Black Dice is a band who loves their noise. The Brooklyn-based foursome rocks hard while experimenting with sound, and the result is a frantic palette of improvisation coupled with relentless beats. The bubbly checkerboard graphics swirling through the band’s “Tree Tops” video is proof these guys like their visuals chaotic as well.
Watch “Tree Tops” now, at XLR8R‘s Video Section.
It’s surprising that a project like this took so long, with a back catalog so stunningly diverse and danceable as indie rocker Jamie Stewart’s. Finally, friends like Kid 606 and Gold Chains have taken their turns beating and bleating Xiu Xiu’s angular atmospherics into occasionally dancefloor-worthy, but always intriguing, synth and drum machine workouts. Probably the most interesting of the remix bunch is Stewart’s own signal-jamming take on Joy Division’s “Ceremony,” the perfect track to lead us into the covers disc, which sees Her Space Holiday render the frightening “I Love the Valley, Oh!” into a loungey torch song. Killer.
Consider Ralph Lawson‘s latest project, Fabric 33, to be just another success on his ever-growing resume.
Ambitious from the start, he inaugurated the decks at the Leeds institution Back to Basics in 1991. He’s been the weekly resident since, and most are sure he’ll stay there until the end. Along with Carl Finlow, he founded 2020 Vision Recordings for the purpose of experimenting and releasing the work–which includes tracks from Josh Wink and Chez Damier, among others–coming out of their studio. Lawson also collaborated with downtempo imprint Fat City after becoming bored with the politics of dancing. Reinvigorated, he started the successful live electronic act 2020 Soundsystem.
This consistency and drive are what prompted Fabric to enlist him for its renowned mix series. His particular effort is a fair representation of a DJ with the skill of experience and the versatility to stay relevant. It features John Tejada, Joakim, The Emperor Machine, and more.
Fabric 33 is out April 24, 2007 on Fabric.
Cameron Octigan
Tracklisting
1. Vernon “Don’t Be Lonely (An2 Remix)”
2. 2020 Soundsystem “High (Llorca Remix)”
3. Julian Sanza “Polyfunny”
4. Dennis Ferrer “Transitions”
5. Badmouth “Anymore (Phonique Remix)”
6. Will Saul “Pause”
7. Marcelli Giordano “Shogun (Serge Santiago Remix)”
8. Drum Cult “Radio (2020 Soundsystem Remix)”
9. Marc Romboy “Jigsaw (John Tejada Remix)”
10. Nick Chacona “The Right Wing”
11. Art of Tones “Praise (Brett Johnson ft. DJ Heather)”
12. Joakim “Drum Trax (Beats)”
13. Greenskeepers “15 Minutes (The Rapture Remix Dub)”
14. Swag “Hot Gloves (Bakazou Mix)”
15. Justus Köhncke “Advance”
16. Random Factor “Digitize (Emperor Machine Remix)”
Lauded by both bloggers and U.K. glossies like Mojo, Sirs, from the Seattle-based quartet Welcome, deserves its accolades. Welcome’s music transports you to London’s UFO club circa 1967, when LSD was potent and minds were never more open. The disc’s 10 songs assimilate their psych-pop influences-The Creation, Syd’s Pink Floyd, and ’66-’68 Beatles-with aplomb. Scathing guitars, corrosive fuzz bass, swerving dynamics, and swoonsome boy/girl vocals coalesce into tracks at once ethereal and rambunctious, tuneful and oblique.
Sasu Ripatti’s latest recording as Vladislav Delay sounds not so much like a divergence from the recordings made under his Luomo alter-ego as a painstaking reconstruction of sounds (scrapes, squelches, drones, thuds) sheared and shaved from the Finnish producer’s metropolitan microhouse project-a new artifact sculpted from the same (ice) block, as it were. Yet “Stop Talking,” “I Saw a Polysexual,” and “He Lived Deeply” aren’t mere scraps or experiments in superfluity. Rather, Whistleblower is mesmerizing, evocative, and, curiously, unexpectedly beautiful.
No recording can truly capture Antibalas’ soul. One must see them in the flesh, and struggle to dance in an overcrowded room, to really grasp it. With Security, the NYC orchestra takes a sharp turn, one that it may offend some Afrobeat purists. Actually, they sometimes seem to be more bent on entertaining vacationers at the Abuja Hilton than inciting revolution. (Witness the kitschy organ melodies that smile too long on “Hilo” and “Age.”) However, Antibalas’ lost grit is otherwise compensated for by grooves that are steady and alive enough to last all night. It needs more woodblock, though.
Flush in the midst of celebrating its 30-year anniversary, the U.K.’s Greensleeves Records is on the move, with incredible reissues from their storied reggae vaults. Among the crop of vintage recordings seeing the light again are Wailing Souls’ Classic Cuts: 1978-1984 and Barrington Levy’s Englishman. These aren’t merely rehashed albums meant to cash in on a new generation of roots reggae fans. Rather, the discs offer rare, out-of-print, and never-before-heard mixes from pioneering artists during their most creative periods.
As its title implies, The Wailing Souls’ Classic Cuts features 12 late-’70s-to-mid-’80s maxi-12” tracks (vocal plus dub mix) including the dread “Kingdom Rise & Kingdom Fall,” “Jah Give Us Life,” and “War Deg Round A John Shop.” Previously, only lucky or wealthy vinyl hunters could cop these singles at collector fairs or on eBay. Musically, this is Wailing Souls at the pinnacle of their politically informed and conscious era, when they and other vocal harmony groups such as Black Uhuru, Mighty Diamonds, and the Itals were among Jamaica’s most popular acts.
As Harry Hawke’s excellent liner notes for the album reveal, Winston “Pipe” Matthews, Lloyd “Bread” McDonald, George “Buddy” Haye, and Rudolph “Garth” Dennis worked alongside studio bands The Roots Radics, the Sly & Robbie-led Revolutionaries, and also The High Times Band (featuring noted lead guitarist Earl “Chinna” Smith) on the album. Producers Junjo Lawes and the Hookim Brothers guided the sessions with help of engineers like Scientist, Barnabas, and Errol Thompson. Highlights of Classic Cuts include “War,” featuring an extended mix with MC Rankin Trevor, the full version of “Fire House Rock” (including the Scientist dub version), and a 12” version of the 1982 classic, “They Don’t Know Jah.”
Likewise, Greensleeves’ reissue of Barrington Levy’s 1979 album Englishman includes 10 original songs and four bonus mixes. Jamaican DJ Scorcher stretches out two of Levy’s originals, while the 12” mix of “Sister Carol” (riding the “Full Up/Pass the Kutchie” riddim) includes an echo-saturated dub version. Crucial!
The vintage sounds don’t stop with classic artists and labels. Modern imprints and producers are also looking back to look forward. For instance, check the recent 7” vinyl single from Brighton’s Richie Phoe on Brooklyn’s Redbud Records. The two-track effort is inspired by dub heavyweights such as the aforementioned Scientist and his mentor King Tubby, but adds 21st century studio techniques on the meaty “Heartical Behavior” and the sedate, swirling “Ital Food.” Killer release!
Other evidence of a revival mood can be heard on recent Jamaican riddim sets from Frenchie’s Maximum Sound label (remakes of Bob Marley’s “Zion Train,” Aswad’s “Dub Fire,” and “Warrior Charge”), on Reggae Fever’s re-lick of “His Imperial Majesty” by Rod Taylor, or on Footsteps Music’s Halfway Tree riddim, which copies Bunny Wailer’s “Ballroom Floor.”
These tracks comprise a mere fraction of Jamaican music instrumentals that are resuscitated every year; 2006 also saw Bobby Konders rewind Yabby You’s “Jah Love,” and Robert Livingston’s Big Yard label unearth the rocksteady classic “Solomon” for its Reggae Vibes riddim. With vintage and classically inspired reggae releases flowing forth like oil in Arabia, it’ll be a good while before the Jamaican revival tap is turned off.
Known primarily for his role as lead guitarist of indie rock behemoth Broken Social Scene, Andrew Whiteman’s first love is Apostle of Hustle. The group’s second album, National Anthem of Nowhere, favors fuzzy basslines and anthemic choruses. Opener “My Sword Hand’s Anger” is a subdued charmer with breathy vocals and understated guitars, while “Cheap Like Sebastian” and the title track channel the feel-good vibes of BSS. Even the Latin-tinged pop of their previous record is revisited on “ÁRafaga!” Though far from groundbreaking, National Anthem of Nowhere is a solid collection of indie-pop suites for the modern slacker.
This 1974 debut from psychedelic Brazilian funkateers Azymuth gets the remaster/ reissue treatment it deserves. Displaying their unique melding of electric jazz, funk, and the casual swing of Brazilian samba, Azimuth is a classic album and the perfect playground for the remix talent that contributes to the second disc. Peanut Butter Wolf lends a production hand to the breezy, organ-led jazz of “Morning,” while remix don Spiritual South deftly reworks “Wait for My Turn” from slo-mo funk into cut ‘n’ paste samba. The revitalization process continues throughout with new takes on old classics by Recloose, Marc Mac, and Yam Who?
Though Marijke Jorritsma and Greg Zifcak, collectively known as Eats Tapes, make music recognizable to the experimental music scene, the result of the San Francisco-based duo’s experiments is unique and incapable of being repeated. Utilizing anything from reprogrammed drum machines to a MIDI-controlled Nintendo, Eats Tapes has one goal: to make energetic techno that crosses boundaries while having fun. Think of it as a bad science experiment with great results.
Dos Mutantes, their new record out March 19 on Tigerbeat6, sees Jorritsma and Zifcak following their path of trajectory, which means fusing not only techno elements, but also psychedelic din and art-rock. One minute they’re shredding faces with 8-bit noise, and the next minute they’re pushing you into layers of molten lava feedback. And while Eats Tapes is a personal project between a couple that’s serious about having fun, everyone can use a little company. Nate Boyce (Matmos) joins them on “I’ve Become Cretin,” and the cover is a wrap-around six-panel digipak designed by Providence-based artist Mat Brinkman.
Tracklisting
1. No Part Name
2. NOS
3. Face Shredder
4. Lemon Drop
5. Band Practice
6. Full Blast
7. I’ve Become Cretin
8. Tenderizer
9. Hotel California
10. Wolf Blitzer
