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06/21/2011

Thundercat – Daylight (Produced By Flying Lotus)

Even though there are many wonderful things to look forward to this summer, like my impending 2 week getaway to Europe, the last frontier, for lots of good times and frivolous spending in the name of culture and all things good, there are still some reasons to look forward to the near end of summer (I do say this somewhat begrudgingly because I could never with for the end of the greatest time of the year) because August 30 means the release of The Golden Age of Apocalypse, the new album from Thundercat that is being produced by none other than Flying Lotus. And from the sounds of the first two tracks we’ve heard from the album, it’s going to be a memorable one. We first brought you the magical “For Love I Come” and now we’ve gotten our ears on another track entitled “Daylight” from the highly anticipated album. This one is definitely far more upbeat than “For Love I Come” but it’s still got all the jazz-inspired soul of that song and the unmistakable footprint of Flying Lotus. I’ll be shocked if this album is anything less than magnificent.

Thundercat – Daylight (produced by Flying Lotus)

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06/20/2011

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – Trouble (Lapalux Remix)

So way back in April (yeah, if you think about it, that actually was kind of a while back in blog time), we posted the latest track from the UK’s Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs aka TEED. The track was “Trouble” and it followed in his line of bumpin beats that were pretty characteristically his (or should I say, that belonged to him). This one was especially 8-bit sounding (or more like 16-bit SNES style) and almost sounds like a really fantastic version of one of those beats that would come pre-programmed on a keyboard (but in a legit and non-cheesy way). A few weeks later, we find ourselves with a couple of great remixes of that track floating around the interwebs. Ok, so I found them on TEED’s soundcloud page, not really just floating around but the point is they’ve been found. I think my favorite of these is the Lapalux remix which takes a total glitch approach at pulling apart the pieces of this tune and putting them back together in a really interesting way. It kind of sounds like if Baths and Star Slinger and Flying Lotus all combined their powers into one remix. And then there’s the Chad Valley remix which starts out a bit slower and takes a bit to really get to the crux of its beat, but its pretty much worth it. Still need to find a way to see TEED live at some point in the near future, but so far looks like I’m out of luck. Seems like a perfect candidate for the Red Bull Music Academy stage at Movement 2012. Just sayin’.

Also, bonus points for that crazy metallic rhinoceros headdress.

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – Trouble (Lapalux remix) by T-E-E-D

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – Trouble (Chad Valley remix) by T-E-E-D

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06/07/2011

Thundercat – For Love I Come

Having just seen Flying Lotus live at this year’s Movement Electronic Music Festival right here in Detroit, Michigan, I’m an even bigger fan of his than before. He seems to really just take a unique perspective on production and creates some of the more interesting and diverse sounds that just feel downright refreshing. When you team up that production with the vocals of Thundercat (whose slick bass playing was featured on Flying Lotus’s Cosmogramma), you wind up with one of the slickest tunes I’ve heard in some time. As in I want to listen to this song over and over and over again. Because you know that each time you listen to this, you’re going to hear one more tiny little piece of the puzzle that was so carefully crafted. And Thundercat’s vocals and bass are the perfect accompaniment to this starry, soulful little number — a cover of George Duke’s “For Love I Come”. The slightly blown out production even gives this song a distinctly vintage feel, and if the beginning is just a touch too slow for you, just wait for the jazz drums to take things over. The fact that Flying Lotus produced the upcoming Thundercat album The Golden Age Of The Apocalypse means that this has officially become one of my most anticipated albums of the year, judging by the awesomeness contained in the track below.

Thundercat – For Love I Come

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06/02/2011

2011 Movement Electronic Music Festival: Day 3 In Pictures

Ah, day 3, you cruel temptress. This was perhaps the day I’d longed for the most, with Fatboy Slim, Green Velvet, Flying Lotus and Little Dragon all on tap (in addition to so many others). And the fact that after a cool and rainy weekend we were now experiencing upwards of 90 degrees and that I was able to wear a pair of shorts for the first time since Coachella were both cause for great excitement. It also meant that lots of ravers in the Hart Plaza fountain and lots of shirtless bros in the crowd. Slightly less awesome but I guess it comes with the territory. Day 3 photo set is mostly just about showing everyone enjoying the great day and the great atmosphere brought on by the fest. As I watched Fatboy Slim’s incredible set, lights and lasers a-blazin’, I couldn’t help but think that the production at all of the stages had gone through the roof this year, or maybe I just hadn’t paid attention in years past. Either way, big ups to Paxahau again for putting on an incredible weekend and turning Movement into a world class weekend. Here’s some scheisse from day 3, fun in the sun.

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05/23/2011

2011 Movement Electronic Music Festival Preview

As a metro-Detroiter who loves all things Detroit, I can pretty confidently say that the Movement Electronic Music Festival (the festival formally known as DEMF aka Detroit Electronic Music Festival) is among my top Detroit events of the year. I remember back in the day when I drove down to Detroit all by myself for the first time to go to the fest (before I even knew what electronic music was, but just wanted to see what all the commotion was about) when it was still free, with every kind of character you could imagine in attendance, including all of the riff raff that comes with a free electronic music festival. Over the years, while the fest has started charging an admission fee (a 3-day pass will run you $70 and individual day tickets are $35 each), the fest has really come into its own and kicked it up a notch (not to mention kept out a bit of the aforementioned riff raff) perhaps thanks to Paxahau who has flawlessly produced the festival the past several yearsto turn into what has been for the last few years a fantastic Memorial Day weekend and the perfect way to officially kick off summer.

This year we’re happy to report that we’ll be covering the event again in pictures (check out last year’s pictures from day 1 and day 3) and couldn’t be more excited, so I figured I’d start out with some of the artists I’m most looking forward to seeing, and then let you in on some of the other cool scheisse to check out at the fest. Before we get started, you can check out the full line up with set times right over here.

To be totally honest, before Gorillaz released Plastic Beach last year with the vocals of Little Dragon‘s Yukimi Nagano gracing a few of the tracks (including my favorite ever, “Empire Ants”), I don’t think I’d even heard of the Swedish group much less heard them. But since then, I’ve found out that they are a totally legit group with a pretty unique sound with electronic roots. This is one of the cool parts of the festival, since most of us hear “electronic music fest” and assume it’s all DJs (which would be well enough), but there are actually quite a few live bands performing. And like many of us, I’ve got a soft spot for all things Swedish. But it’s really Little Dragons totally off the wall sound that gets me the most. It’s just so damn interesting on the ears and I can’t wait to hear it in a live setting on the waterfront. I may also have an indie crush on Nagano, so there’s that. Their third studio album Ritual Union is set to be released this summer.

Little Dragon – Nightlight

My latest electronic obsession, mostly because I only just recently started listening to him, is Daedelus. Los Angeles native Alfred Weisberg-Roberts was not only a pioneer of the elusive monome (which he proudly displays for his audience during his live show just so we can all see exactly what’s going on, even though none of us have any clue) but in just over 10 years has released a boatload of albums and EPs (probably close to 20 in total). And, if his Coachella set is any indication, he also dresses like a muthafuckin G (well, like a Victorian muthafuckin G I suppose) and wins the award for most elaborate stage design, with large panels covered in mirrors wired to move in every direction. And his live set that I got to witness at said Coachella included just about all of my recent jams including Tame Impala, James Blake, Siriusmo, and Bjork (among several of his own fantastic tunes) and he manipulated these songs in ways I couldn’t have imagined. I just kept thinking, “I love this song!”. We got a slightly abbreviated set due to some technical difficulties before the crew began setting things up, so I can’t wait to catch him again.

Daedelus – LA Nocturn

It’s not an electronic music festival without a Ghostly artist on the roster that I’m really excited to see, and this year that artist is Com Truise aka Seth Haley who we’ve posted about a few times before. He released his Cyanide Sisters EP last summer and then rereleased it with some bonus tracks and they are all real, real good. Haley calls his sound “mid-fi synth-wave, slow-motion funk” and I’d have to say that’s pretty accurate. He’s got a Sunday 1PM time slot, which is the day that I traditionally can’t attend the fest due to family obligations. But hopefully I will spend early Sunday afternoon as I did last year, jetskiing up the Detroit river and listening to the sounds coming out of the Red Bull stage which butts up right to the river. Or just going to the fest in the afternoon and leaving. Either way, I want to see Com Truise and see what he’s got in store for his extended early afternoon set.

Com Truise – Slow Peels

And last but certainly not least, closing out Saturday night on the main stage will be none other than legendary Atlanta via Chicago DJ Felix da Housecat. My first flavor of his tune was his killer jam “Ready to Wear” which I first heard thanks to Hipster Runoff on a drive home on a random late Monday night. I’ve since jumped into many of his other tunes and remixes of everyone from the top pop stars to some of our indie darlings. He’s been to Detroit a few times recently but I’ve never been able to make it to his sets, but that is all about to change. He also responded to me on Twitter once, I believe in reference to the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears, so that was pretty exciting.

Felix Da Housecat – We All Wanna Be Prince

So, that’s just a small sampling of the insanely awesome roster of artists that will be performing. Other highlights for me personally include Flying Lotus, Dam-Funk, Dirtbombs (a detroit garage band that covers Detroit techno classics), Fatboy Slim and Green Velvet, among many others. Point is, no matter what sort of electronic music you like, there’s really something here for everyone.

So now that we’ve talked about the music, let’s talk about some of the other great things that you will find at this year’s festival.

One thing that has been working it’s way into the festival the past few years is community art, and that will likely come to a head this year as Paxahau is teaming up with the Community Arts Moving Projects (CAMP Detroit) and Detroit Creative Corridor Center (DC3) and have selected teams of local artists who were asked to create original designs using repurposed materials found around town (if this doesn’t exemplify the DIY/repurpose everything attitude of Detroit right now, I don’t know what does). Over 50 artists submitted designs but in the end 6 were chosen. Most of the installations will be interactive and electronic, coincidentally. With the festival getting even more national and international attention every year, it’s a great way to highlight the rapidly expanding artist movement that is taking place in Detroit. The installations were all built in the Russell Industrial Center and will be moved to the festival grounds this week. You can check out sketches of all the winning designs right over here, and you better believe I will be checking these out and bringing you pictures of the real things.

And as if all of that wasn’t enough, in one of the more interesting extensions of the festival, Paxahau has ALSO teamed up with Wheelhouse Detroit which has been giving bike tours of the city for some time now to create a special techno-themed bike tour on Sunday and Monday afternoon during the festival. Anyone with a festival wristband can get a discount to join these tours (but space is limited so sign up early!) which they’re calling “Techno in the 313″. I’ve been wanting to go on a Detroit bike tour for some time now, and I DID just recently purchase a bike, so I just might have to take part in one of these. The first will be on Sunday, May 29 from noon to 4 p.m. This is the “long” tour (recommended for more experienced riders as it goes as much as 21 miles) and will take riders past historic electronic music sites like The Music Institute, Underground Resistance HQ, and the Packard Plant. The tour price is $30; with bike rental it’s $40. The second tour is Monday from 12pm to 3pm and will take riders landmarks such as The Music Institute, Underground Resistance HQ, and the East Riverfront Warehouse District. The tour price is $25; with bike rental it’s $35. Even if you can’t commit to either of these tours, you should still hit up Wheelhouse Detroit because I hear their bike tours are pretty top notch.

And last but MOST importantly, for all of you who can’t make it out to Detroit for the festival, thanks to Resident Advisor and Awdio, the entire festival will be audio streamed over the internet so you can hear all the awesomeness that will be going on. From noon to midnight all three days of the festival, you will be able to audio stream all 5 stages. Here are the links to stream each day of the festival.

DAY ONE:
DAY TWO:
DAY THREE:

Not too shabby, eh?

So, what I’m saying is, 2011 Movement fest is shaking out to be a pretty good time. We hope to see you all there with your dancing shoes on ready to kick off summer at the Detroit waterfront in the best way. And if you can’t make it, check back here after the fest for photo recaps of the music, the good times, and, of course, the fashion. Oh, the fashion.

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06/23/2010

[album review] Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma

Steven Ellison could have gotten away with cloning 2008’s Los Angeles for his third Flying Lotus album. It would have been really easy – not to say that Los Angeles was artistically easy, only that “Los Angeles II” would have likely disappointed no one. Even with three different L.A. E.P.’s around, the complacency of following a highly successful sound would have been completely forgivable in this case. But Ellison decided to avoid that shortcut and NOT make the banger after-party album that I, for one, was absolutely hoping for. Cosmogramma heads in completely new directions; it’s 45 minutes of Ellison answering the question, “What is my next step?” And though the experiment doesn’t always have consistent momentum, there is still so much that deserves praise I can’t possibly blame him for pursuing something new.

On a first listen, it sounds like Cosmogramma is all over the place. “Clock Catcher” kicks things off with the album’s dirtiest bass line, only to fade into a shapeless interlude thirty seconds later. Then, in my most brief summary, the second and third tracks bust out into FlyLo’s brand of bebop and German electro, respectively. The entire album is similarly genre-spastic, but it definitely picks up by the fourth track, “Intro / A Cosmic Drama,” which sounds like the album’s real beginning to me. “Zodiac Shit” is the kind of beat I expected Los Angeles II would have sounded like, and the next ten minutes keep things so buttery smooth that I had no idea Thom Yorke was even on “…And the World Laughs With You” until I checked to see if the disembodied voice really was him.

What sticks out through Cosmogramma’s second half, and what I think becomes its greatest strength, is the abundance of guest instrumentalists that expand the sound. There’s harp, synths, strings, saxophone, and a bass that sounds like it was ripped right from 70’s prog rock. Each dissimilar element comes together in a product that isn’t hip-hop, isn’t neo-soul, isn’t Afro-futurist, or any genre that has described Flying Lotus. It straight-up sounds like a reinvention of jazz, and that is why Cosmogramma is a champion moment for Ellison. He is using his beats as a vehicle to bring him back to his jazz heritage, sometimes so far into them that tracks sound like live recordings done in one take. You knew that he’s John Coltrane’s nephew, right? I think Cosmogramma would have pleased Mr. Coltrane greatly.

Cosmogramma isn’t perfect, and I don’t think I will ever say it’s my favorite Flying Lotus album, but there are moments that really make me believe Ellison is poised for further transcendence. Where older material sounded like a one-man show (no doubt one of its strengths), moments in Cosmogramma come off as a group effort. Listen to “Dance of the Pseudo Nymphs” and think about how amazing it would sound as performed by a jazz combo. With Ellison texturing everything together as a bandleader, that performance would probably be chemically harmful to my brain. The most exciting and dizzying question about Cosmogramma is whether it will mark the moment when Ellison revitalized the spirit of jazz, and by extension, whether a cartoon program that aired Squidbillies was integral to that movement. He greatly succeeded in refining his signature, that sound that is distinctly his own, but the implications for his future border on scary.

Cosmogramma showed me that I underestimated the depths that FlyLo’s beat submarine could dive, and Cosmogramma is the sonic equivalent of Ellison steering it past all the pretty coral reefs and plunging towards the deep-sea trenches of his influences and his potential as an artist.

Flying Lotus – …And The World Laughs With You

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