RETROACTIVITIES Vol. 1 | A Recollection of All Things Old and Pixelated

Screenshot of Super Mario Kart for SNES | credit: Dan's Bit Ratchet Blog

by Gino (OMGino) Pennacchio | @ZOMGino

The fleeting moment of victory in Mario Kart… there really isn’t anything quite like it…

Tell me that you have beaten Super Mario Kart for the Super Nintendo, 150cc, on Special Cup, with 45 points.  Not 42… not 39… but 45. First place finish each race. Tell me you have done this… that you have at one point defied all odds and fended off that pesky bitch, Koopa Troopa, five straight times with perfect results.  Tell me you have managed to defeat a team of ultra-skilled CPUs that are able to jump over banana peels (seriously how is that even fair) and shoot flaming Bowser balls (what else would you call them), Yoshi eggs and shrinking mushrooms — all at the incredibly annoying frequency of every five seconds — on five courses that are designed to fuck you big time.

If you’ve done this, we need to have coffee together because that “holy-shit” moment happened to me eight months ago. When it happened I kind of couldn’t believe it. I sat there staring at the flawless line:
“1. Mario…………………………..45”

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Lollapalooza Preview: Deftones

by Neil Miller, Jr.

Few bands that can be lumped into the metal genre have had as much crossover success and so many stellar albums as Sacramento's own Deftones.  With only one or two slight missteps in their career (their 2003 self-titled record being the most common amongst hardcore fans), the Deftones can be considered legends of our time through their unique mish-mashing of everything from metal to punk to trip-hop and everything in between.  Although most consider 2000's White Pony to be their career peak, last year's Diamond Eyes is certainly a worthy forerunner to their best work and surely better things to come.

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LOLLAPALOOZA PREVIEW: Midnight Conspiracy

Midnight Conspiracy - The Mustache & The Ninja

by Sara Cannon

In the ever growing sea of DJs and electronic acts out there, it takes more than talent and desire to distinguish yourself from the rest. It takes a mustache, it takes a ninja, it takes a producer who can travel through time, space, and the realms of hell. It's a good thing then that Midnight Conspiracy possess all three.

The group, which formed in late 2009 and "officially" debuted in January of 2010, has come a long way in a very short amount of time. Yes, they hit the Hype Machine's Top 5, five times with their amazingly produced remixes, had multiple tracks on BBC Radio 1's Kissy Sell Out show, and toured non-stop — melting faces with their hard hitting sets in over 50 cities in two continents, but it doesn't end there. What truly sets Midnight Conspiracy apart from other bands is, well, they are more than just a band. When they are in their hometown of Chicago, they are booking, producing, and promoting some of the biggest electronic events in the city and running their own clothing line under their Dead Fame brand and collective (we'll get to that in a bit). By doing so, Mid Con has amassed an impressive and very loyal following of fans, a feat not all Chicago-based artists, even internationally touring ones signed to major labels, can attest to.

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ARTIST FEATURE: Irvin Almonte

"Space Bean" oil on canvas

by Camille Germain

Irvin Almonte is simply one hell of a guy. I have been trying to piece together a fluid story that illustrates this artist, but this is the best I’ve come up with. And I am not quite sure words can describe what he tells through his paintings — the same paintings he would never sell. He explained to me that if a person wanted a painting he would not sell it to them, but paint one for them. This idea goes beyond being a sell-out, it is about the effects it would have on his work. A day job was then instated. It’s kind of like a superhero from the comics, he is an investment analyst by day and an artist by night.

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PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL 2011 PREVIEW

by Neil Miller, Jr.

In lieu of telling you to go see Curren$y, tUnE-yArds, Battles, Gang Gang Dance, The Dismemberment Plan, Fleet Foxes, Toro y Moi, Cut Copy, or TV On The Radio at the Pitchfork Music Festival this weekend — although these are all acts that should really be on your 'must see' list — I'm going to offer up three artists that might not have hit your radar that are also worth seeing.  They're lesser known than all those amazing artists I just named, but by no means does that imply that they aren't as good.  So, check it out and enjoy Pitchfork 2011...

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