Kraftwerk

Ten best hip-hop shows in Denver this month

February is already off to a good start for hip-hop with a pair of great shows this past weekend, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis at Icelantic's Winter on the Rocks and Brother Ali with Prof, Danny Brown and Evidence at Cervantes'. Even excluding those shows, the rest of the month looks to be just as enti ... More >>

Slam's Stuart McMillan on longevity, popularity, and the duo's first North American tour in a decade

Flying Lotus on how J Dilla really did change his life by making music that was deep and heartfelt

Flying Lotus is one of the most innovative electronic producers out right now. Born Steven Ellison but better known these days by his stage handle, the L.A.-based artist began making beats at the age of fourteen, and with his omnivorous taste in music, he's gone on to create lush, detailed music wit ... More >>

New Order at 1STBANK Center, 10/10/12

NEW ORDER @ 1STBANK CENTER |10/10/12 If you've been a New Order fan for long enough, you've heard the song hundreds of times or more. Just the same, that repetition did nothing to dull the haunting yet soothing majesty of "Your Silent Face" when New Order played it pretty much in the middle of the ... More >>

New Order's Substance turns 25 today

See also: - New Order's Movement turns thirty - Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destruction turns 25 - The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street turns 40 - The Beatles' Sgt Pepper turns 45 - Prince's Sign of the Times turns 25 - Velvet Underground & Nico turns 45 today - Today In History Archives When N ... More >>

Wait, so Dave Grohl doesn't hate dance music? Evidently not.

So Dave Grohl, through his peeps at Nasty Little Man, just clarified the seemingly incendiary remarks he made during his acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards last weekend when he was picking up his Gramophone trophy. Turns out, as suspected, he wasn't ripping on dance music specifically, his com ... 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 >>

Artists like Springsteen and Dylan can start applying to regain copyrights of 1978 recordings

​When copyright law was revised in 1976, there was a provision that gave artists control of their work after 35 years, provided they applied two years in advance. The law didn't go into effect until 1978, but now artists like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and Loretta Lynn can start a ... More >>

Girl Talk's Greg Gillis on whether or not his new album "broke the Internet" as alleged

​Girl Talk is a phenomenon. Who knew this one time biomedical engineer would breathe fresh life into the mash-up movement? Although pioneers such as Z-Trip and Kraftwerk were blending samples long before Greg Gillis - who performs under the Girl Talk moniker -- stepped on the scene, for some r ... More >>

Warlock Pinchers at Gothic, 12/31/10

Aaron Thackeray​ WARLOCK PINCHERS with Il Cattivo 12.31.10 | Gothic Theater Around 9 p.m., the safety videos started up and it looked and sounded like something straight out of Wonder Showzen. Puppets and people in a gorilla and a robot costume interacted as they would on a warped, faux kids ... More >>

Holy Fuck, Indian Jewelry, Gauntlet Hair and DJ Peter Black @ Larimer Lounge, 10/20/10

Tom MurphyHoly Fuck​ HOLY FUCK Indian Jewelry • Gauntlet Hair • Peter Black 10.20.10 | Larimer Lounge, Denver, CO As usual, Peter Black set the stage for what was to come with what sounded like some sonically-appropriate remixes. Right before the first band took the stage, it sounded lik ... More >>

Grinderman, RJD2 and Dismemberment Plan 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?" So 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 ... More >>

CacheFlowe releases open-source robot vocal software to welcome our digital overlords

Image by TheAlieness GiselaGiardino23​Need a robot to harmonize on your latest opus, but Autotune got you down and vocoder too kitschy and retro? Well, local electronic music mastermind CacheFlowe (aka Justin Gitlin) has got a treat for you! As of today, his custom vocal processing software R ... More >>

UMS Night Two Travelogue: A Tom Collins at Club 404, Nathan & Stephen at the Mayan and more

Tom MurphyNathan & Stephen at the Mayan​ UMS Travelogue, Day Two 7.23.10 / Baker District, South Broadway Well away from the densest cluster of the festival was a place called Fentress Architects Materials Garden on 4th and Broadway, and when you walked through the glass doors, there was a l ... More >>

Updating the soundtrack to On the Beach

​If you haven't seen the 1959 film On The Beach, you might want to tune out now before we spoil anything. It's a post-apocalyptic emotion-drain that chronicles the last days of humanity in a painstakingly slow manner -- which is to say it's a bit slow in the hips but fast in the brain. Anyw ... More >>

Lil Slugger brings their comic book to life at Rhino

Tom MurphyGood Old Fashioned Sinners delving into some good old fashioned sin.​ Lil Slugger • Hot White • Good Old Fashioned Sinners 05.22.10 | Rhinoceropolis Evidently, this was some sort of reunion show for openers Good Old Fashioned Sinners, or perhaps just a coming out of hibernation ... More >>

The top five music podcasts

​Music podcasts are a difficult breed. With the current outdated copyright law, most podcasts can't utilize full songs in their recordings, making anyone but the best sound like boring music nerds. Of course, we love boring music nerds but being able to speak eloquently or interestingly about ... More >>

Q&A with Ilya Laqutenko of Mumiy Troll

Michael Muller​Mumiy Troll from Vladivostok, Russia is one of that country's most popular bands. The act's combination of energetic rock and moodily atmospheric pop, for which lead singer Ilya Lagutenko coined the term "rockapops," has been gaining popularity in America despite the fact that, up t ... More >>

Monolith Q&A: Depreciation Guild

Photo by Drew Reynolds​Brooklyn's the Depreciation Guild has spent the last few years fusing elements of synth pop, dream pop and experimental electronic music into an indistinguishable amalgamation of the band's wide-ranging sonic influences. In reviews and profiles of the band, much has been ... More >>

Westword Music Showcase reviewed: Curious Theatre

Aaron ThackeraySee more photos from Curious Theatre at westword.com/slideshow.Elin Palmer, 12 p.m.Overcoming technical difficulties and an initially cumbersome stage setup (the stage manager had to find room for a drum riser amid the creative and complicated set -- including a desk, a bed and a road ... More >>

Beyond Playlist: The Pinker Tones and More

Over the Weekend...M.I.A., the Egyptian Love and Low B @ the Fillmore

Last Night ... Red Orange Yellow, Harvey Knuckles, Magic Cyclops

VHS or Beta

The only constant for this band, it seems, is change.

Beyond Playlist: Sigur Rós and More

Richard Swift Earns Praise

Nothing like getting Dressed Up for a Letdown that never happens.

Listen Up

Fast reviews of recent releases

Listen Up

Fast reviews of recent releases

Left Out in the Coldplay

Fiona Apple and Chris Martin have their games down Cold.

Beat It

Meat Beat Manifesto's Jack Dangers prefers different strokes.

New World Order

Peter Hook has found a new way to move the masses -- as a DJ.

Our top DVD picks for the week of December 6.

The Juan Maclean

Less Than Human (DFA/Astralwerks)

Machinehead

The Secret Machines locate the sweet spot between heartache and head rush.

For the Record

For national releases, 2003 wonked as much as it rocked.

Man Posse

Diggie Diamond finds fresh meat in the International Male.

Boogie Men

VHS or Beta inspires communal dance ecstasy and has a good beat. But don't call it disco.

Trans Am

TA (Thrill Jockey)

Critic's Choice

Anti-Pop Consortium

Matmos

A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure (Matador)

In the Thick of It

For more than a decade, the Jungle Brothers have remained members of hip-hop's original tribe.

Animal Instincts

The Pet Shop Boys maintain their pop pedigree with a new album and tour.

Better Living Through Chemistry

The Chemical Brothers try to move beyond the hype.

Strings Attached

Redefining chamber music on Turtle Island.

Now They're Cooking

The Men of Mouse

Blasting off with Jan St. Werner of Mouse on Mars.

Feedback

Quiz Show

Before you declare yourself a Grammy expert, let Backbeat test your skills.

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