2 of my loves together - the Black Ghosts and Legos!:
The Black Ghosts are on Southern Fried Records. They have a lot of pretty dope stuff up on their podcast. The Black Ghosts' mixes are good and the hour long Van Helden one is great too.
I used to be way more into Halloween before I moved to the city. More pumpkins, leaves, fallishness, etc. around. I still try to get into it though. Last night I carved a Busy P(umpkin)...
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| Busy P(umpkin) |
A bunch of random stuff I've been meaning to post, all involving Frenchies...
Blender interviews Justice
Kavinsky dancing - priceless:
Justice's debut album not called "Cross"?!
French rockers, Phoenix are working on their 4th album, due out next year.
The new Cassius album, 15 Again was released in the US this week.
I can't believe this show was almost 2 months ago. A good one though nonetheless. Hit Studio B about 1 with Eddie in tow. He had been away traveling since March and had not yet been to Studio B. Thankfully the crowd was decent that night, everybody getting down, not too hellish. So he left with a good impression.
When we got there DJ Orgasmic was already spinning, but it was one of those deals where there were so many people in the booth it was hard to tell what was what. Initially we didn't know it was him...and we didn't believe it for a while. His set was so much harder and louder than the one he played at Hiro earlier that month. I love bass, but it was relentlessly bassy and thumping and almost hard to dance to. Still a good set, but I just wasn't expecting or prepared for that.
Thankfully Curses! went on next. I had a great time during his set as always. He pressed all the right buttons, played some newer stuff that I don't think I'd heard before. Sang over the beats, and also dropped a really great remix of Midnight Juggernauts' Road to Recovery which I was in love with even before he got to it. He also sampled "Shake It to the Ground" by Rye Rye who apparently has blown up really quickly. I remember reading a post over at the Fader blog quite a few months ago saying she was dope but only had a handful of friends. Now it looks like she's been picked up by BlaqStarr. Ah, the magic of the internets. Anyway...wasn't really into her sound, but Curses!'s sampling was very effective and made me appreciate the track.
Surkin was up next. His set was good, played a lot of bangers - i.e. the Soulwax remix of Gravity's Rainbow, but the sound in Studio B got kind of weird. It was really loud, and not that clear. Kind of bugged your ears a bit. So we stepped out and shot the shit for most of his set. Talked about music mostly. Definitely glad to have one of my more musically inclined friends back, so much so that I proposed peacing out early in in Para One's set (even though it started off great and I really wanted to hear it) so we could grab some food and continue rhapsodizing.
I had a really good time at this show. Ran into my girl Dana from work and her boy Shennan. About 1 DJ Falcon started and was just relentless. Every song was a "you have to dance to this, you don't really have a choice" selection. It's all a blur just because he played so much good stuff, alot of which was really random and unexpected. He definitely had some weird Justin Timberlake fetish going. Parts of "Sexy Back" and "My Love" were definitely dropped, and came back around several songs after you thought they were gone. Another mind boggling, yet equally effective selection - the 25 Hours a Day mix of Long Distance Call by Phoenix. This is one of those songs on my ipod that makes me think, when would anyone ever play this? Apparently it works shockingly well in the middle of of a playfully banging dj set.
Alan Braxe went on around 2:30 or so. His set was on fire. Soooo French and banging, but then for some reason I started thinking about something that was bothering me. It was really distracting and I couldn't focus on the music. It was so whack and annoying but I couldn't shake it, so regrettably I left early. At least I got to hear him drop Music Sounds Better With You, it was kinda surreal. Anyway, Solid Goldberger does a good job of filling in the huge blank in my review of this show.
I'm not going to be around for most of the weekend, but if I were this is what I would be doing tonight:
We Tigers were recommended to me by my good friend Chuck. He used to manage Hollis Browne, another band I am very fond of. Two of the members of Hollis Browne, Nick Occhiuto (guitar) and Jon Silverman (bass) are in We Tigers so it was semi-inevitable that I would like them.
However, the two bands really sound nothing alike. Hollis Browne have more of a classic rock sound, whereas We Tigers were first described to me by Chuck as "psychedelic grunge". I didn't really know what to make of that...but then I saw them at Luna Lounge about a month ago and they rocked. Some of the songs sound more grungy than others. Some are more psychedelic. And some are in between and sound like nothing I can say I've heard before...except for GOOD. Check them out. I'm partial to the tracks Elbow Room and Why Us. Did I mention they have a sitar player? Not something you see everyday...don't sleep!
So prior to the crazyness that was CMJ I went to Moby's new monthly party - Degenerates, at Hiro. It was a little bit of a fiasco. I met up with Eddie sometime between 11:30 and 12. The line was just about to the corner. Whenever there's a line at Hiro I usually think it's a bad sign. It was moving...slowly but surely. As we're getting close to the front the bouncer announces that they're not letting anyone in who doesn't have a ticket. I have one, Eddie doesn't. We try to work it out. No go. He bounced, I went in. There's a giant line inside for will call. By the time I get to the front of it they're letting people who didn't have advance tickets in again. So frustrating!
The dance floor was packed. Moby had already started, and I'm fairly certain I missed all of Stretch Armstrong's set. It was packed to the level that you couldn't really dance though which was frustrating. I think I stayed for about an hour or so. Couldn't really get down, so I left. It was a shame because his set was really good...a lot of banging stuff I didn't recognize that had an older feel. There were also good house diva-esque vocals, but ladies who could actually sing, not the typical, stock diva house vocal. Perhaps some of it was off of his "disco divas inspired" new album. If it was, some bangin disco is in store.
If you missed it, you can catch Degenerates again on the 15th:
Save yourself the hassle and get a ticket ahead of time. People apparently come out of the woodwork for Moby.
I love the Black Ghosts. They have a free download on iTunes this week. The song is called "Tears From A Gun". It's a b-side you can only get on iTunes. Check it out here.
Read more...I was really looking forward to this show. From the beginning I was enjoying it even more than Saturday's show. Justice was really cuttin shit up, seriously tweaking the album tracks much more noticeably than Saturday's show. But literally 3 songs in the shit started. Some dude in front of Charles starts moving back. We're literally against the wall. Words are exchanged. The guy's a dick. He won't move because there are girls in front of him. I look over his shoulder. They look about 14 years old and tiny, and easily could have moved up. So I moved over, kind of in front of Chuck...and started getting my nudge on. After way too long I finally start to get somewhere with creating some space for us, when to my right this couple starts to do the "lets make out and lean wildly in every direction because we are wasted" dance. Seriously, when the child they conceived is born and grows up and asks where it came from they can answer we fucked on top of this girl at a Justice concert. Seriously...they were on top of me. I leaned against them...hard. They leaned back. They knew what was up. We went back and forth like that for a while. The song ended...and they disappeared into the crowd. Fuckers! I go out a lot. I deal with assholes at shows a lot. Tonight was by far the worst shit I have had to deal with. The kicker is...it wasn't like these people were so into it they were oblivious to everyone around them. The dude in front of Chuck and I was talking to his friend the whole time. The couple near me could've been fucking to Top 40's and wouldn't have known the difference. Stay the fuck home you hipster motherfuckers who came out solely because Justice is popular right now!
To all of you who weren't annoying the shit out of me at the Justice show, sorry you had to read that. I needed to get it out of my system. Normal blogging will resume tomorrow.
Met Eddie at Terminal 5 a little before 8. That place is really out of the way. Just one more block west...We arrived that early because I really wanted to see the Midnight Juggernauts and the CMJ website had them going on at 8. I should've known by now that that meant closer to 9. It was fine though. I caught up with Eddie while Busy P spun a set that seemed a little more mellow than what I'm used to from him, still good though.
Chuck got there a while later and eventually Midnight Juggernauts went on. I have to say I was very disappointed in their performance. I was really looking forward to them - I love their song "Road to Recovery" and have been listening to a bunch of their other stuff lately too. Something about their performance was just not clicking. It was just kind of loud, not as clean sounding as the album. They play as a live band, but after their performance I think more of a dj/digital set-up is the way they should go. It just seems more fitting for their style of music. Eddie had to escape after the first song so I chilled with Charles who went out to smoke after a while. I held down our spot about 3/4 of the way back from the stage and texted my 2 smoking buddies when Midnight Juggernauts announced they were playing their last song.
So the three of us are there...waiting...anticipating. On either side of Justice's main set up in the middle there are these two big things covered with white sheets. Eddie mentions them, thinks they must be crosses. The sheets come off - 2 stacks (9 each!) of Marshall speakers. Ridiculous. I was totally freaked out. I expected it to be a loud show, but then I was just bracing for impact. Thankfully it was loud, but not in a sonic boom, ears ringing for hours afterward way.
As far as Justice's actual performance goes I don't have that much to say. It was like hearing their album on a really good, loud system...and obviously they fucked around with all of the songs, some more than others. Their re-work of D.A.N.C.E. was pretty boss, and their encore of NY Excuse by Soulwax banged! But...I feel like I didn't enjoy the show as much as I could (which makes me really glad that I am going again tonight). First of all...it was super crowded, which I expected. But I was near the dude dancing wildly with no regard for the 2 inches of personal space everyone had. My best efforts to keep him at bay were failing miserably. I must've been making the "good god I am going to kill this dude" face because Eddie graciously motioned for me to switch spots with him and dealt with his overzealous dance moves. Once that happened I started having a much better time.
The one other thing that kind of threw me off at the show was they opened with Genesis - the first track on their album. I really love †, one of the best albums of the year. The only thing I would do differently is scrap the song "The Party". I just really can't stand Uffie for the some reason, that song in particular. Anyway, I think the order of the songs is perfect. So when they opened with Genesis, in my head I was ready to hear Let There Be Light. Obviously I knew they weren't going to play the album straight through in that order, but their starting with Genesis totally threw me off.
Overall it was a good, fun show. I wish I had a little more space to get down. The crowd didn't seem as into it as you would expect (with the exception of the one dude near me), maybe that was why. I think I will have a better time tonight now that I know what it's going to be like.
*Edit* I think my mind is in a fog after CMJ. I totally forgot to mention they played We Are Your Friends which had everyone losing their shit and singing along. It is the best audience participation song EVER!
Just got home from MSTRKRFT at Studio B (this was written around 4am on Friday night/Saturday morning). My main dilemmas this evening were:
1. Go to the Modular party at 200 Orchard, followed by MSTRKRFT at Studio B
2. Just go to MRTRKRFT
3. Do nothing b/c CMJ is kicking my ass!!
As tempted as I was by #3, and as much as I wanted to see Muscles at the Modular party...I wound up just going straight to Studio B to catch MSTRKRFT. Almost the instant I got in there I felt dread/regret. It was packed and boiling hot. To top it off my new music twin Paul texted me from the Modular party, letting my know that Erol Alkan was getting down right in front of him. Meanwhile I am at Studio B watching Z-trip among throngs of drunk people in what was essentially a sauna.
Overall...I was not too fond of Z-trip. He basically took all these pop songs (some of the better ones) of the past 15 years...and either fucked around with them, or mashed them up. It was kind of novel, but I was not really feeling it, mainly because the songs he chose were the ones that seem really good to sing along to when you are completely wasted aka Rush's Tom Sawyer among other things. I had completely convinced myself I had no use for Z-trip as I was waiting at the bar...but then all of sudden the Chemical Brothers' Block Rockin Beats was playing...and there was an actual drummer drumming! My joy was cut short though as he mashed it into another track and any trace of Chems was lost too quickly. In conclusion...I respect what the dude was doing, I just didn't particularly enjoy it.
I was hoping that the throngs of people that were there were the Z-trip fan club and that once he was done the place would clear out. Apparently everyone there had some clue though and the crowd was consistently huge for most of MSTRKRFT's set. Honestly...only at the very end of their set, as I was walking out the door, did it seem like a normal sized Studio B crowd. Up until then it was bordering on ridiculous and really full.
Anyway...MSTRKRFT absolutely killed it. I don't know where to begin. Let me say straight away I have never seen MSTRKRFT live before and have only heard a handful of their remixes. I think the only reason I ever checked them out was b/c I kept reading about them, and then Eddie saw them in Montreal and told me they were pretty dope. They played alot of newer stuff that I knew, and a lot of stuff I had no idea about, but banged regardless. One highlight in particular - Digitalism's Jupiter Room into Soulwax's Miserable Girl. Sick! This is also an opportune time to mention...it's kind of awesome/surreal when you are seeing a dj somewhere and he drops a track you have seen performed by the actual original band at the same venue you are in at the time.
It was so crowded initially and hot, that I was just kind of chilling near the railing towards the right of the dj booth. That would have been fine under normal circumstances, except MSTRKRFT were set up on the stage, which made me really far away. After a while I relocated and found a little pocket of people that wasn't so crowded up in front towards the right of MSTRKRFT. Once I secured a good spot that wasn't too crowded and hot I was having a great time. It was such a tight, bang-centric set. And it flew by. It was just great. They played a remix of the Chemical Brothers' Salmon Dance which cracked me up. When We Are the Night Came Out I absolutely was not into that song and couldn't understand why it was on the album. Somehow it grew on me though and the remixes are sick. I was just amused that i hated it initially, but now whenever I hear it played out somewhere I get all psyched. Other song I have been hearing a lot of lately that MSTRKRFT played: Music Sounds Better With You. Ah, good times. I tried to get some bearable pics and video. I think I might upgrade from my shitty cellphone pics, to shitty digital camera pics soon.
Check it:
If you don't know me personally...I have an Adidas obsession. It started innocently - just a pair of kicks - 
and then it somehow just went out of control. I'm also obssessed with dance music. Now you can imagine how weird and surreal it was to be looking down at a pair of sneakers in the Adidas Originals store, and then looking up to find Busy P standing right next to me doing the same thing. My ex used to say I was like a tourist in my own life - that was definitely one of those moments. I even took pictures! Haha...
Pedro spun a tight little set. A lot of hip-hop. Overall it was pretty subdued though. People were shopping. You can't really have some dude blasting bangers while people are trying to buy shoes I guess. I forget how long he played for...I was just looking at all these kicks that were inconveniently all a buck twenty while enjoying the music. Thank goodness I was heading to the Justice show afterward, otherwise I probably would have been doing some impulse buying. More on those other Ed Bangers later...
It's not possible to get too much Simian Mobile Disco, so I went to see them at the SoHo Apple Store this afternoon even though I just saw them last night.
I was running late. I got caught in a downpour with no umbrella. It was awesome.
SMD played a short set...maybe 45 minutes? It was like their usual show, minus the encore. Seeing them at the Apple Store was weird. They put us in this section with seats. I thought everyone would have enough common sense to just stand up and start dancing once James & Jas came out...but no! Nobody stood up (myself included). It was soooo whack and torturous. Their music is made for dancing. So basically everyone was sitting in their seats, bobbing their heads, stomping their feet because nobody had the balls to stand up. It was a bit hellish. The show was still awesome though. I was really close, it was super loud and clear, and those lights were blinding!
Photos:
Jas - note the people sitting in front of me
James - note the collarbone/sling apparatus. If there was some equivalent of "what a trooper" that didn't make me sound like a soccer mom, that's what I'd be typing here.
I also realized that I can record video on my new phone. The quality is pretty bad, but you get the idea. The bang still comes through!
I totally forgot to mention that the Black Ghosts were there to see SMD. They were sitting toward my left, one row in front of me. Right when the show was over some dude sitting in front of me started talking to his friend, "No encore! Come on! I Believe!" at which point I see Simon Lord's head turn - he looked kinda freaked out. The dude who said it had no idea he was right there or just had no idea who he was. It was hilarious.
The best idea I've ever had: taking the day off from work tomorrow.
This evening, running on 3 hours of sleep I did the following:
went to the I Heart CMJ party. I heard Black Ghosts were supposed to go on at 9ish. I learned after being there for a while that 9ish meant 11. Whack! I got some free booze so I can't complain.
Also, the Salmagundi Art Club is a really interesting space. It's like a townhouse with these huge rooms that are furnished nicely, but very traditional style. There is art everywhere. Downstairs I think there may be some type of restaurant set-up. There were all these people in their 40's and up down there just hanging out, watching all these drunk 20 somethings stumble to the bathroom. I think they were all actually members of the club. The place definitely had a cool, old New York vibe.
Headed to the Music Hall of Williamsburg from there. It was my first time at the venue. I liked it. The bathroom was huge and really nice and modern (ahh, it's my job talking!). Same "sneak to the front" entrances as Bowery Ballroom but overall the place is about half the size.
Had a great time seeing SMD throw down with Chuck, Greg, and Silvadough and was also pleased to have played some role in H-dizzle and his girl losing their SMD virginity. Their set was great. All the usual suspects from the album, but they definitely messed around with things more than the last 2 times I saw them. There were definitely points where I forgot what song they initially had started messing around with. They are the baby Chemical Brothers, I swear. They did this super sneak up on you transition into It's the Beat which I caught early. Those types of transitions were one of the things that really blew my mind during my first few Chemical Brothers shows. The way they ended their was very Chemicals-esque too...all the equipment just humming. It was great.
There was a ridiculous conversation on the way out about bands throwing drumsticks and guitar pics out into the crowd at the end of shows. Chuck & Greg thought SMD should throw knobs and patch cables. Hilarious...and it would be pretty cool.
I chatted with Henrik & Cass outside for a while, then walked to Studio B, which is much further than it seems on Google Maps, but still...not horrible. New Young Pony Club was more than mid-set when I got there. I totally missed Muscles :( but I kind of expected that. NYPC was pretty good. They actually sounded really good when I walked in. Poppy...but the band was totally holding it down with their skills (nunchuck, etc.). At some point I even got the "this is like watching one of those old school Madonna, B52's, assorted pop icon clips from before anyone realized they were going to blow up" feeling. Very energetic and danceable.
2:30 SMD started their dj set, only it was just Jas spinning. James was there hanging out, but as I mentioned, he's still all laid up in this harness/splint thing for his collarbone so I guess he was resting after the intense show. In any case Jas held it down! He played a lot of interesting stuff I can't name for ya in addition to some remixes of Hustler and It's the Beat and the Chemical Brothers' Salmon Dance. It was serious fun.
I'm so looking forward to sleeping in until 11! getting something to eat and hitting that Apple Store with my boys to catch the bang that is SMD yet again!
MSTRKRFT tomorrow night, Busy P & the Black Ghosts Saturday, Justice&Midnight Juggernauts Saturday night, Fixed party w/ Erol Alkan and "special guests* (use your head!) later Saturday night. This CMJ week has been merciless...in the best way possible.
Also, I forgot to mention, James Fucking Friedman dj'ed before SMD and I was totally digging it...some spacey, modern disco tunes...and one of the first songs he played was this song off of Erlend Oye's DJ Kicks comp (which is excellent by the way, especially at the onset of spring, and a great cd for laying out in the summer and anytime really). I think it's a song called "Luckycharm" by Ada, but I'm not sure. Cellphone pics!:
James Fucking Friedman:
James Fucking Anthony Shaw (Jas from SMD, dj set - too crazy to get any pics during their live show):
The Trouble & Bass crew hold it down. They will make you dance. A lot.
Just walked in the door from the Fool's Gold showcase at Hiro. Allow me to preface this by saying I was extremely torn about what to do this evening. After a lot of deliberation, my plan for most of today was to go to the Black Ghosts' set at the Delancey and then hop in a cab and go to Hiro. I got cold feet at the last minute so I just went straight to Hiro. I am SO glad I did. I'm sure the Black Ghosts were great. I witnessed them play a dope little set to a nearly empty room on Monday evening. It broke my heart.
In any case...I arrived at Hiro a hint after 11. My sole reasons for going to Hiro were A-trak & Mehdi and Kavinsky. Nobody else. When I arrived Kid Cudi was in the middle of his set. I wasn't impressed at all. I actually thought he was pretty bad...underwhelming lyrics, didn't flow well either. Cool Kids went on after him...I liked them a bit better. They were clearly better, more experienced rappers, but still they were just lacking something. They had a good flow and good beats, but their raps themselves were just kind of weak overall. There were a couple that were alright, but for the most part I was just feeling ehh about the whole thing. Kid Sister was on next. She had a lot of energy...but her voice wasn't great. On the first song you couldn't tell what she was saying. She also sounded like she was straining her voice a lot and it did not sound good. Out of breath too. On the upside...some dope samples! Sinden's Beeper and TTC's Telephone.
Now up until this point I was getting a bit annoyed that I had caught all these acts I could care less about, but was missing the Black Ghosts. But then...just past 12:30 DJ Mehdi and A-trak hit the decks. Had I gone to see the Black Ghosts I would have missed at least a half hour, probably closer to an hour if the Ghosts didn't start on time/ran late and you include getting up to Hiro from the LES.
From the moment they started their set I knew I had made the right decision. The floor was packed. Everyone was getting down. Immediately I thought of the Ed Banger showcase back in March...it had that everyone losing their shit, happy vibe. They played a ton of awesome shit. Some of it, in no particular order:
Justice -Genesis
Simian Mobile Disco - Hustler (A-trak's new remix)
Boys Noize - Oh!
Simian Mobile Disco - Hustler (original version)
Gossip - Standing in the Way of Control (Soulwax remix)
Boys Noize - & Down
Dj Mehdi -I Am Somebody into Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band's Apache into Justice's Let There Be Light aka ahhhhhh!!!!!!!
Justice - Phantom Part II
Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You
Kanye West - Stronger
Daft Punk - Rollin' & Scratchin'
Uffie - Ready to Uff
Zongamin - Bongo Song
Daft Punk - Aerodynamic
Digitalism - Jupiter Room
Busy P - Rainbow Man
Crystal Waters - Gypsy Woman
At some point I worked my way back towards the restroom and who do I spot but James Ford (Simian Mobile Disco) sitting on the benches. Saw him at the Syndicate party on Monday, read that he was at the 'Sup Magazine party last night...he's everywhere!
Anyway...shortly after I got back on the floor Kavinsky started. I can't remember much of what he played. I didn't know as much of it as Mehdi and A-trak's set. He played a lot of his own stuff (Wayfarer and Testarossa) which sounded great on a loud system and fit really well with everything else he was playing. That time I saw him at Studio B and couldn't get into it was a total fluke incident. Toward 3 you could tell he was kinda running out of stuff to play/was done playing for the 20 people that were left in the place. He put on the remix of Rage Against the Machine's Killing in the Name Of and then kind of scurried away once he got A-trak back on the stage. A-trak joked around briefly, put on a song, and thanked everyone for coming out, and then everybody started to gradually leave.
*dun dun dun* camera phone! I wasn't able to get any pictures of DJ Mehdi and A-trak because the crowd stormed the stage from the get-go and never really let up. By the time Kavinsky went on there were just a few people up there so you could see him through the crowd. And then some dude saw me taking a picture and made me hop up there which wound up being a lot of fun...and the pictures came out better than they woulda been:
Via CMJ News:
"Finally, someone will give you a reprieve from "Thriller" and "Monster Mash" this Halloween as Brooklyn savant Tim Fite plans to release a six-song collection October 31 of spooky cuts as free downloads on his website. But just like those ghouls and ghosts, they'll disappear by the next morning. As with most of Fite's recordings, this one has a back story—extra creepy for the holiday. Fite claims he trick-or-treated at the house no one ever visited and got a mixtape of the creepiest synth music he'd ever heard. That tape inspired the cuts, and its owner was apparently dead for months when he had given it him."
Don't forget to download!
Went to the Conflict of Interest party at Rebel last night thanks to Bill over at the Syndicate. Arrived around 9:30 and it was packed. We Are Scientists started their set shortly after. I was way back by the bar, which doesn't line up with the stage making it hard to see the band. The sound was good though. We Are Scientists' first song sounded ok, but I decided to walk around given my non-ideal spot. Also, my main concern of the evening was figuring out in which room in the labyrinth that is Rebel the Black Ghosts would be doing their set.
Headed to the front room, then upstairs, then upstairs again where it was much less crowded. Somebody (not sure who) was dj-ing, but playing more hip hop. Wasn't too into it but it was nice to have some space. I spotted the Black Ghosts sitting on a couch off to the side so I figured they probably would be playing in that room. I'm not sure if the dj's switched or what, but after a while I was way more into what he was playing. I was at bar when he dropped "The Breaks" by Kurtis Blow and from that point on all the songs were good. I recognized Paul from I Am Sound Records whom I'd been exchanging messages with about CMJ for the past week or so. It was nice to put a face to the name.
A bit later I met up with Bill again, chatted for a while during the beginning of the the Ghosts' set. Unfortunately a lot of people left the party after We Are Scientists so the crowd was pretty sparse. They were playing good stuff though and I got down and had a great time anyway. I kept thinking that they should play Anyway You Choose to Give It throughout most of their set, but it just wasn't happening. Towards the end of their set I went up to chat with Simon and of course...right as I get there...he starts singing the song. It's great to begin with and even better live. Anyway...chatted with him for a bit about the Ghosts, Garden, Simian and such after he was done singing. Really a nice guy.
He mentioned that James from Simian Mobile Disco was actually at the party and I spotted him right when I got back on the floor. Talked to him for quite a bit. Also a very nice dude. I got to hear the gruesome collarbone injury story firsthand which was pretty cool, but sounded horribly painful. And he's still in this brace/sling thing and he told me it still kind of hurts and clicks around...ah! He's still doing all the shows this week though which is awesome! Overall it was a great (unplanned) start to my CMJ week. Of course, obligatory cellphone pics: 
Also, another Black Ghosts show this week:
I come across these good links, usually in emails, and I always mean to post them. But then I forgot…and the emails sit in my inbox and build up…and then I get disgusted and delete them. This is my effort not to do that any more. The goods:
Interview with Simian Mobile Disco
Output records is now officially over. They are releasing a Best Of album though. More info on that here. Also the blog with that info, Beeb Blog, looks pretty good.
Soulwax to release a really long-titled, best of remixes album as well as a documentary. More info here.
That’s it for now. Resume your regularly scheduled Monday shittyness.
Friday this blog turned one year old. The first post was my CMJ picks...I was grasping at straws a bit. I wasn't into many of the acts that were around, and out of what I ended up going to I don't remember any of it being that great. This year looks to be the total opposite. I have read many are disappointed with the line-up this year, but if you like dance music there is no cause for complaints, other then not being able to be in 8 places at once. Here's the breakdown:
Wednesday the 17th:
Brooklynvegan Day Party at Pianos - a bunch of bands are playing from 12-4:30 5:30 and it's free. I don't know anything about any of the bands, but I do know that the Black Ghosts are dj-ing in the bar area from 4-5pm.. I also apparently have the whole Brooklynvegan party schedule all wrong! There's a great big post with all the info over at Dave's blog. The Black Ghosts are dj-ing from 4-5, but on Saturday. Sorry for the misinformation.
Their stuff I've heard is great. I stumbled upon them while looking up Simon Lord (singer of the now defunct Simian) who is one half of the Ghosts. They make some good electronic tunes with the perfect balance of vocals and bang. Simon's vocals are also good for consoling yourself now that Simian are no more. As far as their dj-ing goes, I've never seen them live, but they have 2 mixes up that are pretty unique and definitely danceable. Click here for more info on the Black Ghosts, their own jams, and to download those mixes. Click here for the set times of the other bands playing the party.
Later that night, 2 options:
Ever since their great set together in May, I am all about seeing A-trak & Mehdi again. And I also feel like I need to see Kavinsky again after some weirdness prevented me from enjoying his set that I theoretically should have loved.
Option 2:
Black Ghosts from 11-1!
I know I'll miss the Black Ghosts at BV's party b/c I will be at work :( I might try to catch their show later at the Delancey and just hope A-trak, Mehdi, and Kavinsky aren't on at Hiro during that time and head over right after the Black Ghosts are done.
On to Thursday the 18th:
SMD at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. If you read this blog at all you should know by now not to sleep on this. I would however, recommend sleeping on the Invisible Conga People (one of the opening acts, who unfortunately also opened for them at the Gramercy Theater in September). They will put you to sleep which is definitely not what you need right before a Simian Mobile Disco live show. Also, XLR8R did a little segment with them about their live set-up...crazy stuff!
and/or
I want to see New Young Pony Club just so I can find out of if any of their songs are as good to sing to torture my roommate as Ice Cream. And more seriously...I actually like that song and their album has been getting great reviews so it would be nice to see if they live up to the hype.
Muscles also has a song called Ice Cream and is also playing that night. I saw him when he was here back in April but I didn't really know what to make of him and was too busy bugging out about Soulwax to care. Since then I heard a few of his songs...cheeky, catchy, fun and danceable. To top it off Simian Mobile Disco will be doing a dj set at this party after their show earlier in the evening. They tear it up behind the decks. I cannot wait!
other Thursday options:
Unintentionally caught Shout Out Out Out Out's set when I went to see DJ Orgasmic & Cuizinier in August and they turned out to be a really good live electronic band. Very upbeat and energetic. 
Another chance to see the Black Ghosts. Dominique Keegan is also a really good dj. Used to see him at APT back in the day and loved him because he played things I always thought I would play if I knew how to dj.
Friday the 20th:
Simian Mobile Disco at the Apple Store (Soho) at 2pm. Free!
I took off from work so I could go - also partially because I mistakingly thought the Brooklynvegan day party was the same day and I would be able to see the Black Ghosts. Whoops..I'm sure there's other stuff to do. And it will be nice after all the crazyness Thursday night to not have to rush into work at 9.
2 options for the evening:
Tried but failed to see MSTRKRFT at CMJ last year. Never have seen em live before, but they do some nice remixes.
Option 2:
Another chance to catch Muscles. Trouble & Bass bang and will make you get down. 200 Orchard is a great spot to do so.
Saturday the 20th:
No-brainer! Justice and Midnight Juggernauts at Terminal 5!
Followed by:
or
Some of the best disco from the Wurst guys and David Bruno...a bunch of other peeps too.
Sunday: die of exhaustion.
Monday: maybe see Justice again?
This week is going to be awesome, but I am mildly horrified by the amount of stuff happening.
Tonight:
I'm really looking forward to seeing how this goes. I usually like Juan's stuff but the past few times I saw him I wasn't that into it. Whoever does Juan's myspace stuff posted this in a bulletin about tonight:
I think Juan plays right before Moby, so it will probably be heavier on the Disco, slower house and techno, acid, etc. He has some acid stuff he's been meaning to air out for a while, plus about 12 new or yet-to-be-released DFA records he just picked up at the DFA headquarters. Hercules and Love Affair, Shit Robot, The Juan Maclean, and of course DFA's newest sensation, Holy Ghost. Which reminds me, Alex from Holy Ghost is dj'ing tonight as well as Stretch Armstrong.
Way back in May Moby killed it! I heard he's probably going to be playing some stuff from his new album that's on it's way. Not sure how I feel about that. Never really was a Moby fan until I saw him dj this year. It's supposed to have a disco spin to it though so who knows.
And somehow despite living in New York and going out a lot I have never seen Stretch Armstrong dj.
Kind of toying with the idea of seeing Klaxons at Webster Hall tomorrow now that I am more into their stuff since I first saw them...but probably not. $20 ticket not so appealing right now...along with the large-ness of Webster...though it's nice and loud there. We'll see.
Saturday...I am sooooooooooo excited for this show:
I predict it will be a madhouse and I can't wait!
CMJ picks later tonight or tomorrow...
Went to the Wurst monthly last night. Arrived right on time to catch the excellent Pilooski at his first show in the US. There was a definite sound shift when he got behind the decks - some weird modern, yet somehow classic disco that was deliciously bass heavy. Absolutely loved it. He did not play Beggin though...if he did I missed it b/c I left early (not so much early but before he was done) for absolutely no reason. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Unfortunately I think that is as exciting as my Columbus Day weekend is going to get - Nothing like Labor Day. Nothing good going on tonight. This Saturday (but I dunno if I have the strength, hopefully it's just my hangover talking):
Good to have a weekend off I guess, especially with all the CMJ insanity around the corner...
Though it really wasn't my intention, this blog has mainly focused on electronic music, bands and dj's of a banging nature. But...I do listen to a lot of other stuff too. I guess first it was Royksopp whose Poor Leno and Remind Me introduced me to the gentle voice of Erlend Oye...which I further explored with his even calmer, yet still electronic solo album, Unrest. A few months later I made the move to the non-electronic, acoustic-ish, vaguely folksy Kings of Convenience. The move to Sondre Lerche was inevitable, though the first time I saw him at the Astralwerks CMJ showcase in 2004 I had mixed feelings and thought he was kind of pompous. I realized later it was just me reading into things, and his prefacing every song was just part of his Norwegian charm (which is what everyone mentioned in this post has in common in case you missed it). In any case, the point of this post is, Mr. Lerche will be playing a couple of shows in November - one on the 26th at the Music Hall of Williamsburg and one on the 27th at the Bowery Ballroom. I suspect you will get to hear some of the songs he did for the Dan in Real Life soundtrack. Tickets for both shows go on sale at noon EST today.
Read more...As I mentioned before James (Ford) from Simian Mobile Disco broke his collarbone, so he's not dj-ing at Hiro on Thursday as planned, which I suspected would happen, but hadn't heard until late last night. So now here's the deal:
I have no idea about Kele from Bloc Party. I never got into Bloc Party. Just posting the flyer so you're in the loop and because the Glass are good. I've already seen them a few times though, but I have not seen Pilooski and I absolutely love what he's done to Frankie Valle's Beggin', so I will be here:
Saturday night the Korrupt party was very
Seriously though...I was pretty drunk by the end of the night...thankfully not in the "oh my god, this girl's a mess" way, but more in the "this is serious fun but I won't be able to remember why tomorrow" way.
The trouble started at my apartment at around 9:30 when Chuck and Greg came over. We shot the shit, had a few drinks, somehow wound up watching old footage of Prodigy on Youtube. Got to Studio B a little before 12. It was pretty empty. I think Max Pask was dj-ing at that point. I ran into my friend Dana from work which was awesome. Kept running into her throughout the evening. She introduced me to Larry Tee. He was very nice. Probably 45 minutes or so after were arrived DJ Ayres started his set. He was on for a while. I wasn't really too into either of their sets for some reason. We kept trying to figure out when Switch & Sinden were going to go on. Greg actually split early b/c he had to go to work the next day, so he didn't even get to see him. Dana split at some point too but I don't remember when. Sinden didn't wind up behind the decks until 2! I really liked the beginning of his set. He played a lot of stuff I knew I heard recently, but wasn't able to identify which was a nice change from all the stuff I've been used to hearing out. He played Beeper which was icing on the cake. At 3 Switch finally went on. By that point Chuck and I were gone. We had gotten there so early and weren't really getting down during the opening sets so we were drinking the whole time instead. Unfortunately it all caught up with us right when Switch started. I can't for the life of me remember a thing about his set, other than it being loud and good. I have no idea what tracks he played. It's like a big blank in my memory, all I remember is hitting the floor hard with Charles and it being over so quickly. Sorry folks, that's all I got.
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