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News
Reviews
Festivals
Listen
Feature
Charts
Credits
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December 21 - January 3
Earplug is a twice-monthly email magazine, delivering a handpicked selection of news,
sounds, videos, and original features to the international electronic-music community.
The end of the year in music is generally considered a time for taking stock, but we're too excited about 2007 to let the
season's slow release schedule mire us in backward glances. This issue, we bring tidings of a long-overdue series of boredom-allaying reissues, along with a report on Burnt Friedman's plans to expand his techno-jazz
platform next year. We also catch up with Dutch duo Arling and Cameron, who explain the historical grounding of their timeless avant-pop, and assess a new DVD series that aims to fill in electronic music's backstory one superstar at a time.
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The Ghostly International Company has several new offerings for the holiday season, including the Ghostly Box (a collection of exclusive merchandise and music)
and M/GM1 (a shareable MP3 compilation housed in a USB memory stick), as well as hand-crafted ties and shirts.
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Never Bored
Vice Records reissues six Boredoms records
In anticipation of the band's 20th anniversary, Vice Records is reissuing six historic records from Boredoms, the Japanese experimental group led by Yamantaka Eye. Of the records, all from the band's 1993-99 Super Roots series, only Super Roots 6 was available in the United States. Ranging from messy exuberance to drone maximalism, the series showcases Boredoms at their
most uncompromising, ranging from the 14-song blast (in 19 minutes) of Super Roots to the 64-minute-long "GO!!!!!" that comprises the entirety of Super Roots 5. Not included in the reissues is Super Roots 2, which was a bonus mini-CD offered to purchasers of Chocolate Synthesizer. (Also not included is Super Roots 4, which does not exist, since the numeral 4 is unlucky in Japan.) An eighth installment, Super Roots 9, is in the works, and the band is planning a Super Roots 10 box set to collect the entire series, including a 1998 video. (PS)
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Burn It Clean
Burnt Friedman readies busy 2007
Burnt Friedman, known for his solo work under his own name, as well as numerous collaborations with the likes of Atom Heart, David Sylvian, Can's Jaki Liebezeit, and jazz quartet Root 70, is one of electronic music's dark horses. A frequent figure in album credits, he's never gained much in the way of overground
acclaim — but a slew of projects in 2007 may change that. Friedman's own label, Nonplace, will reissue the first Flanger album, Templates, a collaboration with Atom Heart that appeared on Ninja Tune in 1998, with added bonus tracks and a Flanger remix of Japanese
artist Gak Sato. Also to be made available — redesigned, remastered, and with bonus tracks — are Friedman's solo records Con Ritmo and Plays Love Songs.
In January, David Sylvian's label Samadhisound will release the eight-track EP Money For All by Nine Horses, Sylvian and Friedman's group project, including three Friedman remixes of tracks from Snow Borne Sorrow, the band's 2005 album debut. A third collaboration with Liebezeit, a follow-up to the duo's two Secret Rhythms albums, is slated for late in the year. New solo work is also in the offing — the first since 2003's Can't Cool — which Friedman describes as "mostly vocal tracks" with an afro/funk/soul influence, featuring collaborators like Spacek
and Enik. Finally, Friedman will reunite with Root 70, which turned out 2006's masterful Heaps Dub, a round-robin game of jazz arrangements of his songs remixed by Friedman himself, for the Embassadors. The Embassadors project
comprises the four musicians from Root 70, plus Friedman and a full string ensemble; the album is slated for a May release. (PS)
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MORE HEADLINES
Topping the Pops
Goldfrapp, Depeche Mode, Thom Yorke nominated for Grammys more »
The Dean Is Dead, Long Live the Dean
Robert Christgau's "Consumer Guide" finds new home more »
Shooting Junior
Junior Boys announce video contest more »
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Artist: |
Black Devil Disco Club |
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| Title: |
28 After |
| Label: |
Lo Recordings |
| Release: |
December 1 |
When Rephlex reissued Black Devil's 1978 single "Disco Club" in 2004, the Italo-disco slab remained so rare that many thought
it a contemporary production, possibly by neo-disco trickster Luke Vibert. Now that the original French act has returned with
six unreleased tracks, the question is whether they date from 28 years ago, as the record's title suggests, or whether they're
fresh products of a retro imagination. The true vintage hardly matters; Black Devil's disco romps are so texturally inventive
and thick with hooks that they're well-nigh timeless. Early Depeche Mode arpeggios, Spaghetti Western whoops, wailing falsettos,
fake trombones, congas galore, and, of course, fat, buzzing analog synths slathered hither and thither: they all come together
for 32 minutes of absolutely gonzo Italo. Don't leave this one off your New Year's Eve playlist, if you want to party like
it's 1979. (PS)
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Artist: |
Martinez |
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| Title: |
Reconstructed Layers |
| Label: |
Out of Orbit |
| Release: |
December 1 |
Those who spend undue time unraveling the tracklist of Martinez's new mix CD for Copenhagen's Out of Orbit label are missing
the point; like recent mixes from Magda and Richie Hawtin, Reconstructed Layers takes advantage of a digital vantage point, looking beyond mixology's generally accepted binary of the "ones and twos" to
cut, splice, and layer dozens of tracks from the Danish label's catalogue into a rich, resounding, and sensationally seamless
mix. Taking in snippets of Trentemøller, Lowtek Soundsystem, Willie Graf, Jussi Pekka, himself, and still others, Martinez
maps out a 75-minute-long journey marked by technoid rhythms, tribal drumming, dusky deep house, aching melodies, and an acutely
jacking sensibility. Behind every detail there's another detail waiting to unfold, leaving ample inner space for exploring;
full to brimming, the mix nonetheless feels uncluttered. It's an expansive set piece that suits an invitingly wide array of
moods. (PS)
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Artist: |
Benoît Pioulard |
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| Title: |
Precis |
| Label: |
Kranky |
| Release: |
October 2006 |
Thomas Meluch's Benoît Pioulard project finds him melding his love for field sounds, reel-to-reel recordings, and the carefully
crafted, vintage electronic tones of Boards of Canada with a deep knowledge of folk and pop structure. The 22-year-old's rooting
in drone and ambient music leads off the album with "La Guerre de Sept Ans," a series of simple, tense guitar loops that build
into a wall of blissful static, then flow into "Together and Down," a melancholy seafarers' song. Like this poignant contrast
in styles, many songs beautifully combine textured electronic elements with live instrumentation to add depth to the songwriting.
On "Patter," gelatinous synthesizer tones seep into the spaces between acoustic guitar notes, while "Moth Wings" demonstrates
Meluch's mastery of nuance: simple piano tones are captured and processed through a tape delay, resulting in a crusted, antique
sound, like that of old vinyl recovered from the attic. (CJN)
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Artist: |
Various Artists |
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| Title: |
Blueprints |
| Label: |
12K |
| Release: |
November 2006 |
The 12K label favors a soft, crushed-velvet approach to minimalism, rejecting the strict, ascetic contours that usually define
the genre in favor of cross-pollination with post-rock and utilitarian electronica. This lands it close to the Kranky label,
and like that Chicago outpost, its releases sometimes hover near the polite or soporific. But Blueprints, a compilation introducing six new acts to the 12K roster, avoids that trap: from the sticky, gurgling buzz of Christmas
Decorations to the rich harmonic accumulation of Jodi Cave's "Untitled" or the sweet, muted melancholy of Australia's Seaworthy,
most everything here reflects a humbled, everyday sublime. (JD)
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MULTIMEDIA: DVD
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Artist:
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Richie Hawtin
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| Title: |
Pioneers of Electronic Music Vol. 1 |
| Label: |
Sense Music & Media |
| Release: |
November 21, 2006
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For the inaugural installment of its Pioneers of Electronic Music series, German DVD magazine Slices smartly turns to techno innovator and legendary Plus 8 co-founder Richie Hawtin. Bridging the first wave of Detroit techno
and credited as a strong evolutionary force behind its minimalist strains, Hawtin makes an intriguing subject for directors
Maren Sextro and Holger Wick. The pair take a page from Gary Bredow's Detroit techno documentary High Tech Soul and forgo cinematic abstractions in favor of a more straightforward look at a career that has now spanned almost two decades.
In front of the camera, Hawtin is a relaxed and thoughtful subject, and the film takes on an almost endearing tone as it balances
his undeniably geeky love of techno (and technology) with his family's influence on his career. Of the few negatives, Robin
Leach-like narration is the most cringe-inducing; yet, with surprisingly candid commentary from legends like John Acquaviva,
Derrick May, and "Mad" Mike Banks, and a truly awesome archive of unreleased photos and video, Pioneers Vol. 1 makes a fitting tribute to a man whose impact is felt not only in Detroit, but the world over. (SM)
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EARPLUG FAVES
Pantha du Prince
This Bliss
Dial
Sideshow
Sideshow
Aus
Martin Buttrich
"Well Done"
Four:Twenty
Partial Arts
"Trauermusik"
Kompakt
Jacopo Carreras
"Olanto"
Lan Muzic
Steinhoff & Hammouda/ Lawrence/DJ Swap
We Are Smallville
Smallville
Phon.o/Litwinenko
Big Beaver Rd. EP
Det.Und
Thom Yorke
"The Clock (Surgeon Remix)"
XL
Thomas Brinkmann
Klick Revolution
Max.Ernst
Adult.
Why Bother?
Thrill Jockey
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REVIEW: Blip Festival
November 30 - December 3
New York, NY
www.blipfestival.org
Video games have been a surprisingly fertile source of musical inspiration, as evidenced by bit-crunchers the Advantage and generations of demo musicians. New York's first Blip Festival assembled more than 30 musicians and audio artists at the Tank in Tribeca for four days of reimagined and reconfigured computer and video-game music. Here, obviously, the emphasis was
on the blip: most featured musicians worked from 8-bit consoles such as the old NES, Sega Master System, and other stars of the era.
(Atari ST dance music anyone?) Over the festival's four installments, a worldwide roster gave performances ranging from the pedestrian
to the frankly amazing. Apart from the big names of the genre (Cory Arcangel, Glomag), the festival's most interesting acts came from the lesser-known corners of the community. Hally, a DJ from Japan,
performed a breathtaking audio/video set that involved beat-matching two Super Nintendo units. Mark DeNardo played original, robot-obsessed music on a Game Boy emulator for PSP that was accompanied by acoustic guitar and vocals.
Despite the sometimes-cloying cuteness that can accompany video-game music, the most fascinating atmospheric element that
pervaded the festival was the DIY-ness of it all: using vintage consumer electronics that have been technologically superceded
multiple times, artists from four continents have created original music that is danceable, intelligent, and, yes, quite listenable. (NU)
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Feedelity Recordings Presents Lindstrom Live (stream)
2006 has been Lindstrom's year. This live set shows why, as the Norwegian disco wonder knocks out 90 minutes of turgid, lurching
space funk.
 LISTEN |
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Samadhisound Podcast #1 (podcast)
David Sylvian's Samadhisound label is truly a sound for sore ears. Its inaugural podcast is a gentle blur of burred textures
(acoustic guitar, glitch, chamber strings) from Sylvian, Harold Budd, Derek Bailey, and Nine Horses.
LISTEN |
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The Stones Throw Holiday Mix (podcast)
Our tolerance for holiday music runs shorter than eggnog's shelf life, but it's hard to be mad at Peanut Butter Wolf's soulful
approach to funkmas cheer, which runs from Lou Rawls to Caetano Veloso, Beat Happening to Esquivel (of course).
LISTEN |
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Joachim Spieth: Studio Mix 2006.12.10 (stream)
Kompakt stalwart Joachim Spieth turns in a tight little hour-long mix from his studio in Stuttgart, displaying the chunkier
side of the Cologne sound (Nass, Gabriel Ananda) and debuting his new release for Paso.
LISTEN |
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¡Blogaritmos! 11: Another Crunk Genealogy (mp3)
Wayne and Wax's latest excavation of the music of the African diaspora is a masterpiece of structural analysis (and Ableton
trickery), spanning Jelly Roll Morton, Lenky, Mannie Fresh, Pharrell, Pitbull, and much, much more.
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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So Post-Everything, They're Not Even a Band
Arling & Cameron's Hi-Fi Fantasias
In the early '90s, Amsterdam's libertine spirit fueled Gerry Arling and Richard Cameron's pan-sonic Easy Tune parties. For the better part of a decade, these intrepid musicologists — wry humorists, multimedia
conceptualists, chronic collaborators — and their salon-turned-band successfully pushed a world-party agenda. Then, filmmaker
Theo van Gogh was murdered, a cartoon sparked riots, and, while promoting their last studio album, We Are A&C, a tour-bus accident injured Cameron's back shortly after 9/11. Five years on, they drop Hi-Fi Underground, a CD that defines their career and times. Earplug's Jorge Hernandez caught up with Cameron to talk about their music of
changes.
EP: Is Amsterdam still a fairytale place?
RC: No, although it still looks like a fairytale. The mood changed dramatically in the late '90s. I moved to Berlin partly because
of that. "Shake It" was written during the cartoon riots. Before the van Gogh murder there was Pim Fortuyn [the Dutch politician
assassinated in 2002] — the first political murder in 400 years in Holland! The country hasn't been the same since.
EP: Last time you were cheeky, horny holograms. This time, you're new-romantic dandies.
keep reading »
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MORE FEATURES
Hit Parade at Low Volume
David Toop on small sounds more »
Dishing Dirt
Deep Dish's Sharam: cowboy conservative more »
Stone Soup
LA's Stones Throw keeps hip-hop lively more »
Look Back in Wonder
The year in retrospectives 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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Martinez
(Audiomatique)
Copenhagen, Denmark
www.martinez.kluster.org
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- Fraktion, "Nebokki"
(Resopal)
- Extraproductionen,
"Subgreen (Arto's Saapgreen Mix)"
(Brontosaurus)
- Martinez, "Echochamber"
(Audiomatique)
- Each,
"Sunrise (Minilogue Remix)"
(Out of Orbit)
- Anja Schneider & Sebo K, "Side Leaps (Magda Remix)"
(Mobilee)
- Matt Star, "Rocket"
(Weave Music)
- Loco Dice,
"Carthago (Martinez Edit)"
(white label)
- Robert Babicz,
"Sin"
(white label)
- Mr. Funk,
"Get You Down (Loco Dice Remix)"
(Klang)
- Martin Buttrich, "Cloudy Bay"
(Poker Flat)
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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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