Another Dr. Oc2pus vs Mimusa set on KUCI! Fill Your VOID

Me and Zo just got back from an incredible trip to Honolulu, Hawaii! This was a special one for me because I’ve never been there and have always dreamt about visiting. We got to rock a few shows, swim with the fishes and eat with the locals! Huge thanks to the homie Bone and his girl Rose for their hospitality! Also Shoutout to ESSA, Professor Rod, the University of Hawaii, Prototype, Mason Rose, Johnny Cupcakes, DJ Packo, and all the fans out in Hawaii! This was an amazing experience and i’ll never forget it! Mahalo!

-DFD

TV Girl stopped by to perform a few of their exciting genre defying indie pop songs and talk about their recent migration to LA from San Diego, their broad influences, and being best friends with Fred Durst.

On LA public transportation…

I got a ticket on the subway trying to go with an expired tab card.  They have a little thing that reads them now so don’t try it.

On samples…

The way that we normally write songs incorporates sampling so it’s sort of a challenge to see what kind of balance between live instrumentation and sampling we would have when we play live.  It would be boring to have two people play a sampler so we kind of do a rock band thing but we kept the sampler so it would be kind of hip hoppy.

On San Diego bands…

Since LA is so close once you have an opportunity to do it bigger it’s not that hard to move.  So a lot of the good bands just kind of move out of there which is a shame, but you can’t blame them really.

On their genre…

Crunk-chill-rap-wave-rock-limp-bizkit… [Note From the Editor:  They sound nothing like Limp Bizkit]

My dad gave me a tape of Dinosaur Jr.‘s Green Mind when I was 12 and they’ve been one of my favorite bands ever since.  Their classic records You’re Living All Over Me and Bug both hold special places in my heart so it was a bucket list item checked off when I saw them perform Bug in it’s entirety last night at the Music Box.

-Lee

The Pepsi Refresh Project is this awesome contest that allows non-profit organizations like Knockstudy to compete to win funds for their programming. In order for us make this happen, we need to gather as many votes as possible before the end of the month and hopefully qualify to be a finalist. Everyone can vote at least once a day, so please bookmark this site and hit it up daily. What all this means is more equipment, more workshops, more guest speakers and more programs for youth in LA to learn, explore and be creative through the arts! Every vote counts and we can definitely use all the help we can get! So spread the word and get your vote on!

1.) Go to Pepsi Refresh
2.) Click ‘Vote for this Idea”
3.) Choose to register through Facebook or create a separate Pepsi Account.
4.) Click “Vote for this idea” to make sure your vote went through
5.) Remember, you can vote multiple times, at a limit of 3 x per day by either clicking the link,  texting 110411 to the number 73774 (P-E-P-S-I on the keypad) or signing in with your email at Pepsi.
 

For the semester Intuition is going to teach a writing workshop. Our Knockstudy program is hosted at the Bresse youth center which is where Dumbfoundead used to go as a teen.

Stones Throw artist Vex Ruffin performing ‘Sky Fall’ live in studio.

-Grady

Bua returns with the release of his new book, The Legends of Hip Hop, featuring the key pioneers of hip hop during his time as a practitioner of the elements. Aside from his incredible work, I was interested in hearing  about his perspectives on life and art and how it has influenced his pieces throughout the years. He discusses the hustle, the struggle and the much needed attitude that has allowed him to breakthrough as a leader in creating compelling visuals to reflect his distorted reality. Digging through Bua’s intellect, I was enlightened by what he had to share with our audience and encourage you to check out his work, both new and old. Bua can be found at his next event on Monday, Dec 12th at the LACMA, along side DMC himself from Run DMC. Check out more info at www.justinbua.com.

On defining his style…

The architecture and the characters are a little bit more of a heightened reality, but it’s a nice place to be. Maybe you go there in a dream state, and that’s basically where I want to take you in my painting.

On how he developed his style…

It was the infusion of both the classical world of my home surroundings, my apartment, and that infusion in the intersection of graffiti that kind of gave a birth to my work-a classical kind of graffiti style.

On his transition from NY to LA…

For me, when I was in New York, I didn’t see that I was on a treadmill until I stepped off. That was LA for me. And I was like, “Whoa, the world has really slowed down.”

On advice for aspiring artists…

Perseverance is really the best thing. You have to keep knocking on the door. You really just have to try and try and try and believe in yourself because no ones gonna believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself.

Last night I attended a private event at the historic Farmers and Merchants Bank on Main St. The gala celebrated the premiere of Hyundai’s ReGeneration documentary and was highlighted by the guest panel which included Skrillex, Erykah Badu, DJ Premier, The Crystal Method and the documentary’s director Amir Bar-Lev.

The Hyundai’s REMIX LAB is a 5 city, cross genre, multimedia event supporting Hyundai’s launch of their new Veloster. The ReGeneration project couples some of today’s top DJs and electronic artists with other major artists representing five other music genres. The five original tracks created by the collaborating artists were then given out for free by Hyundai.

Mark Ronson reinterprets jazz. The Crystal Method flip R&B.

DJ Premier = Classical

Skrillex = Rock

Erykah Badu spinning…

-Grady

A ton of crazy shit has happened to me this year. I wrote a hit record, tried apple sauce for the first time, expanded my sexual pallet by sleeping with a midget named Linda, and dropped a new album.  One of the more unexpected events to take place was the sudden interest in my fashion (or lack there of) choices.  So in attempts to help the loyal Knocksteady viewers out, I traveled to the conservative asshole of Orange County to show everyone how to dress like a boss on a budget. If you’ve ever wanted to look like a potential child molester I suggest you watch this!

-SPEAK

Sydney-Allyson Banta’s LA Girlfriend project is only in it’s first year but the melancholic and upbeat electro pop soundscapes she creates are well beyond her 21 years.  In podcast #84 she performs a few songs with her brother (Trevor of I Heart Comix), discusses her early influences, and being a jack of all trades.

On what’s in a name…

The name was kind of a joke with myself because I’ve never been anyone’s real girlfriend.

Trevor on his sister’s many talents…

She’s like a complete music industry in one person: she can silk screen her own merch, she can design her own flyers, logos, artwork, writes her own songs.  She’s crazy.

On balancing school and music…

It’s just doing the things you don’t want to do.  Nobody wants to do homework but the sooner you get it done the sooner you can go play on your drum set or your guitar.

On her veteran stage presence…

I think being comfortable in front of people comes back to my musical theater days in high school.  I wasn’t that gung ho about it, but yeah, I played shows.

-Lee

I traveled to Silverlake for the open bar swagfest that was Speak’s Inside Out Boy release party.  Folks packed into The Gravel Pit until the walls were sweating and the line outside wrapped around the building.  The event was a who’s who of left leaning Los Angeles hip hop, even got to fan out on Frank Ocean for a second.

Speak’s face is like a wildebeest but his chest is like a baby’s bottom.  He can rap his ass off, but don’t take my word for it.

Syd the Kid with Yosemite HAM.

Mike G was in the house and played a few cuts.

This flick of Def Sound sums up how closely packed everyone was.

Westside Ty aka Beanpie Ty aka Young Dame Dash aka Beeper King aka Killa Kurl aka the selecta for the night.

The place was an animal house.

Christian Clancy is quietly reinventing the music industry.  He’s the man behind the meteoric rise of OF.

Socks.

The lovely and talented Low Leaf.

Ran into a couple of the fellas from TV Girl.  Their Benny and the Jetts EP is one of my current favorites and they’ll be on Knocksteady Live in a couple weeks.

-Lee

When Allen Stone sings jaws drop and faces light up.  We were excited to learn he had some time to burn before his sold out gig at the Echo.  Just enough to drop by Knocksville and rock this performance of “Contact High”.  Be sure to check out the Washington native’s self-titled sophomore album.  It dropped in October and it’s really…fucking…good.

-Lee

Back in 2010, the pioneers of the Knockstudy DJs received their first official inauguration to the DJ community through their participation with MOCA Teen Night. A night time event where a high school ID got you through the gates, this party managed to draw in roughly 2000 high schoolers from all over Los Angeles. The legacy our first group of DJs left was so great that the MOCA Apprenticeship Program invited the Knockstudy crew of 2011 to entertain their guest yet again this coming February 2012.

The two groups had the opportunity to meet, discuss their thoughts and brainstorm what they envisioned for their audience.

It was agreed that the ambiance should engage, inspire and stimulate thought around the theme of the current exhibit titled Under the Big Black Sun showcasing art in California between 1974-1981. If you haven’t already checked it out, we definitely encourage you to take a gander at the thought provoking images of our sunny state of California during a time period “when the political and social roles of artists, the authority of institutions, and the ‘objecthood’ of art were all being questioned.”

Patty and Fabrizio, the masterminds behind the MOCA Apprenticeship Program, paid us a visit at our new and improved Knocksville location. We’re all super excited to work with you guys again and look forward to more collaborations in the future!

-Dee

Motherfuckers peacock out here in LA.  It’s the land of excess and unnecessary accessories.  Fedoras with feathers, purple boas, leather necklaces – it’s basically a Chris Angel shit show.  I’ll rock an occasional scarf but I don’t give enough of a fuck to overcompensate for not driving a Porsche.

Having said that… I fuck with “wrist swag”.  [In my best Ghostface voice] Yo son, I might cop the little dollar fifty joints at the Mercado, some cheap beads at a swap meet whateva whateva, but you gotta have wrist swag stacked on the frost bit time piece.  Nah’mean?

As a fledgling business we’re flattered when other startups send their wares to Knocksville but a lot of it,  well…you know. We do get some fly shit from time to time though.  My man Phil from Fellup caught me at the perfect time: the joint I bought outside our dim sum spot just broke and he laced the team up with some proper accessories.  Fellup slangs vintage snapbacks and hand-made bracelets.  I’m down with both so I wanted to show him some love.  Can’t knock the hustle.

*Edit:  Phil just hit me up and said if you use the discount code “knocksteady” you get anything on Fellup for 25% off.  Boom.

-Lee

When our pals Speak, Westside Ty, and Vince Staples stopped by to check out the new stomping grounds, we figured it was time to have Vince rock the dented mic.  You might recognize the 18 year old phenom’s voice from his infamous feature on Earl Sweatshirt‘s “epaR“.  Vince wrote “Queenzbridge Zoo”  (over a Jay Curry beat) on the spot.  Be sure to look out for his upcoming mixtape “Shyne Coldchain Vol. 1″ hitting the web on December 30th via Applebird.

-Lee

CHOPS took a break from his session with DFD to have a conversation about his past with the Mountain Brothers, his transition from samples to live instrumentation, and The Creep.

On getting his big break…

There’s never been, band there may never be, an opportunity where it’s like “that made me”.  I’m not “made”.  I’m still grinding.  I’m still trying to get better placements and get more music out there and work with more people that are creative, dope and enterprising.  I’m always looking for new angles and ways to do that.

On sampling vs. live instrumentation…

When I started I just sampled.  I found it to be limiting.  I have a lot of stuff that goes on in my head…a lot of music going on, so the easiest way for me to get it out of my head and onto tape or hard disk is by playing the instruments as best as I can.

On his workflow…

I definitely work around the family schedule, but I’ve learned to work somewhat on demand.  When I was younger I was kinda like “I’m not inspired today,” but now I’ve found that if I need to, I can make it happen.

On using social media in its early form…

One thing that we did early on was use the Internet.  Just through reaching people via email lists, our website and forum.  People were very active on it.  People like Jin were on our forums posting freestyles.  [Mountain Brothers] were early on in doing that and if we were out today this landscape would’ve suited us.

We had our first Black Friday Warehouse sale this year and it was a success. A huge thank you to everyone that came by.

We put out a lot of the samples and the rest of the dead-stock that we had laying around the office…

Zomanno

DFD with a homie repping the Mestizo Fresh Jive design

RQL

Throwback…an original “Self-motivation” tee…

A Wax and Herbal T ‘Come Fly with Us’ sighting.

Lee

You can check out more pictures in our Facebook album.

-Grady

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis took time from their tour to rip the roof off of the Knocksville studio and talk about their hands on approach with branding, how they’ve created such a hungry fanbase, and running naked around Capitol Hill.

On their extended breaks between albums …

In terms of having a high standard for the art that we put out that was something we both shared, just perfectionism…almost to a fault. That’s why we don’t put out as much music as a lot people. We’re constantly fine-tuning and reworking stuff.

On the importance of winning at home…

When you’re proud of the place you’re from, and you rep it well, and you do it from a place of sincerity, people connect with it.

Macklemore on rehab…

There wasn’t this climactic downfall of a rock bottom, but all those years of wasted time accumulated into “Okay, I’m down to get help.”

Macklemore on his approach to making music…

I don’t like to be contained by a beat, I like to be able to be free within it and what I feel. I’d rather break those barriers of what those traditional norms are of rhyme schemes.

I was recently in NY and mad bored in the hotel room w/ my S4 (pause?) so me and my boy AK decided to take it to Times Square.

-Zo

Murs stopped by to share his insights about working with the majors, his contempt for complacency, and his creative process.  He discusses a myriad of topics ranging from his constant touring schedule to his new book.

On never settling…

Familiarity breeds contempt, and I’ve had a lot of contempt for familiarity…we can be honest, mothafuckas got famous on the west coast and just got real comfortable with it.

On working with Warner…

It disproved a lot of the myths that underground people have about working with major labels.  There’s not somebody up there making people make negative music.  It’s a bunch of ni**as…excuse my French…trying to be famous that make their own negative music.  Has nothing to do with any engineering of the system, or the white man, or whatever the fuck you think is going on.

On touring…

I’d rather play for 30 people in Philly than play for 3000 people in Seattle because Seattle will always be there (for us), and I love the West Coast, but I want to bring West Coast music to the East…Everybody tours, but nobody goes West of Colorado.

On sampled beats…

I love rapping over sampled beats but I got sued…like I was on Perez Hilton for being sued. So, I’m hot…I’m the guy that you DON’T want to sell drugs to. I’m the guy that you don’t want to send sampled beats to cause we’re both gonna get sued.

Sorry for the long hiatus! I’ve been fortunate enough to be busy djing / performing the past couple of months but sadly thats kept me away from bloggin! The good thing is I’ve come across a lot of good music and I even have a recording from a radio show I did down at UCI.

Skream – Anticipate (feat. Sam Frank)

Skream just released a new single, Anticipate, I feel slightly biased because I’m at the point of fandom where anything he does I like. The video is good fun too.

Jonti – Train Station 3am (co.fee edit)

In love with the melody, for some reason it reminds of a chill Tribe song.

Rustie – All Nite

I’ve been raving about this guy, the melodies/synths always bring a smile to my face. Here’s another one of my favorites.

Star Slinger – Dumbin’ feat. Reggie B

SS was recently in LA at the Troub, definitely on the come up, he recently release Dumbin. It’s good to hear him producing and just remixing via sped up samples. The Diplo remix just murders the bassline.

Example – Midnight Run (Flux Pavilion Remix)

I had to drop at least one club banger this round. Great vocals, heavy dub step beat… Can’t wait to play this live

Blawan – Shader

I got this one from my good friend Mimusa. its got this organic tribal vs dub step thing going on.

Girl Unit – Wut

Back to the melodic side, the bassline comes in real heavy on this one. Time to break out your expensive headphones and speakers, don’t bust your nut on iPod headphones and cheap computer speakers.

Pixelord – Oh Lord (Submerse Remix)

Submerse really does a number on this, between the OG version and this remix they don’t even sound like the same song. I ended up buying the wav file on beatport so I could swim in all the details.

BONUS!

Synkro – Back Then

Just stumbled on this one listening to music for this particular octopicks. Really nice harp sample, which makes it kinda emo, but its post dub step so who gives a shit.

DON’T CRY IN MY BED – mixed by dr. oc2pus

Check out my radio Set from a show I did with my friend Michelle at KUCI! Lots of hip hop and obscure electronica!

-Dean

Ended up at Chill Black Guys‘ release party for CBG The Mixtape last night.  Jay Ughh (above) and Young Hawaii Slim (below) make up CBG and their project is full of swagged out stoner jams like “Nope“.

Speak‘s beard grows more magnificent by the minute.

The homie Caleb of Professor Calculus.

The makeshift tattoo parlor upstairs.

Black Bandits were in the house.

Always nice to run into TK and Bago.

-Lee

Kimya Dawson performs select songs and talks about her new record Thunder Thighs, life as a touring mother, and gobbling airplane farts.

On making a children’s album…

I had a kid and I was finding myself constantly making up silly little songs for her.

On her sense of community…

Some of my favorite shows are the shows where I go and play in some kids back yard and everyone brings food and hangs out together.

On back row plane seats…

We were just sitting there being bombarded by the farts of the people waiting for the lavatory for the entire cross-country flight.

On Pooping in a Porta-Potty…

Sometimes you just have to.

I’m convinced that a pair of Vans Classics will never go out of style… Look what came in the mail today.  GEEKED.

The OTW boxes are clean.

Two fresh pairs of OTW Pritchards.  The Pritchards are a grown ass shoe.  No logos, clean silhouette, slight heel…a legitimate dress shoe.  One pair of black suedes, one pair of grey waxed canvas.

Lookin’ pristine; I’m excited to put these kicks to work.  Big shouts to Chris from OTW and Vans!

-Lee

Robert Raimon Roy performs a few songs from his upcoming record Le Tigre Blanc and talks with us about signing with Dim Mak, his unique creative process, and how being ahead of the curve can be a blessing and a curse.

On his creative process…

Essentially it’s collage…pulling these different source materials, piecing them together in a way that I feel is interesting, and giving birth to a new form.

On digital marketing…

I had a lightning in a bottle moment when the Fur In My Cap thing happened…that’s probably about the closest to organic that something can actually get.  Nothing is ever really organic.

On his span of influence…

I would definitely say there are ideas I was toying with on the “King Warrior Magician Lover”  record that eventually ended up getting co-opted by the mainstream.

On working with Dim Mak…

The biggest attraction to the Dim Mak situation was not that I’m in love with dance music or electro, because I really don’t listen to either, it was definitely more of a creative control thing.

Proud to present the visuals to my song “Old Enough”. My boy Equalibrum killed the beat.  Our boy J6Ahn killed the video.  Hope you guys have as much fun watching it as we did making it.  Remember to subscribe to the new channel and be on the lookout for more videos in the works.

-Lee

After releasing numerous remixes within the past year through Knocksteady (Including ‘Sanity Is Temporary‘), my full length instrumental album was my focal point. In the midst of that creative journey, I stumbled onto a record store and acquired some interesting vinyl from their surprisingly abundant dollar bin. The music I discovered inspired me to make a collection of raw beats / instrumentals. Memory Palace is the first of a three part series of this music I’ve decided to release. Click here to download the full EP in its entirety.

-Duke

We’re releasing the video for “Old Enough” on November 11th.  You’ll be able to see it here.  The song is produced by my long time collaborator Equalibrum, the video was directed by J6Ahn, and brought to you by Knocksteady.  Here’s a little snippet to get you ready for Friday.

-Lee

Big thanks to Wayne and everyone involved and a shoutout to Zixi Wu for the photos.

- Zo

When we found our new headquarters, it wasn’t much more than a building the neighbors thought had been abandoned.  Windows were broken, walls were tagged, and the interior was covered in muck, but we saw potential.  After a few days of renovations we were able to move in to the building and make it home, but the exterior still felt barren.  I figured we could liven up the place a bit by getting the 17 x 75′ wall in our alleyway painted.

I’d alway talked to my boy Dave about coming to the old digs and painting a wall, but I knew this project would put his talents to better use.  I sent him some pictures of the alley and he immediately came by to look at the wall.  The next morning he sent over a mockup and told us there might be a “special guest collaborator”.  He eventually informed us that he and Shephard Fairey were going to collaborate on the project.  Wow.

A week later the wall was completed.  With all hands on deck it took less than 7 hours to transform a dirty, menacing, desolate wall into a giant work of art.  The neighbors came out in droves to watch on with approving eyes.  Towards the end of the day, the owner of our neighboring business called from across the parking lot…as we looked over she was smiling and holding both thumbs up.

-Lee

When discussing the topic of sausages, it is highly likely you will provoke a string of vulgar comments prefacing even more crude behavior and the typical “thats what she said…” follow up. After tweeting about stuffing my face full of Seoul Sausages on Saturday night at their Fan Appreciation Day, Lee tastefully made me aware that my comment was not only unbecoming of me, but racy enough to make him giggle at the thread of sausage tweets that followed. Provocative or not, the crew at Seoul Sausage did an awesome job keeping their guest warm with free flowing alcohol, a bottomless sausage fest and good vibes over some old skool 90s Hip Hop. If you’re feeling heat with all this sausage talk, feel free to swing by their next event in LA at our very own Dumbfoundead’s Album Release Party on Nov.12th!

- Dee

In the past a majority of our featured artists have been MCs or DJs because our old office had space and noise limitations. Our new office is more than spacious enough to have a dedicated room for Knocksteady Live. With that being said, we figured it would only make sense to have a stationary drum-kit for future KS Live guests. I know close to nothing about drum-kits so I needed to reach out to somebody for help in that category. My boy Sam Brawner was more than qualified so we hit him up and in the process of setting up the drums, me and him started messing around.. This is what we came up with.

Follow Sam on Twitter – @SamBrawner

Follow DJvsDrummer on Twitter – @DJvsDrummer

- Zo

When Phantogram takes the stage it’s all business.  Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter didn’t say  much more than “We’re Phantogram, we’re from New York” once between songs.  Playing a combination of staples from Eyelid Movies and their brand new EP, Nightlife, they powered through an hour of non-stop music partnered with an enthralling and mood shifting light show.  Ending with with “When I’m Small” before coming out for a 3 song encore, the sold-out crowd exited with overheard murmurs of “You know it’s a good show when you don’t want it to end”.  The set was clean, concise, and the sound quality was amazing.  What they lacked in outward personality, they more than made up for in audio and visual stimulation.

-Lee

Last night the ladies of Dimepiece introduced their Spring 2011 line at their “The Drug & The Dream” gallery event.  Part art show, part fashion show, and part backyard party, the event was packed to the brim and full of…well…dimepieces.    The show featured a tripped out black-lit schoolbus where models displayed the new line, and select art and photography that showed the where the company has been and where it’s headed.

Ashley (above) and Laura (below) are the creators and co-founders of Dimepiece.  They’ve been working on the line together since ’07 and killing it ever since.  Their designs have been seen on Katy Perry, Fergie, Amber Rose, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Juliette Lewis, Lindsay Lohan, and Kreayshawn (in almost every interview I’ve seen).  Beyond their fashion forward designs, that feature snarky slogans and psychedelic imagery, Ash and Laura are good folks and extremely hard workers.

Iggy Azalea, the polarizing rapid-fire-delivery raptress taking the internet by storm, was in attendance.

Inside the Hvw8 Gallery you could take a look back at imagery from previous Dimepiece lines.

Ran into a couple homies I haven’t seen in forever.  Marco Romano (a.k.a. Bastard Artist) was displaying imagery he’s shot in collaboration with Dimepiece.  BxA is one of the premiere documenters of LA counter culture, and one of the first people I met in LA.  He’s stuck to his guns and only shoots film that he processes and prints on his own.  That attention detail shines through in his portraiture.  A.N.T.I. (below) is another homie I used to play a ton of shows with.  Back then when he DJ’d his signature move was breaking a piece of vinyl over his head after every set.

Always good to run into Tiron, Ayomari, and Lateef.

-Lee

DJ CPlus with his third installment of Beat Macheen. Chock-full of skratches, juggles, and in the words of EOM.. “MAD BEATS”

Check out Vol. 2 in case you missed it!

Halloween fell on a Monday this year, essentially turning it into a four day costume marathon.  Hordes of women racked their brains to find four different costumes that would let their inner freak reign supreme.  I’ve never been a fan of Halloween, even as a kid I wasn’t into candy or walking long distances.  Most men think Halloween is an easy occasion to get laid but as an adult I’ve realized its nothing more than an exodus of average broads in costume transformed into self-proclaimed dimes.  It’s much easier to pull on a normal night than it is on Halloween.  Having said that, I still hit the West Hollywood Halloween Carnival seeking out half-naked women wanting to get laid.

The Beetlejuice getup might’ve been the most on point.

She was far too eager to bend over for the photo.

I have a feeling this guy might wear this costume more than once a year.

If you know WeHo you know you can never be too sure about tall women with fake breasts.

This guy ended his night the right way.

-Lee

Sometimes folks ask us how they can get a video on our channel, or how they could be on Knocksteady Live.  While most self-promotion annoys the shit out of me, my ears perked up when San Jose native Anya Kvitka hit us up about doing a song.  I think she’s really onto something.  Anya represents the first person we’ve had perform that we found out about from a Tweet to us.  ”Runnin” has been stuck in all of our heads for the last couple days, and I have a feeling it’ll have the same effect on you.

-Lee

Zo sat down with DJ QBert to talk about his reunion with D-Styles and Shortkut at Fader Fest, his equipment preference, and opening your chakras.

On Techs v. Stantons…

I think Technics look a tiny bit better, but performance-wise I think the Stantons outdid the Technics.

On quitting cigs…

I found out that when you smoke a cigarette you take that inhale and you release that breath and get this little mini high for a few seconds.  You can get that same high from just taking a deep ass breath.

On lucid dreaming…

If you can be awake in your dream you’re pretty much enlightened.

On finding your way…

I’ve always believed that there are no coincidences.  The universe always brings you to where you need to go.

Designer Sophia Chang is a busy lady.  After graduating from Parsons and working with various design firms, she dove head first into the world of freelance design last year.  Recent collabs with Anthony Bourdain, Baohaus, and Undefeated have her name buzzing.  Dumb sat down with her to discuss her background, her love of music, and learning the Harlem Shake.  Tune in to hear what she’s been working on and the music she’s been listening to lately.

On early inspirations…

I’ve done my share of Pikachu pictures.

On her first gig after graduating…

I was a design slave…I worked there for 6 or 7 months and literally I woke up every day wondering “Is this how much I’m worth?  Is $12 how much I’m worth as a designer?”

On going for broke…

There were definitely moments earlier on in my freelance profession when i was counting change to get train fare to meet a client in a city…I didn’t know what I was gonna eat.

Her advice to aspiring designers…

Whatever spare minute you have while in school you should do an internship.  Free labor is all good while you’re in school.

Sophia’s Tracklist

• Jay-Z – Feelin It
• UGK – International Players Anthem
• Bernard Wright – Who Do You Love
• Common – Be
• A Tribe Called Quest – Find A Way
• Watch The Throne – Gotta Have It
• Sade – By Your Side (The Neptunes Remix)
• Lil Cease – Crush On You
• Patrice Rushen – Remind Me
• Big Tymers – Still Fly
• Aaliyah – A Girl Like You

Evidence performs a few choice cuts off his new Rhymesayers LP Cats & Dogs. We had a chance to discuss a relentless touring scheduling, growing up in LA and the constant evolution of growing a fan base.

Evidence performs a few choice cuts off his new Rhymesayers LP Cats & Dogs. We had a chance to discuss a relentless touring scheduling, growing up in LA and the constant evolution of growing a fan base.

On staying inspired after 20+ years in the rap game…

If you’re doing this for something else, even if it’s in the back-back of your mind, it’s gonna come back to you eventually.  If you want money and that’s why you’re doing it, or you want pussy and you can’t get it, that’s going to come back to haunt you.

On being a road warrior…

I have a lot of responsibilities at home, so as much as I love it and I love what I’ve built up, to keep it I can’t be there.

On “This Way“…

It was a gift and a curse.  More exposure, television, radio, bigger concerts but I guess people who had considered us purists were kind of confused by the exposure.

On being comfortable in his own skin…

[When I] was young and hanging out with older people and wanted to be old so I would rap deep.  Then I got older and the voice actually got deep so I wanted to rap the other way.  Now I think I’m finally…the closest to how I’m talking to you right now is how I’m going to get on the microphone and rap.

Hey everyone! Firstly, I want to say sorry for not putting out a video last week! I was super stressed out about getting my laptop stolen and getting a parking ticket and blah blah blah. Everything feels so much better now that I got some CD’s made, just had two killing shows, went up to Carmel, met James Franco (while he garnished me with compliments I couldn’t help staring at his beautiful face), finished most of my midterms, got a new pair of shoes, you know…just a bunch of great stuff. This week I decided I wanted to try something new. I haven’t played piano in a really long time, but I thought I’d take a stab at it anyway.  As you may know, Amy Winehouse is one of my favorite singers/writers, and this particular song definitely shows how bad-ass she was. Hope you all enjoy it!

Love,

RR

With budgets cuts hitting school districts, art programs are usually the first to go. Luckily, we have people like the folks at ZAMFEST to provide alternative ways to expose young people to the arts.

Arts focused non-profits were scattered throughout Marina Green Park in Long Beach on a sunny Saturday to share, interact and engage with young people and provide them an outlet to express their creativity.

Thank you to Tripmastermonk, Dr. Oc2pus, Katie and Nga for volunteering their Saturday to help us out!

-Dee

Head over to the shop and pre-order Dumbfoundead‘s new album DFD.  You can pre-order the CD or a full special package that includes a CD, tee shirt, DFD Polaroid sticker, and Knocksteady sticker.  All pre-ordered CDs come autographed by Dumb!

Don’t forget to check out the video below and enter the “DFD” contest.

Intuition in the Support Locals Tee available in black and heather

BYoon in the Independent Tee available in black and forest

Coolroy in Skyline Tee coming soon in navy and silver

and MO’FUGGIN’ GRADY SHON in the Strike From Below Tee available in black and light blue

More to come, stay tuned!

DJ Craze came by to drop a pulsating, scratch-heavy mix and talk about immigrating as a child, his battle history, and being the Floyd Mayweather of DJ’ing.

On immigrating to the states…

I remember getting to this crazy country and smelling pancakes.

On early interests…

I was 14 or 15 and my brother got some decks and I thought that shit was cool…I was looking up to dudes like Magic Mike, and Jealous J, and Jock D and I was like “I wanna do these scritchy scratchy sounds”.

On being a ladies man…

I was like “If I can control parties…I’m gonna get laid”…It didn’t work out that well.

On battling…

I just wanted to fuck people up.

Wax & EOM stopped by to perform some new material, play a couple acoustic versions of Scrublife favorites, and talk about being a threat to their neighborhood, dealing with hecklers, and rap battling Zac Efron.

Wax on interior design…

It looked like we were a bunch of meth heads that squatted in a vacant house.

Wax on writers block…

To me playing golf is the most relaxing shit in the world.  To Tiger Woods golf is probably the most fucking stressful shit of all time…once it becomes a job and people are looking at you and you have to do well, that’s when you start second guessing your own fucking chip shot.

Wax on dealing with hecklers…

I fucking roast people, you don’t wanna fuck with me son.  I roasted my own parents.

Eom on productivity…

I make mad beats.

A fun, live set from my birthday party, 9.30.11 @ theCrosby, Santa Ana, CA. The theme was: Ready to Wear :: a disco in paris.Really enjoyed playing what I wanted to, some fun trendy stuff like Moombahton along with some of the more indie, electronic connoisseurs I’ve been a fan of for a long time. And of course had to set up the theme and Jubei (the DJ after me) with some disco. Also wanted to thank Beltron for playing the Aerodynamic remix at a gig we did together, it got the crowd going as his intro, and it stuck in my head, luckily a few hours before the party I decided a little moomba flavor would be the way @belTRON would have done it Also thanks to Karen, Sam, Glen, Jane and the rest of the SJ/Shiver crew for making my birthday the very best!

Tracklist embedded in the lyrics (if you play in iTunes)

1. Fischerspooner – Danse En France
2. Kavinsky & Lovefoxxx – Nightcall
3. Modeselektor – Berlin feat. Miss Platinum
4. Drop Goblin – Stereo Hearts (Tribute Drumstep Remix) (Gym Class Heroes & Adam Levine)
5. Dillon Francis – Beautician 2.0
6. I Blame Coco – Turn Your Back On Love (Plastic Plates Remix)
7. Chase & Status – Hitz (Dillon Francis Remix)
8. Zuzuka Poderosa – Ao Som do Tamborzao (Sonora Remix)
9. Diplo – Horsey
10. Munk – Mis Labios (Joyce Muniz Remix)
11. Daft Punk – Aerodynamic (F.U.N.K.Y. Remix)
12. The Beatards – Tramp (Clockwork Moombahton Remix)
13. BeatauCue – Falcon Punch
14. BeatauCue – Cytise
15. Beens & Dachstuhl – Fogger (Nom De Strip Remix)
16. Dillon Francis & Diplo – Que Que feat. Maluca (Alvaro Remix)
17. Dillon Francis & Diplo – Que Que feat. Maluca (Torro Torro Remix)
18. Kanye West – American Boy (Nadastrom Remix)
19. Kissy Sellout – Turn It On (Dillon Francis Remix)
20. Calvin Harris – Feel So Close (Dillon Francis Remix)
21. Klaxons – As Above, So Below (Justice Remix)
22. Hudson Mohawke – Thunder Bay
23. Joker – Here Come the Lights feat. Silas
24. Katy B – Lights On feat. Ms Dynamite (Skream Remix)
25. Florence + the Machine – You’ve Got The Love (Mr. Wonk’s Green Mask Mix)
26. SBTRKT – Never Never
27. SBTRKT – Wildfire feat. Little Dragon (Paper Diamond Remix)
28. SBTRKT – Wildfire feat. Little Dragon
29. Rustie – Ultra Thizz
30. Gemini – Graduation
31. Nero – Crush On You
32. Rustie – All Nite
33. Buraka Som Sistema – Hangover (BaBaBa)
34. Major Lazer – Keep It Going Louder (So Shifty Remix)
35. The Magician – I Don’t Know What to Do feat. Jeppe (Plastic Plates Remix)
36. L-Vis 1990 – Lost In Love feat. Javeon McCarthy (Neon Dreams Club Mix)
37. Elijah Collins & Nist – Love’s Down
38. Housse De Racket – Roman (Oliver Remix)
39. Frenssu – Lady Love
40. Ting Tings – Great DJ (Calvin Harris Remix)

-Dean

Just dropped my new DFD Goblin Mask No. 2. It was designed by the very talented Byoon who runs ALL the design at Knocksteady. He’s an amazing artist! If you guys remember he’s also the one that designed the Clockwise artwork for me and Wax by hand!

I thought it’d be interesting to show a bit of the design process, so we put together this video. Music by the one and only Duke Westlake of course.

-DFD

My dude VerBS put me onto Low Leaf a couple weeks ago. I was instantly impressed by the fact that she was playing the harp, keys, and singing at the same time. Turns out she also produces her own beats and just released an EP called Chrysalis.  I see a bright future ahead for this young lady so check her out performing “Take Time”.

-Lee

We talked to designer Jeff Staple about brain melting weather, hunting down his own fans, and New York being the best city in the world.

On early signs of greatness…

I was super duper average.  My GPA was 2.0.  There were 1600 kids in my high school, I was ranked 800.  I was so middle of the road you couldn’t believe.

On California sunshine…

I feel like it’s kinda melting my brain.

On working with the White House…

It was 30 people in this room, they each come from their own brand and company, and they each stood up and tried to propagate themselves like, “I come from Ralph Lauren…and…uhh…we’re having a 30% off sale!”

On fruitbooting…

[As an instructor] I was making 30 bucks an hour…and getting mad chicks.

Caught Toro Y Moi at the El Rey last night.  Toro Y Moi is the nom de plume of South Carolina native Chaz Bundick who has become one of the torch bearers of the chillwave movement.  Been a fan since first hearing Causers of This and so far Underneath the Pine is one of my albums of the year.  The set was great, albeit short, and Bundick seemed genuinely humbled and shocked at how the LA crowd was eating from his hand.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra (singer Ruban Neilson pictured below) also put on a great opening set.  I’ll be checking for them in the future.

-Lee

I first formally met Max and Greg back in college around 2008. We were all peers in the same department and would pass the time by exchanging projects and ideas. A few years later, I graduated and started working closely with Knocksteady, occasionally going back to school to catch concerts and events. I started noticing that the Electro music acts would have spectacular visuals accompanying the sound; visuals done by none other than Max and Greg (now known as the Bitwise Operation). When Duke approached me with a music video proposal I immediately thought of the homies at Bitwise. The video above is the end result. Enjoy!

- BYoon

The success of a social entrepreneurial venture can be accurately gauged by the percentage of its return on both the investor and the recipient. TOMS Shoes is a great example of a social entrepreneur who has made a simple model flourish exponentially amongst the many philanthropic endeavors currently existing today. TOMS Shoes’  “One for One” model allows 100% of the investment of those that purchase a pair of TOMS Shoes to directly be replicated by giving the same back to communities that are less fortunate.

Continuing the “One for One” promise, TOMS has also ventured to another much needed human sense by releasing an eye wear line to fulfill the same mission. We here at Knocksteady and Knockstudy strongly believe in this model and aspire to give back 100% to our community, our city and our supporters around the world.

By means of the our recent Knocksteady TV parity of “The Office- Intern” filmed in our very own Knocksville, folks at the TOMS’ Community Outreach Department caught a quick glimpse of the baby blue and white TOMS flag hanging in our office. Because of that cameo, folks at the department so graciously sent us an awesome package of TOMS goodies to show their appreciation for supporting what they do over there.

So, here is a HUGE shout out to Jennifer at TOMS for sending us all these awesome gifts to rock! We are honored to share in spreading your mission to our Knocksteady fam. Keep up the awesome work and please give your Chief Shoe Giver and founder, Blake Mycoskie, a big high five for being super AWESOME!

Dee

Paul Dateh shows off some new tunes using his trusty violin, keyboard, MIDI controller, and voice.  He talks about his intense musical upbringing, surprising ties to multiple genres, and staying out of his goddamn business.

On productivity…

You have to make something every day or you’re not working on your craft.

On changing directions…

All my life I was trained to be a classical violinist, that was my future and it was pretty much set…but my first day of college I had my first violin lesson and I was like “I don’t like this anymore.”

On his peers…

Classical music is a really cutthroat competitive circle of people.  There are so few jobs you can’t be friends [with other musicians] forever, which is why I gotta out of there.  I wanted friends.

On going viral…

Dj Inka One and I worked together at a store…we were just talking and we thought “well you DJ and I play violin, maybe we should just do something.”

-DFD

This past Saturday, Knockstudy had the opportunity to rock the YAMLA festival alongside SIPA.

There was tons of food, skaters, dancers, DJs, rappers, and Kid Frost even performed with Scoop Deville.

Shout outs to Tripz from Knockstudy who also gets down on the mic.

- Zo

This last Wednesday, Sept 21, I had the opportunity to rock Mercury Lounge in New York City w/ my boy Wax and his band.

I love New York because of the picture perfect scenery, bigups AK for the shot – myspace pose 101

Herbs flew in a day later with his bass ready to go

Stopped by Shade45 for the Tony Touch radio show where Herbal T destroyed his verse in Spanish.

“Yo u Cuban?”

Wax’s band in New York consists of Eric Krasno (guitar) & Neal Evans (keys) from the funk/jazz band Soulive. His drummer Adam Deitch, also plays for Pretty Lighs & Break Science.

“Y’all shit sound like dog shit smell”

I love that in New York you can get beer 24hrs a day…

Before

After

-Zo

I took a short break to work on some personal music, had a couple of gigs as well as getting ready for my birthday, Sept 30th at the Crosby in Santa Ana. The theme will be “Ready to Wear” and it’ll be somewhat of a tribute to Parisian culture, music, fashion, and Mehdi. Details will be posted on our FB page in a couple of days.

Alex Metric ft. Charli XCX – End of the World (Xilent Remix)

You know Metric and Charli, Xilent (pronounced Zilent) is fairly new to the scene, and hails from Poland. He’s definitely DnB, but I love this venture into drum/dub/step. He’s got tons of samples on his soundcloud page and is just 1 of many “young gun” artists to keep on your radar.

SBTRKT – Wildfire (Objekt Remix)

I could pretty much share this guys entire catalog, but 1 last song on top of Never Never which I shared months ago. Though I Love the original more than the remix, I found something pretty fresh in Objekts drums. Very squiggly in production and worth listening too, definitely not your avg remixer.

Alpines – Drive (Youth Kills Remix)

Love this duo, in general they are pretty mellow and I think Youth Kills’ “Doom House” touch is perfect for a remix.

The Field – Burned Out

These guys have released a couple of Eps in the last year or so. I guess they are in the realm of indie/chillwave. They have a soothing sound and as sleepy as most of you may find it, I enjoy the long builds and subtle melody tweeks.

The Rapture – Come Back to me

They recently released a new album, In Grace of Your Love, and, Its great. They returned to their old label DFA as well as received producing from Philippe Zdar of Phoenix. I got to see Phoenix open for Daft Punk in Brooklyn, and they were absolutely amazing live. If you ever get a chance to see them perform, TAKE IT

Korgis – Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometimes

The first time I heard this, Justice played it in a mix and ever since then I’ve been in Love. I’m bringing it up now, because i’ve been noticing a few covers, but none of them compare to the OG. Next time you wanna get emo in a mix, drop this track, its about that time.

BTW, Justice released a new track and video in case you missed it – Justice – Audio, Video, Disco

Aaliyah – Somebody (Hudson Mohawke Remix)

Hudson Moanhawke really has the r&b remix down. They stay in tune with the OG, while really putting a sweet, heavy spin on some classics.

Knxwledge – DntLveHere

Hailing from Philly, his Dilla-esq (which I know you are rolling your eyes at) production is worth mentioning only because this guy is like any great DJ from the past 2 decades – he’s a “Crate Digging machine” as my boy Carlo would say.

Just to add a little bonus, Just caught James Blake live at the Box this past weekend. Though I thought the sound at the Troubadour show was more intimate, his new remixed show is definitely more fun to listen to. He’s coming out with a new EP next month featuring Enough Thunder. Here’s a snippet from his performance on KCRW.

-Dean

The First Lady of Brainfeeder, TOKiMONSTA, drops a pulsating beat set on Knocksteady Live and talks about beat battles, gender biases, and marriage offers.

On influences…

Most of my really early beats sounded like Wu-Tang knockoffs.

On gender equality…

I’d do these beat battles at the Hotel Room…I’d always lose.  But I didn’t want to cut the line just because I’m a chick, I wanted to do the beat battles and invitationals just like everyone else.

On being known as the “First Lady of the beat scene”…

It gets really tiresome to be pointed out as “you’re the girl that’s in all this.”  At a certain point I just want people to say “you came out with an amazing album”… not just like it because I’m the female counterpart to all this.

On fan proposals…

I don’t think people know what they’re asking for.  I could be a complete lunatic.

This is my rendition of SBTRKT’s song “Wildfire“.  My friend Aneesa is on the bass, and my friend Sam is on the congas.  We did it in the kitchen because the reverb was so awesome…haha.

Check out the full song here.

-Raquel

Its hard to be humble when your stunting on the jumbotron.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to rock Austin, TX w/ my boy Wax for the Austin City Limits Festival

A lot of great acts on the bill. Kanye, Stevie Wonder, Cee Lo (2nd picture), Nas, Coldplay, Skrillex, & of course Wax & DJ Zo haha.

It was a 3 day festival and we played on Sunday at the Honda stage.

This Gears of War/Metal Gear Solid/idontknowwhatgame dude was at the XBox lounge where we saw Nas chillin getting ready for his set (cool story bro)

Me & AK took our picture at the VH1 photo booth mainly because I felt obligated to after eating mad VH1 ‘pop-up popsicles’ (pause?). My favorite flavor was hibiscus mint.

Skrillex had everyone going nuts at the Google+ stage

Stevie Wonder, easily the best concert i’ve ever seen.

Shoutouts to Dell for the ill slow motion video above.

-Zo

This mix session was inspired by my boys DJ Image and DJ CPlus from the Midnight Bombers after seeing them rip their showcases at our Knockstudy classes.

-Zo

Hey guys check out my new music video for “BRB” featuring Andrew Garcia. the track is produced by Duke Westlake and the video is directed by Casey Chan. We put a lot into this video considering we had almost no budget. Casey and AK and the entire intense imagination team killed it! spread the word! New album coming out 11/1/11.

-DFD

Low End Theory has proven to be a giant when it comes to attracting surprise guests this year.  Last night they added James Blake to their ever expanding roster of special guest DJs.  I’ve previously stated that the British composer and crooner “sounds like Aaron Neville mixed with everything that’s right about the LA Beat Scene,” so it was only fitting that he would eventually perform at the scene’s home base.

The seemingly shy beatsmith barely looked up at the audience as he kept them enthralled with spinning everything from slow ambient electronic to Destiny’s Child (“Bills Bills Bills” was met with uproarious applause).

Performance footage I’ve seen of Blake’s usually involves him playing keys with a small band backing him while he sings, but tonight he paced between two Techs and a singular CDJ, often slipping discs in and out of a case that contained an arsenal of CD-Rs.

Flying Lotus (another surprise guest) rounded out the evening.

-Lee

My homie Elliot Marx in Taiwan sent me a new crossfader for my Rane TTM-56.

Have you ever seen the inside of a mixer? Have you ever seen the inside of a mixer…on weed?

Installation is pretty straight forward,  just make sure your cut-in and fader sensitivity settings are to your liking before you screw the cover back on, you can only adjust those while the fader is out of the mixer.

Good looking out Elliot – Thanks.  http://www.innofader.com

-Zo

I first saw Raquel Rodriguez perform at a loft party in early 2009. I’d been hearing about her and seen her name on a few flyers, but had no idea I’d be so floored after hearing her sing only one song. She broke into “Valerie” and my jaw hit the floor. She powered through a half hour set and I chased her down to beg her to collaborate (but I’m pretty sure she just thought I was just hitting on her).

When I began hosting Knocksteady Live, Raquel immediately came to mind as a guest. The show had barely established a format and we clumsily chatted between performances. Everyone at Knocksville had the same reaction I first had…they spoke of spine-tingles and shock. Looks can be deceiving, she’s so even keeled you’d never expect such a strong voice to erupt from her.

With that being said, we’ve decided to help Raquel show her talent to the rest of the world. Her humming has become part of our office ambiance and you guys will be seeing a lot more of her. Here’s a quick video we shot last week, it’s a cover of Jamie Woon’s underrated “Lady Luck“. We’re going to put out a new video each week.

Please welcome Raquel into the family, subscribe to her Youtube page, follow her on Twitter, and like her Facebook page.

-Lee

Zuzuka Poderosa takes some time off from the Zuzuka “Power Tour” to talk to us about how her mixed upbringing in Brazil, the West Indies, and Brooklyn led to the creation of her unique style of music called Carioca Bass.

On Carioca Bass…

Carioca Funk… Brooklyn Bass… Carioca… Bass… It kind of makes sense that Zuzuka makes Carioca Bass from the both worlds that I come from.

On cross cultural communication…

I believe in body language… I want them to just go all out. Let it go, forget about tomorrow, and let’s get down.

On global improvement…

You know what I think people should shake more asses in the world, I think the world would be a better place.

Saturday marked the opening of the “Hold The Line” show by KAWS at the Honor Fraser gallery.  KAWS made a short appearance to sign books, bottles of henny and the companion dolls before taking off.  There was a lot of dope work to be seen so be sure to go check it out if you have a chance.  The show runs until October 22.

-AnnaMaria

Flashbang Grenada stopped by Knocksville to debut Busdriver‘s ‘Buffer Dance’, moisturize Nocando‘s ashy elbows, and promote their new album “10 Haters” featuring productions by Dibiase, Nosaj Thing, Free The Robots, Duke Westlake and more.

Busdriver on lightheartedness…

Sometimes people take rap stuff too serious.  Like “Man why aren’t y’all talkin’ about the economy or Obama’s fade?”

Nocando on group dynamics…

We’re the polar opposite of the Ferrari Boyz…the funny part is I think our record is equally as fun as that record.

Busdriver on the social construct of the Blowed…

What’s funny about the Blowed is that we’re honestly stratified according to [Los Angeles] gang culture.

Nocan on battling for MTV

They wanted us to use more street slang, mention our shoes, and talk about guns like on some c**n shit.  At the time I was broke and they were offering money…so I c**n’d up.

Skeme was on his way to perform “When You See Me” when the power went out at Knocksville.  Some quick brainstorming led us to the roof where he ripped through his new banger.  Keep an eye out for this Inglewood native, he’ll be on everyone’s radar soon enough.

Im a skratcher at heart so when I heard that Q-Bert, D-Styles, & Shortkut were going to share the same stage for the first time in 10+ years I knew I had to make it out to this legendary event.

Faderfest 2011 was thrown by Pioneer and DJCity.com. Big thanks to Styles Davis from DJCity and D-Styles for hooking up the passes to this event!

The lineup was crazy, mad champions, skratchers, jugglers, midi fighters, all on the same bill…

Shiftee murdered it and he played the song from Team America World Police…. “AMERICA, FUCK YEAH”

The Bangerz were in full effect as well as Hopie Spitshard (top right), & Ean Golden (bottom right).

Vajra (above) killed it, and played a brief video game tribute set– w/ a couple joints from Knocksteady Live alumn, Free The Robots. Vajra will be representing the US in the World DMC Finals in London this October so it was definitely fitting for Shiftee to play “AMERICA…FUCK YEA!”

Bigup to Innofader Fam – TT Kodac Visualz – on the left, and Fooders, on the right, representing Asthma Funk.

This is my favorite flick of the night. Check out the homey Rayted R in the background geeking out when they started to perform Razorblade Alcohol Slide from the Wave Twisters album.

Shoutouts to all the homeys in the building, too many to name. All the true heads were definitely there and a special thanks to DJCity, Stokyo, D-Styles, & Q-Bert for all the hospitality.

Thanks to Grady for driving & Tripmastermonk for rollin, all fotos by KevoCreative

-Zo

Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire is a problem.  Dude is an unapologetic throwback to 90′s era rap and he’s damn good at what he does.  He’s got a mouth full of gold, claims El-P as his big brother and mentor, and his song “Huzzah” is one of my summer anthems.  I went to the Echo last night to check out his set.

Accessory game outta control.

Every rap show has as many cameras as fans nowadays (I’m part of the problem I suppose).

This is Skeme.  Hardworking and prolific young rapper out of Inglewood.  I will put money down that he’s signed within the next year.

The homies from ‘87 Stick Up Kids are always rowdy on stage.  It’s Gavin‘s (center) last day in town before he moves to Seattle.  Farewell bruh.

There was a time that rappers and journalists were like cats and dogs but Nocando and Jeff Weiss have agreed to stop the beef.

Brick is everywhere.

Shouts to Adam for throwing the event.  He consistently starts to cook when I put a camera on him so I finally told him to fucking stand still.

-Lee

Really quickly, wanted to thank everyone who follows the blog, and my extended family at Knocksteady for the support of my last mix.  You’ll definitely hear some references to Everything is Amazing in the form of remixes and re-edits.  I skipped a couple of Octopicks and decided some of the tracks would be better off in the form of a mix.  I’ve been really feeling Chase & Status, Dj Fresh, Myrryrs and Nero.  Enjoy the multiple tracks from those artists.  I would also like to take this time to invite you all out to our next Shiver party, officially being held on Sept 30th @ The Crosby in Santa Ana.  I’ll be dropping some more tracks in this vein and others along with some special guests!

Safe,
Dean

Tracklist

1. Myrryrs – Feel U (Teki Latex & Bambounou Remix)
2. Yelle – Que Veux-Tu (Myrryrs Remix)
3. Burial – Archangel (Phaseone Remix)
4. Starkey – Lost in Space feat. Charli XCX
5. Starkey – Lost in Space (V.I.P. Mix)
6. Fenech-Soler – Demons (Alan Wilkis Remix)
7. The Killabits – Don’t Wanna Let Go
8. The Temper Trap – Fader (Jakwob Remix)
9. Chase & Status – Flashing Lights (ft. Sub Focus & Takura)
10. Chase & Status – Blind Faith (ft. Liam Bailey)
11. Skepta Vs N Dubz – So Alive (Document One Dub Mix)
12. DJ Fresh – Louder (ft. Sian Evans) (Club Mix)
13. Shy FX & T Power – Feelings
14. Shy FX & T Power – Sheets
15. Plan B – Love Goes Down (Doctor P Remix)
16. Plan B – Love Goes Down
17. Feel So Close (Nero Dub)
18. Calvin Harris – The Way You Make Me Feel
19. Nero – Crush On You
20. Katy B – Broken Record (DJ Fresh Future Jungle Mix)
21. Modestep – Sunlight (Jacob Plant Remix)
22. Rusko – Everyday
23. Document One – Breakdown
24. Chase & Status – Time (Kev Willow Remix)
25. Oh Land – Sun of A Gun (Jacob Plant Remix)
26. Zed’s Dead – White Satin
27. Udachi – Stumble ft. Short Stories (Flinch Remix)
28. Jakwob – Right Beside You (Jakwob V.I.P. Mix)
29. Jakwob – Right Beside You (DJ Fresh Future Jungle Remix)
30. Toxic Avenger – Anst One
31. Lone – Karen Loves Kate

The Knockstudy program is a collaborative effort between Knocksteady and the Bresee Foundation. Our aim is to provide access and instruction to quality DJ/production equipment and talent to high school kids.  Here’s a recap showcasing our Knockstudy DJs and what they’ve learned this past summer.

-Knockstudy

Knockstudy was honored to have producer TOKiMONSTA swing by our workshop last Tuesday for a quick Q&A from our Knockstudy DJs.

She shared her story, tour experiences, and even a few of her hidden tricks on Ableton!

It was interesting to hear that her devotion to her music came from the persuasion of a college friend that suggested that she explore her musical creativity. However, her career only truly took off after not one, but two unfortunate layoffs from the bizdev sector of the video game industry, and some backing from Flying Lotus.

Now you can catch Toki traveling the world to Australia, Montreal, New York, DC and beyond, playing her music in front of thousands.

Inside her purse was an SP-404

Zo stays with his T.R. pose

We thank TOKiMONSTA for taking the time to stop and dropping some knowledge for our future Knockstudy DJs. You can catch TOKiMONSTA performing on Knocksteady Live – 9/14/2011 @ 2PM PST so make sure you tune in!

-KNOCKSTUDY

Yesterday, I met up w/ my band to rehearse for one of our upcoming shows this Friday at Levitt Pavillion.

The event is an all ages, free show for Kollaboration this Friday, September 2nd at Levitt Pavillion in MacArthur Park. I’ll be performing alongside DJ Zo, Breezy Lovejoy, Jose Rios, & the band.

DJ Zo‘s view

Make sure you come check it out as this is a free, all ages, outdoor show. Our next show w/ the full band is next Saturday, September 10, at the Troubadour w/ Wax.

-DFD

Stopped by El Segundo yesterday for a lunch meeting w/ the homeys from Stokyo. Pictured above (Me, Ronix, Cyberia, D-Styles). I love offices that have open turntables ready to shred.

You see those slipmats (above, top right). Those are the D-Styles Table Cloths, superior for kuttin. I got the Serato Table Cloths at the NAMM show a couple years back and have been using them ever since. Ronix told me that these are super rare and I should probably stop using them because they are worth a lot. They then gave me the glow in the darks instead so I can put the rare ones on the shelf, oops.

The aforementioned slipmats are made by Dr. Suzuki, who I found out is actually a real person. The same person that designed the standard Technics slipmats that used to come with every pair of Techs back in the day.

Much thanks to Chuck, the Original Ono, for hooking up the brand new Serato Pressing – Radio Revue Vol. 1 – Hit It & Quit It. Stokyo kills w/ the colored vinyl. Majority of all colored vinyl or vinyl with images on it is way too thick to skratch with but these guys have got the perfect pressings, thats why they are certified official Serato!

Thanks again to the whole team and make sure you check out the Stokyo website for more information!

-Zo

KNOCKSTUDY has been receiving a lot of love lately and we wanted to show our thanks and appreciation for all those that have extended their willingness to help. As a non-profit organization we run the Knockstudy program purely through people’s sincere generosity and their thirst to give back to the very roots they may have come from as an aspiring DJ, musician, audio engineer or artist.

A special thanks goes out to DJ Styles & DJ Phenom of DJcity for providing a long list of resources for our Knockstudy DJs to utilize for our upcoming programming in the Fall. We shared ideas about ways to collaborate and hope to take the creativity of the youth we serve to the next level. Definitely check out their site at DJcity.com- tons of interviews, newest DJ gadgets and accessories and a plethora of music to dig through. We look forward to the exciting road ahead…

- Dee & Zo

While most of the hipset was undoubtedly at the Roxy to see Kreayshawn‘s first LA show since becoming a viral sweetheart, I went off the beaten path and headed to Cheetahs (for some reason a lot of good shows are taking place at bikini bars these days) to catch Action Bronson.  The Queens native is one of NYC’s most well respected up and comers, with a throwback sound, a dense rapid fire delivery, and a distinct culinary talent.

Bronson’s set was straight forward, no frills, and filled with bars that are pure golden era NYC.  Statik Selektah manned the boards during the performance.  With cosigns from the likes of Alchemist, Ghostface Killah, and seemingly the entire blogosphere, it’s safe to say you’ll be seeing more of him in the future.

Get Busy Committee opened the show with a lively set packed with absolute bangers.  Ryu (Fort Minor / Styles of Beyond / Demigodz) and Scoop Deville make really fun joints that fit surprisingly well in environments that include poles as decore.

Dante Ross is an A&R / producer legend.  He’s forgotten more about rap music than you’ll ever learn.

The ‘87 Stick Up Kids are drunk again.

Ran into DJ Troublemaker, the producer of King Fantastic.  KF blends gangster raps with electronic / dubstep beats and has amazing visuals to go along with their songs.  Check out their videos, but be warned they are NSFW.

-Lee

The homeys from 360sounds just opened up a new showroom in Seoul.

These guys are the best DJs in Korea, if not the world. Whenever i’m in Seoul I make sure to go to their parties and usually they are kind enough to let me spin at them too!

The whole crew are definitely collectors and I love what they do in Korea because they play original, funk/soul/rare joints, and break new records which is unlike a majority of the scene that I observed while out there.

Shoutouts to the whole crew – Soulscape, YTst, Jinmoo, Andow, Plastic Kid, & Make-1

Special thanks to Plastic Kid for the photos (pictured above right) haha.

For more information visit their website - http://www.360sounds.net/

-Zo

Dibia$e came into Knocksville to drop a speaker-blowing beat set and talk about the beginnings of the LA Beat Scene, gangster rappers at his pop’s restaurant, and his love of loose drums.

On loose drums…

The imperfection could be a perfection sometimes.

On LA beat scene origins…

Sketchbook was pretty much the start of the beat scene from what I saw…it wasn’t super crowded or nothing, but you would catch cats like Flying Lotus, Ras G, Kutmah, Georgia, Exile, pretty much everybody.  I’d have a boombox outside, we’d have a roundtable of beats, I’d pass the boombox around and everybody would play what they made that week.

On early musical influences…

Pops had a restaurant back in the day and he had this jukebox and I’d spend the whole weekend scrolling through it picking songs.  Ray Parker, 80′s funk…and then Eazy E, NWA, Above the Law, they used to come in the restaurant and give him LPs [to put in the jukebox].

On technology…

I used to be kinda hating on software back in the day.  I was stuck on a PC, man I couldn’t even upload music on my Myspace page for a minute.  I used to have the homies do that.

Sorry I missed last weeks Octopicks, I’ve been working on another exclusive mix for Knocksteady, Black Lips, White Hips

Hopefully it will drop this week, get ready for the weekend!

Natalia Kills – Mirrors (Omega Remix)

Her voice is perfect for Omegas heavy style, this is just a teaser, but be on the lookout for the official release should be insane!

Aloe Blacc – Green Lights (Jack Beats)

Somewhere in the wake between Dubstep and Electro, Wobble came on the scene strong a few years ago.  Jack Beats was definitely one of the artists who was lighting it up, and of course, we all love Aloe!

Frenssu – Dance 4evah

I’ve never gotten tired of Wham’s catalog.  It was definitely a sweet surprise to stumble on this disco house remix of one of my favorites.   Call me crazy, but I was so sad when she flew away on that plane.

I hope this is me in 50 years.  Although this song seems to be dedicated to all the 40+ Vietnamese kids that stumble out of Drais in Vegas at 7am in the morning.

Myrryrs – Feel U

The EP can be streamed here on soundcloud, I suppose its another James Blake-ish approach, but worth mentioning anyway, the tracks got a nice use of samples and original melodies.

Side Note: Speaking of James Blake… Found this on my boy Carlo’s Twitter-

Ifan Dafydd – No Good

Rumor has it this is actually James Blake.  There are only slight tidbits of info on this guy, there is a picture of him on his Facebook, but his head is tilted down and who knows if its even him.   If I had to make an educated guess, James Blake needs an outlet for his “Maybes” and “CMYK” style, after releasing such an organic, soulful 1st album.  Miranda is also well done.

Another Side Note: This is definitely James Blake (and Bon Iver)

James Blake & Bon Iver – Fall Creek Boys Choir

Glad i’m obsessed with Facebook and Twitter.  I found this in my news feed Via my friend Tyson and Blake himself – and as I stated in my repost, It’s really hard to see what all the fuss about Frank Ocean and The Weeknd is about when you have artists like this releasing Real, soulful, (Avant-Garde) R&B.

Pixelord – Iron and Cream part 2

Any artist name with Lord in it kind of scares me…. cream in the title track doesn’t help either.  However this post dubstep producer is definitely no joke. Could possibly be into homoerotica but hey thats fine by me, keep them beats cumin.

Washed Out – Eyes Be Closed (Star Slinger Remix)

Its nice to hear Washed Out with an undertone of that southern break beat… Star Slinger is coming to LA and we are oh so excited!

Here are a couple Extra’s for you, A Slow Disco Mix from Body Language!

&

Just got back from the Mad Decent Block Party, the scene was lots of fun, they had hard liquor, and the music was so good my friend injured her toe dancing to it.

Safe,

Dean

Meet Rory McDermott.  Rory kills it on a fixed gear bike.  I linked up with him in his Culver City neighborhood to film him tricking out at some of his favorite spots.

-Grady

The 2nd annual Knockstudy class had the opportunity to DJ at LACMA AFTER DARK for the Tim Burton exhibit.

I was super excited for all the students because as for a lot of them this was their first major gig.

We had prepared for this event for weeks so everyone was ready to play their favorite songs to get people on the floor.

This was the most students we’ve ever had in the program and I was a little worried that there wouldn’t be enough time for everyone to spin but thanks to all the students we were able to get everyone on the decks with an equal and fair amount of time.

Special thanks to Alicia, Ben, and the LACMA staff for a great show and we look forward to future events!

-Zo

I’ve been playing shows for awhile but I’ve never performed with a live band. It’s always been pretty minimalistic:  a DJ playing the music, and me rapping.  No frills.  For my first gig at the Viper Room I wanted to try something different.  I reached out to some musically inclined friends and compile a band.  Sam Brawner (drums), Nick Klingenberg (bass), Jamey Arent (guitar), Brian Hargrove (keys), and Raquel Rodriguez (vocals) will be joining me on stage this Friday.  I’m excited to try something new, and can’t wait for you all to see it.

-Lee