This past Thursday night at Santos was one of the most fun nights out I've had in a while. The vibe at Santos was great. Got their early to beat the cover. It was already pretty full and people were merrily grooving to Pharrell's (from French electronic music blog Fluo Kids) excellent set that was a melodic blend of more groovy house/slightly discoey jams than I expected - really a great set.
33Hz went on close to 12:30, and as much as I hate to say it - it was not one of their best sets. They opened with one of my favorite tracks - "Crazy All the Time" and it took me a moment to notice because it sounded totally different - as did all of the tracks, because they added some robotic vocal effect to ALL the vocals for the entire show. It just sounded bad and drowned out/took away from everything else good that the band was doing.
A little before 1:30 Alan Braxe went on. The past couple of times I've seen him over the past year I didn't have the greatest time. The first was more my issue, and the second time the set just wasn't doing it for me. Alan's set at Santos Thursday made up for any shortcomings of the past two. French fire from beginning to end - a perfect balance of classic and updated French house with tasteful hints of electro. It was a blissful set. Can't remember too many specifics of what he dropped other than his & Fred Falke's remix of "Bossy" by Kelis, teased with "Music Sounds Better With You", Lumberjack by Alan Braxe & Kris Menace, and the banging ending of his set which consisted of Soulwax's "E Talking" into "Hung Down" by the Presets. The whole time Alan was really into the set, clapping, smiling, etc and the crowd gave it right back. Another night of serious fun.
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I've recently been reminiscing about Sebastien Tellier's excellent New York debut performance at Hiro last month. Boys Noize also has recently reappeared on my radar as he is coming here in October with A-trak for the Attack of the Unibros Tour. Now imagine the immense joy I felt when I saw that two of our Best Beardsmen of '07 joined forces in the form of the Boys Noize remix of Sebastien Tellier's "L'amour Et La violence". Download it below!
Simian Mobile Disco debuting their live show at Studio B last July
You can read the whole article here on BBC Newsbeat, but here are the main points:
Regarding James Ford producing Klaxons' second record:
He told Newsbeat: "I think they're still trying to push forward so I don't think it's going to sound too much like the last record." ...
Ford said: "They're trying to keep it melodic and vocal because that's one of their great strong points.
"It's going to be really exciting."
Regarding the Last Shadow Puppets:
Ford produced The Last Shadow Puppets' self-titled debut album and played the drums during their sets at the Reading and Leeds Festivals this weekend. You might remember that James was the drummer for Simian.
Regarding a new Simian Mobile Disco album:
Ford also revealed his own band, SMD, are working on getting an album out towards the end of the year.
He said: "We've already done a track with Gruff Rhys from the Super Furry Animals, which is great, and one with Beth Ditto from The Gossip.
"It's looking good so far."
And...James is getting married next month! Congratulations on all accounts!
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For as far back as I can remember I've had really wild, intricate dreams...nearly every night. Sometimes they involve bands and deejays. Recently I had one in which I was going to see Royksopp at Irving Plaza (which I have actually done twice in reality), got separated from my friends, nearly got in a fight with some crazy girl that was dancing with her hand in my face, and then walked past her to find my friend Jason whom I had no idea was going to be at the show or that he even liked Royksopp.
Anyway...that got me thinking. What the hell have those Norwegians been up to? Seeing Soulwax made me remember how much I love live electronic music and Royksopp was one of the first live electronic acts I ever saw. The first time I saw them (which was at Irving Plaza) the only other electronic act I had seen live was the Chemical Brothers. Despite having only the Chems' monstruous live show to compare it to, Royksopp still totally blew me away.
Their last release was a contribution to the Back to Mine compilation series which came out in April of last year, and their last studio release was The Understanding waaay back in July of 2005 with a great live EP, Royksopp's Night Out released in between in June of '06. So I did some sleuthing on the internets and found an article posted YESTERDAY from the Music Information Centre Norway:
From an interview on BBC's Radio 1 last April: "I think, it's safe to say this a bit more uptempo, there aren't that much vocals compared to other two albums. We are back to more instrumental bits. It's more progressive; not progressive like in "progressive house", but more progressive as in "progressive rock"."
Both Robyn and Lykki Li have been confirmed as contributing vocalists.
"We have spent a lot of time in the kitchen, where we have made music in a well-known Röyksopp-outfit."
"It (the music) will be some summer-fresh, accesible salads, but also some heavier, not too accesible elephant beefs."
"We think that robin is very good, especially her newest album is great!"
A couple of tracks called "I Wanna Know" and "Korene" leaked at some point. I managed to find footage of Royksopp performing both of them live for the first time last October:
I can't believe I forgot to mention this in the past 2 posts. My all time favorite deejays/producers - the Chemical Brothers have been remixed by one of my new favorite deejays/bands/producers Soulwax. It's the Chems' classic, "Hey Boy, Hey Girl" and you can download it for free here after signing up for the Chemical Brothers' newsletter. I've only listened to it once so far and am still figuring out what to make of this marriage between two of my favorite artists. Despite that about halfway through I realized how devastating it will be once someone drops it in the middle of a set on a good, loud system. I can't wait!
Soulwax is coming back here (and Canada and Mexico) in October! Big ups to Mitchell for giving me the heads up on this!
Oct 24 Irving Plaza, New York Oct 25 Opera House, Toronto Oct 26 Double Door, Chicago Oct 28 HIFI Club, Calgary Oct 29 The Plaza, Vancouver Oct 30 Mezzanine, San Francisco Oct 31 Hard Haunted House, Los Angeles Nov 1 BorderNoise, Juarez (Mexico)
None of the tickets are on sale yet, but definitely stay up on it. Their show here at Irving Plaza just over a couple of weeks ago (though it feels like forever to me) was the best show I've been to this year. Check out the review if you haven't already.
Soulwax @ the Fillmore @ Irving Plaza - August 6, 2008 (CRED)
Sorry for the delay on this review!
Because of the amount that I go out, I don't get as excited as I used to about shows that are coming up. With the number of good events happening, one after the other, there's really not much time for a lead up - there are no pre-show countdowns anymore. I get really excited months ahead of time when I first find out an act is coming through New York and the next thing I know the show has come and gone. However, with Soulwax, anytime I heard a remix of theirs in the past month I found myself getting excited for the show. When it was finally August it only got worse, and the day of the show I was climbing the walls with anticipation.
Whereas there were a few instances this year in which other acts I was similarly excited about disappointed, Soulwax did no such thing. They were the complete opposite. Not only did they fulfill every expectation I had of them based on my 2-night Soulwax bender last spring, they crushed them. When I saw them last April, Soulwax was essentially playing their Nite Versions album live, straight through, which was awesome in and of itself. This time around they mixed up some great tracks from Nite Versions along with some of their always awesome remixes, which as impossible as it seems, only got better when performed live. From the second the brothers Dewaele took the stage along with Stefaan Van Leuven and Steve Slingeneyer it was a sheer eruption of live guitar, synths, bass, and menacing drums which had the crowd continually losing it for the entire hour+ Soulwax was on stage. Soulwax's live show is great because they take their excellent standalone tracks and remixes, far from being in need of resuscitation, and deliver them with a fury that seems as though their lives depend on it. This was hands down, no contest, the best electronic show I have been to this year. Not one of the best (which I've said about a few acts already) the best.
True to last year's form I've been having trouble letting such an amazing evening go, resulting in watching tons of live Soulwax footage on youtube. Here's some from last Wednesday night that really captures the live Soulwax experience (and gives you some idea of what they played - nobody stopped dancing long enough for a setlist):
Gundamfrenzied was right up against the stage which is a great way to experience Soulwax. Just to warn you - clip #2 gets very shaky almost immediately, but really makes you feel like you're there and gets a good shot of the crowd. Clip #3 - Get Innocuous! Clip #4 - great footage of the segue from Miserable Girl into Another Excuse.
I'm surprised I have yet to run into divinejudge1 at a show - we are at all the same ones and I always end up watching his videos afterward on youtube. Here are 10 great ones he took from the upper level:
These are the last two I promise - some great live versions of Soulwax's great remixes (in the thick of things on the main floor):
You can find more footage like that in Soulwax's documentary, Part of the Weekend Never Dies, which chronicles the band's tour over the course of 120 shows as well as interviews with fellow musicians, and footage from the road. It's been screening in Europe and at all the shows on this tour (I unfortunately missed it at Irving). It comes out on DVD in the US on September 9th. And I know I've already posted them, but I love the trailers:
A little bird told me they were coming back in the Spring, but it actually looks like it'll be sooner than that. More info in a post to follow immediately!
Remember when I posted some new, weird, electronic goodness from Fardoche back in February? You might not (I can't believe how long ago that was), and if you don't it's definitely worth checking out. Anyway...he's entered a contest to come up with the new "sound signature" (basically a little sound clip that will be associated with the brand) for Sennheiser. He's one of the 30 finalists. There are judges for the contest as well as an online voting element. I really like his entry so I voted for it. You can vote one time and I'm pretty sure voting is open until the end of August (I just can't find where I originally read it to confirm). You can check out all the entries here and vote as well. The prize is a 5,000 euros or 30,000 euros if Sennheiser chooses to acquire the unlimited user rights to the sound signature which needless to say could really help him crank out his new record. So please check out Fardoche's entry and consider voting for it!
As of today you can order the new David Byrne and Briano Eno album, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. It's available here in 3 formats - Digital only, CD + Digital, and Deluxe which includes:
* Custom package limited edition design by Stefan Sagmeister * Four exclusive bonus songs * A short film about the album by Hillman Curtis * Holding Pattern screensaver app customized for this release * Everything That Happens booklet * Immediate download of all digital files, including screensaver
The physical cd's won't ship until around Novemeber 30th. The digital media is available now. You can also listen to a streaming version of the whole album:
David will be touring, covering the new material from this album as well as the 3 previous Talking Heads and Brian Eno collaborations - More Songs About Buildings and Food, Fear of Music, and Remain in Light. Tour dates are here.
Fake Blood is pretty awesome. His remixes are great. Some further evidence of his awesomeness:
Ok... I need to clear something up.
People seem to think that when I do a remix, I ask the artist to record the words "Fake Blood" so I can use that in the track.
That's NOT how I do it.
In every remix I have done, the words "Fake Blood" are created by me chopping up the ORIGINAL acapella, and assembling the words with individual vowel and consonant sounds... No new vocals are used, only the same one heard in the original song.
And yes, even the Little Boots one was done like that.
SANG x
ps - anyone figure out who he is yet? I know, but I'm not telling :P
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New neon legs, a new light show and of course, the entire FaFo record, played track by track (we're thinking of including the interludes in there as well)...
Here are the dates:
October 1 - BOSTON, Paradise (buy tix here) October 2 - NEW YORK, Webster Hall with Peanut Butter Wolf (buy tix here) October 3 - PHILLY, Trocadero with Midnight Juggernauts (buy tix here) October 4 - WASHINGTON DC, 9:30 Club (buy tix here)
I just saw Chromeo at All Points West last weekend and their set was tiiiight. You should go see them if you can.
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Members of The Verve, The Charlatans, Kaiser Chiefs The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, The Kooks and Travis are set to take part in an all-star five-a-side football tournament at the V Festival this weekend (August 16). Bands from the north of the country will be pitted against bands from the south (The Sun).
Pretty hilarious/awesome. Hope everyone who's playing is careful. Remember when James Ford of Simian Mobile Discobroke his collarbone last fall? He did it while he was playing football with the Arctic Monkeys!
Btw...all these guys are British and this is UK festival, so by football they mean soccer.
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Remember back in May when I was all up onthe Brighton Port Authority and the David Byrne/Dizzee Rascal collaboration, Toe Jam (before every other blog and their mother was)? Well, now the lovely BPA is offering a free welcome pack for download if you sign up for their newsletter (which you probably will want to do to keep up with them anyway, right?). Here's what you get:
- Free download of 'Toe Jam' (Database Dance Mix) - Free download of 'The Tapes Have Been Found' video - Free download of stills from the 'Toe Jam' video.
Click here to subscribe to the Brighton Port Authority newsletter and download the Brighton Port Authority Welcome Pack.
That's all I got info-wise. It's thrown by the GBH folks. Will post the details as they emerge. Start preparing now for the weird Webster Hall crowd and the banging system and of course, MSTRKRFT.
The past two times I saw them weren't as good as the first time I caught them at the B last October, but the time they played Webster in May was closer. Super short review of that show here and some great photos by Ryan, here. MSTRKRFT's show at Studio B in March was decent, but hard to enjoy because the club was ridiculously overcrowded - the worst I have ever seen it. Never got around to writing a review for that one. Here's hoping the third time's a charm!
A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to interview Karl Hyde of the legendary electronic music group, Underworld, for themusic.fm. They're here in the US to play the All Points West Festival in Jersey City on Friday and the Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore on Saturday. They are also here to work on their art installation, Beautiful Burnout, which has been in New York at the Jacobson Howard Gallery since last Friday and will be continually modified through the final day of the installation on the 15th. You can check out the work in progress here, but I can't wait to see it in person.
Check out the interview! Karl had some very interesting things to say about electronic music as well as the events I mentioned above. Also, for someone who has played such an influential role in electronic music I cannot stress how humble and easy to talk to he was - a wonderful guy.
If you are around New York or Baltimore this weekend and have the funds, definitely try to see Underworld at All Points West or the Virgin Mobile Festival. I saw them for the first time last year in Central Park, and despite not being familiar with all that much of their material (just some of their classics and tracks off of their most recent album, Oblivion with Bells) I had an amazing time. It was the #2 show out of all the ones I went to last year, and they were second only to the Chemical Brothers who are my absolute favorite artist ever. It probably was one of the top 10 shows of my life thus far - yes, it was that good. You can read my review of the show here.
Tonight Soulwax is performing live at Irving Plaza + a 2manyDJs set! It is going to be absolute mayhem! I can't wait! Here are my accounts of last year's mayhem. Here is some footage from Soulwax's documentary, "Part of the Weekend Never Dies", which will also be screened tonight at the show:
I dedicate this blog post to Busssy Paul and the fact that the beginning of our friendship was based largely on facial hair. And also WTF is up with the spies?! Our ideas are getting copped left and right!
I really don't know what to say about it, other than I loved it instantly. One of my old roommates from college once remarked that there is something about guys singing in very high pitched voices. At first I thought she was crazy, but then I listened more closely to the track that prompted her remark ("the Wisp" by Simian) and understood what she meant.
I've come across other examples of it in my listening since then (Sondre Lerche's "Tragic Mirror") and now "Strange Overtones" can be added to that list. Simian and Sondre's tracks are much more mellow and somber overall, and while "Strange Overtones" starts off with similarly high vocals, the mood and tone of the song is gradually lifted by rich instrumentation with the onset of the chorus. I don't think I have ever so instantly loved a track. Well done.
Also, here are the tour dates (only David Byrne will be touring, not Brian) that have been announced so far:
Sep 16 2008 - Bethlehem, PA - Zoellner Arts Center - Baker Hall Sep 17 2008 - Baltimore, MD - Lyric Sep 18 2008 - Newport News, VA -Ferguson Center for the Arts Sep 20 2008 - Atlanta, GA - Chastain Park Amphitheater Sep 21 2008 - Nasheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium Sep 22 2008 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium Sep 23 2008 - Memphis, TN - Orpheum Theatre Sep 25 2008 - Austin, TX - Paramount Sep 26 2008 - Austin, TX - Austin City Limits (Zilker Park) Sep 28 2008 - Alburquerque, NM - Kiva Auditorium Sep 30 2008 - Phoenix, AZ - Orpheum Oct 2 2008 - San Diego, CA - Humphreys Oct 3 2008 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre Oct 4 2008 - Santa Barbara, CA - Arlington Theater Oct 6 2008 - San Francisco, CA - Davies Symphony Hall Oct 8 2008 - Santa Rosa, CA - Wells Fargo Center For the Arts Oct 9 2008 - Saratoga, CA - Mountain Winery Oct 11 2008 - Park City, UT - Eccles Center for the Performing Arts Oct 12 2008 - Denver, CO - Buell Theater Oct 14 2008 - Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre Oct 15 2008 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Oct 17 2008 - Omaha, NE - Kiewit Concert Hall Oct 18 2008 - St. Louis, MO - Fox Theatre Oct 19 2008 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre (Reserved) Oct 21 2008 - Lousiville, KY - Louisville Palace Theater Oct 23 2008 - Cleveland, OH - Allen Theatre Oct 24 2008 - Ann Arbor, MI - Michigan Theatre Oct 25 2008 - Indianapolis, IN - Clowes Memorial Hall Oct 26 2008 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Opera House Oct 29 2008 - Toronto, ONT - Massey Hall Oct 30 2008 - Montreal, QUE - Metropolis Oct 31 2008 - Boston, MA - Wang Center Nov 1 2008 - Atlantic City, NJ - Borgata Nov 3 2008 - Red Bank, NJ - Count Basie Theatre Nov 5 2008 - Albany, NY - Empire State Plaza Nov 7 2008 - Pittsburgh, PA - Carnegie Music Hall Nov 8 2008 - Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre
Last Wednesday the triangle (+Rachel and George, who could easily pass as Sebastien's twin) went to Hiro to see Sebastien Tellier. Firstly...it was weird being at Hiro so early. I think Seb went on around 10. He had a full band with him. When he came out onstage, looking as ridicufrannnssshhh as ever in his white pants, black shirt, and blazing silver jacket we all knew we were in for a bit of a ride.
Going into the show I had heard 7 of the tracks off of his album, Sexuality. I really liked them...but they never really came to fit into my regular listening. They were just a little too mellow compared to what I've been listening to and I could never really find the right time to listen to them. Thankfully Wednesday's show changed that...
The vocals were perfect - sounded just like the album. The band was incredibly tight, really knew the material. Together, their live delivery of the songs off of Sexuality was flawless and breathed new life into the songs. Everything sounded so much richer and you really got a better sense of the Thomas Bangalter (whoops!) Guy-Manuel De Homem-Christo touch that went into this album. Also, hearing the songs live gave me a better sense of what they actually are...ultra finely crafted, electronic-influenced pop songs. People need to remember that pop didn't (and doesn't) always refer to the top 40's garbage we deal with today...it's not a dirty word!
Anyway...that's more of the technical side of things. On to showmanship...Sebastien Tellier is totally out of control. He had a persistent, mild to moderate pelvic thrust going for the entire 1-1.5 hour performance. He was moaning at various points in the evening (especially during the end of Kilometer). He got further with his microphone than most people get on a first date. It was that kind of show. I think overall everyone left Hiro feeling very hot and bothered, but in the good way for once.
There are just a few pics below as well as the setlist. Also check out Paul's review which features some video that Mike took (electro fam-layyy in the house! yeaah!).
Setlist:
Kilometer Divine Une Heure Fingers of Steel Indians Roche Look Broadway La Ritournelle L'Amour et la Violence
David Byrne and Brian Eno just finished their new record Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. It's their first collaboration in 30 years. David is going to be touring and covering material from the new record, the 3 Talking Heads albums they worked on together (More Songs About Buildings and Food, Fear of Music, and Remain in Light), and My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (which David and Brian worked on together in 1981).
In August the music will be available via this Web site, free for streaming and it will also be available for purchase as both a download and in physical formats. One of the songs will be available free of charge.
It is going to be awesome. This is probably as close as you and I will ever get to actually seeing the Talking Heads.
Btw - My Life in the Bush of Ghosts is awesome. I've had it for a while and have just heard scattered songs from it, but it's really interesting - a lot of awesome samples among other things. I really like the track 'Jezebel Spirit'. You can learn more about the whole album here.
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I got back from Montreal around 8 Friday night. Serious fun, which I will hopefully explain more about later. Hit the floor hard many nights. Last Sunday night we caught these dudes, Team Canada at a little bar called Blue Dog Motel. A tiny place with a healthy amount of dancing going on. The music was good. One of the best things about the trip was hearing different music! I'm always battling hearing the same 15 tracks when I go out in New York. Totally not the case up there. Anyway...one track Team Canada dropped was Fred Falke's remix of "Golden Cage" by the Whitest Boy Alive. It's excellent and not played out nearly enough. It was either later that night or the next day that I said to Eddie - "I can't wait for Fred Falke to come to New York".
I get back here, check Dave's takeover to see what's going on since I was in an internet bubble (I only checked my email once during the entire trip- it was awesome) and proceeded to freak out as I read: "-- FIXED BACK AT TRIBECA GRAND. Back where the magic started, the FIXED boys are back in the basement with Parisian remixer of the moment FRED FALKE. " Seriously...I was looking at the laptop saying get the fuck out!
So...the next morning I emailed/texted/sent smoke signals to everyone I knew who would be remotely interested...unfortunately only Solid Goldberger had the good sense to come out. Everyone else missed an amazing live set. Amazing. Possibly unseated the Black Ghosts from the best show I've been to this year.
Firstly...the Tribeca Grand is a great place for a party. The room is small, people get down like crazy, it's great. Got there a bit after 12 to hear JDH and Dave P dropping one of the best sets I've ever heard from them...the whole thing just banged. Around 1:15 Fred went on and played relentlessly (save for a monitor meltdown that held things up for about 10-15 minutes right in the middle of his set) until nearly 4! He played the entire Music for My Friends EP, and tons of his remixes. I honestly am not sure exactly what he was doing up there...I was far away for the first half of the show, but towards the end he was playing all the basslines on an actual bass guitar and it was boss. It was one of those nights where the music was flawless, relentless, and you couldn't stop dancing even for a second. Fred ended the night with a super extended version of his track "Rubicon". Perfect. Here's some pics/video:
I am leaving for Montreal in 6.5 hours! I'm only gonna be up for 5 days, but it's going to be seriously the fun. Check out the my Montreal Muxtape while I'm gone. It's full of Frannnshhhh goodness, and random stuff that was playing on Montreal's lovely radio stations when I was there last summer.
Electro triangle extension, Andrew, is throwing the Devo afterparty at Le Royale tonight:
The last time I went to one of his parties I danced my ass off until the lights came up, aka SERIOUS FUN. Check it out and be sure to RSVP for no cover!
I just did a long overdue update of the shows list, which is in the left hand column (now at the top). If you read this blog using an RSS reader, you should also check the site periodically b/c I usually add a lot of shows to the list even if I don't write posts about them.
Anyway...check out the list - insane amounts of stuff coming up.
Also...I am aware of the fact that the "reviews to be posted" list is totally out of control. I'm workin on it.
via the Record Makers (the label originally co-founded by Air, home to artists such as Sebastien Tellier and Kavinksy) myspace blog: "Innovation is the key to everything that Record Makers do. This is reflected in our attitude to signing artists, often choosing to work with talented people whose ideas don't conform to whatever happens to be in vogue at the time, whilst possessing strong concepts that underpin their musical vision. The goal is to help the artists make the most of their abilities but with a certain sense of style, as demonstrated by the label's commitment to producing quality visuals and videos to accompany their releases. In support of this, a sister company focusing on visual arts has been set up by Record Makers as they make their first forays into the world of film production."
Good news for Chemical Brothers fans: Tom and Ed are back with a new Battle Weapon called 'Midnight Madness' this summer - and Mixmag was one of the first to hear it.
With some typically scorched synth work and a chorus that's reminiscent of Kraftwerk's 'Man Machine', only a handful of DJs have been given the club track to date, which is due for release early in August on vinyl.
There's good news for collectors too. There's an updated Chems Best Of incoming called 'Brotherhood' with a limited bonus CD containing all the Battle Weapons to date plus 'Keep My Composure', the duo's unreleased electro Spank Rock collaboration.
Tom and Ed w/ their electronic battle weapons at Hammerstein 9/21/08 - photo from here.
If you've listened to the Chems at all you know these tracks never disappoint, and if you haven't you really should get crackin'.
Even Erol (Alkan) loves it, "EBW 10 has been the opening track in my recent sets. Its rather special, kinda almost balearic techno."
Check out the four limited edition triangle-fied t-shirts London designer Kate Moross created for Simian Mobile Disco. The designs correspond to SMD's album title and are (clockwise from top left) Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release:
There are only 72 of each style made. You can purchase them and other SMD stuff here
Wichita is releasing an album called Sample and Hold which features remixes of the tracks from SMD's Attack Decay Sustain Release, done by a number of deejays. I'm especially looking forward to the Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve remix of "Love", but the rest of them look promising as well:
01 Sleep Deprivation (Simon Baker Remix) 02 I Got This Down (Invisible Conga People Remix) 03 It's the Beat (Shit Robot Remix) 04 Hustler (Joakim Remix) 05 Tits & Acid (Oscillation Remix) 06 I Believe (Pinch's "I Believe in Bassline Therapy" Remix) 07 Hotdog (Cosmo Vitelli Remix) 08 Wooden (Danton Eeprom Remix) 09 Love (Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve Remix) 10 Scott (Silver Apples Remix) 11 Clock (Chrome Hoof Remix)
The album is scheduled for UK release on July 28th. No word yet on release dates elsewhere.
James and Jas are doing the next Fabric mix! Check out the tracklist, then prepare to wait until September 16 (US) and August 4th (everywhere else) to get it:
01 Tomita - The Firebird – Infernal Dance Of King Kastechi [Clean Version] – SonyBMG 02 Sisters Of Transistors – The Don – This Is Music 03 Simian Mobile Disco – Simple - Wichita 04 Hercules And Love Affair – Blind [Serge Santiago Version] – EMI 05 Smith N Hack – Space Warrior – Errorsmith and Soundhack 06 Discodeine – Joystick – Dirty 07 Shit Robot – Chasm – DFA 08 Perc & Fractal – Up Tool – Kompakt 09 Metro Area – Miura – Environ 10 Worthy – Crack EI – Leftroom 11 Moon Dog – Suite Equestria – Roof 12 Fine Cut Bodies – Huncut Hacuka – Chi Recordings 13 Bentobox vs Chordian – Aemono - Imprimé 14 Jelo & DeadMau5 – The Reward Is Cheese – Rising Trax 15 Simian Mobile Disco - Sleep Deprivation [Simon Baker Remix] – Wichita 16 Popof – The Chomper [LSD Version]– Turbo Recordings 17 Raymond Scott – Cindy Electronium – Basta 18 Paul Woolford Presents Bobby Peru – Erotic Discourse – 2020 Vision 19 Moebius Plank Neumeier – Pitch Control – Sky Records 20 Plastikman – Spastik – Mute 21 Green Velvet – Flash – Relief Records 22 The Walker Brothers – Nite Flights [Album Version] – SonyBMG
As excited as I am for anything new from these guys, I really, really can't wait to see what the follow up to Attack Decay Sustain Release is going to be like, especially now that a lot of their gear was broken in flight.
Norman Cook actually is not retiring the name "Fatboy Slim". Via NME:
"Norman Cook has denied he is laying his Fatboy Slim alter ego to rest.
In a statement his management said they "categorically" confirmed he will continue under the name and is getting ready for festival appearances at Rock Ness, Glastonbury, Wireless, Creamfields and Brighton Beach.
Reports appeared yesterday (May 14) that the DJ was killing off his famous name.
Fatboy Slim is currently finishing work on his album 'The BPA (Brighton Port Authority)'. No release date has been set."
More about "the BPA" and initial rumors of the name change here.
"Fatboy Slim, aka DJ Norman Cook, has decided to retire his famous moniker.
The DJ was cagey about explaining why he had made the decision, or what his new stage name will be. However, NME.COM has learned that he is working on a new album under the name Brighton Port Authority.
Cook told The Sun: "Yes, I am ditching the Fatboy Slim name, but I can’t tell you the new one. I’m going to take the Fifth Amendment on that question and not say because I'll get myself into trouble.”
Despite refusing to confirm his new title the DJ did, however, joke that he was changing his name to "Madonna"."
I just looked into Brighton Port Authority. There's a track in the player called "Toe Jam" that features David Byrne which isn't that surprising since they've worked on a musical together about Imelda Marcos called "Here Lies Love". The thing that shocked me was the song also features Dizzee Rascal. David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal. David Byrne makes me frequently stare at my computer in disbelief.
ps - Here Lies Love looks like it's in the process of actually happening. You can try to follow the progression of it here.
David actually performed some of the songs from the musical a little over a year ago as part of his Perspectives series at Carnegie Hall. I went to see it and it was really great. I never wrote a proper review, but here was my impression of it:
Saturday night was amazing. You could tell how much work everyone involved had put into it. The performance was flawless. The two female vocalists were very good. The percussion and band were dead on. From the beginning you could tell it was going to be good. David was dancing and playing the guitar. Everyone was moving and it was all very upbeat. David prefaced pretty much every song with a little bit of background information...in a very "entertaining, without trying to be" David Byrne-esque way. At the end of the night I was very moved by the whole experience. It was extremely entertaining and well performed. It also had a great narrative quality. Despite it being a "song cycle" and not a full musical or "disco opera", you really came out it with a picture of Imelda Marcos and some of her life. It's probably one of the best shows I've been to.
I really hope it gets made into a proper musical. I think it will be amazing. Disco opera!!!
Back to the Brighton Port Authority project:
There are also some other collaborations: "He's Frank" featuring Iggy Pop and "Should I Stay or Should I Blow" featuring Ashley Beadle
Also, I am kind of freaked out that there will be no more "Fatboy Slim". I've seen him deejay twice. He plays such happy, fun, sets and really gets into it. I hope he keeps doing them even though he's no longer Fatboy Slim. Also, someone please book him to deejay here again already. It's been almost 4 years.
The Black Ghosts were awesome. I could not stop dancing. It reminded me of when I first started going out to see deejays - every night was amazing and I would come home drenched in sweat, see the sun rise, and wake up with my feet aching. I would be in a euphoric state for weeks and could not wait to do it again.
They started out with "Something New". Then they dropped some good dance beats, would do that for a while, then Simon would sing another one of their songs, basically alternating like that from 12:30 until 2:00.
Some songs that I was able to recognize were...a Bloody Beetroots track (but not 100% sure), Mars Needs Women by Meat Beat Manifesto (which I recognized b/c of it being on the Chemical Brothers' 'Brother's Gonna Work It Out' album, which I highly recommend), and "From: Disco to Disco" by Whirlpool Productions.
The other original tracks that they performed were:
I Want Nothing Any Way You Choose to Give It Some Way Through This and one other that I hadn't heard before.
Here are some cellphone pics. Not great, it was really dark in there...and it's a cellphone:
Hello... Sorry for the lack of updates (this week especially). There was a fire in the apartment above mine on Sunday night. Serious fun. Thankfully everything is fine except for the kitchen and bathroom. Things have been a bit nuts this week, running around a lot and such. Feeling a bit tired and out of it. Hopefully things will start to normalize after this weekend. Looking forward to hitting the floor Wednesday and forgetting everything that is bothering me at the moment:
I hit Love with Busy Paul around 11. There was a decent sized crowd for that hour, but unfortunately the place never really got that full. Felix Cartal was on when we went in. He played a solid set. Nothing mind-blowing, but definitely changed things up a bit from all the usual electro heard all too often lately. Also, the way he was manipulating the beats reminded me a bit of Passions at times. Not sure exactly what it was though.
I didn't really note the time L.A. Riots went on. For some reason only Daniel was there deejaying. I really wasn't too into his set either. He played some good tracks and all that, but something was just missing, especially when compared to many of their simply banging mixes floating around the net. At one point he dropped an old school track (can't remember which), which got Paul and I going on a tangent about how everything is coming back. I said in the next 10 minutes we're going to hear a disco siren. Sure enough we did:)
Also at some point in the middle of Daniel's set I recognized Lee from No Love Lost Records and got to chat with him a bit about his label. Keep your ears open. There should be some good stuff coming out of there over the next few months. Also, check out the NLLR Mixtape Project in the meantime for some fresh music. You can get to all the mixes from the Myspace page, but if you're on Facebook, I recommend joining the NLLR Mixtape Project group. You'll get a nice little email whenever Lee uploads a new mix (which is quite often, there are already 45!).
After taking a quick break from the increasingly steamy main room, Paul and I scurried back just in time for the Bloody Beetroots to drop a 2 hour mix of recent electro tracks all of which they delivered with their excellent Bloody Beetroots touch (and the help of a Kaoss pad). They played more of their own tracks and remixes than I am capable of remembering or naming right now. Towards the end of the evening they dropped Crookers' remix of Salmon Dance (WOW!) by the Chemical Brothers, a track I am incapable of getting sick of, and Flex by Dizzee Rascal whose music I have been very into lately, and Spinal Scratch by Thomas Bangalter, which is awesome. The Beetroots spun their little Italian hearts out and had me dancing until the end of their set at nearly 4 am, leaving me with aching feet and about 3.5 hours of sleep ahead of me before I had to wake up for work this morning.
One lone cellphone pic to remember the evening (Daniel of L.A. Riots, Bob Rifo, and Tommy Tea):
(Most of this was written a little after 4am, but I didn't get all the media uploaded until now)
Just got home from seeing Kavinsky at Studio B. He was awesome.
I arrived at 12ish, the place was pretty empty, but quickly filled up over the course of an hour. It was the ideal level of Studio B fullness where the place didn't turn into the sweatbox from hell it has been lately, but there were still plenty of people there getting down. After Jen Lasher did a wonderful job warming up the crowd for 2 hours, Kavsinky went on at 2am.
I don't remember what he started with, but a few songs in he played the Mr. Oizo remix of "Merrymaking at My Place" by Calvin Harris, then D.I.M.'s remix of "My People" by The Presets. Then he played some stuff that wasn't all that recent, but what he chose, how/when he dropped the tracks, and what he did with them made it fun anyway. In the midst of it he also dropped some of his own stuff, a Santogold track, and a B-more-ish track I don't know the name of.
Then at some point there was a shift, where there was literally one awesome track after another all the way through until the end of his set. It was like every track was one you weren't expecting, but then once Kavinsky dropped them they made perfect sense.
I was able to identify almost all of the tracks, and I geeked out and saved a list of them on my phone. I was going to make a Muxtape of all of them, but then I realized you can only upload 12 songs...whack. I found this other site called Mixwit that is a bit different, and I was able to put all the songs on there except for a few that weren't available. You can stream the tape below. There's also a separate tracklisting with the tracks I wasn't able to find/identify in bold. Try to imagine it being well-mixed and banging as you listen to it and that will be vaguely like being at the B last night.
Tracklisting:
Daft Punk - Face to Face Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You Jamelia - Something About You (Mr. Oizo remix) Fancy - What's Your Name Again (Busy P remix) Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name Of (SebastiAn remix) Daft Punk - Aerodynamic SebastiAn - Momy Boys Noize - Deny Selected SebastiAn - Motor ZZT - Lower State of Consciousness Justice - DVNO (Justice remix) ? The Who - Baba O'Reilly Chromeo - Tenderoni Missy Elliott - Ching-A-Ling ? Phil Collins - Sussudio Paul Engemann- Scarface (Push It to the Limit) Justice - Let There Be Light (DJ Funk remix) Justice - Let There Be Light (demo version) Chromeo - Bonafied Lovin Daft Punk - One More Time + a few more tracks I couldn't i.d.
Sidenotes about Kavinsky:
He totally was Frannnnccchhhing it up - smoking and taking swigs out of a bottle of vodka the whole time. He was also having a good time, dancing a bit, bobbing his head, at one point he did the robot.
He played until maybe 4:05, then the bouncer got kinda nasty because he didn't stop right away. Then everyone that was left (the most people I have seen at the B at 4am in a while) kinda went nuts. A bunch of people started yelling stuff to him in French, he yelled back. Serious fun.
A few short video clips merged together that I shot w/ my cellphone:
Overall it was a great night - one of the best deejay sets I've experienced so far this year. I'm exhausted, my feet are aching, but I am so happy. Kavinsky really tore it up. I also think his set showed what a good deejay he is as many of the songs weren't particularly recent, but he made them work together amazingly well. More nights need to be like that.
Read more...
The tour is sponsored by Scion, which apparently has been commissioning deejays to create mix cds. The tour is actually a series of cd release parties for the most recent mix which was done by LA Riots, which Busy Paul Thump Thump has been telling me is awesome. You can stream it here.
The tour starts Wednesday, April 23rd in Chicago, then hits New York, San Franciso and Los Angeles. All the parties are free (just RSVP) and the New York one is on the 24th at Love!
I can't wait. Bloody Beetroots are going to destroy the place. Bring your earplugs!
There's a review of the Bloody Beetroots at Hiro here along with info and a download link for the dope mix they did for the great NLLR mixtape Project.
Also, LA Riots did a nice little mix a couple of months ago that you can download here. Looking forward to finally seeing them. Tracklisting:
Grooveman - House De La Groove
Heartsrevolution - Switchblade (LA Riots Remix)
Kylie Minogue - Wow (MSTRKRFT Remix)
Rolf Honey - Blast Up (Yuksek edit)
Sgt. Slick & Pitch Dark - Automatic Machine (Vandalism Remix)
Yelle - Tristesse (Rolf Honey Remix)
Das Pop - Fool For Love (Yuksek Remix)
Felix Da Housecat - Jack u (Angello & Ingrosso Remix)
Laidback Luke - We Rock Da House
Larry Tee (ft. Princess Superstar) - Licky (Herve Goes Low Remix)
Solid Groove & Sinden - Red Hot (Remix)
Aaren Sanz - Osc Low Nyzz (Blende Remix)
MSTRKRFT - Neon Knights
Count & Sinden - Beeper (A-Trak Remix)
Felix Cartal remains a man of mystery to me. Luckily Missingtoof seems to have him covered. I am really behind on my listening lately.
Tonight is the 2 year anniversary of Ruff Club at the Annex. Should be excellent. A Touch of Class are deejaying (along with a bunch of other peeps, check out the flyer). I can't wait. They had me losing it at PS1 back in July. If you check out that review you will see that they play everything. There also should be some ATOC MP3 goodness in my 'Week in Dance' post over at Brooklynvegan at some point today, so have a listen.
I don't really remember what was played the first time I ever saw ATOC (which was also at PS1, the summer prior to the one I posted about above), but I do remember having a great time. Check it out:
Arrived at Hiro at about 11:30 with Mike. We had missed Sammy Bananas and Kid Cudi was in the middle of performing. I wasn't really into it, just like last time. I did enjoy when he ended with Day'N'Nite because it went into the Crookers remix.
Sinden was on next and he was by far my favorite part of the evening. His set was a pleasant change from all the Frannnssschhh stuff I have been listening to lately. It was just UK, grimey, fidgety bliss. He played This is Sick (which was DOPE), Beeper, and Organ Grinder. He also played some stuff I didn't know, and stuff I knew (but not by name).
EVERYBODY was dropping Bloody Beetroots tracks tonight. Unfortunately I don't know any of their tracks by name, but I can tell when I am hearing one. It drives me nuts. I need to learn the names.
After Sinden, A-trak went on. His set is a bit very fuzzy. I remember being into it and the one specific thing I can remember is him dropping the Fred Falke remix of 'Golden Cage' by the Whitest Boy Alive (who incidentally are awesome - kinda mellow rock/pop - they might remind you of a hopped up version of Kings of Convenience because Erlend Oye does the vocals). It was perfect.
Right around when I was starting to get tired of A-trak's set he was done and Steve Aoki went on. Overall I wasn't impressed by his set this time. I feel like it was all the same stuff I've been hearing lately. There was a song here and there that I was into, but overall the set was just kinda ehh. I left early...
Overall it was a fun night. The crowd was a bit odd...seemed a little younger than usual. Whatev, they were relentlessly getting down and the floor was still pretty packed when I left.
Last night's Degenerates party was great. Headed in with Paul around 11:30. Tommy Sunshine was already on deck dropping a banging remix of SMD's 'Hustler'. He played a lot of stuff I didn't know (like last time), but his set was solid and highly danceable. Busy Paul and I discussed how though his set was great, you could tell he was holding back...like he really could've opened it up, gone all out, and made everyone lose their shit, but he didn't. He kept it fun, but not crazy and got everyone all warmed up for Moby's set. Big ups to Tommie for showing some restraint. If I was as talented as he is and had so much music at my disposal I don't know if I would be able to do that.
Around 12:30 Moby went on. He killed as he has been at all the other parties...a great mix of old school stuff with enough new to keep it interesting. He played 'Hey Boy, Hey Girl' by the Chemical Brothers and I absolutely freaked out. He also played one of his new tracks - 'Disco Lies'. It's a good song, but it seemed a little out of place. Just a tad too disco-ey to throw in with what he was playing. I really like the song though. Also, the video is really funny/awesome/will make you feel really bad about eating chicken:
My only "gripes" w/ his deejay set...he played Bassment Jaxx 'Where's your head at' which I think he's played at every Degenerates party so far, and also one of his songs, I think it's 'We Are All Made of Stars', but I'm not sure. And really, these aren't really gripes...the crowd has a good reaction to both of them, they're a lot of fun to dance to, and unless you've been to most of the other parties you wouldn't know, so whatever. Anyway...
He killed it until about 1:45? Then DJ Mehdi went on. I can't remember what he opened with. Then he dropped that track that repeats "My baby is not at home" (that I don't know the name of). He also dropped in no particular order:
the songs that goes "this...is going...to make you freak", which I think is called "Freak" and is by LFO, but not sure. the Chemical Brothers - Do It Again Klaxons - Magick (Simian Mobile Disco remix) Daft Punk - Aerodynamic Simian Mobile Disco - Hustler (original version) Justice - DVNO (Justice Remix)(great to hear out for a change instead of the Phantoms, which btw were also dropped by DJ Mehdi and Tommie Sunshine. BP and I were discussing how they've kind of had their run...I love the Justice album, but I am really tired of hearing only those 2 songs and D.A.N.C.E. when I'm out. Especially from deejays on Ed Banger...I love their sets regardless, but don't they have access to any of the new music coming out?)
DJ Mehdi's set was serious fun, and he's so happy to be deejaying - always dancing around and smiling. Easily becoming one of my fave deejays. Obligatory cellphone pic:
Overall it was a solid party and a great night of dancing. Hiro was packed for a good part of the evening and everyone was dancing. As expected, after Moby finished his set a lot of people headed out, but the floor was still pretty packed with the masses getting down until the end of DJ Mehdi's set at 3:30.
This post could alternately be titled "Mike you are my hero for telling me about this" / "David Bruno thank you for making me go see them last year" (you can read some of my post-Soulwax ranting and raving here. There's also a link in those posts to some Youtube videos from those 2 nights.
Anyway...Soulwax are playing Irving Plaza on Wednesday August 6th. Tickets go on sale here at noon this Friday (April 4th).
Their new show is supposed to be great. According to their myspace:
"Soulwax Nite Versions perform their remixes live exclusively for a limited time only. Following on from where Nite Versions left off, Soulwax will be playing most of the remixes they’ve made for other people over the years. This will include some that are hard to find, some people forgot about and some that haven’t been released yet, bits of that Gossip one you like plus Kylie, LCD, Justice etc. and a few new surprises thrown in for good measure... You get the idea."
This is going to be great. Do NOT sleep on this!!!
(photo of Soulwax destroying the B last April from here)
A New York based music blog focusing mainly on good, banging, electronic music...and some rock and other stuff from time to time. Show reviews, news, upcoming shows, and event info. Tangents about dj's/bands/music I love.
I'm also the former writer (from 3/08 - 10/09) of the Week In Dance for BrooklynVegan.com
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