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Helena Bonham Carter Plays a Kinky Librarian In New Rufus Wainwright Clip (Video)

Posted 4/5/12 1:01 pm EST by in Music, Video

Indie-ish singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright is prepping the release of his new (Mark Ronson-produced, swoon!) album Out of the Game and has enlisted the services of his real-life friend "Dark Shadows" actress Helena Bonham Carter to bring her signature strangeness to the video for the album's titular lead single.

The video is set in a library overseen by Bonham Carter, who lip-synchs the lyrics to Wainwright's track while pacing around lamenting what must be a sad, strange life. (Girl can emote! She deserves an Oscar for her performance in this video alone, y'all!)

It's a weirdly transfixing video. Wainwright appears as three different library patrons who end up in a creeptastic make out session with each other, and by the clip's end, Bonham Carter has come undone both figuratively and literally. The closing shot features the Oscar nominee clad in just lingerie reading the book "The Way We Live Now."

Interested now? Check it out below. (Note: We're also really kind of loving the song too. Welcome back, Rufus.)

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Young The Giant Talk Making It Big Over Pizza Slices On First Date

Posted 4/4/12 2:45 pm EST by in First Date, Music, Video

By Rya Backer

Young the Giant first crept up on my radar around the same time they did for most of you: at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards.

There, at our annual Super Bowl of music and spectacle, sandwiched somewhere between Lady Gaga’s (I mean, Jo Calderone’s) monologue and Lil Wayne’s shreds were a group of young guys from Irvine, Calif., making their television debut with a whole gang of fans bused in from their fair city to cheer them on.

Young the Giant steamrolled through their standout single, "My Body," making the whole of the room (and those watching at home) believers in their mission of delivering anthemic rock, heavy on melodies and choruses you’re itching to sing along to (listen to their other single, "Cough Syrup" for further reference).

I’d wanted to talk to them further ever since I saw that performance, replete with frontman Sameer Gadhia’s well-choreographed falls into the crowd. And I’m so happy I was able to, as these five guys are much more than a band. They’re best – and I mean best – friends, even admitting to having lived together for the past five years in various houses. Their last one also housed a Jacuzzi tub that some members embraced and others (namely, guitarist Jacob Tilley) very vocally avoided – a fact I only know because offering the five some downtime to just be themselves rendered a lightning in a bottle/secret sauce concoction that was so exciting to watch. They were honest, open and so excited to sit down and share some slices before soundcheck. Not unlike the fans in the audience on VMA night, I was so happy just to be there.

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Diplo Talks Life After Music, Hanging In The Jungle With Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne

Posted 4/4/12 1:41 pm EST by in dance, Interview, Music

Diplo

By Zachary Swickey

Diplo talked to us at length about several upcoming projects when we caught up with him at the first stop of the “AXE One Night Only Tour,” which finds the Philly-based producer/DJ invading seven college campuses around the states performing in intimate venues for absolutely free.

Considering just how busy the DJ has been the last several years, we couldn't help but wonder if all the ruckus was going to send him into hiding sometime soon.

“I might. I might go into hiding after the Major Lazer tour is over, because I think 'Express Yourself' might be a single for like an album I’m doing,” Diplo told MTV News.

“I’ve had so many things I’ve been doing here and there, I never have time to sit and mix down records and shoot videos. Because I want to shoot a video for every song now," he continued. "It’s like that’s what the culture is about – your videos. You’re making money on ad revenue for your videos now and stuff like that. You have to find new ways and I’ve always been involved in film. So to combine all your songs and videos is like the perfect combination I guess for the future.”

A lesser known fact about the red hot DJ is that he graduated from Temple University’s film school and that got us wondering if he had any aspiritions to enter the movie business.

“Yeah, as soon as I start becoming less and less relevant as a performing DJ, I plan on doing more and more film work for sure. I think I’d like to direct," he said. "I was even talking to Wayne [Coyne of the Flaming Lips] about doing a film project with him actually. I want to get more involved with film somehow."

Since he has everyone’s attention through his music, Diplo feels now is the time to direct. “You know, I kind of started doing film ten years ago when I was in film school and not many people paid attention to it," he explained. "But having a pedestal now for people to listen to me with music, I have a better chance of working on a bigger scale than I was used to."

On Twitter, Diplo mentioned "goin to the jungle" with Coyne and the Lips, so we had to try and squeeze some info out of him about the strange event. Read on for more. Read More...

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Wait! The Sons Of The Beatles Are Coming Together For Beatles 2.0?

Posted 4/3/12 3:01 pm EST by in Music

James McCartney

Well, The Beatles – The Next Generation, if we're being picky here.

James McCartney, son of Paul, told the BBC that he, John Lennon's son Sean, George Harrison's son Dhani, and Ringo Starr's son Zak Starkey have discussed the possibility of forming a mega-band.

"I'd be up for it," McCartney told the news service. "Sean seemed to be into it, Dhani seemed to be into it."

The band may be lacking a drummer, however, as Starkey doesn't seem as keen on the idea. "I don't think it's something that Zak wants to do," McCartney said. "Maybe Jason [another of Starr's sons and also a drummer] would want to do it."

All of the guys have followed in their father's footsteps and are pursuing music in one way or another. Sean Lennon has had some success as a solo singer-songwriter, while Starkey has drummed for The Who and Oasis and Dhani Harrison fronts London rock band thenewno2. McCartney has played guitar on two of Macca's albums and regularly plays the Cavern Club in Liverpool, where the Beatles got their start.

So will it happen for real? According to the younger McCartney, it's up to "the will of God" and "nature's support."

He does have high hopes for the group if it ever hits the studio. "I dreamt of being better than The Beatles," he told the BBC. "I'm not sure if I can do that. If anything, I would love to be equal to The Beatles – but even that's quite tough."

Tough indeed. But it is in his (and Sean and Dhani and Zak/Jason's) blood.

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Diplo Opens Up About New Book And The Future Of Major Lazer

Posted 4/3/12 1:52 pm EST by in Music

Diplo

By Zachary Swickey

Diplo managed to drop many a gem during our convo with him on his first stop of the “AXE One Night Only Tour,” which has the producer/DJ invading seven college campuses around the states performing in intimate venues for absolutely free.

He already revealed his plans for a full-blown project with Snoop Dogg and his love for collaborator Santigold, but he also talked up his brand new book and the latest plansfor Major Lazer.

Diplo’s coffee table book, “128 Beats Per Minute: Diplo’s Visual Guide to Music, Culture, and Everything in Between,” hit stores last week and showcases the amazing seven year musical journey that's taken him to 32 countries where he's personally taken over 60,000 photos. We asked him what it was like to be accepted by a vast multitude of cultures.

“I owe a lot of it to the DJ culture growing. I’m one of the most eclectic DJs out there, so I’ve been able to meander through all these different scenes whether it’s in Asia, the UK, or my home in Philly or Mexico – wherever it is I’ve been lucky enough to appeal to a lot of people," Diplo told MTV News. "Even though it’s always been kind of underground – there’s always an 'underground' in every city and I’ve been able to tap into that and represent those kids that are into new music and art and fashion not just the music.”

He continued, “You’re not gonna see any giant raves in that book. You’re going to see how things are really like when you’re traveling – it’s not about playing for thousands of people, it’s about playing for the fans."

“Because when you get to those big festivals it’s almost homogenous everywhere you go in the world, but you can tell when you go to Jamaica or China or when you go to Amsterdam in the book it feels like all those places, which I really appreciated.”

Read on for a Major Lazer update.
Read More...

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Black Keys Frontman Will Produce LA Rocker's New Album, Blasts Spotify And Sean Parker,

Posted 4/3/12 11:30 am EST by in Music, The Interweb

Black Keys

By Zachary Swickey

The Black Keys have been busy selling out arenas – like their two-night stint at New York City’s Madison Square Garden – but that isn’t stopping frontman Dan Auerbach from producing the upcoming album of LA-based garage rock by solo artist Hanni El Khatib.

Auerbach will handle production duties on the follow-up to Khatib’s 2011 effort Will the Guns Come Out after the two hit it off in France. Khatib even provided the design logo for Auerbach’s personal studio. Khatib recounted their meeting to LA Weekly, saying, “A friend owns a bar in Paris and introduced us when I was deejaying after a show. He went deep into music and started dropping knowledge about all these obscure LA bands. We ended up going back and forth deejaying all night.”

In other Black Keys-related news, the other half of the duo, Patrick Carney, has continued voicing his dissatisfaction with streaming services and specifically blasted Spotify shareholder and Napster co-founder Sean Parker, calling him an “a**hole” who “steals” royalties from artists. Read More...

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Diplo On Santigold's New Album: 'If You’re A Fan Of Hers, You’re Gonna Be Into It'

Posted 4/2/12 1:12 pm EST by in Music, Santogold

Diplo Santigold

By Zachary Swickey

Diplo is currently invading college campuses around the states performing in intimate venues for absolutely free on “AXE One Night Only Tour,” and during first stop of the tour in Madison, Wisconsin, filled MTV News in on Santigold's much anticipated sophomore effort, Master of My Make-Believe.

“I’ve done two songs with her – one's with [German electronic DJ] Boys Noize; it’s like the only rap record on the album. And another one called 'Pirate in the Water' that’s kind of like an 8-bit reggae song,” Diplo told us. “I love that record – it’s about one of our friends that passed away in New York. But her record is real adventurous and it sounds more like an '80s rock record than a club banger, ya know?”

We told the producer we loved all of the new songs we heard during Santigold's set at last year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival and he gushed about Santi’s originality, saying, “Yeah, it’s a little bit more… it’s not so straight ahead as what music is sounding like right now, but it sounds like her record, which you can’t say about a lot of artists anymore.”

Four years have passed since Santi's last record, and those wondering if the time will change her sound can rest easy. “I don’t think so. I think it’s in the same vein as her last album was," he said. "Her last album, me and Switch produced a lot of stuff after it was already written, because she wanted to make more of a modern sound, because she has more of an indie-rock vibe."

“Ya know with 'Creator' she became the front bearer of this new sound, and that record is still one of the most amazing songs out of our whole scene," he continued. "It’s one of the big records that started everything for us. I’m just lucky we came up together. I’m so happy about the crews I’ve started with Santi, M.I.A., Spank Rock, all these kids that are like kinda Philly. We call came out of Philly in a weird way. If you’re a fan of hers, you’re gonna be into it. If you’re a fan of just like buzz-y music, it might not be for you, but it sounds like a Santigold record."

Diplo then praised Santigold's devotion to the project, saying, “She’s there for every process, man, from the writing all the way to the mixing. She’s there for every session during mixing and the mixer was going f**king nuts. But she was there for everything and I respect her, because she’s 100 percent an artist that does the whole record – every piece of art.”

“I don’t even have the patience for that man,” he joked. “I’m just like whatever, I shoot it and it’s done. I trust my collaborators to do the best job, but she tends to every f**king aspect.”

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Diplo, Chiddy Bang Kick Off AXE One Night Only Tour In Style

Posted 3/28/12 4:00 pm EST by in Music

By Zachary Swickey

MADISON, Wisconsin — Diplo brought along his Philly comrades Chiddy Bang to kick off the first date on the AXE One Night Only Tour, which invaded this campus town on Tuesday night.

Diplo graced Madison's Majestic theatre and he'll touch down on six more college campuses before the run is over. On Tuesday, the mood was ecstatic: If you could only hear the set, you might not have known that there were fewer than 600 fans at the show because they had the energy of Leonidas' "300" soldiers.

The college crowd greeted hip-hop duo Chiddy Bang with insane enthusiasm as they launched into the title track from their sophomore effort, "Breakfast." Frontman Chiddy (a.k.a. Chidera Anamege) had no problem working the crowd like a vet. Some highlights for the fans included the singles "Truth" and "The Good Life." However, it came as no surprise that their smash hit "Opposite of Adults" (you know, the one that samples MGMT's "Kids") generated the loudest roars of the entire set.

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Dirty South Gives Back To NYC With Secret Show

Posted 3/28/12 1:18 pm EST by in Music

By Akshay Bhansali

Dirty South spent a week in Miami putting on a series of gigs that included a smoldering set at Ultra Music Festival and his very own Phazing Night at Mansion, but the house music DJ/producer won't stop. Now, he has a special treat for Big Apple fans.

On Wednesday night (March 28), Dirty South will bring his Phazing Nights series to New York City.

"I can't wait to give a little something back to my fans," Dirty South told MTV News on Tuesday. "New York has always been an amazing city for me and as I'm here now, I wanted to say 'Thank You.' "

Phazing Nights Presents Dirty South: Secret Show in New York bows at 8 p.m. and runs until midnight; it's an 18-and-over party where a few hundred lucky fans will get to see the DJ perform. The venue will be announced at 4 p.m. ET today. Fans can email dirtysouthnewyork@gmail.com for a chance to see the show and more information.

Check Out The Exclusive Kings of Ace Pool Party At Miami Music Week (Video)

Posted 3/23/12 4:45 pm EST by in dance, Music, Video

By Nicholas Philippou

"Wow!" That’s the simplest and best way to sum up the Kings of Ace Pool Party at the National Hotel.

The party delivered on everything you would expect from a trip to Miami Music Week – beautiful weather, beautiful people and big beats combined with a cornucopia of celebrities, DJs and EDM fanatics.

Where do I start? The scheduled acts included the marvelous Nervo sisters, Bassjackers, Quintino, Bobby Burns and Sidney Samson, who brought King of Krunk Lil’ Jon with him to perform their remix of “Mutate.” The party rose to a frenzy when Ultra Fest main stager Afrojack smashed the stage with his Wall Recording’s label-mates, Shermanology, for an energizing rendition of “Can’t Stop Me.” He later shared the stage with R3hab, firing up the crowd with favorites like “Prutataa” and “Sending My Love.”

The music was the main event, but there was certainly a steady buzz in the crowd for some of the celebrities who turned out, including Afrojack’s friend and recording partner, Paris Hilton, who took pictures of the raging crowd from onstage during his set, and NBA Hall-of-Famer Dennis Rodman, who seemed to be anything but retired from the Miami party scene.

The vibe was steady cool and the energy from the crowd was high throughout the day. Besides a huge line outside, the music attracted a swell of people from the beach just outside the party doors. They didn’t even need to come inside to get their party on!

A special thanks to Pacha NYC for helping us skip the line and Andrew from Third Day Productions for bringing you a very exclusive sneak peek of the party that you’ll only see on MTV News. Check it out below:

Get More: Music News

Are you in South Beach for Miami Music Week? Tell us where you’re going this weekend in the comments section so maybe we can hook up.

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