Analysis Digitalis

NEW LOCATIONS

2010-06-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

I'm discontinuing this blog and moving furtherposts to:

• Rontronik.com
• Smartbomb.net

Thanks for your continued support

-R

Album Cover of The Month: NIA

2010-06-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

Special shout to my dude Brent Rollins. Always inspirational work. This is just one of many covers he has art directed/designed. Check The Stimulus Package (Freeway and Jake One release)!

Steve Jobs: Thoughts On Flash

2010-05-09T10:37:00.001-04:00

Apple has a long relationship with Adobe. In fact, we met Adobe’s founders when they were in their proverbial garage. Apple was their first big customer, adopting their Postscript language for our new Laserwriter printer. Apple invested in Adobe and owned around 20% of the company for many years. The two companies worked closely together to pioneer desktop publishing and there were many good times. Since that golden era, the companies have grown apart. Apple went through its near death experience, and Adobe was drawn to the corporate market with their Acrobat products. Today the two companies still work together to serve their joint creative customers – Mac users buy around half of Adobe’s Creative Suite products – but beyond that there are few joint interests.

I wanted to jot down some of our thoughts on Adobe’s Flash products so that customers and critics may better understand why we do not allow Flash on iPhones, iPods and iPads. Adobe has characterized our decision as being primarily business driven – they say we want to protect our App Store – but in reality it is based on technology issues. Adobe claims that we are a closed system, and that Flash is open, but in fact the opposite is true. Let me explain.

First, there’s “Open”.

Adobe’s Flash products are 100% proprietary. They are only available from Adobe, and Adobe has sole authority as to their future enhancement, pricing, etc. While Adobe’s Flash products are widely available, this does not mean they are open, since they are controlled entirely by Adobe and available only from Adobe. By almost any definition, Flash is a closed system.

Apple has many proprietary products too. Though the operating system for the iPhone, iPod and iPad is proprietary, we strongly believe that all standards pertaining to the web should be open. Rather than use Flash, Apple has adopted HTML5, CSS and JavaScript – all open standards. Apple’s mobile devices all ship with high performance, low power implementations of these open standards. HTML5, the new web standard that has been adopted by Apple, Google and many others, lets web developers create advanced graphics, typography, animations and transitions without relying on third party browser plug-ins (like Flash). HTML5 is completely open and controlled by a standards committee, of which Apple is a member.

Apple even creates open standards for the web. For example, Apple began with a small open source project and created WebKit, a complete open-source HTML5 rendering engine that is the heart of the Safari web browser used in all our products. WebKit has been widely adopted. Google uses it for Android’s browser, Palm uses it, Nokia uses it, and RIM (Blackberry) has announced they will use it too. Almost every smartphone web browser other than Microsoft’s uses WebKit. By making its WebKit technology open, Apple has set the standard for mobile web browsers.

Second, there’s the “full web”.

Adobe has repeatedly said that Apple mobile devices cannot access “the full web” because 75% of video on the web is in Flash. What they don’t say is that almost all this video is also available in a more modern format, H.264, and viewable on iPhones, iPods and iPads. YouTube, with an estimated 40% of the web’s video, shines in an app bundled on all Apple mobile devices, with the iPad offering perhaps the best YouTube discovery and viewing experience ever. Add to this video from Vimeo, Netflix, Facebook, ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, ESPN, NPR, Time, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, People, National Geographic, and many, many others. iPhone, iPod and iPad users aren’t missing much video.

Another Adobe claim is that Apple devices cannot play Flash games. This is true. Fortunately, there are over 50,000 games and entertainment titles on the App Store, and many of them are free. There are more games and entertainment titles available for iPhone, iPod and iPad than for any other platform in the world.

Third, there’s reliability, security and performance.

Symantec recently highlighted Flash for having one of the worst security records in 2009. We also know first hand that Flash is the number one reason Macs crash. We have been working with Adobe to fix these problems, but they have persisted for several years now. We don’t want to reduce the reliability and security of our iPhones, iPods and iPads by adding Flash.

In addition, Flash has not performed well on mobile devices. We have routinely asked Adobe to show us Flash performing well on a mobile device, any mobile device, for a few years now. We have never seen it. Adobe publicly said that Flash would ship on a smartphone in early 2009, then the second half of 2009, then the first half of 2010, and now they say the second half of 2010. We think it will eventually ship, but we’re glad we didn’t hold our breath. Who knows how it will perform?

Fourth, there’s battery life.

To achieve long battery life when playing video, mobile devices must decode the video in hardware; decoding it in software uses too much power. Many of the chips used in modern mobile devices contain a decoder called H.264 – an industry standard that is used in every Blu-ray DVD player and has been adopted by Apple, Google (YouTube), Vimeo, Netflix and many other companies.

Although Flash has recently added support for H.264, the video on almost all Flash websites currently requires an older generation decoder that is not implemented in mobile chips and must be run in software. The difference is striking: on an iPhone, for example, H.264 videos play for up to 10 hours, while videos decoded in software play for less than 5 hours before the battery is fully drained.

When websites re-encode their videos using H.264, they can offer them without using Flash at all. They play perfectly in browsers like Apple’s Safari and Google’s Chrome without any plugins whatsoever, and look great on iPhones, iPods and iPads.

Fifth, there’s Touch.

Flash was designed for PCs using mice, not for touch screens using fingers. For example, many Flash websites rely on “rollovers”, which pop up menus or other elements when the mouse arrow hovers over a specific spot. Apple’s revolutionary multi-touch interface doesn’t use a mouse, and there is no concept of a rollover. Most Flash websites will need to be rewritten to support touch-based devices. If developers need to rewrite their Flash websites, why not use modern technologies like HTML5, CSS and JavaScript?

Even if iPhones, iPods and iPads ran Flash, it would not solve the problem that most Flash websites need to be rewritten to support touch-based devices.

Sixth, the most important reason.

Besides the fact that Flash is closed and proprietary, has major technical drawbacks, and doesn’t support touch based devices, there is an even more important reason we do not allow Flash on iPhones, iPods and iPads. We have discussed the downsides of using Flash to play video and interactive content from websites, but Adobe also wants developers to adopt Flash to create apps that run on our mobile devices.

We know from painful experience that letting a third party layer of software come between the platform and the developer ultimately results in sub-standard apps and hinders the enhancement and progress of the platform. If developers grow dependent on third party development libraries and tools, they can only take advantage of platform enhancements if and when the third party chooses to adopt the new features. We cannot be at the mercy of a third party deciding if and when they will make our enhancements available to our developers.

This becomes even worse if the third party is supplying a cross platform development tool. The third party may not adopt enhancements from one platform unless they are available on all of their supported platforms. Hence developers only have access to the lowest common denominator set of features. Again, we cannot accept an outcome where developers are blocked from using our innovations and enhancements because they are not available on our competitor’s platforms.

Flash is a cross platform development tool. It is not Adobe’s goal to help developers write the best iPhone, iPod and iPad apps. It is their goal to help developers write cross platform apps. And Adobe has been painfully slow to adopt enhancements to Apple’s platforms. For example, although Mac OS X has been shipping for almost 10 years now, Adobe just adopted it fully (Cocoa) two weeks ago when they shipped CS5. Adobe was the last major third party developer to fully adopt Mac OS X.

Our motivation is simple – we want to provide the most advanced and innovative platform to our developers, and we want them to stand directly on the shoulders of this platform and create the best apps the world has ever seen. We want to continually enhance the platform so developers can create even more amazing, powerful, fun and useful applications. Everyone wins – we sell more devices because we have the best apps, developers reach a wider and wider audience and customer base, and users are continually delighted by the best and broadest selection of apps on any platform.

Conclusions.

Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice. Flash is a successful business for Adobe, and we can understand why they want to push it beyond PCs. But the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short.

The avalanche of media outlets offering their content for Apple’s mobile devices demonstrates that Flash is no longer necessary to watch video or consume any kind of web content. And the 200,000 apps on Apple’s App Store proves that Flash isn’t necessary for tens of thousands of developers to create graphically rich applications, including games.

New open standards created in the mobile era, such as HTML5, will win on mobile devices (and PCs too). Perhaps Adobe should focus more on creating great HTML5 tools for the future, and less on criticizing Apple for leaving the past behind.

Steve Jobs
April, 2010

Album cover Of The Month: Peter Gabriel 2

2010-05-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

iBeat's The Death Of Keith Elam – GURU Tribute show

2010-04-21T10:21:00.003-04:00

"Guru taught me how to use my voice and the importance of taking two and pass. When I broke up with my girlfried, I chanted “next with the ex-girl.” Keith Elam, you will be missed and these 2 hours is not enough to truly honor your wisdom." — iBeat

R.I.P G/ifted U/nlimited R/hymes U/niversal

FDR's Proposed 2nd Bill Of Rights

2010-04-15T00:00:00.001-04:00

PIXELS By Patrick Jean

2010-04-08T17:42:00.000-04:00

PIXELS by PATRICK JEAN.
Uploaded by onemoreprod. - Watch original web videos.

Dam-Funk “The Things That Dreams Are Made Of” Video

2010-04-06T10:11:00.001-04:00

Dam Funk has covered “The Things Dreams Are Made Of” by synth-pop band The Human League. The song & video were made for shoe brand Dr. Martens 50-year-anniversary celebration, along with a total of ten modern-day producers who remade cult classics in their own style. The video was directed by Ace Norton.

The Big Daddy Kane Story (Full Documentary)

2010-04-05T13:44:00.002-04:00

O Children "Ruins"

2010-04-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

This is a shout to all the Black Goths!

Album Cover of The Month: Freeway & Jake One "The Stimulus Package"

2010-04-01T00:00:00.003-04:00

Brent Rollins you have done it again!

Tron And Lost Title Sequence, Reimagined In 1960 Saul Bass Style

2010-03-27T04:00:00.004-04:00

Tron vs. Saul Bass from Hexagonall on Vimeo.

Lost vs. Saul Bass from Hexagonall on Vimeo.

New DJ Mix: Radio Rontronik - Broadcast 8 (Optical Audio Interface)

2010-03-25T12:39:00.005-04:00

CGN presents Radio Rontronik: Broadcast 8 (Optical Audio Interface).

1. Forever (Nosaj Thing Remix) by Drake (Feat. Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem)
2. Daily Routine (Phaseone Remix) by Animal Collective
3. Heroes (Kruder’s Long Loose Bossa) by Roni Size / Reprazent
4. Spacecapades by Dam Funk
5, Young Turks by Rod Stewart
6. Get Lite by Anti-Pop Consortium
7. Get ‘Em High by Kanye West (Feat. Talib Kweli and Common)
8. Cyclotron by Harmonic 313
9. Deux Three by Mike Slott
10. Purple Smoke by Black Cow
11. I Owe You (Remix) by Isolee
12. Mono by Caro Intelecto
running time: 00:46:58

Get it HERE.

NY-Z: An ABSOLUT Collaboration with Jay-Z

2010-03-22T22:00:00.002-04:00

ABSOLUT® VODKA UNVEILS “NY-Z” – A SHORT FILM FEATURING LEGENDARY ARTIST AND NATIVE NEW YORKER JAY-Z

Director Danny Clinch and Hip-Hop Icon Pay Tribute to New York City with Black & White Short Film; Latest Creative Collaboration from World’s Most Iconic Vodka

NEW YORK (March 22, 2010) – Today, as part of an ongoing creative collaboration with JAY-Z and Madison Square Garden (MSG), ABSOLUT® VODKA introduces “NY-Z” – a 14-minute short film featuring JAY-Z and directed by popular music and culture photographer Danny Clinch. Featuring exclusive footage of JAY-Z and John Mayer as they prepare for the September 11 benefit concert at MSG, NY-Z offers a rare glimpse into the life of native New Yorker Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter as he discusses his hometown and what it means for an artist to “arrive” with a performance at the world’s most famous arena. The short film is available for viewing at facebook.com/ABSOLUT.

In September 2009, ABSOLUT and Madison Square Garden announced the ABSOLUT CONCERT SERIES, a sponsorship dedicated to giving music fans the ultimate concert experience through a series of high-profile performances – ranging from rock and roll to country. To kick off the series, JAY-Z put on a one-night-only concert on September 11 with surprise guests, (among them Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Beyonce and Rihanna), to benefit the New York Fire and Police Widow and Children’s Benefit Fund.

NY-Z paints a rare portrait of the hip-hop icon, with unprecedented access to JAY-Z the days and moments leading up to, and after, his legendary benefit concert. Danny Clinch gives viewers an intimate glimpse into JAY-Z’s childhood, his motivation as an artist, his passion for music, and his muse, New York. The film marks yet another unprecedented collaboration for the spirits brand in a long line of artistic partnerships dating back to the 1980s when ABSOLUT engaged pop culture icons, such as Andy Warhol and Keith Haring.

“NY-Z is a great product of the collaborations behind the ABSOLUT Concert Series,” Danny Clinch, Director of NY-Z said. “As the director, the creative spirits behind ABSOLUT and two iconic NY brands, JAY-Z and MSG, allowed for such a natural and seamless foundation, that the rest was really about celebrating New York through JAY-Z’s eyes and exploring the notion that you have truly ‘arrived’ as a performer when you are playing at the Garden.”

NY-Z was shot by ABSOLUT agency of record TBWA, in black and white in New York. For more information about NY-Z, visit Facebook.com/ABSOLUT.

Watch...

2010-03-21T16:31:00.001-04:00

Chasing Emily (NSFW) Pilot Episode

2010-03-21T13:27:00.000-04:00

Chasing Emily - TV Pilot from Emily Morse on Vimeo.

She went to Michigan ... I remember her - she was pretty hot then too...

Pick Two...

2010-03-16T11:26:00.002-04:00

2010-03-15T19:31:00.001-04:00

Tunde Olaniran - Cobra from Babatunde Olaniran on Vimeo.

Flint-town Get-down!
Big up to Olivia Brown for link!

The Electro Wars Final Trailer

2010-03-15T18:20:00.000-04:00

The Electro Wars Final Trailer from Stephen Alex Vasquez on Vimeo.

Reggie Watts in F_CK SH_T (NSFW)

2010-03-14T22:38:00.003-04:00

LOOSEWORLD x Waverly Films: Reggie Watts in F_CK SH_T STACK from LOOSEWORLD on Vimeo.

Big up to Gary Doomsday for the link!

Nosaj Thing Video Show collaboration with Julia Tsao

2010-03-13T20:43:00.000-05:00

Nosaj Thing Visual Show Compilation Test Shoot from Adam Guzman on Vimeo.

Alternate Tarantino Movie Posters

2010-03-13T10:37:00.003-05:00

Super Mario Interrupted...

2010-03-11T21:00:00.001-05:00

NEW DJ Mix: Speakeasy Wednesdays

2010-03-11T08:30:00.003-05:00

“Speakeasy Wednesdays” was a series of “test sessions” that were setup to expand into a weekly and monthly event. This mix is an excerpt of one of those nights.

Tracks include songs from Anti-Pop Consortium, Gorillaz, Massive Attack, Osunlade, Hot Chip, Bomb The Bass, Derrick May and more…

Get it HERE.
For track listing contact me at rontronik@rontronik.com

Now You're A New Dork... (The Anthem)

2010-03-08T11:53:00.004-05:00

Video Throwback: Mantronix "Bassline"

2010-03-03T23:45:00.000-05:00

The Realness

2010-03-03T12:11:00.002-05:00

...nuff said

Autechre - Gantz Graf Video

2010-03-02T08:22:00.001-05:00

One of my favorites...

Dead Kennedys Vs. The Record Industry

2010-03-02T00:15:00.004-05:00

Make sure to read the text on the cassette tape sold to consumers at release... Priceless.

Album Cover of The Month: Metamatic

2010-03-01T23:10:00.002-05:00

Song Of The Moment

2010-03-01T11:24:00.000-05:00

Tiger Woods Y'all (All Good Y'all?)

2010-02-19T13:43:00.001-05:00

Stone Island Video Lookbook

2010-02-17T17:24:00.001-05:00

Stone Island Shadow Project Fall Winter '009 '010 from Ken-Tonio Yamamoto on Vimeo.

NEW DJ MIX: Radio:Rontronik - Broadcast 7 (An Affair Of The Heart)

2010-02-11T16:15:00.000-05:00

CGN presents Radio Rontronik: Broadcast 7 (An Affair Of The Heart). A Special Valentine Mix.

1. One Life Stand (Carl Craig Remix) - Hot Chip
2. Seven (Seth Troxler Remix) - Fever Ray
3. Gobbledigook (Gluteous Maximus Mix) - Sigür Ros
4. The Whistler (Jessie Rose Mix) - Claude Von Stroke
5. Afreaka - Solo
6. Paradise Circus (Gui Boratto Remix) - Massive Attack
7. Walking Away - She Wants Revenge
8. Debby Downer - Argy + TMB
9. Black & Blue - Bim Marx
10. Don't Stay For Breakfast - Stroer
11. Filter Kings / No Highs / Finale - 69
12. Porcelain Sky (O-Ren Ishii Mix) - Rontronik
13. In For The Kill (Heartbreak Remix) - La Roux

Total Running Time = 58minutes 5seconds

Get it here.

Favorite TV Show Promotion Of The Year (So Far)

2010-02-11T10:03:00.004-05:00

Psych (Promo Video)

Hall & Oates (Original Video)

Big shout to C. Booker for putting me on to the show.

Mirrors Are Scary

2010-02-11T09:13:00.001-05:00

Typeface Film Trailer

2010-02-03T14:19:00.000-05:00

Album Cover of The Month: Public Enemy "Fear Of A Black Planet"

2010-02-03T13:33:00.001-05:00

The Knife "Tomorrow, In A Year" A Darwin Electro-Opera (Excerpt)

2010-02-01T14:59:00.000-05:00

The world seen through the eyes of Charles Darwin forms the basis for the performance 'Tomorrow, in a year'. Theatre production company Hotel Pro Formas striking visuals blend with pop-duo The Knifes ground-breaking music to create a new species of electro-opera.
Hotel Pro Forma is supported by the Danish Arts Council - Committee for the Performing Arts.

Possibly The Best Contest Ever

2010-02-01T08:36:00.004-05:00

I'm not the biggest fan of American Apparel but this contest is pretty sweet. Get involved here.

"BOOTY BOOTY BOOTY BOOTY ROCKIN EVERYWHERE"
—Bubba Sparxxx (Ms. New Booty)

Steven Colbert Thanks Geoff Sanoff In Grammy Award Acceptance Speach

2010-02-01T07:34:00.002-05:00

Big Ups to Geoff! (1min 37second mark of video)

Hello David / Dear Simon (Client Vs. Designer)

2010-01-31T12:46:00.002-05:00

Shout to Ameer R. for the image

Obama Goes To GOP Lions' Den And Mauls The Lions (Full Video)

2010-01-30T11:55:00.003-05:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

HBO's 'Funny Or Die Presents' Trailer

2010-01-29T16:38:00.002-05:00

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Fever Ray’s Speechless Acceptance Speech

2010-01-29T15:46:00.002-05:00

Big up to Duane Harriott for the link

ODDSAC (Trailer)

2010-01-28T11:40:00.000-05:00

A Visual Album by Danny Perez and Animal Collective

Massive Attack "United Snakes" Video

2010-01-27T17:02:00.002-05:00

United Snakes from United Visual Artists on Vimeo.

Massive Attack: “United Snakes”
Animation by UVA, directed by Dave Ferner

Originally designed for Massive Attack’s live show at Beck’s Fusions 2008, this animation is now available online. The video was designed using custom 3D software developed by UVA, which allowed the creation of spontaneous, organic forms, simply by “sketching” the outlines.

Obama Says F*ck It

2010-01-27T16:19:00.000-05:00

shout to BlacRen for the link

President Blasts Supreme Court Over Citizens United Decision

2010-01-23T16:49:00.002-05:00

Observe...

2010-01-18T10:33:00.003-05:00

Copyright Criminals Trailer

2010-01-18T00:09:00.003-05:00

Shout to DJ Prolific and NKH for the "heads-up."

Movie Properties As Retro Video Games

2010-01-16T11:32:00.003-05:00

Original link is here

Cl!ck: A Lego Short Film

2010-01-13T12:11:00.001-05:00

A Hierarchy of Action and Inaction

2010-01-13T10:04:00.000-05:00

Thought Of The Day

2010-01-13T08:18:00.001-05:00

Album Cover of The Month: Sweet Exorcist

2010-01-07T17:05:00.002-05:00

2010 = On To The Next One

2010-01-01T12:59:00.001-05:00

Odds Of Airborn Terror Attacks

2009-12-31T15:34:00.004-05:00

Saw this on Gizmodo. Data collected by Nate Silver.

Also of note is this link:
"Leaked: Homeland Security's Post Underwear Bomb Airplane Rules"

Movies With Ron 2009 - A Recap

2009-12-29T12:18:00.008-05:00

i didnt really do the full "Movies With Ron" this year and missed quite a few movies i still want to see. Because of that, i am only giving my favorite movie of the year (seen in theatre) plus a couple of honorable mentions and a couple of notable movie-going experiences.

Favorite Movie of The Year:
-- DISTICT 9

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):
-- Star Trek
-- Avatar
-- I Love You Man
-- Watchmen
-- Sherlock Holmes
-- The Hangover
-- The Road
-- (500) Days Of Summer

2 Movies I Wish I Had Seen On The Big Screen:
-- The Hurt Locker
-- Inglorious Basterds

Great Moments in Movie-going History:
-- Avatar: about 45 minutes left and the viewing is disturbed by an audience disruption
Guy1: "...No! I am not leaving. I bought my ticket just like everyone else!..."
Guy2: "I Bought your ticket, so take a hike!"

both guys get up and move into the aisle shoving each other. Guy2 hits Guy1. Guy1. falls to the floor.

Guy1: "Why would you hit me?! I'm over 60 years old!"
Guy2: ".."I'm 64! ... Get outta here!"

-- Sherlock Holmes: During pre-trailer viewing, a woman says to another "please don't chew your popcorn because we will not be able to hear the dialogue..." Most of the crowd chuckles. Halfway thru the movie, the same woman tells the "popcorn-chewer" to be quiet and that she is chewing too loud, basically causing more of a disturbance to everyone than anyone else...

NEW DJ MIX: Radio:Rontronik - Broadcast 6 (Life In 3-D)

2009-12-26T00:00:00.007-05:00

CGN presents Radio Rontronik: Broadcast 6 (Life In 3-D), the sixth of the series and last of the year. Hope you enjoy and see you next year!

Get it here.

Track listing is as follows:
1. Destination Unknown by Missing Persons
2. A Piece Of False Morality by In Flagranti
3. I Will Come Back by Holy Ghost
4. King Off by Isolee
5. Leave It by The Field
6. Synkro by Luomo
7. Hurt by Seth Troxler Featuring Matthew Dear
8. Enjoy The Silence (Timo Maas Remix) by Depeche Mode
9. Detroit (Carl Craig Remix) by Morgan Geist
10. My Turn by Basement Jaxx Featuring Lightspeed Champion
11. Dancing Machine (Steve Aoki Remix) by The Jackson 5
12. Images Of Sigrid (Chloe Remix) by Poni Hoax
13. Don't Fear The Reaper by Van She

Running Time = 52min 34sec

2009 Top 10 Albums

2009-12-23T21:00:00.003-05:00

10.

Land Of Truth
by Krikor And The Dead Hillbillies

9.

Dark Night Of The Soul
by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse

8.

Primary Colours
by The Horrors

The Horrors - Who Can Say from IM // UR on Vimeo.

7.

Fever Ray
by Fever Ray

If I Had A Heart from Fever Ray on Vimeo.

6.

Born Like This
by DOOM

5.

Tarot Sport
by Fuck Buttons

4.

Toeachizown
by Dam Funk

3.

Merriweather Post Pavillion
by Animal Collective

Animal Collective "My Girls" from Chad von Nau on Vimeo.

2.

Fluorescent Black
by Anti-Pop Consortium

Anti-Pop Consortium "Volcano" from Okayplayer on Vimeo.

1.

Crack The Skye
by Mastodon

Mastodon - Divinations from Blackbender on Vimeo.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):
-- "Black Gives Way To Blue" by Alice In Chains
-- "For The Whole World To See" by Death (re-issue)
-- "Yesterday and Today" by The Field
-- "Music For Men" by The Gossip
-- "The Blueprint 3" by Jay-Z
-- "BLACKsummers'night" by Maxwell
-- "Vertical Ascent - EP" by Moritz Von Oswald Trio
-- "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt.2" by Raekwon
-- "Immolate Yourself" by Telefon Tel Aviv
-- "XX" by The XX
-- "Horehound" by The Dead Weather
-- "The Renaissance" by Q-Tip

Raekwon "Pyrex Vision" Video (NSFW)

2009-12-23T08:52:00.001-05:00

One of the shortest tracks on the OB4CL2 album but the video will last a lifetime!

Thought Of The Day

2009-12-20T20:00:00.001-05:00

Mag+ digital magazine concept makes e-readers cower with envy (video!)

2009-12-18T10:10:00.001-05:00

Mag+ from Bonnier on Vimeo.

Originally posted on Engadget

NEW Dam Funk Video "Mirrors"

2009-12-13T10:33:00.000-05:00

NEW DJ MIX: Radio:Rontronik - Broadcast 5 (Smartbomb Your Holiday)

2009-12-08T18:29:00.006-05:00

CGN and Smartbomb Creative Studio presents Radio Rontronik: Broadcast 5 (Smartbomb Your Holiday), the fifth of the series. It doesn't matter if you're naughty or nice...

Get it here.

Track listing is as follows:
1. Ought To Say by Secondo
2. Equator Jam by Ghosts On Tape
3. Machine Gun by Portishead
4. NY To Tokyo by Anti-Pop Consortium (feat. Roots Manuva)
5. Hai Samurai by Yellow Power
6. Let It Happen by Lindstrom & Christabelle
7. Ain’t Nobody (Hallucinogenic Mix) by Rufus Feat. Chaka Khan
8. Jive Talkin’ by Bee Gees
9. Lisztomania (Classixx Version) by Phoenix
10. Mama Used To Say (Extended Mix) by Junior
11. Sinclair by D’Arcangelo
12. Wide Vice by Luke Vibert
13. Spin Cycle by The Twilite Tone
14. Portable Control by G and S
15. Microscopic Contents by Kelpe
16. Burn Straight Thru U by Dam Funk

total runtime : 49min 04sec

Controllerism Hits Attack Of The Show

2009-12-08T09:53:00.000-05:00

Video Game - E3 2010 - AOTS Exclusive

Ed Lover's "C'mon Son (Part 8)"

2009-12-07T18:30:00.001-05:00

NEW Redman: Coc Back (Video)

2009-12-03T18:17:00.000-05:00

FIYA

Album Cover of The Month: Stress: The Extinction Agenda by Organized Konfusion

2009-12-03T16:12:00.001-05:00

This album is close to me. It was designed by Dooable Arts. A design and illustration team comprised of Ge-ology and Matt Doo back in the day. One of the best album covers to come out of the Hip-Hop industry.

Jam Master Jay ‘2 Turntables And A Microphone’ Official Trailer

2009-11-28T08:50:00.001-05:00

“Legendary hip-hop DJ Jason Mizell, aka Jam Master Jay, is gunned down in his Queens studio. Security tapes of the incident mysteriously disappear, the five witnesses are uncooperative and no one is talking…until now. 2 TURNTABLES AND A MICROPHONE documents the investigation of the unsolved murder of Jam Master Jay, RUN- DMC’s groundbreaking DJ and producer, deftly revealing the history of hip-hop and mainstream rap along the way. Exclusive, candid interviews with 50 Cent, Ja Rule, Russell Simmons, RUN-DMC and more offer insight into Jam Master Jay’s life – including information that could finally help police solve the murder that shook the music world to its core.” DVD In Stores 12/1/09

Originally posted at High Snobiety

Video of The Moment: Major Lazer

2009-11-27T09:08:00.001-05:00

Major Lazer "Keep it Going Louder" from Eric Wareheim on Vimeo.

The Soul Train Line Remembered

2009-11-17T10:23:00.001-05:00

Thanks to S. Hearn for the link!

Video Of The Month:

2009-11-10T15:50:00.001-05:00

So fresh!

56 Green

2009-11-09T15:41:00.003-05:00

“56 GREEN” - Directed by Noah Ward (CGN). A mini-doc on artist and curator, Salomon Anaya, as he opens a “squatter gallery” in downtown Newark, New Jersey.

Plans are in the works for a full length documentary as the Newark gallery turns into a series of “squatter galleries” popping up throughout New Jersey and New York.

Big up to Blacren for link.

Did You Know?

2009-11-08T07:05:00.001-05:00

Thanks: Gary Doomsday

Thought Of The Day

2009-11-05T15:48:00.002-05:00

NEW DJ MIX: Radio:Rontronik - Broadcast 4

2009-11-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

CGN presents Radio Rontronik: Broadcast 4 (25th Century Sock Hop), the fourth of the series. It's a future-retro vibe, heavy on the Detroit techno and electronica tip. Think Blade Runner Disco...

Get it here.

For track listing contact me at rontronik@rontronik.com

Album Cover of The Month: Echo Party

2009-11-04T08:54:00.004-05:00

Edan will be releasing "Echo Party." A Mixtape of sorts. He was given access to Traffic Ent. Group's back catalog of old school rap - labels like Magic Records, Chocolate Star, P&P among others, and asked to create something new out of it, whatever he wanted. In doing this he was given open art-direction for the cover art. The vinyl LP covers are going to be all white-tip on sleeves, like those old 60s records, with Edan creating some kind of cover art to each one personally. There will be only 1000 made. Genius.

Raekwon, Methodman, Ghostface Killah – The Wu-Massacre (Trailer Part 1)

2009-11-03T09:48:00.002-05:00

Raekwon, Ghostface and Methodman have officially announced the release date of their latest collaborative set to drop December 22nd. Entitled, “The Wu-Massacre.” This promotional short film is part one of three promotional clips directed by Rik Cordero. Check it out.
(originally posted at Hypebeast.com)

DeFOX America: The Truth About ACORN

2009-10-28T15:27:00.001-04:00

Eminem, Mos Def, Black Thought & DJ Premier Cypher

2009-10-28T15:11:00.002-04:00

Ooooweeeee!

Fever Ray Covers Nick Cave

2009-10-25T14:40:00.004-04:00

this video represents the overall aesthetic and look of her live show. Very eerie. Very hot! Happy Halloween.

NEW DJ MIX: Radio:Rontronik - Broadcast 3

2009-10-14T03:16:00.006-04:00

CGN presents Radio Rontronik: Broadcast 3 (Wake The Dead), the third of the series. A special Halloween inspired edition... It's dark, suspenseful and has a few surprises woven in.

Get it here.

For track listing contact me at rontronik@rontronik.com

Happy Halloween!

Album Cover of The Month: Maggot Brain

2009-10-14T03:11:00.002-04:00

Not only is the album a seminal classic, but the cover is one that stands out in universal fashion. It's scary, funky, iconic and often immitated (but never duplicated).

Graphic Designer Vs. Client

2009-10-09T11:20:00.000-04:00

Special shout to Denise R.

Anti-Pop Consortium Turn It Back On

2009-10-08T11:46:00.001-04:00

from XLR8R

Today Is Anti-Pop Consortium Day

2009-09-29T09:07:00.002-04:00

Today is Fever Ray Day

2009-09-28T09:39:00.002-04:00

Fever Ray Tour 2009 from Fever Ray on Vimeo.

Seven from Fever Ray on Vimeo.

Triangle Walks from Fever Ray on Vimeo.

When I Grow Up from Fever Ray on Vimeo.

If I Had A Heart from Fever Ray on Vimeo.

Thought Of The Day

2009-09-26T23:00:00.002-04:00

Thanks: Gary Doomsday

Anti-pop Consortium Album Review and Live Footage (Time Out NY)

2009-09-25T16:38:00.004-04:00

Time Out NY Album review:
Anti-Pop Consortium
Fluorescent Black (Big Dada)

Like Jay-Z, Anti-Pop Consortium released its “farewell” album in 2003. But only now, on the heels of the superstar’s third postretirement full-length, is this esteemed alt-hip-hop collective staging a studio comeback. Fluorescent Black is so hyperinvolved, it’s hard to begrudge the delay. If the disc doesn’t match the glitchy splendor of APC’s 2002 landmark, Arrhythmia, it still attains euphoric sensory overload on tracks like “Get Lite,” in which wobbly synths command as much attention as syllable-crammed verses. During “Apparently,” “End Game” and other standouts, rhymes fuse cyborglike with high-tech beats, yielding a bracingly weird underground response to The Blueprint 3’s glitzy arena rap.—Hank Shteamer

Anti-Pop Consortium plays Santos Party House Tue 29.

M. Sayyid (Anti-Pop Consortium) Makes "Fire" on the MPC

2009-09-23T13:59:00.003-04:00

Thanks to DJ Prolific for the link!

Energy 2 Burn: Saturday September 26 featuring Yours Truly

2009-09-22T17:20:00.002-04:00

Something Terrible is Happening!

2009-09-22T14:04:00.002-04:00

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

The Making Of An Album Cover

2009-09-17T15:11:00.001-04:00

This is a cool lil vid about the making of Jay-Z's "The Blueprint 3" album cover. Interesting...

NEW DJ MIX: Radio:Rontronik - Broadcast 2

2009-09-09T18:11:00.005-04:00

CGN presents Radio Rontronik: Broadcast 2 (Transmission To Alternate Earths), the second of the series. This time out the its a Detroit/Chicago/Manchester (Hacienda Years) vibe...

Get it here.
For track listing contact me at rontronik@rontronik.com

This is dedicated to all my peeps and especially my fellow virgos.

To-Do List For Today

2009-09-09T05:40:00.001-04:00

Album Cover of The Month: Spritualized (Special Edition Package)

2009-09-01T00:00:00.004-04:00

new version

old version

This is the best special packaging release i have ever scene! A 12 track album delivered as a set of pills (ie: each track on it's own mini-cd in a blister-pack). How awesome is that? I remember seeing this at an HMV in London years ago. Should have bought it. Now Spiritualized is set to re-release the album with more special packaging and art (see below for details).

PRESS RELEASE (direct from Spiritualized official website):

The re-issue is now scheduled for the second half of November, exact release date is tbc.The artwork has changed, some of the packaging is similar to the original release.

There will be 3 formats released:

Ltd Collectors Edition - 12 disc pill pack + 2 additional cd's of previously unreleased material in new artwork.

Deluxe pack - 3 cd's in one blister pill pack. The original album plus the 2 additional cd's of unreleased material.

Standard jewel case of the original album in new artwork. The old design will no longer be manufactured.

Additional cd track listings information to follow. Pack shots of new design available nearer release date.

That's all for now...

Capitalism: A Love Story (Trailer)

2009-08-21T12:17:00.000-04:00

Detroit: Underground Resistance

2009-08-21T11:15:00.000-04:00

If you are into music and movements, you should watch this now.