Anthem - Music

Anthem Recommends: Lee Jones, "Electronic Frank"

nik.mercer — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 11:31:32 -0700

Minimal―a genre forever attached to the nightclub first and the living room (if ever) second―is a style that's easy to fake and incredibly difficult to convincingly pull off. (Part of the reason why the stuff isn't played on home stereos and in cars is because a lot of it is atmospheric, pure sound engineering for a crowd of ravers high on e.)

Essex-born, Berlin-dwelling Lee Jones has been pumping out some grade A minimal (and bizarre nu-jazz using the alias Hefner) for years under a slew of names and with a handful of collaborators... and for the most part, it's been some pretty intense stuff. We were excited to find out about the release of his new LP, Electronic Frank (out now on Aus Music), on the merits of his previous work, but we weren't necessarily prepared for the strangely serene beauty of the record.

Aside from a few songs, namely the final track, "MDMAzing" (hah!), the album is pretty low-key, relying on a subtle tension between off-kilter beats, quirky electronic melodies, and whiffs of down-tempo that are unusual finds in anything normally dubbed as "techno." Check out the third song, "Soon," in the media player to the right to get an example of the unassuming depth of Electronic Frank. If we've one problem with the fourteen-track work, it's that some of the cuts feel flat and bare in comparison to both Jones' superior past works and standout singles on the new LP itself. Regardless of its artiness (if it could be honestly called that), Electronic Frank still innately feels like a dance album for clubs and energetic crowds, so to tone it down to such an extreme is a bit of a stretch for us.

Aus Music homepage

I'm A Cliché Picks Up Entertainment, Releases EP

nik.mercer — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:38:14 -0700

No label starts releasing material with a totally cohesive vision or with clarity of mind―but that's the whole fun of watching (and hearing) them grow and develop!

Cosmo Vitelli's excellent Parisian label, I'm A Cliché, has released a solid handful of stuff already (Runaway, Bot'Ox, Uncle O), but the small company continues to morph, branch out, and release unexpected awesomeness regularly. In our humble opinion, we see I'm A Cliché becoming the Parisian D.F.A.

Cliché's latest roster addition is the krauty yet highly danceable and accessible Entertainment. The duo, comprised of Juan de Guillebon (bass) and Antoine Montgaudon (guitar), takes cues from the mechanized grit of No Wavers like Suicide, the repetitious and mind-blowing qualities of kraut (particularly Cluster), and the delicate, technically jaw-dropping atmospherics of Brian Eno and related electronic innovators of the 1970s. We're not just saying that to drop names, either―Entertainment truly merits every comparison (and more).

The U 1988 EP is out now via I'm A Cliché and can be bought digitally through Topplers. The first five songs are original; the last three are remixes by Bot'Ox, Kruton, and Michoacan. Talk about tightly-packaged perfection! Stream and download "U 1988" and buy the thing when you get a minute!

Entertainment - U 1988

I'm A Cliché homepage

Topplers Web store

Metro Area Becomes Newest Fabric Alumni with "Fabric 43"

nik.mercer — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:07:04 -0700

It doesn't get a whole lot better than a Fabric mix. The long-running series of live (Fabriclive) and studio-mixed (Fabric) DJ compilations have been put together by the likes of James Murphy and Pat Mahoney, Cut Copy, the Glimmers, Simian Mobile Disco, Ricardo Villalobos, M.A.N.D.Y., Ellen Allien... and we're not even scratching the surface.

New York City's Metro Area is the latest outfit to be invited to add to the awe-inspiring trope of dance mixes with Fabric 43, which is being released in the U.K. on November 10 and in the U.S. on November 25.

Peep at the tracklist. In typical Morgan Geist and Darshan Jesrani fashion, it's eclectic, certainly danceable, and sometimes pretty obscure (those dorks!) Also, be sure to check out our massive interview with Geist, too.

01 Babla's Disco Sensation - Ghar Aya Mera Pardesi (Intro)

02 World Premiere - Share the Night (Breakdown Mix)

03 Ministry - Work for Love (Dub Mix)

04 The Disco Four - Move to the Groove (Instrumental)

05 Skratch - You Should Have Known Better (Instrumental)

06 Barbara Norris - Heavy Hitter (Dub Version)

07 Gary's Gang - Makin' Music (Dub Mix)

08 Voyage - Souvenirs

09 Five Special - Why Leave Us Alone (Long Version)

10 Ray Martinez - The Natives are Restless

11 Dreamhouse - I Can Feel It

12 Mascara - Baja (Instrumental Dub Version)

13 Play by Numbers - Cloud Nine (Ready Mix)

14 Midway - Set it Out (Funky Breakdown Mix)

15 Heaven 17 - Penthouse and Pavement

16 Data - Blow (Remix)

17 Atmosphere - Swede's Scandal

18 Wiretap - X-Rated Man

19 Plez - I Can't Stop (Acid Rainforest Mix)

20 Baby Oliver - Feelings2

21 Jean Luc Ponty - Open Mind (Special Dance Mix)

22 Premiere Class - Poupée Flash

23 Devo - Freedom of Choice

Q&A with Disco Demolition Records, Codebreaker

nik.mercer — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:08:04 -0700

12" record labels seem to be popping up like daisies these days, but that's not necessarily or always a bad thing. Particularly in the case of Disco Demolition Records, a small label that the guys from the funky, disco act, Codebreaker, recently started up.

Needless to say, D.D.R. caught out eye, and we decided to chat with the guys behind it about the first release (which features Kathy Diamond's vocals on the a-side track, "Fire"), how it all began, where it's headed, and a few headier bits about musical trends and revitalizations. Stream "Fire" in the media player to the right or, better yet, download it below before getting into the Q&A!

Codebreaker feat. Kathy Diamond - Fire

You guys are pretty mysterious; tell me a little about how you got together, started making music, and, most importantly, if there was any conceptual backing to what you were trying to achieve.

Well, I'd say 2001-ish. I was experimenting, working with different folks, trying to interpret a wide cross section of ideas and inspirations that had been all floating around in my head. I guess I spent a lot of the 90s asking a lot of questions from anyone who played music and was just really into any genre I respected. [Like,] the start of a journey of just trying to get to guts of what I liked about anything from dub, disco, reggae, soul, pop, new wave, old country...

Then of course, just attentively listening, listening & then eventually writing. Finally, I started recording demos... shortly after that, I approached Sage; it was such an obvious choice for me. I didn't know anyone else at the time I wanted to work with. He was the only person I knew who you could find playing in a rockabilly band one night, spinning techno another, and playing in a live electronic dub act the next.

You're based out of Milwaukee. I can imagine that being there removes you from the various "scenes" that comprise disco, funk, soul, etc. revivals which are primarily centered in N.Y.C., L.A., and S.F. (at least in the States). Are you thankful for being separated?

It definitely has facilitated putting a big underscore on us being on our own planet, which can be both good and bad, for different reasons. At the end of the day, I guess I'm thankful, because it's played a role in sculpting what I'd like to think is a unique approach and attitude to music, anyway.

The cost of living here is cheap and it's enabled me to spend a lot of time writing, recording, and working on the label, instead of working three different crap jobs somewhere else. Trying to write great music is my favorite thing in the world, so that's where my head's at.

There's not much of scene here or anything, but there are small pockets of greatness. I'm on the coasts frequently, so coming back to someplace very quaint, friendly and accessible is nice.

How do you integrate live instruments into your shows? Why do you think that live sounds are in such demand for dance groups today? D.F.A., for example, insists on using real horns, strings, etc.

Live/touring Codebreaker is a four-piece. Currently, our set-up live is: PA/keys/vocoder, bass player, guitar player... and I sing, play keys, various percussion, and vocoder. I'm not sure if the reason why people like to see a live dance music group is different than any other sort of band. It's just an extension of expression, communication that people desire. Sometimes I want to see a live group, sometimes I just want to lose myself dancing to the DJ.

D.F.A. is an incredible label. They are great at what they do. However, Disco Demolition is brand new; we're not really in a position to insist on much of anything, let alone live string sections.

Relatedly, it seems as though this so-called Disco Revival is fueled by the dance music world's disinterest in hyper-specific sub-genres and a sort of refusal to include many different and various sorts of music into stuff you can get down to. How do you respond to that?

Look, at the end of the day, I just think more people here in the U.S. are realizing, Fuck, life is for living. Hanging out at these socially-conservative mini-conferences known as "indie rock shows" or some chach'd out nightclub is just a bummer.

Give us soulful stuff; funky, sexual, free, and expressive. The tides are turning and whether it's performing with Codebreaker or DJ'ing, I've been seeing nothing but more & more people letting go, and rejecting all those silly confines.

I've yet to hear you DJ... what's the process like for you? Do you try to make everything clean and seamless or are you just laying down cool tunes? (It seems like we're returning to a more "authentic"―or at least "old school"―form of DJ'ing in that regard; no flashiness, just record playing.

I like to do both. Some of my set is beat matched and some of it isn't. Either way, I like to keep mindful of the b.p.m. when transitioning. Sometimes, I just love to do really hard, fast, abrasive cuts to the next track, though... it keeps a rawness to the flow that I enjoy. Being too clean just ain't my style. I usually end up shouting, singing along, and dancing with people while I'm spinning!

Tell me a little about the founding of Disco Demolition Records. I'm assuming it's named after the 1970s disco party...

Actually it's in part a play off an event from 1979 at Cominsky Park in Chicago. Disco Demolition was the quintessential "Disco Sucks Rally." Some local rock radio DJ's organized it, and they had all these people dump disco records in a huge pile and destroyed them. It was all done with thinly-veiled racism and prejudice against gay and minority cultures and ideas that helped establish and popularize the genre. Historically, it's viewed as what marked the beginning of the end for disco-associated music in pop culture.

We thought I would be fun to name a label like ours Disco Demolition, flip it on it's head. Bastardize its context and redefine.

And what's the goal with the label? Small vinyl labels seem to be very in vogue now. Are you sticking with the "normal" style of 12" labels or are you trying to differentiate it in some way?

Right now, we're just concentrating on current 12" vinyl and digital releases. I suspect the recent popularity of small label vinyl is booming because more people desire to have their favorite songs today on something besides an iPod. People don't look back and say to each other, "hey check out this .zip file I got back in 2002."

The D.D.R. brand is classy, but ghetto and on a shoestring budget. Artistically, our vision is to put out tasteful, exciting, modern extrapolations on classic dance genres.

Our next release is a new single we're working on with Nomi from Hercules & Love Affair. Like we did with Kathy Diamond, we're taking Nomi in a somewhat different, unexpected direction than what she's done previously.

And tell me a little about the Kathy Diamond collaboration for "Fire." How did you hook up with her and what was her involvement in the song-writing process?

One of my best friends, Brian from the Beat Electric blog, gave me a promo copy of her debut full-length, Miss Diamond To You, and was like, "I know you. You have to hear this girl!" He was right, because her voice was one of the best thing's I had ever heard. Very few artists today move me like Kathy. I couldn't stop listening to it. I tracked her down immediately and asked if she'd be interested in working together. She took a listen to some Codebreaker stuff and really liked it and that was that. That's what was so beautiful to me about it: you take away all the hype, the names, the who's who... and it just came down to the fact that we're both genuinely fans of each other's work.

So Sage and I worked out a piece of music with her in mind. We really wanted to take Kathy in a raw, funky, commanding direction. I suspected that if we did so, she would own it. Well, when she sent the vocals back to us we were like, "damn, oh my god, it's perfect!" Her writing instincts are so on point.

Kathy is such a class act, such a sweetheart... and it seems to show in everything she touches. It's perfect that she's apart of D.D.R.'s debut release.

Codebreaker MySpace

Disco Demolition Records MySpace