Jesse Futerman @ The New Toronto, 3/06/12
I first met Jesse Futerman at a Red Bull Academy intimate and interactive event with Flying Lotus. I was alone and he sat beside me. We soon started talking and was amazed at this 17 or 18 year old kid who talked about jazz like a 40 year old man but with the rambunctiousness of well, a teenager. I turned out that he lived in Cedervale, the same hood that I grew up in, a five minute walk from where my parents still lived, on a street integral to my own childhood. I took a shine to the kid, regardless of the fact that he kept telling me that the BBC’s Gilles Peterson has been paying his songs since he was 15. I wasn’t sure if I believed him, but It didn’t matter, he’d won me over already.
It’s been an interesting friendship and I can say that after Sunday’s set at the New Toronto’s overstacked bill (BNJMN, Kevin McPhee, Sybian & Faun) he will soon be hitting his prime. Jazzy breaks are a hard sell for the night life scene these days, but by bringing soulful, shuffling, bass-heavy house to the mix, a tangible alchemy has been born. A year after his first taste of press thanks to Denise Benson’s nightlife section in The Grid, Toronto, and with the sensational “Fuse The Witches” EP release on Jus Like Music with a live stream on OkayPlayer.com just a few weeks ago, I think that Jesse is now ready for the world, and the world should be ready for him.
But getting back to the night, despite the presence of some huge names in todays bass-driven scene like BNJMN coming all the way from France via Mutek, and Kevin McPhee, one of the most undervalued Toronto dj/producers of the moment (Resident Advisor, Rinse.FM) only a handful of the crowd of 40 stuck around when Jesse was done. This night belonged to him. In the immortal words of Bob Ross from the Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job’ “I had a chance to listen to your album on the internet. Really good! Your going to do quite well!”
Gottwood’s Festival Guide – Top 8 Tips
Oh, those crazy Welshmen. I’ve been invited to cover, sadly I can’t make it out, but this is begging to be shared with the multi-verse.
FESTIVAL 2012
THU 21st – SUN 24th JUNE 2012
Gottwood’s how to thrive at a festival kit
“Survival is for Bear Grylls – you go to a festival to have a good time”
1. IF YOU LOSE ALL YOUR MATES
Don’t worry about it and especially don’t spend the next five hours looking for ’em, trying to get a signal on your phone and asking people “have you seen my mate Dave?”. Instead, go and do some stuff that you wouldn’t normally do with your mates – go and talk to interesting people with beards; get some fancy dress on and dance like a freak to a Chilean band around a campfire and drink Tequila’s; go to a plasticine workshop.
At the very least go and see some acts you have never heard of with some cool people you have never met. Get out of your comfort zone and find the flow and enjoy it – losing your mates can be a very liberating thing, but having said that, with Gottwood being so intimate you won’t lose them for too long! There are secret areas to be explored, can you discover them?
2. IF YOUR RIZLAS GET STUCK TOGETHER
‘Cos they got damp the night before, try breathing on them as you try and peel them apart, your moisture in you warm breath will reactivate the gum, a bit like steaming a stamp off a letter. Also if you are trying to roll one in a dark tent and can’t find which side the gum is on, hold the Rizla up and look down its length and all will become clear.
3. IF YOU NEED YOUR MUM
If you (or anyone you meet) are cold, tired, hungry, skint, sketched out, freaked out or just need someone to talk to, get up, have a cup of tea, and go sit by the lake, next to the fire or under a tree. You will without doubt find some like-minded and warm-hearted people who will sort you right out.
4. BE HERE NOW
Turn your phone off, forget about work, don’t argue with your girlfriend, don’t plan too much and don’t think too much. Just wander around in the moment – the sensory overload of festivals is particularly good at taking you there.
5. BE PART OF THE FAMILY
The best festivals are the ones where everyone is a part of the show, so get stuck in. Bring your trumpet (whether you can play it or not), bring your wig collection, your 1960’s throw back flares and just be the odd ball you always wanted to be while practising random acts of kindness. LET YOUR FREAK OUT AND BE THE PERSON YOU WANT TO BE and people will love you for it. We still don’t know who the mysterious campsite harmonica/beat boxer was last year, but he owned the place.
6. DONT GET INVOLVED IN FIRE BREATHING OR FERRET LEGGING UNLESS YOU ARE SOBER.
‘Nuff said here I think.
7. ARRIVE EARLY, STAY LATE
One of the most amazing things about festivals is how they change your life, how when you get to work the next week you suddenly realise that you have somehow still got a bit of the weekend’s beautiful reality bubble with you. The longer you stay, the deeper that feeling goes, so take Thursday to Monday off work and really get immersed, especially stay Sunday night, often it’s the best bit and this year it is going to be extra special with the brand new lake area being opened.
8. CHECK OUT THE SMALLER ACTS
We are unbelievably happy with the line-up we have produced this year. Heavyweights such as Tiger & Woods, Max Cooper, Dinky, Move D, Mosca, Huxley, Appleblim, The Correspondents, Disclosureetc. will undoubtedly be amazing, but be sure to check out those names further down the lineup. We have had over 1000 applications this year, and we genuinely listen to everything sent over. There is some unbelievable undiscovered talent on show and these guys really know their stuff. We also have some secret high profile artists playing who will not be revealed until they start their set.
Tom Carpenter, Gottwood Festival
gottwood.co.uk | twitter.com/gottwood | soundcloud.com/gottwood
LAL MEMBER SAYS NEW ALBUM WAS A ‘DISGUSTING CHALLENGE,’ WON’T DO IT AGAIN
Posted on May 18th 2012 4:45PM by Jesse Ship
Those bleak dystopian worlds we see in dark fictional films and television shows? Toronto electronic group Lal believe we’re living those days right now.
“A lot of the media and movies coming out these days are talking about this dismal apocalyptic future, but, I think we are already living in that space,” Lal singer Rosina Kazi tells Spinner.
The Toronto-born Bengali frontwoman for the politically charged act says the disenfranchised should consider it an opportunity, though.
“People are always being shat on and having tough times,” says Kazi. “But the point is not to look at it as something dismal, rather, to see the power in marginalized communities.”
Such were the guidelines for Lal’s upcoming self-titled album that drew inspiration from brutalities at Toronto’s G20 protests, Arab Spring uprisings, and a general global socio-political malaise. Kazi feels that the have-nots groups involved in all these events have a hidden strength not recognized by Western capitalists.
“I’m not talking about the poor who have no food, but looking at it through a different lens, like what do members bring to their communities, and how skills can be bartered,” she says. “I wanted to talk about the positive things we do as artists and communities.”
Kazi and her bandmate Murr, a former hip-hop producer, met back in the heyday of HMV’s superstore at 333 Yonge Street in Toronto. The duo were also inspired by a recent trip to India, where one of the highlights was DJing at an open-concept cafe where people could just come and plug in their iPods.
“Kids of all kinds and social levels showed up and danced,” says Kazi. “Some of them don’t even have shoes on. It was really cool to see how they reacted to our music. I want to see them in five or 10 years because they are still mimicking western b-boy moves. I want to see them evolve.”
Lal’s new self-titled album was not intended as a bleak exercise, but rather to celebrate life and to create something new in honor of the passing of Kazi’s mother earlier this year.
“It’s a tribute to my mom in the way that life is short, so you better have some fun and make things happen,” Kazi says. “She was a strong supporter of the arts, and she threw massive house parties for every Bengali artist that passed through Toronto.”
Murr’s part in the album’s creation came from a different kind of place. And he’s not so sure he ever intends to go back there.
He says he listened to a lot of Brian Eno‘s Music For Airports album and watching lot of horror films, influences that can be heard on the opening track “Red Rooms.”
“It was a very un-uniformed process,” he says. “I will never make an album this way again.”
This, despite the end result being a genuinely elegant and seductive album.
“There was no distinctive vision,” he says. “We were making it with the intention of creating an immersive sound — to create something encompassing was our only mandate. It was a disgusting challenge. Sometimes it’s important to have an idea of where you are going with an album so that you know how you are going to do it live. This was a good process to go through, but we’ll never do it again!”
Murr shouldn’t be so quick to say never, though. After all, there’s power in turmoil. He just needs to ask his singer.
Diplo – Express Yourself EP! – June 6
This is way to big to ignore. Hold onto your porkpie hats kiddies, Diplo’s about to drop a new …. baby? Rattlesnake? Tijuana brass band? NOPE. Just an EP, oh and a BOOK (128 Beats Per Minute: Diplo’s Visual Guide to Music, Culture, and Everything in Between – Rizzoli) . But that’s pretty impressive and tactical given summer bangers are ready to get crankin’. You’ve probably heard at least a couple of these in the past months but here’s the full track listing and some listening links for your audio pleasure.
“Set It Off” f. Lazerdisk Party Sex
http://pitchfork.com/news/46543-listen-diplo-set-it-off-ft-lazerdisk-party-sex/
EXPRESS YOURSELF TRACKLISTING:
1. Express Yourself feat. Nicky Da B
2 .Barely Standing feat. Datsik & Sabi
3. No Problem feat. Flinch & My Name Is Kay
4. Move Around feat. Elephant Man & GTA
5. Butters Theme feat. Billy The Gent & Long Jawns
6. Set It Off feat. Lazerdisk Party Sex
Purchase link:
http://www.bluecollardistro.com/maddecent/product_info.php?products_id=7196&cPath=320_335&store=1
http://www.bluecollardistro.com/maddecent/product_info.php?products_id=7197&cPath=320_335&store=
Everything’s Popping Up Ossington – 1090z Launch
Apparently the Toronto Star thinks I’m the face of the new Ossington Strip generation, as seen in this pic snapped by photo-journalist Nick Kozak at the 190z condo sales centre launch from a couple of weeks ago, featured on the front page of last Friday’s LIFE section.
The event was put on by KG&A, and featured apps from local restos and a performance by , Eight And A Half, the latest shoegazer/pretty boy indie rock band comprised of Justin Peroff (Broken Social Scene, defunct, RIP) and two members from The Stills (also defunct RIP). Stay tuned for more events at 1090z in their derelict upper warehouse space!
Palladium Slim Collection
I’d like to spread much love for Palladium Boots who have been persevering for decades in the shoe market. Their latest SLIM collection demonstrates low-profile interpretations of their already classic styles.
The collection features new designs but retains many signature Palladium design elements, such as the rubber outsole and toe cap, in slimmed down versions. The Slim Oxford, Slim Chukka and Slim Snaps all feature premium materials, like cotton/hemp blend textile and premium-grade leather replete with natural character. Others feature freewheelin’ espadrille-style jute foxing, adding to the summer feel, while the leather shoes feature a Repreve lining, a green fabric made of recycled yarn which wicks moisture away from the foot for sweat control.
Flim – Where Is My Mind
Release name : Where Is My Mind
Release date : June 29 2012
Label : Maetta
style : Techno
Catalog number: MAETTA001
Artwork : philomene251 – 2012 – All rights reserved
www.facebook.com/philomene251
I first met FLIM sometime in 2005 or 2006 when he was living in a converted industrial laundromat with the Toronto Freetekno collective, around Vaughn & St. Clair. It was an epic and surreal environment, where anything could happen, and there were so many tales to tell, but i will have to get to those another day. Flim’s made some great progress in the past few years and his tunes are regularly listed in The Hacker’s Top 10 picks on Beatport. I’m proud to have watched Flim’s progress over the years and gives me a weird glitchy feeling in my heart, aw.
Here are a couple of previews of tracks that will be available on BeatPort and other electronic music sites on June 29, 2012.
From the label: Maetta proudly presents their first official release: FLIM’s “Where isMy Mind: The Abstract Dissonance Sound of the Future”, including “One Night in Lyon”, a high energy crossover style techno EP with minimal and fast techno influences throughout.
Review – West-15 Diner – Archival
[Originally published in TaiwanNights.com, Circa 2007]
The West 15 Diner appeared magically into my life like some kind of sleep deprived hallucination. First, my friend points it out to me one day, and next thing I know, I’m invited for a birthday dinner there. I was told that it was quite the scene, consisting mostly of Westerner-loving Taiwanese kids, and sure enough, I was greeted with a loud hello from the first table on the outside porch. As you sit down, the waiter immediately arrives with various courses, each one as “exciting” to the Western palate as the last. From pork chop quesadilla to country fried chicken knuckles, this place runs the gamut of exciting and exotic American home cooking. The soup was the most inventive – watery tomato based veggie, featuring celery and black olives? Is this part of the Mexican theme? Equally watery were the beverages, and the floor across from our table due to the leaking drink machines! The chicken wings were probably done best; one can always count on Taiwan for decent bbq food. Coupled with an all you can eat feature, the restaurant comes with ‘western’ cowboy and cowgirl waiters, sporting plaid shirts and cowboy hats, delivering your food, course by course. Some of the courses were more Down South style (fried chicken and wings) others were more Italian American (Caesar salad, pizza, spinach pasta with cream sauce) but still the most bizarre part of the meal, that didn’t quite fit in anywhere was the desert, consisting of hot, fresh out of the oven, short bread cookies!? For 298 NT plus 10% service charge, I would say that one does get their money’s worth, so arrive on an empty stomach. The full meal consists of about 7 courses, with more always on hand if desired. The restaurant also offers lunch and a reduced ‘tea time’ menu, so as not to alienate any commonwealth expats who might have gotten lost stumbling out of Carnegies (just down the street) after their noontime time bevvy.
This place is hard to miss, just look for the Saloon/Verandah looking place with the equally surreal storybook house school across the street.
No.15, Lane 11, Leli rd.
[JS]
Review – V Café – Taipei – Archival
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TJFF 2012 Gala
