Various Wighnomy Brothers: Metawuffmischfelge

If the devil’s in the details, then this is a hell of a mix. Brother Robag Wruhme has certainly taken a devil-may-care approach, personalizing an exercise in minimal house isometrics. Shuffling funk and reverberant chords slowly coalesce with blissed-out snippets and vocal hiccups. Compiled from nearly 30 components (including tracks by Lisa Gerrard, False, and Trentemøller, plus Wruhme’s undisclosed “samples”), this could have been a steamroller or, in less talented hands, a train wreck. The end result makes for such a seamless afterhours stream, however, that it’s more appropriate to apply Le Corbusier’s counterargument that “God is in the details.” This mosaic is so well orchestrated, so precise in its built-up comedowns, it’s as pious as it is pliant.

Podcast 40: Jay Haze

He owns two labels and produces dance music under several different monikers, so it’s no surprise that Berlin-based, American expat Jay Haze should have an extensive back catalog of tracks. He recently took some time to comb through his repertoire and compile Keep Your Third Eye Open exclusively for XLR8R, and originality rules on this mix.

“In house and techno, the formula is way too apparent and extremely overused,” Jay said in an interview earlier this year. “The music has become predictable and as a result, boring.”

Not so here. The 13 gems on this mix–all unreleased tracks and versions–prove that, when in the studio, Jay considers his musical compositions carefully, playing with tempos, twisting up synths and pianos, and, in short, breathing badly needed fresh air back into house and techno.

His latest album, Love & Beyond will hit U.S. stores on June 10 via TuningSpork Records. If this mix got you so excited you can’t wait five more days, get the digital version at Beatport now.

Keep Your Third Eye Open Tracklisting
1. Fuckpony “Sensual Depravation”
2. Jay Haze “Keep Your Third Eye Open”
3. Jay Haze “Soul in a Bottle feat. Big Bully & Sven VT (2008 mix)”
4. Jay Haze “Muttersprache”
5. Fuckpony “Gigglepeas”
6. Jay Haze “Up for Grabs”
7. Sub Version “Space Trek”
8. Jay Haze “Party Don’t Stop feat. Rockey”
9. Jay Haze “Rewrite History feat. Lil Dirrty Ghetto Bastard”
10. Gypsy Family “Strangers in All Lands”
11. Jay Haze “High on Life”
12. Jay Haze “Tanzanja”
13. Fuckpony “Time”

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XLR8R Does MUTEK: Part 2

Despite Montreal’s inevitable May rains, the weekend portion of MUTEK ’08 couldn’t be stopped–even if it did force the outdoor Piknic Electronik’s events back to the SAT on Saturday afternoon. L.A.’s newly crowned glitch-bass master Flying Lotus helped to recreate some serious nighttime vibes (as did the dark confines of the club) before Kode9 and The Space Ape took the stage for their first of two performances that day. They were followed by the intensely heavy Canadian debut of Dutch dubstepper Martyn, as folks mingled near the back, bemoaning the fact that the rain had almost cleared by the time the event started.

Later that evening, Metropolis hosted another seemingly sold-out affair for MUTEK’s Nocturne finale. Parisian DJ Chloé rocked her first time on Canadian decks, preceding local hero Mossa, who swung the crowd up, down, left, and right with his tweaked-out techno and house, augmented at the end with a percussionist on electronic drums. In the theater’s Savoy Room, Matt “Radio Slave” Edwards and Joel Martin premiered their Quiet Village project, which saw the pair tucked away at the back of the auditorium while they controlled projected visuals to accompany their Balearic funk and easy-listening sounds.

A festival highlight for many was the Axel Wilner’s North American premier of The Field as a live band, which found him behind a massive control desk as a drummer and guitarist played alongside what sounded like on-the-fly remixes of From Here We Go Sublime. Meanwhile, back across the hall, Kode9 and The Space Ape performed their Bass Fiction live PA, which saw a line wrapped up and down the main staircase, and gave attendees the tough choice of having to pick between two stellar acts at the same time. (With the beats coalescing from all angles, one can completely understand what beatboxer extraordinaire Michael Winslow is talking about in this clip that Matt Edwards hipped us to the next morning; check it at around the 3:30 point.)

Following what many say was the surprise sleeper set of the festival by Danton Eeprom, Edwards, whose records were lost in transit, still managed to wow the crowd with a few hours’ worth of burned CDRs, playing on the main stage under this Radio Slave guise. DJ Olive and ex-Montrealer Deadbeat finished out the Savoy Room’s scheduled program before Kode9 made an impromptu third appearance, taking folks well into the morning hours.

But no MUTEK is complete without at least the final Sunday’s Piknic Electronik, held on Ile-Ste. Helene’s Parc Jean-Drapeau. With the park’s absolutely perfect setting for any electronic music festival–held under an Alexander Calder stabile, with picturesque views of Montreal in the background–not even the rain could keep MUTEK’s die-hards from partying all day long to minimal techno and house stompers by Onur Özer, Ernesto Ferreyra, and Germany’s Mathias Kaden. But the day’s highlight was undoubtedly a live appearance by Parisian pranksters Noze, who brought their brand of Tom Waits-meets-Eastern Europe tech while swigging on full bottles of vodka and demanding that the crowd “be gay” and make out with each other. Hey, what can we say? It’s a romantic place, and Montreal’s nothing if not amorous.

Check XLR8R TV in the coming weeks to see all of XLR8R’s MUTEK adventures.

No Age Nouns

After whetting appetites with last year’s stellar singles collection, Weirdo Rippers, L.A. noise-rockers No Age offer their first proper full-length in Nouns, an absolute winner of a record. For their switch to indie powerhouse Sub Pop, the band doesn’t polish any of its trademark scuzz, and manages to retain all of the punk insistency of its earlier work. Nouns also offers plenty of beauty and melody, and what makes the album succeed is the seamlessness with which these elements are folded into the otherwise rough mix. Tracks like the Cramps-y “Teen Creeps” and the brilliant rocker “Sleeper Hold” show off this blend of noise and harmony particularly well. This is the punk record you’ve been waiting for.

J.Rawls & Middle Child “Thankful”

Producer J Rawls–responsible for work with Mos Def, Masta Ace, Talib Kewli, and other hip-hop greats–teamed up with vocalist Middle for this collaborative album simply titled Rawls & Middle. The two apparently met by random chance when Rawls needed a vocalist, and after that brief project, they decided to make a full album together. The result is a release that explores a variety of musical styles, from future-jazz to Latin to downtempo, while Middle Child’s voice soars over the never-ending supply of catchy hooks and basslines.

J.Rawls & Middle Child – Thankful

Kid Creole Going Places: The August Darnell Years 1974-1983

Clothed in Cab Calloway garb, NYC chameleon August Darnell mashed together genres like Latin-funk, rumba, Vegas cabaret, and disco as if he’d performed them all his life. Going Places captures his best moments in Kid Creole & the Coconuts and his endless array of side-gigs. The winner is Machine’s disco classic about white flight, “There but for the Grace of God Go I,” but Kid Creole’s wiseass funk on “Going Places” and their JBs ode, “Double on Back,” are nearly just as infectious. The camp sometimes boils too high; just cover your ears during “I’m an Indian Too,” unless Cher’s “Half-Breed” hits close to home. Going Places is yet another fine tourist brochure for Ed Koch’s New York.

Meat Beat Manifesto Autoimmune

Uninformed musical whistleblowers will be quick to judge Jack Dangers’ as an arrant dubstep thief, but the fact is, dude has been forging a similar sound for years. Album highpoint “Lonely Soldier” is case and point: dread bass and half-tempo beat sludge have always been Meat Beat territory, to the point that you have to wonder who’s doing the ripping off. Elsewhere, Dangers dips into tried-and-true methods, à la the wonderfully Subliminal Sandwich-sounding “I Hold the Mic!”, which features Daddy Sandy’s disembodied dancehall chat. Although the raw momentum begins to let up after the album’s midway point, by then Dangers has already crammed enough solid material in here to maintain his continued niche relevancy.

Pon Di Wire: Cure Fest Postponed, Sizzla goes AWOL, New Reggae Movie

Buju Banton’s Gargamel Music drops its new compilation, Buju Banton Presents: Jamrock Classics Vol. 1, this week. The collection features new tunes from Pinchers, George Nooks, Terror Fabulous, Ghost, Jah Cure, Yami Bolo, Tony Curtis, and Lutan Fyah. The album features a clutch of classic backing music, including the Stallag, This Magic Moment, and Three Blind Mice riddims.

Speaking of Buju, he apparently exchanged heated words with Junior Reid backstage at a concert in Miami recently. Buju apparently insulted Reid when the “One Blood” singer’s 13-year old daughter tried to meet Gargamel. Reid later stepped to Buju directly and was quoted as saying, “Mi no tell him no expletive because me is a yute respect my mother. Mi just tell him say him is a fish and call him Batty Banton.” One hopes this all a matter of misunderstanding and hearsay between the two greats.

A new full-length film titled Better Mus’ Comepremieres this Saturday, June 7 in Kingston, Jamaica at the 2008 Flashpoint Film Festival in Port Royal. The film takes place against the backdrop of Jamaica’s mid-’70s political upheaval. Directed by Storm Saulter and starring Sheldon Shepherd, Nicole Grey, Roger Guenveur Smith (American Gangster, Malcolm X, Do the Right Thing), and Dwayne Pusey, the film follows Ricky (Shepherd), the leader of a politically affiliated gang based in the Southside slums of Kingston. According to Saulter, it wasn’t easy to make the film: “It was very hard to get proper special effects material and props into the island (i.e. exploding blood, blank shells, fake movie guns). The people we were renting from in Hollywood thought it was too dangerous here, and that someone would steal the guns and start a militia or something–a militia with fake M16s!”

Jah Cure’s now-annual Cure Fest concert has been postponed, due to demand for Cure performances abroad. Jah Cure will instead perform in Europe throughout June, and return to Jamaica to appear at Sumfest Reggae Night, Friday, July 18 in Montego Bay. Sumfest features a stellar lineup, including veteran headliner John Holt of the Paragons, Anthony B, Richie Spice, Queen Ifrica, and Tarrus Riley.

Speaking of Europe, YardFlex reports that Sizzla went AWOL midway through a French tour, returning to Jamaica abruptly and without informing promoters. Sizzla may have canceled due to constraints from the Reggae Compassionate Act, adopted by some venues and governments to prevent reggae artists from performing anti-gay lyrics.

Veteran female DJ Sister Nancy appealed in a Jamaica Observerarticle for unity among reggae performers, especially the new female contingent that includes artists such as D’Angel, Queen Ifrica, Spice, Alaine, and Etana. “Don’t fight with each other, don’t play those games in the biz,” she remarked. Nancy scored a major hit in 1982 with the track “Bam Bam.”

Empress, Perfect, and Norrisman appear on French producer Sherkhan’s new acoustic one-drop Ol’Sitt’n riddim set. Beenie Man, Charlie Chaplin, and Cobra are featured on a new cut of the famous Pinchers riddim, Bandalero. Dancehall DJs will want to grab up Open Ear’s new Peppagrain riddim, which has new singles by Burro Banton, Sizzla, and Vybz Kartel.

What are the top 100 reggae songs of all time? Find out at DigitalDreamDoor. According to the site, the list is “based on initial and lasting popularity as well as influence and impact in reggae music.” The site also lists the most popular 200 reggae songs and most popular reggae cover songs.

Lee “Scratch” Perry fans have a chance to win a new deluxe edition of the Heartbeat Records compilation, Chicken Scratch. Sign up to win a CD at NiceUp.

BBC IXtra’s Dancehall Top Ten
1. Mavado “I’m On Da Rock” (Baby G)
2. Stephen & Damian Marley “The Mission” (Baby G)
3. Jimmy & Tarrus Riley “Pull Up Selector” (Taxi)
4. Richie Spice “Di Plane Land” (VP)
5. Erup “Click My Finger” (Truck Back)
6. Serani Ft Bugle “Doh” (Daseca)
7. Mavado “Don’t Worry” (Deseca)
8. Mykal Rose Ft Damian Marley “Shoot Out” (John John)
9. Morgan Heritage “Nothing Fi Smile Bout” (No Doubt)
10. Demarco “Duppy Know Who Fi Frighten” (Greensleeves)

Pictured: Sizzla. Photo By Martei Korley.

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