BTTB-Schedule 9/2004

Following last year's posting of their full 14 year discography for free download, People Like Us is going one step further in releasing a new album exclusively online. Given the poor state of music/media distribution for non-major label music, PLU are favouring circulation of one's work as the ultimate goal, in the belief that gift economy ultimately reaps as much, if not more rewards by reaching more people.
"We strongly believe in the power of profit through free distribution. Often people have never heard of an artist because they aren't being distributed through as many channels as they should be, due to the very poor state of music/media distribution for non-major label music coupled with ignorance of the way that avant garde art forms infiltrate mainstream culture. Also many prints of a work are allowed to go out of circulation or are deleted for no reason other than cost effectiveness by a label/publisher. This makes perfect sense financially, but no sense whatsoever that a year's work by an artist should also disappear for such reasons. So get all of this while you can, and we completely endorse getting one's work out there, no matter what. If you don't share, your profit is limited."
"Abridged Too Far" is a collection of audio work first conceived through experimentation through or on radio. Given that this was the initial point of inspiration, it feels most appropriate to release this on the internet which has similar 'on the air' qualities. The experience found from internet broadcasting and sharing is very different to that of the world of retail - the effect is immediate and far fetching, plus the feedback can be immense. It is a good feeling to know the work is far more likely to reach it's intended audience since it transcends physical borders.
On Abridged Too Far, People Like Us continues its pastiche of impressions of popular music from Europe and America from the 1920s thru to 1990s. Bennett's work is an examination of the affect of hearing well known tunes and lyrics in fragments, then putting those elements to play-- resonating, intermingling and recombining with the listeners own associations and shards of memories. But this music, countering the pathos of straight tear-sucking nostalgia never settles in a place for its listener to cozily reflect times past. Rather, the deft recontextualization and juxtaposition of individual elements creates an alchemical space of sublime and satirical transformation. This work is justified only because it is transformative; that it reflects something that may never have even been what it was perceived to be. People Like Us weaves a revealing nether-narrative to accompany popular culture's monolithic straight telling of its own history. The reality of which is columned by the sinister underpinnings of rapacious consumer culture and empty marketing.
This is not background music. It is engaging, inclusive and reflective. Not only a conduit of dialogic criticism for Ms. Bennett, People Like Us is also personal and personable to a stranger given our shared experience and running commentary of the Western World.
Do not buy this album!

hr 1: new LP "Abriged Too Far" by PLU:
People Like Us - "Nothing" (Ubu 2004)
People Like Us - "Ja Ich" (Ubu 2004)
People Like Us - "Who Cares" (Ubu 2004)
People Like Us - "The Doody Waltz" (Ubu 2004)
People Like Us - "Dolly Pardon" (Ubu 2004)
People Like Us - "Ach Du" (Ubu 2004)
People Like Us - "Retreat To Fade" (Ubu 2004)
People Like Us - "I've Got You" (Ubu 2004)
People Like Us - "Cattle Call" (Ubu 2004)
People Like Us - "Abridged Too Far" (Ubu 2004)
People Like Us - "Swinglargo" (Ubu 2004)
People Like Us - "Close To You" (Ubu 2004)
People Like Us - "Happy Wonderer" (Ubu 2004)
People Like Us - "Downtown Once More" (Ubu 2004)
People Like Us - "Nobody Does" (Ubu 2004)
People Like Us - "Bier Bier Bier Downtown" (Ubu 2004)

 BTTB-X-Series: DJ Premier

The DJ is very much overlooked in HipHop as being the main source of why this shit is existing now. We're the ones that play the records. We're the ones that tell motherf**kers, "You need to get up on this, this is hot" - being that I'm a street DJ. There's street DJs and then there's other DJs. The street DJ, I think, is the purest, most real DJ there is. Because the DJs on the radio - not the ones that do mix shows and specialist shows, but the ones that are just on the radio - they play what they are told to be played. I can't count them. I'm alway trying to break records. Street DJs run the HipHop game because we're very picky in making records happen.

DJ Premier - "Step Ya Game Up" (Year Round 2004)
Nygz - "Get 2 Tha Point" (No Info)
Showbiz + Fat Joe & Party Arty - "On My Way" (No Info)
Tef - "Tef's Def Jam" (No Info)
Alchemist + Prodigy, Nina Sky, Illa Ghee - "Hold You Down" (No Info)
Arcee - "Super Educated" (No Info)
Redman - "Welcome To Gillahouse" (No Info)
Pitch Black - "Rep Tha Hardest" (No Info)
Marxmen (M.O.P.) - "Get Down" (No Info)
Shyne + Foxy Brown - "The Gang" (No Info)
Skillz - "Take It Back" (No Info)
Young Gunz + Jay-Z - "Never Take Me Alive" (No Info)
Blaq Poet - "What's Tha Deal?" (No Info)
Bumpy Knuckles - "Why (Freestyle)" (No Info)
Diamond D - "So Lovely" (No Info)
Ghostface - "It's Over" (No Info)
Erick Sermon + Whip & Talib Kweli - "Chillin'" (No Info)
Murs 3:16 - "And This Is For..." (No Info)
Jadakiss - "Still Feel Me" (No Info)