Deerhunter Announces Tour Dates
Bradford Cox will take a break from his work with Atlas Sound to join his Deerhunter crew again for a set of tour dates, the bulk of which are supporting, uh, Nine Inch Nails. Past tours have included such antics as performing onstage smeared in fake blood and Cox donning a sundress, so expect nothing less than intensity and eccentricity at these shows.
Meanwhile, a yet-to-be titled follow-up to Cryptograms is slated for release later this year. The album is said to be in production right now.
Tour Dates
06/27 Calgary, AB: Sled Island Music Festival
07/31 Charleston, SC: The Map Room
08/01 Norfolk, VA: The Boot
08/05 Toronto, ON: Air Canada Centre
08/06 Buffalo, NY: Big Orbit’s Soundlab
08/07 Uncasville, CT: Mohegan Sun Arena
08/08 Worchester, MA: DCU Center
08/10 Pittsburg, PA: Garfield Artworks
08/11 Morgantown, WV: 123 Pleasant Street
08/12 Knoxville, TN: Knoxville Civic Coliseum
08/13 Atlanta, GA: Gwinnett Arena
09/02 Morrison, CO: Red Rock Pavillion
09/03 Salt Lake City, UT: E Center
09/05 Oakland, CA: Oracle Arena
09/06 Inglewood, CA: The Forum
Photo by Bryan Melz.
Redbud Releases Symeonn Remixes
Brooklyn-based conscious reggae artist Rob Symeonn’s distinctly pitched voice is both fragile and deliberate, which allows his clean-living roots and culture lyrics to sound inspirational rather than bossy. Songs like “King Tafari,” “Good Over Evil,” and “Empress,” on the 2006 album Chosen One (Redbud), showcased his range and consistency, as did this year’s uniquely cognizant “Pork Eater” on dubmaster Tiklah’s full length for Easy Star. These releases firmly established Symeonn as one of New York’s primary Rasta crooners.
While Chosen One’s original backing tracks were solid roots fare laid down by Jamaican musicians Val Douglas, Noel Alphonso, Bongo Herman, Dalton Browne, Jerry Johnson, and Barnibus, Symeonn’s voice seemed prime for remix treatment. Redbud Records fulfills those wishes with a new vinyl and digital EP, Rob Symeonn Remixes Volume 1, featuring versions by Biggabush, Zeb, Shanti Roots, and Amon
Glyn Biggabush, a.k.a. Lightning Head, presents a U.K.-style steppers mix that wouldn’t sound out of place in a Jah Shaka set. Brooklyn’s Zeb, a.k.a. The Spy from Cairo, is a renowned downtempo and global beats producer and musician. He brings his passionate mix to an additional steppers-style mix.
Representing Austria’s Vienna Scientist label, Shanti Roots throws down a throbbing, irresistible dub house rework, which balances organic and electronic elements to a “T”–watch out for Francois K dropping this at Deep Space. Finally, New Yorker Amon is an West African-trained drummer who’s also made the club rounds at Afrokinetic, Turntables on the Hudson, as well as shows with Rich Medina. His Latin-style mix ripples with New York street flavor.
One of the first essential releases for summer 2008, Rob Symeonn Remixes Volume 1 is available June 17.
Tracklisting
1. Chosen One – Zeb’s Steppers Mix
2. Chosen One – Biggabush’s DubSteppers Mix
3. Message In The Music – Shanti Roots DubHouse Edit
4. No More – Amon’s Afro-Latin Mix
5. Amon’s Try Love Instrumental
Of Montreal vs. MGMT “Amplive Remix”
Having remixed Radiohead’s In Rainbows and jumped through cease and desist hurdles to do so earlier this year, Oakland-based producer Amplive has made a name for himself turning rock numbers into bouncing hip-hop tunes. For his latest project, he looks to the indie-poppers in Of Montreal, pitting the group’s “Fabrege Falls for Suggie” against MGMT‘s “Future Reflections.” The result is some bizarre amalgamation of classic rock, hip-hop, and synth-pop that we’re feeling here at XLR8R.
Mixel Pixel Let’s Be Friends
With lines like, “You found me on a planet of 5 billion people/4,999,999 don’t matter?/Yeah, Oh baby, yeah” and “We’ve got nothing to lose/We’ve got nothing to prove/We might be dead before this song is through,” Mixel Pixel’s dork-pop goes Yeats. Rob Corradetti and Kaia Wong perform a stoned, Sofa King blues under the aid of lethargic digital beats and busker guitar melodies. It’s all very cute. Mopey, new-wave synth lines make “Last Song” a charmer and there’s a gnarly, Iron Maiden-esque guitar solo that pops up in “Cats.” Inside the CD sleeve there’s a drawing of E.T. telling Alf, “What up, Alf?” Adorable.
Grip Grand Brokelore
Just when lyrical MCing seemed a thing of the past, here comes Grip Grand with “Tricks for the kids/Punchlines and choruses.” Many underground hip-hop albums these days quickly turn into jaded complain-fests over unexciting tracks; Brokelore revives the era when rappers strove to perfect their craft and sound unique, except they’ve added mega-slappin’ new-school beats. “I’m from the West Coast but I ain’t a felon or thug,” the formerly unheralded Oakland rapper says on “Hip Hop Classic,” and he shows his dedication to the art of storytelling by going toe-to-toe with Percee P and A.G. on “Paper Cup” and “Poppin’ Pockets,” respectively. GG’s drawled cadence might remind some of a less-conceited Kanye, but his skills shine just as brightly as Mr. West’s Jesus piece.
FOOL “Drama (Rustie Remix)”
Minimal techno innovator Alex Smoke collaborates here with MC Non of Shadowhuntaz on a new project from Smoke’s Hum+Haw label. The duo uses the moniker FOOL to release politically charged tracks that combine Smoke’s damaged techno productions and Non’s head-nodding, dark lyrical flow. Glasgow’s Rustie, a young, burgeoning star in his own right, remixes the lead single, “Drama.”
We Are Scientists Brain Thrust Mastery
Following their Brit punk/pop-inspired, radio-friendly debut, this New York trio has stripped out their angular, punky guitars and spastically frenetic basslines that anchored Love and Squalor, and instead focus on attaining something akin to gravitas. This new direction emerged after the departure of drummer Michael Tapper in late 2007 (permanent replacement TBA), with the band dabbling in ’80s prog rock, some promising Interpol-inspired guitar epics, and effects-laden dance rock. Despite all this musical flailing, the band’s original sound manages to emerge for a couple tracks (especially on “Let’s See it”), but eventually, the boys will need to pick a sound and run with it. Let’s hope it happens sooner rather than later.
Buzzin’ Fly Turns Five, Releases Comp
With five solid years of releasing tunes under his belt, Ben Watt and his Buzzin’ Fly imprint are taking some time to acknowledge half a decade’s worth of musical accomplishments with Buzzin’ Fly – 5 Golden Years in the Wilderness.
The triple-disc release, out June 23, pulls together Buzzin’ Fly’s past and future with a boatload of tracks. Disc one features classic dancefloor numbers, including Watt’s “Lone Cat,” released only because it was leaked in 2003. Disc two showcases the heavier side of the label, with deeper, darker tracks from the likes of John Tejada, Automagic, and Jimpster, while the third disc features brand new material from up-and-coming producers.
Tracklisting
CD 1 – Up
1. Darkmountaingroup “Lose Control”
2. Ben Watt Feat Estelle “Pop A Cap In Yo’ Ass (Radio Edit)”
3. Rodamaal Feat Nicinha “Musica Feliz (Alex S Classic Club Mix)”
4. Justin Martin “The Sad Piano (Charles Webster Remix)”
5. Ben Watt “Lone Cat”
6. Justin Martin “Nightowl”
7. Rodamaal Feat Claudia Franco “Insomnia (Ame Remix)”
8. Manoo and Francois A “Traffic”
9. Mlle Caro and Franck Garcia “Dead Souls (Radio Slave Remix)”
10. Ben Watt Feat Sananda Maitreya “A Stronger Man”
CD 2 – Down
1. Kayot “One Week On Cuba”
2. Unity “I Love You”
3. Two Armadillos “Nostalgia”
4. Rocco “Thursday Night Friday Morning”
5. Lephtee “So Far Back (The Nova Dream Sequence Remix)”
6. Mlle Caro and Franck Garcia “Mon Ange”
7. Jimpster “Square Up (John Tejada Remix)”
8. Automagic “Do You Feel?”
9. Barbq “Barbi In Love”
10. Manoo and Francois A “A Day in December”
CD 3 – Forward
1. Stimming “Kleine Nachtmusik”
2. Barbq “Music From The Great Plains”
3. Rodamaal Feat Claudia Franco “Insomnia (Kemistry Remix)”
4. Spencer Parker “Chiho”
5. Gavin Herlihy “Give Me A Funf”
6. Lovebirds “The Beat Goes Boom”
7. Here Today “Good News”
Daedelus “Make It So (XXXChange Remix)”
Noisemaker Daedelus is back, this time with an arsenal of guest stars and a new, forthcoming album, Love To Make Music To. The release marks the Los Angeles-based producer’s first full collaboration with Ninja Tune, and, of course, a little remix treatment was necessary to rev fans up for the full album. Here, “Make It So,” which features Holopaw member Michael Johnson, gets warped, tweaked, and turned into a disco-flavored dance number complete with plenty of catchy hooks and vocal loops.
