Champaign-Urbana, IL - Musician, producer, composer, audio designer, and DJ Larry E. Gates II has played hundreds of stages across the nation and has shared those stages with the likes of Chuck Berry, G. Love & Special Sauce, 30 Seconds To Mars, Local H, Superdrag, Trombone Shorty, Brother Ali, The Nappy Roots, Blueprint, DJ Rare Groove, Illogic, and many others.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 8:36AM I have some leaked tracks from a collaboration between Ghostface Killah (a.k.a. Tony Starks) and MF DOOM (a.k.a. DOOM) from a few years back. The album never came out, but it looks like it's about to. Here's a remix of the track "Victory Lap". Dig it, it's Way Gone!
DOOM, Ghostface, Madvillian, Music, Picture, Remix, Tony Starks, Victory Lap in Way Gone Wednesdays Friday, July 8, 2011 at 9:11AM Brandon T. has been a staple in the Champaign-Urbana music scene for over ten years now. I remember first seeing him fronting the supergroup Funky Butt Drum Club. Later catching him onstage in Jesus Christ Superstar. Eventually he formed and fronted Temple of Low Men. Now, in addition to being a music teacher, he's working on some much-anticipated solo tunes. I've been fortunate enough to collaborate with him regularly and we managed to churn out a killer motown track. Dig it. Feels good, right?
Friday, June 24, 2011 at 9:00AM It's the first week of summer and the Cool Kids have teamed up with Mayer Hawthorne to give us the seasons first big jam, "Swimsuits". We all know the Cool Kids as Chicago's proudest sons since Lupe. But it's Hawthorne that gets me. Some may know him as DJ Haircut - but when he showed up at the Stones Throw Records office with an album steeped in Motown goodness, everything changed. Since then, he's stayed on the road with his band (The County) and is dropping guests hooks like this one left and right. His debut, Strange Arrangement, by all accounts should have been dismissed as a goof. But Hawthorne's efforts to make it a genuine collection of motor-city era love tunes allowed it to get over. I still put it on about once a month.
Dig.
Friday, June 17, 2011 at 9:46AM Curb Service is coming out of hiding. Tomorrow, downtown businesses in Champaign have put together A Taste of Downtown to coincide with the Taste of Champaign. Various retail stores will have live music from locals. I'll be playing outside of Dandelion (my favorite vintage store, ever). Right after me will be Mr. Magic himself, Ryan Groff. To celebrate, I'm letting you have a peek at the Spinnerty remix of "Brooklyn". This one has been in my pocket for almost 4 years now. Dig in.
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 9:14AM Fathers Day is just around the corner. Thinking about getting my old man a copy of True Grit (the Coen Brothers version). I bought him the Charles Portis novel awhile back - we both read it and loved it. The original film, of course, featured an Academy Award winning performance by John Wayne (1970). Fast foward to 1984 and D.C. musician Shawn Brown riffin' on the Duke in this hip-hop classic.
