Here's a mix I made

Sabotage Mix

1. Justice - Stress (Auto Remix)
2. Boys Noize - Lava Lava (Feadz Aval Aval Remix)
3. Evil Nine - They Live (Rogerseventytwo Remix)
4. Benny Benassi - I Am Not Drunk (Bloody Beetroots Remix)
5. Busy P - To Protect and Entertain (So Me Get Naked Remix)
6. Osborne - Wait A Minute
7. Shadow Dancer - Daytime Drinking
8. SebastiAn - Killing in the Name of SebastiAn
9. Justice - DVNO (Surkin Remix)
10. Daft Punk - Robot Rock (Soulwax Remix)
11. Daft Punk - Robot Rock
12. Toxic Avenger - Escape (Bloody Beetroots Remix)
13. Justice - Phantom Pt II (Soulwax Remix)
14. Kavinsky - Testarossa (SebastiAn Remix)
15. MGMT - Kids (Soulwax Remix)
16. Justice - B.E.A.T.

Please listen and enjoy. FULL POST

Some developments.

I've come to the brink of concession. Not for writing in general, but for this here establishment. I've lost a lot of the drive I had for 95total, stringing it along because of how much work I've put into it. For the past couple months I've struggled to find things to write about, often dealing with the pressure of delivering more diverse subjects to create a larger reader base. Couple that with having no other writers on the blog, and you have a lot of shit posts about stuff I'm not so sure I even cared about. But, for those who may have enjoyed my writing, a new blog will appear, and I will post it here once it's done. It'll be much more informal, more passionate, and hopefully more creative. I once read that a blog is only as good as the passion you have for writing for it. I'm taking that wisdom and hopefully spawning something much more enjoyable to read.

Thanks everyone for reading, and I truly hope you will migrate to my new brainchild. Cheers. FULL POST

My Shitty Lolla Flickr

If it were any good then it means I wasn't enjoying the shows.

Take a look at the general goings on.


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Ed Phones by WeSC

Ed Banger is collaborating with WeSC on a pair of headphones to be released later this month. As with everything else Ed Banger, the headphones are designed by So Me, the label's controlling force behind its image. These are pretty slick phones and, if it's like anything else WeSC makes, they'll sound great as well. You'll be able to grab a pair August 20 at We Sold Out and Mini Colette.

(Found via FRESHNESS)


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Lollapalooza 2008

Lollapalooza 2008 was like watching a David Blaine magic trick. It was, simply and crudely put, a gigantic mindfuck. There's really nothing more surreal than walking from a seizure inducing, big beat Kanye show to a seizure inducing, big beat Nine Inch Nails show. Here are some of the highlights and lowlights of my weekend in Chicago:

• The Black Keys' set rocked out and was the best show I've seen them perform. This is sort of strange because I assumed these guys were better suited for a small venue.
• Cat Power was disappointing.
• Cadence Weapon, whom I'd never heard of, was a great surprise. Imagine MCing over House music.
• The Cool Kids fucking tore it up. Their beats translate very well to the live sector, not to mention their DJ was impressive in cutting in outside music.
  
• Radiohead blew me the hell away. I got a chance to see them back in May in St. Louis a couple rows back. However, this time I was much further back and got to see the light show a lot better and it added to the experience. Plus I finally got to see Dollars & Cents. I'm pretty sure I looked like I was tripping acid during this entire set.
• Booka Shade was awesome.
• MGMT somehow forgot that they weren't performing for Oakdale Retirement Community.
• Explosions in the Sky maintained the most festival-like experience for me this year. My girlfriend and I just sat down and listened to an hour of relaxing post-rock. One of my top highlights this year.
• Uffie, although late, stirred up a great dance party. She knows how to get a crowd going. I'm just sort of upset that she didn't bring the Ed Banger crew to do an after show.
• I had heard so many great things about Broken Social Scene live, but it was forgettable. They are, though, without some of the talent that made them as good as they once were.
• Rage Against the Machine was insane. I can't wrap my head around anyone seeing Wilco instead. Zach De La Rocha's continual requests for everyone to "take five to ten steps back" to save the poor people in the front from getting their ribs crushed is about the best way to describe what went on during their show.
• I went to an after party at The Hideout to go see Oh Snap!!, Cadence Weapon, and The Hood Internet. I got there really early and, to my delight, got to speak with Steve and Aaron of The Hood Internet. They were very kind and put up with me being a drunken jack ass. If you haven't checked these guys out, do so. They are doing some of the best mash-ups on the planet right now.
  
• Chromeo could've been so much cooler if they were on a smaller stage. Their sound just didn't translate as well on the big MySpace stage.
• Franki Chan of iheartcomix is a fine DJ. He controls the crowd extremely well and uses that edgy French sound that has been kicking so much ass lately.
• Saul Williams is a trip. The band sounded great and he commands the mic well. A true MC for a type of music you wouldn't normally think had MCs.
• Girl Talk was the dance party of the weekend. Honestly, this guy puts on about as good of a show as you can for someone who only has to use a few mouse clicks an entire show. By the end of the set Gregg Gillis was crowd surfing on a raft.
• Kanye West was supremely impressive. The lights, the sound, his MCing, everything. For anyone thinking a rap show can't be just as impressive live as it is on CD, you're wrong. His set was fresh and I especially loved his breakdown during the middle of the set when he did a little rap about his late mother.
• The Nine Inch Nails light show was on par with Kanye's. Trent sounded great and, of the songs I saw, they put on a fantastic show. It was hard to pick between Kanye and NIN and, even though I would've loved to see more of NIN, I can't complain about my decision.

This was easily the best festival I've ever been to, and I'm wondering how or if they can top it next year. We'll see.

Stay tuned for a flickr set here today.

(Pic above courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan)
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Dark Knight Illutsration by Frank Stockton

This Dark Knight illustration, which is really bad ass, was done by Frank Stockton, a highly talented illustrator whose done work for publications such as ESPN the Magazine, GQ, and Forbes. His name's been floating around recently, but no one seems to be mentioning this specific illustration which I think is about as well done as you can get. It's also interesting to me that that a movie adapted from a comic book hero would inspire what the elite would call "high art". Get over to his blog and let him know how great he is. Oh, and ask him to give us a high resolution version.


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Chic Beer Package Design: II

Here's some more stylish beer packaging that I happened to come across. Slightly less design-ish and a little more artistic, these Beck's bottles are part of a new series created by students from the Royal College of Art. The project, called Beck's Canvas, features artwork by the students and will be around for a "limited" time. I wonder if these will make it stateside.

(Found via Material Interest)


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Mattel Hover Board from Back to the Future 2 up for Auction

McFly's the buzzword around town and it ain't because of that dashing life preserver. Another item from the Back to the Future 2 world has popped up and, unlike the Nike HyperDunks, it's an actual prop from the film. There's an auction on eBay for the Mattel Hover Board that the oh-so-charismatic McFly used to escape the menacing crew led by Biff's legally retarded grandson. For $30,000, now you can meddle with Griff and his lackeys!


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Leatherman Argentum Collection

I've been known to be a pretty gritty dude. Real rugged. You know, writing about fabulous design and touching music requires skills not unlike Bear Grylls. That's why I'm considering one of the Leathermans from the Argentum Collection. Nothing says hardcore ingenuity more than a $12,000 multi-tool. That way, even though I don't really know how to use one, I'll look legit.

(Found via Material Interest)


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Chic Beer Package Design

One of my roommates and I are huge beer enthusiasts. We've spent the past year or so collecting various bottles from all over the world, spanning everything from light lagers to coffee stouts to Trappist ales. We've accumulated close to 400 separate bottles, and the collection is growing. However, once you get that many bottles, it becomes less about finding the tastiest beer and more about finding an awesome package design. Design O'Blog has managed to track down a couple beers I've never seen or even heard of that have some great design. I especially like Tokaido and, although I don't collect cans, the Liten Ljus Lager, pictured above, is probably the coolest and most unique can of brew I've ever seen.


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