Whether you have a Blackberry or an iPhone, you must admit their have been a lot of creative apps for the iPhone. From app that allows you compose songs to even Diplo’s label Mad Decent effects app, the iPhone is becoming a swiss army knife of information. Apple iPhone sales in 2008 grew 245% which means more developers are going to create even more applications.  What I like about the iPhone is the iPhone SDK which allows anyone from an hobbyist to a corporation to create an app.

One segment for application creation that really intrigues me is the Art/Design segment.  From apps that allow you to create art to museum apps,  the iPhone could help bring more art especially underground art and independent galleries to the masses. One application that has caught my eye was created by Adidas.  They have claimed to have created the first mobile urban art guide.  The current guide is for the city of Berlin and they are planning other cities, but you can see the potential of something like this.

The Urban Art Guide can localize artworks and get guided there, learn more about them, leave a comment and rate the artworks. Let yourself guide through urban districst in selected tours. Take your own pictures and send them to the Urban Art Guide. Browse through all artworks in the gallery.   Check it out for yourself, it’s free.

She could have one of the most anticipated albums of 2009. Philadelphia’s saucy but sweet Miss Amanda Blank is set to release her debut release entitled simply, “I Love You” on the same label of her buddy Santigold – Downtown Records. For years now, she has a been killing tracks with fellow Philadelphians Spank Rock, Plastic Little, N.A.S.A., and others.  With her ability not only to flow she also has the abilty to be an hypnotic siren with her singing. Her forthcoming album, “I Love You” will have production from Diplo, XXXChange(Spank Rock), and Swtich. Plus there will be guest appearances from Swedish sensation Lykke Li, Santigold, Spank Rock, and The Cool Kids.

Amanda just dropped her first single from the album via RCRDLBL.  The track is called “Might Like You Better”. The song is produced by XXXChange and it uses the sample from the 1982 Romeo Void classic “Never Say Never”

DJ Benzi returns to Milwaukee on Saturday, April 18th to Moct in Milwaukee and Rhythm Lab and Needledrop proudly welcomes him. Originally from Michigan, Dj Benzi has become one of the most influential and prolific mixtape DJs in the world.

In the past two years Benzi’s buzz has skyrocketed on the strength of his patented “refixes,” especially the refreshing work he has done with the Clipse and Lil Wayne on the popular “We Got The Remix” series. DJ Benzi is most known for his creative twist on bridging the club/DJ culture with that of commercial hip-hop.

Over the last two years Benzi has also been on the road rocking shows all over the world and performing along side talent such as Diplo, the Clipse, the Cool Kids, Mick Boogie, and many other big names.

He is currently working on his own debut called “Get Right” Amalgam Records. Check out his latest mixtape called Going Home featuring up and comer Donnis. You can dowload it for free here.

Donnis – Go Home (Prod. Chaise Marcel)
[audio:http://www.s62878.gridserver.com/motivation3/donnis_x_chaise_marcel_-_go_home_(motivation_part_3!).mp3]

DJ Benzi | Live @ Entourage | Oslo, Norway | 03.29.09 from www.djbenzi.com on Vimeo.

If you are in America and are familiar with the sound of Baile Funk, you might thank Wesley Pentz aka Diplo for bringing the sound stateside when he created and put a baile funk tune on his debut release Florida on Ninja Tune. Since then, Mr. Diplo has championed the heavy beat and bass sound of the Favela’s of Brazil just enough to document it on film. His film “Favela On Blast” is now complete after many years, and it is debuting at this year’s SXSW.

The sound of Cumbia is catching on in dancefloors across the globe. I was first introduced to the sound a few years ago by my co-host DJ Don Cuco at one of our residencies in Minneapolis. Now the sound of Cumbia has infused with modern sounds by labels like Bersa Discos and artists like Villa Diamente and Diplo. This March the States will be invaded by the sound from a collective of artists from Argentina called Zizek. One of those artists is El Trip Selector who hit us up via email to let us know about the tour.

“Zizek is named for a Slovenian philosopher (married to an Argentine lingerie model) whose mash-up philosophies include mixing elements of pop culture with Lacanian rhetoric and discourse to create something completely original and modern….Zizek is about emerging Hip Hop, Dancehall, Cumbia, and Reggaetón sounds and their respective variations: Grime, Crunk, Bastard Pop and Mashups. The idea is to give these styles, ideas and rhythms an Argentine touch, with the aim of putting Buenos Aires on the map of the global music scene. The star of Zizek has been Cumbia, a Latin American sound born from the fusion of old and new worlds in Colombia that has been long looked down on as dance music for the lower classes in Argentina. Its distinctly syncretic roots promote robust adaptability and cumbia is being transformed by avant-garde musicians and producers from the USA all the way down to Argentina. Diplo has become an avid supporter of the collective and the party has made fans of The Wire, DJ Rupture and The New York Times. XLR8R christened Zizek “the city’s unofficial cumbia clubhouse.”

Zizek plays host to live shows performed by local MCs, producers, composers and DJs and is bringing it’s collective to North America and SXSW this March. The Zizek tour allows us to witness the evolution of the hottest party in Argentina to full-fledged, multi-faceted movement.

These guys also do some dope podcasts.

El Trip Selector – “Cumbiancherita”
[audio:http://www.rhythmlabonline.com/audio/zizek/Cumbiancherita.mp3]

Tremor – “Viajante”
[audio:http://www.rhythmlabonline.com/audio/zizek/Viajante.mp3]

King Coya remix feat. PG13 & AxelK – “Petrona Martinez”
[audio:http://www.rhythmlabonline.com/audio/zizek/Petrona Martinez.mp3]

Axel K Soundsystem – “Cumbieton Rutero”
[audio:http://www.rhythmlabonline.com/audio/zizek/Cumbieton rutero.mp3]

Oro 11 – “Pum Pum Cumbia”
[audio:http://www.rhythmlabonline.com/audio/zizek/Pum Pum Cumbia.mp3]

Here is information about the tour:

DJ Sets and Performances by:

KING COYA & EL TRIP SELECTOR- Release on Nonesuch Records, collaborated with Oscar-winning film score composer Gustavo Santaolalla.
AXEL K SOUNDSYSTEM- Classically-trained multi-instrumentalist, one-man show incorporates elements from jazz, folklore, reggaetón and cumbia.
TREMOR- Film composer, takes traditional folkloric sounds of northern Argentina and adds glitchy percussive elements.
FRIKSTAILERS- The high-energy beats of Rafael Caivano and Lisandro Sona are meant strictly for the dancefloor.
EL REMOLÓN- El Remolón mixes local electronic music with Latin American sounds by using the latest technology available.
ORO11 – Intensifies and modernizes the style of cumbia villera through harder dancehall and Baltimore club beats and the addition of hip-hop and ragga vocals.

Tour Dates (More TBA)?
03.07.08 @ EchoPlex – Los Angeles CA
03.08.08 @ Mezzanine- San Francisco CA
03.13.08 @ Ninety Proof Lounge – Austin, TX (SXSW Showcase)
03.14.08 @ TBA- Austin, TX
03.15.08 @ TBA – Austin, TX
03.17.08 @ S.O.B.’s – New York City, NY
03.21.08 @ Sonotheque – Chicago, IL

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PME4C_h3C3I&rel=0]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz0eLYDB4oU&rel=0]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFodIE-2uKc&rel=0]

Shame on you if you miss this past Saturday’s one year anniversary of SpacedOut at Moct presented by Rhythm Lab Radio. Diamonds, Jai Alai Savant, Blaqstarr and Diplo killed it. The place was packed and people were sweating. We even had multiple and simultaneous crowd surfing. That is how we do it in Milwaukee. You can see more pictures in our gallery. Big love to Sarah Fierek for taking great pictures.

Our man Diamonds even did a special mix for our show to celebrate. You can grab it below.

Spacedout! mixed by Diamonds
[audio:http://www.box.net/shared/static/yuk5wweo0w.mp3]