape was originally only available at turntablelab.com, but it's now also available on Amazon. I normally don't recommend mixtapes that aren't free, but this one is an exception, and it's definitely worth the 10 or 12 bucks.

image from amazon

Welcome

Digital Pigeon is your web courier pigeon, delivering a single parcel every day.

Based in Brooklyn, NY we try deliver the best on the web in Music, Sneakers and sometimes Sport. Anything that catches our eye and holds our attention. We are not unique. In fact, most of our post are pulled directly from other blogs - we just curate them.

We limit ourselves to a single post per day to provide the same level of selectivism exercised when communication actually required a courier pigeon.