Courtesy of One Thirty BPM

An 18-year old prodigy in his own right, Kyle Hall is helping revitalize the electronic music scene in one of its places of birth. Hailing from Detroit, Hall has released compositions on venerable labels as diverse as dubstep connoisseurs Hyperdub and Detroit house imprint FXHE, as well as his own imprint, Wild Oats. He’s also done some high-profile mixes for BBC Radio One, XLR8R magazine, FACT magazine and Resident Advisor. Not a bad start for a guy who just became legal to vote.

This week Mr. Hall will be hittin’ up the Don Hill’s club in SoHo, NYC, and will be supported by a bunch of up-and-coming talent. Check out the flyer below:

In addition, Mr. Hall recently did a mix that his promoter, 60hurtz, was so kind enough to provide Audratic access to. You can check it out below:

Kyle Hall – Mah Mix

Though roughly 15 minutes in length, Hall is able to cram in so many different styles and genres, including some skittery dubstep, deep house, and minimal tech-house. All-in-all a really great nugget of sound.

Overcast Sound has a knack for creating introspective electronic productions, possessing all the characteristics of great ambient techno.  Often filled with heavily reverbed  vocal snippets, field recordings, and sweeping sounds, the group’s sound is excellent at marrying murky and beautifully abstract soundscapes with crisp rhythms, creating an excellent sonic dichatomy.

The group has music on labels Silent Season, Untitled & After, and Rohs! Records. In addition, you can check out some of Overcast Sound’s work on their website, www.overcastsound.com.

Audratic Podcast #9_ Overcast Sound (Guest Mix)

Download Audratic Podcast #9: Overcast Sound (Guest Mix)

This year I once again attended one of New York’s seminal music events, the Bang on a Can Marathon. Taking place every summer at the Winter Garden in downtown Manhattan, the Bang on a Can Marathon brings in some of today’s finest contemporary musicians to perform modern music compositions, both old and new. Even better, the event is free and open to the public; how often can you say that these days?

I arrived at the marathon at around 2 PM in the afternoon just in time to catch an excellent piece composed by Tristan Perich that was not on the original program. The piece was performed using tubular bells and arpeggiated electronics that were mic’ed up to eight speakers. The composition’s strong point, in my opinion, was its use of reverb, which effectively washed the whole audience in sound, highlighting the wonderful acoustics of the Winter Garden.

Tristan Perich's piece for tubular bells

The next piece was Steve Coleman’s “Formation – Lunar Eclipse,” featuring Steve Coleman on alto sax, Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet and David Millares on piano. An abstract jazz workout, the composition allowed the instruments to play off each other quite well. For instance, there was one particular moment when the brass instruments played rising note scales, while the piano riffed off each note to add some further complexity.

Steve Coleman Trio performing "Lunar Eclipse"

The next piece, Seung-Ah Oh’s “DaDeRimGil”, was performed by avant-percussion group Slagwerk Den Haag. Slagwerk Den Haag has been around since 1977 and is considered one of the more important creators of contemporary percussion today. Much in the vein of Steve Reich’s “Music Pieces for Wood”, the performance exploited wood’s unique, hollowed-out sound. Wood, as a distinctive percussive instrument, is capable of creating unique timbres, albeit slight ones, rewarding those listeners that pay attention to detail. One of my favorite uses of wood in the piece was the banging of Yankee souvenir bats. Finding creative ways to make percussion – that’s what Slagwerk Den Haag is all about.

Slagwerk Den Haag then performed a second piece, Marco Momi’s “Ludica,” which was even more avant-garde in its use of percussion than “DaDeRimGil”. More than anything, this piece was a study of creative percussion, with certain methods being more effective than others. While elaborate and esoteric, Slagwerk’s shaking of water bottles and tube-controlled cymbals seemed more for show than actual use. However, the group created one of the most notable sounds of the marathon – a monotone, very deep electronic pulse, which was emitted for a good solid minute midway in the piece. The pulse was filled with so much bass that it felt as though the entire Winter Garden was shaking when it was played. Even more effective was when the sound was abruptly cut off; the feeling was analogous to getting a gasp of air after holding your breath for an extensive time.

Slagwerk Den Haag

The next piece was Iannis Xenakis’s “Tetras,” which was performed by the JACK Quartet. A piece for two violins, a viola, and a cello, “Tetras” was performed in the back of the Winter Garden, a type of performance often reserved for a few performers every year at the Marathon. Taking advantage of the Winter Garden’s “theatre in the round” acoustics, the piece was very aggressive in sound, filled with plenty of staccato. A punctuating piece, Tetras is as ominous in tone and as menacing.

JACK Quartet performing "Tetras"

The next piece was my favorite one of the day, Evan Ziporyn’s “Tire Fire”, which was performed by Gamelan Galak Tika. Decked out in purple robes and propagating an Eastern philosophy motif, Gamelan Galak Tika approached “Tire Fire” with absolute exuberance; their playing method was highly expressive and physical. Even more impressive was that the musicians learned their parts by heart. Sound-wise, the piece was a meeting of Eastern and Western music, with the standout instrument, the gamelan, being well supported by rock music staples such as the electric guitar, electric bass and keyboards. The highlight of the piece was clearly the end, when all of the players viscerally rocked out, infusing a bit of rock star ethos into a classical composition.

Gamelan Galak Tika performing Evan Ziporyn’s “Tire Fire”

The next piece was Mary Ellen Childs “Black Box,” which was performed by Berliners Quartet New Generation (QNG). Ms. Childs met QNG at a concert a year ago in California and subsequently composed the piece via a variety of Internet communication methods. For instance, Ms. Childs would send over parts of the piece via email to QNG, who would then subsequently perform them for Ms. Childs over Skype to see if they worked for the overall piece. While the manner in which the piece was composed was impressive, in reality the piece didn’t really hit me like some of the others performed throughout the day.

The next piece was Michiel Mensing’s purposely frustrating “Oh I am sorry, did I break your concentration?”, also performed by QNG. Easily my least favorite piece of the day, “Oh I am sorry, did I break your concentration?” aggravates its audience by playing brief moments of sound interspersed by long gaps of silence. It’s high concept, for sure, but high concept can be enjoyable to listen to if executed correctly.

Quartet New Generation

The last piece I was able to see was Fred Frith’s “Snakes and Ladders,” which was performed by the Bang on a Can All-Stars. Another one of my favorite pieces, “Snakes and Ladders” would not feel out of place in a film noir or mystery film, sounding very sly and slinky. World-class players, the Bang on a Can All-Stars bolstered the music with some theatrics, visually expressing themselves as they performed the piece.

Bang on a Can All-Stars Performing Fred Frith's "Snakes and Ladders"

Overall, the Bang on a Can Marathon pulled off another great series of performances. Hats off to those behind the scenes, who in my opinion made this marathon the most seamlessly executed one yet. Can’t wait for next year.

A video of the performances discussed above is below.

This past Sunday was the inaugural Sunday Best outdoor party. One of the highlights of summer partying in New York, Sunday Best brings some of the best DJs from around the world to play every Sunday afternoon on a small though inviting patch of lawn off the Gowanus river in Brooklyn. And in the spirit of summer, Sunday Best ups the ante and offers not only great music but excellent food. Everything from thin crust margherita pizza to bratwurst to microbrews and sangria can be eaten by Sunday Best patrons. These guys don’t screw around when it comes to summer BBQing.

This past Sunday was particularly special, given the weather was absolutely beautiful and Kompakt Records impresario and all around excellent DJ, Michael Mayer, was in town.  Check out these photos and video.

Michael at the controls

We're all dancing...

Update (6.4.10): Michael and Kompakt were nice enough to provide a live recording of the set. Check it out on Soundcloud.

With the milky disco / balearic beat revival made famous by the likes of Lindstrom, Prins Thomas, Todd Terje and countless others, it was only a matter of time before this defiantly laid-back sound hit the world stage and global clubbing scene. Enter Future Disco, which holds a series of global events via ongoing residencies at Ministry of Sound (London), Space Ibiza (Ibiza, Spain) and 360 Dubai (Dubai). They also just embarked on a worldwide tour.

Future Disco Volume 3 – City Heat, mixed by Sean Brosnan, is a well-timed release – with summer upon us, this mix will surely be on party-goers playlists throughout the summer.   There are some recognizable faces here, including Audratic favorite Lindstrom (”Baby Can’t Stop”) and Todd Terje (”Eurodans”), as well as some solid tracks from some newcomers. The bassline on Bonar Bradberry’s track “Carlos the Jackal” is a standout sound on the mix, while Ray Man’s remix of Sean Brosnan’s “Sat Jam” bangs through-and-through, filled with spaced-out synths and moved by a thick beat.  However, there are a few clunkers in the mix. “Never Gonna Reach Me” is house that’s mainstream in sound and lacks any real punch, while “Just Be Good To Me” is repetitive and hindered by its muddling repetitive piano work. Still, this is fitting music for your next summer BBQ, beach outing or oceanside rave.

3/5

Todd Terje – “Eurodans”

08 Eurodans

Slowly but surely the US is regaining its foothold in the global electronic scene. While the foundations of modern electronic music were first grown in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s, be it disco in New York, house in Chicago and techno in Detroit, Europe has been at the forefront of electronic dance music for the past two decades.  Much of this is because the continent openly embraced house, techno and other electronic music formats and then subsequently nurtured them. Simultaneously, the US’s electronic music scene retreaded as more mainstream forms of dance music, most notably popular hip-hop, took over the country’s nightlife.

Fortunately, the US has had a relatively recent resurgence in house and techno music, from Claude Von Stroke and Dirty Bird Recordings in San Francisco to the rebirth of the secret, invitation-only dance party in New York (see ReSolute and BlkMarket).  And much like Europe did with the US in the 1980s, the US is increasingly importing European sounds, such as dubstep (New York club Love has an excellent dubstep night every month) to minimal techno and house. Wolf + Lamb is all part of this resurgence, and is one of the more recognizable US-grown house acts today.  Composed of Zev Eisenberg and Gadi Mizrahi, Wolf + Lamb run a label of the same name straight out of their hometown, Brooklyn. Love Someone represents their first proper LP debut.

Love Someone as a whole feels more like a disparate collection of tracks as opposed to a seamless full length with a unified theme. But that’s OK, because there are some excellent minimal deep house numbers here, most notably “I Want Your Money”; it’s so good it appears twice, in original and remix form! The track makes proper use of some finely cut-up, soulful vocals against deep bass and low-frequency synths. Elsewhere, “I’m”, the album’s excellent closer, is simple though beautifully effective house track, filled with echoey synths buoyed by a vocalist repeatedly saying the song’s title. It’s about as minimal as you can get. The only track that breaks the flow a bit on Love Someone is the experimental art-jazz workout “Monster Love”.  While a respected detour, the song breaks away from the album’s minimal deep house sound, and further states the case for Love Someone being more as a collection of works as opposed to a coherent album. Still, this is a respectful debut for these American house purveyors.  It may be wishful thinking, but maybe Wolf + Lamb, Claude VonStroke and others will pave the way to the US having a techno and house music scene as fruitful, developed and respected as Europe’s.

3.5/5

Wolf + Lamb – “I’m”

08 I’m

A while back Audratic had the distinct pleasure of speaking with Christopher Spero, aka Glimpse, who recently dropped his debut album, Runner, on Crosstown Rebels, one of the more respectable electronic music labels these days, with stellar acts such as Jamie Jones, Pier Bucci, Seth Troxler, Minilogue and label-head Damian Lazarus.

Similar to his live performance in NYC late last year at Cielo, Glimpse’s Runner is an exploration in sample-based, minimal deep house.  Witness the excellent opener “Walk Tall”(check it out for a listen below), during which a crackly, soulful dialogue undercuts a thumping bass kick and gentle marimba work.  And in a gentle nod to Denver, a city Chris played in and talked about in his interview with me, “Things to Do in Denver” is an excellent tune founded on a subtle deep house groove. Digging a little deeper into this track, you’ll find that Glimpse uses his samples quite precisely, using a brief live crowd sample to accentuate his ¼ beats.  There are little details like that littered throughout Runner that make it an enjoyable listen that requires further attention with each spin.

The album ends with the excellent track “Train in Austria”, which is as maximal as Glimpse gets on Runner. However, in a surprising twist on standard 4/4 electronic dance music, the track builds and builds though never climaxes in profoundly large way. Instead, rather than going out with a bang, “Train in Austria” sweeps across your ears, letting a harmony of oscillating synths whisk you in and out of this beautiful, transcendent production.

4 / 5

01 Walk Tall

Darkroom Dubs Vol. II is a fine compilation and entry into the moody ambient techno / tech house genre.  Darkroom Dubs, the label behind the release, is run by Scottish DJ and production duo Craig Morrison and Graeme Reedie, better known as Silicone Soul (who also mixed Darkroom Dubs Vol. II). They’ve done some releases for Glasgow-based Soma Records, an excellent label that has released work from one of my favorite (and classically trained) electronic artists today, Alex Smoke, as well as the excellent Sci-Fi Hi-Fi compilation series.

In the beginning, Darkroom Dubs Vol. II is all ambient techno, building upon themes originally discovered and developed by classic 1990s electronic artists such as the Orb, Aphex Twin (not his harder stuff but his par excellence Ambient Works series), Luomo and Akufen.  Case in point Sei A’s “My Era,” which brings all these elements together, incorporating Akufen-like stutter cuts and wordless vocals, which are buoyed by a simple synth line and crisp beat.  The track certainly finds mileage in simplicity, which is what any good piece of ambient techno strives to do.

But then the mix takes a complete 180 and goes all tech house / minimal deep house, which is certainly where the more interesting compositions come into fold. Both Silicone Soul’s “David Vincent’s Blues” and Feygin’s “Chisel” refreshingly incorporate some live drumming, infusing the soul of classic disco into modern house. “Time Flies”, which can be listened to below, is an equally punchy piece, utilizing sweeping synths to come to an absolutely epic climax-and-release.

3.5/5

10 Time flies

As part of the collaboration, Audratic provided an original mix (download link below) for Art Cargo’s latest work, which is an immersive and life-size installation based on Art Cargo’s graphic novel, “Wake Up“. The installation is currently being exhibited at Smith Hall on George Washington University’s campus in Washington, DC until April 23. Here are some pictures from the exhibit:

If anyone is in Washington, DC on Thursday, April 22, Audratic and Art Cargo will be discussing the exhibit in a live “artist talk” from 6-7 PM (EDT) at George Washington University’s Smith Hall. Given Audratic is based in NYC we will be participating via video-conference (isn’t technology grand?!?).

Tracklist:

(1) “Eyen” – Plaid [Warp Records, 2001]
(2) “Child 13” – Jersey Devil Social Club [Lo Recordings, 2007]
(3) “Voyage Direct” – Tom Trago [Rush Hour Recordings, 2009]
(4) “Maps (Mayer & Thomas Remix)” – Ada [Kompakt, 2006]
(5) “Time to Get Away (Gucci Soundsystem Remix)” – LCD Soundystem [DFA, 2007]
(6) “Vocal Chords” – Claude VonStroke [Dirtybird, 2009]
(7) “”Mädchen Mit Hase” – Isolee [Playhouse, 2005]
(8) “Night Falls” – Booka Shade [Get Physical, 2006]
(9) “The Difference It Makes (Superpitcher Remix)” – MFA [Kompakt, 2004]
(10) “Collapsing at Your Doorstep” – Air France [Sincerely Yours, 2008]

Audratic Podcast #8: Art Cargo Mix

Download Audratic Podcast #8: Art Cargo Mix

]]> http://audratic.com/audratic-podcast-8-art-cargo-mix/feed/ 0 http://audratic.com/dubstep-primer-audratic-podcast-7-dubstep-mix-dj-mix/ http://audratic.com/dubstep-primer-audratic-podcast-7-dubstep-mix-dj-mix/#comments Mon, 29 Mar 2010 23:28:45 +0000 Audratic http://audratic.com/?p=663

Dubstep is often considered one of the most vital electronic music genres today. Having existed for nearly a decade, it is certainly one of the youngest music styles out there and continues to evolve and gain greater appeal. Further, dubstep can be considered a product of the 2000s, having been defined by the decade both in its sound and execution.

Part I: How dubstep is a product of the 2000s

Theme 1: Fear, Tension and Uncertainty

Often abrasive in sound, dubstep is tense and sounds fearful at times, mainly due to its liberal use of grinding, unmelodious bursts of sound and dirty, highly-syncopated rhythms. This sense of tension is further exacerbated by dubstep’s defining feature: omnipresent bass. In contrast to most genres of music, dubstep places the bass squarely in front of mix, making the listener feel as though he or she is being drowned in sound, so to speak. This sense of tension and fear that dubstep creates can be seen as a product of the geopolitical and economic events that defined the 2000s.

Following 9/11, the United States, along with other nations, dedicated resources and efforts to fighting a new war – terrorism. However, in contrast to previous wars, this was far more opaque in nature, as the enemy was fragmented and often difficult to discern among ordinary civilians. This inability to directly identify the adversary created a greater sense of fear among citizens across the world. Fittingly, it was around the events of 9/11 when dubstep began emerging in the United Kingdom’s club scene. As the 2000s progressed and the global community became more effective in managing terrorism, its emotional impact subsided. However, a far greater and more real fear – economic uncertainty – emerged in the latter part of the 2000s with the onset of the worst global economic downturn since the Great Depression.

Laissez-faire economic policy, free of government regulation and interference, which had been followed by the world since Reagan took office in 1980, spectacularly blew up in all of our faces in the fall of 2008. Global markets crashed, millions of jobs were lost and complete economic meltdown seemed imminent. Taking a page out of Keynesian economics, federal governments across the world acted quickly to stabilize their economies by deploying massive and highly coordinated federal stimulus efforts. Since then economies have recovered, albeit slightly, and we are certainly in a far better place than where we were. However, our global economy is under heavy structural change as we seek to fix a broken economic model we once thought was flawless. How we emerge from this structural change is still an unknown, which has compounded our economic uncertainty.

Theme 2: The Internet’s support of do-it-yourself (”DIY”) ethics

Early dubstep producers often put together productions utilizing cheap computer music programs such as Fruity Loops. In contrast to high quality computer music programs such as ProTools, Ableton Live and Logic, Fruity Tools is wildly much cheaper, with its basic version only costing $50. The program’s cheapness allowed aspiring dubstep producers to put mind to matter without being prohibited by cost. This ability to produce with minimal and sometimes no overhead is a reality widely propagated by the Internet.

As explained in the book Free, in the 2000s the costs associated with growing the online economy began trending towards zero at an incredible rate. This trend is being driven by the underlying technologies that power the Internet. The price of bandwidth and storage is dropping even faster, making Internet access both more affordable and faster. And as Internet’s barriers to entry become less and less, the Internet’s community grows and grows, and as a result the Web can spread its costs over larger and larger audiences, further accelerating the online economy’s trend towards zero.

As a result of this phenomenon, anyone with an idea can execute it with little or perhaps no risk. Look no further than this blog, as well as countless others hosted on free sites such as Blogger and Wordpress. Unsurprisingly, fledging musicians are one of the most active users of this DIY ethic nurtured by the Internet. With free sites such as Facebook, Myspace and other relevant social networking communities, musicians have been able to self-promote themselves and establish there fanbases online, effectively minimizing the roles played by the music industry’s middle-men, such as record labels, physical distribution channels (i.e. record stores) and talent agencies. It’s no wonder the traditional music industry has been on a steep decline since the beginning of this decade.

Part II: The evolution of dubstep

In the beginning, dubstep was a raw hybrid of garage/2-step, drum n’ bass and classic Jamaican dub/reggae, starkly different from typical house and techno. In addition, the genre’s rhythm is typically hinged on a 2-step, garage beat as opposed to a standard 4/4 beat, which techno, house and most electronic music follows. In the beginning and much like fledging music genres, dubstep could only be heard in underground club cultures, particularly those in London.

It is only recently that dubstep’s greater acceptance has come. In 2007, Burial’s second full-length Untrue, gained heavy online exposure and rave reviews from a variety of music magazines and websites alike, including Pitchfork, Spin and countless music blogs. Further, and more recently, the genre has found itself in bed with other electronic music styles, such as instrumental hip-hop, IDM and, ironically, house and techno, two styles the genre initially rebelled against. Leading the charge in these new dubstep amalgamations are what some call the “Three Hs”- Hotflush Recordings, Hemlock Recordings and Hessle Audio. These three labels lay claim to some of the most vital dubstep artists today, including Scuba, James Blake, Mount Kimbie, Joy Orbison and one of my personal favorites, Pangaea.

Scuba, the proprietor of Hotflush Recordings, recently released one of the best dubstep mixes out there, Sub:Stance, which is the first in a series of like-named mixes based on his dubstep night at the famous German club, Berghain. The mix is landmark in a sense it is physical proof of how dubstep has been adopted by other genres of electronic music, having been released on Ostgut Ton, a defiantly techno music label. The mix is filled with excellent “dubstep fusion” tracks, including Joy Orbison’s killer, house-infected track “Hyph Mngo”, Shackleton’s brooding, middle-eastern tinged “It’s Time for Love”, and the beautiful ambient dubstep piece, “Paper Street”, from Airhead.

Part III: Audratic Podcast #7 – A Dubstep Primer

To help your digestion of this primer, I’ve put together a mix of some of my favorite dubstep tracks that really highlights the variety this vibrant electronic music genre offers.

Tracklist:

(1) “Sunset Yellow” – Pangaea [Hessle Audio, 2010]
(2) “War Dub” – DJ Pinch and P.Dutty [Tectonic, 2005]
(3) “Klinik” – Scuba [Hotflush Recordings, 2009]
(4) “Broken Heart” – TrG [Hessle Audio, 2007]
(5) “Bear Witness” – Pangaea [Hotflush Recordings, 2009]
(6) “South London Boroughs” – Burial [Hyperdub, 2005]
(7) “Blood on My Hands” – Shackleton [Skull Disco, 2007]
(8) “Wear the Crown” – DQ1 [Tectonic, 2006]
(9) “Tin Foil Sky” – Shackleton [Skull Disco, 2006]
(10) “Vancouver” – Martyn [3024, 2009]
(11) “Round the World Girls (Tes La Rok Mix)” – Uncle Sam [Argon, 2007]
(12) “Digidesign” – Joker [Hyperdub, 2009]

Audratic Podcast #7 – Dubstep Mix

Download Audratic Podcast #7 - Dubstep Mix

Tracklist with each song’s accompanying music genre provided below.

(1) LCD Soundsystem – “North American Scum” (Dance Rock / No Wave Revival)
(2) Kaos – “Boogie Bot” (Electro / Acid House)
(3) Sylvia Marks & Hal9000 – “We Electric” (German Techno)
(4) M.I.A. – “10 Dollar” (Digital Dancehall / Alternative Dance)
(5) Lindstrom & Christabelle – “Baby Can’t Stop (Aeroplane Remix)” (Milky Disco / Balearic)
(6) Animal Collective – “My Girls” (Neo-Psychedelic / Experimental Rock)
(7) “One Life to Leave” – Out Hud (Dance Rock / No Wave Revival)
(8) “Let’s Dance and Freak” – Kerrier District (Disco House)
(9) “Paris (Aeroplane Remix)” – Friendly Fires (Milky Disco / Balearic)

Disparity is the new cohesive.

Audratic Podcast #6 – Suite 711

Download Audratic Podcast #6 - Suite 711

Ricardo Villalobos is one of those enigmatic artists that generates equal amounts of praise and disdain. While I have a fair amount of Villalobos’ work, I until recently fell into the latter camp, often finding his works to be self-indulgent. Yet my viewpoint completely changed once I recently re-listened to his 2007 Fabric 36 mix.

Fabric 36 is less electronic music so much as a study in sound and musical concepts, exploring all of Villalobos trademark themes.  A collection entirely of the Chilean-German producer’s originals and remixes (see, there he goes again with his self-indulgence ), Fabric 36 must be listened to in its entirety to understand its finer points, like any great piece of minimalism. “Groove 1880″, the mix’s opener, gains mileage out of using a series of monotonal clicks that are sequenced arrhythmically, immediately fermenting one of Villalobos defining traits – creating an organic atmosphere within the undeniably inorganic 4/4 dance music structure.  His records often feel as though they are living and breathing organisms where randomness can paradoxically exist within something so structured as dance music. This concept is particularly visible in the mix’s centerpiece, “Andruic & Japan”, which brings in another key Villalobos musical concept – sonic deconstruction and reconstruction. This is inheritently a by-product of Villalobos’ pension to create organic electronic compositions.

“Andruic & Japan” is post-dance music, a track that somehow keeps a 4/4 beat even though it’s constantly unraveling at the seams.  Rather than following the typical crescendo-climax-decrescendo arc of a dance record, the production frequently deconstructs and reconstructs with magnificent effect throughout its 12 minute plus existence. Obtuse sprechgesang female vocals go in and out of pitch and often disintegrate into sonic dust, while arrhythmic live wadaiko drumming wars against a programmed 4/4 beat (western vs. eastern ideals, perhaps?). There is no more glorious moment in the track that this theme of deconstruction/reconstruction is apparent than when the 4/4 beat completely yields to the wadaiko, essentially forfeiting the track’s groove.  Vilallobos ultimately (and masterfully) builds the track back up, slowly but surely filtering the wadaiko drumming through a 4/4 construct, resuscitating the production’s beat.

Indeed, deconstruction/reconstruction is a prevalent theme in many Villalobos compositions, as recently exhibited in his excellent remix of Shackleton’s middle-eastern tinged dire dubstep production “Blood on My Hands.” Breaking apart the original’s individual pieces and maliciously warping them to a point of unfamiliarity, Villalobos unashamedly extends the track’s original seven-plus minute duration to eighteen-and-a-half. In essence, with this theme of deconstruction/reconstruction, Villalobos has created a sonic metaphor for life and death, further supporting his desire to create works that live.

Another key musical concept that Villalobos employs is extending the concepts of minimalism from structure to timbre.  Take “Andruic & Japan”’s 4/4 beat, which rather than having the same timbre sonically oscillates, each beat different in sound from the previous. It’s these little things that make a Villalobos composition so engaging, allowing the listener to discover something new with each spin.

With each listen of Fabric 36 I began to realize what Villalobos is all about, making him a standout amidst the endless sea of minimal techno artists. I now see Villalobos more closely associated to original minimalist composers (Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Phillip Glass, et. al.) as opposed to his electronic music contemporaries. His grasp of minimalism is startling and his works are living and breathing creatures. Further, he is not afraid to break away from the shackles of 4/4, though equally understands its importance in creating a home where his works can breathe and live. Slowly but surely I realized that Villalobos “self-indulgence” is really not self-indulgence at all. His sonic themes take time to communicate, and the reality is this can’t be done within 6 to 7 minutes, the usual length of a techno/house record.

Thank you, Ricardo, for making me a believer.

Ricardo Villalobos – “Andruic & Japan” [Fabric 36, 2007]

09 Andruic & Japan

Recently I spoke with James Burnham, aka Burnski, who was in NYC in December to play for reSolute, an excellent ongoing party series that sets up shop across various locations in NYC. Hailing from Leeds, England, Burnski is no stranger to the techno and house scene, having put records out for multiple high-profile labels, including Poker Flat, Trapez and 20:20 Vision. Often an amalgamation of multiple house and techno genres, Burnham’s productions channel the classic ebb and flow that make electronic records such a hypnotic listening experience. Case in point Burnski’s “Triangular Hour”, recently released on Morris / Audio. The track cleverly fuses deep house with minimal techno, employing wandering,warm keyboard work as well as a series of menacing bleeps and sirens to keep things a bit dark.

Our discussion took place at pub near the infamous Chelsea Hotel prior to Burnski’s performance at reSolute.  After ordering a couple of “pints”, we dove right in…

Audratic: How did you first get into electronic music?

James Burnham: I first got into it when I was 14 years old and started recording [BBC's] Radio 1. I used to listen to it all through the week on my little cassette player. The show just totally caught my attention. I loved it. I then got my own set of decks when I was 14 or 15 – they were belt drives. I also got 20 quid a week from my paper route and spent that all on vinyl. Once I left school I went to music college and started making music. I used to get 30 pounds a week allowance and spent that all on vinyl too. In the beginning I was listening to progressive trance and house, though once I got into college I started listening to more underground stuff. I still buy quite a lot of vinyl today and only DJ with it. I don’t use Scratch or any other computer programs.

A: What are your influences? How do you find inspiration?

JB: All sorts of ways. Obviously buying vinyl inspires me. I really do love it. Traveling – that really inspires me too.  Or just getting in the studio in the morning after a really good week. Anything really can inspire me.  Listening to music, seeing other DJs. A bit of everything. [Regarding influences], I can’t really pinpoint one act that influenced me. Even with my productions I never really just hit one sound and hammered it home. I don’t think I ever will, to be honest. I just love a little bit of everything. People might think my sound is a bit “all over the shop.” But that’s what I’m all about – it will probably always be like that.

A: How do you approach your work as a DJ and producer?

JB: I would say I’m 100% DJ and 100% producer. I do put 100% into both. It’s not like I’m just making music and survive doing gigs for the sake of being able to make music. It’s not what I’m about. I do absolutely love both.

A: Describe how you produce a track.

JB: It varies. I have different methods of work. I may get in on a Monday and start writing melodies or drum loops. Once I get an interest in a bunch of sounds then I approach the track. I’m also always working on a lot of music at the same time. It’s never just a case of starting a track on a Monday and having it fresh for Friday.

A: What are you working on right now?

JB: At the moment I’m working on an EP for 20:20 Vision and I just finished a Dessous record, which is out in January. I have a couple of remixes also in the pipeline.

A: What you do you think the role of the DJ is?

JB: Interact with the crowd and play some music outside of what they normally hear. Regarding a set a DJ needs to play a variety of music. I’ve seen DJs stick to the same style for two hours and not only is it boring, but you also don’t feel excited about it.

A: How do you approach your sets?

JB: I do enjoy playing my own work as well as giving the crowd fresh music. Obviously you have to play some recognizable music as well.  However, I don’t play a track for the sake that the crowd might recognize it. It’s just good to give them something they are familiar with. I do play a lot of old tracks as well. That to me is a perfect set.

Burnski MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/planetburnski

This past week I got the chance to see live and speak with Christopher Spero, aka Glimpse.  Mr. Spero is one of electronic music’s freshest acts today, composing minimal electronic that is quite inviting, often employing wispy vocal flourishes and crackling, warm analog sounds.  His live set at Cielo this past Thursday continued in this stylistic vein, often mixing a variety of beautifully simplistic deep house tracks that seemed to float through the club. And with a sound system as high profile and precise as Cielo’s, every little detail in the tracks Glimpse played could be heard, dopplering back and forth within Cielo’s small yet intimate space.

Glimpse’s work has graced a multitude of high profile labels, including Luciano’s Cadenza, Carl Craig’s Planet E, Ben Watt’s Buzzin’ Fly and Booka Shade / M.A.N.D.Y.’s Get Physical. Much of his work is inspired by his earlier days as a jazz/blues musician and classic Detroit techno. His debut studio full length is set for release next March on Damian Lazarus’s Crosstown Rebels.

Our discussion took place at a quaint diner in Long Island City this past Saturday. His first time in New York, Chris delved into the NYC diner experience with full aplomb, ordering a hearty burger, a few cups of coffee and a couple of cokes (the diner unfortunately couldn’t satisfy his craving for Dr. Pepper).

Audratic: How did your recent releases “La Cocina del Cabron” (Cadenza) and “Drifting” (Planet E) come about?

Christopher Spero: The Cadenza release (”La Cocina del Cabron”) was a complete accident and the Planet E release (”Drifting”) was almost an accident as a well. [For] the Planet E record I basically wrote it and just didn’t know what to do with it. I had it on my external hard drive for five months and Dean, [my press agent], told me to just send him a bunch of tracks and he’d see what he could do with it, and he sent it to Carl Craig without even telling me, and well, that’s how that happened. It was kind of a shock. A similar thing happened with the Cadenza release. I didn’t even intend to release it, and a friend of mine, Lee Van Dowski, played it to Luciano in a carpark outside a club and he liked it. Those [releases] were kind of [my] happy accidents.

A: Can you talk a little bit more about your upcoming studio album?

CS: The album is coming out in March [2010] on Crosstown Rebels. I just finished it and I’m pretty excited about it. All material is new and it’s taken roughly a year and a half to produce it. Half of it was written while I lived in Berlin and other half in London. I liked doing the album because I got away with doing stuff different than on an EP because the pressure is not on to do a “big bomb DJ track.” But I think [what you'll hear on the album] is my true sound.

A: How was it like living in Berlin?

CS: It’s a great place – I lived there for six months. I didn’t know anyone there who wasn’t a musician, though. I was living in a building with all techno producers. At some point though you get sick of talking about bloody techno all the time. I actually remember meeting this guy in a bar and we were talking and I asked him, “What’s your label?” “I don’t have a label,” he replied. I said, “OK, what labels do you produce for?” “I don’t produce,” he answered. I asked, “Where do you DJ?” “I don’t DJ,” he says. “So you’re just a normal guy? You don’t do any of these things? You’re just a normal human being?” “Yeah!”, he replied. And I was thinking to myself “What went wrong? What are you doing here? You should leave now! Get out of Berlin quick! Save yourself!” I actually became good friends with him eventually – he was the only non-musical guy I knew. Because if you move to Berlin and you’re not in the arts, your screwed. There’s no work. Even for Germans it’s quite hard to get work there. It’s perfect for musicians because we just sit at home and make art.

A: How would you define your production technique and preferences?

CS: I’m pretty much all analog – hardly anything is done digitally. I’m pretty old school – I use vintage synths like Roland Jupiter 6s and 8s and drum machines. I’m a bit of “gear junky” – I get inspired just sitting in a studio with all my equipment. It makes me just want to write music. For me personally, the music exists in my body and hands as much as it does in my head, so I like to move around in my studio – I often work standing up. All of my synths are on my wall, so if I want to use them I get up, walk over and jam on them – it’s all a very physical [process] for me. I also don’t like really polished production. I think things need to sound a bit raw.

A: Can you talk a little bit about your thoughts on the anatomy of the club scene?

CS: Warehouse parties are what really feed the clubs, in my opinion. Before you get a really good clubbing scene in a city, you get a really good warehouse scene, and that sort of filters up. These warehouse scenes are filled with people [that want to know] what music is playing and who’s playing it. A really healthy warehouse scene will breed loads of other good stuff. If the clubs don’t have anything (i.e. a good warehouse scene) to take their lead by, they don’t quite get it right.

A: Did you start doing electronic music right off the bat or did you focus on something else before?

CS: I actually played jazz and blues before on the guitar. A bit of piano as well. So that all actually comes through in my music – the jazz influences especially. I’m mainly influenced by the “swing and the groove” and lo-fi sound of old jazz records, like when you can hear the crackles. It gives those records a really authentic feel. A lot of the tracks on the upcoming album [import that sound].

A: Talk a little bit more about Glimpse Recordings.

CS: It’s my label I’ve been running since 2003 with Kompakt Records, [who provides the distribution].  I actually just signed a record from a guy in New York – Reade Truth. He’s on Planet E as well. He’s going to be the first artist (outside of me) on my label – I’ve been only releasing my stuff on [Glimpse Recordings] up until this point.

A: Are there a lot of artists like yourself who run a label for purposes of releasing mainly just their music?

CS: Couple of people [I know] do it – Ben Klock and Marcel Dettman, for instance – but not that many people. I think artists who are insular like me [are more inclined to do it]. In the beginning I’d write my music, then simply put it out on my label. Then a couple of friends started labels and asked if I wanted to work with them. And [originally] I was never really down with sending music to other people – maybe I was scared of rejection or didn’t want to do things on their terms. With running my own label, I get to choose the artwork I want and put out the material when I want in the way that I want. I’m not interested in actually running a label because then it turns into a business. The goal is to just be able to have full control and share great music as well, like with Reade.

A: Talk a little bit more about your latest signing, Reade Truth.

CS: He’s from Brooklyn originally. He’s really talented. Some of his stuff is really synthy, electronic sounding but old school as well. He did a really great release on Planet E. The release he did for Glimpse Recordings features his vocalist Natasha Matria. The tracks he sent me sound a little bit like Cassy but more jacking. They’re really great tracks. I think he’s going to do really well.

Glimpse Recordings: http://www.glimpserecordings.co.uk/
Glimpse MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/glimpserecordings

At this point we know what Claude Vonstroke is all about.  A leading purveyor of dirty house, this San Francisco native capitalizes on the dark and ominous, stretching and warping menacing sounds against skeletal beats. Take the now omnipresent “Who’s Afraid of Detroit”, which plays a bleepy, scantly structured warbling synth line against haunting strings and unintelligible grunts.

“Monster Island” continues Claude VonStroke’s unique take on house, burrowing deep into your ears like an earworm. The track finds mileage in a series of shadowy sounds, all of which complement each other to create an end product that is masterful dark house. Ghostly ambience swallows the track’s minimal beat, while a bass-heavy melody brings it all close to the floor and your feet.

Mr. Vonstroke is one of the few Americans that can tussle with the best European DJs and producers. Keep representing the States, Claude!

Download Claude VonStroke - "Monster Island"

01 Monster Island (Original Mix)

A couple of weeks back I was having a drink with a friend of mine at the Soho Grand Hotel in NYC.  While ordering myself a Hendrick’s and tonic the DJ dropped Aeroplane’s fantastic remix of the track “Paris” by the Friendly Fires.  While the original is innocent, catchy dance rock, (pleasantly naïve lyrics such as “I’ll find you that French boy, you’ll find me that French girl” make it hard to take seriously), the remix, much like Classixx’s reinterpretation of Phoenix’s “Lisztomania,” is excellent nouveau disco and in many ways outdoes the original. Taking the naïvete of the original and exploiting it, the production harks back to the golden age of disco, from the bubbly synthwork to reverbed handclaps, adding up to a very engaging listen. Further, all-girl indie pop group Au Revoire Simone, which Friendly Fires enlisted to for the original’s chorus, sing the entire set of lyrics here, making the remix even more effervescent. Interestingly enough, around the halfway mark the track becomes an epic slowburn akin to the group’s remix of Grace Jones’ “Williams Blood”, treading progressive house territory. However, the disco flourishes remain, with the most notable being soaring stringwork.

Aeroplane are part of an ever evolving list of electronic artists that add a great deal of warmth to their electronic beats.  For a long time now the clinical styles of techno have been playing backseat to electronic music that is more organic in sound.  Lindstrom, Todd Terje, Prins Thomas, Classixx…the list goes on.  This website has supported the nouveau disco movement since day one, which is gaining momentum among multiple music listening circles. This a fantastic development for the electronic music genre, which historically has had a hard time being accessible to larger audiences.

Aeroplane has a promising future, and while their remixes are all stellar, I hope they make a full length someday that further evidences the strong handle they have on nouveau disco. In the meantime, check out their Myspace page to hear some of their work.

Listening to the opening track of Little Dragon’s excellent sophomore release, Machine Dreams, I was immediately reminded of another Swedish electronic artist, Karin Dreijer Andersson (of Knife and Fever Ray fame).  Much like Ms. Andersson, vocalist Yukimi Nagano has a voice that captivates and is the driving force behind Little Dragon. The instrumentation of opener “A New” is nothing more than a marching band snare and histrionic synths, but is instantly grabbing because of Nagano’s oscillating vocals. From then on out Machine Dreams becomes an 80’s new wave workout. “Looking Glass” is overflowing with sound – reverse drums, squelchy guitar solos, and ostentatious synths – highly reminiscent of Oranges & Lemons- era XTC. “Feather” could be the album’s standout, an atmospheric work buoyed by washed-out snares and Nagano’s sultry vocals. Perhaps a modernized version of Art of Noise’s classic “Moments in Love?” The album later takes a lighter turn with the 1-2 punch of  “Runabout” and “Swimming,” with the former breaking out a bongo solo and latter flute flourishes, both against an evovling electronic backdrop. Some tracks fail to execute, however, particularly the last three tracks “Blinking Pigs”, “Come Home” and “Fortune”, which seem to run without direction. Still, there is enough highly compelling tracks on this album, making for an engaging listen on the whole.

3.5/5

Download Little Dragon - "Feather"

04 Feather

Photo courtesy of www.24hourservicestation.com

Recently I had a phone conversation with electronic music artist Richard Jankovich, who has gained some notoriety through his remix work with artists such as Beck, Radiohead, Of Montreal and Cat Power, as well as fronting the Burnside Project, an electronic rock group that received notice when their work “Cue The Pulse To Begin” was used as the theme song to the Showtime series Queer as Folk in 2006.

Richard and I first discussed his recent work, which is a series of self-produced singles under his Pocket moniker with a variety of guest musicians, including avant-British pop impresario Robyn Hitchcock, Sal Principato of no-wave pioneers Liquid Liquid and the prolific Craig Wedren.   Pocket began outlining the framework for these singles nearly three years ago, first constructing the productions before shopping them to the litany of guest artists that now grace them.  In listening to these singles, the production is front-and-center, filled with bright synth work and sheen beats that coalesce to form a clean and polished sound.  My favorite among the singles is “Hear in Noiseville” which also has a fantastic remix from the beautiful soundscaper Justus Köhncke (Kompakt Records). Both versions of the song are provided below.

Thanks to the digital age, so much music is able to pass through our ears today and, unfortunately, most people are unable to digest full albums now. While our attention spans have been reduced, our ability to process information has increased, and to many sitting down and listening to a full album all the way through is just too time-consuming, for better or worse.  What Mr. Jankovich has done is a sign of how we listen to music is changing.  Rather than compiling these differing works as one album, which is a common thing done by many electronic artists, Jankovich has wisely released these easily digestible singles individually. This, as he notes, allows them to stand on their own and not compete with each other if they were all released on one album. Even better, these works can be streamed free of charge from Pocket’s website, a promotion tactic that this author certainly approves of (all of my podcasts are free) and is increasingly being employed by musicians (see Radiohead’s In Rainbows, which proves this business maneuver can be very successful).  The thinking goes that if a musician offers his or her music for free, an individual is more willing to listen to it – no risk in trying something for free! In essence this allows the artist to build an even larger fan base than priced music could ever create at an even faster rate (free spreads like wildfire).  While this may not be particularly important for seasoned and established artists, this is a tactic that is powerfully effective for fledgling artists that want to gain an audience fast and, if done through the Internet, at little expense. Unlike its physical counterparts, producing and distributing digital music comes with no marginal cost – once it’s in cyberspace it can spread to everyone freely. Better yet, this can all be done by the artist him or herself through their own website or online social networking, a practice Mr. Jankovich and his label, 24 Hour Service Station, embrace.

Mr. Jankovich expressed he never had any desires to work with a music label, which as the music industry becomes increasingly fragmented by the digital age, is a more common likelihood among artists.  However, 24 Hour Service Station, which originally was a traditional record label when it started in 1994, has since transformed into one that completely welcomes the digital, distributing its artist’s works as well as others to major online retailers like iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon and a slew of smaller ones. Further, the label promotes heavily through social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

So what’s next for Mr. Jankovich? While the Burnside Project has been dormant as of late, Richard is in the process of rescucitating it and is working on some tracks.  In addition, expect further singles to be released under Richard’s Pocket alias.

Download Hear in Noiseville

01 Hear In Noiseville

Download Hear in Noiseville (Justus Köhncke remix)

03 Hear In Noiseville (Justus Kohncke Remix)

For Audratic Podcast #5, I decided to get a little funky and tap into the milky disco sound, which is one of the most vital and fertile dance movements today.  A hybrid of jazz, rock, disco and modern electronic, milky disco is all about chaos within a construct. Contrary to modern house and techno movements, this new disco movement heavily improvises within a standard 4/4 dance structure. So while you’ll often hear wandering guitar solos, endless keyboard arpeggios, soaring abstract vocal work and oceanic synths, they will always be anchored by a propulsive 4/4 dance beat.  Bottom line: its unpredictability you can dance to.

Tracklist:

(1) Villa – “Tina”
(2) Rayko – “Slowtrack”
(3) Phoenix – “Lisztomania” (Classixx Version)
(4) Yellow Power – “Hai Samurai”
(5) Nelue – “No Strings Attached”
(6) Kerrier District – “Negresco”
(7) Doves – “Compulsion” (Headman Remix)
(8) Villa – “Anita”
(9) Kerrier District – “Mad as Hell”
(10) Hercules & the Love Affair – “You Belong”
(11) The Soft Rock – “Leave Your Earth Along”
(12) Rubber Room – “Cockroach”
(13) Kerrier District – “Disco Nasty”

Download Audratic Podcast #5 - "Discolux"

audratic-podcast-5_-discolux

The fourth entry of the Audratic Podcast series, Emotive Ops is something that reaches into the techno/house 4/4 construct and flips it a bit on its head.  Sticking to one genre is not a particularly entralling endeavor and can get tedious after a while, especially for an ADD DJ like myself.

You see, I find solace in the fact that dance music, because of it’s maleable nature, complements itself across multiple genres.  Examples can be found in Emotive Ops, such as:

• Ada’s superb remix of Tracey Thorne’s “Grand Canyon”, which while an excellent track in its own right, is recontexualized into a more jungly affair when mixed with Anane’s “Walking on Thin Ice”.
• The deep space disco of Black Devil Disco Club’s “The Devil in Us” is sharpened when complemented with John Tejada’s excellent techno romp “Better Days”.
• The aggressive grind techno of Dusty Kid’s “Kore” is given the soft touch by Deadmau5 & Kaskade’s airy house number “I Remember”.
• Ada’s “Maps” (jeez, I just can’t get enough of her lately!) and its sweet chiming synth line is beautifully complicated by Trentemoller’s remix of Visti & Meyland’s “Yes Maam / All Nite Long”.

Enjoy!

Tracklist:

(1) Tracey Thorn – “Grand Canyon (Ada Remix)”
(2) Anane – “Walking on Thin Ice”
(3) Black Devil Disco Club – “The Devil in Us”
(4) John Tejada – “Better Days”
(5) The Knife – “You Take My Breath Away (Mylo Remix)”
(6) Dusty Kid – “Kore”
(7) Deadmau5 & Kaskade – “I Remember”
(8) Spektre – “Deal With It” (Varo Remix)
(9) Ben Watt – “Guinea Pig” (Vocal Variation)
(10) Ada – “Maps” (Mayer/Thomas Remix)
(11) Visti & Meyland – “Yes Maam / All Nite Long” (Trentemoller Remix)
(12) Plastique de Reve – “Lost in the City”
(13) Tim Deluxe – “You Got Tha Touch” (Martin Buttrich Remix)
(14) Holy Ghost! – “I Will Come Back” (Classixx Acapulco Nights Version)

Download Audratic Podcast #4 - "Emotive Ops"

audratic-podcast-4_-emotive-ops

Check out the club’s site here for more info: http://www.rebelnyc.com/.

Hope to see ya there!

A proper electronic music festival finally came to NYC last weekend in the form of Electric Zoo, and was held on one of the few long stretches of greenery in NYC, Randall’s Island. Spanning two days with over 50 acts, the event didn’t fail to disappoint. As I attended the Warp 20th Anniversary show this past Saturday at the Winter Garden in NYC, I solely attended the second day of the festival.

I arrived at around 3:30 PM to catch the tail-end performance of milky disco impresario Prins Thomas. Mr. Thomas’s set was filled with bass-heavy disco numbers and blissed out funk, easily being the most soulful and organic set witnessed at the festival.  Anytime this man or his partner-in-crime Lindstrom perform, Audratic makes it a priority to witness the spectacle first hand.

Prins Thomas at the Electric Zoo Festival (NYC, 2009)

Next I wrapped my head around something a bit more dirty and hard-hitting in the form of Steve Angelo’s super-ravy techno.  While Mr. Angelo’s set was commercial and filled with loads self-reference (his songs were peppered with “This is Steve Angelo” repeated ad nauseum), he didn’t disappoint, and a full-out 90s rave revival played before my eyes. I shed a tear as I waxed nostalgic for the days of glowsticks and raver pacifiers…

Later in the day at around 5:30 PM Tom Middleton took the Groove Discotheque stage and was hands down my favorite act of the day.  While most of the DJs performing stuck to a particular genre and BPM, Middleton spanned styles with ease, effortlessly moving from old-school electronic to thumping dubstep to hip-hop.  He even cut Kanye’s “Gold Digger” and pasted it over a skittery drum n’bass beat – sound collage at its finest. Just goes to show you that electronic music’s founding fathers like Middleton always bring home the goods.

Tom Middleton at the Electric Zoo Festival (NYC, 2009)

Feeling like I was at an all-you-can-eat buffet, I proceeded to sample the DJs playing across all the four stages, getting my fill of Nathan Frake’s hard hittin’, drill n’ bassin’ techno before getting cheesed out with Victor Calderone’s unabash pop house and soakin’ in James Holden dark and dirty tech house.

I ended the night by seeing the back-to-back performances of Al Doyle of Hot Chip and James Murphy of LCD Soundsytem, with the former churning out a convincing techno set that was refreshingly unlike the electronic pop his band is known for, while the latter laid down some acid house that nicely clashed against old-school funk.

Electric Zoo was an excellent start to a festival that hopefully gains importance over the coming years.  With Detroit having its Movement festival and Miami its Winter Music Conference, it was high time that New York got its own electronic music fest, and all in all Electric Zoo was pretty solid.  Sure, it was a bit commercial with the likes of super DJs David Guetta, Benny Benassi and Armin Van Buren playing. However, from a business perspective I completely understand the event needed to generate traffic and attention, and what better way to do it than bring in some of the most noteworthy DJs in the world? Also, I hope in the future the festival implements original performances rather than simply churning out DJ sets.  I have faith that Electric Zoo will be back next year, better than ever.

This past weekend Warp Records celebrated its 20th anniversary across a variety of locales in New York.  You can see a full run down of the events that occurred at Warp’s website. For those unfamiliar with Warp, this was the label that started it all for me.  Back in the late 1990s when I was just starting to get into electronic music my ears fell upon some of the most gifted electronic composers in the form of Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Autechre and Boards of Canada.  These individuals, all on Warp, allowed me to further explore what electronic music could and had already offered.  A single electronic instrument can digitize literally an infinite array of sounds, adding to its longevity as a musical art form, and the electronic musicians on Warp Records made me realize this. While the label today is less focused on catering to the “intelligent dance music”  movement it helped found, it has stuck to providing cutting-edge music, be it the dusty abstract instrumental hip hop of Flying Lotus, the agitated electronic of Clark or profoundly lyrical indie rock of Grizzly Bear (who was recently given props by Jay-Z!).

I attended the free show Warp held at the Winter Garden this past Saturday, which has also been the host of the Bang on a Can Marathons all these years.  After hearing a well-mixed set by one of the Warp DJs, new Warp artist Hudson Mohawke took the stage.  Mohawke, much like Flying Lotus, specializes in building sound collages in a hip hop construct, and while at times his set meandered, there were many notable moments.  In particular, I found myself appreciating the more beatless, ambient side of his music rather than his krunky hip hop beats. He amusingly ended his set with his own remix of Tweet’s guilty pleasure “Oops“. This is not the first time I’ve heard an electronic music act perform “Oops” – Ladytron did it too. I honestly don’t blame either of these acts for ironically covering the song – it is damn good.

Next, Clark took the stage and absolutely ripped it.  While Clark’s recordings are generally more subdued works rooted in IDM and abstract jazz, his set was the total opposite.  Filled with head-crunching techno, Clark made a mockery of his venue. Imagine: a highly distorted, rapid BPM electronic set in a venue that doubles as a shopping mall – doesn’t get more awkward than that. A brief video of the performance is below.

I’m glad Warp is still alive and well after all these years, and while many music labels have come in gone, Warp was smart enough to evolve itself with the times and become the well-respected alternative brand it is today.

Audratic will be spinning a couple of nights this week at some NYC spots:

675 Bar – Wednesday, August 26 (sponsored by Dubspot)
Once again Justin will be DJing at 675 Bar in NYC along with some friends from the Dubspot DJ academy from 7 PM until closing time. Justin is scheduled to come on at 9:30 PM or so. Music spun will run the gamut and feature a variety of styles, though will surely get you dancing.

Details on 675 Bar are below:

675 Bar
675 Hudson St
(between 13th St & 14th St)
New York, NY 10014
(212) 699-2410
Right off the 14th street/8th avenue stop (A/C/E/L trains)

RSVP Lounge – Thursday, August 27 (sponsored by Astoria DJ Meetup)
Justin and some friends will be spinning at RSVP Lounge in Astoria starting around 7 PM. They’ll be bringing all types of music to the dance floor.

Details on RSVP lounge are below:

RSVP Lounge
4303 Broadway
Astoria, NY 11103
(718) 267-7797
Right off the Steinway stop (R/V trains)

Hope to see you there!

This track has been burnin’ up Audratic’s playlist lately.  Another solid production from Isolee, one of minimal techno’s modern luminaries.  “Albacares” has all of the Isolee trademarks that made We Are Monster so damn good, particularly the use of live instrument work. This is something electronic artists often fail to use, and arguably makes electronic music productions more accessible and organic.  While propulsive beats, clever use of reversed sounds and starry bleeps are all apparent, the gently picked guitar work and bumpin’ electric bass hold it all together, much like “Schrapnell”, “Today” and “Enrico” did on We Are Monster. Can this man do no wrong? And when is he going to drop another full-length?

Download Isolee -"Albacares"

01-albacares

Subway’s second LP and first for Soul Jazz Recordings is a work steeped in multiple influences, from kraut rock to proto-disco to old school techno to ambient.  Upon first listen, you may be reminded of Low, which arguably introduced Eno’s ambient music to the masses using David Bowie as a conductor. Subway II is equally a work that uses ambient music as a framework and builds around it sounds and constructs from a variety of genres. In addition, the album predominantly employs analog electronic equipment that created electronic movements of the 1970s and 1980s, from italo disco to new wave to proto techno and house.

The first track, “Persuasion”, is a slowly burning krautrock number much like something off of an album from Neu!, propelled by a steady and consistent snare and contexualized by crescending and decrescending distortion and echoey proto-synths.  Elsewhere, “Simplex” could have been easily taken off of Kraftwerk’s Autobahn, employing propulsive synths once again buoyed by a solitary snare drum. But the best tracks are saved for last, as the one-two punch of “Delta II” and “Xam” delivers some extraordinary moments.  “Delta II” is constructed much like milky disco affairs of today – an epic soundscape that builds and builds and climaxes at just the right moment – while “Xam” is an ambient techno throwback that doesn’t drop the beat until a little over four and half minutes into the song.  By then you’re absolutely begging for it!

4/5

Download Subway - "Xam"

09-xam

The third album of Barry Lynn’s moniker, Boxcutter, Arecibo Message is a work that is influenced by a variety of recent electronic music movements. While there are some generally thrilling moments on the album, unfortunately Arecibo Message often comes off as being too pastiche and nostalgic.  The opener, “Sidetrak”, is dubstep 101, even employing some Burial-style high pitched vocal samples.  The following track, “Mya Rave V2,” is high energy dubstep that borders drum-n-bass, while “Arecibo Message” is dirty drill-n-bass number that would fit quite nicely on Mu-Ziq’s Billous Paths. The album’s highlight is “A Familiar Sound”, which is excellent syncopated dubstep with soaring vocalwork. Overall, while the tracks composed on Arecibo Message are competently produced and true to their source material, there’s not enough originality to keep one coming back for more.

3/5

Download Boxcutter - "A Familiar Sound"

07-a-familiar-sound

Craig Wedren, Jefferson Friedman and ACME

In connection with Audratic’s recent interview with Jefferson Friedman and Craig Wedren, Audratic attended their performance of “On in Love” among other works at Joe’s Pub on August 4. In addition, American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME), the backing orchestra to “On in Love,” performed a few works of their own as well as collaborated with Jefferson and Craig.

ACME opened up the night with some stirring works grounded in post-classical music and minimalism. Their deft use of strings created sounds of aching beauty, and much of the work, while low-tempo and contemplative, burned slowly and brightly.

Mr. Wedren’s works followed ACME. Craig, standing out in a white suit fitting for the hot summer night, brought the edge to performance, playing some Shudder to Think classics as well as some of his own works. Mr. Wedren’s voice is exceptional, and this was even more apparent in the sound-friendly Joe’s Pub, which, much like recording studios, pads its walls in foam to enhance sound clarity and vibrancy. The works Craig performed ranged from guitar-heavy punk-rock freakouts to more contemplative art-pop, but all of them were unified by Craig’s soaring voice as well as cleanly-expressed and strong lyrical work.

Craig and his band were then joined by ACME to re-contextualize Mr. Wedren’s works through a classical construct as well as perform Mr. Friedman’s “On in Love”. This collaboration generated the best moments of the night, with both Mr. Wedren and ACME turning in spirited performances to create music that was complex and multifaceted. This, in effect, was what the show was all about, sonically bridging classical and popular music to create works that are defined by our times, ones that globalize sounds and blend associations that were once thought to be disparate.

An excellent night of music, for sure.  Below is a brief video highlighting the performances.

Photo Courtesy of New York Magazine

This past Friday I got a chance to sit down and speak to American composer Jefferson Friedman and Craig Wedren, lead singer of art/alternative rock group Shudder To Think and an exceptional solo artist in his own right. Messrs. Friedman and Wedren are performing their rock-classical hybrid “On In Love” next Tuesday, August 4, at Joe’s Pub in NYC. You can check out the full performance of the piece on Jefferson Friedman’s website here. Here’s one of the piece’s three movements:

While Friedman and Wedren are from two different music communities, in speaking to them I realized they are similar in mind and artistic vision, creating music that refuses to be categorized and pushes boundaries. “On In Love” is an excellent example of this, being a post-modern work that melds Mr. Wedren’s histrionic and superbly-textured voice with Mr. Friedman’s dynamic and often maximalist composition, making the piece an epic-sounding cycle that, as Mr. Wedren notes, covers three themes: family, divinity/celestiality and carnality. But despite being from differing musical camps, the collaboration is fitting, as Messrs. Friedman and Wedren were always tied together even before they met.

Jefferson growing up was into rock as much as classical music, having, as he so humorously noted, “played in shitty bands.” What makes this story interesting is that Shudder To Think was his favorite band. For those unfamiliar with the group, Shudder to Think churned out alternative rock works of high art on Fugazi’s Discord label, often recognized as a shining beacon in the alternative rock/punk scene during the late 1980s and early 1990s.  While working at Columbia Business School, Mr. Friedman met someone who ultimately got him connected to Stuart Hill, the bassist of his favorite band. As if driven by fate, Hill asked Jefferson to play with Shudder To Think on a 1998 tour, during which he met Mr. Wedren. And the rest is history.

Mr. Wedren is unique character from the alternative rock scene, having a voice that may have seemed too operatic and beautiful for a hardcore indie collective like Shudder To Think, but ironically defined the group’s sound.  Outside Shudder to Think, Craig is an exceptional solo artist and has scored some notable films (Role Models, School of Rock, Roger Dodger, and Wet Hot American Summer, to name a few) and is currently immersed in his next album, WAND, which is shaping to be a project that moves against current trends in music.

Mr. Wedren and I share the belief that while the Internet has given us complete access to music of all kinds from across the globe at rapid speed, it has, in a way, cheapened its effect, becoming more and more informational as opposed to art that can be experienced on an immersive level. Think about it: when was the last time you sat down and simply listened to an album all the way through without doing something else? WAND aims to change this, being an album that will combine sound with film much like rock movies of the 1970s such as Pink Floyd’s The Wall.  Mr. Wedren claims WAND will be an excellent way for “a person to just sit down and listen to an entire gesture” and will “refresh the album experience”, and from the sound of it, it’s looking to be art that can be experienced on multiple levels.

Going back to “On in Love”. There are always two sides to everything, and while the Internet has arguably diminished the music-listening experience, it has also opened influences to musicians that could have never been accessed pre-Information Age.  Musicians are no longer generating a specific sound exclusive to a particular scene, but rather creating works that are amalgams of music from multiple influences.  One of my favorite rock collectives, Calexico, is a perfect example of this, whose compositions often blend a variety of sounds, including spaghetti western soundtracks, mariachi, post-rock, jazz, electronic music and french pop, to create pieces that truly sound worldly.  “On in Love” is no exception to this trend, being a piece that not too long ago seemed unthinkable – a sonic bridge between classical and popular music communities. But this is where music is headed, globalizing sounds and blending associations that once were thought to be completely separate.

As for what happens next, Messrs. Friedman and Wedren have big plans to develop “On In Love” into a full-fledged album with the help of American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME). While the work is still in process, Jefferson will be handling composition while Craig will scribe all the lyrics. If it’s anything like “On In Love”, it’s sure to be an exceptional work for all types of music appreciators to enjoy.

I urge all of you to attend Craig and Jefferson’s show this August 4, which will feature “On In Love” alongside material from Mr. Wedren, including a new arrangement of the Shudder To Think song “Baby Drop” by Jefferson, Craig and ACME. Hope to see you there – details of the event are below:

Craig Wedren with ACME Featuring the Music of Jefferson Friedman
Tuesday, August 4, 7:00 PM
Joe’s Pub
425 Lafayette Street between East 4th and Astor Place, NYC
www.joespub.org

]]> http://audratic.com/audratic-interview-jefferson-friedman-and-craig-wedren/feed/ 0 http://audratic.com/barraca/ http://audratic.com/barraca/#comments Wed, 29 Jul 2009 02:40:12 +0000 Audratic http://audratic.com/?p=366

A 2-part video series chronicling the electronic music label/club Barraca. Why is this special? Barraca is based in my former hometown and favorite city in Spain, Valencia.  Enjoy!

This past Wednesday, July 22, I attended Alarm Will Sound’s recreation of classic tracks from Aphex Twin, Autechre and other IDM artists. Alarm Will Sound is a post-modern ensemble much like Bang on a Can, often re-imagining existing pop works as well as playing seminal post-modern compositions. As IDM was a genre of electronic music notably influenced by post-modern composers such as Steve Reich and Phillip Glass, the concept of a transposing IDM tracks to an orchestral setting was particularly attractive to me. In addition, the venue for the event, Le Poisson Rouge, is arguably New York’s finest spot to see cutting edge music that often converges the popular with the post-modern.

I first saw Alarm Will Sound at the 2008 Bang on a Can Marathon performing a riveting recreation of Brian Eno’s ambient work Discreet Music, which was all the more powerful when played against a rising sun at 5 AM in the morning (!!!). The group had previously introduced organic recreations of Aphex Twin tracks at the 2003 Bang on a Can Marathon. The story goes that the reception for the recreations was so strong that Alarm Will Sound eventually recorded the album Acoustica, which was a collection of 15 Aphex Twin songs created for play by an orchestra. While this was not the first time something like this has been done (Phillip Glass recreated Aphex Twin’s “ICCT Hedral” from I Care Because You Do… as did jazz outfit Bad Plus with “Flim” from Come to Daddy EP), no group has taken the idea of the IDM recreation as far as Alarm Will Sound.

The group opened up with a startling rendition of one of my favorite Aphex Twin songs, “Meltphace 6″, and the ensemble nailed every little rhythmic syncopation, bleep and beep. Strikingly detailed, the group even employed Steve Reich-esque vocal chants to recreate the stuttering vocal samples the original so effectively uses.  The group continued focusing on other notable Aphex Twin tracks, including “Fingerbib” (Richard D. James) and “Blue Calx” (Ambient Works, Vol. II) both employing creative organic recreations of two purely electronic tracks.

What followed were recreations of other IDM productions, including Preshish Moments’ “Why Do Birds”, Autechre’s “Cfern 6″ and  Mochipet’s “Dessert Search for Techno Baklavaall”, all of which were competent but perhaps not the best tracks for orchestral reinterpretation.  Following intermission, Alarm Will Sound did a fantastic interpretation of the Beatles’ musique-concrete opus “Revolution 9″, arguable the most difficult recreation given the sheer amount of recorded samples that had to be recreated both through voice and instrumentation.  After doing a few original works composed by Alarm Will Sound members, the group closed with two Aphex Twin songs, “Cock – Ver10″ and “4″, taken from drukqs and Richard D. James, respectively. Strikingly different in style, “Cock-Ver10″ is a drill n’ bass freakout, while “4″ is one of the shining examples of Aphex Twin’s penchant for beautiful melodies.  I was particularly impressed with the “4″ recreation, with Alarm Will Sound even nailing down the “pretty good” vocal samples that are quietly hushed in the original track.

Overall, it was interesting to hear these strictly electronically processed songs played by organic instruments that didn’t employ sequencers, samplers and processors.  Electronic music, an inherently perfectly sequenced form of music, played organically often illustrates the difference between processed perfection and organic imperfection. And while certain tracks were more engaging than others, the group was effective in bridging the gap between classical and pop music communities, a recent trend that is proving that as the Internet makes our world smaller and information from all corners of the world is freely shared, it’s becoming more and more difficult to neatly compartmentalize music into neat little labels.

]]> http://audratic.com/alarm-will-sound-le-poisson-rouge-nyc-july-22-2009/feed/ 0 http://audratic.com/villa-diva-edits-mindless-boogie-2009/ http://audratic.com/villa-diva-edits-mindless-boogie-2009/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:38:45 +0000 Audratic http://audratic.com/?p=341

While scrounging one of my favorite music blogs, Discodust, my ears were pleasantly gifted the “Diva Edits”, three wonderful remixes of songs from the absolutely heavenly Tina Turner, Anita Meyer and Agnetha Fältskog.  The edits were done by relatively obscure disco revivalists Villa, and they are absolutely sublime. I’ve had all three on repeat for the last week or so, particularly the Tina Turner edit of “I Can’t Stand the Rain”, which is put to a higher BPM and really accentuates Ms. Turner’s unique staccato and powerful vocal delivery.

Here are the edits, in all their wonderful glory.

Download Villa - "Tina Edit"

tina

Download Villa - "Agneta Edit"

agneta

Download Villa - "Anita Edit"

anita

Thank you everyone who made it to my live set at 675 Bar this past Wednesday, July 15.  This particular set was meant to get some asses shaking, and from my vantage point, they were.

In listening to this set, you’ll notice a heavy use of pop.  How come? While I think a DJ should always “educate” his or her audience with some choice tracks that are lesser known, they should also balance their set with some recognizable songs. This is crucial to getting a crowd in tune with your performance, and will make it all the more enjoyable for them.  There is a time and place for every song, whether it be that new hip-hop track everyone’s been talking about or that obscure italo disco track that has a killer bassline but never made it big.  The beauty is putting them together to create something entirely new, and that’s where a DJ comes in.

So enjoy the recording, and, as always, any feedback is welcomed!

-Justin.

Tracklist:

(1) Paula Abdul – “Opposites Attract”
(2) Daft Punk- “Around the World”
(3) MIA – “10 Dollar”
(4) Kaos – “Feel Like I Feel”
(5) Royksopp – “What Else Is There?” (Trentemoeller Remix)
(6) Kylie Minogue – “Come Into My World”
(7) Coldplay – “Clocks” (Royksopp Remix)
(8) Frisky – “Burn Me Up (With Your Love)”
(9) Firefly – “Love (Is Gonna Be On Your Side)”
(10) Porno for Pyros – “Pets”
(11) Depeche Mode – “Enjoy the Silence”
(12) Junior Senior – “We R the Handclaps”
(13) Justus Köhncke – “Schwabylon”
(14) Junior Boys – “In the Morning”
(15) Michael Jackson – “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough”
(16) Justice – “DVNO”
(17) Cut Copy – “Lights and Music”
(18) Cicada – “Things You Say”
(19) Michael Jackson – “PYT”

Download Audratic Podcast 3: Live Set at 675 Bar, NYC

audratic-podcast-3_-live-set-at-675-bar-nyc

Hi all,

Justin here.  I’ll be spinning alongside some friends from NYC DJ academy Dubspot this Wednesday, July 15, at 675 Bar in NYC.  Event starts at 7 PM and I’ll probably go on around 9 PM.

Details on 675 Bar:

675 Bar
675 Hudson St
(between 13th St & 14th St)
New York, NY 10014
(212) 699-2410
http://www.brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/675_bar/index.php

This new spot has gotten some pretty good writeups in Yelp (http://www.yelp.com/biz/675-bar-new-york) and is known for a hip though also inviting environment and staff, a rarity in the Meatpacking District. They even got an old school Pac-Man arcade console! All in all a solid joint and perfect for a weekday.

I hope to see you there!

Thanks,

Justin.

Just Another Sunday Best

There’s always a lot of outdoor music events that happens in NYC during the summer, but two of my favorites are Sunday Best and Saturdays at Water Taxi Beach. Sunday Best, which takes place at the Brooklyn Yard in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, combines two of my favorite things: caliber DJ acts and barbecues.  The events always take place on Sunday afternoons during the summer, serving grilled meat and hot tunes against a serene waterfront backdrop.  Here’s a couple of recent mixes, for your downloading pleasure, from when Rub N’ Tug and Justin Carter played there June 21:

http://www.sundaybestnyc.com/2009/06/rub-n-tug-and-justin-carter-live-from.html

In addition, another excellent outdoor festival is Saturdays at Water Taxi Beach, which is in Long Island City and, yes, takes place on beach and is the closest thing New Yorkers have to Ibiza.  Claude VonStroke, impresario of Dirty Bird Records, played there recently and here’s a video of him dropping “Billie Jean” to a jam-packed crowd.

I love Crosstown Rebels, and I really don’t know too many electronic music labels that effectively brand themselves as they do, with the exception of Kompakt and Ghostly International.  Rebel Rave, a video series the label produces, documents some of electronic music’s brightest and burgeoning DJs/producers as they perform across the world. It’s surprisingly well-done and edited, and the host is absolutely delightful .

Check out the latest episode here. Enjoy!

On paper, Major Lazer, a collaboration between fidget-house impresario Switch and excavator of worldly sounds Diplo, is a dream come true.  In practice, I would say the results are mixed on the group’s debut, Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do, though there are certainly a fair share of moments when the two strike gold.  Opener “Hold the Line”, which features tongue-twisting worldplay from Santigold and Lexx, is a bouncy number that loads the quirky sound effects (horse pitter-patters and neighs, ringing cellulars and phone hang-ups to name a few) against staccato guitar work, and the results are excellent, perfectly illustrating the unique production styles of Switch and Diplo. The subsequent Miss Thing cameo “When You Hear the Bassline” keeps the beat going, with the vocal work fierce and the beats fiercer. Being as the album was produced in Jamaica, reggae is also on the menu, and the sun-soaked “Cash Flow” and “Can’t Stop Now” are perfect lazy Sunday jams.

The second half of the album is where things kind of stutter, with “Mary Jane” a dud that jokingly praises marijuana (for the record, the only track to successfully do this is Madvillain’s “America’s Most Blunted”), while “What U Like’s” 808 beats aren’t enough to help Amanda Blank & Einsten’s aimless vocals.

Yet the Nina Sky/Ricky Blaze collab “Keep It Goin’ Louder” ABSOLUTELY KILLS.  This is the album’s highlight, and Nina Sky’s harmonies excellently complement Ricky Blaze’s Auto-Tune work (so what if it makes people with no voice sound like Pavarotti?). I’m calling this right now – “Keep It Goin’ Louder” is summer’s official track.  You won’t be able to get this out of your head, I promise you.

3.5/5

Download Major Lazer - "Hold the Line" (featuring Santigold and Mr. Lexx)

Hold the Line

Download Major Lazer - "Keep it Goin' Louder" (Featuring Nina Sky and Ricky Blaze)

Keep It Goin’ Louder

]]> http://audratic.com/major-lazer-guns-dont-kill-people-lazers-do-downtown-music-2009/feed/ 0 http://audratic.com/bibio-ambivalence-avenue-warp-records-2009/ http://audratic.com/bibio-ambivalence-avenue-warp-records-2009/#comments Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:23:17 +0000 Audratic http://audratic.com/?p=295

Ambivalence Avenue marks Bibio’s fourth full-length release and first for Warp Records, and its excellent. Many critics have been citing Bibio’s musical ties to Boards of Canada and, yes, they are apparent here in the album’s lo-fi production and warm, analog feel. Still, the more I listen to this album the more I realize the startling amount of musical styles that Bibio is able to so effortlessly juggle.

Witness the opening track, a toe-tapping number set to a bouncy guitar riff and rollicking flutework, recalling the compelling folk electronic of Juana Molina. Elsewhere, “All the Flowers” is an excellent 60’s psych pop throwback, and the dusty hip-hop of “Fire Ant” is on par with some of J Dilla’s best productions.  And although Bibio is known for his folk electronic sound, he gets pretty funky on “S’Vive”, which provides some excellent cut-up electronic that reminds me of Prefuse 73’s earlier works.

4.5/5

Download Bibio - "Ambivalence Avenue"

Ambivalence Avenue

Download Bibio - "Fire Ant"

Fire Ant

This edition of the Audratic podcast is a radio show, hearkening back to my days as a DJ at my college radio station, WNUR. A DJ, more than anything, is supposed to provide his or her listeners with solid cuts – mixing skills, while certainly important, always come second. To emphasize this, I decided to simply mix via fade-in/fade-out some of my favorite IDM (intelligent dance music) tracks in a roughly 75 minute radio show.

While it’s namesake is certainly pretentious, intelligent dance music was what got me into electronic music in the first place, and was a natural stepping stone to more traditional 4/4 techno. The movement was predominantly purveyed by Warp Records during the early 1990s and was made official with the release of that label’s Artificial Intelligence compilation. The compilation contained some of the earliest recordings from some of the torchbearers of IDM, including Richard D. James (as Polygon Window), Autechre and Dr. Alex Paterson of Orb fame.  Throughout the 1990s the movement gained steam and reached its golden age in 1996-1998, which saw the release of Richard D. James’ (as Aphex Twin) commercially and critically successful Richard D. James, µ-Ziq’s funky workout Lunatic Harness, Luke Vibert’s (as Plug) excellent abstract drum n’ bass record Drum N’ Bass for Papa, Boards of Canada’s sublime debut, Music Has a Right to Children, and Squarepusher’s arguably best and most consistent work, Hard Normal Daddy.

Unfortunately, after its golden age IDM became pastiche, often (but not always) trying to replicate rather than originate.  But by then the forefathers of the movement had moved on to greener pastures. Squarepusher ultimately merged his electronic stylings with his penchant for avante-jazz and rock, µ-Ziq found the drill-n-bass movement, which is purveyed so passionately on his Planet Mu label, and Aphex Twin…well, he just kind of disappeared to his tank and bank vault and made sporadic live appearances, which I’ve heard are something to experience.

Tracklist:

(1) “Xtal” – Aphex Twin (Selected Ambient Works Vol. 1)
(2) “Room 208″ – Future Sound of London (Lifeforms)
(3) “Aquarius” – “Boards of Canada (Music Has the Right to Children)
(4) “Venus No. 17″ – Squarepusher (Venus No. 17)
(5) “Hangable Auto Bulb” – AFX (Hangable Auto Bulb)
(6) “Brace Yourself Jason” – µ-Ziq (Lunatic Harness)
(7) “Subsequence” – Mouse on Mars (Idiology)
(8) “Rock On” – Jackson and His Computer Band (Smash)
(9) “Saddic Gladdic” – Wagon Christ (Sorry I Make You Lush)
(10) “Coat” – Plaid (P-Brane)
(11) “Twenty Three” – Four Tet (Pause)
(12) “Frogtoise” – Schneider TM (Zoomer)
(13) “Second Scepe” – Autechre (Tri Repetae)
(14) “Frog Pocket” – Eyewarm (Children of Mu Compilation)

Download Audratic Podcast 2: Clinical Cuts

audratic-podcast-2_-clinical-cuts

Lo Recordings brings us the second volume of their Milky Disco series, and while it isn’t as immediately grabbing as the first, it doesn’t fail to disappoint.  Spanning two discs, the compilation is filled with productions that combine the best elements of disco, dub and balearic-beat, expanding the sound that Lindstrom and Prins Thomas arguably brought to the forefront in recent years.  While the first Milky Disco compilation was presented with more dancefloor-ready, up-tempo tracks, Milky Disco 2: Let’s Go Freak Out is decidedly more low-key and downtempo.  With the exception of high-BPM burners “Don’t Just Stand There” (Soft Circle) and “Life’s a Gas (Dub)” (Kerrier District and Black Mustang), the tunes on Milky Disco 2 slowly burn and etch themselves unassumingly in your mind only after repeated listens. Opener “Midnight Jogger” from Hatchback is perfect accomplice to Studio’s “Life’s a Beach” (found on the original Milky Disco compilation), laid-back in sound and mood, as warm synths coolly play against a steady, clean beat and rolling bassline. Elsewhere, Secret Circuit’s “Roll” is a modernized beach anthem, with steadily strummed guitars punctured by digital flourishes and smooth saxwork.  Milky Disco 2 is ultimately a perfect sonic companion to sunsets on the beach or lazy Sundays in the park.

3.5/5

Download Secret Circuit - "Roll"

Secret Circuit – “Roll”

Download Kerrier District/Black Mustang - "Life's a Gas (Dub)"

Kerrier District/Black Mustang – “Life’s a Gas (Dub)”

I’ve had this excellent remix by Classixx of Phoenix’s “Lisztomania” (taken off the group’s latest Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix) stuck in my head for a good week now. Damn is it hot, and it is a rare remix that completely outdoes the original.  Found on French dance stalwart Kitsune’s Kitsuné Maison 7 compilation, the track is a solid summer jam, filled with crisp grooves, titillating synths and a healthy dose of reverb.  Oh, and Thomas Mars’ voice contains just the perfect mix of airiness and soul.  Falling in line with the rich history of blissful, finely tuned pop that the French have such a knack for creating, this track is the real deal.

Download Phoenix - "Lisztomania (Classixx Version)"

03-lisztomania-classixx-version

Download Phoenix - "Lisztomania"

01-lisztomania

]]> http://audratic.com/lisztomania-classixx-version-phoenix/feed/ 0 http://audratic.com/major-lazer-maluca-popo-officeops-brooklyn-ny-june-16-2009/ http://audratic.com/major-lazer-maluca-popo-officeops-brooklyn-ny-june-16-2009/#comments Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:17:45 +0000 Audratic http://audratic.com/?p=220

This past Tuesday I was graciously invited to the release party of Major Lazer’s debut album, Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do, which was hosted by Fader Magazine, who knows damn well how to host a good party.  The location was killer – OfficeOps, which, as its website so technically describes, is an “arts performance and production office park”.  Even better, the event was held on OfficeOps’ rooftop, which offered spectacular views of Manhattan and NYC’s five boroughs.

After loading up on a couple of SoCo lemonades, I made my way to the stage to see the first act of the night, Maluca, which churns out its own brand of raw latin rap against primitive electro beats, flowing effortlessly between English and Spanish.  How very fitting it was when the group did a solid cover of ESG’s “My Love for You”, a seminal track from the no-wave movement of the early 1980s. Maluca, much like ESG, has women leading the charge, and both groups provide their own unique takes on stripped down, primal dance music.

Maluca

Next up was Popo, who proved to be the only act of the night that didn’t get the crowd in a sweat.  Popo is straight up noise rock, with squeels and mumbled vocals added for good measure.  Ultimately this group didn’t really get me excited, mainly because they seemed more and more directionless with each song they played.  I lost interest pretty quickly, though the lead singer’s red jacket was akin to the one Michael Jackson dons in the “Thriller” video.

Popo

The final and headlining act of the night, Major Lazer, was definitely a killer experience. Major Lazer is a dream team collaboration of sorts, pairing Diplo, uber producer/DJ and head of digital dancehall purveyor Mad Decent, and Switch, leader of the “fidget house” movement and producer of M.I.A.’s Kala.  The results are as good in practice as on paper, with the two producers collaborating with the likes of Santigold, Mr. Lexx and 77Klash on their debut Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do. 77Klash was in full effect this night and, in the name of hip-hop tradition, was flanked not only by DJs (Diplo and Switch), but also two fly dancers, who’s tattered-rags-as-costumes made them out to be mummies with moves.  It’s tough to describe Lazer’s sound, but, to put it briefly, it’s a confluence of Switch’s and Diplo’s multiple influences, including hip-hop, dancehall, electro, baile-funk and reggae, polished with digital fidgets here and there.  At the end of their set, Major Lazer collapsed in on itself, with members of Fader magazine as well as Lazer’s crew all joining in for the finale, “Hold the Line”.

Major Lazer

A video I filmed summarizing the nights events is below.  In addition, check out Fader’s website here, where you can find some more pics from the party.

There have been some wonderful minimal techno LPs released over recent years, some of my favorites including Alex Smoke’s Paradolia, The Field’s From Here We Go Sublime and Isolee’s We Are Monster. However, as is often with the case with the genre, the line between sublime and tried is thin, as there have been countless minimal techno releases that are immediately forgettable. Luke Hess’ debut Light in the Dark is an amalgam of minimal and dub techno, though it is elements from the latter that help illuminate an otherwise modest affair. When Light in the Dark’s dub elements are expanded and paired with Hess’ minimal beats, the record develops into something more. The reverb-heavy snare hits and atmospheric static help color one of the album highlights, “Transform”, while the echoed arpeggios on “Son Beam” create a solid after-dark anthem.  However, tracks such as “Reflections” and “Reel Life” seem to just lose their way, unable to discover a bonafide electronic music structure that properly grows and climaxes.  Hopefully Hess will take the best moments on Light in the Dark and expand them further on his next outing.

3/5

Download Luke Hess - "Transform"

04-transform

]]> http://audratic.com/luke-hess-light-in-the-dark-echocord-2009/feed/ 0 http://audratic.com/skweee-diy-electronic/ http://audratic.com/skweee-diy-electronic/#comments Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:58:17 +0000 Audratic http://audratic.com/?p=203

“Skweee” sounds much like its name implies.  Growing out of Sweden and Finland, the genre, much like its fellow contemporaries dubstep and chiptune, is built on DIY ethics.  Cobbling together a variety of old synthesizers that squiggle out stripped down basslines and gurgly synths, skwee has an organic and bright feel, with  sounds far more rooted in proto-electronic, acid, electro and 8-bit than modern techno and house.

A great primer to skweee is Ramp Recordings’ recently released compilation Skweee Tooth, while the blog Skeeelicious! has devoted its writings to the scene.

Here are a couple of standout tracks from Skweee Tooth. Enjoy!

Download Melkeveien Ft. Sagtann - "Melkeveien"

Melkeveien Ft. Sagtann – “Melkeveien”

Download Joxaren - "Fel I Facit"

02-fel-i-facit1

Tracklist:

[1] Michael Mayer – “Falling Hands” [Kompakt Records, 2002]
[2] Moderat – “Rusty Nails” [BPitch Control, 2009]
[3] Ellen Allien & Apparat – “Do Not Break” [BPitch Control, 2006]
[4] Cicada – “The Things You Say” [Critical Mass Recordings, 2006]
[5] The Knife – “Heartbeats” (Rex the Dog remix) [V2 Records, 2004]
[6] Boom Bip – “The Move” [Lex Records, 2005]
[7] Air France – “No Way Down” [Sincerely Yours, 2008]
[8] Boom Bip – “Coogi Sweater” [Lex Records, 2007]
[9] Gui Boratto – “Mr. Decay” [Kompakt Records, 2007]
[10] Justus Köhncke – “Timecode” [Kompakt Records, 2005]

Equipment used:
Rane TTM 57SL Mixer
Two Technics 1200MK2 Turntables

Download Audratic Podcast #1: Divergent Dispositions

Audratic Podcast #1: Divergent Dispositions [DJ Mix]

]]> http://audratic.com/audratic-podcast-1-divergent-dispositions-dj-mix/feed/ 0 http://audratic.com/lindstr%c3%b8m-prins-thomas-ii-eskimo-recordings-2009/ http://audratic.com/lindstr%c3%b8m-prins-thomas-ii-eskimo-recordings-2009/#comments Sun, 07 Jun 2009 21:14:00 +0000 Audratic http://audratic.com/?p=162

Arguably one of the more vibrant scenes in dance music today is “milky disco”, which can be better described as disco filtered through prog, creating something that is outerworldly in both sound and spirit.  Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas are arguably two key purveyors of this sound, each having made some significant contributions to the genre.  Lindstrøm’s excellent 2008 proper full length debut Where You I Go I Go Too was an exercise in fluidity and sonic saturation, with crescendos and decrescendos ebbing and flowing so smoothly that the album was over before you even realized it.  Prins Thomas, while not having released a proper solo debut, has made significant contributions to the scene through his previous 2005 collaboration with Lindstrøm, Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas and original singles. In addition, Mr. Thomas’ live DJ sets are something to behold, with his choice cuts often flooding your mind, body and soul to create an utter sense of joy.

On II, Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas have crafted something that is far more developed and sonically dense than their previous collaboration, with the record taking on a strikingly more improvised feel.  Much like Where You I Go I Go Too, the cuts on II are more freeform than tailored, often lasting more than eight minutes and jamming into the infinite. And much like previous milky disco works, instruments used on II are organically played as opposed to programmed. Soft drums often accompany rolling electric guitar and piano arpeggios, while bass lines flicker and electric keyboards provide colorful sonic backing. Often it feels as though one is swimming in sound when listening to II, creating a sublime feeling of satisfaction. Highly recommended.

4.5/5

Download Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas - "Cisco" [II LP, 2009]

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2009 marks the third year that I’ve attended the Bang on a Can Marathon, a celebration of the latest and greatest in modern, minimalist and avant-garde musical composition. First and foremost, I have nothing but respect for those who organize the marathon, as it is one of the few live events that is purely and simply about the music (entrance is entirely free).  Bang on a Can were even so kind enough to post on their website my review of the 2008 marathon, which can be found here.

Some of my past memorable experiences at this great festival include a transcendent 4 AM performance by Juana Molina (2007), a sunrise to Steve Reich’s seminal Music for 18 Musicians (2007) and a raveout to Baltimore maximalist Dan Deacon (2008). While this event typically doesn’t include any modern electronic dance music that I’m always inclined to see live, much of the compositions the marathon features gave roots to techno, house and other forms of popular electronic music.  Steve Reich, Terry Riley and Phillip Glass, luminaries of the minimalist music movement that started in the 1960s, are often cited as key influences to popular electronic musicians, including the Orb, Pole, DJ Spooky and Aphex Twin.

When I first arrived at the festival at around 5 PM, I was immediately offput by the clamoring and shouting of kids running around the the festival’s venue, the Winter Garden, which in addition to a performance hall doubles as a shopping mall. Typically the festival runs during the wee hours of the night, but the schedule this year had it running from 12 PM to 12 AM.

The first full performance I saw was a new piece by the Bang on a Can All-Stars featuring Bill Frissell on guitar. A world premiere, the piece had strong sonic ties to spaghetti western soundtracks and modern jazz, fondly reminding me of one my favorite rock pieces, Calexico.

Bang on a Can All-Stars and Bill Frissell

Next, the jazz duo of Henry Grimes and Andrew Cyrille performed a percussive and chaotic-sounding jazz number, which is simply titled in the program as “improvised collaboration.” Much of modern composition is meant to use traditional instruments in strikingly unconventional ways, and Messrs. Grimes and Cyrille followed this mantra, with Cyrille at one point literally using his elbows to bang his snares while Grimes feverishly tapped his upright bass all over.

Henry Grimes’ bass

Next, the audience was treated to multiple rousing performances by Ars Nova Copenhagen, a Danish choir that was colorfully dressed, something that is always refreshing to see in a city that so proudly wears its grays and blacks. The performances strayed between avant-garde and traditional, with some works actually featuring sung bird sounds and puncturing screams, while others featured beautiful, melting harmonies. Much modern composition is keen on striking this balance between the chaotic and harmonious, and Ars Nova flowed beautifully between the two.

Ars Nova Copenhagen

Following Ars Nova was a quick and punchy performance by Smith Quartet, which played Folk Music (Daithi’s Dumka) by Joe Cutler. The piece was grabbing and climaxed with a rolling and vibrant melody that emerged from fractured and arrhythmic sound.

Smith Quartet

Next was a performance by Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen and Thomas Sandberg of selected pieces from Anders Nordentoft’s opera On This Planet. This was the only unfortunate part of the marathon, with Thomas Sandberg’s sung vocals coming off as more cheesy and awkward than moving.

Thomas Sandberg and Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen

Following On This Planet was Wu Man’s personal and moving performance of the traditional pipa tune Night Thoughts. Wu Man’s dexterity with the traditional four-string Chinese instrument, the pipa, is well documented, with the Los Angeles Times citing Wu Man as “the artist most responsible for bringing the pipa to the Western World.” Her work is certainly not to be missed.

Wu Man

Ken Thomson’s 9-Headed Saxophone Monster’s performance of Ken Thomson’s Rut was next. As the title of his ensemble suggests, Ken Thomson’s Rut is a performance that gains a great deal of mileage from nine saxophones. Some saxes  played punctuated riffs while others lengthily sustained notes, but in the end everything came together to create a strikingly harmonious affair.

Ken Thomson’s 9-Headed Saxophone Monster

Ars Nova Copenhagen and Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen’s performance of Julia Wolfe’s Thirst was next, which was a piece that most reminded me of past Bang on a Can Marathon performances Music for 18 Musicians (2007) and Discreet Music (2008) in its epic and richly textured sound. Both Danish ensembles performed a fair amount of pieces throughout the day, and to finally hear them perform together was a grandiose event.

Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen conducted by Paul Hillier

Certainly one of the more unique moments in the marathon, Shiau-uen Ding’s performance of Moritz Eggert’s Haemmerklavier III: One Man Band, was post-modern composition at its finest.  Ding played the piano in unconventional ways to literally create a “one man band”, creating a rhythm section by banging her hands all over the piano, melody through traditional key playing and a few head bangs against the piano’s keys to spice things up.  A performance piece in the truest sense.

Shiau-uen Ding

One of my favorite performances of the marathon came next with Victoire laying down two pieces from Missy Mazzoli, I am coming for my things and Like a Miracle. Both pieces were affairs that mixed the acoustic with the electronic, with the former layering unintelligible recordings and the latter beautiful, gurgly synths over live string work.

Victoire

A performance of Evan Ziporyn’s Sulvasutra was next, which featured Wu Man, Sandeep Das & Brooklyn Rider String Quartet. Arguably the standout musician in this performance was Das, who, much like Wu Man, is a virtuoso of his native country’s traditional instrument, the tabla.  Watching him effortless create complex rhythms and milk such a simple instrument to the point of perfection was a sight to see. Even better were his buoyant facial expressions, showing that he damn well enjoyed the performance.

Wu Man, Sandeep Das & Brooklyn Rider String Quartet

At this point in the night I went with my friend Hanly to interview Tortoise, who was the marathon’s headlining act and happens to be one of my favorite rock pieces.  Hanly, who handles video work among other things at Fader, was so kind enough to set up an interview between me and two members of the group, Dan Bitney and John Herndon. If you listen closely enough you’ll hear some of my priceless chortles during Dan and John’s responses:

Tortoise’s performance, which closed out the night, was excellent both in sound and execution, with the band playing a few stalwarts as well as tracks off their new album, Beacons of Ancestorship. The group, who is a staple of the post-rock and Chicago music scene, are heavily influenced by minimalism in both sound and song structure, with the band having even recorded a nod to Steve Reich, “Ten-Day Interval”, on their album TNT. Tortoise knew their audience here well and performed this quiet and personal marimba-focused piece, as well as the deliciously funky “Monica” from Standards and rockin’ “High Class Slim Came Floatin’ In” from Beacons of Ancestorship.  A great way to end the festival, for sure.

Visual Accompaniment to Tortoise

I’ll keep saying it, but the Bang on a Can Marathon is one of the NYC music community’s greatest public offerings, and makes me feel exceptionally proud to be living in this great city.  For your enjoyment, I filmed and edited a video recapping some of the performances from the marathon.

Keep em’ comin’, Bang on a Can.

]]> http://audratic.com/bang-on-a-can-marathon-winter-garden-nyc-may-31-2009/feed/ 0 http://audratic.com/hello-world/ http://audratic.com/hello-world/#comments Sun, 31 May 2009 13:23:26 +0000 Audratic http://audratic.com//?p=1 After countless nights of DJing to packed clubs and discotheques, Crosstown Rebels’ head honcho Damian Lazarus has finally dropped his first solo album, Smoke the Monster Out, and his efforts are surprisingly fresh.  While Crosstown is known for its breezy and colorful take on minimal techno, Smoke the Monster Out is ironically an album steeped in electronic folk, psychedelic pop/rock and modern torch songs.  A refreshing take on the electronic musician long player, Smoke the Monster Out proves Mr. Lazarus is a luminary among an endless sea of DJs, having shown that in addition to his strong skills on the 1s and 2s he has an impeccable and extensive taste in music that is further explored in his podcast, Lazpod. While not all of the tracks on Smoke the Monster Out perform (the title track is a bit directionless while “Memory Box” doesn’t quite lift off), there are many great and unique-sounding standouts, including the darkly flirtatious techno number “Come and Play” and sensible pop closer “After Rave Delight.” The album’s sound is further enhanced by prickly, clean arrangements from Arthur Jeffes, son of the Penguin Café Orchestra’s late Simon Jeffes.

4/5

Download Damian Lazarus - "Come and Play" [Smoke the Monster Out LP, 2009]

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Download Damian Lazarus - "After Rave Delight" [Smoke the Monster Out LP, 2009]

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]]> http://audratic.com/hello-world/feed/ 0 http://audratic.com/welcome/ http://audratic.com/welcome/#comments Sun, 31 May 2009 13:44:34 +0000 Audratic http://audratic.com/?p=37

Dear Readers,

Welcome to Audratic! When I first set out to create this site, I wanted to provide a full-service music website dedicated to dance music, both old and new.  While this will be the focal point of the site, dance music is not without its roots, and therefore attention will be paid to music that is not necessarily dance music, but has influenced its shape and sound, one way or another.

All written critiques and musicological discussions will be in the Audratic Blog and Audratic Reviews. Types of material that will typically be found in this section include album, live and single reviews, as well as artist and genre retrospectives.

In addition, Audratic will provide original DJ mixes, which will be posted in the Audratic Podcasts section. While several music sites already provide such a service, Audratic will take it one step further and provide both original visual and written accompaniment for these mixes.  I’ve always felt that art is best experienced when it’s stimulating multiple senses.

The most important aspect of all, though, is you, the readers.  I encourage feedback, and therefore each section of the site will allow comments.  In addition, should you have any general inquiries or suggestions, feel free to drop us a line at info@audratic.com.

Thank you for your support!