The Video:

This fall, Canadian hip-hop legend Saukrates will release his new album, Season One. Already, Soxx has released the video for the lead single, “Say I,” and he followed that visual with the album’s second single, “All The Way.” Today, Saukrates is unveiling the album’s latest single, and newest visual, for the song “Tomorrow.”

There are few artists out right now with a penchant for making motivational anthems quite like Saukrates. And like “Say I” before it, “Tomorrow” comes equipped with a raucous beat and chant-along hook that reaches its climax as the chorus comes fully to a head, with Saukrates singing, “Tomorrow’s mine, yeah, tomorrow’s mine.” The video, directed by Figgz, is a trippy affair that takes a number of rowdy, black-and-white performance shots and flips, morphs, duplicates, and melds them into a visual as exciting to watch as the song is to listen to.

In addition to the video, Saukrates is also giving fans the next installment of the “Saukrates Philosophies” webisode series. In “Saukrates Philosophies – Part IV” Soxx describes his upcoming album, his creation process and more. Watch “Part IV” here:

Watch the video for “Tomorrow” here:

In case you missed it, Saukrates is holding a remix contest for his previous single, “All The Way.” Check out more info, see the prizes, and enter the contest here: http://frostbytemedia.net/saukrates-all-the-way-remix-competition

The Background:

With a career in hip-hop spanning well over 15 years, emcee/producer/songwriter Saukrates is one of Canada’s most influential and important musical figures. At the age of 16, Saukrates had begun rhyming over his own homegrown production, pressing CDs independently and scraping money together for studio time. His hard work paid off and by 1996 Saukrates had won his first Juno Award for Best Rap Recording. After working with such notable figures as Redman, Nelly Furtado and Drake over the years, Saukrates is ready to make his latest release: Season One his best yet. The album has been released digitally in Canada and the US and physically in Canada. The US physical release date is scheduled for August, 2012.

ALBUM GUESTS INCLUDE BLACK THOUGHT, CHALI 2NA, SIA

‘DRINKING FROM THE SUN’ ARIA CERTIFIED GOLD AFTER FIRST DAY SALES AND PLATINUM AFTER FIRST WEEK

Australia’s Hip Hop giants ‘HILLTOP HOODS’ are set to release their #1 ARIA charting album, ‘Drinking From The Sun’, in the U.S. on Tuesday 29th May through Golden Era Records/Fontana. Upon release in their home country, ‘Drinking From The Sun’ took the top spot from Adele and is now the act’s third consecutive number one album and fastest selling domestic album of the year in Australia.

‘Drinking From The Sun’ boasts fourteen tracks and features guest appearances from Black Thought (The Roots), Chali 2na (Jurassic 5), Sia, Classified (Canada), Lotek (UK) & Solo (Horrorshow).

Staying at the forefront of the Australian Hip Hop Scene, HILLTOP HOODS held the No.1 chart position for 2 weeks and ‘Drinking From The Sun’ received gold certification on its day of release then platinum status the following week. ‘Drinking From The Sun’, HILLTOP HOODS 6th studio album, also features the ARIA triple platinum hit single ‘I Love It’ featuring the amazing vocal talents of Sia (“Wild Ones”). The group’s hit single took over the airwaves as they supported Eminem and secured the cover of the March issue of Rolling Stone in Australia.

WATCH ‘I LOVE IT’ MUSIC VIDEO – Animal Logic Version

WATCH ‘I LOVE IT’ MUSIC VIDEO – Blue Tongue Version

HILLTOP HOODS undertook a whirlwind North American tour in March/April including first time showcases in New York, Boulder & LA. With the group’s first visit to the U.S. and the response was overwhelming with all shows reaching capacity and receiving rave reviews. A more extensive tour is consequently planned at the end of 2012.

WATCH ‘SPEAKING IN TONGUES’ Featuring Chali 2na

The forthcoming album release gives U.S. hip-hop fans the music that has seen HILLTOP HOODS win multiple awards, achieve multiple platinum album sales and play to sold out venues around the globe.

‘Drinking From The Sun’ is available from Tuesday, May 29th through Golden Era Records/Fontana.

Since releasing their debut EP 100% No Modern Talking in 2011, the past 4 months have been a whirlwind of success for Knife Party- the four tracks have received over 500,000 downloads worldwide and Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen have been tirelessly DJ-ing all around the world, curating their own Earstorm stage at Australia’s massive Future Music Festival and embarking on a US tour with appearances in Las Vegas, New York, Austin and on the main stage at Ultra Music Festival in front of 100,000 people. Now they’re primed to release their follow up on Big Beat / Earstorm, the Rage Valley EP, on May 28th at Beatport, and on June 4th at all other digital retailers worldwide.

RAGE VALLEY EP TRACK LISTING:

1. Rage Valley
2. Centipede
3. Bonfire
4. Sleaze feat. Mistajam

KNIFE PARTY LIVE DATES SUMER 2012

5/31 Firestone Outdoor // Orlando

6/2 Live 105′s BFD 2012 // San Francisco

6/3 The Brooklyn Terminal Project // Brooklyn

6/7 Bassrush Massive @ Orleans Arena // Las Vegas

6/8 Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas

The 9th annual Decibel International Festival of Electronic Music Performance, Visual Art and New Media has been announced, featuring headliners Kimbra, Carl Craig, Matthew Dear, Fennesz, John Talabot, Ariel Pink, and Actress, Nina Kraviz, and Baths.

In addition to the headlining acts above, the festival will feature such heavy-hitters as Dragonette, Emancipator, and Yppah. Click here for the first 60 musical acts announced.

Following the “artist a day” approach, the rest of the musical lineup (60 more acts out of 120) will be announced on June 27 with the entire program of educational programs, film festival, after-parties and boat-parties announced on July 11th. To reward attendees who purchase passes early, tickets will be discounted by 25% through June 26th.

Please visit The Decibel Festival website for more information and to purchase tickets. See attached flyer and link to the 2012 preview video.

In year nine, The Decibel International Festival of Electronic Music Performance, Visual Art and New Media is quickly becoming the SXSW of the swelling cultural phenomena that is electronic music. The Seattle based festival expects to hit 30k attendees this year with over 170 artists from 19 different countries, plus 72 educational speakers, making Decibel Festival an oracle for the growth of the entire international electronic music scene. The entire festival takes place over a five day period at over 14 venues in Seattle, Washington.

NOTE FROM THE DECIBEL FESTIVAL CURATOR AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR
In 2003, I founded Decibel Festival with the mission to redefine underground electronic music and visual art as a unified performance medium, while establishing the Pacific Northwest as a vital hub for electronic music culture in the United States. At the time, “laptop performance” was still shrouded in mystery and most electronic music performance consisted of turntables, CDJs, and a mixer. Electronic music in America had receded from the rave boom back to small communities of loyalists caring more about the music itself than its potential to generate revenue or fan base. This has been the community that has supported Decibel from day one and I’m thrilled they are still at the heart of Decibel today.

Fast forward to 10 years and electronic music is pervasive in nearly every facet of mainstream American culture and we continue to have mixed emotions regarding this surge. As avid supporters, performers, producers, and fans of electronic music for over 20 years, we can’t help but feel nostalgic for a time when underground warehouse parties and independent record stores were the predominant outlet for electronic music discovery.

As much as the digital age has brought many advantages, it’s important to remember how we got here and what it means. It’s a balance between technology and creativity; innovation and nostalgia; popularity and obscurity. With each year I hope to build a program that encompasses all of these elements while retaining the integrity of a festival known for pushing the boundaries of both art and science.

Looking at our continued growth from our inaugural festival of 2,500 attendees in 2004 to 23,000+ attendees in 2011, I am faced with the challenge of assembling a compelling program that captures our past, present, and future. Although we’re only mid-way through announcing this year’s line-up, I believe that 2012 will be our most ambitious program. Based on the initial list of artists below we already have our most diverse program to date. This includes a strong international presence with 19 countries represented as well as 25% of the line-up featuring female artists, which is a historically high number based on other electronic music festivals. In addition, Decibel is continuing to embrace a wide spectrum of genres, venues, and activities designed to entertain, educate, and inspire attendees regardless of age or background. 2012 festival pass holders will be treated to 34 audio/visual showcases, an outdoor event, a three-day conference, and a film festival. In addition, Decibel will be co-curating and co-producing eight after-parties and five boat-parties, none of which will conflict with the festival schedule. As you begin to look at what we have in store this year, I encourage you all to dig deep into our new website and explore a festival filled with discovery, decadence, beauty, emotion, and unbridled entertainment start to finish.

Much more to come. Hope to see you in September!
Sean Patrick Horton, -Founder, Curator and Creative Director

VENUES
The Paramount Theatre : 911 Pine St
Showbox SoDo : 1700 1st Avenue South
Showbox at The Market : 1426 1st Ave
Neumos : 925 E. Pike St
The Nordstrom Recital Hall : 200 University St
The Crocodile : 2202 2nd Ave
Broadway Performance Hall : 1625 Broadway
Melrose Market Studios : 1532 Minor St
The Baltic Room : 1207 Pine St
Re-Bar : 1114 Howell St
The Triple Door : 216 Union St
Barboza : 925 E. Pike St
The Islander Cruise Ship : 1611 Fairview Ave E
+ MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED

PARTNERS
4Culture
Abstract Earth Project
Alga Rhythms
Bookr
City Arts
The Confluence
90.3 KEXP
Ictimus
Rane
Red Bull Music Academy
Resident Advisor
Rockstar Digital
Starborne
The Stranger
Surefire Agency
The W Seattle (Official Hotel of the Decibel Festival)
XLR8R
+ MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED

Wiz Khalifa – Work Hard Play Hard video

Directed by: Bill Paladino

Timbo King – Bar Exam video

Wu-tang affiliate Timbo King presents the official video for “Bar Exam,” off his debut album “From Babylon To Timbuk2.” Album now in stores everywhere.

Song produced by BP Productions
Video directed and edited by Hickory Lawson for Cut And Dry Productions

Elzhi shocked the hip-hop world last year with the release of his conceptual mixtape, Elmatic, which took its title and inspiration from Nas’ 1994 classic, Illmatic, and consisted of Elzhi putting his own lyrics over those time-honored beats, re-imagined with live instrumentation. It was Elzhi’s first release since his 2008 solo debut album, The Preface, and it catapulted him back to the forefront of hip-hop’s consciousness. Elmatic is available now on itunes.

Elzhi’s world tour will serve not only the thousands of fans who have yet to see him perform his work from Elmatic, but also performing new tracks from his upcoming album set to release this Fall. The tour routing is below, with more dates in Europe, Australia, and Asia to be announced soon.

2012 Summer Tour Routing

July 12 Ottawa, ON @ Ritual
July 13 Hamilton, ON @ Casbah
July 14 Toronto, ON @ Soundclash Festival
July 16 Philly, PA @ Silk City
July 17 Boston, MA @ Middle East
July 18 Providence, RI @ Fete
July 19 New York, NY @ SOB’s
July 20 Pittsburgh, PA @ 720 Café
July 21 Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s
July 24 Kalamazoo, MI @ Poppa Pete’s
July 25 Grand Rapids, MI @ Intersection
July 26 Chicago, IL @ Sub-T
July 27 St. Louis, MO @ Lola
July 28 Toledo, OH @ Mickey Finn’s
August 1 Phoenix, AZ @ Chaser’s
August 2 Los Angeles, CA @ Key Club
August 3 Oakland, CA @ New Parish
August 7 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
August 8 Vancouver, BC @ Republic
August 14 Warsaw, Poland @ Miasto Cypel
August 15 London, UK @ Cargo
August 17 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic @ Hip-Hop Kemp Festival
August 18 Biel, Switzerland @ Royal Arena Festival

Khingz – F.u.t.u.r.e. video

This is the music video for “f.u.t.u.r.e.” the latest single from Seattle emcee Khingz’ latest album “Liberation of the Monster”.

Name your price and buy the album here

http://wanderingworx.bandcamp.com/album/liberation-of-the-monster

LISTEN TO “L.O.V.E.”

Globetrotting producer Onra has staked his claim as one of the most exciting beat-makers of the past few years, thanks to releases like his Chinoseries collections (made from scratch with samples found while traveling Asia) and the Pitchfork-acclaimed Long Distance LP. All the while, his electrifying live MPC performances around the world – everywhere from the Red Bull Music Academy in Bucharest and Giles Peterson’s Worldwide Festival, to LA’s down-and-dirty bass sanctuary the Low End Theory – add new dimensions to the cosmic grooves Onra puts on tape.

With his first release for Fool’s Gold, the Deep In The Night EP (out Tuesday, June 12th), Onra continues to chart new musical territory. The EP’s five tracks meld the snap of vintage jheri curl R&B with squggling disco synths and deeply funky, late-night vibes. From the new jack swinging “After Hours” (featuring T3 of Slum Village) to the moody, screwed loops of closer “Hold Tight,” Deep In The Night’s cut-and-paste danceability proves a must-listen for any occasion. After all, it’s always after hours somewhere…

DEEP IN THE NIGHT TRACKLISTING
1. After Hours ft. T3
2. L.O.V.E.
3. Somewhere (Deep In The Night)
4. V.B.B. ft. Jay Kin & Amalia
5. Hold Tight

UPCOMING ONRA TOUR DATES:
Thurs 5/24 – Chicago @ Beauty Bar
Fri 5/25 – San Francisco @ 1015 Folsom
Wed 5/30 – LA @ Low End Theory
Sun 5/27 – San Diego @ Kava
Thurs 5/31 – Dallas @ Dallas Contemporary Museum
Fri 6/1 – St. Louis @ Lola
Sun 6/3 – Upper Lake, CA @ Raindance Festival
Wed 6/6 – Calgary @ HiFi
Thurs 6/7 – Toronto @ Supermarket
Fri 6/8 – Montreal @ Underworld
Tues 7/17 – NYC @ Santos Party House
Wed 7/18 – DC @ U Street Music Hall
Sat 8/4 – Maui @ Loft in Space
Fri 8/10 – Vancouver @ Waldorf Hotel
Sat 8/11 – Seattle @ The Crocodile
Sun 8/12 – Portland @ Mississippi Studios

2 Chainz – Riot video remix featuring 50 Cent