My homie Michael Gaughan AKA Ice Rod made this painting of Robert Deniro in Taxi Driver out of slices of peanut butter and jelly-covered toast.

Here are the thumbnail sketches...

I'm bringing this guy with me to New York tomorrow...

add a bunch of British dudes (Future Boogie) to Pocket Checkers and it's going to be TROUBLE!!!

Yea, so flexin' that Uptown and South (South) Bronx rep, I made my way over to a gentrified Harlem on a tame Sunday evening, to check out some low-key screenings of THIS and 80 Blocks From Tiffany's.

After the screenings they had a chill lil' Q&A session with some OG founding members of the Ghetto Brothers.

And I know I ain't on that "TTL Record Check" tip (although this stuff qualifies for honorary membership, holla at me PH.)

But, long story short, the dudes put out some bad ass cuts back then. You know, if you like funky soul, percussion, and vocals. Or maybe just The Bronx in '69. . .

The Girl From The Mountain

Got This Happy Feeling

You Say You Are My Friend

VIva Puerto Rico Libre

No Capitalism here. Poach away my frengs!

-Rainey

best sports commercial ever?

another good one:

and another

recent but spectacular

tuesday afternoon office flicks

he's back... GM Azzoni went down with a broken hip (bike accident), but after a month of intense rehab and vegan treats, he's back at the helm of shipset.... good to have him back.
ps. his apartment looks like a nice bohemian cafe.

overseas exclusive reissue of Voila CD (by xxxchange + rockswell) on Money Studies... very limited qty available at the Lab starting tomm...

jack (aka new-jack aka bike-jack) is our metal + thrash authority in the office. check his Metallica reviews. somebody needs to explain "hesh" (the verb) and "hesher" to me...

snack, fresh off a trip to the bay area, gets re-embedded in his corner.

another warehouse find. original deadstock shut boards... our friend Jimmy once found an entire space full of old school decks about 6 years ago. i think he made a nice killing on em. he was nice enough to give us these....

and for old time's sake....

WHAT IS TONY WEARING?
1) crisp pink button up
2) leather belt off a street vendor
3) uniqlo jeans
4) expensive italian shoes
5) emma the lab-dog
and yes, ladies were giving him smiles in the elevator today.

represent.

og ronaldo loves vestites

SPRING IS HERE, it might be raining today but the weather has turned for good..... I had 2 setups at the crib and today I got home from North Carolina and put these bones swiss and indys i had collecting dust to work.....

If you live in the city bust down toAUTUMN and get your cruiser popping... get a Zip Zinger some indys and 60 mm Bones Softs.... Tell em the Roc sent you and I bet you get somthing for free, even if its just a cold red bull.....

Also I got a copy of THIS on dvd..... If you ever really skated and dont cry like a little baby by the end of this your a robot and probably bleed skim milk like them dudes in Alien....

And yes, the record is "Elements Of Life" and I aint talking Tiesto......
A PERFECT JAM FOR SPRING TIME IN NEW YORK.....

For all of you asking for the next LA In-Stores . . . Here they are:

Tuesday 4.29.08, we have Joe Beats + Maker from 7-9 PM. Free Entry. Free Beer.

Saturday 5.17.08, we have Osborne, Flyam Sam (Flying Lotus and Sam I Am),
and the Lab's Own Michna for the Ghostly Swim In-store.

cool article on the king of visceral design

Seems like the whole crew is on there way to stardom and no one deserves it more than my man Egg Foo Young. Feels like just yesterday he was sitting next to me in the warehouse doing a short term stint in the Lab's customer service department. Pete would constantly yell things at us from the executive office like "are you guys doing ANY work?" or "it can't be THAT funny!" (For the record we were doing all the work and it was THAT funny).

Flash forward to today and I'm getting emails announcing that MICHNA (some A&R convinced him the Chinese food thing wasn't working) has signed to Ghostly International and has the first track on their new Ghostly Swim project (even beating out Dabrye).

Like all of Michna's shit I love this track Triple Chrome Dipped. You can hear the whole album here and even download it for free for a limited time.

Even better perhaps is the video they made for Michna's track. Great Job!

Were proud of you Double Pack...

Stay tuned for updates on the Ghostly Swim tour, including a stop at the Lab in LA on Saturday May 17th.

Now for some classic footage of someone getting "MICHNA'D." I hope you got a refund buddy...

BREAKING NEWS:
Asian Oregon Rep. David Wu endorses Barack Obama!!

Can I say it?
Yes I can...

Its over.

sent via dj elle:

THE ROC IS BACK!
and it couldn't have come a day earlier...

Yo whats up with all the product making this blog lame? Isn't that what TTLAB.COM is for? Capitalism?

Now introducing Me, Lloyd-Ski and sTERRYo's new Small Room Trance crew...

HARDY BOYZ

Look out for our new jam "The Hardy Boyz Are Here" coming to a Myspace page near you...

Sun is shining and we need more Frogman reggae joints!
Until then, these rare disco and new minimal tracks are kinda the shit...

Patrick Adams
Master of the Masterpiece #2 CD

Professor Genius
A Jean Giraud (Brennan Green Remix) 12"

My current ladyfriend really likes groovin' to this...
H.O.S.H.
Steppenwolf Remixes 12"

For gear, 10 Deep cleans it up and gets political in time for the races

Mishka brings us some nice spring hoodies

and for the ladies in the house, have a go at these new picks from Claw Money

If you need me, I'll be getting my tan on...

THIS IS WHAT IM DOING WHILE YOUR CHECKING
SHIITY BLOG HOUSE BLOGS FOR CROOKER REMIXES.......

New York You Know I Love You....

WITH

What Skating In Ny is really like....

This is whats going on in my world. Skating, House and Disco.... Check me at the TF Check me at A-1, chek me at the lab, just dont check for me where people are playing mp3s of "across the dancefloor" or whatever caucasoid atrocity is the flavor of the month.....

i hate when Tim Duncan rubs/pats his teammates on the top of their heads. Anybody ever notice that? They must HATE it as well.

(Boy Genius laying low... I know you guys miss me)

some nostalgic stuff seen at comicon...

a little while ago i was thinking of trying to book Khia for the next Re:Up party, which led me to her myspace. It says "for bookings call Thug Misses Entertainment.." so I called it. She answered the phone, we talked, and was really a nice person. Anyways I'm waiting for her to email me but in the meantime,

you gotta read Khia's review of Trina's latest album

So apparently the guy in the skate video linked below, Zered Bassett, is wearing Roctashades. Roctakon demanded that I point this out, in blog form, to the world, since he himself was banned from posting here.

Yea, I guess you can also say that skateboarding's pretty nerdy nowadays too.
So if you didn't make it out to the "Con," perhaps you stopped by THIS???

Sorry that I couldn't embed, but the vid's in Hi Def. Told you that 12th n' A spot blew up!

And lastly, a shout out to the Lab's Shipset (Past/Present/Future), the reason behind all the goodies making it to your happy little doorsteps.

And the magic behind soprano saxophones in "custom" boxes making it to the Dominican Republic.

Can't hate on that.



-Rainey

first of all, i am not a comic dude. i had a short career as a collector in elementary school. my neighborhood gang used to go to the drugstore (People's), gaffle comics and Now & Laters, never read them, lookup price guides in the back of mags, trade them, and generally forget about em... my comic career ended when an older dude from the neighborhood pulled off a super-lopsided trade with me (he took my Punisher mini-series for a beat up copy of Ironman #100).

anyway, i am always down to go checkout subcultures, the nerdier... the better. and what's nerdier than Comicon?

before heading to Javitz center, you always got to stop by Manganaro's Heroboy for some big ass italian subs...

so when i first get there, i see a dude in a spiderman suit. i'm thinking "wow, that's cool, some dude is geared up as spidey, head to toe". A couple more steps in, I saw like 3 more spideys... they're everywhere... spideys are kinda the tools of comicon.

on the other end of the nerdus spectrum... these guys are the studs of comicon... they even have their own meeting place....

you decide.

i think this was a special premium event. pay extra and get your picture taken with a harem of Return of the Jedi Leahs. i won't lie, i was feeling it.

new Hellboy movie coming out...

a common scene at comicon: 2 dudes in full costume recognize the realness of each other's costume, so they take a picture together. they don't even talk to each other. it just happens. seriously, you see this everywhere. it's like woodman doing a live mash-up ceci peniston and tone loc.

again, you decide.

they had a huge section for Magic players. can someone explain to me what's going on. i tried watching for a minute, but nothing registered. just a bunch of dudes cupping cards and moving fake gems on a board.

another comicon phenomenon: swords. there were dudes walking around with swords on their back. there's even sword dealers. the one in the picture sold swords and bongs. as i was taking flicks of his setup, he was giving the ice grill and trying to read my retail badge. dude, don't worry, we won't steal your idea here....

another sword dealer. check the body expression of the dude... which sword shall i wield?

did i mention it was crowded as hell? the convention took up the biggest hall in the Javitz center and the place was packed. there were 30 minute lines for the ATM, and dudes were in massive lines with stacks of comics to be signed... i was only there for a little over an hour and only caught about a eighth of the show...

life size hulk sculpture was pretty badass...

part 2 coming...

just got word of this on friday from our French Connection... the last chapter in the trilogy from Young Cuiz, once again featuring the Genevan Heathen + produced by Orgasmic. dropping early May in Europe from Arcade Mode, and exclusively in the states at Lab site + stores. take that Mr. Producto!

WORD to Eggfoo, my $'s on Joe taking Popkins the distance too.

Also tonight, I got this man, Georges St. Pierre, TKO'ing Matt Serra in the 2nd round... although if Serra KO's dude again, there's gonna be riots in Montreal...

Check out UFC prez and general cockmunch Dana White sporting the No Mas x Leon Spinks tee at the weigh-ins yesterday:

*** UPDATE ***

- Calzaghe takes a split decision over Hopkins
(why does Adalaide Byrd keep getting to judge fights?)
- St. Pierre TKO's Serra in 2nd round

Joe Calzaghe

VS

B-HOP

It's gonna be real close, but I can't really see Calzaghe losing

Lab Radio Update!
You know we couldn't leave you on this beautiful weekend without a slew of tunes to keep the vibe. Lot's of funk and reggae, with some dance and disco thrown in for good measure.

Left my jacket at home for the first time this year, sure feeeels good!
Seeing how the front page of the daily is all you need for music, lemme grace you with the top gear picks. But first, I gotta give props to my man Egg Foo. Don't know anyone who has the cojones to be dropping mixTAPES in '08!

Egg Foo Young
Super Crispy Mega Ultra Fly Cassette

Also, another Lab head turning celeb. GLK gets insane with partner Kutmah and Free The Robots...

Gaslamp Killer
Obey Box Set 7"+CD

Free Gold Watch springs into action with some more rad designs

and also introduces their casual womens line. sweet.

Alnd here's the kicker! Fresh Jive brings back the memories with this. JNCO where you aaaaaat???

Grab a bun, the burgers are ready...

office listening for friday, april 18

Bill Withers: Still Bill [LP, Sussex, 1972]
Saxon Sky Sunlight & Universal Stars Peace Band: Masters Of Psychedelia
[LP, New Rose, 1985]
Cuizinier: Pour Les Filles III [CD, no label, 2008]
DJ I-Vier: Smoking Marijuana [CD, no label, 2006]
Wareika Hill Sounds: Proverbs of Proverbs [7", Honest Jon's, 2008]
Flight of the Conchords: Flight of the Conchords [LP, Sub Pop, 2008]
Various Artists: Trap Door [LP, Dis-Joint, 2006]

just created a facebook group for the Lab...
join us as we conquer the fear of death and other everyday issues.

oh yeaaahh

preview of the money studies summer line:
includes designs with Mad Decent + Fools Gold + Carlos Tevez
dropping when it's humid.

if you have a spot, hit me up for the linesheet.

at the LA store

- must be available to work weekends
- 3-4 days a week
- email resume to dave //// at /// turntablelab.com
- must be reliable

While Cali soaks in the 90-degree norm, NYC is just blooming out of its Winter shatterfest:

Union Square, in all its why-do-we-sit-on-these-steps, afternoon glory.

The 12th and Avenue A skate spot in all its glory.


Like Wu-Tang. . . "For the kids!"

A certain Lab Celeb, reclaiming the glory at Thompkins.

(HINT: His DJ name doesn't rhyme with "octagon")

And last but not least, some 12th and A second-hand music.


Why not?


Tapes are back.


Seriously.

*Word on the street is that another certain Lab Celeb's got his new mix "TAPE" floating around. (HINT: His DJ name definitely isn't a Chinese restaurant dish)

-Rainey

Thanks Pete. It's truly an honor to come in 3rd Place for the "Lab's All Time Most Viewed Blog Post Category." Really, just to be mentioned in the same sentence as Shady Dude and Minimal Man is a testament to the hard work that I've put in. I graciously accept this award, and want to acknowledge that none of this would be possible without the help of Lindsay's beav, the pervs that read this blog and of course, Blu "Lohan" Jemz. Thank you all!

going through some analytics
it's pretty interesting to see what blog posts get the most page views.

here are all-time, top 5 viewed blog posts.
pretty pathetic...

1)
lohan 03/06

2)
tang of the moment 02/06

3)
lohan 09/06

4)
guido trend report 12/06

5)
saved by the bell 12/06

and surprisingly at #7
detroit gay shit 08/07

tang, guidos, and gay dudes...
the psyche of the lab blog reader...

shouldn't this be the slow season? It's quite the contrary my friend.
Do your spring cleaning, then fix up with some of these...

New Orleans Funk, Vol.2: The Second Line Strut 3LP

James Pants
We're Through 12"

Li'll Bo Tweak
The Mixup Fixup (Trevor Lovey) EP

Carl Craig
Sessions 3LP

Fiberops got that clean look with a subtle edge(check the buttons on this b)

also, new designs and classic tributes from No Mas

aaaand Impressive hip hop poster #1!
Ques - Finest Elements Poster

you're welcome,

This guy should have come to pocket checkers... No Photos Sharona!

also NYC shhhhhhhh!

Tuesday night Prince Paul, DJ Scratch, Monk One, $mall Change, Myles from The Rootdown & myself will be DJing the SCION RADIO PARTY at Plan B on E. 10th St. Not only will the music be AMAZING, but I'll also have open bar wrist bands for the homies.
Free
No List
Doors at 11pm
So SHHHHHHHHHHHH!

NO PHOTOS SHARONA!

how much do i really need to be spending on mint deadstock bullseye hubs? (which then led me to here )


ahhhhhh the bmx museum, where people clearly state: "THIS BIKE IS NOT FOR SALE"

'83 PK Ripper

'87 Titan Titanium Mini (one legend in my town named Nani Ferraro had one of these, of course the frame cracked, but he quickly upgraded to an IROC-Z)

'87 GT Performer aka the Gemini Mixer of bmx
if you didn't own one of these at some point, your neighbor definetly did...

'85 Haro Master, probably ridden once in '85 on a white carpet, later polished with a diaper

'83 Skyway TA -in 2nd grade this was out of my price range (as well as the Torker II)


apparently Hutch bmx took a quick tangent in '88 and developed downhill race only bikes that were rumored to approach 100mph -and were not made publicly available. Dude is selling it for $20,000 USD. (about $3000 euros, right?) question is, what kind of outfit do you wear when you ride this around the local schoolyard?

'07 Fit S3 - real crispy...The museum covers 1970-2008 (!)

"started with a Mint green (production) color frame. Then I got the forks, rims, bars, cranks powdercoated by Rob at R&R powdercoating in Riverside. Then I taped off the grid with masking tape. Then I used Montana spray paint over the tape. Then Handpainted the grid more to eliminate all overspray to give it clean edges. Remove tape, clear coat. done. The rims will not last if I had brakes."

random 2008 bonus: (they'rre baaack)

whens the beth & trent reznor collab?

Goggins basically screamed at me to do a WMC comic, so here it is, a reflection in 3 parts...

Welcome To Miami, Son!

@ The Annex:



@ El Blog:



(Suspended without pay)

The postings of Minimal Man + "TTL Annex" have singlehandedly ruined this entire blog. Bossman PH, order them to go ride the bench...

found this on the Arab Parrot:


Anybody know when the tickets go on sale?

Karl Lagerfeld x Grand Theft Auto IV



Lagerfeld = 1
Rainey = 0


*Note: When asked for his thoughts, Rainey refused commentary.

Say what you will about the new Portishead album, but the vinyl edition is looking craze.

(Yes, that's a P-shaped USB drive with the whole album on it. Nice etching on the 4th side too...)

New Annex Spring things, right off of the shady truck driver's cargo!

Gravis Hobo Messenger Bag


In4mation Overnight Messenger Bag


In4mation Shell Jacket (Now With Extra Windproofiness!)


10 Deep Navigator Hat (Aye aye, Captain!)

The Hundreds and In4mation Shorts

Camo for the sassy. . .

Pinstripe for the classy!

And who's got time to check out the ladies this Spring when they're checking out this baby right here?

LRG x G-Shock Watch

Hehe, just kidding on that last plug. There's always time for the ladies. . !

stuff that's good..

speaking of food... my new favorite burger in the city is Goodburger. it's perfectly executed and doesn't make you feel like crap after you eat em...

i walked into this random record store a couple weeks ago... they have a killer selection of latin stuff and weird import 7"s... incredible stuff on the walls... check the original Tropicalia pressing... they got a Nara record in the window too... it's on 5th street near 2nd ave

the lab has always been run on guerrilla tactics for the most part, especially when it comes to office furniture. i can't even tell you where me and tony got our office chairs from (and we definitely didn't buy em). they have probably caused us some sort permanent damage. after years of procrastination, we've finally made the plunge and got fully loaded Aerons... it is well worth the money.... air just flows all over your ass through the mesh, no-homo.

this car is always parked on east 7th... it's inspirational that something like this was actually mass produced at some point in time... breath it in...

lastly, the best thing i've recently discovered is 91.5fm. new yorkers always gripe about the poor selection of radio channels available to them... this radio station is what you've been looking for... they play all the latest indy stuff, the new wave classics, stuff we sell at the Lab (guy shops there), and even more stuff that we don't.... check it out.

my homie Paul put me onto this chicken spot yesterday...

"BBQ Chicken" is a chain restaurant from South Korea that opened up here in NY- but they don't even serve Bar-B-Que chicken! "BBQ" actually stands for "Best of the Best Quality," its all fried but the catch is they fry it up in extra virgin olive oil (making it extra tasty and super crispy).

The olive fried chicken was BOMB, but what really killed it was the COL-POP...

(yes, that is a soda with chicken coming out of it.)

GENIUS SNACK INNOVATION

more on the col-pop.

Damn the weathers gettin' warm... you know what that means - time to get fitted!

WESC got your back when it comes to the clean styles

and when i'm rollin' to play a set on the beach, I bring my reggae 45's in this -

and for my playas livin in land locked areas,
this is for you -

Sorry Fixed the link.... Durrrrrrrr....

NEW LAB LA RADIO

This month my guests included...

FATLIP

If you know me you know this interview was a dream come true. Lip used to DJ before he was even in the Pharcyde. His DJ set was straight "wildstyle" and straight entertainment. The interview was what you would expect, hilarious! I sound kind of like a gay hip hop guy, but Lip had nothing but interesting shit to say, like the story of when the Pharcyde got beat up by Double XX posse back in the day at the Wetlands and so much more.

DAM FUNK

Dam funk is currently every cool person in LA's favorite DJ, hands down! Beyond his dope production (he's currently signed to Stones Throw and used to play keys for CMW), he's mainly know for his Monday night residency called Funkmosphere. The ill thing is that unlike most deep diggers Dam doesn't keep his records secret, in fact he announces the song, artist and label in the intro to every song. He brings this "magical" vibe to everything he does and IS the future of the FUNK!...

If you haven't checked out Pink Skull please do. They're a really dope duo out of Philly and were having their record release this Thursday at Pocket Checkers (no Sharona)...

This past weekend, Japan's APPLEBUM crew paid us a cool visit.



Came through.


Spread love.


And picked up hella items (including a Mr. T bobblehead).

Mr. T says "I pity the fool that ain't BIG in Japan!"

-Rainey

dude,
are you german?
just sayin'......

"Bloody Murder Flyer" by Thunder Horse


THURSDAY! THURSDAY THURSDAY! Fool's Gold x Dim Mak tour kicks off at Hiro in NYC then hits Toronto, Montreal, Philadelphia, Chicago, Vancouver, Seattle, and SF. No LA date cause A-Trak is playing Coachella. Here's all the dates and presale info, check y'all on the road!

Why is it, that everytime I step into da club, somebody's tryin' to take my picture for their blog? Maaaaan.......Funk Dat! It must be all the crispy new gear - check!

Recon brings us the best of both worlds - Heaven & Hell!

In4mation gets cleaner than ever!

10 Deep brings the heat

and more killer designs from Staple (check the back of the pigeon shirt, Hilarious!)

Peace in da hood G.

last weeks party in effect: aka my 12th wmc

some people may have experienced paying a $70 cab from Ft Lauderdale (ft ladi dadi) to south beach. next time hit the tri rail and drop a cool $1.50 - It may take 3 transfers and about 4 hours, but i call it the scenic route..



once you hit the beach, you could be throwing the damn party and the bar is still gonna try to charge you $27 for 3 beers. might wanna bring some of these.

if you're on the move and find yourself without shades, just stop in any restaurant (or falafel joint) and say "i left my sunglasses here, have you seen them?" (this works for ipods too)


a snippet of the warehouse party at charcoal studios. there was also a 2nd vip warehouse behind this one..

meanwhile at white room i ran into great moments like this, introducing dust la rock to freegums and friendswithyou. (they're all wearing their own shirts, )

on my way out this guy was on his way in, dope setup

pres wearing a fine selection from the sunoco station

there were tons of parties (duh) but one of the highlights was the ghostly boat party. the music was really pure after hearing a buttload of mediocre dance music.


its hard to not have a good time in miami...
but overall i was not that impressed with this years conference musically speaking. i heard a lot of generic dance tracks. a lot of 4/4 pounding and not too much musical risk taking. maybe i'm jaded. maybe out in the sun i prefer to hear melodic tunes as opposed to monotone square waves.

watch out for the cupcakes !

BIG UP L.O.A.

Damn playa, its like that!?!

Man, I remember when I first worked my way into the Lab (intern status of course).

One of the first cats that I had to report to was Blu Jemz, back when he was reppin pro squad, and I just remember laughing at the time that dude sized up my "native-NYC-playa" status just based on my hair cut.

Jemz is doing the thing. Can't hate on that at all.

-Rainey

P.S. Mr. Lagerfeld, take notes!

"ALL MY HATERS..."

We kinda killed it this year. I finally became a professional WMC DJ, check the photo (CDJ's Mate!)...

Didn't leave Miami untill this morning (I think I'm the first member of ONE MORE WEEK CREW) and I miss you already. Now i'm in New Orleans (sippin Sluricanes). When does it stop? It doesn't. GLK, LOTUS, LONDON LET'S GOOOOOOOOO!!!

Ayres Wins.
wmc t shirt champ

(love from)

STACCATO

New Lab Radio! - What's New?!?
This week had us back in the studio for another diverse journey through the best of the newies. From Dilla to disco, rare psyche to hype new dance, we got you.

Your day will continue to suck until you go play the WHAT WHAT IN THE BUTT video game that Bitch Ass Darius designed and developed for Samwell himself.

http://samwellmusic.net

Yes really.

what no more WMC wrapups? we got all our stuff up now at the fool's gold blogorama

http://www.foolsgoldrecs.com/blog/2008/03/31/fools-gold-wmc-recap

http://www.foolsgoldrecs.com/blog/2008/04/01/wmc-according-to-trizzy

palm trees, lobsters, laidback luke, diddy's house, chromeo, snakes, erykah badu, mustaches, birthday cake, groupies, blog house, blog house groupies, canadians, promo stickers, frenchies, pool party, jams and more jams...

Introducing. . . Reality Parallel Universe?!?

On Estupido Blog: 03/15/08

@ TTL Annex: 04/01/08

Meet Tony Jaa, the protector of elephants

Missed you all while I was shooting off my TTL Water Uzi down in Miami.
Here's some select new items that made my trip a smooth one.

Deaf Booty Classics - Vol. 1!

Fourtet

Ray Mang
Cereal Lover / Angel 12"

The new line of shirts by 2K Gingham is probably my favorite yet.

Also check the entire slew of Gravis travel bags, backpacks and accesories.
These two in particular made this trip breezy.

And for all you die hard hip hop fans, here's two items that will make you smile:
1. Freddy Fresh - The Rap Records: 2nd Edition Book

2. Replacement RCA Cables with Circuit Board
Take that broken Technics out of your closet and fix it with this . No soldering, so no excuse!

Next stop - warm weather, beer, bbq's, and wishful thinking