Modeselektor feat. Thom Yorke – Shipwreck
Again, my heart and mind are blown away by the sincerity of these two artists. And to think they named this gem after little old me. Geez guys, I’m getting all teary here. You sure know how to make a guy feel special ;)
Adam & The Amethysts – Dreaming
The PR likes to say this video is a little NSFW. I guess if a little risqué but it’s good to go if your office doesn’t mind average looking people in love skinny dipping up at the cottage, artfully shot in black and white by director Yuula Benivolski. A good old fashioned piece of Canadiana right here, that is.
Free MP3 download of this song: bit.ly/dreamingmp3
iTunes:
itunes.apple.com/ca/preorder/flickering-flashlight/id469090493
LP/CD order:
bit.ly/amethysts
|
Plaid Predict the Future of Electronic Music
Warp Records
Posted on Sep 30th 2011 5:00PM by Jesse Ship
Warp Records’ Plaid — comprised of Ed Handley and Andy Turner — are back with the album ‘Scintilli’ (meaning “I am many sparks” in Latin). The disc features signature spiraling beats and chimes from Bjork‘s former bandmates as well as computer-produced vocals that sound eerily human.
Reproducing human voices opens up debate over the validity of the musical experience and, of course, leads to the possibility of sci-fi scenarios where artificial intelligence assume human roles (it’s already started with Japan’s ‘real-life’ virtual pop star Hatsune Miku).
“I think it scares a lot of people,” Turner tells Spinner. “Because any kind of intelligence than what we can’t classify as natural is going to be alien, disturbing and threatening. But we should obviously make computers our friends, it would be silly not to.
“[For our work], we use software incorporating phonemes [ie: phonetic bits of words] while paying attention to things that happen in our own mouths and throat. There’s a lot going on with the pitch and the breath. It’s an interesting process to examine, it’s actually incredibly complex.”
In fact, aside from a guitar, very few instruments were used on the album at all, as the British duo opted to recreate a warm, almost acoustic, sound using synthesizers. “As you get more evolved in writing music, the concept of instruments becomes unimportant and you get more concerned with the sound. The goal was to create something that you couldn’t quite tell [how it was made], and had a spooky quality.”
The Warp Records sound — once tagged as IDM (Intelligence Dance Music, a name Turner finds hypocritical as he says the purpose of dancing is to escape the intellect) or electronica in the ’90s — was spearheaded by other groundbreaking acts like Aphex Twin and Squarepusher. The style has evolved since then while ‘Scintilli’ is a return to that golden age.
“For the interest of music, we think electronics were finished in the ’50s at an academic level,” says Turner. “But it took decades of tinkering for it to filter through and become accepted by most people’s ears. We’re just finding new ways of performing and interacting with machines. That’s where the future is — but it won’t be perceived as ‘electronic music,’ it will just be seen as music.”
Not only are Plaid making human voices and instruments irrelevant, but the futurists have also taken aim at the CD. They’re still offering their album via CD but they’ve included a Japanese hanging paper ornament called a muda no mono (“useless object”) puzzle, calling the package a “mausoleum,” as if to mock the format, but still reward, surprise and delight their fans.
“It could be a mobile or a desk display,” says Turner. “It doesn’t have that much of a function but it’s certainly more interesting than a digi-pack, of which we have hundreds sitting around the house and studio. Lots of bands, like Parliament, for example, used to do cool things with vinyl gatefolds and album cut-outs so we wanted to do the same.”
“Data storage methods will quickly overtake CD,” he adds. “The end will probably come when we get to the point where people have hard drives in their cars — vehicles are really the last strongholds of the format.”
Oh, How The Mighty Have Fallen…
Hey Mighty Wallet, I like your style, but after a year of use, you’re looking a little rough around the edges and weak in the bones. What gives?
What was once surprise and delight has spiralled into shock and embarassment. Not quite the claim of “even after years of wear, it will still offer surprise and solicit intrigue.” as you wrote on your website.
Montreal Music Fests – Antenna Fall 2011
Epic Meal Time – Antenna Fall 2011
Naked & Famous Denim – Antenna Fall 2011
Max Payne 3 Trailer
Rockstar Games gets wise and take a bite off of VH1’s ‘Pop Up Video!’ for the Max Payne 3 trailer.
Guerilla Raw Denim
Guerrilla Raw Denim looks like they’re directly targeting the hip hop scene with their gangster looking, Balaclava toting logos and models with names like Sniper and Gunner. There isn’t a lot in the way of images yet but here are some teaser shots from their Tumblr account.
Be sure to keep watch for upcoming developments!
More raw denim pix after the jump.
Shunda K Takes Her ‘Most Wanted’ Rap Sermon ‘From the Church to the Club’
Courtesy of Fanatic Records
Posted on Sep 20th 2011 2:30PM by Jesse Ship
Shunda K is one half of the electro-hip-hop group Yo! Majesty. When she’s not offering her services with her mobile production studio in ‘Itty Bitty’ Plant City, Florida, or performing with Yo! Majesty (the duo are touring North America right now), the outspoken lesbian is focused on her solo act where she plays a larger-than-life role model spreading a powerful message for truth-seekers everywhere — particularly wise women.
“Yo! Majesty is just me and my partner Shon B, and it’s more like f—-that-s— and I’m-gonna-say-what-I-wanna-say, let-my-hair-down-and-party music,” she tells Spinner. “We spit the truth, but Shunda K is more soulful. My ‘The Most Wanted’ [solo] album is about taking Shunda K from the church to the club. Let me spit some truth to the soul that’s looking to be set free.”
A deep love for Christian spirituality may be a touch controversial for a party rapper who’s had works produced by the likes of Basement Jaxx, but Shunda K holds her ground.
“Everything we’ve been taught is a lie,” she proclaims. “That’s why Shunda K is here to shed light on the truth. The Bible isn’t the original word of God, it’s a translation, as well. I got tired of listening to the pastor and went though original scrolls, the original s—!”
As if to prove her point, a fan at a show in Berlin recently asked the question, “How do I talk about God in a party atmosphere?” Her answer?
“You just got to do it! So what if you’re at a club? People might clench up, but they do because it’s the truth! They run away because they’re feeling that. Some people that come to my show feel like they have no chance of God loving them. They keep hearing, ‘If you’re gay, you’re an abomination, you don’t have a chance.’ But I beg to differ, I take it wherever I go.”
‘The Most Wanted’ features a crop of fresh up-and-coming producers who she met while touring over the years with experimental breakbeat artists like Chrissy Murderbot, the duo Deekline and Pure SX as well as Raspberry Cocaine. While the second single, ‘I’m Da Best,’ features her Yo! Majesty partner in crime Shon B (the ‘Strictly for the Ladies’ EP and ‘Yo! Majesty Reunited…IT IS WHAT IT IS!!!’ album are also going down the pipe). No matter who Shunda K teams with, though, her fierce spirit is at the forefront.
“These are people that I met on the road and resonated with,” she says. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I need to get out and meet people of faith!’ I manage my own business and I’ve learned that there may be people that love what you do, but nobody’s going to make things happen for you but yourself.”
