Rapper 1/6 wins inaugural Hilltop Hoods Initiative

Melbourne rapper 1/6 has one the inaugural Australia-wide Hilltop Hoods hip hop initiative, designed to fund up and coming artists in the Hip Hop realm. 

The track below 'Neophytes' got him over the top with the judges, and it's produced by the demi-god of Aussie beats, M-Phazes.  The tracks about halfway through the podcast from TopBillinRadio

M-Phazes GOOD GRACIOUS Radio by djsheriffrosco

We Didn't Forget, Sorry - Force & Sparts
Life Line f/ One.Be.Lo. (prod. Jake One) - Kam Moye aka Supastition
Streets of M.A. f/ Termanology, Reks, Slaine - Statik Selektah
Dangerous (Show Off) f/ JFK & Statik Selektah - Reks
By Myself - Rasco
She Makes Me Fell Alright - Jake One & Freeway
Nobody - Marco Polo & Ruste Juxx
Man Up - BR Gunna
Home f/ Delta - M-Phazes
Little Young (prod. M-Phazes) - Masta Ace & Edo G
The Facillitator f/ Dialectrix - M-Phazes
Neophytes (prod. M-Phazes) - 1/6
No Apologies (prod. M-Phazes) - Donny Goines
Incite the Premises f/ Trem (M-Phazes RMX) - Brad Strut
*untitled* (prod. M-Phazes) - Eric Sermon
So Bad (prod. M-Phazes) - Class A
*untitled* (prod. M-Phazes) - Jehst
Freakshow f/ Mantra - M-Phazes
Thats What We R f/ Nine High - M-Phazes
Track 2 - Scotty Hines
Thats Us - Thats Them
The Freshest Kids - Bk One, Brother Ali,Toki Wright,Evidence

Blog: 'So You Think You Can Dance' reveals a new twist to its familiar tale

It's just been announced that the next season of the American version of SYTYCD will feature only 10 finalists, picked from the throngs that audition, and those ten will be partnered with former SYTYCD finalists for the duration of the competition.  As usual, a finalist will be knocked out each week. 

 Back in the day, when the day was the 90's, West Coast rappers were pretty popular (hard to believe, isn't it).  Anyway, you could flip on the Top 40 and see any number of West Coasters bouncing up and down in their eldorado's and throwing up their W's.  What you would also probably see is the Crip Walk, which is a dance also known as the C-Walk.  It originated in the early 1970s from the Crip Gang from Compton, in Los Angeles.

Here's a little tutorial to bring you up to speed.



Mack 10 gets his C-walk on with Ice Cube in Hoo-bangin



Or how about Xzibit, who was crip walking before he started pimpin rides.

The Gorillaz now have an online game which you can whittle away the pressure minutes of your life with.  It's a bit low budg, but c'mon, it's free.  Get the game here, thanks to Pitchfork

Video: America's Best Dance Crew - Illusion Challenge

 Another week, another challenge for the America's Best Dance Crew's.  Here's the opening number, which is meant to be echoing this weeks theme, which is illusion.  They are good, I could hardly even tell it was about illusion.

Video: LXD - Legion of Extraordinary Dancers

 I'll let the LXD do the talking on this one.  So far the internet vids have been blowing me away.

LXD.com

Welcome to The LXD, a new online adventure in which heroes and villains combat each other with dance superpowers. With stunning choreography, dancers float over the ground like marionettes or crush the laws of physics beneath their feet when they perform breathtaking aerial maneuvers and transcendental step sequences.

The series hopes to do more than follow the dance-battle zeitgeist that rules today’s TV ratings. In addition to live performances, The LXD reveals dance superheroes on both sides of the screen—viewers can learn dance moves from instructional videos, and even become part of the story by participating in the web community. The LXD is written and directed by Jon Chu, a veteran of dance productions, including the box office sensation Step Up 2: The Streets and the Internet phenomenon, The Biggest Online Dance Battle.

The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, who I spoke about last week, lit up the Oscars  stage last week (see below)  with a medley of all of the Best  Original Music nominees.

Video: Great Dance Video

Not sure who the dancers are in this video, but the music and dancing are pretty cool, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The Australian Beat Box championships are on again, and qualifiers are being held in each state.
For more information on how to register and where qualifiers are being held, hit up beatboxaustralia.net for more info.

Be prepared to for some tough competition if you chose to enter.  A taste of what to expect below...

Stream: LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls

It's March Madness, and I'm not talking about basketball.  A stream of what is apparently the new LCD Soundsystem has made its way onto the tubes.  James from LCD told Pitchfork that the song is "about drunk people and fun things and the fact that all of the boys of the L.A. mansion we recorded at were called 'the girls' by our chef. We were the ladies of the mansion."

Stream: LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls 
Buy: Drunk Girls

Stream: Joker - Tron

 One of my favourite new artists from last year was a dubstep hitmaker from Bristol in the UK, and his name Joker.  This is something new, and decidedly different for Joker, with only the squelchy synths remaining from 2009 bangers 'Purple City' and 'Digidesign'.  Great to see an artist not resting on his laurels and churning out rehashes of earlier hits (are you listening Guetta?).

Joker  "TRON" (original mix) by Multiverse

Purple City

Video: Christian Louboutin (the shoe guy) kicks up his heels, for realz

 Fashion forerunner and high heel aficionado Christian Louboutin keeps it way real in this new promo for his new Jazz inspired shoes.  Louboutin not only designed the shoe, but he struts his stuff on stage with the damn things on!  Fashion, you slay me!

Dude is so famous, J-Lo recently released a song about his shoes...

Louboutins

Blog: Ausdance ADM magazine Feb edition: SA Dance news

 Ausdance are a massive supporter of Pure Funk, and the Aussie dance industry in general, so follow the link below to find out what they're up to, and support the myriad of local talent that's out there.

aDm is the Ausdance SA quarterly magazine mailed to Ausdance SA members and available as a PDF version online. To receive publications and/or publicise your activities join Ausdance SA by downloading the Ausdance SA membership form.

http://www.ausdance.org.au/sa/adm.html

Video: Shannen Doherty dances it up on Beverly Hills 90210

Once again I'm finding a tenuous link between the dance world and the entertainment industry and exploiting it for my own pleasure. That's right, I have video's of Shannen Doherty (who??) of Beverly Hills 90210 fame (the original one), dancing up a storm. Flashback!





Beverly Hills 90210: Season NineBeverly Hills 90210: Season EightBeverly Hills 90210: Seventh SeasonBeverly Hills, 90210 - The Fifth Season

Video: America's Best Dance Crew - Usher Challenge

This week it was the Usher Challenge on ABDC, and Usher appeared in personalised messages to the crews to tell them what songs they would be tackling.

Here's my personal favourite Poreotix taking on 'Yeah' with their usual flair.



Here's Hype doing 'You don't have to call', some big shoes to fill here.



The Blueprint crew just survived elimination.

Video: Hugh Jackman dances for his tea

I love it how Hollywood thinks it can film a commercial in an eastern country and not have it makes it way around the internet. Maybe in the 90's De Niro could've gotten away with shillin cigarettes in Japan, but this is 2010 and here's Hugh Jackman pimpin' Lipton's Tea. Mmm, taste that lovely Lipton's.

Video: Jean Claude Van-Damme Dancing in Spandex

Former Martial Arts Movie Star Jean Claude Van-Damme needs no introduction to any male who was a teenager in the 90's, but for the rest of us, he's just another dude in spandex dancing up a storm.

Video: The Mad hatters Dance (Alice in Wonderland)

I have not yet seen Tim Burton's re-imagining of the Lewis Carroll classic, Alice in Wonderland, yet I believe it will be a visual feast with a cast of quirky familiar characters whom I will love initially, but forget as soon as the credits roll.
However, aside from the movie itself, here is a clip from it that emphasizes something we at Pure Funk hold dear, dance, and it's featuring the Mad Hatter himself.

Video: Hip Hop TV (Au) talks to the Tongue

The Tongue is an aussie up and coming Hip Hop artist. Here he is getting some shine on Hip Hop TV.

Myspace

Video: Hot Chip - I feel better

Hot Chip's latest album 'One Life Stand', is already my favourite album so far this year, and it's all thanks to tracks like the one below 'I feel better'. This clip for it is insane, with the boys dressing up as boy-band pop idols before battling sorcerers; all before a swooning female audience.


Hot Chip - I Feel Better

Hot Chip | MySpace Music Videos

Blog: Carriageworks Platform 3 Hip Hop Festival

The Platform 3 Hip Hop featival is on. Enthusiasts can head on down to the two-day festival in Sydney from Friday March 19.

It offers a bevy of hip hop culture,music, dance, art and theatre and it's being held at CarriageWorks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh.

The festival will focus on all of the five elements of hip hop culture - DJing, MCing, beat boxing, break-dancing and graffiti art, and they are to be performed by some of the best artists from all over the country.

Door opens at 7pm for the March 19's opening night party with DJs in the foyer featuring Flexing Skillz Freestyle Comp Pre-show hip hop theatre performance A Maze in Grace with Sista Native.

The main event are Flexing Skillz MC/ DJ/ Vocals / Breaking freestyle jam with performances from Julez & DJ Sizzle, Morganics and Mathmatics.

Check the website for more details.

The nearest train station is at Redfern.For bookings and more information phone 8571 7940 or visit www.carriageworks.com.au.

Video: America's Best Dance Crew - Disco Challenge Poreotix

It was Disco Challenge week on America's Best Dance Crew, and Poreotix lit it up to the sounds of the Jackson Five's 'Dance Machine'.

http://www.Rickey.org @ Yahoo! Video

Unsigned - 'Dark-Light' by Skeptik

Aussie artist Skeptic has been working hard on some beats. The Brisbane MC and Producer has just put out 'Dark Light', a hard-hitting piece driven by a loping piano-loop and penetrating lyrics. One to watch.

Myspace

Video: THE LOCKERS Fred (Re-Run) Berry 1975

Pure Funk loves showcasing Hip-Hop's (and dance's) history, and the Lockers certainly qualify as Hip Hop and dance legends. This video is from the mid 70's before break-dancing or even video-clips had taken off.

From Wikipedia: The Lockers (originally named The Campbellock Dancers) are pioneers of street dance and locking and were active throughout the 1970s. The Lockers were formed as a dance act in 1973 by Don Campbell and Toni Basil eight years before MTV and 32 years before any of the current TV dance competitions could give them a hands up. They were "Dancing their way to stardom" on their own. ^[1] Don Campbell is the founder of the locking dance style. Individual members' contributions (as soloist performers) to the dance style and group image coupled with their unique presentation in staging and concept broke down many barriers. It has been said on So You Think You Can Dance that 'The Lockers emergence on the dance scene changed the face of dance not only for street dancers but for dance in general and has made street dance a true American art form


THE LOCKERS Fred (Re-Run) Berry 1975
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Blog: Poetikool Justice Win 2009 Emily Burrows Award

South Aussie Hip Hop Act Poetikool Justice won the Emily Burrows award, which recognises emerging artists and funds future forays with a monetary prize.

Like other local Hip Hop/Funk acts like Hilltop Hoods, Lowrider and FunkOars, Poetikool have honed their craft through energetic live shows and tireless work ethic and self-promotion. Their musicianship is evident in their music which is both funky and melodic, something that a lot of similar acts find trouble pairing.

South Australian's Poetikool Justice music video the track "What We Want" from their album "Ground Level"

Video: Legion of Extraordinary Dancers

The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers, who I spoke about last week, lit up the Oscars stage last week (see below) with a medley of all of the Best Original Music nominees.

Video: The 35 Best Dance Sequences in Film

They're all here, from Fred and Ginger to Footloose to You Got Served! There's some classic stuff here if you've got time to check out all the clips. Here's a teaser below...

The 35 Best Dance Sequences in Film

Video: Neil Patrick Harris song and dance at the Oscars,it was legen... wait for it... dary!

Everyone loves Neil Patrick Harris. You mum, your brother, your dog (yes, go ask them now), and why we love him is because he can transform anything into an event. So it was with the Oscars last week, as NPH opened the show with a kick-ass song and dance routine that celebrated the notion that 2 is better than 1, paving the way for co-hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin to shovel two hours of bad jokes and tired physical comedy into the faces of the audience (in 3d if you had that installed).

Video: Where the hell is Matt... in South Africa

Yes, the dudes been edited in to look like he's actually in South Africa, but hey, turn that frown upside down and bring the chuckles... it's just a video!

Video: Legion of Extroadinary Dancers (LXD)

I'll let the LXD do the talking on this one. So far the internet vids have been blowing me away.

LXD.com

Welcome to The LXD, a new online adventure in which heroes and villains combat each other with dance superpowers. With stunning choreography, dancers float over the ground like marionettes or crush the laws of physics beneath their feet when they perform breathtaking aerial maneuvers and transcendental step sequences.

The series hopes to do more than follow the dance-battle zeitgeist that rules today’s TV ratings. In addition to live performances, The LXD reveals dance superheroes on both sides of the screen—viewers can learn dance moves from instructional videos, and even become part of the story by participating in the web community. The LXD is written and directed by Jon Chu, a veteran of dance productions, including the box office sensation Step Up 2: The Streets and the Internet phenomenon, The Biggest Online Dance Battle.

Video: America's Best Dance Crew Season 5 - Lady Gaga Challenge

Ah yes, Lady Gaga, she of the crazy clothes and barnstorming hit singles. America's Best Dance Crew decided to pay homage to Gaga and they reached back into her deep catalogue of bangers (slight sarcasm there) for inspiration.

Blueprint - Bad Romance mastermix



Poreotics - Paparazzi

Download: Drake - It's Over (via Pitchfork).

Young Money's latest and greatest, Drake, has come a long way in a short time. From starring in Degrassi Junior High to trading verses with Lil Wayne, it's been a meteoric rise, and Drake's latest single reflects the changes he's seen since he was put on.

Rocky horns ring in the intro, and the verse kicks out with marching band drums. It's triumphant, it's military, it's presice, and yet the chorus finds Drake asking himself, 'What am I doin?', until he realises, 'I'm doin me'. It's a perfect ruse, and the perfect song to show off a young star in control and on the rise.

Drake - It's Over (via Pitchfork)

Video: New Daft Punk music in Tron Legacy trailer

Finally! After many fake and false claims over the last few months of 'new Daft Punk music from Tron', the real deal has finally landed. Halfway through this clip, and pile-driving Daft Punk pulse pumps out, a sweet signature for the faithful and a breath of fresh air amongst the electro stench of the last couple years. Plus the trailer is good too!

Video: Magic Johnson does John Wall Dance

Once again I get to combine two of my favourite things, Basketball and Dancing, with La Lakers legend Magic Johnson no less.

Video: House Party - Dance-off (Long Version)

Have you seen House Party? This early 90's (late 80's even?) comedy starred Kid 'N' Play, a couple of pop rapper/dancers who virtually play themselves.

Young Kid has been invited to a party at his friend Play's house. But after a fight at school, Kid's father grounds him. None the less, Kid sneaks out when his father falls asleep. But Kid doesn't know that three of the thugs at school has decided to give him a lesson in behaviour


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Stream: T.I. - I'm Back

Our favourite gun collector has finally finished his year-long sojourn inside. It's a hard-hitting southern banger, all woozy blips and killer snares, and can be purchased from Tip's site here.
If you can't wait, here's the stream...

Stream: The-Dream - Love King

The-Dream, one half of the production team behind Rihanna's Umbrella and Beyonce's 'Single Ladies', released one of the most underrated albums of the year last year, Love vs. Money. He's backing that up this year, with what is alleged to be his last solo album 'The Love King'. Here's the first single off that record, and it has all the high production values and addictive hooks we've come to expect.

Video: America's Best Dance Crew - SoReal Cru - Crew's Choice (Week 1)

http://www.sorealcru.com/

Video: Americas Best Dance Crew Season 5 Nationals Episode 4/Week 1

This was the week of the chart-topper challenge, and even though there's been some behind the scenes technical problems this week on the video challenge, the dancers are still as good as ever and they prove so again here.

The nationals kick off with the remaining nine teams dancing to the latest chart-topping hits. Poreotix, Heavy Impact, Jungle Boogie, Royal Flush, Blueprint Cru, Saltare were all safe. Leaving Hype 5-0, Swagger Crew, and Static Noyze to battle it out in sudden death. Sadly Swagger Crew's ticking time on the clock was out. Next Week is the Music Video Challenge.

Video: Gorillaz - Stylo

Stylo is the first single from the new Gorillaz full-length player 'Plastic Beach', and it features a fuzzed out verse from Mos Def and some desperate wailing from Bobby Womack. I'm making it sound like a bad thing, but let me assure you, it's far from bad. In fact, it's nearly as good the awesome videoclip, which finds the animated band being pursued across the desert by a very real Bruce Willis.


Gorillaz ft. Mos Def & Bobby Womack - Stylo
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