Brooklyn-based Afrobeat collective, Antibalas (Spanish for “bulletproof”) have signed with Epitaph sub-label, Anti-, which serves as home to fellow artists Tom Waits, Neko Case and Blackalicious. The record deal promises to facilitate growth beyond Antibalas’s previous polyrhythmic and politically active albums. Having already collaborated with heavyweights as diverse as Medeski, Martin and Wood, TV On The Radio, and Gomez, the...

Lily Allen branded the British publication, NME 'sexist’ for baiting her into posing for a special cover shoot with Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Beth Ditto of The Gossip. She had agreed with the understanding that it would promote female empowerment in music with regards to their 'Cool List Issue 2006'. "Five women had made it into the Top 10 and we (the women) were asked to pose for photos to be the main feature for the cover,” Allen...

Techno dons Funkstörung, Michael Fakesch and Chris de Luca are making their !K7 remixes compilation CD, Appendix (released 1/23/07) their “final statement" before they disband and "dedicate themselves to their solo projects," states a press release. The pair resign on their website, "this is extremely sad news, as we have worked together now for 12 years and had really great times along the way." Quick to express himself as a solo artist, Michael will...

Last week in New York, Public Radio International’s Afropop Worldwide inducted Habib Koité from Mali, Vusi Mahlasela from South Africa, and Dobet Gnahoré from the Ivory Coast into the Afropop Hall of Fame. The 2006 Afropop Hall of Fame took place last Tuesday (11/14) before a rapturous crowd at B.B. King Blues Club in New York City as part of the hugely successful Putumayo Presents: Acoustic Africa nationwide tour. Afropop Worldwide...

In promotion of his sophomore full length, Supply & Demand, Amos Lee played a packed Electric Fetus in-store performance last Saturday (11/18) before his sold out gig at Fine Line in Minneapolis, MN. Check out the the video interviews via YouTube (there are 12 total), but be sure to catch him in your city when his tour resumes December 2. Amos Lee’s Remaining Tour Dates: December 2 - Tucson, AZ - Club Congress December 3 - Anaheim, CA -...

Unsatisfied by the success of his two previous bands, Blur and the Gorillaz , vocalist Damon Albarn has four new projects in the pipeline. "The one thing I never want to be guilty of," Albarn firmly believes, "is repeating myself." With upcoming work as diverse as producing Algerian El Gusto’s 2007 album, scoring the Chinese opera Monkey: Journey To The West, and singing for a feature-length Gorillaz film with Monty Python's Flying...

Taking place on the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California, the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival’s schedule will swell to three full event dates from April 27-29 this coming year. Running strong for eight years straight, Coachella has been one of the foremost progressive music and arts festivals in the U.S. The lineup for Coachella 2007 will be announced late January, but we’re positive you’re going to want to schedule the first Coachella Friday off—it’s going...

Last Friday (11/17) Bjork’s original band, The Sugarcubes reunited for one night in Reykjavik, Iceland to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their non-profit record label, Smekkleysa SM. Known for hits like Birthday and Motorcrash , the legendary alt-pop group played together for the first time in 14 years. We couldn’t make it, but from the YouTube footage of the band performing the Icelandic version of Birthday , it looks like we...

On Friday (11/17) last week, the world’s largest recording company, Universal Music Group (UMG) filed a lawsuit with MySpace, seeking unspecified damages, including up to $150,000 for each unauthorized UMG user-posted music video or song on the website. The music corporation claimed the online social-networking hub illegally “encourages, facilitates and participates in the unauthorized reproduction, adaptation, distribution and public performance.” "We have been keeping...

French downtempo duo, Air have composed a Pocket Symphony, which is due out March 6th next year on Astralwerks. Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel’s (see his 2006 solo side-project Darkel ) follow-up to 2004's Talkie Walkie will feature guest vocals from Pulp's Jarvis Cocker and Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon, and production by longtime collaborator Nigel Godrich. Several of the pieces on Pocket Symphony ...