Boy In Static is San Francisco-based duo of Alexander Chen and Kenji Ross. Their third album, Candy Cigarette marks a major shift bringing the floor-stomping confidence of their live show into the studio. Candy Cigarette is an album of contrasts. Rickety 1960′s toy pianos dance alongside glossy, 1980′s synthesied drum machines. Precise viola arrangements sweep over one-mic improvised drum takes. The intimate 1940′s crooning of the title track ushers in the orchestral grandeur of “Half-Lives.”
From the summertime sidewalk soundtrack “Young San Francisco” to the icy paranoia of dancehall-inspired “Tijuana,” 10 songs flaunt equal respect for both the sonic experimentation of Animal Collective and the verse-chorus pop format of New Order.
Almost alone among bands of the last two decades, Tortoise is a group that resists easy metaphors and analogies, who can be described as sounding like only themselves and no one else. Twenty years after its founding, the band’s signature and singularly inimitable sound—a fluid intersection of dub, dance, jazz, techno, rock, and classical minimalism, with no part overwhelming or dominating the whole—remains an American and international original. Even more unusually, they seem to have arrived at their sound with almost no apprenticeship to speak of; to judge from their early singles and albums alone, they seem to have come into being with their musical identity and DNA fully formed, like Athena from the forehead of Zeus. Further, while the group has spawned countless imitators, heirs, and followers—sincere, flattering, and otherwise—Tortoise remains unique in the world of contemporary music for their boundless intellectual curiosity, their unmistakable compositional voice, and their synthesis of seemingly contradictory sound worlds far from their doorstep.
May 29 Buffalo, NY Tralf Music Hall
May 30 Brooklyn, NY The Bell House
May 31 New York, NY World Financial Center Winter
Jun 11 Athens, Greece Synch Festival
Jul 11 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
Jul 13 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
Jul 15 Austin, TX The Mohawk
Jul 17 Chicago, IL Pitchfork Music Festival
Jul 19 Washington, DC Black Cat
Jul 20 Philadelphia, PA First Unitarian Church
Jul 24 Tokyo, Japan Fuji Rock Festival
Aug 14 St. Malo, France La Route Du Rock
Aug 22 Hasselt, Belgium Pukkelpop
A.M. Architect’s latest project, The Road To The Sun
“Its like the soundtrack to life,” Daniel Stanush explains, “you can always find a part of it to relate to, a part you can put in your pocket.” He is describing of the fruits of a music partnership with friend and producer Diego Chavez (Aether, Otic Angst) and its a sentiment shared by many. “When we set out to write all these songs, we wanted to make them personal and accessible, but also resonate on a deeper level.” The compositions that constitute the duo’s first full length album, The Road to the Sun, are a study in the mix of organic and electronic music, a blending of the tones and niches that define the two, while simultaneously blurring the distinctions that set them apart. Fender Rhodes and acoustic guitars reside comfortably alongside glitched-out beats and unintelligible samples, creating something both ambient and decidedly pointed; something that resonates across genres.
Yppah (pronounced Yippah), sometimes know as Joe Corrales, Jr., released his debut album You Are Beautiful At All Times in November of 2006 on Ninja Tune records. This stunning debut is a lush mix of beautiful and often times melancholic electronica, breakbeat drum samples with shoegazer melodies set in an atmospheric sound landscape.
Joe spent his early teen years playing guitar and bass in rock bands, then later as a scratch DJ who mixed hip hop and house in clubs sets. He’s also a founding member of the turntablist group The Truth.
Sandpeople was formed roughly four years ago as an unlikely gathering of hip-hop artists in the Pacific Northwest. The crew that now calls Portland, Oregon home has evolved into a 10-member unit fully equipped to fill a stage and empty a keg (preferably in reverse order).
Sandpeople’s newest effort, the aptly titled EP Long Story, Short…, is the product of the insight gained from their major label courtship and their deeply ingrained work ethic and self-imposed high standards. The result of such motivation is an ironclad project that walks the fine line of being both accessible and impressive, while ensuring the emcee’s talents and numbers are on full display. With concepts ranging from the struggles of being self-funded (“Money is on Their Minds”) to overcoming the adversity of a hypercompetitive indie hip-hop scene (“Hate Aside”), Sandpeople manage to carve their diverse personalities into the inherently brief EP format. From boasting a fierce introduction of back-to-back verses on the lead track “Strands”, to its conclusion with Sapient’s dark and demented ballad “The Dapper Mob”, Long Story, Short… is a well-rounded offering from this rapidly emerging crew.
As many of you know, Chris Gore is the Film Curator here at ChinaShop. We recently traveled to Las Vegas to cover the Cinevegas film festival - It might have been the heavy dose of oxygen pumped into the casino’s air systems that drove him to be so impulsive or maybe it was the bartender with the heavy pour making the poolside margaritas that melted away his inhibitions – but the next thing we knew, Bob was in town and Elvis was singing Fools Rush In. it’s all been a blur , luckily Gore got ChinaShop photographer Zoetica Ebb to document the fateful night. Like any good publisher I felt it only right if we shared a bit of his joy with the rest of the world, at least we think Elvis would have wanted it that way – Amen.
To call Bad Boy Bill accomplished would be a bit of an understatement. Voted America’s Favorite DJ (BPM Magazine). Winner of URB’s Massy Poll. Co-founder of Beatport.com, the leader in electronic dance music downloads. That might be enough success for some, but not for this world-renowned DJ. With over two decades of DJing under his belt, Bad Boy Bill is ready to release his first full-length artist album.
“I think people are going to be surprised because its different than what they probably expect from me,” says Bill. “And I like that.”
Out July 28, Bad Boy Bill The Album (Nettwerk) packs a double punch: the impressive collaborators we anticipate from an industry vet (Duran Duran’s John Taylor; Alyssa Palmer; JJ Flores; Steve Smooth; Alex Peace), combined with unexpected self-aware lyrics and unique production that seamlessly weaves Bill’s electronic edge into rock, hip hop, and rap.
While most of the tracks on The Album have been closely guarded secrets, Bill has previewed lead single “Falling Anthem” extensively, to rave reviews. Number 9 on the Billboard Dance Chart and steadily climbing, the track features vocals by the talented producer and singer Alyssa Palmer, and has already been remixed by Herve, Harry Choo Choo Romero, and Sylvane.
The Long Lost consists of husband-&-wife Alfred (a.k.a. electronic Daedelus) and Laura Darlington. In contrast to the avant-electronics and hip-hop aesthetics of Alfred’s music as Daedelus, The Long Lost is a union of two songwriters & producers with a penchant for sad sounds and delicate, electro-acoustic melodies. Psychedelic lullabies for lovers and the lovelorn. As well as Sa-Ra, Laura has also sung for Flying Lotus. A fascinating and utterly individual project, The Long Lost take the subject of love away from the cliches and hackneyed wailing of the mainstream and reconnect it to those strange and uncontrollable emotions were all so in thrall to.
Polly Scattergood writes ethereal pop songs. Here is the original mix of Please Don’t Touch (video) below and then you tell me what remix does it for you? I’m a little fond of the Dub Mix…..its very Blondie-esque.
Polly Scattergood – Please Don’t Touch (The Golden Filter Remix)
Polly Scattergood – Please Don’t Touch (The Golden Filter Remix)(Pop Mix)
Polly Scattergood – Please Don’t Touch (The Golden Filter Remix)(Dub Mix)
