Nobody in the English-language music press seems to be reporting it–even at Pitchfork, which is usually on top of these things–but Klaus Dinger, cofounder of krautrock greats Neu! and La Dusseldorf, died of heart failure on March 21. He was four days shy of his 62nd birthday.

Dinger was a composer and drummer, most responsible for the “motorik” rhythm that defined early Kraftwerk, Neu!, and much of the small “krautrock” movement. He and the other half of Neu!, Michael Rother, also anticipated the remix trend when they ran out of money for their second album and simply filled one side with versions of two previously released songs that they had manipulated by speeding up, slowing down, and warping tape.

Dinger’s second band, La Dusseldorf had a tremendous influence on the work of Brian Eno and David Bowie, particularly their “German” collaborations on Low, Heroes, and Lodger.

Still, Neu! remains Dinger’s definitive work. The below video isn’t terribly interesting to look at, but does feature the band’s signature song, “Hallogallo.”

So long, Klaus.

Kev Brown, who is a featured producer at Friday’s BeatDown producer showcase at Club Five, breaks down the secrets to his production style in this great video:

One of the region’s production stars, Kev has worked with the likes of De La Soul, Marley Marl, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Raheem Devaughn, Biz Markie, and a number of local hip-hop artists. With his process firmly rooted in the MPC based technique of beat making, he has forged a unique sound that pays homage to such greats as Pete Rock and the late J-Dilla. Definitely check him out on Friday–it should be a great event with a number of talented producers and hip hop acts on the bill.

Also: Kev and Los Angeles’ LMNO have just released a collaborative project entitled ‘Selective Hearing’ on Up Above Records. Support that real hip hop!

Double Bonus: Kev Brown and Kaimber at last month’s J-Dilla Tribute at XM performing a cover of “The Official”

Last Friday, the Ruby Suns opened for locals Le Loup at the Black Cat. My camera only had enough juice for the Ruby Suns.

I couldn’t believe that the Suns took an opening slot. The New Zealand trio’s new album–Sea Lion–is amazing. I can claim some amount of ownership since I dug their debut a few years back. But this one is a huge leap–ping-ponging between afro-pop references, ’80s dance beats, and zany psych interludes. It’s what Neutral Milk Hotel would sound like now.

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Arizona DJ Ruthless Ramsey is featured in this YouTube video ’scratching’ tapes on two commercial boomboxes hooked up via a DJ mixer. An aspiring DJ since his younger days, he wound up as a tape jockey when he was on welfare and couldn’t afford a pair of turntables.

It’s nice to see someone bring this level of innovation back to the field of DJing. After all, this is where hip-hop comes from–taking what you have and making it fresh. While the horde of hunched-over laptop DJs have reformatted the artform by clicking and dragging their way into the future, it’s nice to see someone rewind the game back to its essence.

More on tape scratching:

Last week, when I interviewed Child Ballads for another local publication, singer/guitarist Stuart Lupton told me that when the band performed on Wednesday at Velvet Lounge the line-up would be him and guitarist Luke Wyatt performing a song heavily influenced by the work of director Michael Mann. So I kind of expected something along these lines.

That’s not necessarily what transpired, however. Instead, Lupton spent most of the evening reading his poetry and sharing the stage with former Cramps/Gun Club/Bad Seeds guitarist Kid Congo Powers (who read from of his memoirs). When Child Ballads finally performed they did not conjure the ghost of Sonny Crockett so much as that of J. Spaceman. But I dunno, maybe that’s for the best.

Before the start of St. Vincent’s show last night at the Rock & Roll Hotel, the front row politely filled up with a squad of shutterbugs. This indie paparazzi broke down into two camps: sheepish girls with slumped shoulders and super-serious boys. (Full disclosure: I was one of those super-serious boys. I recorded the video above.)

One boy wasn’t a boy at all. He was a grown man. And he wanted everyone to know he was just a little more pro than the rest. He had a resume of old images. He shared it, running down a list of bands whose souls he’s captured. He added–presumably filed under other specialties–”I also shot a lot of parties. Nightlife.” Then he mentioned that he had shot Coldplay.

This is what an indie-darling-of-the-moment must face. St. Vincent (real name Annie Clark) released her debut album, Marry Me, last year. Clark had done time in the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens‘ band. It’s not a bad resume. But it’s still a huge leap from being just another robe among the Spree and just another ironic cheerleader in Stevens’ traveling folk-art pop circus to a singer with her own songs and a blogosphere willing to make her every utterance a viral affair.
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This just in: A new Beach House video. Its for “You Came To Me” off their upcoming album, Devotion, and directed by Baltimore underground film legend Skizz Cyzyk. I can’t think of a better video to wake up to on this shit morning:

So Christian came up with this look for last night’s female-wrestler-centric episode of Project Runway:

And I’m like, “Wasn’t that in Snoop’s video?”

Perhaps if Mitt Romney had given more publicity to this (spookily) impassioned musical tribute, he’d have had a more enduring presidential campaign…

Hell yeah, this is the best one yet. The arts-and-crafts Haterade bottle is par for the course, but the shark sets it off:

Previously on Black Plastic Bag: Trippin Troy Is Highly Resourceful