The noisy, post-punky skronk made by railcars (a.k.a. Aria Jalali) isn’t exactly the kind of music XLR8R usually covers, but he’s just released a new remix EP that seriously piqued our interest. Jalali enlisted friends like No Age, White Rainbow, and Xiu Xiu to rework a couple of tracks from his recent Cathedral With No Eyes album, and is now offering the entire eight-song EP as a free download. This version by fellow Los Angeles oddballs Lucky Dragons swaps out some of the original’s fuzzy sonics for airy casio beats and a playfully psychedelic feel.
Honey Owens could hardly get her paws in more projects. She’s already a member of Valet, Miracles Club, Nudge, and god knows what else. Her latest endeavor with friends Adam Forkner (White Rainbow, Rob Walmart) and Eva Saelens (Inca Ore), however, is a bit less inspired. We Like Cats is influenced by “cats, space cats, basketball cats, fine home cooking and high-quality local/organic/sustainable food restaurants, Lee Perry, King Tubby, Malcom McLaren, Horace Andy, Sister Nancy, Augustus Pablo, Alpha & Omega, Sade, and Rob Walmart,” says the band. And if you’re thinking it sounds as mish-mashy as their description reads, you’re right. Presented (nearly) without comment is “Money Dubby Money,” off the band’s forthcoming album, Proper Eats, expected soon on Marriage Records.
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The folks at Yours Truly have put together another good-looking video clip, this time starring chillwaver Chaz Bundick (a.k.a.Toro Y Moi). Enticed to come out of his bedroom and enter an actual recording studio, Bundick recreated his song “You Hid” one instrument at a time and came up with this gorgeous alternate version.
Though its release date has been pushed back, the Neu! Vinyl Box will finally see the light of day this summer, just in time for a tour organized by founding member Michael Rother, who has recruited members of Sonic Youth, Tall Firs, and School of the Seven Bells to play as Hallogallo 2010. The vinyl box not only features all available Neu! studio albums, but rare recordings (including the oft-bootlegged Neu! ’86 album), a stencil, and a Neu! t-shirt. Between the release of the box set and his limited dates performing the songs of Neu! and Harmonia, Rother will certainly be busier this summer than he has been in years, which is fantastic news for the many fans of his projects.
The Neu! Vinyl Box will be released on July 27 by Grönland Records. Check the Neu! site for Hallogallo 2010 tour dates.
Box Contents:
4 vinyl LPs & 1 vinyl maxi-single including:
NEU!
NEU! 2
NEU! ’75
NEU! ’86
NEU! ’72 non-public test
36-page picturebook & NEU! stencil
Personal download code for digital versions of the songs and a free NEU! t-shirt
XLR8R has been seriously atwitter with Doc Daneeka-related excitement as of late, and the first record on his new Ten Thousand Ten imprint isn’t helping us calm down. The label’s debut release comes from London duo Venom & Damage (pictured above), whose song “Deeper” is a piano-studded funky stormer. Their original is being issued today on 10″ vinyl along with a remix from Daneeka himself, and the digital release also includes a remix from fellow Brit Harry Benson. The Doc Daneeka remix is streaming below, and you can also check out a promo video featuring the original song and a globe-trotting wolf.
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Though many have claimed that artists like Justice are heirs to the throne of the French Touch sound, when producers like Meroz are hooking us with tracks like “Trump,” it’s hard to take such claims seriously. With an equal amount of Thomas Bangalter and Ian Pooley coming through, this slice of funked electro is the sort of thing that makes you want to drive really fast along a sunny beach—perhaps the piece’s only setback is that it doesn’t feature a sexy vocal sample, like Room 5’s Oliver Cheatham-infused “Make Luv.” Still, “Trump” is a certifiable summertime gem.
Temperatures have already been rising on the East Coast, but this week New York City is getting a serious injection of tropical heat courtesy of Joyce Muniz. The Brazilian (by way of Austria) artist is making her first trip to America and, starting this Thursday, is making stops at a number of our favorite Latin and global bass hotspots in the Big Apple.
Muniz was born in Sao Paulo, but relocated to Vienna in the mid-’90s. Shortly thereafter, she delved into the city’s electronic music scene and began DJing at the age of 16. Combining her Brazilian roots and love of tropical rhythms with banging European club sounds, she’s since teamed up with producers like Stereotyp and Shanti Roots and released tracks on labels such as Top Billin and Man Recordings.
In advance of her US trek, she’s put together an exclusive mixtape for XLR8R. You can download that here and view the full playlist and her tour dates below.
Thu, May 13 – New York, NY – BoomCha @ Nublu Fri, May 14 – Queens, NY – Turntables at the Water Taxi Beach Sat, May 15 – Brooklyn, NY – Bembe Wed, May 19 – New York, NY – Que Bajo!? @ Santos Party House
Born in the midst of the last decade’s dance-punk mess, London four-piece Trailer Trash Tracys sought to carve out a different kind of musical space using pared-down instrumentation, cavernous reverb, and moody pop nostalgia. The band’s core members, Susanne Aztoria and Jimmy-Lee, have recorded a handful of precious, painstakingly crafted songs over the last three years, and were putting the finishing touches on their debut full-length—set for release in the fall—when we caught up with them at home.
Your music is hardly trashy. How did you settle on that name? Jimmy-Lee: Susanne’s from Gothenburg, Sweden, and she knew about this pretty trashy death-metal rock bar in Stockholm, Trailer Trash Tracy’s. We took that name, and it was always supposed to be changed, but we never got around to it. Susanne Aztoria: When you hear the name, you’ll probably think of a completely different band, and we quite like that.
What kinds of things do you consider in the songwriting process? JL: A lot of music out there’s really got too much stuff going on. It gets messy. When we first started, we were getting set up with all these electro-punk-type bands. Whatever The Rapture or Interpol were doing with their bassline a few years ago, we decided to do the opposite. That’s why we have just a few hits on the string. Because we’re recording all our own stuff—and we’re not great producers of any sort—we want things to be a bit bolder by keeping the basic framework minimal. We like everything to breathe a bit. We try to avoid keyboard and padding [because] the reverberation and echoes we use kind of fill that space.
How do you know when a song is complete? SA: It never is! Even [our early single] “Candy Girl,” to this day, we thought we would change.
“Candy Girl”
Your music reminds me of the Cocteau Twins. Am I horribly off-base? JL: That’s Susanne’s favorite band. I mean, when we started doing this project, we were listening to Cocteau Twins and other shoegaze bands, obviously. We were trying to focus on these bands and become our own band. These were the things that [excited] us at the time.
Have you come across any comparisons to your music that you absolutely disagree with? JL: Some independent record shops say Glasvegas and Raveonettes. I don’t mind The Raveonettes, but Glasvegas I mind.
What do you hope the people listening to your music will experience/feel? JL: When we sit down to write a song, the music is reflecting me and Susanne, and how we are as people, I guess. SA: And the kind of world that we live in. It can be quite miserable!
Poland has recently emerged as one of the hotbeds of exciting young European producers, and with this fierce funky collaboration from Krakow’s Teezy and Zeppy, there’s even more evidence of an electronic renaissance in the former Soviet bloc country. “MTP Riddim” features sick tribal percussion, electro-funk bass stabs, and a menacingly hooky melodic line. Both producers are also featured individually on Top Billin’s now-available PL Funky EP—which includes tracks getting love from the likes of luminaries such as Bok Bok, Ikonika, and Jackmaster—and if you’re digging these sounds, there’s also an amazing mix of mostly Polish funky producers available for free download at the Top Billin site.
Traum and its numerous sub-labels are getting off to a running start this summer, with seven releases planned for May and June alone. Perhaps the most exciting among these are the latest EP from Extrawelt as well as a new Detroit-style joint from Berlin’s Mark Henning in collaboration with Japanese artist Den. Check out the full release schedule after the jump!
May and June Releases on Traum Schallplatten and Sub-Labels:
MBF LTD 12022: Riley Reinhold “Distortions” (Digital only) Release date: May 31
Trapez 109: Leeks “Qwerty” Release date: June 7
Traum V125: Extrawelt “Mosaik EP” Release date: June 14
MBF LTD 12023: Jules-de-Pearl “Café la Perla” Release date: June 14
MBF 12067: Kaiserdisco “Dulce Frutas” Release date: June 21
Trapez Ltd 90: Mark Henning & Den “La Galaxia Llorona” Release date: June 28
