Wow, save the date on this one! Thursday June 5th it is going DOWN at Neumos as CultureMob.com presents THE ROOTS New Album “Rising Down” Listening Party hosted by BLACK THOUGHT and featuring DJ ?UESTLOVE with special guests.

?uestlove is a gifted producer and an incredibly skilled jazz drummer, best known for his work behind the drum kit for The Roots. He has worked with a myriad of very talented musicians and artists including D’Angelo, Al Green, Zack De La Rocha, Fiona Apple, Erykah Badu, Joss Stone, John Mayer, Common, Eminem, Justin Timberlake, Dave Chapelle, Christina Aguilera and Jay-Z. June 5th he will be laying down fat tracks in his DJ shoes and you can expect a mix of classic hip-hop, funk, soul, and rock; the dance friendly beats will have Neumos poppin’ hot all evening long. I absolutely cannot wait for this party and I hope to see you all there on the dance floor gettin’ down beside me.

The Culture Mobsters will be out in force, promoting our awesome website, spreading the good word about the Seattle arts scene, and most of all: enjoying life. Hey, we practice what we preach!

Tickets will be on sale soon through Ticketswest for $15 in advance; doors will open at 8PM and sorry toddlers, this one is 21+ only. CultureMob.com will be giving away a whole bunch of free tickets: stay tuned at CultureMob.com to find out how you can land some of those and for more information about ?uestlove, Blackthought, and The Roots.

Last Thursday I showed up to Midtempo Madness at the new Pioneer Square nightclub Crimson C at 10PM, my normal time of arrival, being the total nerd of the club scene and all. I fully expected to, like usual, be the first one on the dance floor and get the party going. Pushing my way past the smokers outside to the heart of the club, I realized that this party didn’t need me to get it going- the dance floor was already packed! It had started like wildfire with NoiseMaker on the decks and this was no ease-into-it night: to my thrill, everyone was getting down. My purpose in life is to get people to get down, on the dance floor or otherwise, but this crowd, with a stellar female presence, needed no help from me at all. The sheer excitement for the lineup had everyone buzzing and smiling and dancing, club nerd one and all.

After yet a-whompwhompwhomp-nother inciting and enticing set from Seattle’s funky crunkbrother NoiseMaker, rapper Souleye and DJ team BLVD proceeded to lay it down thick; the dance floor went wild and minds were blown right out of that little club. You can always tell when the experience of new music has gotten under the skin of someone: moon eyes, mouth hanging slightly open, distinct lack of articulate vocabulary, palms upturned in a gesture of thrill and disbelief: what do you MEAN I have never heard these guys before? The combination of Souleye’s gritty and organic rap lines laid over the twisting electronic loops of BLVD is an anti-match made in deep in the human consciousness; we crave this variety. Sameness is a safe and warm feeling, but we don’t settle for contentment. We want to be on fire, and to light it we need originality, diversity, and risk. We need this music.

I can’t explain electronic music, but I can explain what it does. In this case, your mind starts drifting off to the ether-sphere of sound with the long, guitar-studded electronic mash of BLVD and then is brought back to earth by the gritty and genuine words of a poet. It’s the mix, the to-and-fro, the take-it-away and give-it-back-again that takes music from being a constant good thing to being absolutely great. The boys of BLVD and Souleye have discovered this thrilling melange of earth and ether. It speaks so well to the human audience because we too are part heaven and part earth, part spirit and part body, part electronic sound waves and part rap. The dance floor of Crimson C spread right up through the tables and bar area as no one could resist the hot gooey bass. And damn that boy can rap!

Then, holy Thursday night, came Vibesquad, a producer whose bass takes no absolutely no prisoners whatsoever. I thought the whole of Crimson C was about to shake right down to rubble, leaving only the dancers and DJ there- and no one would even have noticed, so powerful is the spell of this DJ. The twisted, mutated sounds; the crackles, beeps, growls, and thumps don’t just speak to us alive out here in the world, they insist that we open our eyes and move. In the presence of Vibesquad, you have no choice but to exist in the present. Everything else goes away and we lap up the sounds, like starving refugees from society, our bodies as our spoons.

I am an unofficial ambassador of crunk, you might say, and had been telling my friends about this show for weeks and insisting they go. All through the night people kept coming up to me saying, “Oh wow, Shilo, you were right, this is AMAZING! I can’t even believe it!” Then a little shake of the head and the aforementioned glazed look of new music discovery. That is also what I live for- to share with others the transformative power of music that I have experienced in my life. Why do I, why do we, love it so much? Why do we love the thick, dirty bass and the filthy beats so much? I may not be able to explain it but I sure as hell can understand it. I want you to as well, but be warned- once you go off the deep bass end, there is no going back. Once you put on the suit of Captain Crunk, no other electronic music will quite do it for you: not drum and bass, not dub step, and certainly not house.

So what is this blond girl going on about? Why is she so ’bout it-’bout it with this music which doesn’t really have a name but is seeping up and over the nation from the West Coast and Colorado and conquering dance floors wherever it goes? Find out for yourself at Dirty Velvet May 16 at Nectar when Noisemaker, Novatron, and Kraddy and OOah from THE GLITCH MOB start a musical riot in Fremont. Buy tickets now; the show will sell out, and it is quite possible that people will be falling from the balcony, going into spastic dance fevers, twitching their minds all the way over to new dimensions, and having so much fun their hearts explode and they wake up in their yard. It might even happen to you, so get ready for your next life-changing music experience.

Do I have to say it? See you on the dance floor.

THURSDAY:

• Trinity in Pioneer Square turns 3 years old this weekend and kicks off the big three-day event with a no-cover Thursday night with deejays Darude, Beefer, Noah D. and Pressha spinning along with many others; the fun continues all weekend long.
• Right around the corner at Contour is the Booty Call Pump Up the Jammies Pajama Jam featuring four hot female deejays (Naha, BFly, Suzi Star, and spinning mad beats in- what else- their PJ’s! Come to get down and then go night-night.
• Do you like your fun hard-rock style? At Neumo’s The Shackeltons will be thrashing about with The Hands, New Faces and Born Anchors and championing the resurgence of good old-fashioned Americana: Rock and Roll, baby.
• If you are into hard-core punk (as opposed to sissy-face punk), get to El Corazon for The Dillinger Escape Plan- you will be pummeled raw by the recklessness theses boys spew forth.

FRIDAY:

• Just in case you didn’t know, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama arrives in the Emerald City today for the Seeds of Compassion Workshop which starts off with a bang and a sweet concert at Key Arena with the two-acoustic-guitar magic that is Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds. My tickets are burning a hole in my fat little hand; I hope you have yours.
• Who can miss Broken Disco’s One Year Anniversary Party at Chop Suey up on the Hill? A whole slew of out-of-towners like Tittsworth are on the lineup, making the usual sweatfest Broken Disco even dirtier than usual.
• Prefer funk for your Friday night? The Boogielistics lay it down and pick it back up at Lo_Fi.
• For those of you who like your musical experiences sitting down, Miss Saigon opens tonight at the Tacoma Musical Playhouse. Read the preview here.

SATURDAY:

• Do you like to be the first to know about the hottest, newest sounds? Get to Chainsaw Nouveau at the Oseao Art Gallery, an event by Immersion System presenting the newest genre of electronic music, you guessed it: Chainsaw Nouveau. A little dancing bird told me that Von Dewey spins at 3AM.
• RJD2 at Chop Suey brings hip-hop into the future with never a genre-limiting border in sight. He’ll spin, sing, play instruments- hell, he might even dance.
• Had a hard week? Want to really go crazy? Head to The Comet where King Brothers and Shellshag will be promoting rowdy behavior with their punky antics and noiseful, raving distortion. Beer will be spilled.

And here is the rest of the lineup so far: Stone Temple Pilots, Lucinda Williams, Neko Case, Ingrid Michaelson, Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Jakob Dylan, !!!, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Saul Williams, Joe Bonamassa, M. Ward, The Walkmen, Asylum St. Spankers, Dan Deacon, MIDIval PunditZ, Blitzen Trapper, Bedouin Soundclash, Tim Finn, Dale Watson, John Vanderslice, Final Fantasy, The Fall of Troy, Orgone, Forro in the Dark, Ryan Bingham, Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby, Arthur & Yu, Darondo and Nino Moschella, Pacifika…

Many more to be announced soon! Stay tuned.

What are you doing this frisky Tuesday night? Why not come out and make a difference in the future of the world at the Beats for Obama Benefit in Fremont at Nectar Lounge?

Beats for Obama is no boring yada-yada schmoozefest fundraiser; this is a get-downathon featuring local deejays spinning their favorite breaks, dubstep, drum and bass, and hip-hop. Join DigDug, Slantooth, Futuredub (Shapeshifter and Contents), and Vendetta Kane as they spin the night away: fun with a purpose! Spoken word talent Verbal Oasis will be in the house as well and prizes to be auctioned off include two lift tickets to WhistlerBlackcomb, Barackawear hoodies, teeshirts, and lots of other goodies. This benefit is just in time to throw some support to the Obama campaign before the Pennsylvania primary on April 22; Pennsylvania has more delegates at stake than any other upcoming primary or caucus and thus is extremely important in securing the Democratic presidential nomination.

So why beats for Obama, as opposed to jazz or easy-listening or guitar riffs? I asked benefit organizer Karen Johanson who replied that the music selection tonight reflects the fact that Obama is fast becoming the delegate of the youth of America, if he isn’t already.

“Obama has proven his capacity to unite divergent personalities and communities and to mobilize America’s youth to become involved in the political process in a way I have not seen with others,” Karen says, and I agree. Race and gender seem to be the big talking points in the country concerning the two major Democratic presidential hopefuls; however age is just as important of an issue (to all of us youngsters, anyway). Obama, like dubstep and that damn boom-boom music, simply connects with youth in America better than his competition. To me, Clinton is old news and represents another generation, a group of people who are out of the loop, whose interests revolve around Social Security and medical benefits. My friends are more concerned with saving our environment, creating a peaceful world, and getting a job that pays the bills (ah, the ideology of youth!). I am a young white female and I feel that Obama is better suited to understand and address the issues that affect me and the youth culture today- and we just happen to be the future of this country and the world, you know.

You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. The Beats for Obama Benefit represents the connection with young people that the Obama campaign is fostering and running with; if you agree with me then put your money where your ideology is and come out to Fremont tonight. Doors at Nectar open at 8PM; suggested donation is $7 although bigger donations are certainly welcome. Come for a night of sick bass beats, undulating dubstep and fat raps; leave with the knowledge that you made a difference, however small, in the future of our America- and you did it by having fun.

About 2.5 weeks ago I broke the story about YSL, the best blogger on all things hip-hop in the Northwest (previous culturemob blog on YSL). The man can run a clinic on how to blog with impact. Check out his latest blog on one Sonny Bonoho. By the way, Sonny has this tune called “Telling You Feat Playboy Tre” on his myspace page that’s the best of ol and nu skool rolled into one! Luv it!

Anyway Y is YSL the real deal? He’s motivated to document goings on in the city. He’s motivated by the scene and he’s motivated to make the process of blogging fun. Remember fun? Then remember YSL at blogsiswatching.com. Trust me, he ain’t payin’ me to say this.

Hip-hop news flash: Cancer Rising just got added to the Sasquatch Music Festival! Congrats! Go see them on May 24th at the Gorge Amphitheatre!

Go to CultureMob.com to find out more about hip-hop events in Seattle

Recently I visited YSL, who posts blogs for blogsiswatching.com (a Seattle hip-hop lifestyle blog).

by Cedric Ross

These are the…“initials of my Korean name which is coincidentally the same as some high end luxury brand.” States YSL. I asked him to give me a snapshot of the state of hip-hop in Seattle and he responded by telling me about the influence of corporate sponsorship in the hip-hop culture. Naturally I was intrigued. The interesting part is I simply set out to interview YSL for enough material to fill a paragraph or two. Two pages later I realized that I needed to rethink my plan. So, here’s what I’m going to do. This will be the first part of a 4 part blog series featuring YSL. If there’s enough interest, we may even consider making this a semi regular thing. Let’s get back to the story.

He shares with me that he’s noticed a trend where corporate America has been using hip-hop culture to promote their products. He pointed out that the hip-hop culture is being used in unconventional ways to send a message to consumers. A blogger from prohiphop.com (a hip hop marketing and business news blog) posted a comment and video about an online marketing and branding firm that created a video using a young performer named Little MG “spinning a rap” (rapping) for a branding firm based in Seattle. Go to prohiphop.com to read about it and watch the video. According to YSL, advertising agencies are also using the hip-hop culture as a marketing tool to connect to a younger audience (demographic). As an example, YSL told me to read about Jay Z’s latest venture as the chairman of Steve Stoute’s Translation Advertising company. You can read about it at nytimes.com.

We then moved onto who’s hot in the world of hip-hop. YSL came up with four Seattle artists/groups to look out for and one radio show to pay attention too. Dyme Def is “getting shine” says YSL. “They’re producing music people can vibe with.” The next group on YSL’s hot list is Cancer Rising, who are rappers Gatsby and Judas as well as DJ TilesOne. Gatsby (aka Larry Mizell Jr.) Has a weekly column called My Philosophy: Hiphop Ya Don’t Stop in The Stranger (a local magazine). Every member of CR has deep roots in the Seattle hip-hop culture. They’ve even got a green effort going by selling one of their CD’s with used CD jewel cases. YSL points me to the hiphopperss.com article to learn more about it. The third artist is Sonny Bonoho. YSL says he’s fun and he doesn’t take life too seriously. Sonny brings something different to hip-hop. Sonny is currently working on a new album and YSL is looking forward to it. In YSL’s words, “Sonny has flavor.” He also pointed me to bbskate.com to learn more about Sonny’s entrepreneurial business outside of rap. Finally, the one radio show all hip-hop enthusiasts must tune into is Streetsounds. You’ll find Streetsounds on Seattle’s own KEXP 90.3FM. Streetsounds is hosted by DJ B-Mello.

Just before we wrapped things up, YSL told me about one of his daily habits. Going online to 206.proof.com/forum/ and checking out the daily discussions that take place there. He goes there to get the insider’s commentary. Of course, there are a lot of lurkers there. I didn’t ask him what he meant by that.

Next week, I’ll share more about the inner workings of YSL. Stay tuned!

Wanna check out what YSL’s writing about? Go to blogsiswatching.com.

Go to CultureMob.com to find hip-hop events in Seattle.