Smellin the hyphy in ES

This summer has been working wonders for me, culturally and physically. I've been doing a lot of traveling since day one, and for the past month I've resided in El Salvador taking classes and enjoying the night life (I'll be sure to post some photos of my better moments!). While Salvadoran culture has treated me well, I must admit that the overwhelming amount of US cultural influences here has led me to keep a closer eye on my nation of origin than usual. Take for instance the state of California: Katy Perry's "California Gurls" single dominated the radio waves here and two of the most popular TV shows here are based in CA, neither of which interests me, but they help my point. Something else that has come out of CA and seeped into ES is, unfortunately, gangs. Most (if not all) the gang related issues ES has faced since the 80s originated from the mass deportation of Salvadoran immigrants in CA back to their mother land. Today, Salvadoran gangs, i.e. Mara Salvatrucha, Calle 18, etc., control many towns and villages in rural ES. But I bring up this dark side of El Salvador for one reason in particular: Californian gangstas.

I love 'em. It's a pity that as an East Coast native I must always uphold Biggie Smalls in the Tupac-B.I.G. debate (when I really love both equally!). But one rapper, owing much of his present street cred and music acclaim to Tupac, has been reeling me into California gangsta shit like no other: E-40. He's been holding his own for 20 years and earlier this year released two complimentary albums, Revenue Retrievin': Day Shift and Revenue Retrievin': Night Shift. They're great in their entirety, staying true to the hyphy movement while also taking some liberties to satisfy Mr. 40's personal agenda (such as a "Its Gotta Get Betta" in which E-40 remarks on the passing of his grandfolks). Well, judge for yourselves. Posted below is a track from each of the Shifts. Buen Provecho!

E-40 - Undastandz Me

E-40 - Show Me What U Workin With (ft. Too Short)

good things

lately i've been catching up with my boyfriends, and they've all had some pretty great things to talk about- here are some of friends of coolpeople//funstuff's

f r e s h f r o o t z


"belhaven meridian" is a music video made by SHABAZZ PALACES, butterfly's (from digable planets) side project. the video pays homage to charles burnett's film, killer of sheep released in 1977. the track itself is an interesting mesh between afrobeats and classic hip-hop "boom, bap".

next in the order of business is this interesting artist going by the name of BROTHERTIGER, who is just another white guy from ohio but he's the man with a plan in this new chillwave scene. his recently released vision tunnels EP is fantastic (dare I say joyful?), and certainly worth purchasing (though cds/eps may be sold out by now) especially considering that it costs a dollar. ONE DOLLAR. you'll want to get nice and lifted for this one, friends.

brothertiger - feel

drooling yet? more here.

vision tunnel?

this last track I found on my own, doing a little bit of digging around for any leaked upcoming hercules & love affair material. they're playing an aftershow (with full band!) for outside lands at MIGHTY in San Francisco on august 13- tickets onsale 21 july (I believe it's all ages or 18+). this early 2010 remix of finnish DJ Jori Hulkkonen's track I Am Dead has that unbelievably classic (yet crisp) sound/production of old-skool house that Andy is known for: in a few words, damn fresh. CFCF was also commissioned for a remix, but it just doesn't compare, nope.

jori hulkkonen feat. jerry valuri - I am dead (hercules and love affair remix)

over and out!

klein, aber oho! bread & butter, a few tunes

hello friends,

I've gotten quite accustomed to the pace of my l a z y summer. Waking up without alarm clock, snacking on fruit all day, cooking delicious meals and traipsing around the san francisco bay area while enjoying the lush, green california bounty is nothing short of glorious. That hasn't kept me from keeping an ear to the ground, and there's a lot to be seen and heard in the summer of 2010.

In the spirit of my adventures to berlin next month, I've been doing a bit of homework to try to get a taste of what's cooking in their kettle. It's currently fashion week in Berlin so I've been checking out what sort of digs these designers from all over the world are showcasing, aber natürlich. I was particularly intrigued by the Bread&Butter Berlin pre-week summer event. Not only did I notice more than a few familiar names of ranging caliber while perusing the aptly-named "brand bible", but I was quite taken with number of international labels I'd never heard of caught my eye as well. their "sport and street" website is also quite fun, I'd certainly recommend having a look.

RüTME
this new line of women's streetwear based in Denmark just launched not even 6 months ago, but designers Rikke Larson and Nicole Rindsig have clearly declared themselves worthy enough of a invitation to one of Berlin's biggest fashion week events. The eye-catching, yet deliberate incorporation of warm and cool colors into their clothing attracts individualistic (but conscious) shoppers who strive for a progressive look.

The two ladies attribute the inspiration for their debut collection is inspired by "all the great girls in music who just wanna have fun including Lucy Love, CocoRosie, and La Roux singer Elly Jackson" which sounds very cute and all. However, these two have managed to extract the best qualities about this (now viral) "color-splash" phenomenon without detracting from the overall badass-ness and actual style of the pieces. There aren't a too many retailers stocking them right now, but I'm sure that's going to change quickly. to see more of their collection, visit their lookbook.



also partaking in the week of festivities was OVERKILL BERLIN, one of the city's premier sneaker retail locations. though the photo of their empty bb&b fleamarket booth doesn't tell us too much, their little launch party seems to have boasted some serious fun. Whatever they've got up their sleeve this coming summer and later on in the fall certainly proves enticing, and I'm most definitely a fan of their new "dolomiti" colab with the italian-made brand IUTER (pictured below).

on a more "refined" note, the elegant stylings of the father-son duo whom comprise the fashion genius behind London brand CASELY-HAYFORD are absolutely impossible to merely gloss over.



Influenced by the atmosphere of London's artsy/melting-pot Kingsland Road area, their 2010 spring/summer line emphasizes "lightweight tailoring, superlight outerwear, transparency and print. The palette is understated and subdued using Casely-Hayford’s signature colours of mushroom, navy and cream, and is punctuated with bursts of vibrant colour inspired by African textiles" to effect the sort of voluptuary ease synonymous with the lackadaisical attitude of summertime: in a word, YUM.

further interested in this new 'afropunk' thing they've got going? head on over to the Casely-Hayford webpage.

f r e s h f r o o t z

the majority of HOLY GHOST'S new tracks are fairly good at best, but there are a couple of gems on their newest release, static on the wire.

I will come back
I know I hear

released earlier this year, sébastien tellier's sexuality remixes are mostly incredible, but with collaborations from aeroplane, kavinsky, floating points, danger (and the like!) this album certainly merits a listen at the very, very least.

elle (kasper winding remix)
divine (danger remix)
kilometer (aeroplane italo '84 remix)

SHLOMO'S camping ep is perfect baking music, and I know he's got an album coming out (or maybe it has come out already) so if you enjoy the EP definitely pick that up.

tomato smash
sippy cup

so we all know that onra's long distance dropped last month, and whole damn thing is obviously fantastic. my attention to the full album has brought me to the conclusion that the three pre-album singles don't quite exhibit the depth of what this dude is really doing with his "nu old-skool": listen for yourself.

my comet
send me your love

HEALTH'S DISCO 2 is out there, ya'll. to be honest, it's really hit or miss (as usual with them) but here are a few good ones for preview.

die slow (nastique remix)
eat flesh (baron von luxxury remix)
we are water (soft encounter remix)

I think a little fruit salad action to top things off will do nicely.
kavinsky - nightcall
lindstrøm & christabelle - lovesick (four tet rmx)
james blake - cmyk
taken by trees - anna (cfcf remix)

tschüss!

Hi there!

First of all, a huge "thank you" to Ari for the invitation. Second, sorry for prefacing this post with first of all: I have nothing else to say or post. But rest assured a cool person or fun thing will be posted in the near future. Ciao for now!

man oh man

all right, i'll be the first to admit that we dropped the ball on our end. real life iz hard!

but with some team efforts (more on that to come!) we're finally bouncing back, and to start us off here are some of our favorites from the past 6 months or so.

f r e s h f r o o t z

ONRA


this sexy frenchman is bringing back the old school. his LP , long distance just dropped. get on that fire shit- here are some singles to hook you:

onra- long distance

onra- high hopes (ft. reggie b.)

onra- the one (ft. t3 of slum village)

anyone diggin on that should most definitely grab real life is no cool the newest collaborative work from lindstrøm and christabelle. unfortunately lovesick is now featured in an cadillac commercial, which is more than mildly heinous. also check out DÂM-FUNK, a gangsta-lookin dude that rocks out on a keytar and knows how to put on a show. caught him at sxsw, and I will attest that the studio material does not reflect the sheer awesomeness of his live performances.


dâm-funk- mirrors

dâm-funk- howugonfuckaroundandchooseabusta (new single!)

lindstrøm & christabelle - lovesick

lindstrøm & christabelle- music in my mind

FEVER RAY & THE KNIFE

so this fever ray biz ain't new, but if you haven't checked out karin andersson's most recent release, live in lulea and you liked the fever ray album, you'll really enjoy the live recordings. top tracks as follows:

fever ray- concrete walls (live in lulea)

fever ray- i'm not done (live in lulea)

now THE KNIFE's opera, Tomorrow, In a Year had been in the works for some time. the studio album finally dropped in march, and while most of it is bizarre bird noises, (I mean what else do you expect? it's the knife) there are definitely some solid tracks worth grabbing- the foremost being the primary single, colouring of pigeons

the knife, planningtorock & mt. sims- colouring of pigeons (apocalyptic opera shit)

the knife- the height of summer


HEALTH and SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO have been doing quite a bit in electronic world lately-- both bands have got a few five star singles and remixes floating around, especially with the HEALTH's upcoming album release, and SMD's recent extra temporary. peep the jointz:

HEALTH- usa boys (solid electronic track with those typical health moany noises over a legit beat)

HEALTH- in heat (javelin remix) new/old boogie instrumentals with some groovy slap bass in the mix

simian mobile disco - cruel intentions (heartbreak's slow action remix) check out the original too!

simian mobile disco - do not exceed stated dose (ominous electronic, orchestrally-dynamic epic type stuff)

if you're into that heavy techno SMD shit, then definitely check out this energetic DANGER single i've been feeling. but if you preferred the beth ditto diva vocals and grooves, then get after this 2008 remix of fragma's fist-pumping diva anthem, toca's miracle.

danger - 4h30

fragma- toca's miracle (inpetto remix) epic music video, to be posted at the very end

craving more techno/disco/house? the juan maclean dj-kicks is BOMB, and so is this recent track by sean roman. be on the lookout for new hercules & love affair tracks this summer.

sean roman- lick

in other news and sounds, i've got MORE XX REMIXES!

they BLEW UP everywhere year, as was bound to happen. while the florence remix is fairly well-known by this point (as it should be), jamie did a few other nice tracks recently, one of the best being his remix of THEMSELVES (who gets away with that ever? unbelievable i know )

the xx- space bass (jamie's remix of basic space) (dark but gorgeous)

yacht- afterlife (xx remix)

that first remix has that bump-worthy, yet foreboding dubstep vibe, and kinda speaks to the type of thing JAMES BLAKE has been doing these days. not only does he have two freshly released EP's, the bells sketch and CMYK. i'll be talking about those in the near future, but for now check out these banging remixes:

untold - stop what you're doing (james blake remix)

james blake - maybes (mount kimbie reflux)

for more straight-up dubstep, JOKER's new single more than delivers.

joker - tron

if scary noises and weird beats are up your alley, then caribou's new remix of four tet's angel echoes may also be for you. but if the r&b-esque vocals and synths in those last two grab ya, then i'd say flying lotus' new album cosmogramma will certainly agree with you.

wait, what am I saying? FLYING LOTUS IS THE SHIT. PERIOD. dude's got the hiccup-y yet relaxed vibe thing down pat, and this new release shows it beautifully.

four tet- angel echoes (caribou remix)

flying lotus - zodiac shit

FLOATING POINTS


homie is up and coming on the scene and doing big big things already. not only has he remixed legendary electronic acts like FOURTET and BONOBO, but his original work isn't half bad if you're into mellowed-out electro boogie. his new EP, peoples potential was recently released.

bonobo- eyesdown (ft. andreya triana, floating points remix)

floating points- vacuum boogie

anybody else feeling that newfangled chillwave business? if you haven't heard toro y moi, you ought to slap yourself. this kid has serious talent. here's his remix of fellow chillwave artist WASHED OUT (also listen-worthy) single, feel it all around.

toro y moi - feel it all around (washed out remix)

toro y moi - fax shadow

last but not least is this nice little remix of the widely-loved (but only since merriweather post pavilion) indie band animal collective's daily routine. its a pretty interesting take: one of the most prominent features of the original is its emphasis on the off-beat, but phaseone lays a solid rhythm down in time with the synths, which makes the track sound pretty g.

animal collective - daily routine (phaseone remix)


anyone looking for some excitement and fun in the bay area ought to know that quite a bit is going on in these next few weekends: not only is the fairfax festival going on in the sleepy/stony that the fest is named for, but the annual haight street fair is happening this sunday! GOLD PANDA and INDIAN JEWELRY will be opening for HEALTH tonight at SLIM'S. $15 a ticket, and that's a big bill yall.

I hope that longass post makes up for the months we've left you all alone. check back for some exciting surprises! and without further ado:


more to come soon, friends! if you don't believe me, just trust the bitches, cause they don't fuck around.


stay up, homies

jam city

so we're going dealing with some technical issues right now, but here's a few kickass songs to get you through the brief hiatus


azari & iii- reckless with your love

raw man & blanche- united (club mix)

health- before tigers (cfcf remix)

bag raiders- shooting star (kris menace remix)

solange- would've been the one (edwin van cleef remix)


and a little bit of dubstep...

burial- fostercare

joker- digidesign

both those tracks are off the new hyperdub compilation five years of hyperdub. sweet stuff.

in other dubstep news, PEVERELIST will be releasing his upcoming album, jarvik mindstate next month. keep an eye on this guy, shit'll be nuts.



if you haven't already heard the xx' remix of you've got the love, check this out. its definitely out there at this point (rcrd lbl, pitchfork etc.,) but if you have yet to experience this kickass track, here it is. HOT SHIT.

florence + the machine- you've got the love (the xx remix)

by the way, if you didn't grab andy butler's sidetracked I HIGHLY recommend it. its a modern iteration of 90s house at its best, combined with old school disco and the general badassness of h&la.

cool people // fun stuff will be back on schedule soon. keep dancing till then

FUN STUFF- jams, jams, jams, sneaks

hello friends,
so sorry about the unannounced break-- things have been a bit hectic.
soon, cool people // fun stuff will also become the online home of our radio show FRESH FROOTZ. we'll be posting recordings of the show here, so look out for that within the next few weeks.


if you have yet to experience florence + the machine, I highly reccommend that you pick up the album, lungs. florence's style quite literally epic, and fairly cinematic. she draws heavily on orchestral instruments, which creates a really interesting dynamic in terms of the emotiveness and intensity of the music.

florence + the machine- cosmic love
florence + the machine- between two lungs

apparently she pounded on the walls to contribute to the percussion on between two lungs-- pretty damn badass. but even more badass is the BOY 8-BIT remix of FOTM's drumming song, which honestly blew my mind the first time I heard it. the track is fairly ominous, and almost scary at parts, but overall fresh as hell.

florence + the machine- drumming song (boy 8-bit remix)
florence + the machine- drumming song

the continual building up/ breaking down throughout the song, in addition to the timing of the percussion is very successful and seals the deal for this tune as a dance jam. this approach seems to be the new direction in which electronic music is going. It's much more techno-based, as opposed to pop-oriented electronic music which has been most influential in the recent past, as well as the technique of building up to a moment which brings a significant change to a song.

that very same approach in boy 8-bit's remix (a constant crescendo followed by decrescendo) is present in deadmau5's remix of calvin harris' as well as the boyz noize remix of sebastian tellier's l'amour et la violence. both are fantastic.

calvin harris- i'm not alone (deadmau5 remix)
sebastien tellier- l'amour et la violence (boyz noize euro mix)


PASSION PIT has been doing some remixing work lately, again using that same new techno-ish style. their remix of yeah yeah yeahs' heads will roll has that scary element to it as well, but is a definite jam.

yeah yeah yeahs- heads will roll (passion pit remix)



despite the growing popularity of overly-colorful and borderline tacky sneakers, the soon-to be released mita x asics collab on the gel lyte is BEAUTIFUL. it manages to pull off being a multicolored shoe, mainly because of the de-emphasis of the bright colors-- they serve as accents on the entire shoe, which is mostly tan. good luck finding these at any US shoe retailer, i'm almost positive they're only being released internationally.