A QUICK TALK WITH KID KOALA ABOUT … The Slew, A Reason to Believe in Rap-Rock Again
Posted on September 30, 2009
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[Photo by SekondHandProjects]
By Max Willens
Remember when hip hop was heavy—when DJ Shadow built neck-snapping beats for Solesides; when the Dust Brothers made a B-boy out of Beck; and when Led Zeppelin, the Clash and Black Sabbath walked that-a-way in the span of one Beastie Boys song (”Rhymin’ and Stealin’”)?
We barely do, either; probably because rap metal ruined the whole turntables-and-guitars thing for a good five years. Enough to make 100%, the Slew’s debut album (available digitally here)—a scratch-heavy collaboration between Dynomite D and Kid Koala—seem like a left-field listen, what with all its booming basslines and devastating drum breaks. A very heavy affair indeed, especially the duo’s tower of power tour, a one-time-only trek featuring six turntables (with Koala’s longtime touring partner DJ P-Love stepping in for Dynomite D) and Wolfmother’s former rhythm section, bassist/keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Hesketh.
Kid Koala spoke to self-titled the night before the Slew’s first proper show in Vancouver. Read more
DISCO INFERNO: Daniel Wang Presents 15 Ways To Clear a Dancefloor (Yet Still Feel Good About It the Next Morning)
Posted on September 29, 2009
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By Daniel Wang
self-titled asked me to write about “my 15 favorite DJ tracks over the past 15 years,” and frankly, I’m afraid my answers would be too obvious. Really, anyone who has heard me play knows what works a disco dancefloor for boogie freaks, ex-Garage/Loft/Saint members, young disco fans and nightlife people in general. I mean, you don’t play trance to a room of queer artists at a gallery opening.
Soul and funk; producers like Jean-Jacques Petrus, Jacques Morali, Cerrone, Dennis LePage. They’re evergreens for good reason.
So instead, I’ve changed the topic a bit: 15 tracks which I’d love to play but don’t always get a chance to. Because you need very specific circumstances to play these—a certain mood, an appreciative crowd, a great sound environment. Like 7 a.m. beneath a cloudy sunrise in St. Petersburg. Read more
I WAS THERE: Fever Ray Freaks Out Webster Hall With Laser Canons, Smoke Monsters, and Satanic Jim Henson Costumes
Posted on September 29, 2009
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Words and Photos by Andrew Parks
“See this 2 right here?” a security guard said at Monday night’s Fever Ray show. “If you move past it, you’re out of here.” Read more
COFFEE TALK: The Latest Posts, Profiles & Think Pieces On Skream, Death, Throbbing Gristle, Editors, Portishead, Kitsuné and More
Posted on September 28, 2009
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Throbbing Gristle
We sift the ‘net for today’s top stories so you don’t have to… Read more
MICROWAVE ONLY: Backstage At Santos Party House With Wavves, Ganglians and Zach Hill
Posted on September 28, 2009
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Photos by Turkishomework
Each week we send Turkishomework out to capture a sliver of our city’s blurred-vision nightlife. Little did we know that last week’s Wavves show would be a precursor to the B-list beef of the year. No fights here, though; just good vibes in the dimly-lit corners of Santos Party House… Read more
THERE WILL (NOT) BE BLOOD: Watch Gonzales and Andrew W.K. Trade Chord Progressions At Joe’s Pub, The Piano Battle To End All Piano Battles
Posted on September 28, 2009
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Gonzales makes fun of Andrew W.K.'s mama while Akira the Don looks on
While he’s “worshiped in France,” Gonzales—a.k.a. the former “President of the Berlin Underground”—is a pianist/producer/prankster MC who’s best known for his work with other artists.
“Ever hear of Feist?” Gonzales asked a packed Joe’s Pub crowd on Friday night. “I made her.”
He’s kidding, of course. Well, kinda. It only takes a little bit of research to realize Gonzales’ position alongside Mocky as the unsung heroes of a Canadian clique that includes Peaches, Feist and their close British friend Jamie Lidell.
That might change when Gonzales releases his next record in the spring, a Boys Noize-produced affair that’s bound to test the musical baggage of both artists. We’ll reveal exclusive details about that disc later this week, as we run separate interviews with both artists. For now, here’s a complete video clip recap of Gonzales’ break-of-dawn piano battle with Andrew W.K. at Joe’s Pub… Read more
I WAS THERE: ‘That Moody Guy From Interpol’ Delivers a Decent Guggenheim Set, Makes Us Reach For His Julian Plenti Record
Posted on September 27, 2009
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Words and Photos by Andrew Parks
It all started with animals copulating on an album cover—the front of Interpol’s third full-length, if you must know. Ever since then, it’s as if the band’s divergent ideas and apparent love/hate relationship (see also: The Strokes, who announced rehearsals for a ‘new record’ at nearly the same time as Interpol this past spring) were leading to a serious case of writer’s block. Not to mention the inability to top the pitch-black perfection of Turn On the Bright Lights. And that’s okay. Let Carlos D explore his film school inclinations while Sam Fogarino indulges his Swervediver fantasies. Meanwhile Paul Banks can return to his roots as…Julian Plenti? What is this, his mild-mannered singer-songwriter phase, complete with string arrangements and lots of laptop programming?
Yes and no. Assuming a long-dormant alias hasn’t relegated Banks’ career to a realm of self-indulgence so much as brought him back down to earth. Maybe we should have assumed this based on Plenti’s playful press photos, but the guy’s clearly happier than he’s been in years; finally free of the deadly serious stance that made Interpol shows appear stilted and joyless. Which isn’t that surprising. Unlike Carlos D or Daniel Kessler, Banks was never the type to assume a steely suit-and-tie guise in public. In fact, the last time we saw Banks wandering the Lower East Side, he was clad in a baseball cap and a classy but casual getup that screamed I’m really trying to be incognito here.
PEEP SHOW: Gonzales Backs Jamie Lidell on a Piano-Driven Version of “What Is It This Time?” At Joe’s Pub
Posted on September 26, 2009
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Jamie Lidell
As much as we despise the table service setup at Joe’s Pub (either you buy a drink minimum for the privilege of sitting down, or you dodge waitresses and drunks while standing all night), self-titled was psyched to see Gonzales play his first New York City gig in nearly nine years last night. We’ll get to our coverage of his epic piano battle with Andrew W.K. a bit later. For now, here’s a special duet between the Parisian pianist/producer/MC and his old friend/Multiply collaborator Jamie Lidell. Read more
TEST PRESSING: Hudson Mohawke Leaks Half of Rare Ooops! EP, With Edits of Tweet and Ashanti
Posted on September 25, 2009
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When Warp celebrated its 20th birthday earlier this month, they introduced a beatmaker in-the-know Brits have buzzed about for the past year: Hudson Mohawke, the UK’s youngest DMC finalist and a rising underground star based on a string of limited 12-inch singles and bootlegs. The most popular of which was the ultra-rare Ooops! EP, a circuit-bending stab at such Top 40 fare as Ashanti’s “Still On It.” Wireblock is repressing the vinyl version very soon. In the meantime, we’ve got one cut from each side available for download below.
Fans of Dabrye, Flying Lotus and Nosaj Thing will lap this stuff right up. And if you’re still unsure of all this stutter-step business, we’ve also included a sampler from Hudson’s Warp debut, Butter, which features a Dam-Funk appearance (!) and hits shops on October 27. Read more
S/T Survived … Smoke Machines, Laser Claws, A Howling Hungarian, and 90 Minutes of Relentless Riffage At Sunn O)))’s Masonic Temple Show
Posted on September 24, 2009
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Words and Photos by Andrew Parks
“Marco!”
“Polo!”
And there you have it. It took Sunn O))) 15 minutes, tops, to lose their stranglehold on a crowd of curious masochists, here at Brooklyn’s Masonic Temple to soak up pea-soupy patches of fog and feedback that feels like a fireball to the face. Or at the very least, a bass-heavy full body massage. Read more
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