20 July 2010
Creators Project Party
The Creators Project is perhaps the boldest undertaking in modern popular culture, seeking nothing less than to be the "first spark of creativity that gives life to the hopes and aspirations of the Twenty-First Century." Such claims need backing up, and that's just what The Creators Project did, in conjunction with Vice and Intel, this Saturday with the party they threw at Victoria House in London.
All those lucky enough to get in were treated to a series of performances from some of the artists who have been profiled by The Creators Project, including Mark Ronson (and his new band, the awkwardly titled "The Business Intl."), Kele and Tinchy Stryder. I was disappointed to miss a set by Yuck, a band who make lovely lo-fi rawk a la Dinosaur Jr. and stuff, influences that belie their north London roots. They also have a drummer who is basically Jonah Hill's bigger, funnier brother.
My disappointment was soon swept away by the strident opening chords of Mark Ronson' latest hit Bang Bang Bang. I've been neglectful before in not saying how fucking awesome this song is. Ronson has moved on it seems from being the super cool guy with a horn-fixation to a super cool guy with some good tunes of his own. The rest of his set was an interesting combination of new, unknown songs that didn't go down as well as some classic covers that had the drunken crowd singing along with abandon.
Whilst waiting for Kele to set up, fun was had in the form of Saam Farahmand's DJ set that utilised footage recorded earlier in the night of party-goers dancing in front of a blue screen. I think i spent the majority of the time either boasting that my moves were better, or trying to copy those i was secretly jealous of. When Kele came on i gave up all pretence at busting out anything that could actually be called a "move" however, instead letting my inner fanboy out to shout along and pump his fist and generally have a brilliant time (thanks free bar). The new songs really worked in a live setting, produced as they are by Hudson Mohawke, a man who knows how to get people moving. Thrown in for good measure were a few Bloc Party classics, although they too tended towards the more electronic, club-friendly end of the spectrum, with the likes of The Prayer and Flux.
The night was about a lot more than just some gigs however, with impressive installations round every corner, such as the UVA light art, or Nick Zinner's photos, or the 8-bit video games that had me baffled in my drunken state despite their evident simplicity.
The future cultural landscape looks set to be in safe hands with The Creators Project.
Peaches on the decks with a broken leg. Nice one Peaches.
All those lucky enough to get in were treated to a series of performances from some of the artists who have been profiled by The Creators Project, including Mark Ronson (and his new band, the awkwardly titled "The Business Intl."), Kele and Tinchy Stryder. I was disappointed to miss a set by Yuck, a band who make lovely lo-fi rawk a la Dinosaur Jr. and stuff, influences that belie their north London roots. They also have a drummer who is basically Jonah Hill's bigger, funnier brother.
Whilst waiting for Kele to set up, fun was had in the form of Saam Farahmand's DJ set that utilised footage recorded earlier in the night of party-goers dancing in front of a blue screen. I think i spent the majority of the time either boasting that my moves were better, or trying to copy those i was secretly jealous of. When Kele came on i gave up all pretence at busting out anything that could actually be called a "move" however, instead letting my inner fanboy out to shout along and pump his fist and generally have a brilliant time (thanks free bar). The new songs really worked in a live setting, produced as they are by Hudson Mohawke, a man who knows how to get people moving. Thrown in for good measure were a few Bloc Party classics, although they too tended towards the more electronic, club-friendly end of the spectrum, with the likes of The Prayer and Flux.
The night was about a lot more than just some gigs however, with impressive installations round every corner, such as the UVA light art, or Nick Zinner's photos, or the 8-bit video games that had me baffled in my drunken state despite their evident simplicity.
The future cultural landscape looks set to be in safe hands with The Creators Project.
14 July 2010
Things that I'm listening to/want to be listening to...
Into the first category (things what i am currently listening to) fall the following:
1. On a literal level, i am literally listening to this as we speak/I type:
The Notorious xx- a mash up of The xx's debut album of late night melancholy minimalism and hip-hop hero Biggie. It shouldn't work, but it does. You can listen to it all at Soundcloud. (This is a few months old by the way, i just wanted an excuse to mention it)
2. I've been listening to an online stream of blog darlings Best Coast's debut album, Crazy For You. Online streams of albums ahead of their release seem to be the new thing, The National and LCD Soundsystem just two others to have followed a similar strategy this year. Anyway, you've probably all read about how Best Coast make that lo-fi nostalgia-pop everyone seems to love this year, music that must have a crick in its neck from all the nods it makes to older bands. Despite its zeitgeist-riding derivative nature, it's got some wonderful melodies and enough charm to carry it all off. Listen to it here.
4. Hugo is a singer i'd never heard of until recently when i discovered his intriguing, and ultimately enthralling cover of Jay-Z's 99 Problems. He turns it into a roots-y, blues-y stomper that's pretty much as far from the original as can be imagined. Well worth checking out, again on Soundcloud.
5. Flying Lotus' Cosmogramma album is pretty much amazing, unsurprisingly, but i've been enjoying the latest video he's released. It's for the track Mmmhmm, which features Thundercat, and was directed by Special Problems. The track itself is pretty deep and psychedelic, a trippy, bewildering amalgam of shuffling beats, pianos and high, velvety vocals. The video somehow enhances all these aspects, a weird and wonderful ride from collage seabeds to space scenes, with some floating Indians for good measure. The space theme in particular seems particularly resonant, it's what FlyLo's productions always remind me of. If such a name hasn't already been made up before, he should be crowned king of space-hop.
And onto the second category of things what I'm looking forward to hearing...
1. Arcade Fire and their new album, obviously. In this i'm probably not alone. Hype for The Suburbs has been building for some time now, hype that i like to think i helped build, and now that we've heard a few songs in full, it seems fever pitch has been reached. We'll just have to wait until August 2nd though.
2. Deerhunter.
I bloody love Deerhunter (childish swearing intended, i'm that excited).
Microcastle and Weird Era Continued were excellent, as were all of the various side projects, such as Bradford Cox's Atlas Sound and Lockett Pundt's Lotus Plaza. Their new album, Halcyon Digest, isn't out until the end of September, but they're marketing strategy is also of note, harking back as it does to the good old (halcyon????) days of rock and roll and when posters for all your favourite bands were plastered on all the city walls. Cox has designed a poster for fans to print out and stick up around town, with photos of your handiwork earning exclusive ownership of the first single and a non-album track.
Here's the poster (and a link to the appropriate website):
Apologies for the length of this post. I hope it was worth it.
1. On a literal level, i am literally listening to this as we speak/I type:
The Notorious xx- a mash up of The xx's debut album of late night melancholy minimalism and hip-hop hero Biggie. It shouldn't work, but it does. You can listen to it all at Soundcloud. (This is a few months old by the way, i just wanted an excuse to mention it)
2. I've been listening to an online stream of blog darlings Best Coast's debut album, Crazy For You. Online streams of albums ahead of their release seem to be the new thing, The National and LCD Soundsystem just two others to have followed a similar strategy this year. Anyway, you've probably all read about how Best Coast make that lo-fi nostalgia-pop everyone seems to love this year, music that must have a crick in its neck from all the nods it makes to older bands. Despite its zeitgeist-riding derivative nature, it's got some wonderful melodies and enough charm to carry it all off. Listen to it here.
3. Another online stream worth checking out this week is that of Mount Kimbie's Crooks & Lovers, another debut effort. Unlike Best Coast, Mount Kimbie's music could only have been written today, or perhaps tomorrow, a fact i've mentioned before i believe. They're one of those production teams forging a new path away from the wobbly dubstep of of old and into the future, taking with them a whole new army of fans not previously so enamoured with the genre. Listen to it here.
4. Hugo is a singer i'd never heard of until recently when i discovered his intriguing, and ultimately enthralling cover of Jay-Z's 99 Problems. He turns it into a roots-y, blues-y stomper that's pretty much as far from the original as can be imagined. Well worth checking out, again on Soundcloud.
5. Flying Lotus' Cosmogramma album is pretty much amazing, unsurprisingly, but i've been enjoying the latest video he's released. It's for the track Mmmhmm, which features Thundercat, and was directed by Special Problems. The track itself is pretty deep and psychedelic, a trippy, bewildering amalgam of shuffling beats, pianos and high, velvety vocals. The video somehow enhances all these aspects, a weird and wonderful ride from collage seabeds to space scenes, with some floating Indians for good measure. The space theme in particular seems particularly resonant, it's what FlyLo's productions always remind me of. If such a name hasn't already been made up before, he should be crowned king of space-hop.
And onto the second category of things what I'm looking forward to hearing...
1. Arcade Fire and their new album, obviously. In this i'm probably not alone. Hype for The Suburbs has been building for some time now, hype that i like to think i helped build, and now that we've heard a few songs in full, it seems fever pitch has been reached. We'll just have to wait until August 2nd though.
2. Deerhunter.
I bloody love Deerhunter (childish swearing intended, i'm that excited).
Microcastle and Weird Era Continued were excellent, as were all of the various side projects, such as Bradford Cox's Atlas Sound and Lockett Pundt's Lotus Plaza. Their new album, Halcyon Digest, isn't out until the end of September, but they're marketing strategy is also of note, harking back as it does to the good old (halcyon????) days of rock and roll and when posters for all your favourite bands were plastered on all the city walls. Cox has designed a poster for fans to print out and stick up around town, with photos of your handiwork earning exclusive ownership of the first single and a non-album track.
Here's the poster (and a link to the appropriate website):
Apologies for the length of this post. I hope it was worth it.
10 July 2010
Head on down to Hadestown
I'm a few months late on Anaïs Mitchell's recent Hadestown album, which is unsurprising really considering the low-key nature of its arrival in April. Neither was it a release that would have caught my eye in the first place: i'd never heard of Mitchell before, rarely listen to folk and have a limited knowledge at best of the Greek myths. The critical response it garnered from those who did pay it some attention was anything other than low-key however, with universal applause directed its way. . On the back of the overwhelmingly positive reviews however, it would have been wrong to have avoided it any longer.
Mitchell has enlisted an ensemble cast including Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Greg Brown, Ani DiFranco, Greg Brown and Ben Knox Miller (The Low Anthem), with each giving voice to a different character in the story. The result neatly avoids any of the ridiculous excesses that blight many a supergroup or concept album. Instead, the piece comes together quite wonderfully, aided by Michael Chorney's scoring, and a true story, or odyssey, unravels.
The songs work both together and on their own, tracks such as When the Chips Are Down making fine stand-alone singles. The aforementioned song, featuring the Haden Triplets, is a wonderful, skronking, soulful hoe-down that demands a sing-along from the first listen. But don't stop there (or start there even), play it through whole, and then do so again, and again. On an album as rich and deep as this there's always more to uncover, and plenty to savour multiple times.
Now go and check it out on Spotify, or buy it.
7 July 2010
So here you go...
There's been a lot of focus on Kele of Bloc Party fame lately, what with his transition from angst-ridden indie front man to happy electro entertainer. Perhaps it's an inevitable and universal shift, such as the classic metamorphosis from student lefty to middle-aged conservative, but either way it got me reminiscing about his early work. Silent Alarm maintains a high, and seemingly permanent, place in my list of favourite albums, and i'll always be an old Bloc Party fanboy at heart, and so i went back and re-listened to much of their back catalogue. It was an enjoyable nostalgia trip, enlivened by the rediscovery of the Silent Alarm remix album, which contains a few corkers, particularly this one:
It's by another old favourite, Four Tet, in which he takes the original and stretches it out, giving it a spacious and euphoric feel. It bears that distinctive Four Tet hallmark, electronic production that sound remarkably organic, giving his work a heart that most producers seem unable to inspire.
Aaaaaanyway, thought i'd remind people (and myself) of the song, and whilst you're there to give some of the others a go, such as those by Whitey, Mogwai and M83.
It's by another old favourite, Four Tet, in which he takes the original and stretches it out, giving it a spacious and euphoric feel. It bears that distinctive Four Tet hallmark, electronic production that sound remarkably organic, giving his work a heart that most producers seem unable to inspire.
Aaaaaanyway, thought i'd remind people (and myself) of the song, and whilst you're there to give some of the others a go, such as those by Whitey, Mogwai and M83.
4 July 2010
An update of sorts
I've been home for two weeks now and can safely say i've spent my time wisely. By day i've done my utmost to preserve my porcelain skin, watching Come Dine With Me repeats rather than dare go outside. At night, whilst failing to fall asleep due to the suffocating warmth and constant buzz of insects, i've been listening to a lot of techno, wishing i was at places like this, rather than in a place like this (although far less idyllic). I've also just gained access to a set of car keys, and i enjoyed spending the weekend zooming around (within all legal speed restrictions) listening to a series of mix cds, most of which are hangovers from last summer. As well as the summer toonz of '09, i've also been listening to more recent choice cuts, such as these.
I've also been prepping myself for the upcoming 1234 Festival, and i've come to the rather inevitable conclusion that most of the Shoreditch vampires whose bands will be playing there sound a lot better live than on record. However, the prospect of seeing Peter Hook playing live the whole of Unknown Pleasures is enough to keep me awake on it's own, 'heat-wave' aside. I'm also looking forward to seeing These New Puritans performing their rather brilliant new album, especially after my girlfriend's rave reviews of a live show she saw earlier this year.
Summer's shaping up pretty well so far then, and it's set to get better, albeit with a few brief library excursions thrown in to remind me that at some point i do need to actually do some work.
Tune for the day: Janelle Monae- Tightrope (Feat. Big Boi)
She's been getting a lot of attention lately, and as a blogger i feel i'm not doing something right if i don't mention her. This song justifies it though. And she looks great.
Tune for the day: Janelle Monae- Tightrope (Feat. Big Boi)
She's been getting a lot of attention lately, and as a blogger i feel i'm not doing something right if i don't mention her. This song justifies it though. And she looks great.
28 June 2010
GlastonTVbury
You may have missed it due to lack of advertising or broadcasting, but over the last weekend a surprisingly sunny Somerset field was taken over by Glastonbury. I was lucky enough to be able to watch it all on the television, living the same highs and lows as the crowd with the bonus of a daily shower.
The BBC, to their credit, gave pretty thorough coverage, even if every other performance shown seemed to include Florence Fucking Welch (her parents were very prescient). Along with the actual live sets themselves, there was a treat for all those stuck at home in the form of exclusive acoustic performances. These were performances conducted in a carefully designed and constructed studio that made the between-music links resemble coverage of the Chelsea flower show. I ain't dissin' the flower show, but i imagine there are better models to copy from when covering a festival such as Glastonbury. To continue the parallels however, Mark Radcliffe proved an Alan Titchmarsh-esque figure, providing a nice level-headed maturity in contrast to the puppy-dog eagerness of Reggie Yates and crew. The presenters proved perhaps the biggest irritant (especially Jo Whiley and her search for the next Glastonbury "moment"), but fortunately it was never too long before the next musical performance, or not musical, as was the case with the brilliant ping pong juggler and whip-cracking cowboy.
Now i have to admit that i didn't watch as much as i'd first intended, the combination of a beautiful sunny weekend and the depression arising from realising you're not actually there (again) proving too much at points. As such, i'm in no real position to pick out any of my own "moments", but the Flaming Lips looked and sounded pretty spectacular, and it would have been great to have caught LCD as they wind down their wonderful career. It was sad to witness the apparent failure of Gorillaz, particularly after the hugely sentimental success of Blur last year, and it was nice to see a beefed-up (and seemingly chavved-up) Kele performing with what looked suspiciously like a smile on his face. Snoop Dogg followed successfully and entertainingly in the footsteps of Jay-Z, Radiohead (well half of them) played a secret show which would surely have been amazing, and i was disappointed not to see any of what was apparantly a brilliant set by Hot Chip.
The impression from those who were there seems to be entirely positive, the baking sun and the great music taking the edge off a hilariously shit English football performance and adding as further incentive (if it were needed) that i need to get down there myself.
The BBC, to their credit, gave pretty thorough coverage, even if every other performance shown seemed to include Florence Fucking Welch (her parents were very prescient). Along with the actual live sets themselves, there was a treat for all those stuck at home in the form of exclusive acoustic performances. These were performances conducted in a carefully designed and constructed studio that made the between-music links resemble coverage of the Chelsea flower show. I ain't dissin' the flower show, but i imagine there are better models to copy from when covering a festival such as Glastonbury. To continue the parallels however, Mark Radcliffe proved an Alan Titchmarsh-esque figure, providing a nice level-headed maturity in contrast to the puppy-dog eagerness of Reggie Yates and crew. The presenters proved perhaps the biggest irritant (especially Jo Whiley and her search for the next Glastonbury "moment"), but fortunately it was never too long before the next musical performance, or not musical, as was the case with the brilliant ping pong juggler and whip-cracking cowboy.
Now i have to admit that i didn't watch as much as i'd first intended, the combination of a beautiful sunny weekend and the depression arising from realising you're not actually there (again) proving too much at points. As such, i'm in no real position to pick out any of my own "moments", but the Flaming Lips looked and sounded pretty spectacular, and it would have been great to have caught LCD as they wind down their wonderful career. It was sad to witness the apparent failure of Gorillaz, particularly after the hugely sentimental success of Blur last year, and it was nice to see a beefed-up (and seemingly chavved-up) Kele performing with what looked suspiciously like a smile on his face. Snoop Dogg followed successfully and entertainingly in the footsteps of Jay-Z, Radiohead (well half of them) played a secret show which would surely have been amazing, and i was disappointed not to see any of what was apparantly a brilliant set by Hot Chip.
The impression from those who were there seems to be entirely positive, the baking sun and the great music taking the edge off a hilariously shit English football performance and adding as further incentive (if it were needed) that i need to get down there myself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
