Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Socalled builds hip-hop out of old Klezmer records on new album Ghettoblaster. Live dates across the US to begin this week.

My God is going to kick your God's ass!!!

...that's how Socalled's new record Ghettoblaster begins. A call to arms – or really – a call away from arms, to set the tone for this thoughtful, yet ridiculous album. Religious systems are fair game, as are crazy combinations like 92-year-old lounge lizard Irving Fields (Google “Bikinis and Bongos”) and underground MC C-Rayz Walz, or James Brown trombonist Fred Wesley and a choir of Hasidic children.

So what better a way to kick off Ghettoblaster than to go on a cruise with a bunch of old Jewish people and get the prestigious National Film Board to film it?

Montreal filmmaker Garry Beitel tapped Canadian hip-hop beat maker Socalled (aka Josh Dolgin) to star in a feature length documentary based on his journey down the Dneiper River in the Ukraine, on the first ever Klezmer cruise. From Kiev to Odessa, Socalled shares his love of music and culture with the 150 other 'Klezmer enthusiasts' on the cruise in the aptly titled, “The Socalled Film.” Along the way, an additional camera crew documents the unique experience of filming on the ship on the daily updated video weblog (LINK).

Building hip-hop out of Klezmer on the open seas - top that Kanye West!

Upon completion of filming, Socalled arrives in the United States for a handful of live dates across the country. In Los Angeles, he'll be joined on stage by gospel singer Doris Glaspie, who is also featured on Ghettoblaster track “You Are Never Alone” (MP3) and Wax Tailor – cinematic French hip-hop at it's best. In New York, he'll be joined by Tim Fite (LINK) who puts on the best show you've ever seen ever. Other activities at the NYC show include live T-shirt silk-screening and group comic making (comic frames on the walls, lots of pens, lots of fun).

Special offer! Pre-order Ghettoblaster from JDub's webstore (LINK) and be entered to win a Nintendo Wii (which pretty much every store in NYC at least is sold out of).

More about SoCalled: Socalled is an accordion wielding, MPC pounding, rhyme twisting Klezmer hip-hop maestro. His sophomore album, Ghettoblaster, features a vast palate of over 40 guests including Theodore Bikel (the original Fiddler On The Roof!), 92-year-old Bikinis and Bongos legend Irving Fields, underground hip-hopper C-Rayz Walz, Gospel singer Doris Glaspie, hot shot producer b, and James Brown’s brass master Fred Wesley. Basically he builds hip-hop out of old Klezmer records and puts on the kind of variety show Al Pacino would go see nightly at the Babylon Club.

Socalled Live:
06/05 Boston, MA Great Scott (LINK)
06/06 Washington, DC DC9 (LINK)
06/07 New York, NY Knitting Factory (LINK)
06/09 Los Angeles, CA The Echo (LINK)
06/10 San Francisco, CA Hemlock Tavern (LINK)

Ghettoblaster Tracklisting:
Stream The Album HERE
01. Ghettoblaster Intro
02. (These Are The) Good Old Days (MP3 | VIDEO)
03. Let's Get Wet
04. You Are Never Alone (MP3)
05. Slaughter on 10th Ave.
06. Ich Bin a Border by Mayn Vayb
07. (Rock the) Belz
08. Rece Cice
09. Slaughter Interlude
10. Heart Attack Feeling
11. Baleboste
12. Bikel Family Nigun
13. Let's Get Wet (Louder Remix)

Links and Tools:
www.socalledmusic.com
www.myspace.com/socalled
www.jdubrecords.org
www.myspace.com/jdubrecordings
www.fanaticpromotion.com/current/socalled_ghettoblaster.html

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