Dual Core

It’s summer which means Defcon is coming up again. As usual, we will be there, but last year I was encouraged by several people to enter a song for the Pwnie Awards.

Please nominate The Game by Dual Core for the Best Song category.

Also please ask two friends to do the same :]

This last 12 months have been an exciting time for Dual Core. Following our ‘Next Level’ album release in July 2009, we received a bunch of rave reviews, played a tonne of shows for our amazing fans, and had fun collaborating with some top-notch artists. Just incase you missed them, here are some projects you should check out.

Last month our good friend Beefy released his new album ‘With Sprinkles’. Beef approached us to work on this project a couple of years ago, and it was well worth the wait.

Incase you’re unaware, Beefy is a smile-inducing rapper with an impressive rapid fire flow – I’ve been a fan of his work for a while now. He is also a key member of The Grammar Club – you’d be unfortunate not to check their superb Bremelanotide release.

I’m proud to say I produced 5 tracks on ‘With Sprinkles’ and worked on the mastering, calling in int eighty for a full blown Dual Core collab on the gaming ditty ‘Press Start’. Our fellow producers and guest artists really complement Beefy’s style, leading to one of the most enjoyable ‘nerdcore’ releases I’ve ever heard.

Another album we’re happy to be part of is ‘Forever Famicom’, a 14-track collaboration between rapper Random and producer K-Murdock. This self-proclaimed ‘homage to Nintendo’ cleverly combines video games and classic hip hop, from the beats through to Ran’s laid-back rhymes. These two things meet in a beautiful way.

Track such as ‘Dream Master’ evoke a real sense of nostalgia, from the lovely 8 bit samples and crusty beats to Random’s bitter-sweet tales of growing up. I really can’t get enough of this song, had it on repeat for weeks. I also love ‘World Tree’ – amazing work by K-Murdock on the beat, which sits perfectly with the up-tempo rhymes and DJ cuts. Did I forget to mention, you’ll find eighty in full flow on ‘For The Gamers’, alongside Schaffer the Darklord?

The album rarely falters from beginning to end. Although the beats are based around video games, it still has that pure hip hop sound that I love. Production is accomplished and subject matter is varied – no forced nerdcore geekiness here. Great stuff.

In April this year, the renowned MC Frontalot released his latest album ‘Zero Day’. Featuring polished production and Front’s unique quirky rhymes, the album’s title track plays host to a tech-heavy guest verse by our very own int eighty, alongside spaceship rap superstar ytcracker. As well as the musical side, I’m a big fan of what I believe is the greatest hidden track treasure trail in history.

Finally, you can find eighty working his lyrical magic on  ‘Wordpress’, a song with laid-back rapper / producer extraordinaire Dale Chase. The two flow back-to-back over a jealousy-inducing beat, expertly crafted by Dale himself. I also encourage you to check the many other tracks available on Dale’s site.

Enjoy.

- c64

Thanks to Robin Wood (@digininja) and Dave (@securid) from Security Justice (@securityjustice) for being so awesome and putting us in their footage that was used by Woot!

Also Darren (@hak5darren) and Shannon (@snubs) from hak5 appear, and Shannon makes a comparison between a Woot box of crap and sex ;]

Catch us again at the after-party at the second annual SouthEast|LinuxFest!  The after-party will be Saturday, June 12th, at 6:00PM :]

Many thanks, as always, to Dave Yates and all of the SELF folks!

“Running” is not a title I ever expected to select for a post, but it’s pertinent.  Last weekend, c64 ran a 10k in Manchester with his girlfriend.  They both finished at right around an hour time, and were running to raise money for cancer research.  He’s tracked his progress over the course of his training on http://runmcr.wordpress.com, if you’re interested.

Additionally in May, my former boss, Mike Schuetter, ran an entire marathon in Cincinnati.  He was running to raise money for Ohio Valley Voices, a school geared toward improving the lives of children with hearing impairments.  He’s got a synopsis of the marathon along with some pictures featuring a custom t-shirt he made on http://ovvrunner.blogspot.com/.  Notice the ipod playing Next Level drawn on the sleeve :]

I also started running at the park recently, but then remembered why I wasn’t running before — I’m a computer nerd and my knee hurts.  Get off my lawn.

Dual Core is playing a live set on Saturday, May 22nd at FragFest in Traverse City, MI.  The set is scheduled for 9PM.  Bring your box and log some headshots, online, of course.

FragFest offers a a heavy lineup of gaming throughout the entire weekend with tournaments and dedicated play on a number of platforms.  Hollar at http://www.gtff.us/ for more info.