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JULY 9 - JULY 21
Earplug is a biweekly email magazine, delivering a handpicked
selection of news, sounds, videos, and original features for the
international electronic music community.
This summer, the city of Chicago is at last paying public tribute to its homegrown house music: the Summerdance DJ Series kicked off two weeks ago with a free Derrick Carter throwdown on Michigan Avenue while more than 3,000 people turned out for the excitement. Later this summer the city will celebrate the accomplishments of the sound's Godfather, Frankie Knuckles. And next week, downstate from the city, an old-school campout and festival promises big fun for the whole Midwest. By the way, one Chicago DJ has an earplug of her own. Plug it in.
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Fear, Respect, and Freebies
Downloading is finally getting some respect. In August, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) will begin issuing Gold and Platinum awards based on sales of online music, and, in September, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) will launch a chart that tracks singles sold through the UK's legal download sites. Buoyed by an explosion in the legitimate download services and mammoth sales by Usher, Norah Jones, OutKast and Kenny Chesney, album sales are actually on an upswing for the first time in three years, and pundits are predicting a global music industry recovery that will last through 2008. For the peer-to-peer networks, the last two weeks have been both sweet and sour. On the sweet side, Canada's Supreme Court ruled last week that Internet Service Providers could not be held liable for copyright infringement. Instead, the music industry must sue individual users — a process that the RIAA has found incredibly difficult, expensive, and time consuming. On the sour side, a federal judge in the Australian KaZaA copyright case set a tentative trial date for the end of November, and the US Senate overwhelmingly passed the "Pirate Act" through to the House — file sharers may soon be facing the Department of Justice instead of RIAA lawyers in the
courtrooms. Meanwhile, Apple has actually started giving away iPods and downloads to celebrate iTunes' approaching 100 million download mark. That 10,000 song gift certificate to the person who downloads the 100 millionth song should keep anyone busy for at least a couple of weeks. (CW)
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Frankie Knuckles Way
More than 30 years have passed since Frankie Knuckles first stepped behind the decks at Chicago's Warehouse nightclub and helped spawn the sound that would become known around the world as house music, but later this summer he's finally coming back home to stay. On August 24, the City of Chicago will rename the stretch of Jefferson Street where the Warehouse was located as honorary "Frankie Knuckles Way," and the next day he'll perform in the city's Grant Park for the closing of the Summerdance DJ Series (see Earplug 25). It's just another feather in the cap for a man who's played a pivotal role in the evolution of dance music, whose worldwide nickname is the "Godfather of House," and who took home the first Grammy, in 1997, for "Remixer of the Year." Knuckles' latest album, New Reality, was released earlier this year on Definity, and features longtime collaborators like David Sussman, Danny Madden, Eric Kupper, and Satoshi Tomiie (a team that dates back to 1991's "Whistle Song," a deep house anthem adopted by Lipton for its classic advertising campaign). The album's first single, "Bac N da Day" is another homecoming as well — it's the first collaboration between Knuckles and Jamie Principle since the two banged out "Baby Wants to Ride" and changed the way the world moves. (DJP)
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MORE HEADLINES
Palookaville
Fatboy Slim's latest due in October
more »
Dirty Business
Billboard slapped with sexual harassment suit more »
Purple Re-Reign
Prince reunites with the Time, Shelia E. more »
Downloads East
Web music hits Asia more »
Walkman Rises Again
Sony takes aim at the iPod more »
EFF's Most Wanted
Digital rights' champion goes after unfair patents
more »
Ear Phones
T-Mobile gets into music more »
Going Up
US music on the rise more »
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Artist: |
Various |
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| Album: |
Troubled Waters |
| Label: |
Single Cell Music/Offshore Recordings |
| Release: |
July 13 |
Rumors of drum 'n bass' passing have been greatly exaggerated. For proof, you need look only to DJ Clever's mix CD Troubled Waters, a compilation of 12"-only releases from the UK's Offshore Recordings imprint. Beginning with the unconventional cover art — bright, balloony starfish and sharks cavorting amongst sloe-eyed whales — it's apparent that Offshore has fled drum 'n bass' aesthetic cul-de-sac of grim, go-nowhere dystopianism. The beats within are light and airy; the keys as springy as classic Omni Trio; and the whole thing is informed by expert sound design that favors goosepimply texture and gossamer timbre. There are no "Amen," retreads here; the breaks sound as fresh as the first time you heard time-stretching. Tracks from the likes of Justice, Paradox, Pieter K, and Seba are hyperkinetic, wholeheartedly ecstatic, and breezy as a summer drive behind the wheel of a convertible. (PS)
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Artist: |
Smash TV |
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| Album: |
Bits for Breakfast |
| Label: |
Bpitch Control |
| Release: |
May 2004 |
Like a power sander fitted with a diamond-grain disc, Smash TV's Bits for Breakfast, their second full-length for Ellen Allien's Bpitch Control label, strips the surface off stock electro-techno and exposes an underside you've never seen before. The structure may be familiar — brittle beats and garish snares underpinning gnarly bass lines and pinprick-proportioned keyboard stabs — but the grain underneath is unlike anything else in the genre. It's organic, for lack of a better word. Tufted chords rise like steam, and Raz Ohara's vocals on "Queen of Men" and "Don't Wanna Fool You" lend a sultry pop sentimentalism to the album. A fantastic answer record to Ellen Allien's Berlinette, Bits for Breakfast proves that Bpitch has the lock on pop techno that goes bang. (PS)
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Artist: |
Charles Atlas |
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| Album: |
Fabricate: Remixes of the Album Worsted Weight |
| Label: |
Audraglint |
| Release: |
June 28 |
It's no matter if, like this reviewer, you haven't heard Worsted Weight, the 2002 album from San Francisco post-rockish group Charles Atlas. Portland's Audraglint label assembled a crack team including Sybarite, Pram, Isan, and Strategy to remix tracks from the record, and the results cohere into a breathtaking collection of subtle, melodic electronica and delicately shaded indie pop. Organs, chimes, and bell tones abound, pinballed between glitch buffers and quick-flipping machine rhythms. An air of melancholic anonymity hangs over it all, until a melody suddenly emerges from the pools of pensive keyboards. For all its tenderness, the album is a powerful response to a band with a heavyweight name like Charles Atlas. (PS)
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Artist: |
Amon Tobin |
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| Album: |
Solid Steel Mix |
| Label: |
Ninja Tune |
| Release: |
August 12 |
Reclusive by nature, Brazil's Amon Tobin prefers to let his warped, cut-up breakbeat constructions do the talking. Having recorded three artist albums for Ninja Tune, he contributes the fourth mix to the Solid Steel series, utilizing FinalScratch technology to allow him unlimited access to his own songs as well as the tunes that inspire him. This studio performance, free of any post-production, is an excursion into leftfield breakbeats and swollen bass lines, with tinges of drum 'n bass and downtempo to even things out. Rarely do you find one track playing on its own — generally, it's a multi-layered sonic collage constructed on the fly. Tobin airs special edits of his own productions, and, lest things get too abstract, he throws in a reworking of the Velvet Underground's "Venus in Furs." Amon Tobin is as jaw-droppingly innovative improvising as he is on his albums. (CJN)
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Artist: |
Biosphere |
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| Album: |
Autour de la Lune |
| Label: |
Touch |
| Release: |
July 6 |
In the 19th century, Jules Verne penned the eerily prophetic De la Terre à la Lune, which described a manned space flight launching from Florida and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. Having been granted access to a '60s audio dramatization of the piece from Radio France's archives, Biosphere, aka Geir Jenssen, combined the material with his own productions and added samples sourced from the Mir space station. The result can most closely be compared to Brian Eno and Harold Budd's homage to the space age, Apollo. Biosphere's Autour de la Lune is a nine-movement symphony characterized by soft, expansive ambient tones and an occasionally menacing and otherworldly feel. Undoubtedly abstract by virtue of the subject matter and source material, the record conjures the vastness of space without resorting to cliche. (CJN)
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Artist: |
Adam Freeland |
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| Album: |
Fabriclive 16 |
| Label: |
Fabric |
| Release: |
June 28 |
Though he has focused recently on his live band, Freeland, Adam Freeland's heart is behind the decks. He is widely seen as the world's foremost breaks DJ, and spends a disproportionate amount of his time touring. This latest edition of the Fabric series offers an excellent representation of what he has been playing out. Mixed using three decks, CDJs, and software effects, it runs the gamut from rock-influenced productions to the heavyweight electro bombast of LFO's "Freak." Moving toward a more organic, eclectic vibe, the mix is a welcome departure from the overly tech-focused sound that has dominated the breaks scene (especially in the US). The mixing allows subgenres to cohabitate and complement each other — one highlight is an Aesop Rock a cappella over Evil 9's heavyweight "Crooked," along with the crunchy synthesizer tones of Radioactive Man's "Airlock." (CJN)
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Artist: |
Two Lone Swordsmen |
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| Album: |
From the Double Gone Chapel |
| Label: |
Warp |
| Release: |
June 1 |
Over the course of eight years and six albums, Two Lone Swordsmen's Andrew Weatherall and Keith Tenniswood have spent incalculable hours shifting frequencies, sequencing beats, and manipulating samples, and in the process have become a trusted source of intelligent, fractured, and unpredictable grooves. Swirling rumors of a "rock" album can formally be laid to rest — Two Lone Swordsmen have not become the White Stripes. But the duo has certainly recoiled from the sterile, heavily processed machine sound of their past releases, instead rooting down with a dirtier combination of guitars, bass, drum kit, and Weatherall's throwback psychobilly vocals. Organic and eclectic, From the Double Gone Chapel is a satisfying mixture of instrumental post-rock groove, poky cowpunk strut, and invigorating electronic dub. A definite extra-base hit. (SM)
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Artist: |
O.M.F.O. |
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| Album: |
Trans Balkan Express |
| Label: |
Essay Recordings |
| Release: |
June 1 |
Multi-instrumentalist German Popov, our man from Odessa — or O.M.F.O., for short — long inspired by the folklore sounds of the former Soviet republics, has put together this eccentric album where downtempo dub electronica meets Balkan wedding music. It's not as strange a concept as it sounds; in the early '80s, electronic music pioneers like Kraftwerk, Giorgio Moroder, and Jean Michel Jarre were very popular in the Soviet Union. Put this together with Popov's collection of exotic instruments, and you have the sounds that emerge when a Casio keyboard gets transported into the provinces. The opening title track starts with those immortal ascending chords of "Trans Europe Express" and then derails into a Carpathian circle dance with a motorik beat. Most of the melodies are deeply rooted in the Romanian-Ukranian borderland; "Chachak" is Serbian, "Chupino" Macedonian, and "Money Boney" is a Moldavian folk song. Electronically enhanced, they become bizarre Soviet cosmonaut theme tunes. These are territories that are new to the human ear, where futurism meets folklore. (AC)
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EARPLUG FAVES
Mark Rae, Into the Depths (Grand Central)
Badly Drawn Boy, One Plus One is One (XL)
Quincy Jones and Bill Cosby, The Original Jam Sessions 1969 (Concord)
P-1, Step (Novo)
VHS or Beta, Night on Fire (Astralwerks)
Robag Wruhme, Wuzzelbud KK (Muzik Krause)
Slum Village, Detroit Deli (Priority Records)
Harlem Zip Code, Colour World Soul (Red Melon)
Ulrich Schnauss, A Strangely Isolated Place (City Centre Offices)
Various, Channel 3 (Output)
Frivolous, Somewhere In the Suburbs... (Karloff)
Mouse On Mars, Radical Connector (Thrill Jockey)
Sieg Über Die Sonne, +1 (Multicolor)
Brian Eno, Here Come the Warm Jets (Astralwerks)
Le Dust Sucker, Le Dust Sucker (Plong!)
Capital D, Insomnia (All Natural)
Ministry, Houses of the Molé (Sanctuary)
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Preview: Caveman Experience 2
July 16-18
Shawnee Cave Amphitheater, Murphysboro, IL
The Midwest has a running tradition of weekend-long dance music campouts, and Minneapolis' Woody McBride, aka DJ ESP, was there from the start, so his presentation (along with Chicago's Intergrüv and St. Louis' Middleschool Productions) of the second annual Caveman Experience, a three-day event in Southern Illinois, is a sure sign of quality. The musical selection matches international stars like LA's Christopher Lawrence, London's Grooverider, Argentina's Diego RO-K, and Philly's Dieselboy and Nigel Richards with long-time Midwest veterans Terry Mullan, Trevor Lamont, DJ Nitro, Tron, Josh Werner, Frankie Vega, and McBride himself (who also kicks things off with a poetic welcome). But the lineup's true strength is the whopping 120-plus DJs and live acts from 20 states performing on five separate stages. The event kicks off on Friday with Sufi House — a variety of chill out, world music — meditation sessions, and a barbeque. The main attractions start Saturday at noon and run for 24 hours straight. There's even a special who's who showcase, sponsored by science.com, from the last ten years of underground St. Louis hip-hop — Chingy's DJ will be there "chillin' at the Holiday Inn..." The Shawnee Cave Amphitheater is a legendary rock concert spot from the '70s and tickets are priced at a very old-school $25 advance and $35 at the gate. The campgrounds open on Friday afternoon. (DJP)
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Real Player required for these streams.
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listen » |
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U-Point
French hip-hop maestro U-Point drops a decidedly left-of-center mix with great tracks from Japan's DJ Krush, Blockhead, DJ Shadow, and others. Also be certain to check out his self-designed flash site to download some of his most recent tracks.
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listen » |
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DJ Zinc, Nowsound mix
Zinc serves up his signature drum 'n bass sound to a Budapest massive. About an hour into the set he tries riding three tracks on top of each other — it doesn't really work, but it is refreshing to hear a DJ of Zinc's stature still attempting crazy mixes in the clubs.
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listen » |
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Matthew Dear, Live at VolTT in Amsterdam 6.12.2004
Listen in as Texas-born, Detroit-based master of minimal techno Matthew Dear drops one of his famous mix sets on the crowd for VolTT at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. He spins a mélange of minimal yet funky tracks, with some coming from his most recent album Leave Luck to Heaven.
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listen » |
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Vasil Hristov
A little something from Bulgaria that will move your ass. Check it out as DJ VH mixes up a tech-house set ranging from moody grooving bass lines all the way to pounding tech beats.
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listen » |
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Ayro, Live at the Mission in NYC, 6.28.2004
After gaining the world's attention with a stand-out performances at Detroit's Electronic Music Festival, Aryo has been hotly tipped by the likes of Gilles Peterson. Listen in to the future of broken beat music with a live recording of Ayro at New York's Mission as he killed the room with a keyboard and a wall of electronics.
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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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Chewing the Fat
While most nutritionists will warn against a diet high in trans fatty acids (luncheon meats, cookies, etc.), many overlook the beneficial effects of an appetite enriched by gluttonous, glistening helpings of Transfatty. For over ten years, Patrick O'Brien has continually glazed gazes with a greasy coat of his own bizarre and technically superior creativity. Perhaps most well-known as the director of Squarepusher's amazing 2002 video for "Go! Spastic," O'Brien has amassed a startlingly deep and diverse body of work, including animated films like the twisted, award-winning The Man with the Smallest Penis in Existence and the Electron Microscope Technician Who Loved Him, a series of shorts for Fuse TV's surrealist showcase WTF?, and regularly updated mash-ups evolving from his popular Deep Space Mayonnaise weekly uploads. Although much of the Transfatty output is available on his website, you can get your fill with his 2003 compilation DVD, Body of Work, featuring six films along with music videos, commercials, web experiments, trailers, photography, and music. Balancing commercial 3-D Design projects for clients including Acclaim, Pepsi, and USA Networks with his penchant for the absurd, Transfatty has sliced himself a thick cut from the motion graphics cash cow, proving that with enough dedication, work and play can symbiotically coexist. (SM)
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Practicing Safe Sound
Chicago's Carolynn Travis knows something about good sound — as a DJ (Numinous Radio) and band member (part of the lush, violin-cello-turntables trio Deep Blue Field) she's performed at dozens of the city's clubs and parties, sharing lineups with the likes of Groove Armada, Gilles Peterson, and Thievery Corporation. She's also legally deaf, and that's why last year she founded Earlove — a private label, ready-to-fit, high fidelity earplug company — and embarked on a grassroots effort to turn the music industry on its ears and inspire musicians, DJs, and fans to take their hearing health seriously. Travis partnered with Etymotic Research, a company started by her audiologist's husband, designer of the popular Musicians Earplugs that are custom-fit and cost $150 a pair. Like the more expensive protection, Earlove's soft rubber inserts and red stems are designed to reduce overall sound level while preserving sound quality (i.e. no distortion or muffling of voices, environmental sounds, or music), for only a fraction of the cost. The plugs are attractive, easy to use, come complete with a plastic carrying case that can attach to a keychain, and retail for just $15 a pair. Earlove began earlier this year and is only in its infancy, but has already received orders from as far away as New Zealand while Chicago's top live music venue, Metro, is carrying them at all of their shows. Travis is utilizing Friendster and music message boards to share her firsthand knowledge of the damage prolonged exposure to loud sound can do to people's ears to encourage people to follow Earlove's motto: practice safe sound. (DJP)
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Header Design:
Adam Neate
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
Peter Stepek
Jane Lerner
William Pierce
Sander-Martijn Milks
Contributors:
Andy Cumming
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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