I have a cousin who literally sits on youtube.com all day long looking at the best new videos long before we, the public, care about them.

Here’s what I got this week

MTown-White Impala ft. Smooth x Ramel Shakur (sounds like A$AP Rocky)

300+views

Bones-Water (sounds like Bone Thugs)

From the curator about Bones: “ but honestly the first time i heard him and some of the producers he chose to work with i was like WOAH cus they sample so many veterans of tunes i go crazy for but mooshes them all together into some big ol soup of memphis/west coast sound but like 808 added and now this like “trill wave” and other just enchanted forests sounds but with fairies drinking lean or something ha.”-Princess Magrat

In just a month, EDM’s dreamboat prankster Dillon Francis is set to take the stage at the Hoxton (March 28, 2013) as part of his new “Wurld Turr” he put together, exclusively for North America.

Known for his goofy videos, love of all things cats & tacos and being one of the Kings of Moombahton, Francis has promised to play an eclectic set that includes a lot of “Tiesto” to massive crowds of ravers who attend the ‘World Turr’ show.  Opening up for Francis will be Fool’s Gold Records, Oliver who has just released his new EP.

Tickets are still available for the Toronto show thru all the regular outlets (Rotate, Soundscapes, etc.) at $20 a pop.  Don’t miss out on all the fun.

As you may have noticed, Christmas is upon us. Enter any mall and your ears are assaulted with bizarre renditions of our favorite holiday classics. I don’t recall wanting to hear the Afro-Jazz version of Jingle-Bells, but it exists. For those with a more selective approach to Christmas tunes, I’ve compiled reviews of some recent Christmas albums, and one classic. In the holiday spirit, I’ve decided to rank them with snowflakes. 10 being the most Christmassy of all, and 1 being abysmal, bile inducing crap.

We caught up with DJ Nu-Mark and posed 20 questions, which he answered with aplomb.

The Mohawk Lodge’s fourth LP is their most hard rocking and also their shortest. At ten songs and clocking in at 30 minutes, Damaged Goods was released in October after a year of anticipation. The album was conceived in a remote cabin by mastermind Ryder Havdale and later recorded in Toronto and features Eamon McGrath, Clay Jones (Huddle), Danny Miles and Peter Dreimanis (July Talk).

Full of anthemic hooks and epic solos Damaged Goods sure sounds good on vinyl. Head to our Facebook and like it on our page to be entered to win a copy of the album on wax!

Contest now closed! Congrats to the winner:  Adam C.!

I’m about this close to getting my ass to vibrate. And it’s not getting any easier. Ladies have been shaking what they got in rap videos since the the beginning of MTV. The Pussycat Dolls showed us that crumping can be performed by strippers. And now every underage white girl and her over-excited friend is tweeting Diplo a photo of her “Expressing herself” where ever she deems appropriate. Twerking has been a thing for decades but youtube has taken it outta the clubs and into your little sisters middle school Frosty Delight dance.

The Group Hug Tour feat. Kreayshawn, Rye Rye, and Chippy Nonstop is in full effect and you can stop by in store to say HI. She’ll be at Community 54 (Toronto) November  18, Group Seven (Calgary)  December 8, Foosh (Edmonton) December 9, & LiveStock (Vancouver) December 11.

Kreayshawn will be instore from 3pm – 5pm and make sure to bring a copy of Somethin’ ‘Bout Kreay to get signed.

These Toronto natives released their debut self-titled album this October and it’s already making the rounds in the music blogosphere, especially their hit Bad Habit. I had the opportunity to talk to the lead singer, Nyssa Rosaleen, about how it all came about.

DJ’s come and go much like pop-stars and it’s rare that any have a shelf-life of more than 2 years. Tiga is an exception to the rule, starting as one of the most instrumental forces in the Montreal rave scene in the early 90′s and releasing classics like Sunglasses at Night and collaborating with electronic legends like James Murphy and the XX. He’s currently embarking on the Sonar Tour, along with Azari & III and Die Antwoord and more, and is set to release, Tiga Non-Stop, a 28 track mix LP on November 13th. He’ll be in Toronto tomorrow at the Sound Academy, get your tickets here.

Having  just released a critically acclaimed third album, Hope in A Dirt City, and on the verge of an epic North American tour, Cadence Weapon is going strong. Touted as Canada’s ‘most creative rapper’ – his new album is a slight departure from his previous material, but still incorporates the experimental sounds that helped him make a name for himself. He kicks off his tour here in Toronto on October 12th at Wrongbar – get tickets here.

Hot new bands are a dime a dozen, and few make it past the Top 50 list on Hypem. These bands, however, are ones we see going far and will make a welcome addition to your Fall playlist. New leaf, new beats.

Even with it’s expansive geography there is some magical component to life in Canada that means no matter where you go there will always be someone you know waiting to meet you. Tim Chaisson knows this to be true.  The PEI born and based musician has relentlessly toured this country, sharing his original songs and traditional fiddle tunes.  His fifth album was released this past Tuesday at an intimate show with Nick Rose at the Dakota Tavern. I caught up with Tim before he took the stage and asked him a few questions about making the album here in Toronto, how strange it is to have a friend no matter where you go, and why he’s toured Australia so many times.