Photo by Jonathan Hanson
Words by Drew Daniel of Matmos
An edited version of the following guide ran in the winter issue of self-titled. It’s presented in expanded form here on the eve of Herbert Complete, a deluxe digital box set that includes such classic Matthew Herbert albums as Around the House and Body Functions…
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Photo: Mathew Scott
Words by Hether Fortune of Wax Idols
Daniel Ash has had more of an impact on me than any other single artist I can think of, probably due to the sheer vastness of his creative output and influence on the evolution of music. He is the multi-instrumental songwriting mastermind behind Bauhaus, Tones on Tail, Love & Rockets and several other side projects & solo recordings.
The first Daniel Ash related song I can recall hearing was “So Alive” by Love & Rockets. I remember jamming to it in the car with my mom when I was pretty young. Everybody has heard that song, right? That was their ‘hit’. If you can’t recall what it sounds like go Google it & then come back so you have a reference point. I’ll wait.
…Right? That song. So anyway. Daniel Ash’s discography covers such an incredibly broad spectrum of sound while always retaining a very specific THING that is immediately identifiable, to me, as the work of Daniel Ash. His music, attitude and style have influenced me so heavily over the years that I really ought to write him a personal letter of thanks. For now, I have taken this opportunity to demonstrate to the best of my ability why this person’s contributions to music are important & why I believe that everyone should have a serious listen. Just trust me…
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Words by Arye Dworken
It’s hard to imagine but there was a time when street art was provocative and rebellious by default. But somewhere along the way—maybe it’s Shepard Fairey’s fault—street art became de rigueur, embraced by celebrities and snobby art collectors alike.
The bright side of this is that once-struggling artists are being commissioned for well-paid projects and collaborating with like-minded artists. One recent example is Stephen Powers’ (a.k.a. ESPO, or “Exterior Surface Painting Outreach”) work alongside Kurt Vile on the tag-driven artwork for his upcoming album, Wakin On a Pretty Daze. The mutual admiration between Vile and the iconic graff writer is palpable in the behind the scenes video below, right down to the way Matador’s most promising singer-songwriter refers to his fellow Philly native as a “sweet bro.”
Inspired by the pair’s seamless union of sound and vision, we decided to break down five of our favorite street art album covers in the gallery/guide below…
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The last time we went to a listening party, there was a guy standing by the door. His hair was a wild shock of grayish white, and the way he carried himself was one of effortless cool, right down to the way he smoked—as if he’d learned the art of taking a drag from watching too many film noir movies. We thought to ourselves, ‘That’s gotta be Jim Jarmusch. And this’ll probably be the only time we get a chance to shoot the shit with Jim Jarmusch outside a recording studio in the Dumbo side of Brooklyn. Do something!’
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In case you haven’t checked a calendar lately, there’s still two months left in 2012. So if you’re already compiling a Best of 2012 list, don’t, because the following records are worth your consideration as well…
When Rudi Zygadlo moved from Glasgow to Berlin in the middle of making his new album (Tragicomedies, available now on Planet Mu) he avoided the obvious—soaking up the city’s dance scene and furthering the experimental dubstep stylings of his last LP, 2010′s Great Western Laymen. Instead, the producer/singer “listened to a lot of classical music. Taking acid and listening to the Grosse Fuge is far more interesting than listening to contemporary dance music on drugs. Virtually the only gigs I went to were the free lunch time chamber recitals at the Philharmonie on Tuesdays.”
He also read a lot of Greek mythology and post-everything Pynchon, which leads us to “RZ Chooses FZ,” a timely take on Frank Zappa’s cavernous back catalog…
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Since Konx-om-Pax made his name as a graphic artist/3-D animator for Mogwai, Oneohtrix Point Never, Hudson Mohawke and many, many more well before he produced the pressurized halogen lamp hooks of Regional Surrealism (Planet Mu), we asked the Glasgow native to give us a list of his favorite record sleeves. Here’s the breakdown, alongside some of Tom Scholefield’s finest visual work…
While Carrie Wilds’ debut mixtape (a self-titled effort that dropped on Mishka last month) is driven by the bass-heavy beats of Joker, Araabmuzik, Lunice, Terror Danjah and other denizens of the DayGlo underground, the singer’s roots are firmly placed in Motown-schooled soul, doo-wop and R&B. Which might explain why the record’s lead-off single pairs a soaring Maurice Williams cover with creeping keys and a guest spot from label mate Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire.
Since Wilds is performing at Santos Party House on Thursday night, we asked the Florida native to share some of the key throwback tracks that shaped her sound over the years. Here’s the breakdown…
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Words by Eli Keszler
I sometimes wonder if more of my ideas come from words than from music or images. Everything starts with an observation, and then is translated into words and back into something else. Which I guess is a form of observation again. I know ultimately what I make comes out of some intuition, based on what I’m building and seeing. I try not to let conscious language get in the way of that; this seems to work better in process, but ideas come first, and images later. For me, this is certain.
Here, I have put together a short list of books that mean a lot to me, and have triggered some different ways of seeing the situation…
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Primer is self-titled‘s ongoing series of guides to our favorite artists, subgenres and scenes. This week, Polysick—an Italian producer who’s released some killer EPs through 100% Silk, and just dropped his debut album (Digital Native) through Planet Mu—presents his favorite outre electronic records from Italy…
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