Not to get all Sally Field on y’all, but it always warms our cold, cold hearts when we see people rocking Fool’s Gold records in their sets, playing on their radio shows, etc. Lets us know we’re on the right track! Basement Jaxx are the latest addition to the support crew, dropping Laidback Luke and Lee Mortimer’s “Blau” in their new Beatport chart. Thanks fellas!

Pick up “Blau” on Beatport, iTunes, TTL Digital and everywhere else fine digital music is sold. There’s a t-shirt, too!

Pitchfork just named Kingdom a “Rising” artist and posted up this nice little Q&A with the maestro.

For another recent(ish) Kingdom interview head over to Pinglewood. Check Kingdom DJing in Philly this Thursday at the Barbary (no cover!) and next week in Austin for our SXSW festivities and more.

And be sure to buy the “Mind Reader” single if you haven’t already!

Everyone’s favorite French electro zombie Kavinsky returns from his grave with the new Nightcall EP. Preview the tracks on these Soundcloud players (more after the jump) and check out the Record Makers store for info on the guests (Lovefoxx from CSS, Guy-Man from some DJ duo or something…) and the limited vinyl release.

Nightcall by Kavinsky

Speaking of limited vinyl, there’s still a scant handful of copies left of Kavinsky’s Blazer EP on Fool’s Gold. Purchase at Turntable Lab and the Fool’s Gold webstore. It’s a keeper!

Pacific Coast Highway by Kavinsky

I thought I was just your average 1 or 2 cup a day coffee drinker until last May when five of my friends bought me coffee related paraphernalia for my birthday.  This was one of those moments in life when your loved ones show you the truth.  I would call it an intervention If it hadn’t been so enabling. My relationship with coffee has become almost ritualistic; the process of making it is nearly as important as the drinking.  I must ask you politely to suspend your disbelief and trust that all the steps described below are necessary and not the misguided fanatics of a zealous freak.  The whole process has been thoroughly tested and optimized.  You can trust me, I mix things for a living and have a bachelors of science from an elite university.

What you need:

• Coffee Beans (roasted less than a month ago)
• French Press coffee pot (about $20)
• Burr Coffee grinder (Yikes! $70! or see alternative below…)
• Tea Kettle
• Half-and-Half

1. Grind the beans just before brewing using a burr grinder on the coarsest setting or use coarse pre-ground beans.

2. Bring water to a boil in the kettle and let it sit with the top off for about a minute to cool down.  Pour some of the hot water into your coffee cup to heat it up.

3. Add the ground beans to the press pot and add 6oz of water for each 2 tablespoons of grounds. Pour the water over the grounds in a circular motion to cover them but don’t stir! Let the grounds and water mingle and bloom for a full minute, then stir the grounds into the water, cover with the press top and brew for an additional 3 minutes.

4. After 4 minutes of total brewing, slowly push down the press top, forcing the grounds to the bottom, and pour the coffee into your cup or thermos. Add some half-and-half (don’t water your coffee down with dilute dairy!) and enjoy.

Now the in depth analysis and explanation for all nerds and inquisitive types:

The Bean: It doesn’t really matter what kind you use as long as you start with beans that have been roasted pretty recently (like most things relating to food, the fresher the better!)  This method brings the most out of any bean, so I prefer to brew lighter roasts to not end up with something too overpowering.

The Grind: Shout to DJ Skribble!!  I swear by grinding my beans immediately before brewing using a burr grinder.  Burr grinders have two interlocking teeth that allow for evenly ground coffee in a range of sizes from the fine particles used for espresso to the coarser grind we want for French Press.  The problem is that the cheapest burr grinder runs about $70 bucks.  With press coffee, it’s crucial to get an even coarse grind; finely ground beans will lead to bitter coffee full of little grinds that find their way through your filter. If you really like coffee, a burr grinder is a sound investment (you’ll also need it when you hit your espresso phase!) but If you can’t spring for one (or all you have is a blade grinder), you should get your coffee ground coarse at purchase and store in an airtight container.  This is a bit controversial, but I think having a coarse and even grind is more important then grinding right before brewing.  Now I can’t stop thinking of “Freak Me” and the 6th grade! Spring is almost here!!

The Water: Water temperature is key when making a pot of French Press.  Most sources advise to have the water between 195-205˚ Fahrenheit, which is slightly below boiling.  Too hot and you get bitter coffee, too cold and it will be weak.  I may care about detail, but I can’t be measuring my water with a thermometer each morning, it’s just too similar to my former career as a lab technician.  My method is to heat the kettle with the top off until I see the first bubble boil up from the bottom.  Alternatively, you can bring the water to a full boil and let it sit for a minute to cool down as I described above.  I highly encourage pre-heating your cup with some left over boiled water, especially during cold months.  You don’t want your black gold to go all Galt MacDermot.

The Brew: Above I outlined the ratio of 2 tablespoons of grounds for every 6 ozs of water.  When I make a cup just for myself, I’ll make a 12 oz pot using 4 tablespoons.  Depending on how freshly roasted/ground your beans are, you’ll witness a blooming effect as the grounds expand and release C02 after the water is added.  When you see the bloom you know you’re rocking with the best.

Clearly, this method is a far cry from setting your automatic drip pot the night before to wake and deliver you fresh coffee before your brain has officially turned on (a perfectly acceptable method I might add!) but I’m convinced the extra effort is worth it.  If you’re curious but don’t want to make the investment up front for a bunch of coffee gadgets, seek out a coffee shop that serves french press coffee instead of drip.  This method has really caught on in the past few years, and chances are the legit cafe in your area can hook you up.

Fork the world don’t ask me for sips!  Every cup you brew you got ta work haaaard for it.  (R.I.P. B.I.G.)

-Sammy

Download this great new Jokers Of The Scene mix the boys whipped up for Happy Please, a new site from the folks who brought you the excellent Curb Crawlers blog for the past few years. Tracklist after the jump.

Jokers of the Scene - Bombs Over Belleville

Jokers of the Scene - Joking Victim
B.D.I. - City & Industry
Daniel Meteo - In The Mood (Abe Duque Remix)
Crash Course In Science - Flying Turns (Terence Fixmer Remix)
Tiga - Sex O’Clock (Playgroup Remix)
Aberrant - Kirkbride’s Dungeon
Stephan Bodzin - Mustang
Jori Hulkonnen - Boying in the Smokeroom
Fairmont - Mobula
Geiger - Bambam
Boy 8-Bit - The Keep
Mathew Jonson - Ghosts in the Al
2AM/FM - The Path
LFO - Freeze
Extrawelt - Fernweh
The Black Dog - Witches Ov

FG’s own Catchdini and pal Proper Villains funked-up Kidz In The Hall’s “Flickin,” and you can download it for free thanks to RCRD LBL.

Grab Kidz’ new album Land Of Make Believe, in stores today.Their single “Jukebox” is new track of the day on 106 And Park too. Clap for em!

Greenmoney sent over this new podcast promo-ing their upcoming party at Plan B in Brixton this Saturday. Their pals Seiji and Redlight are among the guests, so it’s only natural they contribute sections of the mix as well! Download and check the tracklist here.

Hit The Fader blog for Jokers Of The Scene’s sprawling remix of Boy 8-Bit’s already-sprawling “Wolfen.” Get set for JOTS forthcoming Fool’s Gold single, where Mr 8-Bit returns the favor! And check him on a North American tour with Fake Blood, kicking off this Tuesday with our Calgary homies at Hi-Fi. Full dates after the jump.

Boy 8-Bit / Fake Blood Tour Dates:
TUE 3/9 - Hi Fi, CALGARY, AB
WED 3/10 - Fortune Sound Club, VANCOUVER, BC
THU 3/11 - Starlite Room, VANCOUVER, BC
FRI 3/12 - Mezzanine, SAN FRANCISCO, CA
SAT 3/13 - Hard 13 @ Nokia, LOS ANGELES, CA
SUN 3/14 - Voyeur, SAN DIEGO, CA
MON 3/15 - The Vault, EL PASO, TX
WED 3/17 - Republic Live, AUSTIN, TX
THU 3/18 - Beta, DENVER, CO
FRI 3/19 - Webster Hall, NEW YORK, NY
SAT 3/20 - Sound Academy, TORONTO, ON
THU 3/25 - Hard Pool Party, MIAMI, FL
FRI 3/26 - Ultra Festival, MIAMI, FL
SAT 3/27- SAT, MONTREAL, QC

It’s that time of year again… we’re bringing the whole gang down to Austin for SXSW festivities. Suited and booted!

First up is our inaugural “Texas Takeover” party on Thursday, 3/18 at Republic Live, featuring Travis x A-Trak, Donnis, Treasure Fingers, Congorock, Kingdom and Sammy Bananas. Get advance tickets here.

Then the following night (Friday 3/19) at Malverde we go even bigger with our official SXSW showcase, featuring Vega, Kid Sister w/ Flosstradamus, Telephoned, Jokers Of The Scene, Trackademicks, The Suzan, Nick Catchdubs, Malente, our extended fam Theophilus London, and… surprise guests? You’ll just have to come thru and see, free entry with SXSW badge (get there early - this will fill up!)

Full size flyers after the jump, more news on our artists’ full festival schedules soon!

Spooky siblings Dust La Rock and Star Eyes recently delved into the deepest recesses of their respective record libraries to whip up this new Ov Cvrse mix for Mishka. It’s a collection of everything from Ministry, Front 242 and Nitzer Ebb to Black Strobe, Adult and even Benga and Skream’s coldest moments. And it is awesome!

The mix came out so well, in fact, that Mishka decided to keep the name for their SXSW showcase of icy synths and “-wave” suffixes. More info on that show (which includes a set from our own Jokers Of The Scene) here. Tracklist for the Ov Curse mix after the jump.