London’s old-school, big beat merchants Dub Pistols are back with a new single, dubbed, simply enough, “I’m In Love.” As one might expect, plenty of remixes have been commissioned and included on the single’s release. Here, the U.K’s club-lovin’ Foamo gives the reggae-influenced track a wobbly, buzzing bass treatment that compliments the repetitious vocal hook.
Helado Negro is a loose confederation of musicians led by multi-instrumentalist Roberto Carlos Lange, whose name you may recognize as the latest addition to Guillermo Scott Herren’s Savath & Savalas project. While Awe One certainly bares traces of Savath & Savalas’ leftfield Latin-flavored beatmaking (Herren himself contributes on the record), Helado Negro is more focused, and also owes a significant stylistic debt to post-rock acts like Tortoise, particularly on jazzier songs like “Awe” and “Santero.” Largely loop-based and bathed in soft reverb, this is vintage South American pop run through the filter of a modern-day bedroom producer. The decidedly relaxed vibe, sun-soaked melodies, and lyrics sung entirely en español make Awe One the perfect accompaniment for a lazy summertime siesta.
Bristol’s melodic noisemakers Fuck Buttons have been horrrsing around in the studio again, this time in London’s Rotters Golf Club Studio with one of the Two Lone Swordsmen, Andrew Weatherall, at the helm. In describing the sound of their new album, Tarot Sport, Benjamin John Power, one-half of Fuck Buttons, says, “I think it sounds a lot thicker than our previous work—our brains kind of went into meltdown.” We imagine if making the music melted their brains, it’s sure to make ours explode. Tarot Sport‘s tracklisting is found below.
1. Surf Solar
2. Rough Steez
3. The Lisbon Maru
4. Olympian
5. Phantom Limb
6. Space Mountain
7. Flight of the Feathered Serpent
Fuck yeah, Los Angeles! Looks like another humdinger of a music fest is on the horizon and this time its landing in the City of Angels on September 5. Now in its sixth year, FYF Fest‘s organizers—Sean Carlson, Keith Morris of Black Flag/Circle Jerks—have transported what began at multiple venues around Echo Park to a three-stage, outdoor bash at the Los Angeles Historic State Park in downtown L.A. Get ready for the motherfucking ruckus to be brought to your dome with a triple shot of fuzz, scuzz, and amp rumble, because on deck to perform are Lightning Bolt, No Age, Eat Skull, Telepathe, Times New Viking, Crystal Antlers, Japanther, and many, many more. In addition, the festival will also raise awareness for the California State Park System, which has recently been threatened due to Governor Schwarzenegger’s recent budget cuts. Tickets are $20 and go on sale Aug 4.
pictured Telepathe
Could someone please make Har Mar Superstar famous? His tour opening for Weezer didn’t do it, and neither did his cameo in the Starsky and Hutch re-make. The tracks he wrote for J. Lo or Kelly Osborne went nowhere, and we have a feeling that his new single, “Tall Boy,” originally intended for Britney Spears before her management turned it down, won’t be changing his fortunes either. The paint-by-numbers pop tune leans far more ’03 than ’09, and Har Mar has made the, um, interesting decision to keep the original lyrics, leaving him looking for a “tall boy” to “get inside” of him. Good luck with that one.
Christopher takes a break from the studio to give touring tips.
After eight years of touring the world as a solo musician, Christopher Willits has learned a thing or two about efficient touring. Here, he shares his tips on how to save time and money, and how not to get caught at the border.
Tune in once a month as Christopher shows us some of the ways he produces his own music, as well as the many cool things you can do with recording software. According to Christopher, “I simply want to excite people’s imaginations and creative processes so they can more easily create the sounds and music and art they love.”
Check out the new Christopher Willits fan page! The first 1,111 fans receive an exclusive live release.
For the next installment of London nightclub Fabric’smonthly DJ mix series, Berlin’s dub-heavy house producer Radio Slave (a.k.a. Matt Edwards) is on the decks givin’ the kids what they want to hear. In the press release for Fabric 48 it notes, “Unlike a typical DJ mix that crams as much as possible into a relentlessly full tracklist, Radio Slave strips back and grooves with only 13 productions, each as incandescent and hypnotic as the next.” Sounds like a novel way to spend an hour to us. Radio Slave’s exclusive mix will be available in the U.K. this September and Stateside October 20. The uber-selective tracklist can be found below.
1. Baeka – Right at It (Michel Cleis Deeper Remix)
2. Radio Slave – DDB
3. Radio Slave – I Don’t Need a Cure for This
4. Dance Disorder – My Time (Radio Slave’s Rekids Tribe Remix)
5. Brothers’ Vibe – Platter Sugar
6. Spencer Parker – The Beginning (Michel Cleis Remix)
7. Nina Kraviz – Pain in the Ass
8. DJ Boola – Balada Redo
9. Radio Slave – Koma Koma (Steve Lawler Remix)
10. Spencer Parker – My Heart (Daniel Sanchez Easy Noise Remix)
11. Michel Cleis ft. Totó La Momposina – La Mazcla
12. 2000 & ONE – Wan Poku Moro
13. Nate William’s Club Patrol – Maximum Overload (Roy’s Death Wish Mix)
On the latest leak from their forthcoming debut album Romborama, Italian rave-aholics The Bloody Beetroots have morphed their sound just slightly to fit the verses from Chicago alt-rappers The Cool Kids. A sinister hip-hop beat drives “Awesome” while percussive synths and Chuck and Mikey’s style-centric rhymes hang on for the ride.
The latest from Seattle-based beatmaker Lusine (a.k.a. Jeff McIlwain) pulls memorable, unexpected electronic pop moments out of ethereal loops and ambient sound. With the exception of the microhouse-leaning “Every Disguise,” Lusine’s latest efforts seem to be focused on headphone-friendly IDM. Lead single “Two Dots” builds from an echoed vocal loop into the album’s most memorable hook, care of guest vocalist Vilja Larjosto, who layers her verses into spiraling harmony until Lusine’s delicate synth arrangement takes over. At its best moments, A Certain Distance impressively balances minimal and more fleshed-out electro-pop; however, if Lusine is capable of more tracks like “Two Dots,” one can’t help but hope he explores more of the latter on his next record.
