Kool Keith

Hunter Pritchett, exec chef of Luca d'Italia, on bum piss and fried fish

Hunter Pritchett Luca d'Italia 711 Grant Street 303-832-6600 www.lucadenver.com This is part one of my interview with Hunter Pritchett, exec chef of Luca d'Italia. Part two of my chat with Pritchett will run in this space tomorrow. Hunter Pritchett and his kitchen crew are thumbing through an Ita ... More >>

The 20 greatest geek albums

​If the geeks are really set to inherit the earth (that's the saying, right?), then it's time we highlight the musical offerings they have on the table. With Jonathan Coulton's Artificial Heart being released last week at PAX, it seems as good a time as any to look at our favorite albums about ... More >>

Placing odds on Danger Mouse's next collaboration

​Danger Mouse just announced he will be collaborating with Jack White, which makes White the billionth musician Danger Mouse has worked with after Beck, the Gorillaz, MF Doom, Cee-Lo, James Mercer, U2, the Rapture, Sparklehorse, Black Keys and, oh, just about everybody else. He's the hottest c ... More >>

Earth, Deca, DeVotchKa, Mogwai, Hindershot, Warsaw and Adele top our weekly playlists

​As people who think about, talk about, listen to and make music, the most common question we encounter is, "What are you listening to right now?" Whether you're looking for recommendations, trying to get a feel for our individual sensibilities, or are just curious, we've compiled a list of al ... More >>

YTCracker on the virtues of Nerdcore and the finer points of hacking

Straight outta C Springs, YTCracker is among nerd core's finest​ YTCracker rolls with a crew and movement known as "nerdcore," the epicenter of all things sophisticated and geeky. The rapper -- aka Bryce Case, who pronounces his name as "whitey cracker" -- and his contemporaries, guys like MC ... More >>

Strange Powers on Armageddon and what he's been up to since returning to the Mile High City

​ Known to early local hip-hop heads as Shag One and, more recently, as Strange Powers, Josh Powers doesn't fit into the mold of a typical hip-hop cat. He embraces his individuality and honors his own unique global view of music and ideology through his creative endeavors - from more traditio ... More >>

Air Dubai, Lil Wayne and DJ Krush fill our playlists this week

​As people who think about, talk about, listen to and make music, the most common question we encounter is, "What are you listening to right now?" Whether you're looking for recommendations, trying to get a feel for our individual sensibilities, or are just curious, we've compiled a list of al ... More >>

Nick Cave is supposedly penning The Crow remake -- here's five musicians we'd like to see tackle other movies

​Rumors have been swirling recently that Nick Cave may have signed on to rewrite the screenplay for The Crow remake (ouch that sentence hurts our heads). Cave is a favorite around here for his music, but we're a bit hard pressed to find anyone who's actually made it through a piece of his fict ... More >>

Q&A with Time

​Time, aka Chris Steele, has been involved in the Denver hip-hop scene for over a decade, and his current and future collaborators include Sole of the Anticon collective, Talib Kweli, Drake, Kool Keith and C-Rayz Walz. The snarkier hip-hop aficionados refer to the form Time writes and performs as ... More >>

Princess Superstar at Beta

​Time, aka Chris Steele, has been involved in the Denver hip-hop scene for over a decade, and his current and future collaborators include Sole of the Anticon collective, Talib Kweli, Drake, Kool Keith and C-Rayz Walz. The snarkier hip-hop aficionados refer to the form Time writes and performs as ... More >>

Heavy Rotation, our top five spins for the week of April 13, 2009

As music critics, the most common question we get asked (and ask each other, for that matter) is, "What are you listening to?" The pervasiveness of this query is precisely what inspired Heavy Rotation, our latest feature. For the benefit of those who happen to be curious, we've compiled a list of al ... More >>

Friday Rap-Up: Scribble Jam, Run-DMC, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z

As music critics, the most common question we get asked (and ask each other, for that matter) is, "What are you listening to?" The pervasiveness of this query is precisely what inspired Heavy Rotation, our latest feature. For the benefit of those who happen to be curious, we've compiled a list of al ... More >>

Over the Weekend... Kool Keith, ManeLine and the Americans @ the Oriental Theater

As music critics, the most common question we get asked (and ask each other, for that matter) is, "What are you listening to?" The pervasiveness of this query is precisely what inspired Heavy Rotation, our latest feature. For the benefit of those who happen to be curious, we've compiled a list of al ... More >>

Q&A with Artist Ray Young Chu

As music critics, the most common question we get asked (and ask each other, for that matter) is, "What are you listening to?" The pervasiveness of this query is precisely what inspired Heavy Rotation, our latest feature. For the benefit of those who happen to be curious, we've compiled a list of al ... More >>

Peeping Tom

Wednesday, April 18, Gothic Theatre, Englewood, 1-866-468-7621.

Dr. Octagon

The Return of Dr. Octagon (OCD International)

Westword Music Showcase 2006

Be there or be square!

Peeping Tom

Peeping Tom (Ipecac)

Kool Keith

Saturday, February 4, Fox Theatre, Boulder, 303-443-3399.

Jurassic 5

Saturday, June 5, and Sunday, June 6, Fox Theatre, 303-443-3399

Backwash

Clever as a Fox, Boulder’s best club turns ten.

About to Break

Set to debut in Boulder, Billy Martin's Turntable Sessions will turn you on your ear.

Gorillaz

Gorillaz (Virgin Records)

Back That Smut Up

As the Smut Peddlers, members of the High and Mighty hip-hop crew find new life in porn.

Backwash

Slim Cessna has seen the light.

Material

Material
Intonarumori
(Axiom)

Like a Record, Baby

QBert and the Invisibl Skratch Piklz put a new spin on the DJ craft.

Judgment Day

Backbeat contributors offer up their favorite recordings of 1999.

Handsome Boy Modeling School/Quannum Projects

So...How's Your Girl?
(Tommy Boy)

Quannum Spectrum
(Quannum Projects)

Beyond the Fringe

Styles of Beyond takes underground hip-hop back to the future.

Playlist

Kool Keith, Joe Gallant and Illuminati, Belle and Sebastian, Tricky With DJ Muggs and Grease, Reggae Gold 1999

The Wide World of Rap

Exploring the endless variety of today's hip-hop.

Spread the Jam

Medeski, Martin and Wood branch out beyond jazz.

Ghost Story

DJ Spooky is writing one of hip-hop's most mesmerizing chapters.

The Major and the Minor

A roundup of big-name recordings that live up (or down) to expectations.

Creep Show

The joys of navigating Creeper Lagoon.

Kingdom Comes

Denver rapper Kingdom hopes he has the golden touch.

Brother From Another Planet

When it comes to hip-hop, Dr. Octagon veteran Kool Keith is out of this world.

And the Winners Are ...

Handing out the trophies for 1997's best albums.

The Closing of the American Ear

We have more musical choices than ever before. So why are so few of us taking advantage of them?