Portland ranked #3 for best music scene

Forget that the ranking focuses mainly on our well-known indie rock scene. Portland has a vibrant nightlife that did factor into the ranking in Livability.com's list of the top scenes in the country. And, personally, we feel that the rising electronic scene here is a huge part of that. And that means that YOU, you crazy party animals, you, are a factor in this city's overall awesomeness. It's nice for Portland to get some recognition on just how darned cool it is, but honestly, we're not quite sure why we didn't make #1...

http://www.kgw.com/lifestyle/Site-votes-Portland-3-for-music-scenes-144412535.html?c=n

DJs! Win a chance to play Nocturnal Wonderland in Texas!

Insomniac Productions, the team responsible for some of the largest parties in the country, such as Electric Daisy Carnival (come on, you've all heard of them), is giving all of you worthy, and possibly unworthy, DJs the opportunity to do an opening set at this year's Nocturnal Wonderland in Texas. All you have to do for consideration is upload a 30-minute set, tag it properly, upload your track-list, and get over 100 plays to be considered on the "short list" (though I'm personally suspicious that short list might grow to be a pretty large list after word spreads -- make your mix count!). So, go forth, all you aspiring Aokis and Skrillexi, make your mixes, flood your facebook streams with pleas for plays, spam (annoy) your friends, and make those fellas at Insomniac take notice!

Follow the link to learn more about Insomniac's On Cue DJ Competition:

http://www.mixcloud.com/competitions/OnCue/

Absolut Swedish House Mafia

We're not quite sure what this video actually has to do with vodka, but who the hell cares with Swedish House Mafia providing the music and these super cool Tron-goes-BurningMan effects? Check out the video on YouTube and watch through the end for the chance to remix the track!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmlRK8Da6GE

Free Tunes from OWSLA!

Who doesn't like free music? Crazy people, that's who. And, though you all may have a touch of the "cray", we still think you're all with it enough to appreciate some free music from a great label, such as OWSLA. So, friends, go get your download on!

http://www.beatport.com/release/owsla-presents-free-treats-vol-2/878698

Spring Fever

We've just received four inches of snow in the Portland area in the middle of March, yet all we can think about is a return of the sun. Ever try handing out flyers outside of an event in the rain? It's a way of life for the Cubers in the winter months. But with an eye on the changing of the seasons, here's something cool that'll keep those eyes looking hip when the time comes. I'm just wishing we could get these suckers with prescription lenses (one of us has already emailed the company to check, with a disappointing "no"). Did we mention that they're local?

http://shwoodshop.com/collections/all

Local radio rocks!

Portland has a new community radio station, KZME, broadcasting on 107.1fm, featuring all local music! What does this mean for you? Well, we'll tell you! One of Red Cube's own DJs, Evan Alexander, is now hosting a weekly broadcast, Saturdays from 8-10pm, featuring guest DJs from Portland and the surrounding areas! We hope you'll join us in finally hearing some great electronic tunes on the airwaves! You can also tune in directly on the website:

http://www.kzme.fm/listen-now/

As of yesterday, it's been 15 years since Biggie Smalls passed

We remember an artist that revolutionized hip hop, left his mark on the entire scene, and forever changed things in the short amount of time he was on this planet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk4ftn4PArg

Sometimes a symbol of support is just beautiful

We at Red Cube appreciate the beauty of people joining together and find this to be pretty awesome:

For the Korean National Red Cross, about 3,000 Baekseok University students gathered at a ski resort to create an enormous drop of blood to celebrate the Wold Blood Donor Day.