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News
New Releases
Festivals
Listen
Watch
Feature
Credits
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DECEMBER 23 - JANUARY 12
Earplug is a bimonthly email magazine, delivering a handpicked
selection of news, sounds, videos, and original features for the
international electronic music community.
The year may be coming to a close, but the music just keeps on flowing into computers around the globe. The file-sharing battles continue in earnest, and with Hollywood on the case and formats like BitTorrent growing in popularity, the stakes are getting bigger and bigger. Earplug is going on holiday for a couple weeks, and will plug it back in on January 13 in the new year.
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Artists in the Spotlight, P2P on the Spot
File sharing caught a small break after the US Congress adjourned for the year without enacting any major legislation to beef up penalties for online copyright infringement. But the case against KaZaA continues in Australia, and the US Supreme Court agreed to hear the RIAA and MPAA's copyright infringement case against the Morpheus and Grokster P2P networks. As the courts, the legislature, and the industry associations focus their legal energy on P2P, BitTorrent is becoming the newest, biggest digital media headache for copyright owners. And ending months of speculation and negotiations, Jay-Z agreed to head Universal's Def Jam Recordings label, while whether he will participate in the all-star revamp of "We Are the World" remains in question. The holidays came early for a few lucky artists, as the 47th Annual Grammy nominees were announced, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its newest inductees: U2, the Pretenders, Buddy Guy, Percy Sledge, and the O'Jays. (CW)
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Grammys Go Electric
As reported earlier this year in Earplug, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences added a new category for dance and electronic music, the first of which will be awarded at the 2005 ceremonies in Los Angeles on February 13. The nominees for the "Best Electronic/Dance Album" include four long-time European recording artists — Paul Oakenfold, Paul Van Dyk, the Prodigy, and Basement Jaxx, as well as a sole US-based artist, the Crystal Method. The nominees for "Best Dance Recording" are primarily from the club world — Basement Jaxx, the Chemical Brothers, Kylie Minogue, the Scissor Sisters — with Britney Spears as the lone pop interloper. The long-standing remixing award ("Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical") nominees are Michael Gray & Jon Pearn, Jacques Lu Cont, Felix da Housecat, Basement Jaxx, and Sasha. While it is unlikely any of the dance music categories will be a part of the televised broadcast, the Grammy nominations are sure to be another step toward greater recognition for all of the nominated artists. (BG)
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MORE HEADLINES
Playing Games
Video game music goes major more »
Surround Sound Downloads
MP3s go multi-channel more »
Sue the Servers
MPAA goes after BitTorrent more »
21st Century Fox
Fox Music opens digital store more »
No Champagne for Suprnova
File-sharing site shuts after suits more »
Apple Going Flash?
Flash-memory iPods in the works more »
The New Deal
Majors in digital distribution pact
more »
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Artist: |
Todd Edwards |
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| Album: |
New Trend Sounds 2: Classics, Remixes & Beyond |
| Label: |
i records |
| Release: |
November 22 |
Known as "the God" in the UK, Todd Edwards remains virtually unknown in his native US, despite wielding wide influence in house music. His ability to warp vocals and use them as instruments — a technique popularized in his wake by Akufen — leaves his indelible print on any song he touches and has led to Todd's high-profile remix catalog. A limited-press companion to the previously released New Trend Sounds, Classics, Remixes & Beyond spans a decade of Todd's career and showcases his original material including songs never before heard on CD, like "Scrubless," as well as new remixes of classic material, such as the 2004 versions of "Radio Thing" and "Winter Behaviour." Add in unreleased tracks like "The Prayer" — a testament to Edwards' avowed religious faith — and you've got a wonderful mix, but still just a brief glimpse into the depth and breadth of this deity’s work. (DeepSix)
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Artist: |
Domenico + 2 |
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| Album: |
Sincerely Hot |
| Label: |
Luaka Bop |
| Release: |
September 28 |
This is the second album from the Brazilian trio of Moreno Veloso (son of Caetano), Alexandre Kassin, and Domenico Lancelloti. Part of an ongoing trilogy, with the group's name rotating to emphasize each member, this is the follow up to Moreno + 2's Musical Typewriter, a quiet and vocal affair with more than a fair nod to tropicalia. Hot is more idiosyncratic in its approach, with more electronics and beats, though it does ascend into sublime bossa-lounginess. In "Alegria, vai lá," the feel is more jittery, at times even jazzy, clearly demonstrating the drummer's songwriting skills. This trio's sense of humor is evident: the title track jumps and jives then segues into "Felizes ficaremos na estrada," an aching Prince-style workout, which is followed by the distorted electro-punk number "Você E Eu." Despite all the genre hopping, the album is firmly based in samba, hanging onto its Brazilian roots while happily embracing anything interesting that passes by. (AC)
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Artist: |
Andrew Pekler |
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| Album: |
Nocturnes, False Dawns & Breakdowns |
| Label: |
~scape |
| Release: |
November 16 |
Andrew Pekler follows up his self-assured 2002 debut with Nocturnes, False Dawns & Breakdowns, an after-hours homage to early '70s electronic jazz, collected as reverberations from the ether and meticulously assembled again by Pekler in his studio. "Streetworm" snaps and spurts with digital abruptness as samples are endlessly stacked; in "False Dawn," drums clatter beneath watery ambience and freeform saxophone, filling with reverb. The three-part "Nocturne" suite languidly pulses with delicate rhythms while "Sleepless" hums and bubbles in time with the urban ambient soundtrack of 4am. Pekler lifts the theory of space from dub and the gossamer weightlessness from crackling glitch. In applying both to atmospheric analog jazz, he creates a record of empyrean introspection. (MT)
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Artist: |
Arthur Russell |
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| Album: |
World of Echo |
| Label: |
Audika |
| Release: |
November 9 |
Very few elements stuck to the recording tape that was rolling while Arthur Russell was laying down tracks for World of Echo in 1985 and '86; all you hear is a man's voice, his over-amplified cello, some vague percussion, a mixing board, and deep, deep space. One of the sparest, spookiest, and most electrified albums ever recorded, it's essentially a dub version of a solo acoustic session, a distant cousin to the dance music that helped make Russell downtown's quintessential avant-garde classicist-cum-disco don. What's familiar about Echo, originally a vinyl-only rarity released in '86, is the pulse: playful and melancholy under the intentionally cloudy mix of echoes and distortions. Audika's reissue also includes a DVD featuring single-shot videos of Russell performing a pair of marathon cello pieces. (PO)
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Artist: |
Hot Chip |
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| Album: |
Coming on Strong |
| Label: |
Moshi Moshi |
| Release: |
May 17 |
Taking a cue or two from Beck's decade-ago fusion of hip-hop beats and folky textures, England's Hot Chip cobble together electronic rhythms, '60s organs, creepy falsetto vocals, guitars, and scads of tinny Casio pads to create what is surely the world's first example of gangsta twee. How else do you explain "You Ride, We Ride, In My Ride," which sets the eponymous lyrics in three-part harmony over the astrally inclined synthesizers of Air's soundtrack to The Virgin Suicides? Coming on Strong conjures a pop universe where all the rules have warped and slipped into wormholes — hence the single "Playboy" draws equally from funeral dirges, G-funk, and the Cure's "A Forest" while the singer intones, "Driving in my Peugeot hey-ey / 20-inch rims with the chrome now hey-ey / Blazin' out Yo La Tengo hey-ey." It's as improbable a tune as you'll hear this year, but that doesn't make it any less addictive. (PS)
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Artist: |
John Tejada |
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| Album: |
Logic Memory Center |
| Label: |
Plug Research |
| Release: |
November 2 |
Emerging from beneath the polished veneer of minimal house and techno, pop has been slowly bubbling to the surface of electronic dance music, as artists like Matthew Dear drop vocals over beds of complex microsamples, snaring a wider audience with their meatier hooks. On his tenth studio album, John Tejada strikes a balance between this formula and his trademark techy sound, honed over years of productions for scores of labels — and one high-profile remix for the Postal Service. "Strange Creatures" sets the alien, near-robotic cadence of vocalist Kimi Recor against thinly sliced samples that dash in and out of the soundfield; "Possessive Patterns" adds an assertive snare/kick to supple, off-kilter rhythms; and the album's most minimal cut, "Loose Change," demonstrates Tejada's compositional talent with a limited palette. (CJN)
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Artist: |
Return to V |
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| Album: |
Roni Size |
| Label: |
V Recordings |
| Release: |
November 2 |
Once upon a time, drum 'n bass beckoned with its propulsive novelty. When the frenzy passed, fickle fanatics hopped to the next great thing. Now, Bristol's Mercury-prize winning d 'n b poster boy Roni Size is back with an homage to his native label that succinctly recalls the genre's halcyon days. Return to V plays like a homesick hero's paean to his motherland, highlighted by a spirited, if conspicuous, lineup of guest vocalists who put the holy ghost in Size's well-oiled machine. Leaving the ironic hijinks to snarky knob-jockeys like Kid 606, Size deftly asserts his legendary status by getting back to basics, yielding a solid collection of shape-shifting tempos and interlocking beats that slip and slide with finesse. Some (R&B diva Jocelyn Brown's twisted scat on "Sing") fare better than others (garage staple Vikter Duplaix's dubious opener "Pull Up"). But the presence of Aphrodite-collaborator Beverly Knight, Dynamite, a fired-up Blaze, Tali, and soul brother Joe Roberts renders the overall endeavor a satisfying experience. In the end, it's not unlike returning to an old fling — not exactly mind-blowing, but still, as another R&B chanteuse once purred, a thrill. (JH)
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EARPLUG FAVES
LCD Soundsystem, LCD Soundsystem (DFA)
Boom Bip, Blue Eyed in the Red Room (Lex)
Jeremy Ellis, Lotus Blooms (Ubiquity)
Laurent Garnier, The Cloud Making Room (Mute)
Various, Dirty Diamonds II (Diamondtraxx)
M.I.A., Piracy Funds Terrorism Vol. 1 (Hollertronix)
Evil Nine, You Can Be Special Too (Marine Parade)
Hightower, Willie Hightower(Honest Jons)
John Digweed, Fabric 20 (Fabric)
Handsome Boy Modeling School, White People (Atlantic)
Chemical Brothers, Push the Button (Astralwerks)
Various, African Underground Vol. 1 Hip Hop Senegal (Nomadic Wax)
Gwen Stefani, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (Interscope)
Thomas Fehlmann, Lowflow (Plug Research)
Harold Budd, Avalon Sutra (Samadhisound)
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Preview: globalFEST
January 8
New York, NY
For the second year, New York's premier venue Joe's Pub, in conjunction with the World Music Institute and Boston's World Music/CRASHarts, presents an all-in-one, under-a-single-roof primer of the world's most cutting-edge music. globalFEST, a one-night offshoot party during the annual Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference, brings together 40 artists from across the globe, each performing 45-minute sets on the Public Theater's three stages. This year's festival features a mix of established favorites and emerging stars, including New York's celebrated Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra; Argentina's Juana Molina; Malian singer-songwriter Rokia Traore; and dozens of other performers from countries such as Japan, France, Poland, Guinea, Peru, and Spain. The night ends with a dance party featuring an extended basement bhangra set from New York's own DJ Rehka. (DJP)
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listen » |
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BlackStrobe
Ivan Smagghe and Arnaud Rebotini are kicking down the doors of the techno oligarchy and taking control. With an obvious fondness for the old school techno sound of the early '90s, this pair play an excellent blend of newer sounds and cuts that will give older heads a pleasant "oh yeah I remember this jam!" moment. After a head-turning appearance on BBC Radio 1's Essential Mix, this duo have definitely arrived.
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Jugoe, 30 days
The headphonic.com crew stands and delivers with a smooth set full of dubby grooves, from Ohio's downtempo kingpin Jugoe. As a standout in the BastardJazz label stable, Jugoe has been breaking necks with his infectious beats. Listen in as he mixes together a set of his own productions.
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SA-RA Creative Partners, Live at Mighty
You are going to hear a whole bunch about these cats in 2005. In this set, SA-RA Creative Partners go insane at Club Mighty in San Francisco live in front of your ears. Thick and funky like fake maple syrup, this is one of those shows you cannot forget. You might feel a bit uncomfortable at first, but ease back and soon the vibe will flow through your soul.
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DJ Money$hot, Solid Steel Radio
Representing Cardiff, UK, DJ Money$hot takes to the hallowed decks at the Solid Steel studios. Guiding us through his crate, it's always a treat to hear the gems that he digs up — oddball remixes and live mash-ups abound. Money$hot has also asked for email, break him off some at oneoffthewrist.
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DJ Carl, December 2004 Mix
A sweltering collection of groovy tunes sure to make your awkward family holiday party into a hip-shaking fandango just like the painting from Good Times. DJ Carl from the trackwerk.net crew mixes up some downbeat chillness with some jazzi-nice beats and comes up with a blend that will get even grandma's neck snappin' to the rhythm.
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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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Machine Drum
It's been almost a decade since my college roommate decided to write a Masters Philosophy paper, featured as its crowning video centerpiece the work of Mark Pauline and the rest of the scientists, engineers, artists, and mechanics who comprise the talented and occasionally portentous Survival Research Laboratories. With work predating The Terminator, "Battlebots," and even some of director David Cronenberg's most shocking visions of technology gone awry, the SRL teams enact their intriguing social manifestos through the creation and ultimate destruction of intricately designed robots and machines. Survival Research Laboratories: Ten Years of Robotic Mayhem may not be the work of musicians, but we guarantee that the assembled short films and documentary footage have provided the visual accompaniment in many a basement party and club for the electronic noise of artists like Merzbow, KK Null, and Foetus. You may lose the larger meaning of Pauline's nihilistic political messages as jet engines roar through quiet Texan streets and half of Copenhagen appears vividly ablaze with raging fires, but this DVD is a safe and entertaining lighting alternative to candles, lamps, and the good ol' burning yule log. (SM)
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Crooklyn Independence
It may seem brash for a musician to title his semi-autobiographical documentary The Greatest Thing You Never Heard. Yet for Skiz Fernando, WordSound's proud proprietor and one of its core musical figures (recording under the alias Spectre, the Ill Saint), it seems the thing that matters most to him over the course of ten years and fifty releases is his label's passionate disdain for convention. A man on a mission, Fernando mysteriously refers to his label as if it were no longer in existence, when in fact WordSound is still flinging dubs from Brooklyn to Bahrain. His raw "dubumentary" features a series of random ramblings disguised as interviews and spontaneous hand-held live performance video footage chronicling the label's rise into a preeminent iconoclast in the dub/hip-hop space. WS50: The Video Album includes this documentary along with three videos from the label's catalog, a short trailer for Fernando's feature debut Crooked, and an exclusive sit down with WordSound luminary and legendary bassist/producer Bill Laswell. It may or may not lead you to uncover the greatest thing you've never heard, but it certainly is an honest and intimate portrait of a label and scene that has remained proudly self-governing and creative in a time of increasing media conglomeration. (SM)
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Header Design:
Christopher Ryan
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
Toby Warner
Contributors:
Andy Cumming
David J. Day
DeepSix
Carleton S. Gholz
Brian Gray
Carl Hagen
Jorge Hernandez
Gordon K. Hurd
Sebastian Koch
Alissa Mariello
John McCormick
Aaron Miles
Colin James Nagy
Nick Parish
Mia Quagliarello
Mark Teppo
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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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