Virgin

Every summer there’s a traveling burlesque circus that comes to Manhattan. No joke. It’s the best idea to rejuvenate the downtown area spirits since those “I HEART NY” shirts (which are so 1982). Down by the South Street Seaport - two circus tents, a line of bars, and dance floor are laid out on the planks. The theme is Moulin Rouge; think smoky rooms, red velour, waitresses in bustiers and black lace stockings. Every night, from August to November, there’s a quirky assemblage of entertainment, from live bands to musical theatre, international DJs, and burlesque shows.

A pocket full of Glaswegian charm and on the cusp of stardom with the release of their new single ‘Wendy’ and hotly tipped album ‘Friday Night Lights’ later this month. Eleanor Conway chats to lead singer, Kev about his intergalactic dreams, sharing urinals at V, and meeting David Gest down a dark alley.

On Friday I attended Fist Of God, which is the official name for the MSTRKRFT tour as well as their upcoming album, which is expected to drop in January of 2009. The stop I was at had Felix Cartal opening up, but there will be various openers throughout the tour such as DJ A-Trak, DJ Aoki, LA Riots, Congorock, DJ Assault and Felix Cartal.

American rapper T.I. will be releasing his album on September 30, 2008. The album’s title, Paper Trail, comes from T.I.’s decision to write down all of his lyrics on paper. About 50 tracks have been recorded during production, including a collaboration with Fall Out Boy on a track called ‘Out in the Cold’.

This is Not London is a series of special one-off events with a list of curators and guests that reads like a roll call of who’s relevant and exciting in music right now. It is a response against mediocrity and stagnation in parties and festivals, put together by music lovers, for music lovers.

The rumor mill has it that Jay-Z is aiming to release the much anticipated The Blueprint 3 on December 2nd, which puts him in competition against 50 Cent, Dr. Dre and Eminem. Anybody else realize that the three artists I just mentioned are from Aftermath? They’re definitely gonna be doing big things.

To celebrate the release of their highly anticipated new album ‘St. Dymphna’, Gang Gang Dance will be doing a one off UK show, at ULU, London on the 11th of October. A party it will be, going on until 2am with a number of hot DJs and acts to be announced!

Those Tennessee boys have only gone and done it again, releasing another album that has whipped the UK into a frenzy and stormed chart domination with both the album and the STD ridden single, “Sex on Fire” (ok I might have misunderstood the meaning behind that one). So is the hype deserved?
Looking altogether less hairy […]

On several occasions at Killahbeez, we made mention to German electronica DJ, Alex Ridha aka Boys Noize.  I first came across Boys Noize’s music by way of Kitsune Maison’s only podcast.  The track was a remix to Feist’s “My Moon, My Man” on Kitsune Maison’s 4th CD compilation.  With a very distinct sound and Johnny […]

Mike who? Mike Relmmmmmm! If you don’t know who Relm is, then consider this a backgrounder. He’s a turntablist from San Francisco and has performed with numerous artists as well as toured across the country. He’s known for his live performances, which feature audio and video mash-ups all cut and scratched live on the spot, […]

Those bonny Sugababes girls are all set for South Africa in December to play the first ever Virgin Festivals there in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Having done a darn fine job at this year’s UK V Festivals in Chelmsford and Stafford, the pop threesome will now get the chance to keep those South African lads […]

And Oasis. Though the band have certainly had their share of notorious gigs (or pre-gigs or post-gigs) over the years, this is definitely one that will live in infamy. It should have been memorable, but for different reasons. Early tastes of their new record “Dig Out Your Soul” had people saying it was their best […]

On the day’s schedule set up in the media tent, the final three performers on the main stage at the Toronto Virgin Festival were cheekily circled with the extra note declaring that “The British Invasion” began there. And correct it was – while a healthy amount of performers from the UK had already performed that weekend, the veteran acts closing things out – Stereophonics, Paul Weller and Oasis – were like a dream trifecta for many of the Anglophiles who had come out for the fest.

After originally being scheduled for a December 16th release date, hip-hop superstar Kanye West is now planning to drop his highly anticipated fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak a month early.