JDilla

Detroit patron saint of crate-diggers J Dilla left way too soon, but in addition to his legacy, he left behind a whole lot of material. On May 25th (June 12th outside the US), Dillatroit, a new EP featuring a dozen previously unreleased Dilla tracks, will be released on Mahogani Music. Mahogani Music, a normally house-focused label putting out the release, has posted a sample, and as expected, it sounds promising.

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MCA

The music world is still reeling from the loss of Adam "MCA" Yauch of the Beastie Boys, and fans in the group's hometown of New York will be celebrating his life with a giant party in Union Square this weekend. What's surprising, however, is that the state Senate is also getting involved.

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thexx

The chromosomally-named trio consisting of Jamie, Oliver and Romy are back on tour together for the first time since 2010, and the follow-up to their mad-hyped 2009 debut is on the way. At a string of shows in London this week, the band has been premiering some new as-yet-unnamed tracks. Fans looking for the hypnotic, intimate sound of the last record will not be disappointed. "Why would you just leave us alone / When we could have been close, close, close?" goes one.

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NPH

On this day 22 years ago, the master of Muppets and brightest hallmark of childhood for many of us, Jim Henson, passed away after a sudden illness. His creations—Sesame Street, The Muppets, Fraggle Rock and the perennially creepy The Dark Crystal—all live on in perpetuity.

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justin warner

A little over a year ago Justin Warner opened up Do or Dine, a funky restaurant in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn with some former Modern employees that focused on the concept of food and what could be done with flavors, textures, and presentation. Warner and partner George McNeesedreamed up interesting dishes like marshmallow fluff with wasabi on pork, deviled eggs with red wine-soaked octopus, or their famous foie gras and jelly doughnuts. Now, Warner is making his debut on the Food Network as part of Team Alton (Brown) in the show Food Network Star. The first episode aired last Sunday, and, spoiler alert—Warner was not eliminated. I caught up with him to dish the dirt, find out if it’s changed his restaurant, and got a little sneak peek at the rest of the show.

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Summer Camp Band

British indie pop duo Summer Camp has charmed us single they released the track “Veronica Sawyer” on last year’s Young EP. Any electro-pop band that can evoke Winona Ryder’s character from Heathers can’t be half bad, right?

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cbgb

It was revealed earlier this week that a feature film about iconic Manhattan rock club CBGB's is in the works, but more surprising than the fact that a movie about the legendary venue was in the works was the news that Alan Rickman—the actor a whole generation of filmgoers knows only as Professor Snape—would be playing CBGB's owner Hilly Kristal.

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oxiclean

Good news for people who love to clean and love to read and love to read about cleaning! Jolie Kerr, the beloved Clean Person behind The Hairpin's Ask a Clean Person column has a big fancy book on the way. The title? The super subtle My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag...And Other Questions You Can't Ask Martha. The tome will soon head to a bookstore near you.

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davis

Perhaps you've been following today's story in which a vitriolic race-baiting ad campaign, sponsored by the founder of TD Ameritrade Joe Ricketts was leaked to the New York Times. The guy who made the ad is named Fred N. Davis, III. He's on Twitter, but his tweets are protected. He also is following only two people, has tweeted 80 times and has no followers. This was intriguing, so I read more about him. 

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Jonathan Schwartz

When I was king of the castle, people were always surprised that I did any "day" work for my nightlife career. They actually believed I woke up at 4pm, had a swanky brunch, went to a boutique, bought a dozen expensive looks (on the cheap), had dinner at the best place in town (on the cuff), and then showed up at work (game-face on), barked some orders, and waited for the fabulous to show up. Nightlife doesn't just happen. The few that make it look easy are the ones that rarely sleep and are completely enveloped in their work. It's a thousand phone calls, a million texts, tweets, tumbles, and face-to-face meetings – yes, people still do that. It's adjustments of what ain't working, and refining of what ain't broke. It's a thousand small things that add up to big bucks at the end of the year. You are never alone, but you often feel isolated and detached. My ex used to say that when I opened a club, it was as if I was its heart and I had to keep beating or it would simply not work. An old adage that I always kept close said, "It's not just a nightclub...but a way of life.”

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