Digital video art and electronic music both move as fast as the engineers programming those new technologies, so it’s no surprise that techno culture has long been a testing ground for the latest developments in motion pictures. The Optronica Festival–held March 14-18 at the National Film Institute in London’s Southbank area–cements the connections between these two cultures, moving DV art out of the ghetto of rave VJing and DVD extras, and onto the BFI Imax, the largest movie screen in Europe.

The four-day event will feature world premieres of shows from Lemon Jelly’s Fred Deakin, Semiconductor, Peter Greenaway, and graphic designer/musician Trevor Jackson, along with discussions and exhibitions featuring Japan’s Ryoichi Kurokawa and Spain’s Retractable. There’s plenty to enjoy here for non-pixel pushers, including exclusive collaborations from Christian Fennesz and Charles Atlas, and Speedy J and Scott Pagano.

VariousXiu Xiu: Remixed and Covered5RC
Regardless of your stance on Xiu Xiu, this two-disc collection of remixes and covers slays. The covers disc finds an arsenal of artists–from Larsen, to Oxbow, to Kid 606–hammering out their own renditions of Xiu Xiu hits, while the remix disc features eclectic cuts from Gold Chains to To Live and Shave in LA to Grouper. There is a god.

PoleSteingartenScape
Stefan Betke (a.k.a. Pole) produces the kind of minimalist dub-electro that makes the kids drool. Having produced and remixed acts like T. Raumschmiere and John Tejada, Pole breaks new ground on Steingarten with a hefty dose of glitchy hip-hop and atmospherics.

The Fucking ChampsVIDrag City
San Francisco’s very own Champs are back with their uber-tech guitar madness. It’s been four years since their heralded V, and they still possess their patented blend of adventure-rock magic. Between heavy fuzz and epic acoustic anthems, VI is far from disappointing.

Yndi HaldaEternal Bliss Big Scary Monsters
It’s not easy to musically concretize the state of eternal bliss, but Yndi Halda gets the job done. These four tracks (all around 20 minutes a pop) traverse through minimal guitar melodies and layers upon layers of battering drums and symphonic synths. Heaven may have met its match.

LichensOmnsKranky
Rob Lowe (not him) is on fire. A follow-up to his first solo record, The Psychic Nature of Being, Omns is filled with the same effects-laden vocals, psych-guitar squeals and a lot of space. Lovers of ’60s experimental rock and drone take note: Lichens is awe-inspiring.

EvidenceThe Weatherman LPABB
Dilated Peoples’ Evidence has gone solo on us and we couldn’t be more happy. Between his intense improvements in production and pissed-off lyrics, he takes the game by storm.

Lo-Fi-FnkBoylifeMoshi Moshi
If Daft Punk and Roxy Music were “with child,” they might have named it Lo-Fi-Fnk. This Swedish duo molds infectious house beats and party synths into a club-friendly full-length filled to the brim with hot tracks. This will be an office staple for days.

PelicanCity of EchoesHydra Head
Chicago’s instrumental icons are back with a post-rock vengeance. With less emphasis on brutality than on their prior efforts, they bring forth City of Echoes, a driving, downtuned dissent into progressive metal.

VariousSecret Love 3Sonar Kollektiv
For the third edition of the Secret Love compilation series, Sonar Kollektiv has found the best of the best in rising folktronica and indie rock acts. Featuring mellow hits from Jose Gonzalez, Clara Hill, and Fujiya & Miyagi, Secret Love is a standout collection for those looking to have some seriously sensitive moments.

Fred Anderson & Hamid DrakeFrom the River to the OceanThrill Jockey
There’s jazz, and then there’s Fred Anderson & Hamid Drake’s jazz. From the River to the Ocean is filled with tight, improvised madness and plenty of sax squiggles, sporadic vocals, and the kind of percussion that makes the head spin. This record is for those looking to challenge their ears and minds.

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Hamilton, Ontario residents Jeremy Greenspan and Johnny Dark (a.k.a. Junior Boys) started out as little more than label-rejected knob tweakers confined to their bedrooms. That was 2001, but things are different six years later. Greenspan’s and Dark’s distinct and smooth melding of ’80s pop, champagne soul, and white-boy funk has become an instantly recognizable sound. They’ve released two full-lengths, several remixes (including one of Billie Holiday), and artists as disparate as Fennesz and Morgan Geist take on their tracks for remix duties. As well, Domino will soon release an EP on which Hot Chip, Ten Snake (one half of Arp Aubert), Carl Craig, Kode 9, and Marsen Jules rework tracks from last year’s acclaimed So This is Goodbye.

Late spring will find the boys on tour throughout the States, and in select venues in Mexico and Canada. Greenspan and Dark understand much of their audience may hesitate to see a laptop show, thus, they make a concerted effort to present something more than Junior Boys Karaoke starring Junior Boys. Still, after all of those guitars at this year’s SXSW, you just may need a little sampling in your life. 

The Dead Horse EP is out April 10, 2007 on Domino.

Tracklisting
1. “In the Morning (Hot Chip Remix)”
2. “FM (Ten Snake Remix)”
3. “Like a Child (Carl Craig Remix)”
4. “Double Shadow (Kode 9 Remix)”
5. “FM (Marsen Jules Remix)”

Tour Dates
03/22 Tallahassee, FL: Club Downunder
03/23 Orlando, FL: The Social
03/24 Miami, FL: WMC
03/25 Tampa, FL: Crowbar
03/27 Monterey, MX: McMullen’s
03/28 Napoles, MX: Polyforum Siqueiros
04/06 Toronto, ON: The Mod Club
04/07 Montreal, QC: La Sala Rossa
04/08 Burlington, VT: Higher Ground
04/10 Cambridge, MA: Middle East Underground
04/11 New York, NY: Bowery Ballroom
04/12 Philadelphia, PA: Firs Unitarian Church
04/13 Washington, DC: Black Cat
04/14 Carrboro, NC: Cat’s Cradle
04/15 Atlanta, GA: The Earl
04/16 Nashville, TN: Exit/In
04/17 Kansas City, MO: Record Bar
04/19 Park City, UT: TBA
04/21 Seattle, WA: Chop Suey
04/24 Portland, OR: Doug Fur
04/25 San Francisco, CA: Mezzanine
04/29 Indio, CA: Coachella
05/01 Denver, CO: TBA
05/02 Omaha, NE: The Waiting Room
05/03 Chicago, IL: Empty Bottle

Leftfield Japanese group OOIOO arrives Stateside early this spring. Headed by Yoshimi P-We (Boredoms), the group successfully integrates the often frightening eclecticism of Japanese underground music with a punk aesthetic, and a focus on American art rock.

Their past dozen or so releases find the band moving away from its earlier, noisier sound towards more tribal and loop based material. Yoshimi seems adept at producing pieces that could could easily be read as either political or mystical. OOIOO’s last record, Taiga, means “big river” in Japanese and “forest” in Russian. And while it’s not necessarily political to release a record focused on nature and tribalism, the current climate definitely ties the two subjects together. At the same time, the group’s continued focus on mood over movement, with psychedelic, hymnal instrumentation and chanting, might be nothing less than a mystical commune with nature. 

Come worship with OOIOO when they hit the shore on March 20, 2007.

Tour Dates
03/20 New York, NY: Knitting Factory
03/21 Chicago, IL: Empty Bottle
03/23 Seattle, WA: Chop Suey
03/24 Portland, OR: Doug Fir Lounge
03/26 San Francisco, CA: The Independent
03/27 Los Angeles, CA: Echo