Videogames: Virtual Music Notes

Since Neanderthal man realized that the beat of his club against the skull of his enemies and potential mates not only sounded dope but also got him laid (note: This may still work today but we don’t advise it. Jail sucks.), humans have constantly been on the lookout for new ways to move asses.

Mammoth-bone cudgels have since given way to expensive programs like ProTools and Logic, changing the face of music production and making the act of creating an entire hit record on a laptop commonplace. But up-and-coming musicians who can’t afford pricey software or a home-studio setup have, in recent years, been able to find inspiration from an unsuspecting source: videogames.

Prominent artists from grime and dancehall such as Lady Sovereign, South Rakkas Crew, Skepta, and Plastician perfected their chops on affordable software like Fruity Loops for the PC and Music 2000 (a.k.a. Music Generator in the US), which became available during the tail end of the original PlayStation’s lifecycle in 1999. Giving anyone with an average PC setup or PlayStation (of which there were over a hundred million of us) the opportunity to create and record beats without fancy equipment, this software offered guys like Dizzee Rascal (who recorded his first single “I Luv U” at home in under 30 minutes and went on to win the UK’s coveted Mercury Prize in 2003) to hone their craft. Even now, many producers and MCs still swear by these programs as invaluable tools for laying down ideas despite updated programs for newer systems and portable versions that later became available.

Portability, and the idea of being able to carry around a virtual musical notepad, seems to be what many are looking towards, if new titles for Sony’s PSP, Nintendo’s DS, and even T-Mobile’s SideKick are any indication.

Traxxpad (Eidos), developed for the PlayStation Portable with the help of hyphy production icon Traxxamillion, is already earning support from MCs like Lyrics Born as a virtual pocket studio featuring a full range of over 1000 sounds that can be sequenced, along with a drum machine and keyboard emulators to create patterns and samples in real time.

Similarly, New York-based Larva Labs offers several T-Mobile SideKick applications for producers on the go, including MIDI synths, a full array of drum-kit sounds, and even virtual turntables allowing you to cut and mix MP3s from your phone, which can then be recorded and sent to your whole crew.

Even traditional analog-guitar sounds are seeing love in the form of Jam Sessions (Ubisoft) for the super-popular Nintendo DS. The title not only offers what equates to free guitar lessons but also gives would-be troubadours the chance to create, record, and play back chord-perfect hits while hitting the road.

With even more music-creation titles on the way, like Rockstar’s upcoming Beaterator (being co-produced with Timbaland–but what isn’t?) and the continued success of rhythm-based games like Guitar Hero, could a hit record that began as a Red Bull-and-Doritos-fueled Halo marathon be far behind?

Dan Deacon’s Ultimate Reality Tour

What is the definition of the Ultimate Reality? Well, according to Wham City’s Dan Deacon, it may have something to do with a serious audio/visual experience. For Deacon’s forthcoming Ultimate Reality DVD (to be released this winter), the analog art-rocker teamed up with visual artist Joe Roche and two drummers (from the bands Ponytail and Video Hippos, respectively), for a 40-minute live freak-out. In honor of the DVD’s release, both Deacon and Roche are hitting the road, with a series of film screenings to be followed by live Deacon-only performances. If you want to see a sweaty guy going nuts with a bunch of effect pedals, this is the tour of your dreams.

Tour Dates
01/06 Chapel Hill, NC: Local 506
01/07 Atlanta, GA: Eyedrum
01/09 New Orleans, LA: One Eyed Jack’s
01/12 Denton, TX: Hailey’s
01/15 Los Angeles, CA: El Rey Theatre
01/17 San Francisco, CA: Great American Music Hall
01/18 Portland, OR: Backspace
01/19 Portland, OR: Holocene
01/20 Seattle, WA: Neumo’s
01/21 Vancouver, BC: Richards On Richards
01/25 Chicago, IL: Lakeshore Theater
01/26 Chicago, IL: Metro
01/27 Detroit, MI: Scrummage University
01/28 Cleveland, OH: Grog Shop
01/30 Montreal, QC: La Sala Rossa
01/21 Boston, MA: Pozen Center
02/08 New York, NY: Whitney Museum

Top 10: Glass Candy, Rings, Xiu Xiu

Hey Willpower
P.D.A.
Tomlab

Funky electro-pop with vocals that are parallel to vintage Justin Timberlake might sound questionable, but Imperial Teen’s Will Schwartz and Tussle’s Tomo Yasuda pull this combination off as Hey Willpower. P.D.A. is one of the few records that would make Lindsay Lohan’s DJ sets tolerable. For real.

Pig & Dan
Imagine
Cocoon

Sven Väth’s Cocoon imprint has done it again, with this gloom-tech masterpiece from Spain’s Pig & Dan. Grumbling bass, spooky vocal whispers, and soaring trance synths are the key to a moving full-length, and these two producers own it from start to finish.

Glass Candy
B/E/AT/B/O/X
Italians Do It Better

Glass Candy (pictured above) has become one of the most inspiring post-disco groups to emerge over the course of the past few years. B/E/AT/B/O/X is undeniable proof. Producer Johnny Jewel and vocalist Ida No keep it simple, with pulsating, analog synths, vintage drum programming, and sex-driven vocals. If you haven’t jumped onboard, do so now.

House & ParishOne, One-Thousand
Arrco

This ex-Texas is the Reason spin-off is far from another group of old emo dudes revisiting the past or haphazardly trying to upgrade to corny adult-folk. One, One-Thousand is poppy indie-rock, free from sentimental lyrics and MTV-friendly melodies. This impressive band is a reminder that a stripped-down quartet with an underground past can continue to churn out sonic bliss, regardless of how times change.

Rings
Black Habit
Paw Tracks

Rings, the band formerly known as First Nation, may have just composed one of our favorite Paw Tracks releases to date. This trio composes experimental indie-rock in the vain of many of the great FatCat bands (Múm, Mice Parade). Pretty female vocals and infectious female vocals have never sounded so exciting.

Céu
Remixed EP
Six Degrees

Brazilian baile funkstress Céu’s self-titled debut, released earlier this year, was a delightfully unpredictable selection of tracks that added jazz and Afrobeat flavors to her homeland’s classic samba sound. It follows then, that the remix album–which includes standout tracks “Roda” and “Rainha”–would be equally varied, with reinterpretation styles ranging from dubby to sultry to funky and everything in between.

The Battle of Land and Sea
S/T
Notenuf

This Los Angeles-based duo makes the kind of melancholy soundscapes that might, in less capable hands, turn into an emo sob fest, but on the self-titled debut from Sara O’Shura and Joshua Canny, the melodies stay original, the lyrics thought-provoking, and subtle electronic touches give each track a delightfully ethereal finish.

Guilty Simpson
Stray Bullets Mixed by DJ Rhettmatic
Stones Throw

Guilty Simpson’s first internationally distributed mixtape began as a 15-minute mix for Stones Throw’s 25th podcast, but fans of both artist and label will enjoy the extended CD version of the mix, available from Fat Beats and featuring stellar production from the usual suspects–Madlib, the late J Dilla, Jake One, Eric Lau, and more.

Biosphere
Insomnia
Beatservice

Geir Jenssen’s 1997 ambient epic, Insomnia, may not have caused a stir upon its release, but 10 years hence, its impact is felt, especially with this reissue on Beatservice. Even in the pop realm, Jenssen’s fellow Norwegians like Röyksopp happily fly the Biosphere flag, incorporating his time-stretched fizzles and crunchy sonic morsels into the backdrop of their own radio-friendly compositions. Check “Chamber” and the maddening “2nd Field” for some of Northern Europe’s darkest sounds yet.

Xiu Xiu
Women As Lovers
Kill Rock Stars

There’s a lighter vibe cutting through the typical darkness on Xiu Xiu’s latest album, but that doesn’t mean the Oakland band has softened even slightly. Themes may be a tad easier on the psyche, but the angst, the disruptive percussion, and the scream-o vocal tension still factors in heavily here. The centerpiece of it all: A collaborative cover of “Under Pressure,” with Swans’ Michael Gira, that’s a visceral shot in the gut. Amazing.

Ladytron Signs to Nettwerk, Preps New Album with Vicarious Bliss

For nearly ten years, Liverpool’s Ladytron has made electro-pop with a dark twist, but it does come as a surprise that the quartet with a penchant for the gothier side of things now calls Nettwerk (the same label group responsible for Datarock and Felix da Housecat releases) its new home.

For its yet-to-be-titled forthcoming album (set for release in May 2008), the band has eschewed working with mega-producers like Jim Abbiss (DJ Shadow, Kasabian), and will instead collaborate with with Ed Banger’s in-house production phenomenon Vicarious Bliss. Ed Banger gets witchy? Yes.

In addition to joining the French electro-empire, Ladytron is also plotting an extensive US tour in support of what may be the band’s most anticipated release yet. While the four-piece has already hit the road with the likes of Nine Inch Nails and The Chemical Brothers, it looks like they may be exploring new live terrain this time around. Ladytron with Uffie? Who knows? Stay tuned for details.

Photo of Ladytron by Derrick Santini.

Swell Session Swell Communications

Since his EP A Swell Session dropped back in 2000, Andreas Saag has turned heads with his uncanny blend of funk, soul, and jazz mixed together into sugary delights. All the sweeter then that the long-awaited Swell Session album is all about top collaborations with music’s finest. From U.K. broken-beat pioneer Domu on a more soulful bent (“A Heart to Cover For,” featuring Elsa Helberg’s amazing vocals) to “Masa’s Theme,” featuring Masa from Japanese jazz collective Sleepwalker, the timeless elegance of the work is a testament to Saag’s wide-ranging versatility, and how others’ musical influences have cast spells on him. It’s good, it’s funky, and it sure is swell.

The Battle of Land and Sea “The Beautiful Ones”

“The Beautiful Ones,” from L.A.-based duo The Battle of Land and Sea, is the kind of mournful, acoustic lullaby that hip emo kids enjoy crying over. The layered vocal harmonies and subtle stringed instruments add a sinister, at at times religious feel to the composition, which comes from the band’s self-titled debut.

The Battle of Land and Sea – The Beautiful Ones

Para One Epiphanie

With French filter-house just past its tipping point, it seems appropriate to release producer Para One’s 2006 album Epiphanie Stateside. But the Gallic beat-maker, known for making hip-hop tracks for TTC and his synth-driven monster single “Dudun-Dun,” sadly doesn’t live up to the hype on this disc. The intensity of many tracks–twitchy electro-funk or sliced-up synth bangers pulsating in numerous neon hues–is indisputable. But the execution and soul are missing. And songs like “F.U.D.G.E.”–which just make me crave “D.A.N.C.E.”–mar the whole album. The vocal samples are cut up in an atrocious manner, like someone who can’t get enough of the vocal setting on an old Casio. Forget Para–it’s more like parity this time out.

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