Page 2934 – XLR8R

Nickodemus, Diesler Remix Mexican Electronic Group

Although its electronic music scene has been bubbling under for years with Nortec Collective, Murcof, Static Discos, and others, anyone who has been to Mexico lately knows that the nation stands alongside any other when it comes to dope producers. Now, Spanish label Love Monk has upped the ante with its new remix EP from Instituto Mexicano Del Sonido (a.k.a. Mexican Institute Of Sound, for you pinche gringos!).

Instituto is the work of Mexico City’s Camilo Lara, whose new album, Piñata, showcases his excellent global beat blends and incorporates his country’s banda, mariachi, and norteño music with funk, hip-hop, and electronica. For the new EP, El Micrófono/Para No Vivir Desesperado, Love Monk recruited superb remixers, including N.Y.’s Nickodemus, the U.K.’s Diesler, and Mexico’s NSM/PSM, all of whom offer hip-hop to uptempo mixes, throwing in Afrobeat percussion, fractured glitch elements, and sick beats along the way.

The EP’s five tracks are like a party in a box, ranging from NSM/PSM’s rebel hip-hop beats through Nickodemus’s surefire Afro-influenced mid-tempo beats and Diesler’s thrilling uptempo/broken vibes. Throw this single on and no one will be even thinking about taking a siesta.

Tracklisting
A1. El Micrófono (Nickodemus Remix)
A2. Para No Vivir Desesperados (NSMPSM Remix)
A3. El Micrófono
AA1. Para No Vivir Desesperado
AA2. Para No Vivir Desesperado (Diesler remix)

Allá Es Tiempo

The three musicians behind Allá may be based in Chicago, but the most distinct geographical influence on their debut album comes from afar: Brazil. Though brothers Jorge and Angel Ledezma and Lupe Martinez are of Mexican heritage, and sing in Spanish rather than Portuguese, their lush, tropical pop, with its gorgeous strings and warm vocals, owes much to the influential (if short-lived) tropicalia movement. races of dub, downtempo, and even psychedelia emerge throughout, and the album sounds summery and light (there’s little bass to anchor the 12 tracks here). Es Tiempo might sound a little too similar to its worldly origins, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless.

Antonelli Soulkiller

Stefan Schwander (a.k.a. Antonelli) clearly gets the point of minimalist art–whether it’s music or visuals or macaroni necklaces, he makes the most emotional impact with the slightest disturbance. On Soulkiller, his sixth album, Schwander layers analog drum machines, synthesizers, and sequences for tracks that get across his sense of whimsy and fun with cheerful beats and buoyancy. House and techno mix with funk on dancefloor-friendly tracks that ebb and flow endlessly. Schwander recorded these tracks live to tape, which adds to the apparent simplicity. Unfortunately, the emotional range here is narrow; from track to track, there are few peaks or valleys. “Minimal” shouldn’t also have to mean “limited.”

A History of Grand Theft Auto

The game was originally called Race-N-Chase. Sounds innocuous enough, no? Yet it would eventually become Grand Theft Auto, the infamous driving game whose over-the-top violence and sardonic wit would make it one of the most loved (and reviled) videogame series of all time. Having celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, the franchise has just released its biggest GTA yet, Grand Theft Auto IV. XLR8R takes a look at the long, bullet-riddled ride the series took to get here.

Grand Theft Auto (1997; PC, PlayStation)
Devised by DMA Designs, the same guys that created cutesy hits like Lemmings and Uniracers, the first Grand Theft Auto was a 2D, bird’s-eye-view title that, aesthetics aside, set the template for every game in the series after it. As a low-level thug, you claw your way to the top of a criminal empire in a non-linear, open-city environment that allows for all manner of mayhem, most notably the ability to take control of almost every vehicle in the game at will. The radio-station element that would become a popular staple of the series was present here but on a much smaller scale. There were no “known” artists, and on the PlayStation version you only got one station per car. Despite middling reviews and the industry’s obsession with 3D games at the time, GTA’s freedom and mature themes made it a hit, setting the stage for things to come.

Music Notes: Music producer Craig Conner recorded the main theme, “Gangster Friday,” under the moniker Slumpussy.

Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 (1999; PC, PlayStation)
An expansion to the original, and the first GTA offering from the newly formed Rockstar Games, 1969 took players back to London (the only real-world setting in the series) in the swingin’ ’60s, with lots of Cockney talk and period vehicles. An expansion to the expansion, London 1961, was released as a free PC-only download a few months later.

Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999; PC, PlayStation)
Similar to the first game in almost every way, with a few notable changes: a different time of day, gang affiliations, and most importantly, some semblance of a story.

Grand Theft Auto III (2001; PlayStation 2)
Grand Theft Auto III took the series into a full-fledged 3D world, giving players carte blanche to do almost anything. It’s widely credited not only with launching an entire genre of mature, sandbox-style games but also propelling sales of the PlayStation 2, with Sony signing a two-year exclusivity deal with Rockstar. Everything from weather effects to celebrities were added to lend even more gravitas to the gameplay and narrative. With the exception of perhaps Super Mario 64, no game since has had such an impact on the entire industry in terms of design, production values, or controversy–due to the virtual bloodshed and implied sex. While the violence of the 2D GTA games had been addressed previously, the much more realistic tone of GTA3 sent the morally upright into a downright tizzy, ensuring it would sell millions for years to come.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002; PlayStation 2)
Modeled after Scarface and Miami Vice, Vice City took players to a highly stylized, Miami-esque world set in the coke-crazy ’80s, with even more celebrity voice talent and vehicles to jack. Though the radio-station feature was heavily expanded in III, Vice City was the first to really push the music angle further, with major ’80s artists such as Blondie, Kate Bush, Judas Priest, and Michael Jackson contributing to the soundtrack.

Music Notes: As a nod to Miami Vice, Jan Hammer’s “Crockett’s Theme” appears on the Emotion 98.3 radio station.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004; PlayStation 2)
Grander in scale than III and Vice City, San Andreas follows the 1994 adventures of gangsta Carl Johnson as he traverses three cities resembling San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. While structured similarly to previous titles, San Andreas improved on its predecessors in every single way, and has become the most successful videogame ever. It also has the dubious distinction of being recalled for a sex scene (from the mini-game Hot Coffee, where CJ bangs his multiple girlfriends) that was never meant to be seen but was discovered by hackers.
Music Notes: Driving through the Hollywood Hills at dusk as Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus” kicked in gave us a particularly tingly boner.

Grand Theft Auto IV (2008; Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
This month’s GTAIV represents the true follow-up to GTAIII as well as the first game in the series to hit the Xbox 360 and PS3. It follows the adventures of an Eastern European thug who comes to America in an attempt to make good but who falls into the Liberty City (read: NYC) underworld. Naturally. GTAIV takes full advantage of the new consoles’ power, filling every virtual square inch of space with stunning visuals and lifelike characters. After years of fans begging for its, online multiplayer finally finds its way to a GTA game, here with 15 different modes. The Xbox 360 version will even see exclusive downloadable content available before year’s end.Does this portend a GTA MMO in the future? While the logistics of regulating a bunch of yahoos running around shooting each other online is mind-boggling, Rockstar President Sam Houser called the proposition “very compelling.”

Music Notes: In addition to Iggy Pop and Green Lantern appearing as DJs, NYC house legend François K. gets his very own station.

Various Muting the Noise

Innervisions’ inaugural CD release is probably not what you’d expect if you’ve already been seduced by previous 12-inches from the likes of Atjazz, Chateau Flight, and Stefan Goldman, or imprint boss Dixon’s awesome contribution to Get Physical’s Body Language series. Apparently inspired by Brian Eno’s similarly disposed recordings (and by a visit to Japan), Muting the Noise is an attempt to renew the credence of “ambient” music via contributions from the likes of Henrik Schwarz and Tokyo Black Star. Most successful–that is, most lovely–are tracks from Karma and Âme, that recall no one so much as early-’90s atmosphericists Insides. Exquisite.

Jay Haze “Lost In Deep Space”

How hard is it to keep up with Jay Haze? Well, if he’s not releasing minimal bangers as Fuckpony for BPitch Control and Get Physical, then he’s working on some sick dubstep with Michael Ho and Paul St. Hilaire as Sub Version. Then again, he might be calling the shots as label boss of TuningSpork or fighting the “guerrilla war against mediocrity” that was recently declared on MySpace. And if he’s not busy with any of the above, Mr. Haze just might be making music under his own name–like the hypnotic Love & Beyond album that he just released. Can’t keep up? Just check out the track. Wyatt Williams

Jay Haze – Lost In Deep Space

Adventure “Battle Cat”

Sega Genesis and 8-bit sounds inform the work of 24-year old Benny Boeldt, a recent transplant to Baltimore who records as Adventure and just signed to Carpark Records to release his self-titled debut album. A dancefloor homage to the early days videogaming, the tracks on Adventure really do call to mind pixelated figures running around imaginary worlds invented long before the birth of CGI, with some synth melodies and disco flavors added for an extra layer of fun.

Adventure – Battle Cat

Diplo, 9th Wonder on Verve Remixed 4

For the past few years, Verve Records has been mining its enviable vaults to give contemporary artists a chance to rework some some classic tracks. It just so happens that those vaults contain some of the best jazz and blues vocal records of the ’50s and ’60s, including Nina Simone, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday, among others.

The resulting Verve // Remixed compilation series has put some of the label’s most iconic work into the hands of contemporary artists–from Thievery Corporation and the Postal Service to Dan the Automator, Carl Craig, and Danger Mouse–who have given the classic tracks their own remix interpretations.

A few years since the last volume, Verve // Remixed 4 will hit the streets next week, on May 27, and feature a bevy of sweet pairings, like The Cinematic Orchestra with the legendary Ella Fitzgerald, Antibalas with Afrobeat ensemble Patato & Totico, Kenny Dope with with the Godfather himself, James Brown, and Diplo with the Blue Note diva Marlena Shaw.

Tracklisting
1. Dinah Washington “Cry Me A River (Truth & Soul Remix)”
2. Nina Simone “Gimme Some (Mike Mangini Remix)”
3. James Brown “There Was A Time (Kenny Dope Remix)”
4. Marlena Shaw “California Soul (Diplo/Mad Decent Remix)”
5. Nina Simone “Take Care Of Business (Pilooski Remix)”
6. Astrud Gilberto “Bim Bom (Psapp Remix)”
7. Anita O’ Day “Tenderly (Mocky Remix)”
8. Sarah Vaughan “Tea For Two (Chris Shaw Remix)”
9. Patato & Totico “Dilo Como Yo (Antibalas Remix)”
10. Willie Bobo “Evil Ways (Karriem Riggins Remix)”
11. Roy Ayers “Everybody Loves The Sunshine (9th Wonder Remix)”
12. Ella Fitzgerald “I Get A Kick Out Of You (Cinematic Orchestra Remix)”

Die-hard fans can check this 55 second movie put together by the artists that created the album cover:

california_soul_diplo_remix

Opio Announces Sophomore Solo Album

Erstwhile Souls of Mischief member Opio has leaked some details about his sophomore solo album, the follow-up to 2005’s Triangulation Station.

Vulture’s Wisdom, Volume 1, slated for an August release on Hiero Imperium, finds the MC working closely alongside Oakland, CA-based producer The Architect and blazing through 14 tracks of golden-era hip-hop informed music. “We embody the energy that people are trying so desperately to recapture or reconnect with,” Opio explained in a recent press release. The veteran artist–who has been recording for over 15 years, went on to say, “our music has stayed true to the art form and this album is a tribute to that.”

Vulture’s Wisdom will come packaged with a bonus DVD that includes music videos and some animated short films by Southern California pop artist David Flores. The album is said to be the first in a forthcoming trilogy.

Catch Opio on the road with the rest of the Hiero Imperium crew starting in June, for the Freshly Dipped Tour that starts with the Paid Dues Hip-Hop festival and continues throughout most of the summer.

Podcast 38: Ghostly Swim Michna Megamix

Ann Arbor’s Ghostly International imprint and cult TV network Adult Swim recently teamed up to release Ghostly Swim, a free, digital compilation showcasing the label’s musically diverse catalog. As an added treat to XLR8R readers, they laced us with this mix from New York-based DJ and producer Adrian “Egg Foo Young” Michna, who gathered a select number of tracks from the compilation for his Ghostly Swim Michna Megamix.

Michna’s multi-genre influences are well-documented, and his abilities as a DJ shine on this mix, where he lays avant pop next to ambient compositions, transitions from 4/4 numbers into abstract hip-hop, and proves, in just over 30 minutes, that there’s more than one way to fill a dancefloor. This mix is available exclusively through XLR8R.com for one week only, so get downloading and throw this on at your next house party.

Tracklisting
1) Deastro “Light Powered”
2 School of Seven Bells “Chain”
3) Milosh “Then It Happened”
4) Osborne “Wait A Minute”
5) JDSY “All Shapes”
6) Dark Party “Active”
7) Aeroc “Idiom”
8) Dabrye “Temper”
9) Mux Mool “Night Court”
10) FLYamSAM “The Offbeat”
11) 10:32 “Blue Little”
12) Tycho “Cascade (Live Version)”

Support Independent Media