Hey Music Lover,

I am happy to announce the release of two new Ruckus Roboticus remixes. The first is a remix of Pase Rock's "So Fucking Disco" and features a guest verse from Vitamin E. You can download it for free here:

http://www.zshare.net/download/58807612d43413e6/

My other new track is a remix of Kanye West's "Love Locked Down". You can download it for free here:

http://www.zshare.net/download/574679506d03cafd

Feel free to share them with anyone & everyone!

Also, if you're in Southwest Ohio, I'm DJ'ing a fundraiser on May 16th that supports the American Cancer Society. The event is called the "White Out Cancer" party, and even though it supports a serious cause, it actually is a really swank & happenin' party. If interested, details are available here:

http://whiteoutcancer.org

I hope all is well with you & yours.
Cheers,
-Ruckus

Hey Friend!

I just want to let you know that my latest remix is officially out now in digital stores. It's a remix of The Lady Tigra. For those of you who are unfamiliar -- Tigra rose to fame in the 80's rap groupL'Trimm (one of hip-hop's earliest, sassiest and influential female duos), and now she's back with a new album that has not only received critical praise, but has lead to opening shows for Gnarls Barkley and Kanye West.

Fellow Ohio up-and-comer William Russell (who had a remix out on Fool's Gold Records last year) also contributes a remix to the project.

More digital stores will be added in the coming weeks. As well as a vinyl release on Jan. 26th. So stay tuned for options.

To preview / purchase, click:

iTunes Store (U.S.)

Amazon. com Digital Download (U.S.)

....................

Dear Supporter of the Arts,

I just want to send you a BRIEF message, to tell you that:

1. I am DJ'ing in Cincinnati tonight (12/17/08), at Beluga (3520 Edwards Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45208), from 9pm to 2am.

2. I am DJ'ing on New Year's Eve at The Bristol Bar (Corner of 5th & Summit in Columbus OH). Some may be disappointed that it is a ticketed event (there will be an open bar and food served). See the flyer for details.

3. I have recorded a new DJ mix, entitled "Dirty Dancing". It's a live DJ set of Electro / House / Hip-hop. You can download it for free here.

4. I have posted my latest Nickelodeon commercial here.


Happy Holidays,
Your Friend,
-Ruckus

I have posted 2 new videos on my blog -- one is the Progressive Insurance advertisement that features my song "A Child's Introduction to Drums". The second, is my recent collaboration with Nickelodeon to promote their show The Barnyard. Check them out here.

I am please to announce that my remix of The Lady Tigra (former member of L'Trimm) will be officially released on Jan. 13th, 2009. (Released on vinyl and as a digital download). You can get a sneak peak of my remix on my Myspace page. The release will also feature a remix by William Russell (of Fool's Gold fame!)

Dear Supporter of the Arts,

If you care to read about the latest happenings in the world of Ruckus Roboticus, then please read on!

First, I want to thank everyone who has come out to see my new, one-man-band performances -- in Athens, at Cleveland's Ingenuity Festival, at Skully's with Peanut Butter Wolf, at Gilly's, and the Dayton Dirt Collective. Thank you!

Next, some exciting news -- I have a new vinyl 12" out! It features the single "Here We Go" from my album from my debut album (Playing With Scratches), with a remix by the world-reknowned Diesler. The B-side features my contribution to the infamous ""Lesson" series: "Lesson 7: What's Funk?". You can listen to clips of it here, or here.

I have several new videos posted on YouTube for your viewing pleasure. First, an inspired Ruckus Roboticus supporter (Glad Girl), created this video for my Vampire Weekend remix. Second, here's a new video demonstrating my new one-man-band performance (for upcoming performances, see the list at the bottom of this email). I have a couple more entertaining videos in the works... stay tuned!

In other news, those of you who watch TV may hear one of my songs in a Progressive Car Insurance commericial! (The one that explains their "concierge" service). This deal will hopefully keep the Ruckus Roboticus offices out of bankruptcy and the music machine running on full speed. (The commercial has yet to be posted online, but it is airing).

Speaking of the music machine running on full speed, my next release is scheduled to drop at the end of autumn. It's a dance remix of The Lady Tigra's "Switchblade Kitty". You might recall her as one of the MC's from the 80's rap phenomenon L'Trimm. The release will be on vinyl & digital download, and will also feature a remix by William Russell (of Fool's Gold & Le Boom fame). You'll have to wait for the next mailing to get a sneak peek. Also coming soon, are more DJ mixes, more remixes, more shows, more every-thang!

Lastly, I'd like to remind my U.S. citizen readers, who are over the age of 18, to register to vote, so you can participate the Nov. 4th election.

See below for my upcoming shows...

I hope all is well with you & yours. Drop me a line when you get a chance.
Peace,
-Ruckus Roboticus

Upcoming Performances...

09/20/08 - Live Performance @ Peach's Grill (104 Xenia Ave, Yellow Springs OH). With Skratchmatik and Opposame. 9pm / $5

9/25/08 - Live Performance & DJ Set @ The Midpoint Music Festival (The Lodge Bar, 35 E. 7th St., Cincinnati OH). With The Elms, Noctaluca, & Pete Dressman. 8:30pm / $5.

10/10/08 - DJ Set @ The Ohio Art League''s Fundraiser "One Night High" @ the former Experience Columbus Office (90 N. High St., Columbus OH). 8:00pm / $45.

Dear Supporter of the Arts,

If you are interested in what the "Second Hardest Working Man In Show Business" has been up to, then read on! If you are not interested, then I apologize for bothering you with this email!

Since I've last written, I got to DJ in Seoul, South Korea! It was an amazing time thanks to the wonderful promoters, DJs, and my "care-taker" (big shout out to Sean Heaney, Yeon-Ji, and the 360 Crew!)). You can see pictures from my trip here

I also went to Athens, Ohio where I got to DJ @ Dance Or Die (peep the video here). The following night, I unveiled my live one-man/robot-band performance of my music from "Playing With Scratches". You can catch the show throughout the summer, including tomorrow night at the Carabar (Columbus, Ohio)! More dates are listed at the bottom of this email.

On the release front, later this summer Grease is dropping a 12" single of mine which will feature a remix by the world-reknowned producer Diesler. The B-side will feature a monumental track of mine, the next edition in the legendary Lesson Series.... "Lesson 7: What's Funk?". I'll let you know when it hits the stores.

Even later in the summer, I will be releasing my next official remix. It's a remix of "Switchblade Kitty" by The Lady Tigra (former member of the 80's rap sensation L'Trimm). It's will be released on 12" and as a digital single, and will feature a second remix by Fool's Gold remixer William Russell (out of Cleveland). I am very excited about this release!

Speaking of remixes, I just did a quick unofficial one of Vampire Weekend's "Cape Kwassa Kwassa". You can download it here, or listen to it on my Myspace page here.

That's the scoop on the world of Ruckus Roboticus. I hope all is well with you & yours.

Sincerely,
-Ruckus

UPCOMING SHOWS...

June 26th - Live Performance @ Carabar (Columbus, Ohio) , with Hotel Eden, and Juffage

July 18th - Live Performance @ Scully's (Columbus, Ohio), with Peanut Butter Wolf

July 25th - Live Performance @ Ingenuity Festival Festival (Cleveland Ohio)

July 27th - DJ Set @ B-Side Lounge (Cleveland, Ohio)

August 8th - Live Performance @ Gilly's (Dayton Ohio), with In Ten Cities

September 26th - Live Performance @ Midpoint Music Festival (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Dear Diary,

Holy ass, it’s been a long time since I last wrote. So much has happened since then...

Back in mid-March, I got to spin with the world-class DJ, Nigel Richards, at the Therapy Cafe (in Dayton, OH). Some of his tunes were not my cup of tea (he pretty much strictly played house & techno), but hot damn, his mixes were so on point. By the end of his set, I was out on the floor, and went bananas when he dropped my recent favorite track, "Licky". I went .. him (around 2:30am) and managed to squeeze the remaining energy out of the crowd, before we called it a night.

Around the same time, I was the "top mover" of the week on URB.com’s Next 1000. Not sure if that means anything, but with some luck, something good will come of it.

Then at the end of March, the double LP version of "Playing With Scratches" was released, thanks to the support of Groove Distribution. Check the internet and your local listings for availability if you’re interested. Oh, and just so you know, the vinyl includes the exclusive track "Lesson 7: What’s Funk?"; and two vinyl-only scratch-a-long mixes of other songs. It feels somewhat surreal to join the ranks of artists who have committed their music to vinyl... hopefully some people out there will enjoy it!

Around this time, I headed to New York City, to DJ at the Crystal Castles show. Despite a very challenging "work environment" (no DJ booth, wobbly table, shaky equipment, people crammed up against the turntables), I managed to rock the house in before / between / and after bands. A couple of people even picked up on my musical theme of the evening, which was synth pop & electro throughout the ages. To my surprise, all of the bands... Health (experimental noise core rock), Team Robespierre (electronic punk rock), and Apache Beat (rock)... were awesome. Crystal Castles too, f*cking awesome. Their live show consisted of a live drummer keeping the steady-pounding beat, yet keeping it interesting with dope drum fills, that dude on insane in-your-face electronics, and Alice wailing and flailing out the vocals. My only complaint was there "light show", which consisted of the entire room being completely pitch black, and two annoying strobe lights in the audience’s face going non-stop for the entire 45 minute set. After 30 seconds I got a headache, and couldn’t watch.

The rest of my time in NYC was pretty good, thanks to my friends & family who live there (shout outs to Susie, DJ Ohio, David, Simcha, Joel, Ashley, Ben, and my OU peeps). I spent most of my time hanging out around Brooklyn and the Lower East Side. I got to DJ a friend’s party at Rififi’s, which was a sweaty good time. A lot of my friends from college turned up, and it was nice catching up with them.

Pretty much right after that I headed to Bristol, England, where I got to DJ the Solid Steel Club night with DJ Food, DK, United States of Audio, DJ Cheeba, and more. The night was awesome! The club, Timbuk 2, had a unique feel. Dark, dirty, a series of cave-like rooms. Before the show, I had dinner with DJ Food and DK! Conversing face to face with two of my heroes from the DJ world -- that alone made the trip worthwhile. Lucky for me, that was not the only highlight from the trip. Back at the club, the rooms filled up fast with party people eager to get drunk and dance. My set went well, especially when I went into some of my favorite electro house jams -- the crowd really got into it. And the other DJs who performed (I can’t count how many there were -- two rooms with DJs about every hour or two), were so impressive!!! I started to feel inferior compared to their DJ skills, the way they were cutting, juggling, pushing the envelope. My hat goes off to all of them. And I was also blown away by their hospitality. Thanks to all of you!

The next night I headed to Cardiff Wales, to DJ with a fellow Solid Steel Mix Champion, DJ Moneyshot. Man, what a good guy! Nice, hospitable, and hilarious. Cardiff is a really rad town. I like it alot. And when it was time to DJ -- Moneyshot KILLED IT live. Ridiculous. I was a bit embarrassed to go .. him! I’m really going to have to step up my live DJing game. The crowd was great. Good God, they sure party hard in Cardiff!

Well, I make it back to Ohio safely & a bit sick, where I receive some awesome news. I am happy to announce that my entry into the international Modern Beats Contest, earned 2nd place! Quite an honor. You can listen to the top finishers below. But brace yourself, my beat is probably not what you expect. It’s a catchy, minimal, pop piece:

http://www.modernbeats.com/contest-winners.php

Once I’ve recovered, it’s time to finalize my live one man band performance; and finalize my next remix release; and get ready for my DJ trip to Seoul South Korea....

Until next time,
-Ruckus

"Playing With Scratches" is 10 on the CMJ "RPM" radio charts, and 58 on the CMJ Top 200, and is getting airplay from noteworthy taste-makers like KCRW (Los Angeles) and WOXY (Cincinnati)!

PWS also got a review on the super-awesome and well-respected online collective OkayPlayer.com!

Ruckus's Bloc Party Remix was posted on the Vice MP3 Blog!

Just thought you should know!

If you haven't picked up copy of the album, you really should. It's solid. And the proceeds go towards a good cause (keeping Ruckus in a natural habitat, and out of the confines of a cubicle)

Sincerely,
-Ripley T. Snell
Director of Exclamation Points, Ruckus Roboticus Ltd.