Mary Anne Hobbs Wild Angels

Filled with buoyant beats, 8-bit shoot-outs, and pastel-funky melodies, Mary Anne Hobbs’ latest compilation contains everything you’d expect from the British tastemaker’s broadcast, minus her ecstatic voiceovers. Connecting different strata of bass music, Hobbs showcases some of its more colorful, glittering strains, including Gemmy’s “Rainbow Road” and Nosaj Thing’s “IOIO,” both breezy, neon gems. Gradually raising and lowering the energy level, Hobbs bookends Wild Angels with Marc Pritchard’s dark and desolate “?” and an unexpectedly folksy Sunken Foal track before signing off with Legion of Doom’s frazzled “And Now We Wait.” Following on the heels of Alexander Nuts’ excellent, stuttering Rinse mix, Hobbs manages the delicate task of balancing the light and dark, not letting heavyweight dub pull down her more airy selections. It’s impossible to replicate the impact of Warrior Dubz (her first mix for Planet Mu), but Hobbs curates an impressive overview of a scene she helped foment.

Watch: Mary Anne Hobbs on XLR8R TV

DD/MM/YYYY “”Digital Haircut””

Herky-jerky guitar rhythms, syncopated synthlines, and cyclical time signatures lead off this track from Black Square, the soon-to-be re-released third LP from Toronto’s DD/MM/YYYY, who XLR8Rfeatured back in June. Soon, however, the angles taper off into a pool of atmospheric vocals and reverberated percussion that entrancingly rises and swells before exploding back into the song’s initial groove.

12 Digital Haircut

Faust Embarks on N. American Tour

Heralded as ground-breaking in their time, as well as early godfathers of Krautrock, Hamburg-based trio Faust have paved the way for many artists and producers since their 1969 inception. Now, the band will be hitting North American pavement starting September 25 for only the third time in its lengthy career. The landmark tour will take Faust to its first performances in Canada and Detroit, and will also feature workshops on the “Faust method” in many cities throughout the two-week stint. Along with two of the group’s original members, the band is bringing along James Johnston (of Lydia Lunch, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds fame) and visual/video artist Geraldine Swayne to complete its stupefying live performance. The tour dates are listed below.

Sep 25 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
Sep 27 – Washington, DC @ Sonic Circuits Festival
Sep 28 – Philadelphia, PA @ International House Philadelphia (Workshop)
Sep 29 – Philadelphia, PA @ International House Philadelphia (Performance)
Sep 30 – Schenectady, NY @ GE Theatre
Oct 1 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Oct 3 – Montreal, QC @ Pop Montréal Festival (Workshop/Performance)
Oct 4 – Toronto, ON @ The Polish Combatants Hall
Oct 5 – Detroit, MI @ Detroit Museum of Contemporary Art (Workshop)
Oct 6 – Detroit, MI @ Detroit Museum of Contemporary Art (Performance)
Oct 7 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
Oct 8 – Columbus, OH @ Wexner Center for the Arts
Oct 9 – Lexington, KY @ Buster’s
Oct 10 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
Oct 11 – Athens, GA @ TBA

Delorean to Barcelona

Ekhi and Igor from Spanish synth-pop band Delorean show us summer, Barcelona-style.

Originally from the Basque country, Delorean has evolved over the years from straight-up indie rock to ’80s-influenced melodic dance pop. The band just released its first recording in three years, the Ayrton Senna EP . Here, Ekhi and Igor show us Jesus-less churches, horchata made from chufa, and make it very clear that tapas are nothing like pinxtos. Okay?

XLR8R’s Unofficial Aoki Remix Contest

Last week, L.A. celebrity partyboy, candy-colored headphones enthusiast, and Benihana progeny Steve Aoki unveiled the video for “I’m in the House,” his debut single as a solo “artist.” Mr. Dim Mak has been quoted as saying that the single “jumps into your party pants and will make you dance dance dance.”

While the claim is up for debate, the clip certainly left us, well, er… intrigued. Does Steve just want to let everyone know that he’s working from home? Why does MC [[[Zuper Blahq]]] make a “Seig Heil” salute to Boys Noize? How do the guys in Crookers feel about getting shouted out alongside LMFAO? (You know, that “I’m in Miami, Bitch” band?) We don’t have the answers and we might never find them. Regardless, we here at XLR8R are so damn enthralled by this piece of filmmaking that we’ve decided to launch the Unofficial Steve Aoki Remix Contest. Do you have your own vision for this simply unbelievable piece of music? Think you have what it takes to hop aboard Aoki’s ostentatious, tattoo-fueled party train? If so, then click here to learn more and enter.

Panther “Like a Bridge (E*Rock Remix)”

Portland’s E*Rock gives fellow Pac Northwesterner Panther the bedroom-born electro-pop treatment on his lighthearted remix of “Like a Bridge,” a track from the forthcoming Entropy album. Warbly vocals, 8-bit synths, and meandering atmospherics highlight the thoughtful ballad, making the track more suitable for that new crush tape you’ve been working on.

16 Like A Bridge (E_Rock Remix)

Mad Decent Got Mad Decent

A few weeks back, Mad Decent held their second annual block party in Philadelphia, featuring Major Lazer, Blaqstarr, Maluca, and a host of other label stars. With dance contests, local foods, and performances all day, it looks like it came off quite well, judging from the excellent video below. And be sure to watch out for exclusive pics of the party in the next issue of XLR8R!

XLR8R Couldn't find the embed function for type: "vimeo" and source: "<embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6309482&amp;server=vimeo.com&amp;show_title=1&amp;show_byline=1&amp;show_portrait=0&amp;color=&amp;fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225">".

Mad Decent Block Party 2 from Mad Decent on Vimeo.

HEALTH Get Color

If HEALTH‘s self-titled debut was a warning flare, then consider Get Color an all-out aerial assault. The L.A. Smell veterans have always been impressively noisy, but the band’s sophomore effort finds them wielding all their fuzz, static, and sonic squall in the service of potent and powerful songs. Guitars are razor-sharp and distortion-heavy. Thunderous drums and menacing electronics recall the fury of ’80s industrial. Where the ethereal vocals were once swallowed up in aural mayhem, they now woozily float along and provide an effective counterpoint to all the cacophony. From the aggressive opening notes of “In Heat” to the infectious bombast of “Die Slow” and “We are Water” to the shoegazing dirge of album closer “In Violet,” Get Color is a beast.

Read: HEALTH’s Guide to L.A.

Watch: “Die Slow”

Malente & Dex feat. Analogik “Gipsy Kings”

Denmark’s Analogik get the remix treatment from Malente & Dex, who manage to transform a quirky Balkan ska number into a banging house piece that recalls dOP’s livelier moments, Django Reinhardt, and Balkan Beat Box. The second track featured on Shir Khan‘s second Exploited label compilation, the track has been getting love from the likes of Sinden, Tomboy, and Brodinski, so you can be assured that it is a floor-filler.

Gipsy Kings

Inbox: Tarrus Riley

Contemporary roots reggae singer/songwriter Tarrus Riley snuck away from a rehearsal sesh for his summer tour to get a few words in with XLR8R’s Inbox. The Jamaican son of famous vocalist Jimmy Riley chats about idol Shabba Ranks, the Bible, and underwear. Riley’s latest full-length, Contagious, is out now on VP records.

XLR8R: What are you listening to right now?
Tarrus Riley: I am listening to my rehearsal (ha!). I listen to so many artists, so it is hard to just choose one. I never stop listening to music.

What’s the weirdest story you have ever heard about yourself?
I have yet to hear it, or maybe no one bothers to tell me.

In which band did you want to be when you were 15?
I used to idolize Shabba Ranks. I used to emulate him and wanted to be just like him.

Worst live show experience?
I don’t remember my worst live show. I guess any show where I can’t hear the sound and the people. I try to forget those bad shows.

Favorite city in which to play?
I just like to perform anywhere and everywhere. I don’t have a favorite place outside Jamaica. If I really had to choose, it would be home, Kingston.

What do you think of Major Lazer?
No disrespect, but who is that? Or what’s that?

What is your favorite thing that you own?
My voice is my favorite thing I own. Because it is mine, and it has its own identity and character.

Name one item of clothing you can’t live without.
I can’t live with my underwear, I guess. I mean you need underwear, don’t you?

What would we find you doing on a lazy Sunday afternoon?
On a lazy Sunday afternoon you would find me playing an instrument—either guitar or keyboard.

What did you always get in trouble for when you were little?
I didn’t get in much trouble when I was a child. I used to sneak out to go to parties or to listen to music. I didn’t know I was seeking a career in music, but I knew early that music was my thing.

What other artist would you most like to work with?
I don’t have many artists I admire: Amy Winehouse, Anthony Hamilton, to name a few. I just want to work with anyone with a message or optimistic vibe. I am into melodies and making people think.

What’s the last thing you read?
The last thing I read was the Bible. I read it as much as I can. Not to be religious, but I oftentimes read proverbs and psalms. I also read Wise Mind of His Imperial Sellassie I.

Complete this sentence: In the future…
In the future I will grow as a father, musician, and a man.

Stupidest thing you’ve done in the last 12 months?
I don’t know.

What’s next?
Getting back to rehearsal so that I don’t have an answer to the fourth question you asked: my worst show experience.

Page 2647 of 3781
1 … 2,645 2,646 2,647 2,648 2,649 … 3,781