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Exit Through The Gift Shop premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last year, and critics and audiences are still confused. Is it real? Is it a hoax? Is it one of Banksy's art-pranks that he's so apt at pulling off? For one thing, the film, which tells the story of Thierry Guetta aka Mr. Brainwash's attempt to first document the world of street art, then to succeed as an artist himself, is full of never-before-seen footage s of the biggest players in the game (Shepard Fairey, Invader, Banksy, Andre, etc) at work. On the other hand, the documentary, buzzed to be shortlisted for the 2011 Academy Awards, reveals the disastrous consequences of street art's foray into the mainstream. All in all, it's a chance to get a glimpse into the most intimate moments of this fascinating global subculture and to form your opinions regarding it, which is why we give the film our highest recommendations. The dvd comes with deleted scenes, two new short films, stickers, artwork, and most importantly, special star-shped, 2-D glasses (with rainbow lenses).

reviewed by nakinboots 12/2010

Big Fun In The Big Town offers a rare glimpse into the beginnings of hip-hop and NY culture circa the mid-80's. The film, made back in '86, is a documentary piece on the then-emerging cultural movement by Dutch film maker Bram Van Splunteren. Since then, it has seldom been screened, despite capturing the budding New York rap scene during its vital stages. Witness a hungry LL Cool J bust freestyle raps acapella, Doug E Fresh blowin' minds with insane beat box techniques, Roxanne Shante and Biz Markie freak a live show, Grandmaster Flash gettin' busy on the decks, a young Russell Simmons and Run DMC, and much more. Looking back now, the film is truly a treasure trove of rare footage from hip-hop's golden age. From the label: "This essential, fast-paced documentary shows hip-hop from just about every angle, and approaches its subjects with a journalistic sobriety and respect rarely given to this oft-misunderstood artform and culture, even to this day. It presents worldwide superstars and aspiring rappers, dancers and beatboxers on an even playing field, reminding us that rap was once a wide-open game for anyone with talent to grab at the brass ring of fame." Recommended.

This DVD collects all of Daft Punk's music videos from the "Homework" album. You get all the classic vids like "Da Funk" directed by Spike Jonze, the unforgettable "Around The World" video directed by fellow frenchman Michel Gondry, "Burnin" by Seb Janiak, "Revolution 909" by Roman Coppola, and "Fresh," which was directed by Daft Punk themselves. Audio commentary is available for all the videos along with the "Making Of's" which feature big name remixes (Armand Van Helden, MAW, Ian Pooley, etc. ) of the various tracks. In addition, you also get to check out Daft Punk rock it in LA, doing a live version of "Rollin' & Scratchin'" from 9 different camera positions. Can't wait to see their upcoming Electroma movie.

reviewed by snackmaster 05/2007

You've seen his work on walls and galleries across the world, from LA to NY, Africa, the middle East, and even the White House (the famous Obama "HOPE" portrait), but have you ever stopped to think what's going on in David Choe's dirty mind? Dirty Hands: The Art And Crimes Of David Choe paints a revealing and intense portrait, getting into the head of the artist during a turbulent time in his life. This was filmed before his art stardom fully bloomed (way before Thumbs Up on Vice TV), when he was still hatching schemes to allow him to get around the world, all the while living free (from legal restraints) and creating art where ever he damn pleased (most commonly in public places of course). This lifestyle eventually landed him in solitary confinement in a Tokyo cell, put a serious strain on his his relationships, and placed him on the path of becoming a born-again Christian (no joke). It's a crazy inspiring story of an artist's struggle to make it on his own terms. Definite must see material! This deluxe double disc set includes a new zine from Choe, plus over 3 hours of bonus footage, recommended.

reviewed by snackmaster 09/2011

Get your vinyl fetishes rejuvinated, 'cause it's the latest and grandest chapter of the Shadow and Cut Chemist trilogy. While Brain Freeze and Product Placement took place in small intimate settings, this is the straight Hollywood Bowl we're talking about. The showdown is documented in crisp digital sound, with 17 cameras, and three audience mics, which makes this their biggest production yet. It also comes beautifully packaged with a double packaged DVD, three-fold inner package including a 40 page booklet of production pictures and behind the scenes by B+. The bonus features and snippets also take you into the studio with Cut and Shadow, documenting their entire production from the inital phone call to laborious mixing and scratching sessions. The original red die-cut versions of the Hard Sell Mix CD is already sold out indefinitely. So I'd swoop before this one follows suit.

reviewed by C'mish 03/2008

After a couple years, and numerous bootlegs, Shadow & Cut Chemist have finally issued some legitimate items to the public at large. This set includes both the Product Placement DVD and the original Product Placement audio CD. The DVD is all you could hope for- extremely well made, quality filming techniques and cleverly put together. The 60 minute Product Placement routine is presented by splicing together the best moments of shows from at least 7 different cities (LA, SF, NYC, Tokyo, London, Manchester, Glasgow, etc), which makes for a much more interesting document than just a straight set in one city. They also pepper the performance with footage of off-stage action, record store hunting (hello Makoto and Weekend Records!), Keb Darge being a crazy motherfucker, Tokyo hotel room record trading, and more. I'm impressed. That would probably be enough, but they also include a second performance montage: Around The World In 14 DJs, which is basically footage of all the guys who opened up for them. Shortkut, Nu-Mark, Dante Carfagne, Z-Trip, Skatemaster Tate (!), Egon, Marvski, Keb Darge, etc all playing strictly 45s! True nerds can also watch the whole thing with commentary from Shadow & Cut (it's actually quite amusing); and don't forget that the package also includes the Product Placement audio cd. Quite a bargain. The DVD is Region 1 (NTSC) encoded. Bonus product placement: Cut Chemist sweating through one of our logo t-shirts in Glasgow!

The best turntablists from around the country battle it out for a chance to compete at 2010 DMC World DJ Championships. Featuring top-notch performances from Etronik (CA, 1st place), Steel (NJ, 2nd place), Grand Master Supreme (3rd place, CO), Swift(SC), Skip Ripkin(CO), Image(CA), Juyadek(CA), B'Money(CO), Cysko rokwel (CO), Concept (FL), and Jeff C (CO) as well as showcases by Excess & toadstyle, DJ Fatfingaz, and 2009 DMC World Champ DJ Shiftee, the action-packed DVD also includes the top 4 routines from 2010 DMC Battle For US Surpremacy. The event took place at Santo Party House in New York and has been described as one of the most exciting and talent packed, so for fans of turntablism, this is a must have

reviewed by NI 04/2011

DMC's Champions vol.2 DVD features the World Championship winning routines from 1995-2000 including Roc Raida, Noise, ATrak, and Craze (3x Champ). Bonus footage is highlighted by a vintage 88 Cash Money routine, first time on video. Cash uses the pre-Jazzy Jeff Gemini mixer while the stadium (yes, stadium) blows air horns. Additional bonuses include Noise competing at the 2000 Supremacy Battle, Raida showcasing in 2001 at the Phoenix DMC, Craze showcasing at the 2001 Puerto Rico DMC, and Atrak showcasing at the 2002 Atlanta DMC.

reviewed by the mgmnt 11/2005

Another DJ double header from DMC! Back to back championship battles are featured on this DVD including the DMC 2011 Battle For World Supremacy and the 2011 World Team Championships. For the Supremacy battle, the world's greatest turnablists meet for the title of world's supreme DJ. It's an international affair with 12 DJs from around the globe flexing skills to see who's best. Contestants this time around include Disect (UK), DJ Cross (Belgium), DJ Lowa (Czech Republic), Erick Jay (Brazil), Get Back (France), DJ Fascinate (USA), Short T (Germany), Needlesplit (Denmark), On Q (South Africa), Nelson (France), Norihito (Japan), and Yoke (Portugal). For the Team Finals, 8 teams from around the globe fight for the title. Contestants this time around include Blatters (Italy), Battlestar (USA), Beat Bombers (Portugal), Cla Leste (Brazil), CRS (Belgium), Invincible Armour (UK), Kireek (Japan) and Defending Champions Trouble Team (Czech Republic). Will Kireek take the title for a record breaking 5th year? Tune in to find out! Bonus features include a showcase by legendary NYC turntablist crew the X-Ecutioners.

reviewed by snackmaster 01/2012

The most epic of all DMC jams is the turntable summit that brings the best DMC champions of a decade together for the ultimate scratch jam. This one takes the span of two decades giving you turntable summit one(1996) and two(2006) featuring names like Craze, Q-Bert, A-Trak, Noize, Kentaro, Netik, Roc Raida, Cash Money, Netik, and Cutmaster Swift together for sick solo routines and team freestyle sessions. If you're a fan of the turntable arts, this is truly a milestone in DJ history and not to be missed.

reviewed by C'mish 04/2008

The 2011 DMC World DJ Finals took place in London this October, and the competitors took the battle to a new level. In addition to the talent, the turntablists were allowed to use Serato Scratch Live and DVS, allowing for fresh, innovative, and envelope-pushing routines. When it was all said and done, it was Vajra from the US that took the crown, with Japan's Izoh and DJ Co-Ma coming in second and third, respectively. In addition to footage covering the top three finishers, the DVD features 15 other DJs - A-Kut, DJ Monk, DJ Mikey, DJ On Q, Erick Jay, DJ Five, DJ Cross, DJ Graded, JFB, DJ Skillz, etc. - bringing top-notch turntablism, and for fans of the art form, this product is a must.

reviewed by NI 12/2011

According to its website, Empire - produced by Luke Stiles and Chris Thormann - is "a movie about having fun riding your bike in the city." Watch riders like Tom Lamarche, John Prolly Watson, James "007," Dan Chabaner, Willis, Kai, Crihs, Yatika, and more of NY's finest (and some out-of-town guests) finessing in and out of traffic all over the city. Intense, thrilling, and over an hour long, the film is accompanied by over an hour of never-before-seen footage and features stunning cover art.

reviewed by NI 12/2011

Justice have had a mind-blowing two year run of gigs, shows, appearances, and whatever (why am I picturing doing lines off some hot model chick's boney ass?). This tour DVD, put together by Justice, Romain Gavras, and So-Me, attempts to capture the madness by documenting three long weeks of touring. They taped every waking second of the three weeks and condensed it into this one hour plus documentary. They exclusively focus on the off-stage life in the video, but they've also included the performance aspect on a bonus audio disc, featuring 18 tracks from their San Francisco date. Craziness is an understatement. Recommended. 60 minute-plus documentary,bonus audio disc featuring live performance (18 tracks), all region ntsc dvd (english / japanese / french subtitles).

reviewed by the mgmnt 12/2008

The ultimate Lee Perry documentary. The Upsetter delves into the past 70 years of the legendary Lee "Scratch" Perry, a crucial figure in the foundation of reggae and of dub music and the man behind Bob Marley. Perry is seen as one of the most eccentric personalities in reggae (usually found in a 24/7 ganja haze and even going so far as burning down his own recording studio) and this documentary goes the distance to find out if there is a method to Lee Perry's madness - or is he just mad? Features tracks and iconic archival footage selected from throughout Perry's extensive career, and is narrated by Benicio Del Toro. 90 min.

The funky sound of Harlem is coming at you in a major way with this absolutely massive collection from P&P Records and Serato Pressings! Peter Brown and Patrick Adam's legendary label has brought the world countless disco classics and this super deluxe boxset is a testament to the P&P legacy with 197 remastered songs from 88 groups in both high quality wav and 320 mp3 over three loaded data DVDs. That's over 19 1/2 hours (or 15GB) of pure funky disco music! And if that wasn't enough, you also get 2x exclusive Serato 12"s - one with Mistafide's "Equidity Funk" and the other with Cloud One's "Don't Let This Rainbow Pass Me By", both backed with official Serato Control Tones on swirly psychedelic green vinyl. The records are housed in custom disco sleeves and are packaged in a matching box with 32-page hardcover book and a sexy 18"x24" poster of Queen Constance Records. You can't go wrong with this one, highly recommended!

• music label: P&P Records / Serato Pressings / 2012

reviewed by snackmaster 01/2012

Another mix of funky video madness from the PPU archives! If you saw the first, you should already be adding to cart. Expect even more rare 80's footage dripping in jheri curl juice with plenty of synthesizers, spandex, lasers, booty, analog video fx, and vintage public access performances from Glass Pyramid and The Incredible Rock City Band, PLUS rare music videos from PPU all-stars Uku Kuut, and Jerry J of California Flight Project! Compiled by Peoples Potential Unlimited, edited by Luke Wyatt. Check the video clip below for a taste. Over an hour of unseen footage for the funk freaks.

reviewed by snackmaster 04/2012

Popping in this DVD is like taking a time machine back to those funkier times of the 80's and 90's, a truly rare treat for you ears AND eyes! Witness live public access footage of Midnight Express Band, the "Danger Zone" music video by Robbie M, live video performance of "Mizz Mean" by Savvy, obscure dance club footage with the wildest dance moves you ever seen, Jerri curls for days, hot 80's chicks with shoulder pads, funky synthesizer action, futuristic video effects from the year 3000, and much, much more. All footage was found and compiled by PPU and edited by Luke Wyatt. 80 minutes of rare funk visions unlike anything you ever seen before. Recommended.

What more needs to be said about this one, the self-declared, clearest, best illustrated, most comprehensive DVD on skratching ever released. Features: 1)Multiple Video Angles: see every skratch from 4 different angles. All clips loop until you decide to go on. All lessons by Qbert. 2)Multiple Audio Tracks: mixed audio on track 1, skratches only on 2, beats only on 3. 3)Over 25 skratches demonstrated: all skill levels including babies, drags, chirps, crabs, flares,lazers and more! 4)Practice the skills Q+A battle session with Spy-D, Lamb Chop, Deck Demon, and more. Each battle becomes progressively more difficult and uses the skratches you just learned. 5)Tips and secret section. Step by step shows you how to setup gear, from balancing tonearm to skip prevention techniques. Learn how to count bars or make an emergency slipmat. Plus more extra features. 

reviewed by the mgmnt 05/2005

Volume 2 of the most popular how to skratch DVD. Lessons here include: how to DJ with a band, battling, performances (with Quest, Snayk Eyez, Mike Boogie and more), and a skratch session with 20 DJs! DVD technology allows you to play along with djs on screen. Loaded with special features, bonus movies, and easter eggs. All region NTSC.

reviewed by the mgmnt 05/2005

It's been years since the last Turntable TV, but Q-bert, Yogafrog, and Skratchy Seal are still up to their wacky scratch antics. In the latest installment of the TTV saga, witness DJ Q-bert visit the UK for DMC 2005 and chill with DJ Yeah (youngest scratch DJ), the secret origin of Skratchy Seal, Beat Boxing + Floor Squeaking with Trihedral, funky-ass tutting from Bionic Man and Pharcyde, the making of the QFO, and of course... LOTS of freestyle scratch sessions with Q and his homies from around the globe (like Misaya + Kouji of Japan, Vajra, Rafik, and Tyra). Features tons of extras too - most notably a bunch of old school TTV clips from the Thud Rumble vaults.

reviewed by snackmaster 12/2008

With The Shape of Punk to Come, Refused aimed to challenge existing punk and hardcore sensibilities. The album's title references Ornette Coleman's 1959 avant-garde jazz album The Shape of Jazz to Come and they throw in allusions to Allen Ginsberg and NY hardcore group Born Against, as well. Refused took to task the pop-punk of the day, eschewing the tried and true tropes of contemporaries like Green Day and Blink 182. With experimental combinations of hardcore, prog-punk, techno, and even jazz sounds they redefined what punk was supposed to sound like. While all of the aforementioned sounds are evident on the record, Refused ended up making a simply great hardcore record. Their trademark tension and release is all over the album. Vaguely jazz influenced intros are decimated by explosions of distortion. Electronic excursions are interrupted by the subtly ominous cymbal tap of drummer David Sandström. A shimmering sign of the aural assault that is about to come. There's a generation of At The Drive In emo kids that owes their life to this record. Unfortunately for the fans, all of this experimentation led to the breakup of the band only a few months after its release. The breakup is explored in the included DVD, Refused Are Fucking Dead. Limited edition release on translucent red vinyl, limited to 2000 copies. Includes a poster, CD copy of the album, and DVD of Refused Are Fucking Dead.

• Music Label: Epitaph 2012

reviewed by Michu Meszaros 04/2012

The acclaimed (really!) documentary Part of the Weekend Never Dies documents all the debauchery of 2 Many DJs / Soulwax's exhaustive "Radio Soulwax" tour which spanned 120 shows and several continents (North America, Europe, Asia, Australia), and found the band playing alongside such contemporaries as Justice, LCD Soundsystem, Tiga, Erol Alkan, Busy P and Klaxons. The documentary portion runs 69 minutes, while the separate "Nite Versions Live at Fabric and 120 Other Places" piece is nearly an hour by itself. There's also optional running commentary, and a 53-minute bonus audio CD included in the package with live versions of favorites like "E-Talking," "NY Excuse," "KracK," "Teachers" and others. Definitely recommended.

• music label: Universal Music 2008

reviewed by Van Hammersly 12/2008

Yessss. TV carnage is the best. If you don't know about it already, Pinky brilliantly takes the most odd, humurous, horrible moments television has to offer and blends them into priceless "TV mixtapes." The surrealness of these clips will have laughing until you puke(The original DVD's used to come with barfbags) and is a must have for anyone who appreciates gloriously bad acting, cheap public access shows and wig flipping celebrity clips. "A Rich Tradition Of Magic" is actually a rerun of Pinky's fabled tape made in 1998, between "Ouch My Brain Hurts" and "When Television Attacks." Caution: some scenes are shocking, watch at your own risk! 80 min.

reviewed by C'mish

New Carnage! We've been out of touch with Pinky Beckles for a minute, good to see he's still got it in him to whittle down a couple hundred hours of incredibly bad television into 123 minutes of pleasure. And nobody's picked him up for a late night MTV slot yet. Can't wait to see what crap he's got on here... To quote the box, "fuck, you'll see so many horrible things, you'll feel ALIVE again." Comes with a barf bag, TV Carnage post card & some other stuff.

reviewed by the mgmnt 11/2005

The story behind this: some guy Pinky in Montreal records years and years worth of television of every sort imaginable, then condenses it into 2 hours of smartly edited, grandly thematic snippets. Kind of like a giant tv megamix with all the best stupid shit you can imagine. It's fast, hilarious and wildly entertaining, even Vice says so! You will witness: cops, idiots, gary coleman, excessive displays of normaldom, the gays, a rodeo monkey riding a dog, 80s infomercials, new agers and so much more. Comes with a moist toilette, an airplane "queezy sack," a fake $1000 bill and a strange photocopied arrest report from Idaho. Perfect thing for your next dorm room party and much better than real tv for when you're feeling down. First time on DVD. Recommended.

reviewed by the mgmnt 05/2005

Brand new and good for you (as Neil Nice would say), the latest addition to the TV Carnage series is Let's Work It Out!!!. Forget P90X, this megamix of bad exercise tv and videos (with fitness instructors Marie Osmond, O.J., Dolph Lundgren, Elmo, Lyle Alzado, Dixie Carter, Marky Mark, a Scientologist, and more) will do wonders for your body and give your brain a thorough workout at the same time. We don't know how Pinky Beckles keeps doing it, but he's once again managed put together a clever and entertaining DVD out of hours and hours of shitty footage, and if you are a fan of his previous volumes, definitely add this to your collection. Check out the below clip lifted from the dvd extras. Good times guaranteed!

Classic Carnage! The very first installment in the saga from '96, finally reissued on DVD. If you're not familiar with TVC, each volume features hours and hours of excruciatingly bad television, edited down into a more digestable (but still unbearable) chunk by some Canadian genius. Even though the series was young and the editing more primitive, Ouch Technology My Brain Hurts contains all the TV Carnage hallmarks we've come to expect through the years: bad public access, out-of-touch news reporters, French Canadians singing the blues, Gary Coleman doing any number of embarrassing things in front of audiences, the Junior Village People, and so much more (or less). The clips play for much longer than in later volumes, which is a good or bad thing depending on your cringe tolerance. Haven't even had time to dig into the bonus features, but it looks like there are plenty. The commentary tracks are always great, too, but dude should go back to disguising his voice 20/20 style! Highly recommended.

reviewed by Larri Byrd 01/2008

DVD edition. The story behind these is that some guy Pinky in Montreal records years and years worth of bad television of every sort imaginable, then condenses it into 75 minutes of smartly edited, grandly thematic snippets. Kind of like a giant tv megamix with all the best stupid shit you've never seen and wouldn't want to wait for. It's fast, hilarious and wildly entertaining. Trust in Pinky.

reviewed by the mgmnt 05/2005