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News
Reviews
Events
Listen
Feature
Charts
Credits
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October 23 - November 4
Earplug is a twice-monthly email magazine, delivering a handpicked selection of news, sounds, videos, and original features
to the international electronic-music community.
"We didn't want to sound like ESG and Can all the time," Tussle's Nathan Burazer tells Pat Sisson in this issue's feature on the Bay Area rhythm addicts. "We wanted to do something more nimble, something that was more fluid." Nimble, if not necessarily
fluid, also describes the music of Max Tundra, who lays out a scintillating list of the influences behind his one-of-a-kind electro-pop in Charts. Tussle's progressive
penchant, meanwhile, is mirrored in Juana Molina's excellent new album, Un Dia, which finds the Argentine singer/songwriter sounding more confident and quietly virtuosic than ever. All that, plus we review
new records by Tobacco, Deadbeat, Greg Davis and Sebastien Roux, and a compilation cobbled together from bike parts. Also
keep an ear out for mixes and live sets by Chloé, Speedy J, and more, alongside a review of the Notwist in NYC and a real-life account of a giant bunny with enormous eyeballs.
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Chip Off the Old Block
Kranky co-founder launches FSS label
In late 2005, Kranky co-owner Bruce Adams sold off his shares in the label; it was "time for a change," he told Earplug. In late 2006, he started
work on FSS (FlingcoSoundSystem), a new subscription and download-focused label that debuted this fall. "It [reflects] my personal taste
in music," he explains. "Everything on Kranky had to be something both Joel [Leoschke] and I really liked." Listeners expecting the drifting swoons of Windy & Carl or the drizzle-streaked melodies of Labradford might
be surprised. So far, FSS is decidedly heavier, focusing on metal and noise-based music: early releases include a new record from Wrnlrd, the sort of lashing, pits-of-hell outfit that would find good company with Mouthus or latter-day Sightings. A reissue of the influential, "hideously overlooked" Gore record Mean Man's Dream is also in the works, and Cristal's FSS release, Re-Ups, operates under the John Wiese placate-and-slash dynamic, coming with a warning to keep one's "hand on the volume knob."
Interestingly, the Gore record is being released in physical form by Southern Lord. Digital releases are something Adams is very keen on, particularly for somewhat obscure reissues like Mean Man's Dream. He calls it "less risky" for both the label and the listener. Later this year, we'll see an FSS release from Interbellum,
and next year's highlights include an album from Chicago electro-acoustic trip Haptic and a sound-generating device Adams cryptically refers to as the "black box."
- Michael Byrne
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A New Spin on a Classic
Venerable house label reemerges and taps into back catalog
Famed house imprint Classic was reborn earlier this month in a sleeker digital form. Originally launched by house heavyweights Derrick Carter and Luke Solomon, the label is known for seminal mix albums and records by the likes of Isolée, Greenskeepers, and Tiefschwarz. This new incarnation comes after a period of reevaluation in the wake of digital distribution's slashing of industry economics.
"The time feels right, to be sure," said Solomon. "There's a whole new generation of kids into dance music and electronic
music. It's showing, in one regard, that Derrick and I are down with the kids, and also giving this whole new generation of
producers a chance to reinterpret the catalog."
According to Solomon, the reformed label will focus on remixes of the Classic back catalog instead of new material. The plan
is to release new remixes roughly every four weeks. Current and upcoming tracks include a Fabrice Lig remix of Rob Mello's "Critical" and "Chicago Dancefloor Voodoo," a rare Derrick Carter cut (recorded under the Transfusion alias) remixed by
the original artist. The main releases will be supplemented with free remixes (Mike Dixon's "House of Mouths" drops mid-November). Live dates with Solomon and Carter under the Classic banner are in the pipeline,
but not yet confirmed.
- Pat Sisson
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MORE HEADLINES
Budding Talent
Brian Eno releases iPhone app "Bloom" more »
World of Echoes
Arthur Russell doc Wild Combination due on DVD more »
Share and Share Alike
Musicians' resource SoundCloud opens to public more »
Exciter
Depeche Mode announce spring album more »
Anticipating Ezekiel Honig
New album out now more »
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Artist: |
Juana Molina |
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| Title: |
Un Dia |
| Label: |
Domino |
| Release: |
October 7 |
Argentinean singer, guitarist, and former comedienne Juana Molina is perpetually refining her craft. The latest pearl in an
already impressive discography, Un Dia finds new ways to seamlessly integrate gentle loops and layers. Sensitive and exact, the interlacing doesn't draw undue attention
to itself; instead, vocal echoes form subtly crisscrossing melodies, and electronic noodles curl subliminally around each
verse. There are razor slices of what might have been saxophone or organ parts, but, given the nature of the complex sound
fields, probably aren't. A song's mood will glide from soothing to inflamed, as Molina's nonchalantly tranquil tones make
dreamily phonetic repeats, sometimes hinting at an odd descendant of bossa nova. Light handclaps, acoustic-guitar slivers,
and upended electro wibbles decorate these songs, but Molina's relaxed vocal sigh is always central.
- Martin Longley
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Artist: |
Tobacco |
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| Title: |
Fucked Up Friends |
| Label: |
Anticon |
| Release: |
October 14 |
Like his work with psych-tinged noiseniks Black Moth Super Rainbow, Tobacco's solo debut evokes nostalgia for nostalgic sounds
— in this case, the warm acid tones and fuzzy analog mysticism of Boards of Canada. The signifiers are there — warbly flutes,
folksy backdrops, and backspun sound effects — but rather than floating a misty interpretation of an already hazy sound, Tobacco
adds a muscular, evil edge. Traversing the darker corners of BOC's druggy rural landscapes, he revs up the tempo on tracks
like "Hairy Candy" and drops heavier, juiced-up beats for "Truck Sweat" and "Gross Magik." On the more mechanical, driving
"Dirt," rapper Aesop Rock's guttural lyrics gel nicely. If BOC are childhood bliss borne out in a country cottage, Fucked Up Friends explores the more isolated, warped headspace in the backwoods.
- Pat Sisson
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Artist: |
Deadbeat |
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| Title: |
Roots and Wire |
| Label: |
Wagon Repair |
| Release: |
October 28 |
As a sample on his new album suggests, Berlin-via-Montreal producer Deadbeat is adept at stripping his sleek rhythms and solid
bass lines to "the skeleton of the music." Though his sounds are indeed massive, his music doesn't just fill out a room; it
animates the space, laying down hypnotic dub beats with Basic Channel-style rhythms, before giving everything a subtle, energizing
tweak. Tribal beats gradually simmer on "Grounation," until a wave of synths pushes them to the boiling point. "Deep Structure"
plays bubbly Detroit techno sounds against a mellow, clicking rhythm, and "Night Stepping" flirts with Metro Area-like sleekness,
as waves of bass eddy and flow. Suffice it to say, Deadbeat's deft, detailed touch brings a new, streamlined lightness to
dub techno.
- Pat Sisson
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Artist: |
Various |
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| Title: |
Bicycles Are Your Friends |
| Label: |
Peloton Musique |
| Release: |
October 21 |
The whir of spokes slicing air, crank and shaft rotation, the sprickity-sprock as chain catches teeth, torque coupling — who
says bicycles aren't sexy? For its inaugural release, rough-riding Seattleite Peloton Musique invited producers to use samples
of spoke plucks, bicycle-pump valves, brake compression, and hissing sprockets. Artful production shenanigans, chin-scratching
time signatures, and Kompakt-like romps abound on selections from heavyweights Markus Nikolai, Lusine, Jeff Samuel, Let's
Go Outside, and Twerk. Misha's "Knickabocka" is awash in sunshine, with uplifting pads and rhythmic clicks propelling the
track forward; Nordic Soul's "BMX Love Machine" evokes a BMX wet dream with minimal torsion, laser sounds, and polished vocoder
lyrics. The bonus CD ventures into experimental work, including a dubbed-out cover by Monsieur Leisure. Ultimately, Peloton's
nod to cycling and community produces a kinetic energy that promises to replenish even the most wary bike believers.
- Sara Jayne Crow
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Artist: |
Greg Davis & Sébastien Roux |
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| Title: |
Merveilles |
| Label: |
Ahornfelder |
| Release: |
October 7 |
On Merveilles, a collection of edits from a recent European and US tour, Greg Davis and Sébastien Roux mine far-flung territories, inviting
gentle Americana to creep in alongside airy field recordings, crunchy Merzbow scuzz, and blurred musique concrète. "London"
begins with a dockside stroll, as nautical bells and creaking wood undergo subtle digital treatment, only to eventually unify
in a glowing drone. The liquid theme returns during the final moments: wet boots slush through the peaceful hum of a downpour.
On "San Francisco," Paquet Surprise's "I Am Waiting (for December)" turns up among an arrested Elvin Jones-ish solo of freeze-frame snare taps and interrupted
cymbal splashes. Pinched from Carlos Giffoni's playbook, "SF" breaks down in white static. The narrative arc of these live
performances makes for a more diverse and engaging Davis/Roux collaboration than their 2005 album, Paquet Surprise. If only this trans-Atlantic duo took to the streets more often.
- Marc Gilman
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The Residents
October 11
Blender Theater, New York
www.residents.com
One can only imagine what thoughts lurk within the giant eyeballs of the Residents. While they've been releasing bizarre conceptual pop records for nigh on four decades, the San Franciscans have rigorously
protected their inscrutable anonymity. At this point, they seem unlikely to relent with a Kiss-style revelation.
Though they're electronic pioneers (after a fashion), the Residents rarely tour: mostly, they dwell behind the facade of Ralph Records and the Cryptic Corporation, their managerial link to the outside world. Periodically, though, they do meet their public,
usually when they have a theatrical production to unveil. The group's new production centers around The Bunny Boy album and its accompanying Internet video series. The disc begins by employing a digital palette, but in concert, the Residents
bring analogue relics out of storage. This show gives them an opportunity to forsake eyeballs in favor of pert rabbit ears
(that sometimes go floppy), their visages hidden under black masks with illuminated peepers. They're clad in subtly spangly
tuxedos, with big bunny neck-bows — tights clinging to legs that look younger than expected.
The narrative is skimpy to say the least. The titular rabbit is no boy, but a shambling greybeard loner (a contemporary of
the Residents themselves). He's lost his brother Harvey (just think of the 1950 Jimmy Stewart movie), and appears to be suffering from a particularly hyperactive form of paranoid dementia, stomping around the stage as he
shouts in distress. An ongoing monologue centering on his plight drives the two-part show. The Bunny Boy's hectoring is amplified
above the music, but his lumbering, rigid-armed body language becomes oddly compulsive. He moves around the stage like a much
younger man, shedding his cape in favor of a full bunny outfit for the second half. In something of a performance first, the
Boy takes a midpoint onstage nap among his collection of stuffed longears.
The music resonates, as the four play keyboards, guitar, and drum pads housed inside a plastic metal-strutted tent-bulb (much
like a wedding combo gone wrong). Could the Bunny Boy himself be the only surviving Resident? This creature's whining, deadpan
tones do seem similar to the band's signature vocals. Then again, one of the keyboardists also provides live vocals. Does
it matter? The music retains a stripped-down, toytown danger, full of clumping rhythms, dinky repeats, and scabrous guitar
melodies. Snakefinger, the band's original guitar collaborator, passed on in 1987, but the present axeman succeeds in evoking a similarly nasal
bleed. Some of the mainly uptempo songs might just nestle in the classic canon, particularly "Boxes Of Armageddon" and "Blood
on the Bunny." Still, while this production is certainly vital, would it be insensitive to suggest that the Residents could
easily carry a straight musical gig, shorn of the theatrical trappings?
- Martin Longley
The Notwist
October 13
Webster Hall, New York
www.notwist.com
On this year's The Devil, You + Me, the Notwist emerged from a Trent Reznor-like hiatus, spit-shining the surface of new-millennium classic Neon Golden with fragile vocals and shimmering electronic static. Like a more experimentally inclined Postal Service or a vamped-up Death
Cab for Cutie, the record was at once emotionally resonant and detached, attacking the inner life with cool reminiscence rather
than overbearing nostalgia. Of course, for all its aesthetic and conceptual similarities, there was one striking difference:
The Devil, You + Me is only very barely an electronic album.
So, count it a happy surprise that the increasingly indie-oriented outfit hit New York's Webster Hall packing a vast array of shiny instruments, inscrutably complicated synths, and glowing touch-pads. Fleshed out to a five-piece,
the band was consumed by heavy textures and lush, full-bodied tones. Pushing the Hall's speakers to their limit, heavy crackles
oscillated over unbelievably resonant bass notes — a less speedy take on the kind of thick thump championed by audiophile
dance DJs and sound aesthetes.
Spectacled and green-tee'd, singer Markus Acher struck the pose of confessional singer/songwriter, laying his vocals delicately
into the mic. In more quiet moments, his welcoming croon reminded us that, until you trot out the toys, the Notwist's songs
are confessional dirges — simple, melody-driven tunes steeped in indie rock.
As the band methodically worked its way through its last two albums — hitting high points like "Neon Golden, "Pick Up the
Phone," and "Gloomy Planets" — its MO became clear: kick off in introverted style and slowly, methodically drive into a maelstrom
of complex electronics. In more energetic moments, Acher stepped out of his shoegaze stance, shaking his guitar in sheets
of heavy skronk. Behind long, matted hair, programmer Martin Gretschmann joined him, whipping his sequencers with a pair of
Wii remote controls (imagine a glow-stick candy kid whose hands are actually in control of the action).
The band peaked with a devilishly dissonant "Gravity" before ending its set with the softer caress of "The Devil, You + Me."
Called back for two encores, it tried to scuffle off with the mid-tempo groove of "Good Lies" before finally closing things
out with "Gone Gone Gone." An apt choice to end a show, but let's hope that's all it is.
- Andrew Phillips
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Derek Plaslaiko, All Things Matthew Dear (MP3)
Whether playing a wedding party in Portland, OR, or putting together special projects like this, Derek Plaslaiko is good to
his friends. Here, he offers an audio portrait of Matthew Dear consisting entirely of Dear, Audion, and False tracks and remixes.
 LISTEN |
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Chloé: Catalunya Calling (stream)
Appearing at Red Bull Music Academy Barcelona, Paris' Chloé (Kill the DJ) drops a slow, sexy, sidewinding live set as only
she can.
LISTEN |
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Speedy J: DJ Mix August 2008 (MP3)
As a teaser for an ambitious new collaborative project he'll announce at month's end, techno veteran Speedy J turns in an
hour of pumping, thumping techno, colored a thousand shades of silver and grey.
LISTEN |
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Spandex: The Sleep Debt Special, Part 3 (MP3)
If you're looking for something a little more lively than the bog-standard boompty, try this live set from Hand on the Plow's
Spandex. Recorded at Cristian Vogel's Sleep Debt party in London, it's an hour of acid and wonky, off-kilter beats.
LISTEN |
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Solomun: LWE Podcast 08 (MP3)
As smooth and radiant as a polished apple, Solomun's hourlong mix for the Little White Earbuds blog is a great summation of
his label Diynamic's crisp, colorful style. Check for the Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band sample, better known from M.I.A.'s
"Sunshowers."
LISTEN |
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WATCH
Le Le, "Breakfast"
watch »
The Cool Kids, "Delivery Man"
watch »
Benoit Pioulard, "Ragged Tint"
watch »
Baby Kites & Nokea, "Reef"
watch »
H.O.S.H., "Underground TV Show 7"
watch »
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Tussle Fight Clean
SF group moves from dub wrestling to Cream Cuts
Planes of bright green figures on an Atari-like landscape of oscillating lines, vectors, and grids — these are the sorts of images that accompany performances by San
Francisco's Tussle. It's an appropriate set of visuals for a band that creates taut, bewitching rhythms. And, with a recent series of personnel
shifts — original members Nathan Burazer and drummer Jonathan Holland are now joined by fellow drummer Warren Huegel and bassist
Tomo Yasuda — Tussle have added another dimension, taking their music into free-ranging, cosmic arenas. It's fitting, then,
that the band wanted to release its new album, Cream Cuts, on August 8, 2008, in honor of a certain sacrosanct Roland product. Earplug's Patrick Sisson phoned knob twiddler Nathan Burazer to talk about music's collective call, looking over
the shoulders of giants, and how making music is like the plastic arts.
Earplug: You have an art background and often perform in galleries. What is proper gallery etiquette, and how do you score a lot of
free wine?
Nathan Burazer: For us, there is no etiquette. The wine just comes, you put up your glass and they fill it up, and you do your thing and be
yourself. You need to put your pinky out a bit while drinking your wine and occasionally go to the bathroom to make sure your
beret looks OK.
EP: The music on Cream Cuts sounds more flexible than on previous albums. In addition to the lineup switch, how has the songwriting process changed?
NB: It was interesting. We came out of the lineup change and were like, shit, we have to write new songs. And a lot of the songs
came out of samples that we had, things I had kept around from touring that we took into the studio. Over the span of two
years, we added some overdubs and had a lot of back and forth. It was actually a lot like painting. Erase, paint some, sit
back, look at it a couple of months later, add something, and then take it out.
EP: You started working on the album in November 2006, so you had a lot of time to revisit the tracks.
keep reading »
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MORE FEATURES
Muezzins, Griots, and Ciphers
Jace Clayton unpacks Islamic hip-hop more »
Let's Go Crazy
Lawrence Lessig takes copyright to task more »
Beating a Dead Horse
The Guardian pronounces minimal dead (and reborn) more »
Lykke Li, MGMT, and... Cabaret Voltaire?
Fashion Week's runway playlists more »
Burning Down French House
dOP bring a fresh perspective to club music more »
A-Trak's Fast Track
Around the world with a blogging DJ more »
Pacific Coast Highway
Hatchback opens the sunroof more »
From the Bay to LA
Anticon grows up, moves south 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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Baroque pop with a serious case of attention-deficit disorder, Max Tundra's third album, Parallax Error Beheads You, sounds a little like Eric Matthews remixed by the Rephlex roster. Or the Postal Service covering Prince. Or none of the above. "I can't compare this record to any record I've ever
heard before," said Final Fantasy's Owen Pallett. "Even Max's previous records are a distant echo. It is dance music; it is discourse; it is teen sex comedy...
It is shock and awe. Listen and be humbled." Strangely enough, that description hits the nail pretty squarely on the head
(despite the fact that Tundra's nails tend to be about as steady as Whack-a-Moles). Perhaps stranger still, Tundra's music
starts making more sense when you read this exclusive list of his avant-pop favorites. Parallax, already out in the UK, arrives in the US on November 18.
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- Dominique Leone, "Nellie McKay" (unreleased)
His EP is magic too, but this unreleased track about the animal-loving ukuleleist confirms that the lost chord is actually
a sequence of chords — any one of which would have Ben Folds weeping into his manuscript paper, but which, when massed together,
comprise quite the sky-shaking anthem.
- Jensen Sportag, "Cocktease" (self-released)
Painstaking pop perfection from the thinking man's Chromeo. "Complicated" had sex with "sleek" and this baby plopped out.
- Andrew W.K., "You Will Remember Tonight" (Dope Entertainment)
Only discovered this guy about a century after that "bloody nose" photo, so imagine my surprise when I realized that the all-time
cure for any sadness turned out to be written by some dude the NME hyped way back then. "You Will Remember Tonight" — that's an order.
- Harry Merry, "Bye Bye!" (Tocado)
Turns out I enjoy weird chord progressions.
- Milt Herth, "Swamp Fire" (Fastforward)
Brooding, simmering, crackling old atmospheric instrumental potboiler, which would probably have some wobbling skeletons and
red smoky lighting in the video if it had been recorded today as opposed to 50-odd years ago.
- Ben Butler and Mouse Pad, "Brand New Theme" (unreleased)
Hopefully, if everyone hears this track, laptop musicians will realize there's more to life than trying to ape Autechre's
Amber, and documentary makers will stop being so smug about punk "killing" prog. And then we'll all join hands and strut to this.
- Daft Punk, "Digital Love" (Virgin)
Holy crap, I wish I'd written this one.
- Bill Nelson, "Hope for the Heartbeat" (Mercury)
Gorgeously produced, nervy toe-tapper. Sounds monumental in headphones.
- 10cc, "Clockwork Creep" (EMI)
Like a 4/4 Mr. Bungle, this journey through several queasy genres should be forced onto the playlists of easy-listening radio
stations that think this mighty band's oeuvre starts and ends with the admittedly superb (but hideously overplayed) "I'm Not
in Love."
- Human Chain, "Lucky" (EG)
Pipe-organ euphoria from the most eclectic, inexplicable album I ever heard.
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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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