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The Final Album is the name of the last album of Modern Talking. It was released in 2003 by BMG International, and is a singles collection from 1984 to 2003.

Track listing[link]

Immortal Technique
Immortal Technique performing in March 2010.
Background information
Birth name	Felipe Andres Coronel
Born	(1978-02-19) February 19, 1978 (age 34) Lima, Lima Province, Peru[1]
Origin	Harlem, New York, United States
Genres	East Coast hip hop, alternative hip hop, political hip hop, Underground Hip Hop, Hardcore Hip Hop
Occupations	Rapper
Years active	2000–present
Labels	Viper Records
Associated acts	Akir, Diabolic, Lowkey, Chino XL, DJ Green Lantern, La Coka Nostra, Jean Grae, Rockin' Squat, Mos Def, Dead Prez, Ras Kass, Krs-One, Pumpkinhead, Reppin MG
Website	myspace.com/immortaltechnique

Felipe Andres Coronel (born February 19, 1978), better known by the stage name Immortal Technique, is an American rapper of Afro-Peruvian descent as well as an urban activist. He was born in Lima, Peru and raised in Harlem, New York.^[2] Most of his lyrics focus on controversial issues in global politics. The views expressed in his lyrics are largely commentary on issues such as class struggle, poverty, religion, government and institutional racism.

Immortal Technique has voiced a desire to retain control over his production,^[3] and has stated in his music that record companies, not artists themselves, profit the most from mass production and marketing of music. He claimed in an interview to have sold close to 200,000 copies of his three official releases.^[4]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Coronel is African-Peruvian and was born in 1978 in a military hospital in Lima.^[1] His family emigrated in 1980 to Harlem.^[5] During his teenage years he was arrested multiple times due in part to what he has said was "selfish and childish" behavior. He attended Hunter College High School on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Shortly after enrolling in Pennsylvania State University, he was arrested and charged with assault-related offenses due to his involvement in an altercation between fellow students, the charges stemming from this incident led to him being incarcerated for a year.^[1][6] After being paroled, he took political science classes at Baruch College in New York City for two semesters at the behest of his father, who allowed Coronel to live with him on the condition that he go to school.^[7] Honing his rapping skills in jail, and unable to find decent wage-paying employment after his release, Coronel began selling his music on the streets of New York while battling with MCs whenever the opportunity arose.^[8][9][10] This, coupled with his victories in numerous freestyle rap competitions of the New York underground hip hop scene such as Rocksteady Anniversary, Braggin Rites and others, led to his reputation as a ferocious Battle MC.^[11]

Revolutionary Vol.1 and Vol.2[link]

In 2001, Immortal Technique released his first album Revolutionary Vol. 1 without the help of a record label or distribution, instead using money earned from his rap battle triumphs^[11]. He also battled but lost to Posta Boy in 106 & Park's Freestyle Friday. Revolutionary Vol. 1 also contained the underground classic Dance With The Devil. In November 2002, he was listed by The Source in its "Unsigned Hype" column, highlighting artists that are not signed to a record label. The following year, in September 2003, he received the coveted "Hip Hop Quotable" in The Source for a song entitled "Industrial Revolution" from his second album. Immortal Technique is the only rapper in history to have a "Hip Hop Quotable" while being unsigned.^[11] He released his second album Revolutionary Vol. 2 in 2003. In 2004, Viper Records and, in 2005, Babygrande Records re-released Immortal Technique's debut, Revolutionary Vol. 1, to make it available to a wider audience. "Point of No Return" from Revolutionary Vol 2 was used as the entrance theme for Rashad Evans during the UFC 88 Main Event between Chuck Liddell and Rashad Evans.

Revolutionary Vol.3 and The Middle Passage[link]

Immortal Technique (left) at the Roskilde Festival, 2006.

Between 2005 and 2007 Immortal Technique began working on The Middle Passage and The 3rd World, the two albums that would serve a follow up to Revolutionary Vol. 2 and complete the series. He was also featured on several movie soundtracks and video game soundtracks, all the while touring relentlessly and becoming heavily involved in visiting prisons to speak to youth and working with immigrant rights activists and raising tens of thousands of dollars for children’s hospitals overseas. He invested his money not in items that are usually associated with fame but rather in large pieces of farmland in Latin America. He created a writing grant program for high school students as well.^[12]

The Martyr[link]

In October 2011 Immortal Technique released The Martyr, a free compilation album of previously unreleased material and new tracks. ^[13]

Collaborations[link]

The summer of 2005 saw the release of "Bin Laden", a vinyl single 12" featuring Mos Def and DJ Green Lantern. The single also contained a remix of the song featured Chuck D of Public Enemy and KRS-One. In early 2006, the song "Impeach the President", featuring Dead Prez and Saigon turned up in the mixtape "Alive on Arrival" DJ Green Lantern. This is a simple version of The Honeydrippers, 1973, in which Immortal Technique urged fans to organize a vote of censure against George W. Bush. In April 2009, a new song leaked on the internet named "Democratie Fasciste (Article 4)" by Brazilian-French rapper Rockin' Squat which featured Immortal Technique. The official release of the song and Rockin' Squat's album Confessions D'un Enfant Du Siècle Volume 2 was on May 12, 2009. The instrumental from the song was sampled from Wendy Rene's "After Laughter". The song expresses the inequalities of the Third World and revolutionary events throughout history against tyranny and oppression. The song contains lyrics in English (Immortal Technique), French (Rockin' Squat) and brief shout outs in Spanish (Immortal Technique). This song is Immortal Technique's first official international collaboration.^[14] In early 2009, it was announced that there would be a collaboration between Technique and UK underground artist Lowkey, on a single called "Voices of the Voiceless". On September 11, 2009, a "snippet" of the song was released on YouTube.^[15] The preview was released ahead of its September 21 launch on iTunes, as part of a web-campaign that included updates, promotion and links on forums, E-Magazines and several social networking sites. The song's lyrics cover a broad range of issues that are familiar to listeners of both artists – racism, world revolution, war, socialism, government control, rape, famine, colonialism, Classism, self-determination and the war in Iraq.^[16]

Charitable work[link]

Immortal Technique performing in March 2010.

In June 2008, Immortal Technique partnered with Omeid International, a Non–Profit Human Rights Organization, to lend his support. He dubbed the work as "The Green Light Project". With the profits of The 3rd World album, Immortal Technique traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan to help Omeid build an orphanage without any corporate or external funding. The orphanage, having been successfully established, currently houses over 20 orphaned children from Kabul.^[17]

Films[link]

[edit] The (R)evolution of Immortal Technique

A documentary about Immortal Technique was released in September 2011 and premiered at the Harlem Film Festival.^[18]

[edit] This Revolution

Immortal Technique appeared as himself in a docudrama film entitled This Revolution, which was recorded during the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York. The tape contains the protests surrounding the convention in the form of a documentary. It also featured Viper Records affiliates Akir and producer SouthPaw in roles.

Since then Immortal Technique has taken control of Viper Records and has signed a distribution deal with Babygrande Records / E1 Entertainment to vent to their next album. SouthPaw has managed to establish himself as A&R of Viper Records.

Discography[link]

Studio Albums[link]

Compilation Albums[link]

• 2011: The Martyr

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Find more about Immortal Technique on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Images and media from Commons
	Quotations from Wikiquote

• Official website
• Immortal Technique on Twitter
• Immortal Technique on Myspace
• Immortal Technique at Allmusic
• Immortal Technique at MTV
• Immortal Technique at AllRovi
• Immortal Technique at the Internet Movie Database

Alexander George Clare (born 14 September 1985 in Southwark, London, England) is a British singer-songwriter.^[1] His debut album, The Lateness of the Hour, was released in the UK on 11 July 2011 on Island Records^[2] and was produced by Mike Spencer and Major Lazer.^[3]

Clare adopted his current stage name, Alex Clare, in 2010, replacing Alexander G. Muertos, a pseudonym he first used whilst still at school.

Early life[link]

Clare was born in Southwark, London. He grew up listening to his father’s jazz records and was drawn to blues and soul (Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder), which eventually led to interests in drum and bass and UK garage. Though Clare took up the trumpet and drums as a youngster, he eventually placed an emphasis on guitar and songwriting, playing open mike nights with original material.^{[citation needed]}

Music career[link]

A demo earned him a deal with the Island label in the UK. His debut album, The Lateness of the Hour, produced by Mike Spencer and Major Lazer^[3] was released in July 2011. The first single from the album was "Up All Night", followed by "Too Close" and "Treading Water".

On 19 May 2011, Reggie Yates made Alex Clare's cover of Prince's "When Doves Cry" his Song of the Day.^[4] A day later, the Dutch radio station 3FM announced single "Too Close" to be the '3FM's Megahit of that week.^[5]

On 21 June 2011, Clare performed at the Queens' College, Cambridge May Ball.^[6] On 14 August 2011, Clare performed at the Summer Well festival in Buftea, Romania.

Following the disappointing performance of the album, Clare was dropped from his record contract with Universal Island in the UK.^[7]

In 2012, Clare's song "Too Close" was featured in an Internet Explorer 9 commercial.^[8] Following its use in the commercial, the song debuted at #68 on the US Billboard Hot 100^[9] Clare saw success on the German charts too, topping the charts at #1. On 16 May, Clare's song peaked at #4 on the UK Singles Chart.^[10]

Personal life[link]

Clare is a practicing Shomer Shabbat Jew, refusing to perform, travel or work on the Jewish Sabbath or religious Holidays. He lives in Golders Green, North London but often travels to Jerusalem when his work permits.

Before gaining critical success, Clare dated singer Amy Winehouse for a year. They met while he performed and worked at a bar she frequented, The Hawley Arms in Camden, North London.^[11]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Singles[link]

Music videos[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2011)

Sub Focus
Background information
Birth name	Nick Douwma
Origin	Guildford, England
Genres	Drum and bass, dubstep, house, electro
Occupations	Songwriter, musician, audio mixing, record producer, DJ
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Ram Records
Associated acts	Pendulum, TC, Danny Wheeler, Coco Sumner, The Prodigy, Chase & Status
Website	subfocus.com

Nick Douwma, better known by his stage name Sub Focus, is an English Electronic Music record producer. He has been releasing records since 2003.^[1] On 12 October 2009, he released his self-titled debut album. He plans to release a second album in 2012.^[2]

Chart success[link]

In March 2005 he had a number one single on the UK Dance Chart with "X-Ray / Scarecrow". The single reached number 60 on the UK Singles Chart.^[3] In June 2008, he hit number one on the UK Dance Chart again with "Timewarp / Join the Dots". In August 2009, he cracked the UK Top 40 for the first time with "Rock It / Follow the Light", which reached number 38.^[4] "Rock It / Follow the Light" also got him a third UK Dance Chart #1, as well as reaching the B-List of BBC Radio 1's playlist.

Sub Focus has also remixed selected works of The Prodigy, Deadmau5, Rusko, Dr. Octagon, Empire of the Sun and Dizzee Rascal.

On 6 October 2009, Sub Focus released "Smooth" which was free to download.

In 2010, Sub Focus was a support act for Australian drum & bass band Pendulum on their UK tour to promote their third album Immersion.^[5] Later that year, he produced the Example track "Kickstarts" for his second album, Won't Go Quietly. The track was successful in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at #3.^[6] This makes it Sub Focus' most commercially successful production to date.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

[A] "Falling Down will be re-released. It will consist of the original version, VIP Mix, xKore Remix & Nick Thayer Remix.

Remixes[link]

Guest appearances and collaborations[link]

VIP mixes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sub Focus on Myspace
• Sub Focus on Facebook
• Sub Focus on Twitter
• Sub Focus discography at Discogs

Iron & Wine
Beam at a 2006 concert at Brooklyn's McCarren Park Pool
Background information
Birth name	Samuel Beam
Born	(1974-07-26) July 26, 1974 (age 37) Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S.
Genres	Folk Folk rock
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar, Banjo
Labels	Sub Pop Warner Bros./4AD
Associated acts	Calexico, Rosie Thomas
Website	www.ironandwine.com

Iron & Wine's performance at the Swedish American Hall in San Francisco

Samuel Beam (born July 26, 1974), better known by his stage and recording name Iron & Wine, is an American singer-songwriter. He has released four studio albums, several EPs and singles, as well as a few download-only releases, which include a live album (a recording of his 2005 Bonnaroo performance). He occasionally tours with a full band.^[1]

Beam was raised in South Carolina before moving to Virginia and then Florida to attend school. He now resides in Dripping Springs, near Austin, Texas.^[2] The name Iron & Wine is taken from a dietary supplement named "Beef Iron & Wine" that he found in a general store while shooting a film.^[3][4]

Early life[link]

Beam was raised in Chapin, South Carolina, where his father worked in land management and his mother was a schoolteacher. When he was a child, his family took regular trips to the country, where his grandfather ran a farm. He attended Seven Oaks Elementary School, Irmo Middle School, and Chapin High School. While home from college, he was a waiter at California Dreaming restaurant in Columbia. Beam earned a bachelor's degree in art from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.^[5] He specialized in painting. He graduated from the Florida State University Film School with an MFA degree. Before the release of the first Iron & Wine album, Beam's main source of income was as a professor of film and cinematography at the University of Miami and Miami International University of Art & Design.^[6] He had been writing songs for over seven years before a friend lent him a four-track recorder. He began making demos and gave one to his friend Michael Bridwell, brother of Band of Horses lead singer, Ben Bridwell. Michael handed it to Mike McGonigal, editor of Yeti magazine, who chose "Dead Man's Will", later released on In the Reins, for inclusion on one of his magazine's compilation CDs. Beam later came to the attention of Sub Pop Records co-owner, Jonathan Poneman, who contacted Beam to propose a deal.^{[7][8][9][10]}

Musical career[link]

Beam released his first Iron & Wine album, The Creek Drank the Cradle, on the Sub Pop label in 2002. Beam wrote, performed, recorded and produced the album in his home studio. Featuring acoustic guitars, banjo, and slide guitar, the album's music has been compared to that of Nick Drake,^[11] Simon and Garfunkel,^[12] Elliott Smith, Neil Young and John Fahey.

Also in 2002, Beam recorded a cover of The Postal Service's then-unreleased song "Such Great Heights". Rather than being included on an Iron & Wine release, the track was initially included as a b-side of the original version by The Postal Service. It was later included on the B-sides and rarities album, Around the Well. He then followed up on his debut album in 2003 with The Sea & The Rhythm, an EP containing other home-recorded tracks with a similar style to the songs on the debut.

Beam's second full-length album, Our Endless Numbered Days (2004), was recorded in a professional studio with a significant increase in fidelity. Produced in Chicago by Brian Deck, the focus was still on acoustic material, but the inclusion of other band members gave rise to a slightly different sound. That same year, he recorded the song "The Trapeze Swinger" for the film In Good Company, and had his version of "Such Great Heights" featured in an advertisement for M&M's and in the film and soundtrack for Garden State. This version was later used in a 2006 Ask.com advertisement, and eventually released as a single in 2006 backed with recordings of "The Trapeze Swinger" and "Naked as We Came" made for Radio Vienna.

In February 2005, he released an EP entitled Woman King, which expanded on the sounds of his previous LP with the addition of electric guitars. Each track features a spiritual female figure, and had subtle Biblical undertones.

The EP In the Reins, a collaboration with the Arizona-based rock band Calexico, was released in September 2005. Beam wrote all of the EP's songs years earlier, but Calexico added their trademark fusion of southwestern rock, traditional Mexican music and jazz to the songs' arrangements. Several tracks, most notably, "Burn That Broken Bed", feature brass instruments, a first for Beam's music.^[13]

The third full-length Iron & Wine album, entitled The Shepherd's Dog, was released September 25, 2007.^[14] This album was voted one of the ten best of 2007 by Paste magazine.^[15] Contributors included Joey Burns and Paul Niehaus of Calexico, as well as jazz musicians Matt Lux and Rob Burger.^[16] When asked to describe the album to The Independent, Beam remarked that "it's not a political propaganda record, but it's definitely inspired by political confusion, because I was really taken aback when Bush got reelected."^[17]

Beam has released most of his music on iTunes, including several exclusive EPs. The Iron & Wine iTunes Exclusive EP features unreleased studio recordings, including a Stereolab cover and two tracks which had previously only appeared on vinyl. The Live Session (iTunes Exclusive) features Beam and his sister, Sarah Beam, performing a number of tracks from his albums, as well as a cover of New Order's "Love Vigilantes". Sarah Beam has contributed backing vocals on many of Beam's studio recordings.

Beam's music has appeared in television series such as Grey's Anatomy, The L Word and House M.D. "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" was used in the film Twilight. The song was specifically chosen for the film's prom scene by Kristen Stewart, the female lead, and appears on the film's soundtrack.

The B-sides and rarities album Around the Well was released in 2009. Iron & Wine also contributed the song "Stolen Houses (Die)" to the AIDS benefit album Dark Was the Night produced by the Red Hot Organization.

On November 26, 2010 Iron & Wine released a special edition Record Store Day Black Friday 12" vinyl and CD single called, Walking Far From Home for independent record stores.

Kiss Each Other Clean, Iron & Wine's fourth full-length album, was released on January 25, 2011 on Warner Bros. Records in North America and 4AD for the rest of the world.^[18] With this album, Beam blends his earlier styles with a stronger pop influence.^[19]

Personal life[link]

Beam, his wife Kim and their five daughters live in Dripping Springs near Austin, Texas.^[5][8][20]

Discography[link]

Studio, compilations, live albums and EPs[link]

Singles[link]

• "Call Your Boys" b/w "Dearest Forsaken" via Sub Pop Singles Club (CD + Clear 7" Vinyl) (2002)
• "No Moon" b/w "Sinning Hands" (Limited 7" Vinyl Bonus with first Pressing of Our Endless Numbered Days) (2004)
• "Passing Afternoon" (CD only) (2004)
• "The Trapeze Swinger" (iTunes only) (2005)
• "Such Great Heights" (UK only CD) (2006)
• "Boy with a Coin" (CD + UK only 10" Vinyl) (2007)
• "Dark Eyes" (Bob Dylan cover w/ Calexico) (2007)
• "Lovesong of the Buzzard" (CD + UK only 10" Vinyl) (2008)
• "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" (iTunes only) (2008)
• "Walking Far from Home" (2010)

Other contributions[link]

• The O.C. Soundtrack (2004) – "The Sea & the Rhythm"
• Garden State Soundtrack (2004) – "Such Great Heights"
• Sweetheart: Love Songs (2004) – "Ab's Song" (The Marshall Tucker Band cover)
• L Word: Season Two soundtrack (2004) – "Naked as We Came"
• Grey's Anatomy: Season Two soundtrack (2004) – "Naked as We Came"
• In Good Company (2004) – "Naked as We Came," "Sunset Soon Forgotten," "The Trapeze Swinger"
• Fighting in a Sack (2004) – "New Slang (Featuring Iron & Wine)[Live]"
• KCRW Sounds Eclectic Volume 3 (2005) – "Waitin' for a Superman" (Flaming Lips cover)
• I Am a Cold Rock. I Am Dull Grass. (2006) – "We All, Us Three, Will Ride"
• I'm Not There soundtrack (2007) – "Dark Eyes" (with Calexico)
• The Road Mix Volume 3, music from One Tree Hill (2007) – "He Lays in the Reins" (with Calexico)
• Acoustic 07 (2007) – "Naked as We Came"
• Numb3rs Season 3, Episode 19, "Pandora's Box" (2007) – "Naked as We Came"
• Friday Night Lights Season 1, Episode 12 (2007) – "Upward Over the Mountain"
• Friday Night Lights: Original Television Soundtrack (2007) – "Dead Man's Will" (with Calexico)
• Twilight soundtrack (2008) – "Flightless Bird, American Mouth"
• Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn soundtrack (2011) - "Flightless Bird, American Mouth (wedding version)"
• 90210 Season 1, Episode 18, "Off the Rails" (2008) – "Cinder & Smoke"
• House M.D.
  • Season 4, Episode 16 (Season Finale, Part 2) Wilson's Heart (2008) – "Passing Afternoon"
  • Season 6, Episode 1 (Season Premiere, Part 1) Broken (2009) – "Love Vigilantes" (New Order cover)
• Dark Was the Night (2009) – "Stolen Houses (Die)"
• Ugly Betty Season 3, Episode 16 (2009) – "Naked as We Came"
• The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (2009) – "Naked as We Came"
• Misfits Season 1, Episode 6 (2009) – "Such Great Heights"
• TiMER (2009) – "The Trapeze Swinger"
• The Last Song soundtrack (2010) – "Each Coming Night"
• Degrassi (season 10) Episode 31, Halo Part. 2 (2010) - "Passing Afternoon"

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Iron & Wine

• Official site