Earplug


			FEBRUARY 5 - FEBRUARY 18 Earplug is a biweekly email magazine, delivering a handpicked selection of news, sounds, videos, and original features for the international electronic music community. There's something about winter's freeze and the inevitable long hours spent locked down indoors that makes listening to great music that much more essential. Fortunately, the first weeks of 2004 have already delivered some amazing new sounds to help keep our ears — and the speakers — warm. From Air's dreamy return-to-form Talkie Walkie and Savath & Savalas' Catalonian sun-kiss to the shimmering electro-soul of Chicago's Telefon Tel Aviv and the final, posthumous release from Christian Morgenstern, February offers up enough aural delights to turn subwoofers into space heaters.



	With its two-day industry summit, four days of poolside parties, five days of private networking, and a week of premier music events throughout South Beach, M3 Summit represents the culmination of the annual March music tradition. The single M3 Summit Pass gives you Miami 2004.



	When Worlds Collide Music and technology collided at last week's MIDEM music conference in Cannes, which this year highlighted the increasing co-dependency of the mobile phone, Internet, consumer electronics, and music worlds. But whether the relationships between these worlds can continue to develop depends much on the outcome of ongoing negotiations between rivals Apple and Microsoft to make their music formats and devices work together by 2005. And as breakdancers performed for the Pope last week in Rome, P2P file-swapping fires continued to rage across Europe with the announcement of a global crackdown on Internet filesharing, and an announcement that Napster's Shawn Fanning has been quietly working away at a Snocap'ed solution to finally bring P2P and record companies together. And mobile phone companies around the world gazed in horror last Friday at a Hollywood Records/Xingtone deal to provide ringtone music content straight to customers rather than through their cell phone providers. The digital music stage is carefully being set in 2004, with the promise of dramatic shifts in the near future. (CW)
	Online Change up This past week saw the loss of two online mainstays of the dance music world — the TrusttheDJ and Naughty Booth sites. TrusttheDj, after four years of providing an online forum for the DJ community and its fans and releasing 52 albums, saw its investors pull the plug for fear that the business may have been turning unprofitable. The operators of Naughty Booth, a source of dance music event listings and a popular international community forum (generating all together over 100,000 hits daily), closed the site to develop a new project with a similar focus — Rhythmism. But as these familiar old faces leave the online space, one quite familiar name seems to be stepping in. Jockey Slut youth culture and music magazine is undergoing a major retrenchment which will see it shift from a monthly to a quarterly and into a more online-oriented stance. Group Editor Rob Wood says, "The move is part of a major shake-up designed to boost the presence of Jockey Slut website and make the magazine's print deadlines tie in with the main music events of the year." The beefed-up website will be continuously updated and will feature revenue-generating areas for downloads and clothing sales. (CH)
	Dance Gets Its Own Hall of Fame The Dance Music Hall of Fame announced its inaugural list of inductee candidates last week at a press conference at MIDEM in Cannes, France. Much like its rock 'n roll counterpart, the DMHOF aims to recognize and honor those who have had a significant role in the ongoing evolution of dance music — artists, producers, remixers, songs, and DJs are eligible for induction 25 years after their first contribution or release. Kraftwerk, Donna Summer, the Bee Gees, and Barry White are among the nominated artists; Francis Grasso, Tee Scott, and Larry Levan are part of the DJ group. Nominated songs run the gamut from Manu Dibango's "Soul Makossa" to Cheryl Lynn's "Got To Be Real." The final choices will be made by more than 1000 invited members of an international voting committee, and three performers, three records, one producer, one remixer, and one DJ will be inducted at a formal dinner in New York this spring. Founding boardmembers of DMHOF include former Billboard editor Brian Chin, Artemis Records' Daniel Glass, and Tommy Boy chairman Tom Silverman; the advisory board includes DJs and artists like John "Jellybean" Benitez, Frankie Knuckles, and Louie Vega. (DJP)


	MORE HEADLINES Air Bags Packed US tour dates announced more » Too Funky? James Brown arrested more » Commercial Free Satellite radio competition heats up more » Not So Fast EU to probe Sony/BMG merger more » Ibiza Itch Holiday sex fuels disease fears more » The Tipping Point Roots finishing new album more » Crowded Field Yahoo jumping into download business more » Sigur Rós exclusives "Split Sides" tracks on iTunes only more » Court In Session P2P ruling back in court more » Into the Groove SF label goes exclusively online more » Going Up... Time Warner returns to profit more » And Coming Down Sony's earning drop more »


		Artist:	Christian Morgenstern
		Album:	Carolea
		Label:	Forte
		Release:	January 18
		Christian Morgenstern's recordings for labels like Kanzleramt and Konsequent mapped out some of the darkest spaces of electronic dance music. Carolea — left unfinished when Morgenstern died last year, at the age of 28, of a heart attack — sets aside hard techno for almost pop-oriented songcraft, but still makes its home in the black depths that Morgenstern preferred. The album opens with "How Come," a dissonant, downtempo track that explodes into something hungry and raw with every outburst of vocalist Gesa Schwietring. On the rollicking "Persian Voodoo," she cops Siouxsie's spectral, wailing command of the blues while Morgenstern bangs out electro-rock. Though Morgenstern never quite completed the album, it's no mere rough draft, and touches like the vibes and cello of the skanking "They Told Us" speak to his increasingly ambitious compositional reach. The final track, the dirgelike "Amen Choir," speaks for itself. (PS)
		Artist:	Telefon Tel Aviv
		Album:	Map Of What Is Effortless
		Label:	Hefty
		Release:	January 27
		Chicago duo Telefon Tel Aviv created quite a buzz with the crisp off-kilter beats and haunting, emotion-fueled melodies of their 2001 Hefty Records debut. Telefon's follow-up, the seductive and powerful Map Of What Is Effortless, reaffirms their production talents. Fans may be taken aback by the soulful new direction, with Telefon eschewing many of the experimental elements of Fahrenheit in favor of a warmer, more organic and song-oriented approach. Enlisting the help of several guest vocalists as well as a 30-piece chamber orchestra, Joshua Eustis and Charles Cooper carefully craft a unique listening experience with tracks like "I Lied" and "Bubble And Spike," relaxing R&B-fueled ballads offset by thin, stutterstep beats and background digital blurps. (TP)
		Artist:	Savath & Savalas
		Album:	Apropa't
		Label:	Warp
		Release:	January 27
		Scott Herren is on quite a run. Already armed with several impressive releases recorded under his other two monikers, Prefuse 73 and Delarosa + Asora, Herren returns with a new release as Savath & Savalas. Herren, living in Barcelona via Atlanta, collaborated with Catalan vocalist Eva Puyuelo Muns to create a stylish album emphasizing atmospherics and tender balladry. Markedly more understated than his Prefuse 73 material, Apropa't is gentle and melancholy, imbued with a clear reverence for Catalan- and Spanish-flavored music; glitches are smoothed over with elegant acoustic guitars, lush strings, and Muns' soothing, multi-tracked vocal harmonies. A windblown dusty sort of imagery pervades much of the record — particularly on tracks "Colores Sin Flores" and "Dejame." Quiet and subtle, Apropa't showcases yet another side to Herren's ever-growing oeuvre. (TP)
		Artist:	Layo & Bushwacka!
		Album:	All Night Long
		Label:	End Recordings
		Release:	March 9
		Layo & Bushwacka!'s eclectic artist albums never fit neatly into narrow genre definitions, so it's no surprise that their first mix CD ranges as widely as it does. Kicking off with the hip hop jazz-funk of "Vernors" from Carl Craig's Detroit Experiment, disc one seamlessly blends forgotten electro, happy hip hop, and acid classics with newer deep house tracks. The warm, poolside vibe of disc one shifts to a dark, sweaty, 4am club mood on disc two, venturing through tech-house tracks and progressive and Latin-tinged tribal tunes before peaking with the rockin' breaks of "Crazy 8" from Groove Armada's alter ego Pyromaniac Gardeners. By the time their mix ends, Layo & Bushwacka! have made their point: seemingly disparate styles of music can be brought together by the simple virtue of a rapturous groove. (CG)
		Artist:	Dani Siciliano
		Album:	Likes...
		Label:	!K7
		Release:	January 27
		A good deal of the appeal of Matthew Herbert's distinctively quirky body of work lies in the pliant, expressive voice of Dani Siciliano, whose vocals helped make Around the House and Bodily Functions into soulful electronic classics. Her debut album, Likes…, produced alongside Herbert, further establishes Siciliano's unmistakable artistry. Her voice's girlish qualities balance the dark, melancholic basslines that ground much of the album, especially its nine-minute opener, "Same," and the unlikely cover of Nirvana's "Come As You Are." Yet "Walk the Line," the album's first single, plays more like a tripped-out, computer-generated punk jam. In "Collaboration" and "Remember to Forget," the album's most sumptuous tracks, Siciliano ruptures the concert hall with atmospheric movements of grand, resonant chords that are punctured by brassy horns and — of course — her beguiling voice. (SR)
		Artist:	Air
		Album:	Talkie Walkie
		Label:	Astralwerks
		Release:	January 27
		Air's 1998 debut, Moon Safari, immediately established the French duo as a household name. Subsequent projects showed exceptional versatility, from their hazy score for Sophia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides to 2003's unusual spaghetti western collaboration with Alessandro Baricco. Air's new album, Talkie Walkie sees them ambitiously reinvent themselves once again with an intimate, idiosyncratic fusion of early new wave and romantic balladry. Dusted with analog keys, brushed with acoustic guitars, and kissed with flutes and treated vocals, the album's haunted as much by the Stranglers' spookiness and Nick Drake's melancholy as it is by Serge Gainsbourg's renegade sexuality. While not as accessible as Moon Safari, Talkie Walkie takes far more chances — and its rewards are all the more golden for it. (CK)
		Artist:	Calla
		Album:	Calla
		Label:	Arena Rock Recording Co
		Release:	January 20
		NYC-based trio Calla were the rare rocktronica act that began as a rocktronica act, rather than embracing it at a later stage. (Is your garage band's career nosediving into the drag-strip circuit? Hire a Dust Brother.) Then they rapidly evolved out of the genre: after their self-titled debut, originally released in 1999 on Sub Rosa and just reissued by Arena Rock with three bonus tracks, their next two albums abandoned their delicate balance of Morricone reverb and German glitch in favor of verse-chorus-verse song structures and fuzzboxes. When they were recording Calla, they had just moved to Brooklyn from Texas, and the tug between urban alienation and rural familiarity is palpable. "Only Drowning Men" pairs mournful organ drones with typewriter rhythms, and "Truth About Robots" alternates between static bursts and tumbleweed riffs. Calla never topped this amazing debut, but then again, few bands, working in any genre, have. (YS)
		Artist:	Raiders of the Lost ARP
		Album:	4
		Label:	Nature Records
		Release:	February 12
		Mario Pierro's alias Raiders of the Lost ARP is a misnomer that's still spot-on. On the one hand, the Italian producer (of Jolly Music and Mat101) is absolutely faithful to the classic synthesizer referenced in the name. But despite the tongue-in-cheek nature of the pun, there's nothing jokey about Pierro's tunes, which run from vintage electro to heartfelt, melodic techno. Fans of Peacefrog will find ample pleasures here, but lovers of electro and even IDM would do well to pay attention to RLA's immersive sound design and clever juxtapositions, which not only bring together Jan Hammer and Boards of Canada in a single bar, but actually make the pairing work. It's enough to make you want to take up archaeology. (PS)


	EARPLUG FAVES Erland Oye, DJ Kicks (K7!) Mocean Worker, Enter the Mowo (Hyena) Múm, Summer Make Good (Fatcat) Various Artists, Tracks For Horses (Melodic) Amp Fiddler, Waltz of a Ghetto Fly (Genuine) Dykehouse, Midrange (Ghostly) Stereolab, Margerine Eclipse (Elektra) Junior Jack, Trust It (Defected) Jon Delerious, No Warning (Nordic Trax) Various Artists, Famous When Dead III (Playhouse) I-F, Fucking Consumer (Disko B) Sondre Lerche, Two Way Monologue (Astralwerks) Funk D'Void, Volume Freak (Soma) Various Artists, Urban Renewal Program Supplement 1.5 (Chocolate Industries) Craig Richards, Fabric 15: Tyrant (Fabric) DJ Koze, All People Is My Friends (Kompakt) RJD2, Since We Last Spoke (Definitive Jux) Sluta Leta, Semi Paterson (Mego) Team Doyobi, Choose Your Own Adventure (Skam) Luciano, Blind Behaviour (Peacefrog) Various, Ai (Ai) Various, Advanced Public Listening: Analysis/One (Laboratory Instinct Research and Development)


	Preview: Coachella May 1-2 Indio, California Although the official lineup announcement won't be made until next week, this year's Coachella is already shaping up to be something special. The long-rumored and now confirmed first-day triple-threat of Radiohead, Kraftwerk, and the Pixies reunion is just part of what is shaping up two be a historic two-day bill — the Cure, Air, and Prefuse 73 are just some of the acts appearing on Sunday. And NME is already reporting additional confirmed acts including Bright Eyes, the Thrills, Moving Units, Turbonegro, Junior Senior, LCD Soundsystem, Wilco, and Dizzee Rascal. Now in its fifth year, Coachella has clearly established itself as North America's most exciting and forward-thinking festival, bringing together diverse, impeccable lineups in a postcard-perfect setting that allows for a truly pleasurable experience for all involved. On-site camping is available, and the surrounding area is dotted with golf-course condos available for weekend rentals, but this year's weekend is sure to be a sell-out, so even though tickets don't go on sale until Valentine's Day, don't sleep on making your plans to get there. (DJP)


	OTHER FESTIVALS Decibel Festival Seattle, WA September 23-26 Peace Not War Festival London, UK February 12-15


		Real Player required for these streams.
listen »		Mixmaster Morris, Teqnicolor Sound Ambient chill-out technition Mixmaster Morris creates a balanced mix of downbeat tunes to chill your ass out. Brought to your ear by the sonic warriors at samurai.fm.

listen »		Strictly Kev, Raiding the 20th Century Taking the title quite literally, Strictly Kev aka DJ Food feasts upon the sample fodder that was the 20th century and cuts up an audio documentary about the history of cut-ups, megamixes, bootlegs, or whatever you call them. Originally broadcast on XFM Remix London.

listen »		Sami Koivikko, Eucalyptus mix Finnish DJ Sami Koivikko conjures a fine amalgam of hot new microhouse and tech tunes together in 100 minutes of minimal beats and grooves.

listen »		Greg Wilson, Best of '83 As one of the cornerstones of the early '80s British electro and breakdancing scene, Greg Wilson has been involved since the start with the progress of what is now the electro sound. Here is a mix of Greg back in the day; note the old school mixing techniques.

listen »		Bugz in the Attic, LIVE at the Betalounge Broken beat legends Bugz have been on the attack — remixing everything that gets in their way — and this exclusive mix at the Betalounge shows the breadth of their sound stylings.

		Looking for more hot mix sets and fresh new tracks? Check out Blentwell for an ongoing document of the evolution of blended music online.


			Now and Zen Simply put, no other label has done as much to nurture and refine the state of abstract beats than London's Ninja Tune. Although they've only managed a single top 40 record in 12 years of operation (Coldcut's Beats & Pieces), the label has recently benefited from the brilliant sampling skills of Mr. Scruff, whose "Get a Move On" is a favorite among advertisers and audiences alike. But the way of the Ninja also requires stealth, and ever since the label started a mid-'90s party named after this virtue, they have been synonymous with engaging, innovative visuals. The Stealth parties introduced current multimedia heavyweights the Light Surgeons and Hexstatic and fostered an environment that helped shape modern day VJing. To celebrate their longstanding patronage of the video arts, Ninja Tune has recently released Zen TV, a beautifully packaged DVD retrospective featuring 35 videos from the label, a 15-minute audiovisual mix, and a 30-minute audio mix from Hexstatic. The enhanced DVD has twice the capacity of a normal DVD, and gives the user the option to play the videos in the order the label intended, randomly, or chronologically. From label founders Coldcut to recent signings like Pest and Blockhead, Zen TV compiles a truly eclectic and comprehensive archive of Ninja Tune's pairings of sonic and video innovators. (SM)
	watch >>		One Day a VJ Saved My Life In 2001, Eoptica, a Bay Area-based company dedicated to providing a host of services for VJs and visual artists, teamed up with multifaceted production studio M3dia Box to produce VJTV, an online and nationwide broadcast series showcasing the top visual artists and VJs from around the world. The art of VJing, or live video-based mixing, is something that has punctuated the rave, club, and concert experiences for over 20 years. Yet because VJing is often choreographed to live music, much of it goes unseen outside of the club, unless of course you stream it online or get one of VJTV's six regional broadcasts. Each episode features an interview and accompanying visuals from a special guest and additional short works by other significant VJs and visual artists. For instance, a recent episode spotlights work from Vello Virkhaus (VJ V2) and guest artist Ben Sheppee of UK video label and designer group LightRhythm Visuals. With plans to expand nationally via cable, you will have no excuse but to turn your boring house party into a raging multimedia all-nighter. (SM)


			Sweet Sounding Static If there's one thing that Tijuana is not, it's static: a place of constant flux, where tens of thousands cross the border both ways, every day, the city absorbs those restless frequencies and hums with unpredictability. And so, despite its name, does Tijuana's Static Discos, which in a handful of releases has earned a rep as one of Mexico's most innovative labels. Helmed by the jovial critic Ejival, Static first came to attention with Murcof's Martes (2002), a delicate fusion of minimal techno with ambient samples from Morton Feldman and Arvo Pärt (a far cry from the rollicking border techno that Murcof's Fernando Corona turns out in his Nortec-related project Terrestre). London's Leaf Label promptly snapped up Martes for wider release and broadcast the sound of Static on a global frequency. This year, Fax's Ruben Tamayo has proved that polka isn't the only German influence in Northern Mexico; his Ruido de Fondo, his second disc for the label, offers a rippling array of quicksilver beats and monochromatic background noise in classic Kompakt fashion. While Murcof readies a new Terrestre album for the label, the most exciting thing in the pipeline is Everything Changes, the second album from Bay Area duo Pepito. Their bilingual, boy/girl electro-pop — which recalls Morr Music, the Spinanes, and the Postal Service — blasts categories like "Latino-tronic" to the winds. Flash a copy at San Ysidro and speed across. (PS)


	OTHER FEATURES Carrots and Sticks Hillary Rosen sounds off Up With People Record industry losing grip


	Header Design: Christopher X Mailer Design: Keats Editors: David J. Prince Philip Sherburne Sascha Lewis Christopher N. Hampton Cyrus Wadia Jon Spooner Steve Marchese	Production: Mark Mangan Anjuli Ayer William Pierce Sander-Martijn Milks Husani Oakley Gray Sevilla Contributors: Tim Pratt Chris Gill Sara Ronsvalle Craig Kapilow Yancey Strickler

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	About Us
	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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