#138 Double Dee & Stenski

In 1983 the production duo of Doug DeFranco and Steve Stein produced a "mastermix" called Lesson One: The Payoff a song that cut and pasted dozens of soul, hip-hop, pop and vocal samples into the G.L.O.B.E. & Whiz Kid tune Play That Beat (Mr. DJ). Their musical tour de force never saw a commercial release (due to legal concerns) but still managed to spawn two sequels, Lesson Two: The James Brown Mix and Lesson Three: The History of Hip Hop.

The influence of these three tracks can't be stressed enough. DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist, obvious acolytes of the duo, have both created works directly inspired by the seminal songs.

The 1985 article by rock critic Robert Christgau "Down By Law: Great Dance Records You Can't Buy," tells the tale of Double Dee and Stenski fairly definitively. Particularly interesting to me is the author's enlightening of a particular vocal sample that the pair grabbed from Buchannan and Goodman's "The Flying Saucer." The 1956 song, which peppered an kitchy alien invasion narrative with bits of popular rock and roll songs, is another example of contemporary art beleagured by rights issues.

Reading this Village Voice story is a reminder that salvos have been fired in the battle between copyright holders and post-modern artists long before the birth of the mash-up.

In 2003 Waxy.org blogged about Double Dee and Stenski, gratiously providing links to the three tracks. Mirrors can still be found at their site.

#137 Next Generation Gaming

After a slew of announcements at this year's Tokyo Game Show, I'm finally beginning to get excited about the coming "next generation" of video game consoles. The biggest news comes from Nintendo, who just unveiled their new controller. Styled like a remote control and packed with capabilities like motion detection and light gun-esque interaction, their new offering breaks from the complex joystick status quo introduced by Sony with the Playstation. Nintendo, understanding that video games are rapidly sliding into a geek ghetto are betting the farm on luring non-gamers into the fold with some powerful tech psychiatry. Their resoning for the simplistic turn: Most normal folks are afraid of video game controller, but few turn down the television remote -- they want power, but they want their interaction to be simple and fun. The possibilities for new and more palatable kinds of gaming with this device are staggering. This video from Nintendo's presentation begins to scratch the surface. The fact that the initial reation from many gamers is one of gloom and doom, leads me to believe that this new direction is a great idea.

In a more traditional offering, Konami introduced the next generation incarnation of Metal Gear Solid for the PS3. When I say tradtional, I mean that gaming hardliners seem to want graphical upgrades from their new consoles. While showing no gameplay, the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots trailer underlines one of the least talked about benefits of bigger, more graphically intensive games -- more freedom to tell a story. This near-futuristic look at a war-hardened Snake, now greying and haggard, piques my imagination. I'm genuinely curious to see where Hideo Kojima goes with this.

And finally, Microsoft. They didn't drop any bombshells yet, but they did give us an exact date when the next generation begins. The Xbox 360 hits store shelves November 22. With games like Kameo: Elements of Power, The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and Perfect Dark Zero that close, I'm officially psyched.

#136 DHC

My wife, Alexis, regularly orders a box of cosmetics, creams and whatnot from DHC, a purveyor of such products made infinitely cooler by the fact that they're Japanese. I don't claim to know much about skin care but I do know this: minutes ago I was seated before this very computer, reading Twitchfilm's review of Metal: A Headbanger's Journey with a face as dry as a Saltine. Then, a ring of the doorbell and an exchange with the Fed Ex guy later, I found myself feeling moist and refreshed. Thanks to DHC Face Cream for Men my face no longer feels like a popped balloon stretched over a cocoanut.

#135 Nintendo DS

It's been a slow first year for Nintendo's dual screen follow-up to the GameBoy Advance. While there have been a few great titles out available (namely Meteos and Kirby Canvas Curse) it's just now that we're really starting to see must-own titles hitting stores. Alexis and I have both been playing Nintendogs, a virtual pet simulator that takes great advantage of the DS's touch-screen and voice recognition and wireless capabilities. The excellent strategy game Advance Wars: Dual Strike has been spending quite a bit of time in my DS as well. I've already powered through the game's story mode and am now working my way through the game's many battle maps. The third game in my rotation is goofy import called Ossu! Tatakae! Ouendan! This music game (from the makers of Gitaroo Man) asks you to tap and draw on the touch screen in time to the music. Of all the games I've played for the DS, Ossu! Tatakae! Ouendan! is the most ingenious. The PSP may have more computing power and versatility, but the Nintendo DS delivers one-of-a-kind experiences that game lovers won't want to miss.