SIMPSONS!!!

The Simpsons Movie hits the big screen today, so I thought I would do a little Simpsons post. Apparently it is getting great reviews. Anyway, Meltdown Comics in Los Angeles is having an exhibit of customized 10" Bart Simpson Qee figures opening August 1st from 7-11pm in celebration of the movie release. I have always liked Toy2R's Qee figures, I have a ton of them, and these Bart ones are especially cool. So if you are in Los Angeles (Seth) head on down to Meltdown Comics at 7522 Sunset Blvd. on Wednesday night and take some pictures for me. Thanks bro'.

I Wish I Had A Record Player

'Cause Turntable Lab is kickin' out some records that look amazing and I would really like to hear 'em. First off is a new remix of the Franki Valli & The Four Seasons song Beggin' produced by Pilooski [pictured above]. If I could install RealPlayer at work (damn, no admin access), I would take a listen to it, but even without hearing it, Turntable Lab's endorsement of it is enough for me. Here's what they have to say,

Pilooski's edit of "Beggin'" is unstoppable! Almost everyone in the office is eyeing a copy, and we can never agree on shit. Keeping all the best bits of Franki's original intact, Pilooski changes things up just enough to make "Beggin'" the dancefloor bomb it deserves to be. On the flip, the Speaker Killer remix is more of the same, while "Who Loves You" is a fun FV&TFS throwback original.

There are also a couple of 7-inchers available from TTL that I am really digging. First, there is the Herbalist 7" from Alborosie [pictured above]. Here's TTL's words:

The kush-infused fragrance continues with Alborosie's "Herbalist." Released last year, this tune is making a serious come-back thanks to the success of current big singles "Slam Bam" and "Kingston Town." B-side brick-wall dub and guest saxophone from legend Dean Fraser seals it.

Sounds tasty to me. Then there's the Skatalites Collie Bud 7" [pictured above]. According to TTL,

Fierce, fierce, fierce. Tommy McCook and the boys rock you upside the head (and feet) with this wicked ska dance crasher. That ain't no collie weed I ever tasted. Charlie Organaire does "Royal Charlie" on the flip, a pleasant stroll after the maniac mosh of the A-side. See how I didn't even make any "charlie" vs. "collie" puns?

Next up, keeping with the same theme, comes Linval Thompson's Marijuana 12" [pictured above].

(Cough cough cough) Say what? Oh yeah, right, the review. This here EP is a primo chunk of Channel One / King Tubby high-grade, 1978 vintage (a very good year). Linval Thompson's immortal cannabis anthem leads off, last seen in the bomb shelter of one Otis Jackson Jr. Another tough Linval track, ("Dread At the Control") and Barry Brown takes over for the flipside. "Step It Up Youthman" and "Big Big Pollution" date to the early days of the melodic micstro's career, and are some of the choice cuts in the catalog of this connoisseur's choice crooner. Don't be put off by the tacky graphic design, the heavy 12-inch, 45-rpm pressing means this is a record audiophiles can enjoy. Rack up another import deadstock find!

And lastly but definitely not leastly, one of my favorite albums of all time and one that used to hang prominently in our living room when I lived with Mike Lucas, the amazing, one-and-only, Lee "Scratch" Perry & The Upsetters Super Ape LP [pictured above]! This is a must-have for any dub, reggae or "Scratch" Perry fan. One of the best albums ever produced. Here's TTL's take,

For a long time, this was one of the holy grails of reggae collecting, rare as hell and legendary as one of the roots era's best, lost records. The hype is for once worth it and this thing has easily jumped up to the top of my list of Perry albums. A lot of his stuff has somehow gotten seriously over-rated, hyped to oblivion by press people looking for a latch to grab on to and hipsters doing likewise; but this is the real shit, the dreader than dread dub. If you've been wondering why everybody makes such a big fuss about him, this is a good place to start. A couple of the songs have lyrics and chatters (check "Croaking Lizard", the Prince jazzbo voiced version of Max Romeo's "Chase the Devil") but all the songs are dubbed out as hell and deep deep deep. This is the height of the roots sound and one of the heaviest I know of. If you are anything interested in roots or dub music, you have to have this record.

I especially like that these records range in price from $4 for the 7-inchers to $12 for the LPs, so there isn't anything out of my price range. It's just the record player that is the expensive part of the equation. Oh well, at least I can enjoy looking at the album covers.

MF Doom Dunks At PYS

    My absolute favorite online sneaker retailer, Pick Your Shoes, has recently gotten the Limited Ed. MF Doom Nike Dunks in stock. I am a big fan of MF Doom's work, especially his collaborations with Danger Mouse, so I think these kicks are pretty sweet. Unfortunately, like everything in my life that I love, they are too damn expensive (just kidding sweety, I didn't mean you). I can't afford to pay nearly $210 for a pair of sneakers! I'm not a baller or some rap star. Who are the normal people out there that these types of items are made for? Who spends their whole paycheck on sneakers? Is it mainly high school kids and other people who still live with their parents and therefore don't have to pay for rent, bills, groceries, etc.? If you, reading this, spend your hard-earned dough on overpriced items, let me know, add a comment, I want to know who you are!

Comic Con Sneak Peak

Sorry about no posting for the last two days, I have been pretty beat up. I moved two clothes dryers and helped build a retaining wall out of paving stones on Saturday and have been paying for it ever since. I got a massage at work yesterday, which helped, but I still have a pulled muscle or torn ligament or brain tumor in the back of my neck that is still aggravating me. I do feel well enough to pass along information that I received today from Erick Scarecrow of ESC-Toy Ltd. revealing a new toy that he will be debuting at San Diego Comic Con which starts today! I wish I could be there and I am jealous of everyone who is going (especially my former college roommate, Jacen Burrows, who is a big shot comic book artist now, that sick bastard), but I live on the East Coast where apparently there is no comic culture and I can't afford to be flying out to California just so I can buy some exclusive toys. Speaking of which, back to the task at hand. ESC's new toy is called Soopa Coin-Up Bros., looks to be based on a video game controller, and will be available at the DKE Toys booth (#4832). That's all the info and the only picture I have so far. If anyone out in San Diego who reads this is going to the Con, check out Soopa and send me some more pictures.

Update: Erick Scarecrow sent me some more revealing pictures of Soopa. Here is one from all angles for your enjoyment.

Redesigned Secret Base Website

Secret Base has redesigned their website overnight. I haven't had a chance to fully investigate yet, but so far it looks tight. It looks like it is still a little under construction, but they appear to be adding a section for ordering merch from their website. Dangerous! I love the Balzac apparel they have featured, especially the Rude Boys ties and Dementia Thirteen, Grotesque Terror braces [picuted above, left to right]. They remind me of my hardcore punk rock days of the late 80's. There are also some really nice pictures in the Gallery section.

Puma At Alife

I have always been a big fan of Puma sneakers, but when I was living with Mike Lucas he always had the dopest Pumas and I didn't want to look like a biter, so I rocked Adidas instead. I know there is a big dispute between Puma and Adidas (seeing as how they were created by brothers who didn't agree on sneaker design, so little Adi Dassler left the company to start Adidas and big brother Rudi formed Puma), and I do have more pairs of Adidas than Pumas, but I still find both aesthetically appealing. Now Alife seems to be joining the Puma fan club and have several styles available to choose from, including some for the lady sneaker freaks. They have a couple of pretty styles of ladies Clydes (my favorite Puma style) available , the ladies Jetter Reflect; and for the fellas: a couple of different styles of the Reptile Low (the artificial reptile skin version of the Clyde) and a special GV Lux edition [all pictured below, top to bottom]. I like the orange and black Reptiles the most, but that's just me (orange is one of my favorite colors). Compared to some of the Limited Ed. Nikes available, these Pumas are relatively cheap, ranging in price from $75 for the ladies Clydes to $85 for the GB Special Lux. That's cool.

Zipface At Toy Tokyo

Toy Tokyo has both the white and black (glow-in-the-dark) versions of the Secret Base Zipface Obakedog figure by Takeshit [pictured above] available now for purchase. They will run ya' a penny less than eighty bucks each. This is definitely my favorite Secret Base Obakedog figure. Now I just need eighty bucks. Just kidding, no more toys for me. I have been a bad boy. Did I say bad? I meant broke.

Update: the Zipface Obakedogs are also now available at Span of Sunset.

A.L.E.C.

      
Why did these idiots have to name their organization after me?!

Listen All O' Y'all

      Pick Your Shoes has the Nike Dunk SB Low Premium SBTG (or Sabotage for people who need vowels) x Royalefam Family & Friends Edition [pictured above] available in a variety of sizes. These bad bois come with a removable lace cover (like golf shoes), Nike SB Zoom Soles, three sets of laces, and Royalefam lace locks. Even at the price of $379.99 these things are going to sell out quick. So, if you are cool enough and wealthy enough, get on over to Pick Your Shoes and pick up a pair. And send me a pair in size 12 while you're at it!

Win Core Series 2 Mimobots!

Many Knew Secret Base

Alright, I am starting to get my Engrish down! I got a few new Secret Base items to report on. First up, apparently one of the members of the Secret Base crew had a baby girl and to celebrate they have released a Limited Ed. clear pink version of their Skull Pirate figure [pictured above]. The figure apparently comes with a bib and is available at Secret Base in Tokyo for ¥8,800 plus tax.There are also two new Secret Base figures available at Toy Tokyo today. They have the new Secret Base 2007 Fan Club Skull Bee [pictured above] available for just under sixty bucks and the new Secret Base Mummy Obakedog [pictured below] available for a hair under eighty-five bucks (whew, that's a little pricey!).Update: One of my other favorite online toy stores, Span of Sunset also has the Mummy Obakedog available here and has the Monday Rainy Day Water Skull D-Brain available here and pictured below (it is also available at Super7 here).

Get Fat Milk Open

Yeah, your guess is as good as mine. If anyone out there can read Japanese and translate the text in the top picture for me, I would appreciate it. Something about various drip paint colorways of Secret Base Skull Brains for Get Fat Milk or something. I don't know. According to the machine translation of the Get Fat Milk website, these hand-painted by Hiddy of Secret Base Skull Brains will be available for the opening of Get Fat Milk on July 15th at midnight somewhere in Japan or maybe just on their website. I can't tell. Your guess is probably better than mine!

Update: Get Fat Milk is now open and has Secret Base Skull Brains hand-painted by Hiddy of Secret Base available for sale here for ¥6,900.

Further Update: the Skull Brains are already sold out.

New Sneakerplay Widget

Sneakerplay has updated their SSN (Sneaker Social Networking) website with the addition of a new Photo Box widget [mine is pictured above in the Creamsicle colorway] and the ability for guests to view members' pages. That's pretty cool. You still have to have an invite to become a member, but now at least you can see all of the neat stuff membership provides.

Vans Simpsons Collection

Available at Proper in Long Beach, KICKS/HI in Honolulu, Bodega in Boston, Fred Segal in Santa Monica, Supreme in LA, Dave's Quality Meat in New York, Undefeated in Las Vegas, Blends in San Diego, Huf in San Francisco, and St. Alfred in Chicago starting this Saturday, July 14th. Kick pics below via Bodega and Freshness.

Paraskavedekatriaphobia

    Yeah, look it up. In honor of this Friday being the thirteenth day of the month and that being all spooky for some reason, my favorite hometown toy store Wootini is presenting an exhibit entitled Paraskavedekatria - phobia: Richmond Represents featuring local artists from Richmond, VA and curated by Jeremy Boyd, one of the curators of "This Side Up: The Cardboard Show". The show features work from James Callahan, Rob Choi, Benjamin Yolton, and Scott Mayo; all of whom participated in the Cardboard Show. Check out examples of the work above. The opening will be held on Friday starting at 7pm and will feature the usual refreshments and entertainment.

For Whiteyfresh 3000

This one goes out to my homie Ryan B in the place to be. The other night at a hoppin' party that I hardly remember (how did I get home that night?) Ryan was axing me if I knew of any digital mixers that I would recommend for use with his 'puter. After a few minutes of searching and an e-mail from Turntable Lab, I have an answer for Senõr Frêsh. And that answer is the M-Audio Torq Xponent available at Turntable Lab for only $599 (that's $150 off the MSRP). I own an M-Audio Oxygen 8 midi controller keyboard that I have had for several years and really enjoy working with, so I can attest to M-Audio's quality of equipment. Here is what Turntable Lab has to say about the Torq Xponent:

OVERVIEW
M-Audio's Torq Xponent is a complete digital DJing system featuring Torq DJ software and the Xponent controller / USB interface. Just add a computer and digital music files, and you have a full digital DJ setup with hands-on control, CD turntable / mixer simulation, and a plethora of extra features.

FEATURES
M-Audio's Torq DJing has quickly established itself as a viable option to Serato. It has a similar feature set to Serato, but also includes extras such as VST compatibility, easy performance recording, and multiple sample banks.

The Xponent controller is the first M-Audio controller specially designed for digital DJs. Before the Xponent, digital DJs were forced to use standard MIDI-controllers or DJ controllers by second rate manufacturers. The Xponent was designed with everyday DJs in mind with M-Audio quality, durable controls, and an emphasis on tactile feel. It is also maximized for Torq as all the controls are mapped instantly.

The Torq's wheel controls, knobs, buttons and faders simulate a (2) CD turntable and (1) deluxe mixer setup. You can use them to cue, mix, scratch, and effect digital files without ever using your computer keyboard or mouse. In addition with over 70 individual controls, the Xponent was also designed for sampling on the fly, looping, using effects, etc.

I think that about says it all. I'm not sure if this is in Ryan's price range. If not, M-Audio has several other digital DJ controllers which may be more appropriate.

Go Native

      Native Instruments, the German company that is well known for their software synthesizers and samplers, has now released a series of four t-shirts representing four musical vibes from the pulsating city of Berlin. The Limited Ed. t-shirts are dedicated to Berlin Rock, Electro, Jazz and Minimalism [pictured above, left to right] and are available in both men's and women's sizes. You can purchase them here for $29 a piece. Collect all four and conquer the world just like the Germans! Awesome.

Shiitake!!!

Erick Scarecrow of Esc-Toy Ltd. has teamed up with Plastic and Plush for a little photo contest featuring the Shiitake Plush as the main subject. Click here for a link to the contest rules. No explicit images, nudity, drug content, or gore. Entries must be received by August 2nd at Midnight EST.