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News
Reviews
Festivals
Listen
Feature
Charts
Credits
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December 7 - 20
Earplug is a twice-monthly email magazine, delivering a handpicked selection of news,
sounds, videos, and original features to the international electronic-music community.
This issue marks a slight format shift for Earplug: we're moving our DVD and multimedia reviews from the section formerly
known as Watch to a new, dedicated space within the Reviews section. The former More Video sidebar, meanwhile, has officially co-opted the Watch name. This means two things: one, we'll now be reviewing DVDs and a/v material in every single issue, giving your hungry
eyes even more to devour; two, we'll be running our Feature section in every issue as well, thus doubling the amount of attention we can lavish on our favorite artists, labels, and
scenes. Think we've neglected someone or something in our coverage of the electronic-music world? Send us an email via our
handy feedback link!
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INTRODUCING THE ALL-NEW EDGE.
BOLD STAYS SHARP.
With bold design and flexibility, sporty handling and energetic performance, the all-new Ford Edge crossover will provide you with an invigorating driving experience. Every Edge has a best-in-class* 265-hp V6 engine and
a multi-link suspension for a responsive sports sedan-like driving experience. The available class-exclusive Vista Roof™ provides
you and your passengers with a breathtaking view of the sky above.
*Class is medium crossover vehicles with standard 6-cylinder engine.
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Music of Changes
4hero to release new album
Pioneering British duo 4hero have announced the February release of their fifth album, Play with the Changes. The record, their first in six years, will see 4hero's longstanding core of Dego McFarlane and Marc Mac collaborating with
an array of contributors including Ursula Rucker, Lady Alma, Jody Watley, and broken-beat compatriots Bembe Segue and Kaidi Tatham. Founded in 1989, 4hero first garnered acclaim for their rave anthem "Mr. Kirk's Nightmare," and their label Reinforced served as a crucial force in the evolution of breakbeat hardcore into jungle and drum 'n bass. Since the late '90s, 4hero
have focused on fusing breakbeat forms with classic African American soul, helping to establish the "West London sound" of
broken beat in the process and netting them a Mercury Prize nomination for 1998's Two Pages. Milan Records will release Changes in North America on February 27, 2007. (PS)
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MORE HEADLINES
A Little Night Music
Chateau Flight score Les Vampyres more »
Anti Up
Anti label signs Antibalas more »
Virtually Raving
Scumfrog opens club in Second Life more »
Deck the Streets
Unsilent Night expands for 2006 more »
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Artist: |
Tommy Guerrero |
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| Album: |
From the Soil to the Soul |
| Label: |
Quannum |
| Release: |
October 10 |
Tommy Guerrero is California. For an aging generation of retired skateboarders, urban hippies, and downtempo-funk enthusiasts, few people personify
the West Coast aesthetic quite like the former Bones Brigadier. Constantly in motion, Guerrero moves over to DJ Shadow's Quannum
imprint to continue his pursuit of the perfect dusty groove. Not unlike a memorable wave or a storied concrete embankment,
Guerrero's notion of musical perfection isn't about flawlessness. Instead, as From the Soil to the Soul perfectly conveys, he finds it in fallibility. From the demure chords of the album's prologue to the urgent clamor of its
close, the San Francisco native updates the breakbeat blues for the digital age with poignant instrumental missives on overseas
conflict ("War No More") and violence here at home ("No Guns More Glory"). As expected, it all adds up to a mellow, dawn-or-dusk
listen. (SM)
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Artist: |
Bulgur Brothers |
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| Album: |
Smoothie Man |
| Label: |
Sunset Diskos |
| Release: |
November 7 |
Mikael Stavöstrand, Andreas Tilliander, and Johan Skugge were once known for their minute, almost antiseptic approaches to
electronic music, but as the "tech-house boy band" Bulgur Brothers, white space gives way to white hot. Crunching, percussive
grooves play out beneath psychedelic flights of fancy that might meet the approval of even Arthur mag, and lab-coat precision meets junkyard funk in a tussle that's as spirited as it is infectious. Every bar is crammed
with detail and every beat is caked with grit, but their grooves are never anything less than powerfully, even scarily, efficient.
In the vein of Fuckpony, Matt John, and the Mental Groove crew, Bulgur Brothers are bringing the soul back to minimal, one
outrageous freakout at a time. (PS)
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Artist: |
Plus Device |
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| Album: |
Puncture |
| Label: |
Hefty |
| Release: |
November 14 |
The album artwork screams "electroclash" (or worse, "Ibiza"), but Plus Device's full-length debut is anything but; it's really
a throwback to classic, ass-shaking electro-tech, crafted by a mystery artist (or duo) who prefers to remain anonymous. Those
who love Detroit booty bass will devour the snaps and ragged synth sounds of "Sexual Harassment" (as well as lyrics like "Bitch
get me hot/right from the spot"). There's the occasional twinge of Italo, but tracks like "Public Transport" and "My, to Make
You Feel" are grounded in Chicago acid. (In fact this is the most acidic album ever released by Chi-town's Hefty label.) Puncture is a must for anyone who misses the sounds that helped define the electronic legacy of Chicago and Detroit, and a great educational
tool for those too young (or too far gone) to remember at all. (MH)
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Artist: |
Stephen Beaupré |
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| Album: |
Foe Destroyer |
| Label: |
Mutek_Rec/Musique Risquée |
| Release: |
August 22 |
Stephen Beaupré surprises on his debut solo album, forsaking much of the madcap energy that marks Crackhaus (his duo with
Scott Monteith, aka Deadbeat) to explore subtler constructions and moodier atmospheres. Restrained and not a little ominous,
Foe Destroyer folds the micro-sampled vox that were Akufen's gift to his Montreal colleagues into a supple fabric of augmented jazz chords,
melancholic guitars, and soundtrack-style flourishes. It's hardly self-indulgent, though: he still makes use of soggy-bottom
blues samples and Latin impulses, but even the brightest moments here seem tarnished with smudges of doubt. Like My My's recent
Songs for the Gentle, Beaupré's album is a reminder that there's plenty of room for lyricism in contemporary house music, even at its most abstract. (PS)
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MULTIMEDIA
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Artist: |
Coldcut |
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| Album: |
Sound Mirrors Videos and Remixes |
| Label: |
Ninja Tune |
| Release: |
October 30 |
To accomplished ninjas like Coldcut's Jon More and Matt Black, the best line of defense is often the illusion of invisibility.
They've toiled in shadows for more than two decades, perfecting a cut-and-paste aesthetic that has influenced countless DJs
and producers. But it was 1997's "Timber" — a historic collaboration with labelmates Hexstatic — that opened the door of possibilities
for VJs and positioned Ninja Tune at the forefront of the nascent indie a/v revolution. A decade later, Sound Mirrors, a two-disc accompaniment to Coldcut's newest LP of the same name, addresses the stale commercialism of the music-video industry
by inviting guest directors like Clay Lipsky, Woof Wan-Bau, and Ocean Monsters to visually interpret each album track with
total creative freedom. The result is an incredibly successful tour through modern animation and illustration techniques —
not unlike the various remixes on the accompanying CD (featuring Spank Rock, Tiga, Henrik Schwarz and more). What holds it
all together is the supervision of its two sagacious guardians, who clearly trust the students they've conscientiously mentored.
(SM)
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Transmusicales
December 7-9
Rennes, France
www.lestrans.com
Brittany's Transmusicales festival has come a long way since its debut in 1978, when names like TVC 15 and Anche Too Doo Cool
Duo topped its marquee; since the '80s, the festival has served as a meeting point for all manner of rock, experimental, hip-hop,
and electronic music. This year's lineup continues the tradition, making use of multiple stages to vary the offerings. Some
of the programming might look a little schizophrenic — Nortec Collective, Klaxons, Cassius, and the Strokes' Albert Hammond Jr., all on one stage? Of course, lineups like that are often where the magic of festivals
really happens, like a particularly inspired iPod "shuffle" session. But for those looking for consistency, Saturday night's
mega-blast of DJ Mehdi, MSTRKRFT, Justice, and Digitalism should be the exact hobgoblin that headbangers are looking for. (PS)
LINEUP: Viva Voce, the Horrors, Pop Levi, Cat Power, Razorlight, I'm from Barcelona, Sierra Leone's Refugee Allstars, Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators, Serena Maneesh, Cold War Kids, the Long Blondes,
the Books, DJ Morpheus, Nortec Collective, Klaxons, Albert Hammond Jr., Cassius, Shy Child, CSS, Kaiser Chiefs, Kudu, Mickey Avalon, Juana Molina, Edu-K, DJ Mehdi, MSTRKRFT, Justice, Digitalism, and more.
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Alex !K7 & Joe Hot Chip: A GrecoRoman Mix (MP3)
Alex from !K7 and Joe from Hot Chip are the heart of GrecoRoman, a party whose mission is to shake booties from London to
Berlin and beyond. This hour-long mix of electro, funk, crunk, R&B, house, and new rave is so coconuts they might as well
call it "A MacaRoonan mix."
 LISTEN |
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Rob Schipke: U Can't Hide the Soul 4 Ever (stream)
London's Real Soon label offers the all-too-rare meeting point for classic deep house and contemporary minimalism. Rob Schipke,
of online shop Music Heart & Soul, takes listeners deep into the night with soulful cuts from Moodymann, Larry Heard, N'Dambi,
and more.
LISTEN |
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Eats Tapes: Super Self-Help Psych Out (MP3)
Oakland's Eats Tapes turn the third eye on the process behind their drum-machine jams with this psychedelic mix, touching
on Henry Flynt, La Monte Young, Popol Vuh, and points further out.
LISTEN |
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My My: Resident Advisor Podcast (MP3)
Berlin's My My produced one of the year's best long players with Songs for the Gentle, an inspired collection of deep house and dusky glitch. In this DJ set, they approximate the afterhours vibe of their legendary
parties at the Watergate club.
LISTEN |
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Luci: Live @ Dizzy (MP3)
Live from Montreal's Tuesday-night party Dizzy, MUTEK Records' Luci stir up some fidgety, multicolored fun; local mainstay
Mightykat opens up the two-hour recording with her signature deep-house sound. (Enter "soultek" for both login and password.)
LISTEN |
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Looking for more hot mix sets and fresh new tracks? Check out Blentwell for an ongoing document of the evolution of blended music
online.
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WATCH
Schneider TM, "The Slide" watch »
Melodium, "Flacana 05" watch »
I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, "The Owl" watch »
Leafcutter John, "Dreams I + II" watch »
Eglantine Gouzy, "Boamaster" watch »
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A Freakadelic Affair
Lindstrøm takes "space disco" way out
Norwegian producer, remixer, label owner, and musician Hans-Peter Lindstrøm was only introduced to dance music a few years ago. Raised on country & western, and involved with gospel choirs and rock
bands, the man known simply as Lindstrøm has quickly become one of the world's most in-demand remixers and is credited with
creating the current "space disco" revival. His independently released "I Feel Space" sold more than 17,000 copies, and he
now enjoys near cult-like status as a result of his collaborations with fellow Norwegian Prins Thomas and remixes for LCD Soundsystem, Franz Ferdinand, Roxy Music, and Chicken Lips. Earplug talked with the diligent jack-of-all-trades on the heels of his first full-length solo LP, It's a Feedelity Affair. (SM)
Earplug: For your first proper solo LP, you decided to stay local, working with Smalltown Supersound. You must have had larger labels courting you. Why did you go with them?
Lindstrøm: I chose to work independently because I want to continue working the way I've done since I started. I'm sure I'll sell far
less copies than on an established label, but numbers ain't everything. I don't believe that things would have been that different,
but after working on my own for many years now, it just doesn't feel right. Working with Smalltown is great, because [label
manager] Joakim lets me continue working the way I want.
EP: You've said in interviews that you rarely listen to new music, but your production has such a contemporary sound, it's a little hard to believe.
keep reading »
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MORE FEATURES
Beatz by the Pound
Tracks of the month more »
In with the Harps and the Moods
Joanna Newsom's Ys more »
The Best… Never Mind
Jace Clayton throws a wrench in the rock-crit machine more »
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Each week, Earplug sneaks a peek inside the crates of our favorite DJs. We'll even help you beef up your own bag: click on
selected titles to preview tracks, download MP3s, or purchase vinyl.
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Tetine
(Soul Jazz)
London, England
www.tetine.net
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- Planningtorock, "Changes" (Chicks on Speed)
- Sexo Explicito, Combustivel Para o Fogo (Eldorado)
- Bonde Das Bad Girls, "Mont Tcheca Tcheca Cheia de Sebo" (label unknown)
- Ellen Allien & Apparat, Orchestra of Bubbles
(BPitch Control)
- Paul B. Davis, Enter the Mystical Faggot EP
(Frank Wobbly & Sons)
- Arnaldo Baptista, Loki
(Philips)
- Antony & the Johnsons, I Am a Bird Now
(Secretly Canadian)
- Barbara Panther, "O'Captain"
(no label)
- Mick, Soy Pobre
(Nuevos Ricos)
- As Mercenarias, The Beginning of the End of the World
(Soul Jazz)
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About Us |
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Earplug is an email magazine dedicated to electronic music and
its many dynamic styles and influences. Published every two weeks, it features a handpicked
selection of music news, cultural spotlights, tip sheets, CD reviews, original reporting,
and music festival previews and reviews. Earplug offers only pure editorial and unbiased
news — no money is accepted from any artists, labels, promoters, or companies
seeking mention.
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Media Partnerships |
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Every other week, Earplug presents one exclusive media
partner. Click for more information about
advertising opportunities on Earplug and across all Flavorpill
publications.
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Cover Art |
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We have an open call to create the covers that run at the
top of each issue. If you would like to submit a design, please email us at design and we'll send you the necessary specs.
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Submissions/Feedback |
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Tell us what you think is exciting and worth including in Earplug by dropping us an email at tips. Writers interested in getting even more involved should reach us at contribute. To criticize, praise, or generally comment on this publication, please send an email
to feedback.
In addition to this twice-monthly digest of new electronic music, Flavorpill also publishes ten other email
magazines, covering ART, BOOKS, NEWS, FASHION, and cultural events in six cities — NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, SAN FRANCISCO, CHICAGO, MIAMI, and LONDON.
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