"Fremont Soapbox Derby Trolls!" by Jo Marie Riedl more ›

Last night, Seattlest hit up the Red Bull Big Tune 2007 Championship at Neumos just like we said we would. The idea of the competition was to showcase U.S. hip-hop producers in the form of a beat battle, tournament-style; in between rounds we were treated to the skills of DV-One and Just Blaze, and also to a mini-concert from giants De La Soul. We were not expecting this last, and it was kinda fun. Our favorite part was seeing Neumos packed with locals excited about hip-hop, though. "The whole city's here," Courage of Eastern Sunz commented before the rounds began. "Do you know what the prize is?" No, we did not, but later we discovered the winning producer would be going home with some expensive sound monitors and a recording date in LA with a hip-hop star. Sweet. more ›

Heads up, Seattle: there's a Beat Battle going down at Neumos tonight (Thursday)! It's called something dorky like "Red Bull Big Tune Championships," but don't let the name fool you. De La Soul will be there, Brainstorm will be there, Daps1 (we hope) will be there. Vitamin D's on the bill, and Sabzi of Blue Scholars is planning on strutting his stuff. Neumos has DV-One of recently (some would say wrongfully) convicted fame on the bill as the host DJ... It should be a fantastic time. We'll report on Friday. more ›

Because we know you want to know, it's your weekly look at what is keeping Seattlest engaged this weekend. more ›

Let's take a look back at a week that raised this Zen koan: if Kevin Federline got into a wrestling ring with a wrestler, who would you root for? more ›

Seattlest hit the first local showing of Snakes on a Plane last night at Cinerama. It was Seattlest, our friends, and about 1,000 high-school kids. more ›

Thinking of the Red Bull Music Academy still puts a smile on Seattlest's face. While almost overwhelming with the amount of talent that came through, the fact that all of that great music came through Seattle is still mindblowing. The event left an impact on the scene too, with some people deciding to move to the area, and others ensuring that their tour plans bring them back through the Emerald City. more ›

Seattlest debated on whether to write this post at all. We don't want to come across as negative (not that that slows us down at all in the real world). Never mind those reservations however. Despite the fact that the exhibit itself is winding down for us, we feel its our duty to let our thoughts be known. Our words may come too late for Seattle, but maybe it can help out our friends in Austin. more ›

The past year has been a good one for Seattle. The Decibel Festival, Red Bull Music Academy, and one-off shows brought in talent to a degree that's inconsistent with the actual size of our metropolis. Seattle's producers and DJs also managed to make waves outside the region, with well-received releases and appearances at world-reknowned festivals. Most importantly, the year is closing with strong momentum, setting up next year to further propel the Seattle scene. In celebration of 2006, here are Seattlest's picks for the top 6 tracks and performances to come about this year. We recognize these lists are usually a source of controversy, so let us know in the comments if we've made any glaring omissions. more ›

We are officially in the holiday slump as far as shows go. That's hardly the worst thing in the world, since it's good to finally get a chance to rest after all of the madness of the Red Bull Music Academy. A month of consistently great music is enough wear down even the biggest of diehards. So it's time to take it a little bit easier, and to deal with all of the Christmahanukwanzadan festivities and year-end contemplation. more ›

Like jazz, DJ-oriented music actively fosters the idea of the remix, artists stripping a song to its essence before building it into a new whole. The best remixes blend the characters of both the original producer and remixer, resulting in a track that's neither here nor there, but both at the same time. Tonight's ArRange performance at McCaw hall remixes the concept itself, with some of the most influential producers of the last 40 years reinterpreting one another's music, bringing old and new(er) school aesthetics together. more ›

The Red Bull Music Academy continues to march its way through Seattle's clubs, and it continues to only improve in its offerings. It was thought that the main education would be by the few lucky attendees. As it turns out, the Academy is educating Seattle crowds as well, with lecturers' DJ sets providing lessons to their respective listeners. Monday Biz Markie taught us left coasters a little about classic hip hop (with only a few gripes), and last night Danny Krivit's disco-dominated set had even the injured on the dancefloor. The Academy education is truly for Seattle at large, not just those attending the lectures during the day. This weekend will continue in that vein, with prime opportunities to witness both the past and the future of electronic music. more ›

In another case of The Man doing something right, Red Bull has invaded Seattle, not to actively sell their overly-caffeinated wares, but to educate and showcase a crop of truly worldwide talent. Seattle is lucky enough to join such cities as Berlin, Dublin, Sao Paolo, and Cape Town as this year's host city for the Red Bull Music Academy, a five week program that brings a truly international mix of beat-enthusiasts together to learn about the historical, technical, and networking aspects of the music industry. more ›