Disco punk has come a long way since acts from the DFA camp and !!! affiliates set the pace for a blossoming scene of energetic bands and bedroom engineers. Foreign Islands is proof. Since the band’s (quite recent) inception, they’ve already signed to rising label Deaf Dumb + Blind Recordings (Fujiya and Miyagi), and taken over the New York City circuit playing with acts from Lady Sovereign to The Detachment Kit. “We Know You Know It” is an exclusive track from the limited edition 7″ of the same name. Yes.
Bjorn Torske Preps Album
When asked by Fact magazine whom he would sign if “money grew on trees,” Norse-disco master Prins Thomas answered, “Bjorn Torske” (if he could pull him out of his cave).
Despite his popularity (with Prins Thomas and others), the highly sought-after Norseman has not released an album since 2001’s Trobbel (Telle). Now, after six years, Torske is stepping out of his proverbial cave with Feli Knapp, set for release on Smalltown Supersound. Part Castlevania soundtrack, part future-dub-disco voyage, Torske’s new long-player is a step away from the melodic cosmic disco we’ve come to expect from Norway’s stomping ground (which includes Prins Thomas, Lindstrøm, Todd Terje, etc.
Taking influences from long-running multimedia collective The Residents and Rasta mystic Count Ossie, Torske fuses chirpy synth leads and manic live drumming for a spacey sound he’s patented as his own brand of dance music. The magic man is also hard at work with remixes for fellow disco purveyor Lindstrøm and experimentalists Sunburned Hand of the Man. Also check his series of singles on the acclaimed house label SVEK, plus tour dates, and remixes of many of the aforementioned acts.
Feil Knapp is out in July on Smalltown Supersound.
Tracklisting
1. Hemmelig Orkester
2. hatten Passer
3. Spelunker
4. Tur I maskinparken
5. Lo Bar
6. Kapteinens Skjegg
7. Moljekalas
8. God Kveld
9. Orkenrotta
10. Fembussen Hjem
A3C Festival Hits Atlanta
Click through any online guide to Atlanta and it’s immediately clear The Loft is considered one of the city’s prime venues for hearing music, so the space makes an apt host for this year’s A3C Festival, the Southeast’s largest independent hip-hop conference.
For 2007, the dirty South’s population will gather for a three-night free-for-all that includes artist performances, a panel on women in hip-hop called Back to Basics: Past, Present, Future, a b-boy/b-girl jam, and possibly a few bbqs in between (it is the South, after all).
The musical lineup thus far includes Black Milk, Edan, Souls of Mischief, Giant Panda, Strange Fruit Project, Hangar 18, Insight, and many more. Tickets are on sale, and will run festival-goers a mere 15 bones for a nightly pass and $32 for the entire weekend.
Get dirty, Thursday, April 12 – Saturday, April 14, at The Loft.
Yppah You are Beautiful at All Times
Filled with dense but nevertheless airy jams that recall Jaga Jazzist as much as Caribou and Amon Tobin, You Are Beautiful At All Times, from Joe Corrales’ alter ego Yppah, keeps it busy but interesting. His ambition is a bit large on some tunes, including the stumbling “The Subtleties That Count.” But the poignant pull of “Good Like That” and the crackling funk of “In My Drink” and more make the trip through this Texan’s turntablism worth it. Just make sure to turn up the bass; the treble is as heavy as a Dallas carnivore.
Various Artists Dave Clarke Presents Remixes & Rarities: 1992-2005
After a nearly peerless 18-year career as a DJ and producer, it’s clear that UK techno wünderkind Dave Clarke remains firmly and lovingly chained to his decks. His newest remix collection injects sweeping techno force into pop ditties from Zombie Nation to Moby, clearly aimed at the sweaty middle of writhing dancefloor masses. Clarke’s remix of The Chemical Brothers’ “Chemical Beats” delightfully roughens the original track’s slick dubby grooves; his New Order remix of “Everything’s Gone Green” delivers Clarke’s macho signature 4/4 beats, pummeling listeners into an upbeat techno frenzy.
Various Artists Cabinet Classics & Unreleased
Richie Hawtin’s appreciation for the hardened techno output of Berlin’s Cabinet label runs so deep that he decided to showcase the highlights on his own Plus 8 imprint. Whether it’s the early rarities of Compass and Cab Drivers, or the unreleased hammerings of DJ Trike, Todd Bodine, and Daniel P, what you get with this comp is a payload of balls-to-the-wall techno that extends a firm middle-digit to anything even remotely resembling a DSP plug-in. This is techno done the hardware way-909 to the bone, with an analog soul that transcends time.
Milenasong Seven Sisters
Folksinger Sabrina Milena, a post-art school wanderer, at least knows she wants to make music. And hers-debuting on Berlin’s label-home for experimental music made by women-is very unusual. Mixed with Tarwater’s Bernd Jestram and mystical folkie-turned-busker Jeff Tarlton, Milena spins enchanted yarns from Norwegian folklore and her own experiences. Many songs reverberate with an Animal Collective consciousness. From the opener (like Cat Power evolving into Siouxsie Sioux) to “Casey on Fire” (mournful gothic vocals over motorik rhythms), Milena puts her eccentricities front-and-center. Not sticking to one groove is her strength, making Seven Sisters a challenging, gratifying journey.
Flyentology
The XLR8R Office Top Ten Album Picks, April 9
Earthless Rhythms From A Cosmic SkyTee Pee
The title says it all. This shit is cosmic; it’s actually intergalactic meditation–heavy, heavy intergalactic meditation. Featuring members from Hot Snakes and Clikatat Ikatowi, this trio is the best thing to happen to psych since Roky Erickson.
Datarock Datarock Datarock Nettwerk Music Group
The future of indie-dance has arrived. Its name is Datarock. Like Bloc Party trying to create Devo songs for the Boogie Nights Soundtrack, these Norsemen handle business. Minimal guitar progressions, simple drumbeats, and poppy, no-wave vocals are the recipe for Datarock’s disaster.
The AlchemistRapper’s Best FriendAlc
The Alchemist is one of the raddest producers in hip-hop. Rappers Best Friend is a handful of unreleased instrumentals made for the likes of Mobb Deep, Jadakiss, and Tony Yayo. After hearing this dude’s work with D12 on Eminem’s Re-Up mixtape, Timbaland better look out.
Ulrich SchnaussGoodbye Domino
The words psychedelic, shoegaze, and ambient are misapplied to bands and producers all the time, but Ulrich Schnauss is the epitome of the aforementioned terms. Goodbye is easily this German mastermind’s most lush, guitar-heavy work. Domino, you are killer for putting this out.
Child Abuse S/T Lovepump United
We can’t speak for the rest of San Francisco (or the world for that matter), but we’re a little sick of the Casio-spazz-core stuff that’s been bloating basements and small venues everywhere since the mid-’90s. Child Abuse is the exception. Somewhere between Mike Patton and Napalm Death, this experimental-trio is the spazz scene’s strongest link in the chain.
Throbbing GristlePart TwoMute
How long has this record been in the making? We recall sweating Leslie at Mute for days, trying to get a glimpse of this gem. More straightforward than TG’s past catalog, Part Two is more creepy-ass experimental (but dancey at times) heat. Times are good.
EfdeminS/T Dial
Phillip Sollmann’s debut under the Efdemin moniker is a huge ball of repetition–in an awesome way. This German likes his techno minimal and his house deep. And we like him. This is stellar, trance-inducing dance music.
Motor UnhumanMute
Rarely do two albums from the same label make the top ten, but Mute is wrecking shop this week. Motor’s Unhuman sounds like Nitzer Ebb kicking Laibach’s ass at the sweatiest techno party ever. Plus they have a song called “Drug Punk.”
Miracle Fortress Five RosesSecret City
Montreal’s Graham Van Pelt knows the pop craft. Fusing together the feedback dissonance of My Bloody Valentine and the lo-fi vintage melodies of The Beach Boys, MF will satiate the hunger of any Arcade Fire aficionado.
KK NullFertileTouch
It seems as though Japan’s noise-monger KK Null puts out a new record every other week. Over the past few months, we’ve seen collaborations with Daniel Menche, Z’ev, and Keiji Haino–but none have been more realized than Fertile. The Zeni Geva founder has reached new electronic heights with his melding of soft field recordings and harsh fuzz. It’s arty, annoying, and above all, noisy!
Recent Office Top Ten Album Picks
April 2
March 26
March 19
March 12
Balkan Beat Box Preps New Record
International dance music has seen a resurgence since Jewish singjay Matisyahu stormed MTV2 and radio stations across the map. Following in his steps is Balkan Beat Box, a Brooklyn/Tel Aviv-based trio that crafts funky, gypsy dancehall like no other (does anybody else craft funky, gypsy dancehall?).
On its latest release, Nu Med (JDub), BBB steps away from mere head-nodding dance music laced with obscure cultural instrumentation, and hones its bass-heavy breakbeats and chiming gypsy percussion towards tearing down cultural and political constraints that separate nations and their respective musical traditions.
BBB saxophonist and co-founder Ori Kaplan explains that, “because Jews and Gypsies lived in the same countries through the years, Jewish and Gypsy music are cousins. We play each other’s songs. We have been through the same persecution and pain.”
The trio assembled quite a following after touring with Matisyahu last march, destroying the sold-out Central Park Summerstage with a 40-piece samba troupe (complete with stagedives), as well as engrossed a legion of gypsy-punk fanatics. BBB accomplishes this without relying on flags, borders, or nationalities. Instead, the boys fuse hip-hop, funk, dancehall, gypsy guitars, and traditional Mediteranian sounds to place their cultural heritage back on the musical radar.
Nu Med is out May 15, 2007 on JDub.
Tracklisting
1. Keep Em Straight
2. Hermetico
3. Habibi Min Zaman
4. BBBeat
5. Digital Monkey
6. Balcasio
7. Pachima
8. Quand-Est-Ce Qu’On Arrive
9. Mexico City
10. Delancey
11. Joro Boro
12. Gypsy Queens
13. 20 For Boban
14. Baharim (Outro)
