MUSIC TECH: Preview of New Features in Propellerheads' REASON 5.0 and RECORD 1.5

This week Propellerheads Software introduced several new features to their powerhouse sequencer/synth/sampler engine REASON and new digital audio workstation RECORD. REASON users have long wanted an audio recording option and Propellerheads answered with RECORD last year. RECORD is a very powerful stand alone DAW but works in tandem with REASON as well. REASON 5.0 introduces the ability to sample and edit within all of the sample players- Redrum, NN-19, NN-XT.



The flexible loop player, DR. Rex, has now been renamed DR. Octo-Rex. With DR. Octo-Rex, you can trigger up to eight samples from one unit by stacking them or playing slices in a sequenced order. RECORD 1.5 features a pitch adjuster, Neptune, that delivers effects similar to Auto-Tune and both REASON and RECORD incorporates the new "Blocks" sequencer feature. For truly original drum design, the MPC & 808 influenced Kong Drum Designer is a powerhouse drum machine giving you virtually every type of drum sound generation around- analog synth generators, physical modeling, REX loops and slices, sample playback and live sampling.

New VIDEO: KIA Motors commercial features BLACK SHEEP's "The Choice Is Yours"

That's right! Give BLACK SHEEP some dough! This is a very funny commercial featuring hip hop hamsters(?) rocking to this Native Tongue classic.

WHATCHU TAKLIN' 'BOUT??!! R.I.P. Gary Coleman

 One of the most well known and beloved TV actors and former child star, Gary Coleman, passed away today at age 42 following hospitalization for an intracranial hemorrhage. Coleman had been on life support since earlier this week near his home in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Gary Coleman became famous after portraying the character Arnold Jackson on the hit TV series "Different Strokes". Over the years he has often appeared as himself and rode the success of his former role through the decades. His journey has been met with various health issues due to kidney disease, family estrangement and several mishaps with the law. He was an avid model train collector and had recently married a much younger woman in her 20's. Gary Coleman will live on in the hearts and memories of the millions of fans of "Different Strokes". Read about what many friends and co-stars had to say about his passing HERE

ART: Custom Art On Vinyl Records

Artist CHRIS HEROD has begun work on a series of illustrations using vinyl records as his medium. These are brilliant and present a new way to showcase (copies) of your favorite jams on wax. Check his blog <a href="http://artofthescratch.blogspot.com/">HERE</a> for more info.

50 CENT Drops 50+ Pounds For Movie Role

Yes the picture above is indeed 50 Cent. In preparation for his role in upcoming film, "Things Fall Apart", 50 went on a liquid diet and lost over 50 pounds in just nine weeks. 50 Cent aka Curtis Jackson is slated to appear as a cancer stricken football player in the movie. He follows such actors as Christian Bale ("The Machinist") and Daniel Day Lewis ("My Left Foot") in transforming his physicality for a role.

Read more HERE

VIDEO: XZIBIT feat. Kurupt & 40 Glocc- "Phenom"

Xzibit is back!

NAS Remakes Slick Rick's "Hey Young World" for LEVI'S Pioneer Sessions

PRESS RELEASE:

While much has changed about music over the past 50 years (artists, genres, popularity, formats, distribution, etc.), one thing remains true: The song is everything. We’re excited to welcome you to the Levi’s® Pioneer Sessions 2010 Revival Recordings. We asked a dozen of our favorite pioneering artists spanning multiple genres to record a song. Further sweetening the deal – each song re-crafted by this amazing roster, including the likes of Nas, The Swell Season, Dirty Projectors and more, is a song that mattered to them in some special way. You’ll find two new songs per week, available as free downloads, over the course of the following six weeks. Each song is paired with exclusive photos, behind-the-scenes video and additional content that celebrates the enduring importance of the song and the influence it has across generations.

Nas' reinterpretation of Slick Rick's classic, "Hey Young World", is the first song from this project. You can download the song for free HERE