Weekly Chart: Copy

Portland-based Marius Libmun (a.k.a.Copy) is an electro gift from the future. Taking cues from italo-disco, melodic techno, vintage hardcore, and new wave, Libmun proves himself a production renaissance man on his latest album, Hair Guitar. We sat down with the bearded wonder to see what records have led him into this champion terrain.

Hair Guitar is out now, on Audio Dregs.

Soft Pink TruthDo You Party?Soundslike
This record whispered the secret into my ears, that dance music could be awesome, mind-bending, and rad. I honestly didn’t know before. This is the record that made me want to make dance music.

MurcofMartesLeaf
I still get chills listening to this. It’s maybe the most melancholy album ever–enveloping and achingly beautiful. I was pretty depressed when this album came out, and it felt like the perfect soundtrack to my life.

The FieldFrom Here We Go SublimeKompakt
This record just came out, but I’ve already listened to it more times than a ton of records that have been in my collection for years. It’s beautiful, melodic, and exhibits an envious amount of restraint and balance.

AirTalkie WalkieAstralwerks
I was never a huge Air fan before this came out, but all that changed after my first listen. This is close to the perfect pop album.

Herbie HancockSextantColumbia
Herbie Hancock is one of my all time favorite musicians, so picking one favorite album of his is hard. I love his later disco and electro-infused stuff, but this record of spaced-out fusion-funk is his deepest, most cohesive record.

Don CaballeroWhat Burns Never ReturnsTouch and Go
I stumbled across this album totally by accident. I picked it up because I liked the cover, and was instantly blown away. Ian Williams is probably my favorite guitar player, and Damon Che is one of the best non-jazz drummers ever.

FugaziEnd Hits Dischord
I fucking love Fugazi. They’re the only band I was into during junior high that I still listen to today. It’s sort of amazing how they continued to mature and evolve (and actually got better instead of worse). The production and songwriting hits all the right spots, and perfectly encapsulates what [the band was] about.

Metro AreaS/TEnviron
I can’t get enough italo-disco and early ’80s proto-electro, but listening to that stuff usually involves willfully overlooking some glaringly cheesy stuff. Metro Area extracts all the good ideas, mixing them with subtle, modern production techniques, to an awesome effect.

Tears for FearsThe HurtingPolygram
Oh man, this record rules. Ten years ago I would have never guessed that this would be one of my all time favorite albums, but things change. This album is way more experimental and deep than people realize, and I think most contemporary studio-pop bands are still playing catch-up [to the band] in a lot of ways.

Atom(TM) and Tea Time XXXRather Interesting
Uwe Schmidt is one of my all time favorite electronic producers, and this is probably my favorite album of his. It’s a fucked-up mix of pervy, glitched-out hip-hop and Latin music that’s crammed with enough innovative ideas and details to transcend its otherwise ironic concept.

XLR8R TV Episode 7: Beth Ditto and Yo Majesty

The Gossip’s Beth Ditto performs a daunting task for her first turn as an interviewer: getting to know the force of nature that is Tampa, Florida’s Yo Majesty. The female rap trio blew the roof off 2007’s South by Southwest festival with a brash performance that came with brazen rhymes about “krypotonite pussy” and some topless action.

This was Beth’s first time meeting Yo Maj, but after battling for mic time and bonding over “saggy titties and stretchmarks,” love was in the air. Beth was paparazzi’d the night after this interview, wearing a Yo Maj shirt and hanging out with Kate Moss. Yo Maj 4 life!

Watch This Episode

Visit the XLR8R TVforum to discuss the episode.

Previous Episodes
Episode 1: DAT Politics, Zion I
Episode 2: Carl Craig
Episode 3: SXSW Part One
Episode 4: SXSW Part Two
Episode 5: Busdriver
Episode 6: Psychedelic Videos

Out Now: XLR8R Issue 107

XLR8R‘s May issue (#107) features Ghostly flagship artist and minimal techno master Matthew Dear as he gets up-close and personal about his ascent to indie fame. We also catch up with the four-woman rock powerhouse Electrelane, get the lowdown on the beef between dancehall gangstas Mavado and Aidonia, quiz Of Montreal‘s Kevin Barnes on his electronic music heroes, and chat with Lifesavas about their new album. Not to mention, Khan, a peek inside the studio of Cinematic Orchestra, an on-the-road diary from Clipd Beaks, and the latest Vis-Ed, featuring San Francisco surrealist Mars-1.

Download Issue 107 to your desktop, subscribe to the XLR8R Digital Magazine Podcast, or if you prefer the old-fashioned method, give us a shout to find out where to buy the print version of the magazine.

Hands Up For Detroit

XLR8R gets up-close and personal with techno cover boy Matthew Dear. We also check in with Brighton rock powerhouse Electrelane, get the lowdown on the beef between dancehall gangstas Mavado and Aidonia, and quiz Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes. Other features include Khan, Lifesavas, a cast of remix specialists (K-Salaam, D-I-R-T-Y Edits, A Touch of Class, DJ Day) Cadence Weapon, Clipd Beaks, and more.

Copy Hair Guitar

The lightweight follow-up to Mobius Beard-from Portland’s 8-bit laptop synth-pop wizard Marius Libman-doesn’t stink of carbon, but it’s every bit as endearingly dorky and energetic as its predecessor, filled with binary handclaps, bubble-gum synths, and boss-level theatrics. The album-opening “Fist” is next-generation Capcom genius, while “Zipper Problems” suggests the pop-hop influence Libman so readily divulges to the press (Dre? really?). Of course, Copy’s no Timbaland, but here Libman sure knows when to go for the cheat codes, and when to press reset. Hair Guitar is a brisk 10 tracks, over before it begins, and all the better for its respect for our Wii-addled attention spans.

Phat Kat “Cold Steel feat. Elzhi”

Detroit is one amazing city when it comes to hip-hop and Phat Kat is proof. This Motor City veteran hit the scene early, collaborating with the late J Dilla on the First Down project–and has since blown up the hip-hop underground collaborating with Black Milk and Elzhi. “Cold Steel” is more gritty street music that’s got the D and everyone else psyched.

Phat Kat – Cold Steel feat. Elzhi

CocoRosie Arrested

The hows and whys of the situation have yet to be released, but it appears official–MySpace bulletins are about as official as it gets these days–that Paris-based sister duo CocoRosie has been arrested and forced to cancel the remaining dates of its North American tour. Said bulletin was pretty straight to the point:

“dear loves
we are so sorry to announce that we cannot play the rest of the us tour dates
the band got arrested, thats all i can say
we love you all
we are playing a free show in New York on may 19th
please come if you can
we are crying
say a prayer for our band
love
Sierra and Bianca
later…”

If it were any other band besides CocoRosie, we’d wonder why they chose to relay this vague information as a free verse poem. You can bet the reason for their arrest is equally bizarre.

Besides the aforementioned New York show, the band is still scheduled to play its European leg of the tour later this month.

Daweh Congo: Congo Man Comeback

Roots singer Daweh Congo has an excellent new download-only single available, titled “Joy Brings Pain”. This earthy reggae song features Congo’s wailing-style voice, a unique timbre (which sounds a bit like early Burning Spear) that has set him apart from the crowded Rasta vocal market. “Joy…” also features an electric slide guitar by Swedish blues musician Tender G, and fans can access a free dub version of the track on Congo’s website.

Far from a newcomer, Congo has been plying the music trade for the past decade, with five albums under his belt. His motto of “give me human rights and justice, I am a rebel in the street fighting for it” has resonated with listeners in Europe and America.

iReggae.com features a nice audio interview where the singer explains his philosophy, militancy, and devotion to his Rasta beliefs.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Congo’s father, Leo Graham, was the lead vocalist with the Bleechers and recorded songs for producers Joe Gibbs and Lee “Scratch” Perry. Apart from music and Jamaica, Daweh Congo’s main inspiration comes from his reading the book Marcus Garvey’s Children. The teachings of Marcus Garvey are heavily featured on his Barry O’Hare-produced debut album Militancy (Runn Records, Holland).

The conscious roots sound of his second recording, Human Rights & Justice (Roots and Culture Records), brought more acclaim to the singer and a number one listing on iReggae’s top ten reggae albums in May 2000. He went on to release Jah Children in 2004, on Super Vibez, and Health & Strength for Jet Star in ‘05. Congo has toured with Twinkle Brothers, Jah Mali, and others.

Spacing Out with Mars-1

Mario Martinez has been blowing minds as Mars-1 for a long time, from creating painting deep, spacey landscapes to envisioning otherworldly characters that he turns into toys with the help of his friends at STRANGEco.

With the money he saved from a paper route as a pre-teen, Martinez bought an airbrush gun and began developing his skills as a graffiti artist in Fresno, CA. “What I think is funny, and probably more common these days,” he says, “is that I learned how to render with a spray can before I learned how to paint with a brush.”

After honing his skills in that arena, Mars-1 attended the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, where he learned to combine his earlier street techniques with controlled, classical training. He has since developed a style that addresses the dichotomy between science and self-expression; avoiding the pitfalls of contemporary trends, he opts to channel a higher level of consciousness, one strengthened by his intense imagination and attention to detail.

Amidst mad preparation for his first solo show in New York, Aerodynamics for Psychonauts (which ran March 31–April 28, 2007 at the Jonathan Levine Gallery), Martinez explained his creative process from conception to completion.

XLR8R: How did you benefit from art school?

Mario Martinez: My art is in an unreal or surreal style. The San Francisco Academy of Art trained us in a classical style, which gave my “made up” imagery deeper dimensions and an understanding of what something may look like in an unerthly environment,as viewed through human eyes.

Your work is constantly compared to science fiction.? Is that accurate?

I do have interest in science fiction, but my interests lie heavily in “UFOlogy,” theoretical physics, meditation, and the abstract nature of reality. Since a lot of these subjects inspire a lot of sci-fi, I believe it’s fair to compare my work to the sci-fi realm of the spectrum.

How much planning do you do before you start a piece?

I mostly just flip through my sketch book for elements to fire up some?inspiration, or maybe start with splashing some paint down to see what ideas it may stir up. I try to keep the process free and open to allow for chance changes and?happy accidents, and to let some of the subconscious mind surface.? After this point,? things tend to slow down, with more tedious rendering taking place.

How do you know when it’s done?

I feel it’s important to evolve and to keep a flow of new ideas streaming in, being careful not to rely on past ideas.? All the while, you need to keep improving in order to adapt to future situations. ?Hopefully, this will keep your work moving in a forward direction.? Working in this way makes it easy to know when the piece is done–it simply tells me when it is complete.? After projecting so much energy into the piece, ?it’s as if it says, “Enough already. I am finished, dude!”?
?
What is your goal when you are starting a piece?

I consider all my work to be connected in some way.? I would have to say I try to bring my “thought-forms” into our collective reality, and to contribute something positive back, no matter how small it may be.? In this way, I show gratitude for all the amazing inspirations others have shared?with us on multiple levels–some of them subtle, almost invisible, yet they affect us every day.?It’s sometimes easy to forget how others before us changed our reality and how, after we are all long gone, we may affect the realities of others after us. I hope that was not too much of a stretch.

What do you do when you feel uninspired?

I take it as a sign it’s probably a good time to get out of the studio,? go outside, read a book, go for a walk with the dogs, or sit in a cafe drawing in my sketch book.? Or maybe it’s time to go visit a friend or a fellow artist’s workspace. Maybe it’s time to discover new music I have never heard before; something with a lot of atmosphere helps.? Every time I watch the film Holy Mountain by Alejandro Jodorowsky, it leaves me in a very creative mood.?? Mostly, I? just try to change?my surroundings. Too much stress can really lock up your creativity.

How did you first get into toys?

Well, the problem started as a child with pretty typical toys, like Star Wars, Transformers, Tron,?and GI Joe. I think for a lot of?kids at a young age, these toys really capture the imagination.? For a lot of creative people, toys like this tend to affect them in a deeper, heavier way.? Some things never change–the toys stay the same, we just get bigger.? So, it’s no surprise that now I am very fortunate to be able to create toys of my own.?

What do you listen to while you work?

AFX, Bola, Caravan, Clear Light, Country Joe & The Fish, Egg, The End, Growing Concern, High Tide, The Misunderstood, The Nice, Ratatat, Soft Machine, The Stooges, Syd Barrett, Television, Thomas Fehlmann, Vanilla Fudge, Tomorrow, Murcof, and on until the break of dawn…

What’s your favorite work of art?

If I have to go with just one, it would be “Temptation of St. Anthony” by Salvador Dali.

What bums you out?

People who see themselves as victims in every situation, instead of just fucking doing something about it to make it better.? They would rather just put invisible roadblocks or obstacles in their way.? There are people out there with real problems who have very positive attitudes and don’t see themselves as victims. Then you’ve got your negative, jealous bastards (always nice to throw a few of them in). On that note, I can’t remember where I heard this one, but I will never forget it: “Don’t go away mad, just go away.” [Mötley Crüe, perhaps? – Ed.]

The XLR8R Office Top Ten Album Picks, May 7

Von Spar S/TTomlab
Kraut-rock is by nature weird as all hell. But when a band like Von Spar enters your eardrums, things go from weird to primitively shocking. The band’s heavy, repetitive tribal drumming, demonic howling, and melodic noise-collisions will make you remember why those little brats in Lord of the Flies went apeshit. This is the best release from Tomlab yet.

Amiina Kurr Ever/!K7
It’s no surprise that this quasi-string quartet aided fellow Icelandic tear-jerkers Sigur Rós on its past two albums. These four young ladies employ everything from wine glasses and saws to glockenspiels and harpsichords to make cinematic, sublime lullabies that rival even the most masterful of their Scandinavian friends’ compositions. Church is in session.

Various5 Years Get PhysicalGet Physical
A quick listen to Get Physical’s five-year anniversary rarities and remixes compilation exhibits how much of a dance powerhouse this Berlin-based label has become. Although the remix disc brings in some big names (Herbert, Hot Chip, Moby) and bizarre reworks (a string version of Booka Shade’s “Nightfalls”), it is the second disc of new, exclusive material that demonstrates the label’s prowess–straight dancefloor heat.

Tied + Tickled TrioAelita Morr Music
Aelita is no usual Morr suspect. Although these five musicians summon the melancholic, IDM moments the label is known for, Tied + Tickled Trio makes mallet-heavy instrumentation that could easily score a really, really scary indie-horror flick. Filled to the brim with xylophone leads, strings, and glitchy effects, Aelita may have listeners a little spooked (and by a little, we mean a lot).

Matthew Dear Asa Breed Ghostly
Matthew Dear is unstoppable. As if dominating the minimal scene under his Audion moniker weren’t enough, he has also produced an exceedingly refreshing take on the intersection of pop electronica and techno. Asa Breed retains the usual flavor of jackin’ pogo beats and monotone, guttural vocals, while also adding a bit of the unusual (acoustic guitars, poppy melodies).

Au Revoir SimoneThe Bird of MusicOur Secret Record Company
Pastoral pop has a new face–Au Revoir Simone. These three Brooklyn ladies create backwoods synth pop that could melt even the hardest metalhead’s heart. This trio’s blend of “triple keyboard action” and vocal harmonies has got us in full on “let’s go camping and listen to this record on repeat mode.

Robin Guthrie & Harold BuddBefore the Day BreaksDarla
These two Eno and Cocteau Twins collaborators have broken ambient conventions yet again with a dual-album escapade. Featuring Guthrie’s patent chorus-effected guitar sounds and Budd’s minimalist piano scores, Before the Day Breaks is an emotional journey beyond any recent achievement. Think romance, hate, and mourning all rolled into one disc of audio.

Robin Guthrie & Harold BuddAfter the Night FallsDarla
Typically, a two-disc release serves as one entry in our beloved top ten, but After the Night Falls is so beautiful and lush, we had to give the second disc a separate entry. Featuring windy sound effects, lightly treated textures, and subtle percussion, the second part of this massive achievement will make any child of the ’80s grab a Cocteau twins record and give it a really big embrace.

Thomas FehlmannHonig PumpeKompakt
Thomas Fehlmann is an emo badass (he’s so emo, he’s already released an EP entitled The Emo EP). All Semantics aside, Honig Pumpe is more of the mellow, ambient techno that’s got this office feeling like it’s 5 a.m. all day. Plus homeboy’s now a member of The Orb! Yes!

History InvadesIn Vision Vanish InvisiblePish Posh of North America/Lujo
Though this young band has some of the longest song titles ever, they’ve mastered an awesome amalgamation of dancey punk, bass-heavy glitch, and noise-house. While a ton of bands have explored math-rock, electro, punk crossover terrain in their own way, History Invades does it right. Expect rad things from these guys.

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