Pitchfork: DJs Drama Cannon Arrested for "Illegal" CDs

You see what happens, Drama? You see what happens when you fuck a label in the ass?!

If it wasn t clear before, it is now: the RIAA cares absolutely nothing about its artists or their music. This was made abundantly apparent last night on local Atlanta TV station FOX5, when news correspondent Stacey Elgin that and were arrested for making and selling illegal CDs.
A SWAT team raided the popular mixtape DJs Walker Street studio and confiscated at least 50,000 CDs, computers, recording equipment, money, bank statements, and cars.

17 people were detained, but Drama and Cannon were both arrested. Saying the RIAA had investigated the business for a while before the raid, RIAA representative Matthew Kilgo expressed eyebrow-raised amazement at the two s Gangsta Grillz franchise: These guys are actively advertising online. They ve got a website that they re advertising from.

That s where you place your order, and that s how the orders are shipped out. Kilgo also pointed out that some unnamed statistics show that up to 900% profit can be made just from the resale of counterfeit CDs, and it s great that Kilgo is so focused on the facts, except for the little one that Drama and Cannon aren t just copying T.I.

and Lil Wayne albums onto cheap CD-Rs. Gangsta Grillz mixtapes are in such high demand because of their focus on exclusive content, and since artists often use them as promotional tools for their official albums, record labels usually condone-- if not outright encourage-- them.
Adding insult to injury, Fulton County police officer Major E.

A. Platt said, In this case, we didn t find drugs or weapons, but it s not uncommon for us to find other contraband when we execute a search warrant. Ah, okay, so you didn t find any of those things, but since it s not uncommon to find them in similar raids, you might as well have found them?

WTF!!
Elgin ended her hard-hitting report by saying, Authorities tells us this is a big problem in Atlanta, because Atlanta is known as the hub for the Southeast.

They say anytime anybody wants a CD, they know they can find it in Atlanta.
Hey, hold on a second, maybe this whole thing is one big joke. I mean, that couldn t be serious.

Right, RIAA? Right?
is currently shut down and under investigation, but you can email Matthew Kilgo with your thoughts and feelings about his raid at MKilgo@RIAA.

com. s may seem numerically impressive, but they re nothing up against . As we speak, the Runners Three are preparing to launch a whopper of a trek-- one that will take them through Japan, North America, and Australia, all over the course of The tour, which kicks off this evening in Osaka, Japan, supports Deerhoof s forthcoming Friend Opportunity, due this coming Tuesday, January 23, via celebrate a sparkling new album than with an old holiday classic?

On December 23, Deerhoof posted a cover of The Little Drummer Boy to their If looks could kill, the of s new single could get the electric chair, what with our six Glaswegians looking so insufferably swank all up in there. Seriously, dudes and ladies, where s the party?
delivers If Looks Could Kill -- the latest single from Camera Obscura s lovely latest full-length, -- to North American audiences on January 23.

As if one format weren t murderous enough, our European brothers and sisters get two from Spain s trusted indie pop imprint on January 29: CD and seven-inch, each featuring different B-sides. And if you really want to flirt with death, check out the video for If Looks Could Kill , a fast-paced travelogue that will have you seeing double.

I say people should eat and drink music as much as they want.

International success can make for some pretty basic misunderstandings. So when the vintage psychedelia of s third album-- 2004 s -- caught on outside of singer, songwriter, and bandleader Gustav Ejstes native Sweden, he was suddenly forced to answer questions about why he sang in Swedish, as if it was the result of an aesthetic choice and not simply his native tongue. ( Hey Sufjan, why don t you sing in Portugese?

)
We were able to avoid the question when we talked to Ejstes recently, though we did ask if he ever writes nonsense lyrics just because he could probably get away with it (he doesn t). He also told us about the recording process, his interest in production, and his love for hip hop (especially Madvillain). Oh, and there was the matter of Dungen s currently untitled upcoming record (tracklist below), which will release May 1 in the U.

S. A Swedish release on is scheduled for around the same time, and Dungen plan to tour later this spring.
Pitchfork: How is this new album different from Ta Det Lugnt?

Gustav Ejstes: Each song stands out more. [There are] shorter songs than on Ta Det Lugnt, [which] had that collage vibe [where] one song slips into another one, changing and fading into each other.
Pitchfork: Are there fewer of the jazz-influenced instrumental passages?

GE: There are instrumental parts, and the jazz influences are still there. [But] I think the songs are more like traditional songs. The album is not Ta Det Lugnt 2.

I think it would be bad if it were just a volume two. Sure, it s only three shows. And they re all in the same city, at the same venue, on three consecutive nights.

But this is we re talking about, people, and the name alone is reason enough for whole lot of folks out there to get batshit excited.
So here we have it, the reprise to Morrissey s 2006 U.S.

excursions, a three-date stint at Pasadena, California s . Expect jams from last year s , expect old favorites from the Moz and Smiths back catalogues, except much swooning, and expect boyfriends to propose to their girlfriends (and vice versa) during the mandolin swell on Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want . I mean, who could refuse that?

As a playful Moz told a London crowd last May (as quoted on NME.com), I was horrified but not surprised to see the UK fail again in the Eurovision Song Contest, and there is one question I keep an asking: why didn t they ask me? That question keeps going round my head.

Taking the joke further, Morrissey s You Have Killed Me depicts the charismatic singer performing in the song contest circa 1970.
But it seems most of that Eurovision chatter is haberdash. While the BBC has admitted to inviting Morrissey to partake, according to a in The Independent, the former Smiths frontman is not likely to accept.

He has certainly had an invitation, a representative from told the paper, but we think it is unlikely he will be taking this forward.
In related news, the , Moz-centric photo exhibition is now showing at New York City s . Featuring s candid shots of the pope of mope and his congregation in action, it remains open though February 10.

Spazz out enough at those upcoming California gigs, Moz-ites, and you just might make the next exhibition. Subtle Make Plans With TV on the Radio, Launch Tour Despite a last month, haven t given up on touring. Lucky for them, they ve been tapped to open s March , and TVOTR are sure to have some big, bad, burglar-beatin Interscope bodyguards in tow, right?

however, Subtle have their own trek to attend to. The jaunt begin this evening in Pomona, California. visit in the works for late March, as well as a stop at SXSW.

In addition, they plan to make the European festival rounds this summer.
Drag City Brings Boris' Rainbow to U.S.

And at the end of the rainbow, there's a pot of, um, pot Japanese metalmongers are continuing their collaborative tradition-- most recently realized on the Sunn 0)))-assisted -- with the U.S. release of Rainbow, a full-length collaboration with guitarist (Ghost, Damon and Naomi, the Stars, etc.

). recently released Rainbow in Japan, and will bring it to the States on May 22.
Boris will head out a short Japanese tour with Isis and These Arms Are Snakes at the end of January before their Rainbow release party in February.

In May, they will tour Japan again with Sunn 0))). ? of ?

the Mysterians Loses House, Valuables to Fire
Four Yorkies, cockatoo, 96 Tears gold record perish in Michigan blaze We suspect he cried a few more than 96 tears: the man known only as ?, of influential 1960s garage rock troupe , lost his home and most of his possessions in a fire last week, according to several reports.
The blaze overcame the Clio, Michigan house-- where ?

dwells along with manager Luverne Thompson and Mysterians background vocalist Joy-- overnight, claiming most of ? s possessions, four of his seven Yorkshire Terriers, and a cockatoo. Also lost was a considerable amount of the band s history, in the form of memorabilia-- including the gold record ?

and his band received for their 1966 hit 96 Tears .
Still active to this day, ? the Mysterians are perhaps best known for that song, 96 Tears (which carved a nice niche at #120 on Pitchfork s ), as well as Can t Get Enough of You Baby (not, in fact, a Smash Mouth original).

? (whose birth name is believed to be Rudy Martinez) did not have insurance, prompting an outpouring of support from fans near and far, according to a in The Flint Journal. The phone s been ringing off the hook, ?

said to the paper.
Plans for a benefit concert are already underway, and as ? told the Journal, he has high hopes: Maybe we can get Bob [Seger] to take a break from his [tour] and have Mark [Farner] come in, Kid Rock, Uncle Kracker, Eminem, whoever s available.

According to The Flint Journal, ? the Mysterians are already scheduled to play Detroit s festival on February 9.
If you d like to help, please get in touch with the band via its .

might want to ease on down the road a bit, as he s been overexerting himself lately. Will Oldham s he s already got another release on the way.
comes out on Drag City on March 15.

In addition to the title track, the disc also includes three cuts recorded during Oldham s last September: New Oldham kicks off a UK tour on Sunday with his backup band (Azita Youssefi, Aram Stith, Alex Nielsen, Emmett Kelly, Dawn McCarthy). McCarthy alter ego serves as the opening act for the trek, which continues through mid-February. Oldham then heads to Europe for a solo trek in March.

True to its namesake, albums and singles on the label(and offshoots and ) appear stealthily and in droves. So stealthily, in fact, that TTC s 3615 full-length already slipped under our radar with its January 8 release on Big Dada.
But there are still plenty of Ninja Tune-affiliated artists who have yet to release their music.

We about Amon Tobin s January 22 Bloodstone single and its corresponding full-length, Foley Room, which comes out on March 5. Keep in mind that all Ninja Tune/Big Dada/Counter release information is for the UK and Europe only. North American release information may be different.

Ninja Tune will also release the Cinematic Orchestra s To Build a Home and Breathe singles-- February 26 and April 9, respectively-- and follow them with the Ma Fleur full-length on May 7. Then, DJ Kentaro s forthcoming album Enter-- which features contributions from Spank Rock, the Pharcyde, Fat Jon, Gaggle, and New Flesh-- is scheduled for an April 26 release, with the Spank Rock-featuring Free single preceding it on April 2.
The Bug will also join in the fun by continuing to explore his obsession with bass frequencies in the world of mutant dancehall on his own upcoming Ninja Tune album and Jah War single, according to a press release.

Junior Boys Remixed by Hot Chip, Prep EPs, Tour As our holiday highs come down, have just the thing to send them through the roof again. The sublime Canadian electronic duo, whose clocked in at #12 on our list, has just announced the release of a new EP packed with choice remixes-- including one from UK tourmates and fellow electro-pop sensation .
Details on the remix EP are scant at this point, but we do know it s slated for April release on , and that the U.

S. and UK versions will each sport slightly different surprises.
Much nearer on the horizon for our dear Boys: an iTunes live session EP, out today, featuring four JB deep cuts-- including a killer live version of Under the Sun from the Boys debut, Last Exit.

If you caught a show on the duo s recent tour (in trio formation, with drummer David Foster), you know this one sounds like that sun is pretty much melting your vital organs with its intense rays, and shit damn is that awesome. Cop that .
And rest assured, patrons of iTunes UK.

The EP goes live next week over thataways.
If you ve yet to experience Junior Boys live, however, here s your chance. The pair kicks off 2007 on the good foot, launching a tour of Western Europe in February that has them hitting pretty much everywhere but Luxembourg.

They should swing through the U.S. again soon after that, details to be announced.

Finally, it s not too late to submit your entry for the Junior Boys -- but be wary, the March 1 deadline looms sooner than you think.
Joined by Modest Mouse, Low, Built to Spill, Grizzly Bear, Band of Horses, Dirty Three, more Holy great mother of music festivals, do we have a lineup for you. Barcelona, Spain s just announced the first round of performers for its 2007 event-- going down May 31 and June 1 and 2 at Barcelona, Spain s Parc Del F rum-- and it s enough to make a scrawny young hipster want to start swimming across the Atlantic Ocean right now.

The bands here, chosen in conjunction with (whose own and fests rock England in April and May), need no introduction: Slint, Modest Mouse, Built to Spill, Low, Grizzly Bear, Dirty Three, the Durutti Column, Isis, Band of Horses, Brightblack Morning Light, Death Vessel, Oakley Hall, and Pelican. Well okay, maybe the last four are a little lesser known, but regular Pitchfork readers should be all over that stuff.
Best of all: post-rock titans Slint will play their magnum opus, Spiderland, in its entirety.

Slint! Spiderland! Exclamation points!

!
And that is, as they say, but the tip of the iceberg: Primavera Sound intends to announce loads more acts in the weeks leading up to the festival.
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