some great things are going down

actually, just a few, but they're so good i need to tell you about them asap.

1. pitchfork has a brand spanking new mix from diplo. the 68-minute mix features tracks by a ton of artists i've never heard of, but some familiar names, like yeah yeah yeahs, m.i.a., bat for lashes, dj shadow, spoon, justice, and bart simpson. diplo has an upcoming north american tour with switch, which runs through nyc on october 5 at hiro ballroom. find the tracklisting and more info at the mad decent site.

2. the good, the bad, and the unknown have an impressive collection of iron & wine b-sides, rare tracks, and other songs in "his specific alphabetical nights." seventeen tracks that range from "peng! 33" from beam's itunes exclusive ep to a cover of the flaming lips' "waiting for a superman" that i didn't even know existed. totally worth checking out.

3. warped reality has five live sonic youth tracks from 1981, four years before i was born. the quality leaves something to be desired, but the sound hints at a sonic youth you would never think could create daydream nation, never mind rather ripped. complete with keyboards, yelping, and, as warped reality says, an "off-the-cuff gleefulness" that would be hard to imagine SY indulging in today.

4. regarding last night's mercury awards, even though klaxons unexpectedly took home the prize, the press still can't stop talking about amy winehouse, much to klaxons' disgust. she performed a touching acoustic version of "love is a losing game." see the video below.

amy winehouse - "love is a losing game"

npr for the streets

one thing i didn't do last week - which upsets me every time i think about it - is miss diplo at the apple store. even until recently, i knew of diplo more by reputation than by his music - things like his production of m.i.a.'s first album or discovery of bonde do role - but any regular reader of mr. mammoth will know that to pass on free music fills me with shame and sadness. these feelings have only been exacerbated since i found out about the mad decent podcast, which i havent been able to stop listening to. this monthly podcast is made up mostly of just live diplo mixes, though he occasionally hands the decks to mad decent signees and other guests. while this month's 'cast hasn't come out yet, june's was from tel aviv, and is ridiculous, clocking in at just over 30 minutes. my favorite one so far is february's mix, from darwin, australia, which is nearly an hour long, and jam packed with the illest beats and samples, including balkan beat box, bonde do role, and smashing pumpkins (how's that for a curveball?) anyway, you're only fucking yourself if you don't check this out.

mad decent. diplo.