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JUNE 24 - JULY 7
Earplug is a biweekly email magazine, delivering a handpicked
selection of news, sounds, videos, and original features for the
international electronic music community.
Festival season barrels forward even as summer's heat starts to slow some festivalgoers down. This year, Chicago's sprawling Summerdance DJ Series gets added to the circuit. Some key album releases over the next few months should also keep us happy. And speaking of barrelling, the music industry looks poised to take another major leap down the evolutionary highway. Though their merger looked for a while to be doomed, Sony and BMG should have clearance from the EU within a month. Stay tuned...and plug it in.
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E-Merge
The global music industry landscape may soon dramatically change. After two days of closed-door hearings with Sony/BMG chiefs, independent labels, and the legal downloading companies last week, the European Union's antitrust chief reversed course and cleared the proposed mega-merger between Sony and BMG. With formal EU approval expected in mid-July, the only remaining obstacle to what would be the world's largest record label is the pending US antitrust investigation. Steve Jobs was also on hand in Europe last week to announce the iTunes Music Store's invasion of the UK, France, and Germany, minus a big catalog of European indie labels. Back home, Napster upped the ante in its ongoing struggle with iTunes by offering free mp3 players with one-year subscriptions to its service (it is highly doubtful Apple will respond with free iPods). Another down and dirty struggle began in Washington, DC last Friday, with electronics companies, record labels, and consumer groups facing off in FCC hearings about anti-piracy protection for digital radio networks. Across the street in the House, representatives announced a bill that would actually permit consumers to hack digital media products to get around copy protections. Better load up on blank CDs now. (CW)
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The Beat Goes On
The lazy, hazy days of summer are upon us, but the next few months will see a flurry of much-anticipated new releases from veterans and young guns alike. The 25-plus-member choral powerhouse Polyphonic Spree recently wrapped up their national tour with David Bowie, and are set to release their second album, Together We Are Heavy, on July 13. Iceland's greatest export, Björk, is currently putting the finishing touches on her latest, Medulla, which includes collaborations with electronic duo Matmos and Japanese beatboxer Dokaka and is set for an August release. Brooklyn electropunk outfit Radio 4's Stealing of a Nation was recorded with British producer Max Heyes (Doves, Primal Scream), and further explores the politically charged dance-rock hybrid of groups like Gang of Four and Joy Division, as does the long-awaited second album from Interpol (who are about to depart on a major tour with the Rapture and the Cure) — both albums are due in September. Veteran duo Orbital will release their seventh and final album this month, and plan to close out their illustrious live career with a headlining slot at this year's Glastonbury festival. Rave compatriots the Prodigy will return in September from an extended hiatus with the oft-delayed Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned, which promises to be a return to their old-school roots. The album, written and produced by main man Liam Howlett, features longtime bandmates Maxim and Keith Flint, and includes guest appearances from actress Juliette Lewis, Princess Superstar, Ping Pong Bitches, Twista, Shahin Badar, Kool Keith, and Liam Gallagher. (DJP)
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MORE HEADLINES
Hits Keep Coming
Industry sues another 482 swappers more »
Gypsy Caravan Halted
Lollapalooza tour cancelled more »
Radio Daze
Ad slump downgrades industry more »
European Hurdle Jumped
Sony/BMG merger gets the nod more »
We'll Be #1
Sony/BMG would dominate more »
...And Then There Were Three?
EMI and Warner Music eyeing merger
more »
Digital Tools
Indie labels and bands take to the Net more »
Madonna's Out
WMG takes over Maverick more »
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Artist: |
Infinite Livez |
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| Album: |
Bush Meat |
| Label: |
Big Dada |
| Release: |
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Whether you spend your nights on America's West Coast running from Crips or in London's West Side eating crisps, there's little debate that Kool Keith holds a monopoly on underground rap's most demented pseudonyms. But recent wire reports from the UK signal the rise of hip-hop's next verifiable sonic schizophrenic. Meet Steven Holden, former art student and comic book writer, who, after being accidentally bathed in the milk of a model, was transformed into Infinite Livez. Together with one-eyed teddy bear sidekick Barry Convex, he has accepted a mission to save the planet, and in due course will undoubtedly inject some much-needed absurdity into hip-hop's stolid underground. Livez' inspired imagery and meticulous metaphors rightly complement the splintered rhythms and off-kilter samples of a universe that counts among its citizens a man who can produce enough breast milk to flood the British Isles ("The Adventures of the Lactating Man") and artists who find fame selling art fashioned from elephant dung ("Claati Bros."). While Dr. Octagon once defended us from wild horses and dangerous electric wires, it seems we finally have ourselves a new hero, one destined to rescue us from hip-hop's recently tainted acid trip. (SM)
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Artist: |
Rodney Hunter |
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| Album: |
Hunter Files |
| Label: |
G-Stone |
| Release: |
April 26 |
Although the G-Stone family has long-included friend and musical compatriot Rodney Hunter, you'd never be able to tell by perusing the label's influential discography. Label impresarios Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister had been soliciting a full length LP from Hunter since 2001, yet it took over three years years for the multi-talented producer and musician to finally hand over Hunter Files, another impressive product from the perceptive Austrian dub and dance sensibility that has defined the region for over a decade. Hunter Files is a genre love-fest of sorts, a record both musically and conceptually connected to his labelmates and associated local projects like Kruder & Dorfmeister, Tosca, and the Vienna Scientists. And while the LP is awash with textured Euro-soul and refined downtempo brushstrokes, it's Hunter's keen regard for the subtle R&B arrangements on deep tracks like "Is This Your Boy" and "Let Your Soul Guide Your Heart" that differentiates him from the bunch. Hunter Files is unquestionably a family affair, tinted vibrantly by the hues of Austria's eclectic dance floor tradition, yet that doesn't detract from the long-awaited coming out party of one of Vienna's native sons. (SM)
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Artist: |
Moodymann |
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| Album: |
Black Mahogani |
| Label: |
Peace Frog |
| Release: |
June 22 |
With his uncharacteristic co-productions for cohort Amp Fiddler behind him, Kenny Dixon Jr., aka Moodymann, returns to what he does best. On his latest, Dixon strings together several previously underheard vinyl-only releases in much the same fashion as 2003's Silence in the Secret Garden, sequencing and sampling his way deeper into subconscious soul. Confident and full of conviction, as always, Dixon extends a steamy, smoky backyard party through the hour-long album, approaching crescendos with bated enthusiasm. "I'm Doing Fine," a staple of Fiddler's live show which the two released under the name Amp Dog Knight, dovetails cleanly with classic Dixon on "Shades of Jae." The stop-motion swing of Roberta Sweed's vocals and an uptempo hi-hat on "Roberta Jean Machine" spill unfettered into "I Need You So Much," helping Mahogani touch purity without overstatement. (NP)
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Artist: |
Errorsmith |
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| Album: |
Near Disco Dawn: Live Recordings 2001-2003 |
| Label: |
Errorsmith |
| Release: |
May 5 |
The recordings of Berlin's Errorsmith — like those of his partnership with Soundhack, Smith-N-Hack — are lively affairs full of tumbling beats and crosscut textures, but onstage is where he really shines. Near Disco Dawn visits nine of Errorsmith's live gigs from the past three years, recorded everywhere from Berlin's WMF club to Chicago's indie rockish Empty Bottle. The wee hours the title refers to are dark stretches indeed, where disco goes werewolf, sprouting fangs and fur and beefing up its lithe form into a muscular, hulking mass. With just a handful of elements — bass kick, grinding syncopation, the occasional hi-hat — Errorsmith flips techno upside down and inside out, folding its linear progression into a Möebius strip of upended downbeats. Pushing dance music to the point of collapse, Errorsmith's deconstructionist approach never fails to remember the rave, rebirthing disintegration as celebration. (PS)
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Artist: |
Monne Automne |
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| Album: |
Introducing Light and Sound |
| Label: |
LoFi Stereo |
| Release: |
June 15 |
Monne Automne's debut album proves that the last 12 months of stellar releases from the Chilean contingent — Ricardo Villalobos, Lucien-N-Luciano, Mambotur, et al. — are no fluke. Monne Automne, the duo of Swiss-Chilean Luciano and Mambotur's Pier Bucci of Santiago, recorded much of this album as long as four years ago, although it sees the light of day only now. At heart it's a punchy, syncopated affair that straddles the line between house and techno, aimed squarely at the dance floor. Luciano's flamboyant melodic style, harnessing keening steel drum lines and poignant, early-Autechrean pads, is all over these 11 tracks, as is his flair for rippling rhythms that never roll the same way twice, and echoes of Plaid's most melancholic moments saturate every track. It's like Detroit techno at many removes modulated through the post-geographic sprawl of the early 21st century, touching down in a strange new place where Europe and the Americas overlap. It's a creation myth for the new Latino-tronic. (PS)
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Artist: |
Various |
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| Album: |
Swap |
| Label: |
Complot |
| Release: |
May 2004 |
File-sharing becomes file-spearing on Swap, a collaborative project from Montreal artists Steve Beaupré, Mike Shannon, and the Mole, released on Mossa's Complot label (not to be confused with Sweden's Komplott). All artists involved pooled their samples, and lucky winner Pheek drew the pole position out of a hat; after fashioning a track from the common sound stock, he passed it on to Dafluke, who made his own reinterpretation, and passed that on — and so on down the line, through ten artists in a game of telephone that's pure party line. The first half of the disc progresses slowly, with Eloi Brunelle and Steve Beaupré putting their own subtle touches on a restrained set of pads and dusky tones, adding a bit of rhythmic skip before filliping it on to their colleagues. With Mossa, vocal stabs and a two-stepping feel hint at Akufen's influence, but Mateo Murphy pulls the track back into dark techno territory. The Mole, however, adds his characteristic touch via glancing disco samples, and by the time Mike Shannon closes out the session, things have come full circle, but reinvented and unrecognizable. (PS)
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EARPLUG FAVES
Phoenix, Alphabetical (Source)
Sharkey, Sharkey's Machine (Babygrande)
Lamb, Best Kept Secrets (Koch)
DJ Dara, The Antidote (Breakbeat Science)
Akufen, Fabric 17 (Fabric)
Melchior Productions, The Meaning (Playhouse)
Various, Kompakt 100 (Kompakt)
Various artists, Operette (Cubicfabric)
Cobra Killer, 76/77 (Monika Enterprise)
Granny'Ark, Grant (Zora Lanson)
Errorsmith, Near Disco Dawn (Errorsmith)
Ricardo Villalobos, Alcachofa Remixes (Playhouse)
Bobby & Steve, Past, Present, and Future (A 20th Anniversary) (suSu)
Viktor Vaughn, Venomous Villaincon (Insomniac)
Various, Groove Closet (Ball of Waxx)
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Preview: Chicago Summerdance 2004 DJ Series
June 23 - August 25
Chicago, IL
Chicago tends to make the most of its summers and all-too-brief window of wonderful weather with countless outdoor music festivals, and for the past eight years the city's free Summerdance series, featuring a wide variety of dance music (and dance lessons too), in the city's downtown has established itself as one of the season's highlights. This year's program includes a long-overdue addition: each Wednesday night will feature DJ performances by local and international talent, with a focus on many of Chicago's widely recognized and celebrated spinners. The series kicked off this week with hometown hero Derrick Carter and winds up in August with a performance from house music pioneer Frankie Knuckles. Other DJs who got their start in Chicago's clubs set to fill the 3500-square foot dance floor on historic Michigan Avenue include Superjane (DJ Colette, DJ Heather, and DJ Lady D), Steve "Silk" Hurley, Josh Werner, Bad Boy Bill, Ralphi Rosario, Green Velvet, and DJ Traxx. While Detroit's Movement Festival brings civic recognition and support to the techno music scene that was born there, Chicago has been slow to give similar acknowledgment to house music — this year's Summerdance, organized by the city's Department of Cultural Affairs, goes a long way toward correcting that mistake. (DJP)
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Real Player required for these streams.
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Dan Ghenacia, FAMILIESdownload #3
The impressively compiled and distributed FAMILIESdownload series — an ongoing series of free and legal mix CDs complete with liner notes, cover art, and copyright-cleared tracks — hits its third edition with this funky house mix from Dan Ghenacia.
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Garry Ladd, live at Sleaze City, Manchester
Silicon Hustler's Garry Ladd delivers the goods with this brand-new live set of sleazy electro and funky techno, recorded last month at Manchester's Sleaze City party.
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listen » |
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Green Velvet, live at SpeakerPlay
It seems like Green Velvet pops up every three years like some supernatural comet strafing the earth with its cosmic messages, then disappearing again. The Green One is back, and this time techno is the medium and message. Listen in closely as he mashes techno classics into a gaseous fireball and then unleashes it upon the throngs at this year's Speakplay 2004.
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Bomb the Bass, Live on SolidSteel
One of the top ten artist names of all time, Bomb the Bass (bomb de plume of Tim Simenon) has rocked it from back in the day to the present. The signature Bomb the Bass sound of bass-heavy hip-hop beats is fully represented in this 2002 mix on the prestigious SolidSteel radio show. And as an added bonus, it starts off with one of the funkiest scat and flute jams ever, from Harold Alexander.
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James Hardaway
James Hardaway (aka David Harrow) has been involved in everything from early noise music and techno to acid house and drum 'n bass. With a recently fulfilled Las Vegas fetish and an album reflecting this fact (Big Casino), Hardaway heads down a nu-jazz path, continuing his constant pursuit of the next new thing. Listen in and feel the groove.
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listen » |
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Sport Casual, Fiddy Cent Breaks
Charged with a mission of budget-funk, Sport Casual had one rule: all records used must cost 50 cents or less. He spread out across the five boroughs of New York City in search of stoop-sale steals, basement-cleaning bargains, and thrifty thrift shop tracks. The result is a scratchy and popping funk and soul grab bag worthy of repeat listening.
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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 » |
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Animaniacs
With accolades from Yes' Jon Anderson and Alan Parsons (producer of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon), it's reasonable to assume that Animusic, a special edition re-release of seven unique music animations, will offer more than a momentary glimpse of visual psychedelia. Eighties nostalgia enthusiasts — as well as closet prog-rock and electronic synth aficionados — will delight in the highly-detailed laser-light CGI environments of well-named shorts like "Future Retro," "Pipe Dream," and "Harmonic Voltage," designed using Animusic's proprietary MIDImotion software. Without MIDImotion, the complex animations on Animusic would require traditional "keyframing" techniques (one note, one frame) and would be both time-consuming and ultimately inaccurate. But MIDImotion allows for animation correlated at a note-for-note granularity, which simply means that it looks like the otherworldly animated instruments and robotic CGI limbs generate the music heard, rather than respond to it. In addition to the seven animations, the new Special Edition DVD includes a 5.1 Surround Sound Mix, a sneak peak of Animusic 2, and over 300 production stills, screen shots, and sketches. While some may simply disregard the music for its pre-programmed synthesizer sterility, the true strength of the DVD is the refreshing alternative to ubiquitous vector graphics provided by the animated content. (SM)
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Rockets From the Print
Often considered "the place where California began" or the "Plymouth of the West," San Diego is once again on the precipice of another important, albeit less literal, trailblazing movement. While punk rock has traditionally provided the soundtrack to a typical San Diego diet of surf and skate, a small contingent of forward-thinking artists, writers, and designers are poised to re-establish the city as a vital locale on the domestic downtempo map. 828 G Street houses the Selective Hearing Gallery and RE:UP magazine headquarters, two emerging outlets dedicated to exploring the increasingly blurry intersection of music and design. Beautifully art-directed by Joshua Lynne, RE:UP shares a cutting-edge design aesthetic with magazines like Arkitip, Elemental, and Anthem while focusing content almost exclusively on artists from the varied downtempo community. Their newest issue, Manual #004, features a cross section of producers and musicians, including Pete Rock, Richard Dorfmeister, Blockhead, Quantic, Scott Herren (aka Prefuse 73), Animal Collective, and Funkstörung. The Selective Hearing Gallery, a physical space embodying the design spirit of the magazine, is now hosting its fourth exhibition — paintings, drawings, and installations by Cody Hudson of Struggle Inc — after a successful run with artists Chris Bettig, Ben Loiz, and Typevsm. Although San Diego is currently infamous as the host city to another inane group of Real Worlders, the new cast at SHG and RE:UP are sure to offer audiences more stimulating viewing options in the seasons to come. (SM)
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OTHER FEATURES
Pitchformula
Music criticism as a creative tool
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Header Design:
Christopher X
Mailer Design:
Keats
Editors:
David J. Prince
Philip Sherburne
Sascha Lewis
Christopher N. Hampton
Cyrus Wadia
Jon Spooner
Steve Marchese
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Production:
Mark Mangan
Anjuli Ayer
William Pierce
Sander-Martijn Milks
Husani Oakley
Gray Sevilla
Contributors:
Jorge Hernandez
Sebastian Koch
Aaron Miles
Colin James Nagy
Nick Parish
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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.
And if what you want to do is criticize, praise, or generally comment on this publication,
please send an email to feedback.
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Header Design |
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We have an open call to create the headers 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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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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