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September 11 - September 24
Earplug is a twice-monthly email magazine, delivering a handpicked selection of news, sounds, videos, and original features
to the international electronic-music community.
Sometimes, the best way forward is to loop back. That's the lesson provided by David Byrne and Brian Eno, whose new album revives a musical conversation they left hanging nearly 30 years ago. Krautrock and ambient pioneer Manuel Göttsching, meanwhile, made retrospection an even more literal imperative when he recently performed his landmark composition "E2-E4"
for an open-air audience at Lincoln Center. Reviewing the star-crossed (or rain-soaked, anyway) performance, Piotr Orlov details
the way that the musician's loops and cycles closed the circuit between the present day and key moments in the history of
the avant-garde, disco, and rave. Looking both to the future and the past, the Bug has spent years refining his unique approach to dub and dancehall reggae; Earplug's Jesse Serwer catches up with the London
musician and finds him leapfrogging the status quo of both genres.
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Shackleton Closes the Coffin
New EP will be Skull Disco's last
Decorated with grisly skeletal scrawls, the aptly titled Soundboy's Suicide Note offers a final farewell to Skull Disco's 12-inch series with four new tracks from label proprietor Shackleton. "I think that it has run its course," he said. The
dubstep dissident had been holding onto the four tracks — "The Rope Tightens," a collaboration with Vengeance Tenfold, "But
the Branch Is Weak," "In the Void," and "Shortwave" — and waiting for a suitable release. Originally set to drop on August
29, it was temporarily held back, but is now available. All is not lost, of course: later this year, Skull Disco plans to
release a compilation CD of the label's 12-inch series, including remixes by T++, Bass Clef, Badawi, and Pole.
- Pat Sisson
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Sampling, Steroid Style
Composer Johannes Kreidler samples 70,200 sources
With the quick rise of Girl Talk, Negativland's Mark Hosler on the lecture circuit, and a series of recent Steinski reissues, artist response to copyright enforcement has taken an interesting turn. While legal problems have been somewhat
particular to the United States, whose licensing agencies are far more laborious and bureaucratic than their European counterparts,
clearing samples is still an issue across the ocean.
German avant-garde composer Johannes Kreidler is returning the fight to GEMA, the European counterpart to the United States' ASCAP and BMI. On September 12, Kreidler will
register 70,200 samples with GEMA for his 33 second piece "Product Placement." (That translates to roughly 2,127 samples a
second.) Yes, 70,200 samples massively compressed into a single 33-second piece does sound a bit like a radio "scan" button
on methamphetamines, but aesthetically, the composition is actually remarkable in its restraint — the last ten seconds or
so wind down in a resonant fizzle of unidentifiable composition. Still, his samples could mostly be considered raw electrical
information. As the piece's trailer declares, Kreidler's goal is to call attention to the unacknowledged (by licensing organizations,
anyhow) rift between sampling as a necessary creative endeavor and a tool for profit.
- Michael Byrne
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MORE HEADLINES
Stream Central
Juno launches new audio player more »
Part of the Weekend Never Dies
New film puts Soulwax on screen more »
Overtaking Love and Loss
Audika to release Arthur Russell demos more »
2-Step's Return
Get ready for The Roots of El-B more »
Monkeys Jog Too
Nike taps Simian Mobile Disco for "Original Run" more »
In Flux
Diynamic keep listeners on their toes more »
Back to the Cold Seas
Hector Zazou passes away at 60 more »
Sailing Away
Sorcerer and Hatchback team up as Windsurf more »
F2's Soul Futures
The Fader publishes digital-only special issue more »
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Artist: |
David Byrne and Brian Eno |
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| Title: |
Everything That Happens Will Happen Today |
| Label: |
Todomundo |
| Release: |
August 18 |
Released nearly three decades ago, Brian Eno and David Byrne's first collaboration, My Life in the Bush Of Ghosts, went out of its way to accentuate the rogue duo's experimental inclinations. The pair's high-profile follow-up, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, offers a stark counterpoint to that earlier record's impenetrability, embracing long-held pop archetypes. More evocative
of Byrne's recent solo work than Talking Heads-style experimentalism, songs like "Home," "The River," and "One Fine Day" are
awash in resonant, airy atmospheres, winding synths, and pillowy harmonies. Eno's production remains inimitably lush, but
where once there were whiffs of technical provocation, he now relies almost exclusively on a cushion of warm production flourishes.
While "Poor Boy" and "Strange Overtones" make real stabs at eclecticism, pushing things forward might not be the point. Everything That Happens isn't about shaking up an age that isn't their own; it's about proving that Eno and Byrne have aged better than pretty much
anyone else.
- Andrew Phillips
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Artist: |
Madlib the Beat Konducta |
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| Title: |
WLIB AM: King of the Wigflip |
| Label: |
BBE |
| Release: |
September 29 |
Alias-heavy, stylistically omnivorous producer Madlib jumps between beats and styles like a blunted lothario hopping beds.
While artists with such ADD-driven inclinations are often dismissed as radio-dial wanderers, WLIB:AM King of the Wigflip's silly, non-sequitur vocals coalesce into an inarguably glorious, if intentionally messy, transmission. A collage of R&B,
soul, and funk, the record incorporates the spiritual depth and otherworldly sounds Madlib has been folding into Beat Konducta
and Yesterday's New Quintet releases — from the punchy brass and conga roll of "Blow the Horns on 'Em" to the sweet interstellar
coo of "Yo Yo Affair Pt. 1 & 2." However, the occasional weak guest spot makes a rumored reunion with Doom, especially after
the recent Madvillainy remix, more enticing; for all their virtues, these multi-dimensional beats deserve a crazy lyrical counterpart.
- Pat Sisson
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Artist: |
Fujiya & Miyagi |
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| Title: |
Lightbulbs |
| Label: |
Deaf Dumb & Blind |
| Release: |
September 9 |
Often mistaken for a Japanese duo, English popsters Fujiya & Miyagi recently added another member, taking their total up to
four. The addition doesn't noticeably alter the band's signature indie-dance sound, though, leading one to wonder if the newbie
was actually hired to help brainstorm polysyllabalic words for the group's nonsensical lyrics and titles ("Pterodactyls,"
"Pussyfooting," etc.). Barely singing above a whisper, vocalist David Best strings together imagistic mouthfuls like "Vanilla,
strawberry, knickerbocker glory" finding a playfulness in pronunciation that takes precedence over meaning. His incredibly
soothing voice makes Lighbulbs an almost danceable album, with abundant claps, chants, and chugging drums, surprisingly both mellow and melodic.
- Josh Sparber
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Artist: |
Koushik |
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| Title: |
Out My Window |
| Label: |
Stones Throw |
| Release: |
September 30 |
On his "official" debut, Koushik mines '60s psych and folk, producing staggered beats and melodies that are at once hazy and
refracted, like sunspots on a camera lens. Partly shaped by Koushik's voice, the mood is also dictated by the album's overall
pace — deliberate, contemplative beats occasionally bunch up and explode into something feverish and rapturous. Drenched in
echo, Koushik's breathy voice is otherworldly, brightening up sleepy grooves like "In a Green Smile" and "Coolin." Nothing
clicks quite like "Be With," an older single tacked onto the album, but, generally, that kind of summer-jam shuffle isn't
what he's after. Four Tet and Caribou have mined similar territory with enviable intensity, but Koushik's tracks are more
serene and fleeting, mixing smoky atmospherics with sunny harmonies.
- Pat Sisson
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Artist: |
Various |
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| Title: |
Total 9 |
| Label: |
Kompakt |
| Release: |
August 19 |
Deftly mingling atmospheric pop with grooving, moody dance aesthetics, 9 is an ace in Kompakt's excellent Total series. The second half of the two-disc comp tends more toward repetition and minimalism; standouts include Gui Boratto's
sublime, thickly textured echo chamber "Anunciacion," Robert Babicz's stripped-down, blood-red new-disco track "Don't Look
Back," and Freiland's thumping piano romp "Geduld." The first disc is considerably more melodic and pop friendly. Justus Koehncke
shows his morose side with a fairly ambient, Krautrock-nodding track ("No Thanks for the Add"), and Joerg Burger gets lighthearted
with "Modernism Begins at Home" — a dance-pop number ruled by a baritone vocal winkingly intoning, over and over, "I want
to kiss myself... I am the one and only dominator."
- Michael Byrne
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PREVIEW: Decibel Festival
September 25-28
Seattle, WA
www.dbfestival.com
An international-caliber event rooted in the under-appreciated Pacific Northwest dance scene, Decibel celebrates a particularly
sweet fifth anniversary this year. Techno luminary Carl Craig headlines this four-day visual arts, media, and music festival at various locations around Seattle, including an outdoor
stage at Volunteer Park. Eclecticism is a cardinal virtue here: the sonic variety encompasses the brute low-end salvos of
the Bug (with vocalist Warrior Queen in tow), Dixon's well of deep-house melodies, and the lilting tape loops and piano melodies of American composer William Basinski.
- Pat Sisson
LINEUP: Carl Craig, Deadmau5, Jahcoozi, the Bug feat. Warrior Queen, Supermayer, Flying Lotus, Dixon, Glitch Mob, Audion,
Barbara Morgenstern, [a]pendics.shuffle, Lusine, Derek Plaslaiko, Nalepa, Scott Pagano, William Basinski, and more.
REVIEW: Manuel Göttsching, "E2-E4"
Friday, August 15
Lincoln Center Out of Doors, New York
www.lincolncenter.org
The past wasn't the only thing haunting Lincoln Center's 800 Years of Minimalism program: the specter of rain also hung heavy
over a drenched Damrosch Park Bandshell. Despite being specifically commissioned for the occasion — part of the Out of Doors and Wordless Music-presented program — Rhys Chatham's "A Crimson Grail for 200 Guitarists — Outside Version" had to be canceled due to the weather.
As producers and stage-hands did their unsuccessful anti-rain dances and tentatively set up Manuel Göttsching's equipment for the American debut of "E2-E4" — a one-take composition recorded in 1981 that captured the imaginations of
some of the brightest talents of late-20th-century electronic dance music — it was hard not to see the moment through a historical
lens. Acquired recollections contextualized the evening's final impression. They also ended up illuminating its achievement.
For one, the Woodstock vibe was definitely in the house (August 15 marked the 39th anniversary of the hippie-fest and its
legendary downpours).
The live visuals behind Göttsching were created by Joshua White's Joshua Light Show, the in-house liquid-light setup at that other New York-area '60s grave marker, Bill Graham's Fillmore East. And Göttsching's
own nascent musical vision as founder of the Krautrock trio Ash Ra Tempel was partly formed by the LSD-fueled sonics of the era, with the guitar-centric latter half of "E2-E4" tying the music to
jams in the style of Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd.
keep reading »
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MORE EVENTS
Minitek
September 12-14
New York, NY
A Day in the Life
September 13
Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin, Ireland
ZXZW: Independent Culture
September 14-21
Tillburg, The Netherlands
The Warehouse Project
September 29 - January 1
Manchester, UK
Pop Montréal
October 1-5
Montréal, QC
This Is Not London Festival
October 3-25
London, UK
The Gestalt Festival
October 17-19
New York, NY
Amsterdam Dance Event
October 22-25
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
DEAF
October 22-27
Dublin, Ireland
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Nick Catchdubs & Mr. Ducker: Radio Friendly Unit Shifter (MP3)
Billed as "the ultimate '90s tape," this playlist runs like a particularly golden hour of satellite radio, exhuming L7, Primus,
Soul Coughing, and other buzz-bin stalwarts.
 LISTEN |
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The Martinez Brothers: Buzzin' Fly Promotional Mix (stream)
The Bronx's coolest pair of teenaged DJ siblings (as though there were any other!) go deep in this uptown tech-house session.
LISTEN |
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Jay Shepheard: Get the Curse Podcast 035 (MP3/stream)
The Compost Black Label mainstay graces Paris' Get the Curse with a mix of underground house hits from Move D, Henrik Schwarz,
Joris Voorn, and other leaders of the new (old) school.
LISTEN |
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Ty: Live in Strasbourg (stream)
Backed by a full live band, London soul-music maverick Ty drops clever wordplay over liquid funk and broken beats.
LISTEN |
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Philip Sherburne: Light in August Mix (MP3)
Earplug's own Philip Sherburne offers an hour-long session of easygoing house that wades breezily into the deep end, surveying
new tracks from JC Freaks and Vera alongside classics from Carl Craig and Mood II Swing.
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
Pitch Control
Richie Hawtin talks Traktor watch »
On the Road
Metronomy, "Heartbreaker" watch »
Can-Dub Spirit
Jaki Liebezeit and Burnt Friedman interviewed watch »
Down and Out in Toronto
Crystal Castles, "Crimewave" watch »
It's Even Loud on YouTube
My Bloody Valentine, "To Here Knows When" (Live in Japan) watch »
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Sting Like a Bee
The Bug continues his path through dancehall's most twisted extremes
Five years after unleashing industrial dancehall album Pressure (Rephlex/Tigerbeat6) on a mostly indifferent public, Kevin Martin (aka the Bug) offers an equally aggro take on Jamaican rhythms with London Zoo (Ninja Tune). This time, Martin seems to have struck a chord, particularly with fans of dubstep — a genre that barely existed
in 2003. (That it exists today may be partly due, in some circuitous fashion, to Martin's music.) In an interview with Earplug's
Jesse Serwer, Martin explains his uneasy relationship with dubstep, why he's not feeling new dancehall, and how he gets vocalists
to commit to his twisted rhythms.
Earplug: Your tracks are really extreme. Have you found dancehall vocalists take to that immediately, or do you need to do some convincing?
Kevin Martin: There's different approaches for different vocalists. Warrior Queen is really brave; I've given her the most fucked-up rhythms from day one. She realizes I'm trying to do my own thing, not
just aping Jamaican directions. But I worked with Cutty Ranks, and I thought, "There's no way he'll want the track that I'm gonna put him on." So I stripped it to the basics, he MC'ed
on it, and then I built it back up. He hated the final mix. I'm not trying to please everyone all the time. My name's on the
record, so I have to make sure I'm making tracks to the best of my abilities. I hate compromise in music, art, whatever.
EP: You were known previously for industrial projects like Techno Animal and God. What about dancehall appealed to you?
keep reading »
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MORE FEATURES
Mouse House
Deadmau5 keeps running more »
Riveting Music
Fact's 20 best industrial records more »
The Dudes Abide
The Wighnomy Brothers on weathering trends more »
Rewind + Nine
Michaelangelo Matos revisits '90s jungle more »
"The Rolling Stones of House"
The Chemical Brothers look back more »
String Theory
Textura's history of "classical fusions" more »
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Each issue, 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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Before he turned his attention to music full time, Switzerland-born, London-based producer/musician Radovan Scasascia was
an architect. As both AM/PM and Secondo, Scasascia has shown a mastery of structure, whether on releases for Soul Jazz or his own Dreck label. He's perhaps best known for soldering together unusual samples, often with a conceptual bent — The Ends, for instance, combined various records' final notes with the piledriving kick of house music. A disco devotee with seriously
deep crates, Scasascia took advantage of a recent move to present us with his chart, saying, "When you have to move house,
the prospect of having to carry all those records down the stairs can be daunting. But the rewarding side to it is unearthing
all those lost records while putting them in boxes. Here's some old and some not-so-old gems that I re-discovered while moving
flats."
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- Master C&J, "In the City" (State Street)
For some strange reason, this was mixed up with some early '90s techno records, so I completely forgot about it. It's an early
deep-house record from 1987; the bass line is incredible, and the dreamy melody is so lush yet melancholic at the same time.
The "Devil Mix" on the flip, with pitched-down vocals, is absolute bonkers.
- Whirlpool Productions, "Don't Stop" (Superstition)
I've always loved this rather quirky track, though it is difficult to place stylistically. It was released on Superstition,
which tended to cater to a more trance-minded audience, but for me, this Köhncke/Nieswandt/Clark co-production sits somewhere
between Chicago and Detroit and has nothing to do with trance.
- D.S., "Jack on the Groove" (F Communications)
This is a 1994 re-edit of Kikrokos' "Life's a Jungle," which had previously been re-edited and made famous by the late Ron
Hardy. More than just re-editing the original break, Ludovic Navarre added 909 drums and Chicago-style vocals and transformed
it into an incredibly jacking cut.
- Polmo Polpo, "Kiss Me Again and Again" (Intr_version)
This cover of Dinosaur L's "Kiss Me Again" is a hypnotic journey of slightly dissonant guitar loops that meander for over
20 minutes. Polmo Polpo's Sandro Perri is an extremely talented musician and I'm looking forward to hearing more soon.
- Clatterbox, "Jam Iced Fig" (Clear)
Just shows me that I need to pay more respect to those 10-inch records... I completely forgot how funky this mid-'90s electro
boogie track is.
- Plunky & The Oneness of Juju, "Every Way But Loose" (Sutra)
I bought this from a friend a couple of years ago and for some reason didn't really listen to it properly. It quickly got
buried between some disco records. But now I appreciate 100% why this is a classic Levan record.
- R Factors, "Upstream Sequences" (Touché)
I've not really forgotten about this. It has been popping up on my decks at least twice a year since I bought it back in 1994.
Touché founders Dobre and Jamez made a lot of good records in the mid-'90s, but this shuffley house number and their remix
of Carl Craig's "The Climax" must be my favorites.
- Sulky Pup, "Cardinal Numbers" (Ideal)
Until recently, I didn't even know that this was produced by Ewan Pearson. This record came out 12 years ago on Nathan G.
Wilkins' Ideal Trax, but it still sounds totally fresh to me.
- Glenn Underground, Atmosfear (Peacefrog)
A classic house album. No comments needed.
- Gaz Nevada, "I.C. Love Affair" (ZYX)
I've not listened to this in a while, as I haven't been playing much Italo disco for quite some time. I took it along to a
gig just after packing up all my records and realized how well this works when taken away from its Italo context and played
in a slow house set.
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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 twice-monthly,
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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Advertising Partners |
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Every other week, Earplug presents one exclusive advertising 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 publishes a series of online magazines, covering
ART, BOOKS, NEWS, and cultural events in NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, SAN FRANCISCO, CHICAGO, and LONDON. Coming soon: STYLE/DESIGN and FILM. Subscribe now.
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