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News
New Releases
Festivals
Listen
Feature
Charts
Credits
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September 14 - 27
Earplug is a twice-monthly email magazine, delivering a handpicked selection of news,
sounds, videos, and original features to the international electronic-music community.
Summer festival season is over, which the German rain gods recently made abundantly clear. But the darkening skies also presage a deluge of new releases, including much-anticipated returns from the Rapture and International Pony, for fall. Read on to see what our favorite jocks
are playing as the days get shorter and the parties get longer. Finally — turn, turn, turn — we're sad to report not only the closing of a long-trusted label, but the tragic passing of one of New York's most beloved characters. Adam Goldstone,
RIP.
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A dynamic new collaboration between Budweiser Select and Flavorpill, Select Flavor harnesses the talents of up-and-coming artists and designers to interpret Select — a premier hand-crafted beer — and its
iconic crown through original artwork. Expect a new kind of creativity. Expect everything.
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Sky Is Crying
New York fixture Adam Goldstone passes away
Clubland's flame now burns a little weaker: New York-based DJ, producer, dandy, and agent provocateur Adam Goldstone suddenly passed away on August 30 at the age of 37, apparently due to a preexisting heart condition, while attending Burning Man. Goldstone was a brilliant spinner; working in the style of his hero Larry Levan, he believed that it was the DJ's job to
lead the dance floor into his world, rather than play down to it. (Of course, Goldstone's rather odd taste in beats managed
to clear the floor on a regular basis, a fact in which he took a perverse glee.) He was a vastly talented music maker, with
tracks like '99's "The Sky Is Not Crying" (made under his Tiny Trendies sobriquet for Nuphonic) and '95's "Orange Sunshine" (with Rob Rives and Yvonne Leybold as the mighty Superstars of Rock) remaining in many DJ's
record boxes to this day. Released under his own name, his 2001 full-length debut, Lower East Side Stories, kept the flame burning for the spirit of New York nightlife at a time when many producers, promoters, and clubbers were
cutting their losses. Most of all, Goldstone worked tirelessly in both word and deed to regain the purity of nightlife past,
when the sense of community and all-inclusiveness lent the scene its potency. The clubbing world will be a vastly different
place without him. (BT)
Put Out
Trevor Jackson folds Output label
For most labels, a ten-year anniversary comes as a celebration. For London's Output, however, last week marked not a time for taking stock, but for unloading it. In an email sent to friends and business associates,
label founder Trevor Jackson — as respected for his keen A&R ear as for his Playgroup project, which helped whet the decade's appetite for disco/rock
fusions — announced the closing of the label, just shy of its 100th release. "I am writing to inform you that due to circumstances
beyond my control, Output ceased trading today," began Jackson's letter. "I have tried everything I possibly could to survive,
but today, after a strong reality check, have decided that I simply cannot continue running the label anymore." Citing outstanding
debts, Jackson suggested that artists and business associates due money might not see any compensation; he also stressed that
he had never drawn "any type of wage, funds, or even expenses from the label," having run Output "solely for the love of the
music and artists I feel so lucky to have worked with." Output was founded in 1996; among its early roster were Lisa Germano
and Fridge, the band which would catapult Four Tet towards his successful solo career. Over the years, the label's repertoire ranged from Gramme's minimalist ambient music
to poptronic reconstructions from LB, aka Atom Heart — but it was with artists like Black Strobe, DK7, Colder, and Mu that Output really found its footing, going so far as to license DFA artists the Rapture and LCD Soundsystem
for UK release. The last release in Output's catalog, from June of this year, was Luke Abbott's "B, B, B, B, B, B, B, B, B, B, B, B, B, B, B." (PS)
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MORE HEADLINES
Music for Airstreams
Brian Eno scores "soundtrack" for Nokia Sirocco more »
Pictures for Airports
Brian Eno to release 77 Million Paintings DVD more »
Breaking the Mold
Stanton Warriors pop their corks for Fabric more »
More Fire
Arthur mag to release anti-war comp more »
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Artist: |
The Rapture |
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| Album: |
Pieces of the People We Love |
| Label: |
Vertigo/Motown |
| Release: |
September 12 |
Cowbell? Check. Yelping? Check. White-hot guitar lines and keyboard counterpoints? Check: this must be a Rapture album. But
something's changed on the NYC quartet's sophomore LP, beginning with the vocal harmonies, which usher the record in with
a Queen-like explosion of backmasking and continue to slather song after song like hot butter. The band's sound has a new
sense of spread and spaciousness, thanks in large part to Ewan Pearson and Paul "Phones" Epworth, who co-produced eight of
the album's ten tracks. (Oddly, the Danger Mouse-produced "Crimson Red" isn't included on the US version.) And their songwriting
feels at once more controlled and more ambitious: "Whoo! Alright-Yeah… Uh Huh" may sound at first like a stock disco-punk
rave up, but behind the intentionally absurd title and the monotone melody line lurk bluesy guitar riffs, some killer turns
of phrase, and genuine moments of freak-out jamming. "People don't dance no more"? Not if the Rapture has anything to do with
it. (PS)
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Artist: |
International Pony |
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| Album: |
Mit Dir Sind Wir Vier |
| Label: |
Sony/BMG |
| Release: |
September 1 |
In contrast with certain infamous French groups, International Pony have created their own approach to the smooth side of
'70s and '80s popular music, infusing it with more whimsy, but with no less musicality or finesse. On their second album,
Mit Dir Sind Wir Vier, they continue in the soulful vein familiar from their debut album, We Love Music, and singles like "Leaving Home." However, this time more of each contributor shines through; the humor of Fischmob's Cosmic
DJ, the nostalgia (and chops) of keyboardist Erobique, and the dazzling programming of DJ Koze. Opener "Solid Gold," with
more than a passing resemblance to the Neptunes' nano-soul, reminds the listener that electronic music never stopped informing
pop (and vice versa). Lead single "Gothic Girl" fleshes out '80s R&B with incisive wit, telling the tale of a goth who "likes
black music / but of a different kind." As the best summer album arrives just in time for the season's end, the message is
clear: the Ponys need your participation to keep the party pumping. After all, "with you we are four," says the title, rounding
up the magic number. (CO)
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Artist: |
Reanimator |
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| Album: |
Special Powers |
| Label: |
Community Library |
| Release: |
August 2006 |
Reanimator's recordings, you might say, are doubly undead. Resurrecting the gritty immediacy of Panasonic's influential power
electronics, the songs were performed live to tape around the turn of the millennium before the duo's members went separate
ways; left in a basement in New Orleans, the masters barely made it out of the Katrina disaster. Lucky for us that they did,
because these eight songs, bleating and throbbing, crunching and droning, are incredibly vital — a "warts 'n all" vision of
minimal techno in which error and chance lend humanity to lurching, off-kilter rhythms, and a reminder of what minimal techno
has lost as it's gone all streamlined. Hissing and squealing like angry, six-legged droids, Reanimator's drum machines and
tone generators crank out coolly dystopian grooves, the sounds of machines plotting their post-apocalyptic retribution. But
it's an intoxicating sound, and once the disc is in your player, it'll be hard to wrench it out. We welcome our new insect
overlords. (PS)
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Artist: |
Various |
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| Album: |
Rio Baile Funk: More Favela Booty Beats |
| Label: |
Essay |
| Release: |
August 18 |
Essay dishes up a second serving of that mutant Miami bass, bastard pop, hip-hop hybrid that only the favelas of Rio de Janeiro
know how to cook up. Berlin's own bootymeister, DJ/journalist Daniel Haaksman, has compiled a coherent and up-to-date collection
of funk carioca, both present and future. Standout tracks include MC MDY's "Rap de Caxias," a near perfect amalgamation of
funk and samba that mixes a joyously proud rap with the swing of a samba school in full flow. MC Catra, Rio's ghetto superstar,
is represented by two tracks, including the crudely sexual "Vem NhaNha"; in fact, sex is a dominant theme throughout this
comp, which includes Deize Tigrona and Edu K expounding on how much they like and need it on the remixed "Sex-o-matic." Elsewhere,
Veronica Costa's now-classic "Desce Glamourosa" samples "Satisfaction" by Benny Benassi, demonstrating how funk can mix the
popular with the underground, while up-and-comers Bonde do Role give Edu K the video-game treatment on "Hot Mama." (AC)
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Artist: |
Broadcast |
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| Album: |
The Future Crayon |
| Label: |
Warp |
| Release: |
August 22 |
Broadcast may have endured some lineup changes over the years, but anyone who put their money on the Birmingham, UK-based
act to hit the decade-old mark has seen their fair share of payback. While the band is now basically a duo — vocalist Trish
Keenan and music man James Cargill — it continues to surpass itself, in large part due to its meticulous approach to songwriting.
The Future Crayon offers a look at that process, compiling the group's non-album castoffs in an 18 track b-sides and rarities collection. A
solid mix of vocal-driven synth romps and the more abstract instrumentals of the band's limited-edition Microcuts collections, the record chronicles ten years of Morricone musing, Stereolab subverting, and espionage chic, offering a number
of tunes even diehard fans may not have heard. Granted, it doesn't have the coherency of an album, or even a singles collection,
but like all Broadcast releases, its haunting grip will continue to tug at you when the echoes fade. (DL)
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EARPLUG FAVES
My My,
Songs for the Gentle
(Playhouse)
Ezekiel Honig,
Scattered Practices
(Microcosm)
Tussle,
Telescope Mind
(Smalltown Supersound)
Dapayk Solo,
Impulsion Parasite
(Mo's Ferry)
M.A.N.D.Y.,
At the Controls
(Resist)
Audion,
"Mouth to Mouth"
(Spectral Sound)
STL,
The Early Tracks
(Perlon)
Junction SM,
"Ma Mère l'Oye"/"La Mort des Artistes"
(Kalk Pets)
Todd Terje,
Eurodans/Italian Stallion
(Full Pupp)
Lee van Dowski & Quenum,
As Told on the Eve of...
(Soma)
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REVIEW: c/o pop
August 23-27
Cologne, Germany
www.c-o-pop.de
Global warming didn't make Germany's festival season shine any brighter this summer: SonneMondSterne's temperature was closer to sterne than sonne, and Combination Records' Open Source Festival was left soaking out in the open. Cologne's c/o pop didn't fare much better, as drizzle plagued the city for all
four days of the third annual showcase of rock, hip-hop, and electronic music. All the better, then, that the event's first-ever
Affair — a labyrinthine complex of record retailers, label booths, and art installations — provided shelter in the afternoons.
Kompakt's Total 7 party felt cramped by a venue that gave more space to roaming than raving, but Matias Aguayo and Roccness brought
the crowd to an early climax with a truly live live set, and energy stayed high through soaring, searing sets from Superpitcher
and Michael Mayer. Saturday night offered an almost intimidating spread of options: Perlon squared off against WIR, Boxer took on Areal, Italic challenged Karaoke Kalk, and so on, until all of Cologne's labels (and then some) could be found in one ring or another, wrestling for the last beat.
Sunday's outdoor extravaganza, featuring the Wighnomy Brothers and Einmusik, reportedly moved inside, but Earplug chose to
stay home, nursing wounds from the previous night's battle royale. (PS)
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Adam Goldstone: Live at DEMF, 2003 (stream)
A 2003 set from New York nightlife mainstay Adam Goldstone, who passed away last month. Running from Afrobeat to broken beats to deep, deep house, he makes everything flow as only
he could.
 LISTEN |
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Laboratory Instinct presents A Guy Called Gerald: Live in Berlin (stream)
To celebrate the release of new album Proto Acid: The Berlin Sessions, A Guy Called Gerald explores the outer limits of acid — and finds that the genre's potential doesn't stop at 304.
LISTEN |
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Troy Pierce: Live in NYC (MP3)
Minus artist Troy Pierce, aka Louderbach, brings out the city's quieter side with 90 minutes of thudding kicks, gothic pads,
and sonar pings — sounding like nothing so much as Snake Plissken's radar device.
LISTEN |
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DJ P. Disco: Analogue Hinterlands (MP3)
Community Library's chief archivist digs deep into the stacks for this survey of click disco, first-gen minimalism, and blown-circuit
techno. The mix draws together Tony Conrad, Thomas Brinkmann, Cabaret Voltaire, and the humble Commodore 64 in one go.
LISTEN |
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DJ Raveric: Return to Planet Electro (MP3)
Rotterdam's DJ Raveric follows up last year's popular Journey to Planet Electro mix with another tom-heavy blast of electro, Italo, and scratch-happy madness for your booty.
LISTEN |
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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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Space Is the Place
On the eve of Adem's ascent
"I've heard neo-folk, psych-folk, noise-folk, twisted-folk, and folktronic," says Adem Ilhan, describing the labels indiscriminately affixed to his unique brand of acoustic music. Though he's been in the US less than
a day, he's already blown the roof off Joe's Pub with a rapturous solo set that included a ukulele version of Björk's "Unravel,"
a transcendent take on the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows," and a song that requires him to simultaneously play thumb piano and
harmonium — all while former Talking Head David Byrne sat front and center, grinning and motionless.
What separates Adem from the acoustic pack, besides his gorgeous baritone, is his brilliant production alchemy — which, at
its best, can transform acoustic sound into something seemingly digital. "What I do is challenge sound," he says. "If I hear
a record by Thomas Brinkmann and I love his drum sound, instead of finding the keyboard or drum machine, I think, how can
I recreate that with a pillow and wooden spoon?" The song "X Is for Kisses," from his new album Love and Other Planets (out September 26 on Domino), is a case in point: an aural trompe l'oeil with ambient techno beats created by rubbing paper, rapidly whispering alphabetical
sounds, and brushing drums.
Keep reading »
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MORE FEATURES
Go Long
Techno stretches out and sprawls more »
Expelling the Dean
Voice critic Robert Christgau fired more »
Psychic Playlist
Genesis P-Orridge's "Invisible Jukebox," unedited more »
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Each week, 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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Djinxx
(Electronic Resistance)
Bouc Bel Air, France
www.djinxx.com
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- Artificial Latvamäki,
"It Is Now Also Not"
(Mezzotinto)
- Agoria, "Kick the Peace"
(Different)
- Djinxx, "Electric City"
(Electronic Resistance)
- Guy Gerber, "This Is Balagan"
(Cocoon)
- Sebastien San, "Wuxia"
(International Deejay Gigolos)
- Smith & Selway,
"Blink of an Eye"
(demo)
- Reese,
"Rock to the Beat (Funk D'Void Remix)"
(KMS)
- Mark August, "(Was) Inside My Head"
(Mezzotinto)
- DJ Yellow, "Goddess"
(Ovum)
- Bentobox,
"Eklektik"
(demo)
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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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Media Partnerships |
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Every other week, Earplug presents one exclusive media
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 also publishes nine other email
magazines, covering ART, BOOKS, NEWS, FASHION, and cultural events in five cities — NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, SAN FRANCISCO, CHICAGO, and LONDON.
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