On his latest full-length, Mother, Japanese experimental artist Susumu Yokota channels the annals of classic ambiance with the playfully abstract “Tree Surgeon,” a veritable mélange of merry-go-round melodies and haunting harmonies that bring him one step closer to Eno-dom.
Looking for a complex, introspective album? Look elsewhere, because Black Diamond practically explodes out of your speakers. Powered by the high-octane beats and vibrant spirit of Angolan kuduro, tracks like “YAH!,” “Sound of Kuduro,” and “Kalemba (Wegue-Wegue)” have been making the rounds for quite some time but still sound totally fresh. This is urgent, hard-edged music, and BSS actually spends much of their debut album moving beyond their kuduro roots, with “Aqui Para Vocês” featuring Brazilian baile funk songstress Deize Tigrona and “IC19” sounding a long-lost rave anthem. For all the hype about the emerging electronic sounds of the third world, Black Diamond transcends the blog noise and solidifies BSS as one of today’s most exciting dance acts.
Sure, we’re always curious to know about an artist’s upcoming release, most recent tour, or arsenal of analog gear, but XLR8R‘s also got a curiosity for quirk. Thus, each week, we email a different artist and find out what makes them tick, in the studio and in life. In less than two weeks, Jimmy Tamborello, under his Dntel guise, will release a three-CD set of remastered tracks he’s entitled Early Works for Me if it Works for You II. He took a little time to write in about the release, his love of hoodies, and why one should never purchase an electronic trash can.
What are you listening to right now?
Jimmy Tamborello: Right this second? “Beetles” by Aphex Twin. In general, I’ve been going back to a lot of old stuff by The Orb, also lots of Durutti Column and the most recent Skull Disco comp.
What’s the weirdest story you ever heard about yourself?
There’s a fake MySpace page for me that says “I’m a Taurus” and that “I like happy movies, mostly comedy, such as The Royal Tenenbaums.” Besides that, I can’t think of any weird rumors.
What band did you want to be in when you were 15?
Skinny Puppy
Worst live show experience?
In high school, my band played at a club the day after GG Allin. There [were] blood and unidentified stains everywhere. It really wasn’t that bad, nothing was still wet. Besides that, it would just be shows where the response was bad, but that’s boring to talk about.
Favorite city to play in?
Barcelona maybe? The people there have been really nice and enthusiastic the few times I’ve played there, and then when I’m done playing, I’m in Barcelona! Also, Los Angeles, because I’m home and I can bring more gear and have more friends play with me and can go to sleep in my own bed.
What initially kick-started the idea to re-master and re-release your earlier work as a single package? What can we expect to be different about these versions?
I think Dimitri from Phthalo needed to repress [the releases] and suggested we re-master them before he did. Then I was going through old DATs and found a bunch of unreleased stuff from that time, so I compiled that into Early Works II. I hate having to re-buy albums when they get re-mastered, so I figured if I put it all together and didn’t charge too much, it would [be] easier to justify [as a] purchase. As for what’s different, I think they mostly sound a little bigger and louder—you can hear some details you couldn’t before.
What is your favorite thing you own?
My house.
Name one item of clothing you can’t live without.
Some sort of hoodie.
What do you think has changed about the Dntel sound since those earliest tracks from 1994?
The most obvious change has been the addition of vocals. I would have added vocals earlier, but didn’t have the technology when those records were made. Now, listening back makes me want to try more instrumental stuff again.
What did you always get in trouble for when you were little?
I was pretty afraid of being bad. I can’t remember getting yelled at or punished, barely at all. I was a nerd anyways. I wasn’t interested in drinking, cussing, girls, or anything else that could get you into trouble. I did my homework at recess.
What other artist would you most like to work with?
There are so many. Right now, the first name that popped into my mind was Martin Gore. He’s usually near the top of the list. Ian Masters and Neil Tennant are up there as well, but I’m not trying to work with any strangers any time soon. I get too nervous. It’s more fun working with friends.
What’s the last thing you read?
A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz
Complete this sentence: In the future…
Watch out!
Stupidest thing you’ve done in the last 12 months?
I bought an electronic trash can. You stick your foot between two sensors on the ground and the lid opens. It stopped working a couple months ago and I can’t believe I’ve put myself in a situation where I need to call a trashcan repairman.
What’s next?
I just finished a new James Figurine record that’s all covers. I think it’ll be called Covers” I’m not really sure what I’m going to do with it though. Maybe just a digital release.. it’s pretty goofy. Working on some other stuff, but everything’s in the early stages, not worth talking about.
Photos By Robin Laananen.
Yes, it’s another “crystal” band, but there’s nothing mystical about this Long Beach quintet. Tentacles is the band’s debut full-length, and it’s filled with more of the raw, organ-drenched punk that got the boys noticed in the first place. Fueled by frontman Jonny Bell’s guttural howl, a frenetic rhythm section, and a near-constant barrage of dramatic organ blasts, the music is oddly theatrical—most notably on standout cuts like “Dust” and “Andrew.” The album also owes a certain debt to late ’80s grunge, as the title track sounds like a lost single from the early Sub Pop catalog. Few bands effectively balance grandiosity with a sense of genuine emotion—hopefully Crystal Antlers can continue to walk the line.
Freaking out with Salem, the world’s only witchcraft-loving juke shitgaze trio.
XLR8R: Where do you guys live?
Heather: Jack lives in Chicago full-time. John lives in New York and I just go back and forth. We do some stuff over the internet when we’re not all together. Jack will send us a beat and John and I will do stuff over it.
Jack: None of us have jobs, so it’s not really hard to fit in time to make music.
Where did you grow up and do you think that influences your aesthetic?
Heather: Jack grew up in Chicago, and me and John grew up in the countryside. The town that we’re from is really small.
Jack: Growing up anywhere influences your aesthetic. We like a lot of things, like water and the forest, nature, and stuff like that. We grew up in the woods pretty much. When we were 13 or 14, we went to this boarding school [Interlochen Center for the Arts] together in Michigan. We were day students so we could leave the school. We went there for visual art. I studied painting and drawing. I did a little photography.
The reason I ask is that you guys seem to have some Satanic/white trash/metal vibes that seem very Midwestern.
John: In a lot of white-trash towns where we’re from, kids are into that for some reason. They like to torture animals and cut themselves and bleed into cups and worship the devil. That’s everywhere. In small meth towns, that’s really big. The Midwest has that on lock.
Heather: The town where John and I went to school is right next to this trailer park that’s basically one big meth lab. It was really weird. The school is really expensive and people come there from all over the world. You have to have a lot of money to go there, but it’s surrounded by this weird community. A lot of townies would come and vandalize Interlochen or throw pumpkins at kids who are weird. The Midwest definitely has really cool people who do really fucked up things and don’t know any different.
Do you have any obsessions?
John: I don’t really. Do I?
Jack: I want to dirt bike and I’m trying to get people to lend me a dirt bike. Heather really likes horses.
John: I always need a cigarette when I first wake up. A Marlboro Light 100. I get really affected by the way that I’m feeling when I wake up; it affects my whole day.
Tell me about the influence of juke on your stuff.
Jack: I know a lot of people from high school and stuff who were into it. We are really into it. Our favorite artist is probably DJ Nate. He’s 18 and he’s really good. But he makes footwork. Footwork is faster: It’s like tribal drums with really spaced-out snares; juke is more to dance to and has more jive. Juke is ghetto house but it’s from Chicago instead of Baltimore and it’s better. The footworking dance is like… heel-toe stepping but really, really fast.
Can you footwork?
Jack: Noo. It’s really hard. I feel like everyone who does it is really young, like 14. And some people who have done it since they were that age are good at it.
How do people react to you when you roll in a juke club?
Jack: Usually people like us or we’re not on their radar and they don’t care. We don’t look like we have any money so no one would ever want to rob us and nobody bothers us.
I saw some pictures on your Flickr page from Africa. When did you go there and why?
Jack: Last summer, I was in Ghana and Sierra Leone. I was really, really depressed and my mom asked me if I wanted to go, and two weeks later I went. She thought it would be good for me to not be in Chicago and around a lot of stuff. My mom found an orphanage I worked at in Ghana. I have a little cousin who I’m really close with and I went to visit her birth parents and her brothers and sisters. I didn’t go back to the same place I was at. I was in Ghana in this little town, Obuasi, which is a gold town. I found this little studio that was four feet by four feet where there was one PC. I had this guy make me a beat and it was $5 and I traveled really far to an internet café and sent it home for John to work on. Then I brought it back to the guy and I was going to rap on it but his computer broke. We couldn’t find it but the other day we found the song. We might use the beat or something.
The Exorcist, Carrie, or The Shining?
John:Carrie. Just ’cause it has Sissy Spacek in it and she my favorite actress.
Strawberry Switchblade, My Bloody Valentine, or Diamanda Galas?
Jack: Oh, My Bloody Valentine. I never heard of those other ones.
Bats, spiders, or snakes?
John: I guess snakes. Jack has a pet snake, Sasha. She might be a little sick right now because we fed her and she threw the mouse back up.
Jack: And John has a rabbit named Joanie.
Campfires, lighters, or arson?
Jack: Arson—especially to cars. John loves cars on fire. If we’re driving and there’s a car on fire, we have to stop.
What is the last song you listened to?
Jack: Lil Keke feat. Yung Redd “Ride on 4s.” It’s a screwed-and-chopped song we played in the car on the iPod.
Tell me about the “Dirt” video.
Jack: I made it in my dad’s garage. Everyone in the video are just people from Craigslist. I paid the black one because she was from erotic services and the other one was an aspiring actress. While I was filming it, I played her the song and she was like, “This is awful.” I told her to do a lot of different things and then edited together the moments that were nice. It wasn’t two separate things: The black lady was dancing on the car while the other woman was inside. I don’t know what she thought. The escort lady was cool. She was like, “I don’t have to do anything? I just have to do this? Oh wow, okay.” So I went into my dad’s liquor cabinet and poured her a big cup of rum and she just danced naked and we got at it.
Maybe you missed that chance to play an extra in Milk, but Brooklyn/Cincinnati hip-hop trio Tanya Morgan is giving Bay Area residents another chance to appear on camera, as the boys are filming the video for their track “So Damn Down” on Sunday, April 5 and have invited anyone and everyone to participate.
It’s a straightforward affair: Shooting will take place from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the KTOP Studios at 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Suite 5354, in Oakland, California. Anyone is welcome, so long as they’re clad in black and white from the waist up. The group warns that participants who arrive sans proper top will have to wear “a dirty, sweaty, nasty shirt” provided by Tanya Morgan. Exactly what will take place with these shirts remains to be seen, but those in the shoot should plan to stick around 20 to 30 minutes.
Take a listen to the track for a little inspiration, then get thee to American Apparel for the correct, uh, apparel.
A little while back, Sebastien Tellier told all, as in, shared his sexual wisdom with XLR8R whilst sitting on a bearskin rug. Needless to say, we were all enlightened by what the Paris-based maker of sexy synth-pop had to say.
Rug or no rug, he’ll continue sharing his gospel on the road this spring, with a tour around major U.S. and Canadian cities. Shows will be support of his 2008 full-length, Sexuality. Hopefully he’ll have much to say on fake phone numbers, facial hair, and other matters of importance when it comes to love.
04/04 Philadelphia, PA – Transit
04/04 Boston, MA – Paradise
04/07 Montreal, QC – Cabaret Music Hall
04/08 Toronto, ON – The Mod Club
04/09 Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
04/10 Grinnell, IA – Harris Center @ Grinnell College
04/13 Seattle, WA – Chop Suey
04/14 Vancouver, BC – Richards on Richards
04/15 Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
04/17 San Francisco, CA – The Independent
04/19 Indio, CA – Coachella
Las Vegas-based electronic-garage duo Afghan Raiders claims that they are not DJs, and yet the boys have gone and done a number on this track from The Faint’s last album, Fascination. The buzzy, electrified version focuses on distant “dreams” and electro beats.
Detroit rapper Finale, by all accounts, is truly taking a trip back to 1985 in preparing for his new album, A Pipe Dream & a Promise. First, he turned himself into a Mario brother, and now there’s this 8-bit remix of his track “One Man Show,” which truly sounds a little like the theme song to Tetris.
Who:Kap Bambino
Location: Bordeaux, France
Twenty years ago, who would have guessed that Nintendo would become such an important musical influence? From Crystal Castles to The Advantage, countless bands are putting the bleeps and bloops of old-school videogames to use on the dancefloor. Add France’s Kap Bambino to the list, as the boy/girl duo of Orion Bouvier and Caroline Martial makes raw-edged, hyperactive, and gothy electro-punk songs that recall the kinetic ’80s pop of Devo and Adam Ant, the vocal calisthenics of Kim Wilde and Missing Persons, and childhood trips to the local arcade. The pair also runs its own label, Wwilko Recordings, which released KB’s sold-out debut album, Zero Life, Night Vision. The follow-up is set to drop any day now.
Watch: Red Sign
