World's Fair

“What the fuck is up with scones? A muffin, I understand. A muffin is a nice plump soft cake-like flavored breakfast treat, best when fresh, and even better warm. It makes total sense to me. Wake up, coffee, muffin: Cool. Not necessarily my “thing,” but okay, fine. Then you have the scone. I actually heard they were originally invented by accident…” - Aesop Rock guest blogs @ Roy Christopher’s [READ MORE]

Oooookay Aes, whatever you say mang! We’re sure your adoring fans (watch below) will just eat yr words write up!

More videos from Aesop’s Myspace Secret Show!

Artist: Aesop Rock
Album: “None Shall Pass”
Label: Definitive Jux
Street Date: August 28th, 2007
Formats: CD, vinyl, mp3

Aesop Rock & DJ Big Wiz - “None Shall Pass” MegaMix [DOWNLOAD]

CONNECT: Definitive Jux | Website | iRock | Aesop Rock Wins

“I used to dig strictly to sample,” Del says. “I still have that ‘DJ’ ear. Over time, I felt like I should know more. I sometimes employ royalty-free samples. Chopping something up into what I need takes a whole lot of time — playing my own licks and phrases is a lot quicker…” - Del @ Remix [READ MORE]

“… check “Raw Sewage”, a stripped-down attack on sucker MCs, and you’ll hear Del’s drawled battle rhymes are fine, minus themetaphorical, mind-altering excess… Del wisely keeps things simple on the audio front, lubricating many of his basic, old-school beats with the good old P-Funk bottom of his early years. It’s a combination most devastating on “Bubble Pop”, which greases up the break from LL Cool J’s “Rock The Bells” and reaffirms that this is no ordinary Homosapien.” - Alternative Press, Feb ‘08

“”Taking a hard stand for old school hip-hop, Del is back with his first album in eight years. Despite his relative inactivity - his entire recorded output in the new century limited to collaborations with Gorillaz and his Hieroglyphics crew - he remains in fine form, as if frozen in time since 1991. The old school synth textures and drum machines remain, as does Del’s wicked sense of humor, whether issuing challenges to the current generation of hip-hop stars on “Slam Dunk” or mocking himself on “Bubble Pop”…” - Under The Radar, Feb ‘08

Del The Funky Homosapien - “Bubble Pop (Promo)” [DOWNLOAD]

Artist: Del The Funky Homosapien
Album:Eleventh Hour
Label: Definitive Jux
Street Date: March 11th, 2008
Formats: CD, vinyl, mp3

CONNECT: Delspace | Definitive Jux | World’s Fair

Daily download @ eMusic - today only!

Tiny Masters Of Today - “Book Song” feat. Kimya Dawson [DOWNLOAD]

Recently in Rolling Stone…

Check out the other awesome collabo Tiny Masters have with Kimya on the album!

Artist: Tiny Masters Of Today
Album: Bang Bang Boom Cake
Label: Great Society
Street Date: September 25th, 2007
Formats: Amazon| iTunes | eMusic

CONNECT: Website | Myspace | YouTube | World’s Fair

The latest reviews…

British Sea Power have a distinctly unmasculine (and perhaps un-rock music) habit of asking, not answering questions. And, cheekily, in ‘Lights Out For Darker Skies’, one of their more direct numbers, they insist “There is no reason that you need to ask why”, preempting the inevitable speculation. And yet, amongst their confounding yet enthralling lyrics is a rare celebration of vagary and exploration, exemplified no better than in the explosive ‘Atom’, where Yan squeals in joy, as much as exasperation, “I just don’t get it!”… This is as much Big Country or Manic Street Preachers as it is Joy Division. “Arcade Fire” is what a lot of people are saying. Well, it’s big, but not exactly flashy. It’s global in scale, but not always stadiumesque. ‘Open the door’ is reminiscent of House of Love’s tenderer moments, and puffin-munching bully bird tribute, ‘The Great Skua’, sounds like glaciers shifting…. It’s a blessing not to have to ‘rate’ this album, as such, or have to quantify it. Whatever form it’s in, it’s well worth owning, worth carrying with you, wherever you go. - Playlouder [READ MORE]

“Do You Like Rock Music? displays the multi-faceted talents of one of the country’s more quixotic and engaging bands; filled with wry smiles, staggering one-liners and a generally assured air of confidence. Certainly the most complete representation of the BSP manifesto to date, the album mixes the flailing bloodied hands of the group’s debut with the more measured tones of their second LP, Open Season…” - In The News [READ MORE]

“The maritime-soaked songs come across like a mix of Arcade Fire and The Doves’ second album…Do You Like Rock Music? is an album to repeat and repeat…” - Contactmusic [READ MORE]

“Certainly at “Decline…” no longer, and leading the grandiose charge for glory. Yes, BSP, yes we do…” - Filter Mini

… and now the definitive word…

“… All of which might lead some to assume, wrongly, that BSP represent art-rock at its worst: a self-indulgent riot of half-arsed references whose presence helps to camouflage the dearth of decent tunes. In fact, they are unabashed rock traditionalists, albeit ones preoccupied with ornithology and the kind of vistas usually viewed as folk’s preserve. So ‘Down on the Ground’, which sounds like Seventies punks the Skids fronted by a sibilant, depraved Neil Tennant, opens by depicting a pastoral idyll (’Where I come from, silvery trees, diamond in leaf’), while the astonishing ‘Canvey Island’ is the first track of an indie-rock persuasion to invoke the peril of bird flu. Few others, you suspect, would entertain such thoughts and certainly not within the confines of a song that’s anchored in Essex circa 1953. Either way, not unlike the Arcade Fire, this is rock that’s both arcane and populist, custom-built for huge halls yet awash with references to ‘the Carpathians’, ‘a Carlton Corsair’, ‘caveat emptor’ and ‘Czech ecstasy’…” - Guardian UK, 5 stars [READ MORE]

Artist: British Sea Power
Album: Do You Like Rock Music?
Label: Rough Trade / World’s Fair
Street Date: Feb. 12th, 2008
Formats: CD, mp3

British Sea Power - “Waving Flags” [DOWNLOAD]

British Sea Power - “Atom” edit [DOWNLOAD]

CONNECT: Website | World’s Fair | Myspace

“When the band played a run of dates last May at Spaceland, its new material proved very challenging — having moved beyond by-the-playbook dreampop and shoegaze, the Autumns’ furious rhythms and interwoven guitars demanded more than casual attention…” - LA Times - Buzz Bands [READ MORE]

“Always the bridesmaids but never the bride, LA’s The Autumns have garnered a cult following thanks to some stellar albums, but somehow never quite achieved the mainstream success afforded to similar bands. However, their latest album Fake Noise From A Box Of Toys, released on April 15th via Bella Union Records should prove that they are still a force to be reckoned with…. Don’t believe us? Check out “Boys” from the album; it’s angular, it’s energetic and it’s everything that other bands wish they were. The guitars take their sonic textures from shoegaze but their pacing from grunge, and mixed with the peppy drums and the lead singers Buckley-esque vocals, it’s clear that now is The Autumns’ time…” - Filter Mag [READ MORE]

“All dressed in black, the California quintet begin with “Clem”, heavy rock guitars and impassioned vocals akin to their American predecessors Weezer. Elsewhere, dark atmospheric driving guitar riffs combine with free drumming from their jazz influenced drummer Steve Elkins. Singer Matthew Kelly’s unfaltering falsetto vocals are beautiful, an amalgam of Muse’s Matt Bellamy and Jeff Buckley. In “The End” he displays his best Buckleyesque vocals soaring over delicate guitar picking, atmospheric cymbals and harmonising adding to the devastating effect. The band’s single “Boys”, from their new album Fake Noise From A Box Of Toys, does what The Autumns do best – blending Kelly’s intoxicating vocals with shoegazing and powerful guitars to produce a majestic indie rock anthem worthy of Muse…” - The Independent UK [READ MORE]

Artist: The Autumns
Album: Fake Noise From A Box Of Toys
Label: Bella Union / World’s Fair
Street Date: April 15th, 2008
Formats: CD, mp3

The Autumns - “Boy” [DOWNLOAD]

CONNECT: Website | Myspace | World’s Fair

“”… Although everyone from Ben Franklin to Bill O’Reilly surfaces in the rambling rhymes on his tenth album, the chameleonic MC relies on pure sound as much as brainy content…” - Spin

“… For the open-minded, Ladd demonstrates unpredictable musicianship and Bomb Squad-esque noise… Ladd’s ventures from punk and hip hop to whatever are at least veteran artistry at work…” - Remix Mag

“… Twenty years from now, when all is said and done, Mike Ladd’s career is going to be one of the most fascinating canons to get the analytical treatment, as his discs are filled with countless genre detours and surprisingly-justified indulgences. He truly lives and works by his own rules, and though he may never write anything as innocuous as Pitbull’s “Go Girl”, it always feels like he could snag fleeting mainstream success like that if he wanted. Fortunately for us, however, he doesn’t, instead leaving behind fantastic albums like Nostalgialator instead. Thanks for making the right choice, Mike Ladd…” - PopMatters [READ MORE]

“… “We rockin Shanghai tonight”… Nuremberg, Bangkok, Shanghai, Saigon, Hong Kong…Mike Ladd mentions these and many more, all in the space of a few minutes. As a socially aware and active artist during this tumultuous time, one shouldn’t be at all surprised that he has his sights set globally, and I for one am very thankful for that. The state of our union is not the only thing in need of our change, as it seems to me that this record couldn’t come at a better time for the state of our music….” - Amplifier [READ MORE]

“Not purely hip-hop, Nostalgialator veers all over the musical map as the opening track, “Dire Straits Plays Nuremberg” (gotta love the title), pairs a wobbly guitar riff with a diatribe about George W. Bush and his fascist tendencies. It’s certainly out there, and the rest of the album isn’t a letdown, either. “Wild Out Day” rushes with the energy of early Fishbone, and “How Electricity Really Works” is a heady spoken-word piece that mixes left-wing politics with ambient, Aphex Twin-like beats. The way Ladd namechecks nearly every major Asian city on the outlandish “Black Orientalist” is worth the price of the album itself….” - Cleveland Free Times [READ MORE]

Plus, in case you missed, check out the
enlightening interview Like Madd @ Fair Game [LISTEN]

Artist: Mike Ladd
Album: Nostalgialator
Label: Definitive Jux / World’s Fair
Street Date: Jan 15th, 2008
Formats: CD, mp3

Mike Ladd - “Trouble Shot” [DOWNLOAD]

Mike Ladd - “Housewives At Play” [STREAM]

Mike Ladd - “Wild Out Day” [STREAM]

CONNECT: Definitive Jux | World’s Fair | Like Madd

“It’s so refreshing to hear music like “100 Days, 100 Nights” (Daptone). I don’t think of music in terms of retro; that word has always been strange to me. If someone likes to make music with real instruments and record it in a pure way it’s called retro, but to me it’s just music…” - Lenny Kravitz @ NY Times [READ MORE]

Lenny shells out the love for the Budos beat too!

“… The Budos Band II (Daptone) sounds like Afrobeat. It sounds like Fela Kuti meets a blaxploitation soundtrack. When I listen to the opening track, “Chicago Falcon,” I see the streets of Harlem in 1971 in beautiful grainy muted color…” - Lenny Kravitz @ NY Times [READ MORE]

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings are still on tour America!

In case you missed…

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Live Performance & Interview @ AOL Spinner - The Interface [WATCH]

The Budos Band - Live Performance & Interview @ AOL Spinner - The Interface [WATCH]

CONNECT: Website | World’s Fair | Myspace | iMeem | YouTube

“… Sabotage Gigante has been said to be Sonic’s political album, at least in a more wide-ranging and universal way than Telicatessen’s the-personal-is-political themes, but there are so many generalities, abstractions, reappropriated slogans, moments of quadruplespeak, and pseudo-non-sequitur asides that much of the listener’s time between headphones is spent trying to untangle it all….” - Pitchfork [READ MORE]

They forgot to mention that boom bap, but whatever, that’s ok. its cool… Rob Sonic just don’t quit - bringing back his fabled “Radiohead of Hip Hop” (CMJ) a.k.a. Sonic Sum troupe via Def Jux!

From the bio…
Definitive Jux is proud to present Sonic Sum’s Films, their long-awaited follow up LP to 2000’s critically-acclaimed debut The Sanity Annex. Films is a glimpse of why this Bronx-based foursome have achieved cult status amongst the indie/underground cognoscenti worldwide. Emerging from NYC’s Ozone collective (Company Flow, Anti Pop, Mike Ladd, Saul Williams, El-P), Sonic Sum’s unique brand of hip hop reaches into the world of indie rock and comes up with something completely new. Featuring a DJ, a DJ/keyboardist, a bass player and the outsized talents of frontman/producer (& Def Jux solo artist) Rob Sonic. The album was originally released exclusively in Japan on Tri-Eight Recordings. El-P and Def Jux decided that it was time for the US fan base to finally have access to this hidden gem, Films embodies a sound whose time has finally come….

Stay tuned for more on the Sonic Sum tip, in the meantime, enjoy the focus track!

Sonic Sum - Chopper One Slow [DOWNLOAD]

Artist: Rob Sonic
Album: Sabotage Gigante
Label: Definitive Jux
Street Date: September 25th, 2007
Formats: vinyl, CD, mp3

Rob Sonic - “Rock The Convoy” [DOWNLOAD]

Rob Sonic - “Brand New Vandals” [DOWNLOAD]

Rob Sonic - “Ready, Aim, Shoot” Blockhead Remix [DOWNLOAD]

More Rob Sonic [CLICK HERE]

CONNECT: Robspace | World’s Fair | Definitive Jux

Quite a few familiar faces gettin titty twisters and stuffing foods in faces!

Artist: Hangar 18
Album: Sweep The Leg
Label: Definitive Jux
Street Date: October 23rd, 2007
Formats: vinyl, CD, mp3

Hangar 18 - “Bakin’ Soda” [DOWNLOAD]

Hangar 18 - “Feet To Feet” [DOWNLOAD]

Hangar 18 - “Think Big” [DOWNLOAD] from the Definitive Swim compilation

CONNECT: World’s Fair | Myspace | Def Jukies | DefTube

Sold Out! Check out photos from Tuesday’s show @ Myspace Secret Shows + some live videos below the awesome poster…

Aesop writes on his blog… “… thanks everyone for coming out to the free show in brooklyn! shit was very very fun. way more intimate than the irving show. irving is great, but a smaller venue is sometimes more excotomg. unfortunately i realize that meant a lot of people couldn’t get in, but i guess thats the downside of a free show at such a venue. i cant tell you how my i appreciate motherfuckers waiting out in the cold. if i could’ve brought you all in for scones and cocoa i would have, but scones are so wack and i had no cocoa….” [READ MORE]

Rob Sonic was there!

Hangar 18 was there!

CONNECT: Aesop Rock Wins | Rob Sonic | Hangar 18 | Definitive Jux