Spencer recently turned me on (like he usually does) to The English Beat, a ska’ish, up tempo group with slick dance moves. Coincidentally, we happened to film them at SXSW a couple of weeks ago. Check out the video below.

Fresh from tearing it up at SXSW, Dizzee Rascal will head on the road with El-P for a string of major city dates in the US (and one stop in Canada). Dizzee Rascal’s new album, Maths + English is due out April 24th on Def Jux.

May 8 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
May 9 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
May 10 New York, NY - Webster Hall
May 11 Boston, MA - Middle East
May 12 Ottawa, Ontario - New Capital Music Hall

May 14 Detroit, MI - Crofoot Ballroom
May 15 Chicago, IL - The Abbey
May 16 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Club
May 19 Seattle, WA - Neumos
May 20 Portland, OR - Berbati’s Pan

May 21 San Francisco, CA - 1015
May 22 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey

The Cool Kids at the Red Bull Moontower:

Every year you have your SXSW moment - that one when you stumble on that thing you didn’t even know existed. Team Facelift at the Red Bull Moontower was that moment for me. I mean - the dude came out in a red onesie and goes by the name of “Fat Jew”. Plus according to their Myspace page they’re influenced by:

Our moms. Hasidic Jews. wizards. machine gun rap. getting drunk and alienating loved ones. shitting in bathtubs. trashing japanese motel rooms. cocaine buffets. box socials. wigs. fighting. watercolor still-lifes.

It’s like The Bloodhound Gang meets your mom.
Here’s the first of a few tracks I drunkenly recorded on SXSW 2008’s last night:

Dizzee Rascal played a Friday afternoon set to a packed house at the Bat Bar (which is actually inside the convention center - which also confused the hell out of me since I thought it was an actual bar). An expanded US release of Maths + English is coming out in April from Def Jux.

Just found this great list from Largehartedboy.com

Downloads & Streams:

A.A. Bondy: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]
Basia Bulat: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]

Billy Bragg: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
Blitzen Trapper: 2008-03-15, Austin [streaming audio]
Bon Iver: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]

Carbon/Silicon: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
Christine Fellows: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
Cloud Cult: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]

Constantines: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]
Darondo & Nino Moschella: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
Dead Confederate: 2008-03-12, Austin [streaming audio]

DeVotchka: 2008-03-13, Austin [mp3]
DeVotchka: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]
Dizzee Rascal: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]

Duffy: 2008-03-14, Austin [flac]*^
Duffy: 2008-03-14, Austin (Mercury private showcase) [flac]*
The Duke Spirit: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]

Grand Analog: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
The Heavy: 2008-03-15, Austin [streaming audio]
Hot Springs: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]

Jens Lekman: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]
Jesca Hoop: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]
Jim Noir: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]

John Doe: 2008-03-15, Austin [streaming audio]
Johnathan Rice: 2008-03-12, Austin [streaming audio]
Kaki King: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]

Kevin Barnes: 2008-03-15, Austin [mp3]
Liam Finn: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
Lightspeed Champion: 2008-03-15, Austin [mp3]

Lightspeed Champion: All Songs Considered performance [streaming video]
Lightspeed Champion: 2008-03-15, Austin [streaming audio]
Meredith Bragg: 2008-03-13, Austin [flac]*^

Meredith Bragg: 2008-03-14, Austin [flac]*^
My Morning Jacket: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]
Nicole Atkins: 2008-03-15, Austin [streaming audio]

North Mississippi Allstars: 2008-03-13, Austin [flac]^
Papercranes: 2008-03-12, Austin [streaming audio]
The Rascals: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]

REM: 2008-03-12, Austin [streaming audio]
REM: 2008-03-12, Austin [mp3]
Raveonettes: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]

Raveonettes: 2008-03-15, Austin [flac]*^
She & Him: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
Shout Out Louds: 2008-03-13, Austin [mp3]

Shout Out Louds: 2008-03-13, Austin [flac]*^
Shout Out Louds: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]
The Stills: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
Sons and Daughters: 2008-03-12, Austin [flac]^*
Sons and Daughters: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]

Summerbirds in the Cellar: 2008-03-12, Austin [streaming audio]
Tokyo Police Club: 2008-03-15, Austin [streaming audio]
Vampire Weekend: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]

Vampire Weekend: 2008-03-13, Austin [mp3]
Weakerthans: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
Whigs: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]

Whigs: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
White Williams: 2008-03-14, Austin [streaming audio]
Wye Oak: 2008-03-15, Austin [streaming audio]

Yeasayer: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]
Yo La Tengo: 2008-03-13, Austin [streaming audio]

*registration required
^bittorrent download

Enjoy.