Justice A Cross the Universe

On this live CD attachment for the Parisian duo’s tour documentary, Justice almost redeems itself by making another album of dirty French electro at its diabolical best. As expected, they overload the pomp and hack up house beats into sputtering, un-oiled rhythms where mere cymbal splashes could blow out speakers. While live tweaks imbue “D.A.N.C.E.” with new life and mange to make Uffie’s rap cameo about 5% less painful, Justice cuts off too many songs right when the momentum builds. “We Are Your Friends” is little more than a two-minute jukebox sing-along. On the other end of the spectrum, they also overindulge in 10 minutes of garbage-disposed synth riffs on the finale, “Phantom Part 2.”

Aidan Baker and Tim Hecker Fantasma Parastasie

Amongst the many visions conjured by this debut collaboration between two big names in the admittedly small circle of ambient/drone music, few are musical. Think of the bizarrely cellular organics of a Hieronymus Bosch painting, or New York artists Mike and Doug Starn’s segmented and strangely lit photographs–images that are simultaneously bulbous and disjointed. With a palette of dark and often discordant colors comprised of hyper-distorted electric guitars and overblown synthesizers, Baker and Hecker create music worthy of the luminous noise names whom they reference as touchstones, such as Merzbow and Muslimgauze–music as finely articulated as a symphony, loud enough to be painful, and arcane enough to warrant repeat listening. Loud is, indeed, the new quiet.

The Prodigy “Invaders Must Die”

Invaders Must Die makes for The Prodigy‘s fifth studio album, and the first featuring all three members of the band since 1997’s The Fat of the Land. Naturally then, it’s a release where new material is steeped in the old-school rave sensibilities that first propelled Liam Howlett and Co into the electronic music spotlight. If the album’s title track is anything to go by, these lads haven’t lost their energy over the years, and their sound remains as unabashedly hard and heavy as it was when this photo was taken. Judge for yourself on March 3, when the album is released.

Invaders Must Die
01 Invaders Must Die
02 Omen
03 Thunder
04 Colours
05 Take Me To The Hospital
06 Warrior’s Dance
07 Run With The Wolves
08 Omen Reprise
09 World’s On Fire
10 Piranha
11 Stand Up

Sorry, DMCA law made us pull the download from our site.

Best of 2008: Mochipet

San Francisco’s electronic iconoclast Mochipet on Daedelus, Snoop Dogg, and starting his own boy band.

Who was the best artist of 2008?

Jantsen from Boulder, Colorado. This kid makes some serious bass beats–slowed down, sped up. Check out out his unofficial Boyz Noise remix with Sleepyhead. It gives me hope that electronic music has a future in the U.S.

Who was the worst artist of 2008?

Mochipet. I hate that guy. No, I don’t know. I try not to listen to artists I don’t like. I mean, what’s the point?

What was the best album of 2008?

Daedelus Love To Make Music To (Ninja Tune). I am really excited for Alfred. I’ve known him and his music for a long time and I really I feel he has come into his own as a musician and an artist.”

What was your favorite 12″ single of 2008?

Snoop Dogg “Sensual Seduction” (Geffen). How can you not love Snoop Dogg and Shawty Redd? The video is out of this world. I usually hate retro, but Snoop Dogg knows how to do it well–with talk boxes and a properly produced song. Even if he doesn’t play the bass guitar, he wears it well. And he has a name like a pet. I like pets.

What was the best music trend of 2008?

I don’t know if it’s a trend but I really like the slowed-down electronic beats Rustie, Glitchmob, and XLR8R’s own Lazersword are doing. You can stick so much more into the rhythm when the up and down beats are that far apart. I would like to see the second incarnation of dubstep as well, when we move away from the standard drum ‘n’ bass formulas and add different sounds and rhythms.

What was the worst music trend of 2008?

The bizzilionth coming of boy bands. Can we say Jonas Brothers? I mean, these virgins get more girls then R. Kelly. Wait, I changed my mind, can this be the best musical trend instead? I’m starting a Mochi boy band. Anyone interested please email Daly City Records with their fifth grade report cards and parents’ permission.

What is your favorite label of 2008?

Matador Records. I think Cat Power really put them in a good place financially so they are starting to put out more experimental stuff again that can also ride in the mainstream. I think accessible and experimental is really important if we are to expand people’s musical vocabularies. To me, diversity is the most important thing, just like in nature.

Best of 2008
Drop the Lime
Abe Vigoda
Bradford Cox
Andrew Jeffrey Wright
eLZhi
Cut Copy
Fucked Up
Evidence
Vivian Girls
Matt Furie
dj/ Rupture
Telepathe
The Death Set
Holy Ghost
Mochipet
CTRL
Plump DJs
Jose James
Worship Worthy
Peter Beste
Hercules and Love Affair
Magda
The Alchemist
DC Recordings

Hot Chip Makes EP with Robert Wyatt

The Hot Chip boys tend to pop up all over the place, whether it’s remixing the greats of hip-hop, crafting exclusive tracks, making cameos on numerous artist albums, or touring the world over, like, every other month. But despite such workaholism and hectic scheduling, the five-piece electro-pop outfit still found time to announce yet-another project before 2008 wrapped.

Hot Chip will release a new, limited-edition EP on January 27 that will be available at a select number of independent record stores. The band collaborated with avant-jazz legend and fellow Brit, Robert Wyatt, for the new release, as well as old friends Geese.

Bookmark December 19 (tomorrow) as the day to download two tracks off the EP via Hot Chip’s site.

01 Made in the Dark (with Robert Wyatt)
02 Whistle for Will (with Robert Wyatt)
03 We’re Looking for a Lot of Love (with Robert Wyatt and Geese)
04 One Pure Thought (remixed by Geese)

Black Milk “Bounce”

We have another one off Detroit hip-hop player Black Milk‘s recently released third full-length, TRONIC. Given that sampling is so damn expensive these days for anyone who isn’t Jay-Z, the 25-year-old producer opted instead to focus on live instrumentation for this release, which also features Pharoahe Monch, Royce Da 5’9″, Sean Price, and DJ Premier guesting. “Bounce” is the album’s second track.

Black_Milk-Bounce

Fujiya & Miyagi Ready Tour Dates

This year was all about new things for the so-called Kraut-rock revivalists Fujiya & Miyagi. Formerly a trio, the band assumed a new drummer in 2008, dropped a new album, Lightbulbs, to widespread acclaim, and also recently premiered a new video.

The quartet will take a few weeks of R&R before getting back on the road in early 2009, showcasing material off Lightbulbs, and perhaps even some new tracks as well.

Dates:
2/11 Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
02/12 Chicago, IL: Bottom Lounge
02/13 Detroit, MI – Magic Stick
02/14 Alfred, NY – Alfred University Knight Club
02/15 Boston, MA – Paradise
02/17 New York, NY – LPR
02/18 Philadelphia, PA – The Trocadero
02/19 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
02/20 Carrboro, NC – Cats Cradle
02/21 Athens, GA – 40 Watt Club
02/23 Orlando, FL – Back Booth
02/24 Tallahassee, FL – Club Downunder
02/25 Baton Rouge, LA – Spanish Moon
02/27 Austin, TX – Emos Alternative Lounge
02/28 Dallas, TX – Palladum Loft
03/02 Phoenix, AZ – Rhythm Room
03/03 Los Angeles, CA – The Echoplex
03/05 San Francisco, CA – The Independent
03/06 Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
03/07 Seattle, WA – Neumos

DJ T., DJ Hell on Get Physical Comp

When a press release starts with the question “Have you ever asked yourself what song you’d like to be played at your funeral?”, we’re ready to sit up and take note. Said statement comes from Berlin-based powerhouse Get Physical, who announced a new series, Final Song, which asks “a number of musicians to select their ideal last song, either to serenade their final moments or to memorialize them after the fact.” Which basically means the label has commissioned artists to pick they’re favorite funeral jams.

The compilation series will kick off on February 6, with the straightforwardly titled Final Song #1. Here, DJ T., Giles Peterson, DJ Hell, Ewan Pearson, Ricardo Villalobos, and others have selected songs by everyone from Photek to Radiohead as their ultimate final tracks. Cheery this compilation is probably not, but the tracklisting looks like a promising listen nonetheless.

Final Song #1
01 Erik Satie – “Gymnopédie” – selected by DJ T.
02 Rob Gallagher – “Little One” – selected by Gilles Peterson.
03 Photek – “Modus Operandi” – selected by Storm.
04 The Stranglers – “Golden Brown” – selected by DJ Hell.
05 Cerrone – “Supernature” – selected by Kevin Saunderson.
06 Radiohead – “Sit Down Stand Up” – selected by Laurent Garnier.
07 Chloé – “Paradise” – selected by Chloé.
08 The Beach Boys – “‘Til I Die” – selected by David Holmes.
09 Peggy Lee – “Is That All There Is?” – selected by Ewan Pearson.
10 Inti Illimani – “Caramba, Yo Soy Dueno del Baron” – selected by Ricardo Villalobos.
11 Link – “Amenity” – selected by Richie Hawtin.
12 Pharoah Sanders – “Astral Travelling” – selected by Francois K.
13 Brian Eno – “An Ending (Ascent)” – selected by Coldcut.

Photo by Daniel Mayer.

Podcast 67: XLR8R Presents Lone

Formerly one half of Nottingham duo Kids In Tracksuits, Matt Cutler (a.k.a. Lone) has kept busy making spaced-out electronic music, most notably with his 2008 release Lemurian. On this exclusive mix, he leads us through a number of different musical styles, offering up pieces of techno, dubstep, electro, and more from names like Kode9, Clark, and Plaid, as well as one of his own tracks.

01 Kona Triangle “Pinchbeck Intro”
02 Lone “Indigo Breath”
03 Plaid “Anything”
04 Kode9 vs ld “2 Bad
05 The Tuss “Fredulogon6”
06 Rustie “Response”
07 Drexciya “Triangular Hydrogen Strain”
08 Macabre Unit “Lift Off”
09 Clark “For Wolves Crew”
10 Mrk1 “Get Out Clause”
11 Jakes and Joker “3k Lane”
12 Mr Curtamos “Glowinthedarkstep”

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Podcast_Mix_2008_12_18

Sasse Toinen

It’s hard to believe, but Toinen is only the second full-length album by Berlin-by-way-of-Finland producer Sasse. Yet there is no sophomore slump to be found here, as Toinen is loaded with expertly produced house and techno sounds. Drifting away from his earlier flirtations with Italo- and space disco, Toinen is a controlled effort with a stronger eye toward the precision of Detroit techno. The veteran producer never lends the impression that anything is in danger of going off the rails, as even club tracks like “Clemens” and “Friday Sessionz” are tempered by a strong sense of order, not to mention bursts of white noise and tightly wound Kraftwerk-style synths.

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