Copenhagen’s wackiest trio, WhoMadeWho, is back, this time armed with a new album of dance-punk tunes and some serious antics the boys showcase on this video.
“This Train” is off The Plot, due out March 23 on Gomma.
Raise it Up for Ma Dukes
On February 10, 2006, James “J Dilla” Yancey” passed away after an ongoing battle with lupus. Now, the late hip-hop legend’s own mother, Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey, is also suffering from the disease.
Her news reached the music world just as “Dilla month” kicks off, and so celebrating the late producer on the anniversary of his death this year should include not just remembering his contributions to hip-hop (and music in general), but also supporting a worthy cause.
Stones Throw commissioned Amsterdam-based graphic artist Parra to design a t-shirt bearing the phrase “Raise it Up for Ma Dukes,” which will be sold at online retailers like Turntable Lab, Digital Gravel, and Fat Beats. Proceeds, obviously, go towards Maureen Yancey’s battle with lupus.
Learn more about Lupus here.
Photo of J Dilla by B+
Inbox: Free Blood
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. John Pugh parted ways with !!! some time ago to devote all of his time and energy towards his Free Blood project, in which he conducts experimental dance jams alongside Madeline Davy. We caught up with him recently to talk music (lots of it), desert boots, and the perils of sleepwalking at the Holiday Inn.
What are you listening to right now?
Blues Control by Blues Control Country; Life by Roxy Music; Funeral At The Movies by Shudder To Think; 1930 by Merzbow; Have It All by Planningtorock; All Around The World by Little Willie John; Singles 06-07 by Jay Reatard; Savoire Faire by Family Fodder; Satanic Panic In The Attic by Of Montreal; It Is Finished by Nina Simone; Shadow & Substance by Various Artists, Glass Records; Rally Round by Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus; Here, My Dear by Marvin Gaye
What’s the weirdest story you ever heard about yourself?
When I was in my pre-teens, I used to sleepwalk on almost a nightly basis. In sixth grade, my class took an end-of-year trip to Montreal (our French teacher was involved somehow). The first night, I started walking around this massive, two-story Holiday Inn in a hallucinatory nightmare state, weaving deeper and deeper into a maze of hallways that all looked the same. It must have been four in the morning, because nobody was awake, except for a group of French-Canadian mountain climbers who were just checking into their room. The mountain climbers didn’t speak a word of English, but couldn’t just leave me wandering the halls, crying my eyes out like a baby on brown acid, so they shepherded me around the hotel knocking on doors, disturbing sleepy Canadians, looking for someone to claim me. The whole time, I was in a somnambulant daze. Eventually, they found my room, but my roommates wouldn’t open the door for these strange-talking beardsmen. One of them went down to the front desk and somehow convinced the concierge to give him a key to my room. The next morning, I only remembered bits and pieces, like a really vivid dream/panic attack. Our teachers commanded us to build a blockade of furniture in front our hotel door every night after, so that I couldn’t escape.
What band did you want to be in when you were 15?
I was torn between Minor Threat and Midnight Star.
Worst live show experience?
Unfortunately, [there are] too many to list. Usually [it] involves bad sound, bad vibes, or our own asinine behavior biting us on the ass. Let’s leave that for history to judge…
Favorite city to play in?
We had a great time in Portland and Philadelphia. Tokyo was amazing too, but for completely different reasons.
Do you have a favorite remix from The Singles?
Not to play favorite, but after hearing DJ Spun play out the Scotty Coats & Wes The Mess version of “Weekend Condition” at the PS1 party, I was floored. It made me truly proud!
What is your favorite thing you own?
Engraved cuff links given to me by my wife. And my notebook collection, full of at least 20 years’ worth of hair-brained schemes.
Name one item of clothing you can’t live without.
My desert boots.
If you had to choose between Brooklyn and Manhattan, which would it be?
Roosevelt Island.
What did you always get in trouble for when you were little?
Peeing in the trash can in the TV room, ’cause I didn’t want to miss Night Court.
What other artist would you most like to work with?
The Neptunes and Brian Eno, at the same time!
What’s the last thing you read?
Dreams From My Father by Barack H. Obama.
Complete this sentence: In the future…
…we will all be deaf and music as we know it will be obsolete. Start to vibrate!
Stupidest thing you’ve done in the last 12 months?
Again, too many to list. Most recently, wearing desert boots in three inches of snow.
What’s next?
More stupid things, some smart things, and a full-length album!
Barbara Morgenstern BM
On BM, Barbara Morgenstern continues her decade-long electro-acoustic flirtation with synth-infused organ, piano, and guitar. However, unlike past explorations, BM finds the German producer knee-deep in the bold sounds of a Bechstein grand piano, which even appears unaccompanied in the cleverly titled “Für Luise.” On most tracks, however, Morgenstern highlights the versatility of her favorite instrument by layering its alternately disturbed and delightful chords against psychedelic or agitated guitar, understated buzzing or tickled wind chime synths, sweeping strings, and the soft, backseat percussion of Arne Gosh. The tonally dark rhythm piano on “Reich & Berühmt” complements Morgenstern’s buoyant-but-breathy vocals. Meanwhile, those longing for the complicated, twinkling synth ornamentation of Morgenstern’s past will find it combined with gritty, industrial garage-tech on “Morbus Basedow.”
Evil Nine They Live!
This Brighton duo’s latest electro-metal album, inspired by the ’80s horror oeuvre of John Carpenter, reps monster-mash baddies of all breeds: rapping zombies (with guest spots from El-P and Beans), emo ghosts (Kitsune’s David Autokratz), and Underworld-worthy vampire club-kids (just about every other track on the record). The combination of sinister dancefloor breaks, menacing samples, and a well-edited guestlist of collaborators produces an impressively catchy mix of goofy beats and campy pop culture. Who says you can’t have fun while you’re out busting up some ghosts?
Puppetmastaz “So Scandalous Feat. Willee Nillee (Sirius Mo Remix)”
The cartoonish Puppetmastaz crew put this track in the hands of Sirius Mo, and from that collaboration comes this remix, a lively electro-meets-hip-hop number chock full of bouncy synths and ridiculous raps.
Off the “Reservoir Foxin/So Scandalous” 12″, out now on Discograph.
Worth It
Florian Senfter (a.k.a. Zombie Nation) brings us another club-friendly electro with his latest single, “Worth It.” He also, if this video is anything to go by, has developed something of a foot fetish of late.
“Worth It” is out now on Decks Records.
Asa “Jailer”
Soothing to the ears and thoughtful food for the brain, “Jailer” is a socially conscious, reggae-tinged folk number that comes courtesy of France-born, Nigeria-raised songwriter Asa (pronounced Ah-shah) and her self-titled debut album.
Asa is out now via Downtown Records.
Cazals “Somebody, Somewhere”
What happens when a non-electronic group signs to a label heralded as one of the pioneers of contemporary electronic music? Check this futuristic guitar-pop track from British outfit Cazal to find out.
“Somewhere, Somebody” is off Cazals debut album, What of Our Future, out now.
Zizek, Switch, The Bug Play Coachella
Load up the camper and don’t forget to pack the earplugs. The Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival–whose dates were announced just last October—has unleashed its initial artist lineup to the masses, with a list that includes everyone from Public Enemy to Zizek Urban Beats Club. But rather than elaborate on the presence of My Bloody Valentine at this year’s festival or wonder how in the hell Leonard Cohen ended up on the bill, we’ll leave the full list here for you to ponder.
Tickets are on sale as of this morning. Three-day weekend passes are going for $269, while single-day passes can be purchased for $99.
Behold, the 2009 Coachella lineup (so far):
Friday, April 17: Paul McCartney, Morrissey, Franz Ferdinand, Leonard Cohen, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Beirut, The Black Keys, Girl Talk, Silversun Pickups, The Ting Tings, The Crystal Method, Ghostland Observatory, Crystal Castles, The Airborne Toxic Event, We Are Scientists, N.A.S.A., Patton & Rahzel, M. Ward, The Presets, The Hold Steady, A Place to Bury Strangers, Felix da Housecat, Buraka Som Sistema, Ryan Bingham, Bajofondo, Peanut Butter Wolf, Noah & the Whale, White Lies, The Bug, Alberta Cross, Los Campesinos!, Craze & Klever, Molotov, Switch, Gui Boratto, Steve Aoki, The Aggrolites, People Under the Stairs, The Courteeners, Cage the Elephant, Dear and the Headlights.
Saturday, April 18: The Killers, Amy Winehouse, Thievery Corporation, TV on the Radio, Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, MSTRKRFT, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Atmosphere, Mastodon, TRAV$DJ-AM, Henry Rollins, Crookers, Turbonegro, Hercules and Love Affair, Superchunk, Glasvegas, Dr. Dog, Drive-By Truckers, Booker T & the DBT’s, Amanda Palmer, The Bloody Beetroots, Surkin, Para One (Live), Calexico, Liars, Bob Mould Band, Zane Lowe, Electric Touch, Blitzen Trapper, James Morrison, Drop the Lime, Glass Candy, Thenewno2, Gang Gang Dance, Billy Talent, Ida Maria, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Zizek, Cloud Cult, Tinariwen.
Sunday, April 19: The Cure, My Bloody Valentine, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Throbbing Gristle, Lupe Fiasco, Paul Weller, Peter Bjorn and John, X, Antony & the Johnsons, Roni Size, Public Enemy, Jenny Lewis, Groove Armada, Paolo Nutini, Christopher Lawrence, Lykke Li, The Kills, Okkervil River, M.A.N.D.Y., Clipse, Sebastien Tellier, Fucked Up, Perry Farrell, The Horrors, Late of the Pier, K’naan, Junior Boys, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Supermayer, No Age, Vivian Girls, Shepard Fairey, Themselves, Gaslight Anthem, The Knux, Mexican Institute of Sound, The Night Marchers, Marshall Barnes.
Pictured: Zizek Urban Beats Club
