Eliot Lipp “Beamrider”

Having graduated from Prefuse 73’s Eastern Developments label, Brooklyn-based producer Eliot Lipp founded Old Tacoma Records last year, and his new, 10-song Peace Love Weed 3D is the first offering from the label. The album began as tape-recorded sketches of drum machine and synthesizer before being cut up, re-sampled, and enhanced with additional samples and live instrumentation courtesy of Guitar Ron (who Lipp met in the subway station near his studio). The result is a varied instrumental exploration of electro-funk, acid, fusion, and Italo-disco sounds. On “Beamrider,” stripes of piercing retro synth rotate in, followed shortly by a low-key beat that provides a canvas for additional subtle electronic decoration. Photo by Tod Seelie. Words by Lulu McAllister.

Beamrider

Tobacco’s Video Mania

Black Moth Super Rainbow boss Tobacco livened up our week by unrolling a series of lo-budget, lo-fi videos to go along with tracks from his latest album, this year’s Fucked Up Friends. To no one’s surprise, these vids are sinister and often sexual, and involve blood, caves, fist fights, aerobics, guns, and golf carts. It’s all further proof that one need not spend millions to provide good entertainment.

Side8

Backwoods Altar

Street Trash

Gross Magik

Hawker Boat

Little Pink Riding Hood

Berries That Burn

Parts & Labor “Nowheres Nigh”

Brooklyn-based outfit Parts & Labor’s fourth full-length, Receivers, cleverly incorporates the hundreds of diverse audio samples sent to them by fans in response to questions such as “What are you afraid of?” and “What do your parents sound like?”, which the band posted on their websites last April. Far from the discord of bleeps, conversations, and crashes this sort of endeavor has the potential to be, the album is a richly constructed, mature pop-punk creation. “Nowhere’s Nigh” is the anthemic single off this catchy eight-track noise-punk offering.

Now on tour nationally, Parts & Labor has set up a toll-free number (888-317-5596) where fans can leave a message to be integrated into their live shows–call in to join the party. Photo by Tod Seelie. Words by Lulu McAllister

Nowheres Nigh

Lykke Li Readies Tour Dates

Sweden’s Lykke Li will stay busy for the next few months, touring in support of her debut album, Youth Novels. The Woodie Award-nominated songstress will finish out 2008 with tour dates in Europe and Australia. Early 2009 sees her arriving Stateside for yet more shows. Catch her if you can.

11/24 Dublin, Ireland – Button Factory?
11/25 Glasgow, Scotland – Arches?
11/27 Manchester, England – Academy 3
11/28 London, England – KOKO
11/29 Cologne, Germany – Gloria?
12/01 Berlin, Germany – Maria?
12/02 Hamburg, Germany – Uebel und Gefaehrlich?
12/04 Lisbon, Portugal – São Jorge?
12/05 Nijmegen, Netherlands – Doornrosjie?
12/06 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso (Big Room)?
12/09 Paris, France – Le Trabendo?
12/10 Oslo, Norway – John Dee?
12/11 Copenhagen, Denmark – Vega?
12/12 Stockholm, Sweden – Kägelbanan?
12/30 Lorne, Australia – The Falls Festival?
12/31 Marion Bay, Australia – The Falls Festival?
01/03 Busselton, Australia – Southbound Festival?
01/04 Melbourne, Australia – Prince Bandroom?
01/05 Sydney, Australia – Oxford Art Factory
01/31 Washington, DC – Sixth and I?
02/02 New York, NY – Webster Hall?
02/04 Montreal, Quebec – Club Soda?
02/06 Toronto, Ontario – Phoenix ?
02/07 Chicago, IL – Metro?
02/08 Minneapolis, MN – Varsity?
02/11 Vancouver, British Columbia – Commodore?
02/12 Portland, OR – Hawthorne?
02/13 Seattle, WA – Showbox?
02/15 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore?
02/17 Pomona, CA – Glass House?
02/18 Dallas, TX – Granada?
02/19 Austin, TX – Antone’s

Photo by Andy Eisberg.

My Dear Disco “White Lies”

Seven members strong, My Dear Disco employed guitars, synths, a vox or two, bass, keyboards, drums, and a saxophone to craft its most recent release, Dancethink. The full album doesn’t drop until January 13, but the band let this track loose to tide us over until then, so all those with a taste for dance-rock inspired by 1980s sounds and heavy synths, take note. Also peep the album’s trailer, which, if nothing less, features some pretty trippy visuals.

Dancethink
01 White Lies
02 For Your Love
03 My Dear Disco
04 All I Do
05 Amsterdam
06 The Way
07 Madam Eon – Part One
08 Madam Eon – Part Two
09 M.Y.F. (Move Your Feet)

My Dear Disco – White Lies

Various Artists Poplife Presents Poplife Sucks

With both the track records and actual records to be able to celebrate 10 years in style, Belgians Mo & Benoelie (a.k.a. DJs/producers The Glimmers) along with Stephen De Waele (half of 2ManyDJs) and Olivier Tjon have assembled a 19-track tribute to the decade-deep Gent monthly Poplife. Celebrating a tweaked-out spirit instead of caning more obvious mash-ups, the trio pulls from over 30 years of reverent Italo-disco, dubby New Wave, nubile electro boogie, resilient acid constricts, and proto-house constructs (Japan to Jacknife Lee, Brandon Cooke to Liquid Liquid, Erotic Dissidents to Aphex Twin). Overall, there’s a cheeky come-on undercurrent to the tag-team, as these tracks are sonically engaging without being self-absorbed, and instead of throwing out tangents for discussion they resolutely demand to hear your body talk.

The Rapture K7 Tapes

We haven’t seen much, release-wise, from dance-punk outfit The Rapture in a good minute, since 2006’s remarkably reined-in full-length Pieces of the People We Love. And, just as notable, The Rapture has yet to turn in the increasingly expected DJ mix album, until now. While there aren’t many surprises here, the mix kills. Its eclecticism, while still focused around canonical grooves, makes it feel more like a mixtape–in the dubbing tracks to a cassette for your girlfriend sense–than a “proper” genre-leaning DJ set. The taste displayed is impeccable, not to mention it’s a pleasant surprise finding out that the road from Ghostface Killah to Cashmere to Bangalter takes only a little more than an hour.

Femi Kuti Tours, New Album

Downtown Records releases Day by Day from Afro-pop king Femi Kuti today, and the eldest son of legendary producer Fela Kuti has a round of tour dates in support of the new album. Backed by a band that consists of no less than 17 members and goes by the name Positive Force, Femi will first tour Europe before heading Stateside at the beginning of 2009. Peep a preview of the album below.

Day by Day
01 Oyimbo
02 Eh Oh
03 Day By Day
04 Demo Crazy
05 Do You Know
06 You Better Ask Yourself
07 One Two
08 Tell Me
09 They Will Run
10 Tension Grip Africa
11 Dem Funny
12 Let’s Make History

Dates
11/18 Dijon, France – La Vapeur
11/19 Florange, France – La Passerelle
11/21 Nice, France – Theatre Lino Ventura
11/22 Marseille, France – Espace Julien
11/24 Zegreb, Croatia – Aquarius Club
01/07 Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
01/08 New York, NY – Webster Hall
01/09 Washington, DC -9:30 Club
01/10 Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live
01/11 New York, NY – Webster Hall (GlobalFest)
01/14 Montreal, QC – Club Soda
01/15 Toronto, ON – Opera House
01/16 Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre
01/17 Chicago, IL – Metro
01/19 Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater
01/22 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
01/23 Hollywood, CA – House of Blues
01/24 San Diego, CA – House of Blues

Planet Gear

So it seems the new Squarepusher album is one you either must love or hate, but undeniably, Tom Jenkinson’s recently released Just a Souvenir is that it’s a hell of a conceptual project and you’re expected to work very hard to reap rewards when listening. So it comes without surprise that the visual accompaniment to the track “Planet Gear” follows a similar course, with a weird, geometric light show that could be the MacBook screensaver of 2020 and fits the song’s trippy, scatter-shot musical landscape. The seizure-prone and over-caffeinated should proceed with caution.

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