What’s it like in Kool Keith’s head? Awesome as fuck, but once you come out, the rest of the world is just like a blank gray screen. But whatever, it’s worth it. Since Kool Keith is playing in a matter of MINUTES, we asked our contestants to pick a YouTube to inspire his next album. We got some weird entries, trust us. But first prize—which is TWO TICKETS to the show AND the Critical Beatdown LP—goes to…

FIRST PRIZE: K.R. with “MUD BUTT”

Gotta say, this has tons of Keith-ian potential. Twilight Zone + bodily functions (“doo doo”) is a formula Keith could really explode. A whole album about how food is out to kill you in unexpected ways … and then people try and make you listen to music you don’t wanna hear? That’ll work fine. Congrats, K.R.! You get two tickets AND there will be an LP of Critical Beatdown waiting at the show for you!

SECOND PRIZE: ANTONIO A. with “SEXY WHITE GIRL BOOTY BOUNCE”

We couldn’t say no to this impassioned argument: “No matter what music search I’m doing, YouTube always leads me in the direction of white girls doing booty bouncing videos. I’m pretty sure this concept will be nixed immediately but I had to throw it out there. Affirmative action in the form of White Booty. These girls are flipping the game!” A new twist on a classic? Sure. Enjoy your two free tickets! Pick ‘em up at the door.

RUNNERS UP

Many of these rule yet Keith’s discography encompasses so much … it took some tough calls.But thanks for entering. You will all be on the discount list tonight!

DANA D. “SANDI AND SALLY”

TYSON H. “TRANSFORMERS PIMP”

JONAS W. “HOMER SCRATCHING”

(A Keith Simpsons album could be killer…)

RSVP TO RSVP@LARECORD.COM WITH SUBJECT ‘KOOL’ FOR $5 DISCOUNT OR WIN TICKETS HERE!

UPDATE: Discount RSVP closes at 5! Email rsvp@larecord.com subj KOOL now to get $5 off! DISCOUNT RSVP CLOSED!

So… Kool Keith just rolled into town and grabbed after us to do a show, and we knew a spot and so … here we are! The halfmanhalfweirdaliashalfblackelvis himself appearing live at Dark Horse a.k.a. Bordello at 901 E. 1st St. downtown with support from L.A. wordmutilators and L.A. RECORD alums Nocando and Busdriver! Plus DJs Denis Deft, Yeti Beats and Zane from Killing Spree!

$20 gets everyone else in BUT since you are reading larecord.com we can get a little better—just RSVP to rsvp@larecord.com with subject KOOL and you will get $5 off and get in for $15.

And if that is not better enough? OK—then email rsvp@larecord.com with subject KEITH and a YouTube of something you think should inspire the next Kool Keith album and the koolkeithiest will win two tickets! (And we’ll add all contestants to the $15 list so you can still get in cheaper even if you don’t win!)

Is THAT not better enough? OK—first prize will win TWO TICKETS and a vinyl LP of Critical Beatdown, the first LP by Kool Keith’s first band the Ultramagnetic MCs, courtesy of Chris having an extra in his collection. (It’s in very nice shape, don’t you worry, nerdos.) And second prize will get the two tickets only.

That good? Get to emailing and see you Saturday!

L.A. RECORD PRESENTS KOOL KEITH WITH NOCANDO AND BUSDRIVER PLUS DJs DENIS DEFT, YETI BEATS AND ZANE (KILLING SPREE) ON SAT., JULY 9, AT DARK HORSE, 901 E. 1ST ST., DOWNTOWN. 9 PM / $20 / $15 WITH RSVP TO RSVP@LARECORD.COM AND SUBJECT “KOOL” / 21+.

Download: Busdriver x Flying Lotus “Man Baby // Computer Face // Pure Being”

(from the Computer Cooties mixtape—also featuring Free The Robots, Holy Fuck, Daedelus and more—releasing this summer!)

Here’s a list only focusing on the electronic side of sounds from this newest previous decade.  One strong caveat to avoid bad taste: I am exempting any sounds I had even the slightest part of, even if I think them to be strong contenders for this list.  Sorry Madvillian, Jogger, Long Lost, etc!

Vex’d – Degenerate
Shena Ringo – Kalk Samen Kurinohana
Mr. Oizo – Moustache (Half a Scissor)
Dizzee Rascal – Boy In Da Corner
Venetian Snares – The Chocolate Wheelchair Album
Busdriver – Temporary Forever
Bullion – Pet Sounds: In The Key Of Dee
Zomby – One Foot Ahead Of The Other
Chessie – Overnight
Quasimoto – The Further Adventures of Lord Quas

Thank you for the possibility to join in the fun!

-Daedelus

Download: Michael Nhat “I Love Bread” Mixtape

Rapper Michael Nhat’s new self-titled album releases Tuesday, Oct. 27, on How To Be A Microwave and his record release show is this Saturday at the House of Vermont. He presents L.A. RECORD with a mixtape—which he titled I Love Bread—and a story to go with every song.

Mozart “Fantasy In F Minor”
One of my girlfriends in 1997 played it live at her school and it made me really appreciate classical music because I didn’t before.

Sonic Youth “Panty Lies”
This song influenced me to start rapping. I had been doing it for fun but this one encouraged me to rap professionally. When people ask me one of my greatest influences, I refer to this—Kim Gordon and Sonic Youth.

Wu-Tang Clan “Can It Be It Was All So Simple”
This is what I was listening to in 1993. I bought my first 4-track and was making music for fun. I played this a lot. The beats and the music inspired me because it was at a time when rap had just finished its MC Hammer era and they were dividing themselves on East and West Coast. And I was East Coast.

Wayne Newton “Danke Schoen”
When I was a kid I heard it in the Ferris Bueller’s Day Off movie. I didn’t know who sang it. But this song started my obsession with hunting down songs I would hear places. This was before the Internet.

Etta James “Trust In Me”
This came on in Chicago at a party on the Southside, and it was my first time encountering her. I immediately liked it. I wish I could sound like Etta James.

PJ Harvey “Is That All There Is?”
I heard it when it first came out in 1996 and maybe a little after that my dad died. This is the first song I played after that so it takes me back there.

Radiohead “Fitter Happier”
The writing of this song is probably the deepest influence in how I write my songs. It changed how I see the writing process. I didn’t get it at first. I just liked it for music’s sake. But as I started paying attention—I would say I emulate this style, as opposed to what everyone else confuses me with. People think I am influenced by Anticon and Busdriver. I am not. I’d never even heard of these people until I moved out here.

Johnny Mathis “It’s Not For Me To Say”
This was when I decided to quit making music as a hobby in 1997. I wanted to be normal and go to school and get a job. I had a daughter and this makes me think of her. I was going to school for film and I made a short and put this song in for her.

Otis Redding “I’ve Got Dreams”
This reminds me of the last time I robbed a house. We were looking up obituaries and found someone who had just died and went to his place. We tried to get as much as we could, but ended up just with his guns and sold them. This was something I’d been doing since I was 16. Also at that time, I got in trouble for storing crack for a friend. My dad found it and flushed it down the toilet. My friends thought I sold it or smoked it.

Sesame Street Kid “Sesame Street”
In Iowa at the parties, DJs would play songs like this at the end of their set. It opened my ears to this type of funny happy song. I started collecting songs like that. Eventually this began to influence my music, which is why my songs are so poppy.

MICHAEL NHAT WITH VOICE ON TAPE, HALLOWEEN SWIM TEAM, NARWHAL PARTY, REDEMER, BLUE TAPE RED TAPE AND LUNA IS HONEY ON SAT., OCT. 24, AT THE RELEASE PARTY FOR MICHAEL NHAT’S SELF-TITLED ALBUM AT THE HOUSE OF VERMONT, 1515 S. VERMONT AVE., LOS ANGELES. 9 PM / DONATIONS / ALL AGES. HOWTOBEAMICROWAVE.COM. MICHAEL NHAT’S SELF-TITLED ALBUM RELEASES TUE., OCT. 27, ON HOW TO BE A MICROWAVE. VISIT MICHAEL NHAT AT MICHAELNHAT.COM OR MYSPACE.COM/MICHAELNHAT.