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Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Afscme Seeks Indie Chair at Goldman; Disclosing Political ...
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Dodd-Frank Gives Birth to Cottage Industry
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Goldman Pays Bosses, Not Investors: Lawyer
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Annual Meetings Get Shorter; ISS Rebukes Ralcorp; CFOs ...
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Yahoo Board Draws Scrutiny in CEO’s Firing
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Murdoch Scion Declines Bonus; Board Reshuffles
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Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Breaking Out: SBTRKT
Feature
SPIN
October 2011
Link
For someone who wants to stay hidden, SBTRKT (pronounced "subtract") has a hard time staying in the shadows. The mask-wearing DJ-producer won't confirm his real name (reportedly Aaron Jerome), age, or talk about his musical background, but he has shared a stage with Drake, been tapped for remixes by Radiohead and Mark Ronson, and will be headlining a U.S. tour that launches this month. A little secrecy, it seems, can go a long way.
"SBTRKT is essentially about getting away from the idea that you have to talk about your music to show what it's about," explains the London resident. "For me, it was more about creating music and letting it work on its own merits -- not having to go out and say, 'I am the person behind this, this is where I was born, and this is why I make what I do.' "
Good thing his music speaks for itself. SBTRKT's eponymous Young Turks debut puts a sleek pop slant on dubstep, garage, and 2-step. Closer to the futuristic singer-songwriter music of fellow Brit James Blake than straight-up club fare, the album leans hard on the airy croon of U.K. soul singer Sampha, who also joins in for his boss' free-flowing shows, during which the masked man pounds a drum kit. "It can all go wrong," admits SBTRKT about embracing the unpredictability of playing live, "but it can all go right as well." Like when Drake joined the band for a Toronto performance. ("He just came and jammed," says SBTRKT.) The cameo wasn't wholly surprising -- Drake had remixed SBTRKT's moody "Wildfire," which features a feathery vocal assist from Little Dragon's Yukimi Nagano.
More often, SBTRKT is the one doing the remixing. Last year he reworked Tinie Tempah's U.K. No. 1 single "Pass Out" and Ronson's "Bang Bang Bang." This past summer, he did the same to "Lotus Flower," from Radiohead's recent The King of Limbs, after Thom Yorke heard his music on BBC radio. Cultivating such a high-profile fan base may put a crimp in SBTRKT's plan to remain anonymous, but it's the stuff of fantasy nonetheless -- which is appropriate for his chosen genre. "As a basic thing," he says, "electronic music is not based on some personal life story. The majority is this imaginary universe of sound." These days, though, reality is looking pretty good.
SPIN
October 2011
Link
For someone who wants to stay hidden, SBTRKT (pronounced "subtract") has a hard time staying in the shadows. The mask-wearing DJ-producer won't confirm his real name (reportedly Aaron Jerome), age, or talk about his musical background, but he has shared a stage with Drake, been tapped for remixes by Radiohead and Mark Ronson, and will be headlining a U.S. tour that launches this month. A little secrecy, it seems, can go a long way.
"SBTRKT is essentially about getting away from the idea that you have to talk about your music to show what it's about," explains the London resident. "For me, it was more about creating music and letting it work on its own merits -- not having to go out and say, 'I am the person behind this, this is where I was born, and this is why I make what I do.' "
Good thing his music speaks for itself. SBTRKT's eponymous Young Turks debut puts a sleek pop slant on dubstep, garage, and 2-step. Closer to the futuristic singer-songwriter music of fellow Brit James Blake than straight-up club fare, the album leans hard on the airy croon of U.K. soul singer Sampha, who also joins in for his boss' free-flowing shows, during which the masked man pounds a drum kit. "It can all go wrong," admits SBTRKT about embracing the unpredictability of playing live, "but it can all go right as well." Like when Drake joined the band for a Toronto performance. ("He just came and jammed," says SBTRKT.) The cameo wasn't wholly surprising -- Drake had remixed SBTRKT's moody "Wildfire," which features a feathery vocal assist from Little Dragon's Yukimi Nagano.
More often, SBTRKT is the one doing the remixing. Last year he reworked Tinie Tempah's U.K. No. 1 single "Pass Out" and Ronson's "Bang Bang Bang." This past summer, he did the same to "Lotus Flower," from Radiohead's recent The King of Limbs, after Thom Yorke heard his music on BBC radio. Cultivating such a high-profile fan base may put a crimp in SBTRKT's plan to remain anonymous, but it's the stuff of fantasy nonetheless -- which is appropriate for his chosen genre. "As a basic thing," he says, "electronic music is not based on some personal life story. The majority is this imaginary universe of sound." These days, though, reality is looking pretty good.
The Drums - Portamento
Album Reviews
SPIN
October 2011
Link
7/10
With a foppish yodel and a jaunty guitar shuffle, this Brooklyn band's self-titled 2010 debut LP slotted easily alongside descendants of the Smiths and the Strokes. Maybe too easily. Guitarist Adam Kessler's exit makes room for a more overtly expansive approach on the Drums' just as solid sophomore outing, with chopped-up vocals, burbling synths, and cooing harmonies that should place them firmly in the sophisticated-yet-naive pop tradition of Saint Etienne or Swedish labels Service, Sincerely Yours, and Labrador. The Drums was as sunny as new romance, though; emotionally conflicted and at times misanthropic, Portamento is about finding out that only love can break your heart.
SPIN
October 2011
Link
7/10
With a foppish yodel and a jaunty guitar shuffle, this Brooklyn band's self-titled 2010 debut LP slotted easily alongside descendants of the Smiths and the Strokes. Maybe too easily. Guitarist Adam Kessler's exit makes room for a more overtly expansive approach on the Drums' just as solid sophomore outing, with chopped-up vocals, burbling synths, and cooing harmonies that should place them firmly in the sophisticated-yet-naive pop tradition of Saint Etienne or Swedish labels Service, Sincerely Yours, and Labrador. The Drums was as sunny as new romance, though; emotionally conflicted and at times misanthropic, Portamento is about finding out that only love can break your heart.
Toro Y Moi - Freaking Out EP
Album Review
Pitchfork
September 12, 2011
Link
8.0
Now that there's little choice but to treat chillwave as an actual genre, it's at risk of the same kind of restrictive codification that's strangled so many of its predecessors. The word has come to mean a specific style-- glowing electronic pop that calls to mind faded photographs. But what initially drew comparisons between such groups as Washed Out, Neon Indian, and Memory Tapes wasn't such an easily identifiable set of musical signifiers. As with most category names that stick, chillwave was a feeling.
There's no better example of the genre's catholic origins than Toro Y Moi mastermind Chaz Bundick. Last year's Causers of This established Toro Y Moi as one of the mini-scene's leading figures, with the post-crash economic reality of lead single "Blessa" ("I found a job, I do it fine/ Not what I want, but still I try") aligning the album with Neon Indian's "Deadbeat Summer" and Washed Out's High Times-- and Bundick's full-length debut had a warmly nostalgic electro-R&B aesthetic, to boot. But by then he had already released 2009's Body Angles tape, which, yeah, presaged Causers with synthy closer "Timed Pleasure", but mostly emphasized scuzzy guitars. And Bundick has said he actually recorded this year's garage-pop "Leave Everywhere" single in 2006. In the meantime, he's given us straight-up dance (his Les Sins project) and an album that expands on the atmospheric funk of Causers using a lusher, more organic instrumental palette (this year's Underneath the Pine).
The definition of chillwave may have to expand yet again. Memory Tapes' solid if disappointing follow-up to 2009's zeitgeist-capturing Seek Magic had more in common than with the sound of this Internet-born subset, but Bundick, along with Neon Indian and Washed Out, continues to embody its spirit, which was always more body-oriented than detractors would care to admit. With the Freaking Out EP, Bundick moves from vaguely funky 1980s-tinged makeout jams to more explicitly funky 80s-tinged dancefloor jams-- think Chromeo. The change isn't as successful as his best work, but it still makes for a plenty rewarding between-albums EP.
Advance mp3 "Saturday Love"-- a cover of a 1985 Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis production for R&B singers Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal-- is the highlight here, with its sweetly catchy days-of-the-week hook, tinkling two-finger piano, and thwacking neo-new jack swing drum programming. Yearning, bass-limber opener "All Alone" and finger-snapping dance finale "I Can Get Love" even share the strobe-like keyboards present on much of Causers-- the last song has that post-Dilla crackle, too. And "Sweet" applies the chopped up vocals and hazy incandescence of that album to further 80s-style R&B. "Take it easy," Bundick soothes on the title track, another uptempo floor-filler. "Don't worry anymore... Calm down." I mean, how much more chillwave can you get, right?
Pitchfork
September 12, 2011
Link
8.0
Now that there's little choice but to treat chillwave as an actual genre, it's at risk of the same kind of restrictive codification that's strangled so many of its predecessors. The word has come to mean a specific style-- glowing electronic pop that calls to mind faded photographs. But what initially drew comparisons between such groups as Washed Out, Neon Indian, and Memory Tapes wasn't such an easily identifiable set of musical signifiers. As with most category names that stick, chillwave was a feeling.
There's no better example of the genre's catholic origins than Toro Y Moi mastermind Chaz Bundick. Last year's Causers of This established Toro Y Moi as one of the mini-scene's leading figures, with the post-crash economic reality of lead single "Blessa" ("I found a job, I do it fine/ Not what I want, but still I try") aligning the album with Neon Indian's "Deadbeat Summer" and Washed Out's High Times-- and Bundick's full-length debut had a warmly nostalgic electro-R&B aesthetic, to boot. But by then he had already released 2009's Body Angles tape, which, yeah, presaged Causers with synthy closer "Timed Pleasure", but mostly emphasized scuzzy guitars. And Bundick has said he actually recorded this year's garage-pop "Leave Everywhere" single in 2006. In the meantime, he's given us straight-up dance (his Les Sins project) and an album that expands on the atmospheric funk of Causers using a lusher, more organic instrumental palette (this year's Underneath the Pine).
The definition of chillwave may have to expand yet again. Memory Tapes' solid if disappointing follow-up to 2009's zeitgeist-capturing Seek Magic had more in common than with the sound of this Internet-born subset, but Bundick, along with Neon Indian and Washed Out, continues to embody its spirit, which was always more body-oriented than detractors would care to admit. With the Freaking Out EP, Bundick moves from vaguely funky 1980s-tinged makeout jams to more explicitly funky 80s-tinged dancefloor jams-- think Chromeo. The change isn't as successful as his best work, but it still makes for a plenty rewarding between-albums EP.
Advance mp3 "Saturday Love"-- a cover of a 1985 Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis production for R&B singers Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal-- is the highlight here, with its sweetly catchy days-of-the-week hook, tinkling two-finger piano, and thwacking neo-new jack swing drum programming. Yearning, bass-limber opener "All Alone" and finger-snapping dance finale "I Can Get Love" even share the strobe-like keyboards present on much of Causers-- the last song has that post-Dilla crackle, too. And "Sweet" applies the chopped up vocals and hazy incandescence of that album to further 80s-style R&B. "Take it easy," Bundick soothes on the title track, another uptempo floor-filler. "Don't worry anymore... Calm down." I mean, how much more chillwave can you get, right?
Gaga, Usher, U2 Duo to Play Clinton Tribute Show
News Article
SPIN.com
September 13, 2011
Link
The nonprofit run by former President Bill Clinton is celebrating its 10th anniversary in a big way. Lady Gaga and Usher will perform at the October 15 concert, the William J. Clinton Foundation said this morning. U2's the Edge and Bono are also set to perform as an acoustic duo at the event, which takes place at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and will stream live via Yahoo!. The foundation says it will announce other performers later.
"A Decade of Difference: A Concert Celebrating 10 Years of the William J. Clinton Foundation" is intended to build exposure for the foundation's work, Clinton says in news release announcing the event. "In the past decade, commitments to my Clinton Global Initiative have improved the lives of more than 300 million people around the world," the former president says. "We've lowered the cost of AIDS and HIV treatment, combated climate change, strengthened economies, increased access to education and healthcare, [and] provided financing and mentoring for small businesses."
Acoustic performances by U2's the Edge and Bono are a relatively uncommon occurrence. The two recently collaborated without drummer Larry Mullen Jr. and bass player Adam Clayton to write songs for the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Check out the pair's acoustic performance of All That You Can't Leave Behind's "Stuck in a Moment" on Late Show With David Letterman below.
SPIN.com
September 13, 2011
Link
The nonprofit run by former President Bill Clinton is celebrating its 10th anniversary in a big way. Lady Gaga and Usher will perform at the October 15 concert, the William J. Clinton Foundation said this morning. U2's the Edge and Bono are also set to perform as an acoustic duo at the event, which takes place at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and will stream live via Yahoo!. The foundation says it will announce other performers later.
"A Decade of Difference: A Concert Celebrating 10 Years of the William J. Clinton Foundation" is intended to build exposure for the foundation's work, Clinton says in news release announcing the event. "In the past decade, commitments to my Clinton Global Initiative have improved the lives of more than 300 million people around the world," the former president says. "We've lowered the cost of AIDS and HIV treatment, combated climate change, strengthened economies, increased access to education and healthcare, [and] provided financing and mentoring for small businesses."
Acoustic performances by U2's the Edge and Bono are a relatively uncommon occurrence. The two recently collaborated without drummer Larry Mullen Jr. and bass player Adam Clayton to write songs for the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Check out the pair's acoustic performance of All That You Can't Leave Behind's "Stuck in a Moment" on Late Show With David Letterman below.
WATCH: U2's Bono and the Edge, "Stuck in a Moment"
Bradford Cox Fronts Black Lips As Joey Ramone
News Article
SPIN.com
September 13, 2011
Link
Halloween is six weeks off, but don't tell Deerhunter and Atlas Sound frontman Bradford Cox. He posed as Joey Ramone during the Black Lips' show Saturday night, complete with long black wig and black leather jacket. Watch their performance below (via Pitchfork and ifilmbands).
Playing at Southern Comfort Lounge in Conley, GA, Cox joined the Lips for a cover of Bobby Freeman oldie "Do You Wanna Dance?". Of course, they did the song the Ramones' way.
Cox's costumed appearance wasn't a total surprise. As Pitchfork points out, the Atlanta musician commandeered the Black Lips' Twitter feed earlier that same day, at one point typing, "There are rumors of a resurrected ghost making a guest appearance at tonight's show."
As usual, Cox has plenty of other projects in the works. His latest Atlas Sound album, Parallax, is due out November 8 -- hear first taste "Terra Incognita" here. As for Deerhunter, the noise-streaked art-rockers recently covered Georgia alt-rock icons Pylon in the midst of a recently concluded summer tour.
SPIN.com
September 13, 2011
Link
Halloween is six weeks off, but don't tell Deerhunter and Atlas Sound frontman Bradford Cox. He posed as Joey Ramone during the Black Lips' show Saturday night, complete with long black wig and black leather jacket. Watch their performance below (via Pitchfork and ifilmbands).
Playing at Southern Comfort Lounge in Conley, GA, Cox joined the Lips for a cover of Bobby Freeman oldie "Do You Wanna Dance?". Of course, they did the song the Ramones' way.
Cox's costumed appearance wasn't a total surprise. As Pitchfork points out, the Atlanta musician commandeered the Black Lips' Twitter feed earlier that same day, at one point typing, "There are rumors of a resurrected ghost making a guest appearance at tonight's show."
As usual, Cox has plenty of other projects in the works. His latest Atlas Sound album, Parallax, is due out November 8 -- hear first taste "Terra Incognita" here. As for Deerhunter, the noise-streaked art-rockers recently covered Georgia alt-rock icons Pylon in the midst of a recently concluded summer tour.
Watch: The Black Lips (feat. Bradford Cox), "Do You Wanna Dance?"
French Electro Producer DJ Mehdi Dead at 34
News Article
SPIN.com
September 13, 2011
Link
French electro producer DJ Mehdi has died, Consequence of Sound reports.
Born Mehdi Favéris-Essadi, the 34-year-old reportedly died due to "an accident," though further details remain unclear.
Known for massive electro-house productions, Mehdi released solo work as part of the Paris collective Ed Banger, and he collaborated with Chromeo and Justice's Xavider de Rosnay, as well as fellow French producers Riton, Cassius, and Busy P.
On Twitter, DJ Cut Killer was apparently the first to make news of Mehdi's death public. Writing in French, the Moroccan-born DJ said, "DJ Mehdi !!! There are no words to tell you the sorrow which I feel… A friend goes from there… Rest in peace fréro."
Other artists responding to Mehdi's death include Drake, Chromeo, Kid Sister, Miike Snow, Murs, and RJD2, who adds: "He had a great spirit about him. One of the nicest guys I've ever met."
See the video for Daft Punk member Thomas Bangalter's rework of Mehdi's "Signatune," from 2007 album Lucky Boy at Night, below.
SPIN.com
September 13, 2011
Link
French electro producer DJ Mehdi has died, Consequence of Sound reports.
Born Mehdi Favéris-Essadi, the 34-year-old reportedly died due to "an accident," though further details remain unclear.
Known for massive electro-house productions, Mehdi released solo work as part of the Paris collective Ed Banger, and he collaborated with Chromeo and Justice's Xavider de Rosnay, as well as fellow French producers Riton, Cassius, and Busy P.
On Twitter, DJ Cut Killer was apparently the first to make news of Mehdi's death public. Writing in French, the Moroccan-born DJ said, "DJ Mehdi !!! There are no words to tell you the sorrow which I feel… A friend goes from there… Rest in peace fréro."
Other artists responding to Mehdi's death include Drake, Chromeo, Kid Sister, Miike Snow, Murs, and RJD2, who adds: "He had a great spirit about him. One of the nicest guys I've ever met."
See the video for Daft Punk member Thomas Bangalter's rework of Mehdi's "Signatune," from 2007 album Lucky Boy at Night, below.
WATCH: DJ Mehdi: "Signatune" (Thomas Bangalter Edit)
LISTEN: Cool Mixes From Jamie xx
News Article
SPIN.com
September 13, 2011
Link
Jamie xx has put his stamp on enough new music in the past few weeks to take up most of your morning. On August 27, the xx producer/percussionist and Gil Scott-Heron remixer spun a two-hour BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix, which you can check out here. This week, he's back with a 30-minute mix of house and garage for FACT magazine, which you can download here.
Did we say "morning"? The FACT mix is actually better suited for late-night listening, and it features mostly moody, tranquil tracks-- including alternate takes on a couple of previous Jamie xx remixes. The BBC mix closes with a preview of Jamie xx's remix for Radiohead's The King of Limbs track "Bloom," which is set to show up on Radiohead remix compilation TKOL RMX 1234567 when it arrives October 11.
Earlier this year, Jamie xx added a tinge of futuristic calypso on his import-only 12" single "Far Nearer," issued in the U.K. via the Numbers label. He also anticipated the ongoing chart success of Adele with his club-ready "Rolling in the Deep" remix.
Around this time last year, the xx won Britain's Mercury Prize for their slinky, smoldering self-titled debut.
Hear It: Jamie xx's FACT mix FACT's site or at Soundcloud
Hear It: Jamie xx's BBC Essential mix
SPIN.com
September 13, 2011
Link
Jamie xx has put his stamp on enough new music in the past few weeks to take up most of your morning. On August 27, the xx producer/percussionist and Gil Scott-Heron remixer spun a two-hour BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix, which you can check out here. This week, he's back with a 30-minute mix of house and garage for FACT magazine, which you can download here.
Did we say "morning"? The FACT mix is actually better suited for late-night listening, and it features mostly moody, tranquil tracks-- including alternate takes on a couple of previous Jamie xx remixes. The BBC mix closes with a preview of Jamie xx's remix for Radiohead's The King of Limbs track "Bloom," which is set to show up on Radiohead remix compilation TKOL RMX 1234567 when it arrives October 11.
Earlier this year, Jamie xx added a tinge of futuristic calypso on his import-only 12" single "Far Nearer," issued in the U.K. via the Numbers label. He also anticipated the ongoing chart success of Adele with his club-ready "Rolling in the Deep" remix.
Around this time last year, the xx won Britain's Mercury Prize for their slinky, smoldering self-titled debut.
Hear It: Jamie xx's FACT mix FACT's site or at Soundcloud
Hear It: Jamie xx's BBC Essential mix
St. Vincent to Sing for HBO's 'Boardwalk Empire'
News Article
SPIN.com
September 13, 2011
Link
On the same day St. Vincent mastermind Annie Clark releases her brand-new album, Strange Mercy, comes word SPIN's September Style Issue cover subject will also be trying her hand at some much older music. Clark has added her name to the ranks of singers recording songs from the 1910s and 1920s for HBO's Boardwalk Empire, according to Billboard. She joins Justin Townes Earle, the Moldy Peaches' Adam Green, and New York Dolls' David Johansen in contributing tracks to the show's second season, which premieres Sept. 25.
St. Vincent's Clark, in Los Angeles to perform for radio station KCRW and Amoeba Records, and Earle were set to go into the studio for Boardwalk Empire this week. That means they just missed the cut for the show's first soundtrack, which drops today via Elektra. Boardwalk Empire Volume 1 : Music From The HBO Original Series features Regina Spektor, Loudon Wainwright III, and Nellie McKay, along with the show's house band, Vince Giordana and the Nighthawks, putting their spin on songs made popular during the overlap between ragtime, improvised jazz, vaudeville, and Broadway show tunes.
Clark recently extended her covers repertoire to include a number by another sometimes old-timey singer-songwriter, Tom Waits. Watch her stripped-down performance of Waits' "Tango Till They're Sore" here.
St. Vincent is hitting the road this fall on a U.S. tour behind Strange Mercy this September -- see dates here. Read SPIN's cover story from our September Style Issue here, or check out a review of St. Vincent's first New York performance of Strange Mercy here.
SPIN.com
September 13, 2011
Link
St. Vincent's Clark, in Los Angeles to perform for radio station KCRW and Amoeba Records, and Earle were set to go into the studio for Boardwalk Empire this week. That means they just missed the cut for the show's first soundtrack, which drops today via Elektra. Boardwalk Empire Volume 1 : Music From The HBO Original Series features Regina Spektor, Loudon Wainwright III, and Nellie McKay, along with the show's house band, Vince Giordana and the Nighthawks, putting their spin on songs made popular during the overlap between ragtime, improvised jazz, vaudeville, and Broadway show tunes.
Clark recently extended her covers repertoire to include a number by another sometimes old-timey singer-songwriter, Tom Waits. Watch her stripped-down performance of Waits' "Tango Till They're Sore" here.
St. Vincent is hitting the road this fall on a U.S. tour behind Strange Mercy this September -- see dates here. Read SPIN's cover story from our September Style Issue here, or check out a review of St. Vincent's first New York performance of Strange Mercy here.
More 'Siamese'-Era Pumpkins Music Surfaces
News Article
SPIN.com
September 12, 2011
Link
Billy Corgan's online record club is already proving to be a treasure trove for Smashing Pumpkins fans. Corgan launched the service recently by offering up an early version of Pumpkins' 1992 track "Drown" and a two-track demo of "Geek U.S.A.", both for the price of an e-mail address. Over the weekend, fan blog Hipsters United found another unreleased Siamese Dream-era take hidden on the Pumpkins website.
Titled "Barb Wire," the rough track resembles little-known Smashing Pumpkins cut "Tulips" with the vocals submerged even lower in the mix. It's one of the band's heavier songs, with distorted guitar in the foreground even on the "Tulips" version. Here, the guitar sounds somewhat less heavily processed, with wailing mini-solos between verses. Check it out below.
Corgan, who announced the record club in an August 20 YouTube video, has promised "so much more free stuff" on the way. He has also said a new Smashing Pumpkins album, Oceania, will probably come out in November, and the band will debut new songs on a fall tour that starts October 5 in Los Angeles.
SPIN.com
September 12, 2011
Link
Titled "Barb Wire," the rough track resembles little-known Smashing Pumpkins cut "Tulips" with the vocals submerged even lower in the mix. It's one of the band's heavier songs, with distorted guitar in the foreground even on the "Tulips" version. Here, the guitar sounds somewhat less heavily processed, with wailing mini-solos between verses. Check it out below.
Corgan, who announced the record club in an August 20 YouTube video, has promised "so much more free stuff" on the way. He has also said a new Smashing Pumpkins album, Oceania, will probably come out in November, and the band will debut new songs on a fall tour that starts October 5 in Los Angeles.
Hear It: Smashing Pumpkins, "Barb Wire"
Radiohead's Greenwood Plays With Aphex Twin
News Article
SPIN.com
September 12, 2011
Link
At the turn of the millennium, Radiohead and Aphex Twin were each separately responsible for helping drag alternative-rock fans kicking and screaming into the world of electronic music. In the early 1960s, Krzysztof Penderecki composed experimental pieces that made use of harsh, jostling dissonance, eventually making him a popular soundtrack choice for directors of ominous movies. Over the weekend, the three came together, as the Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood, Aphex Twin maestro Richard D. James, and Penderecki himself took the stage in the Polish composer's home country, reinterpreting his early work with help from an orchestra -- watch footage below.
On Friday, Greenwood premiered his "48 Responses to Polymorphia," a piece inspired by Penderecki's 1961 "Polymorphia." On Saturday, Aphex Twin unveiled his remix of Penderecki's 1960 "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima" along with his own "Polymorphia" reworking, titled "Polymorphia Reloaded." The performances took place as part of the European Culture Congress in Wroclaw, Poland.
A meeting between Radiohead and Aphex Twin -- even separated by the space of an evening -- was hardly foreordained. As Consequence of Sound points out, Aphex Twin's James once told the now-defunt Kludge Magazine, "I wouldn't play with them [Radiohead] since I don't like them."
Penderecki may not be a household name for many rock fans, but he is an avant-garde luminary. As the New Yorker music critic Alex Ross notes in his book The Rest Is Noise, Penderecki was part of a wave of Eastern European composers who rose to prominence with a musical approach known as sonorism. As Ross tells it, government officials only tolerated the "shrieking cluster chords, sputtering streams of pizzicato, [and] siren-like glissandos" of "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima" after Penderecki gave it that politically acceptable title. The piece was originally called "8'37"" and it appeared in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of The Shining.
In other Radiohead news, Thom Yorke's latest collaborations with German elecronic duo Modeselektor recently hit the web. Aphex Twin heads to Krakow on September 17 to take part in the Sacrum Profanum festival's Reich 75 concert, where he will join Television's Tom Verlaine, Portishead's Adrian Utley, Goldfrapp's Will Gregory, and others to honor composer Steve Reich.
SPIN.com
September 12, 2011
Link
At the turn of the millennium, Radiohead and Aphex Twin were each separately responsible for helping drag alternative-rock fans kicking and screaming into the world of electronic music. In the early 1960s, Krzysztof Penderecki composed experimental pieces that made use of harsh, jostling dissonance, eventually making him a popular soundtrack choice for directors of ominous movies. Over the weekend, the three came together, as the Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood, Aphex Twin maestro Richard D. James, and Penderecki himself took the stage in the Polish composer's home country, reinterpreting his early work with help from an orchestra -- watch footage below.
On Friday, Greenwood premiered his "48 Responses to Polymorphia," a piece inspired by Penderecki's 1961 "Polymorphia." On Saturday, Aphex Twin unveiled his remix of Penderecki's 1960 "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima" along with his own "Polymorphia" reworking, titled "Polymorphia Reloaded." The performances took place as part of the European Culture Congress in Wroclaw, Poland.
A meeting between Radiohead and Aphex Twin -- even separated by the space of an evening -- was hardly foreordained. As Consequence of Sound points out, Aphex Twin's James once told the now-defunt Kludge Magazine, "I wouldn't play with them [Radiohead] since I don't like them."
Penderecki may not be a household name for many rock fans, but he is an avant-garde luminary. As the New Yorker music critic Alex Ross notes in his book The Rest Is Noise, Penderecki was part of a wave of Eastern European composers who rose to prominence with a musical approach known as sonorism. As Ross tells it, government officials only tolerated the "shrieking cluster chords, sputtering streams of pizzicato, [and] siren-like glissandos" of "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima" after Penderecki gave it that politically acceptable title. The piece was originally called "8'37"" and it appeared in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of The Shining.
In other Radiohead news, Thom Yorke's latest collaborations with German elecronic duo Modeselektor recently hit the web. Aphex Twin heads to Krakow on September 17 to take part in the Sacrum Profanum festival's Reich 75 concert, where he will join Television's Tom Verlaine, Portishead's Adrian Utley, Goldfrapp's Will Gregory, and others to honor composer Steve Reich.
WATCH: Jonny Greenwood, "48 Responses to Polymorphia"
WATCH: Aphex Twin, "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima (Remix)"
WATCH: Aphex Twin, "Polymorphia Reloaded"
WATCH: Aphex Twin, "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima (Remix)"
WATCH: Aphex Twin, "Polymorphia Reloaded"
Drake Posts Three New Tracks, Joined by Waka, Ross
News Article
SPIN.com
September 12, 2011
Link
Drake's records suggest late nights at the club. The Canadian rapper-singer's blog, however, suggests he spent the wee hours of Saturday night in front of his computer, uploading three new tracks: "Club Paradise," the Rick Ross-featuring "Free Spirit," and a remix of Waka Flocka Flame's "Round of Applause."
"Club Paradise" and "Free Spirit" are both produced by 40, aka Noah Shebib, who has also worked on songs by Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, and Trey Songz in addition to Drake's Thank Me Later. On "Club Paradise," Drake returns to a familiar topic -- feeling out of place in the fast-money circuit -- as 40 supplies woozy slow-motion backing. "Free Spirit" adds hip-hop muscle to a horn-kissed Sade sample, as Ross and Drake exchange macho boasts (Drizzy: "Tat my fucking name on you so I know it's real").
The remix of Waka Flocka's "Round of Applause" finds Drake rapping over some stuttering menace from producer Lex Luger, whose brand of monolithic blare has been everywhere lately. Drake explained on his blog: "First Lex Luger beat I ever got to rap on...feel like I got seat B60 on Southwest...everybody has gone in before me...but we made it happen!" As Luger stretches his ominous sound into strip-club fodder, Drake joins Waka Flocka with a verse about throwing bills.
The links originally posted on Drake's blog have been taken down, but you can still hear the tracks below. Drake's second album, Take Care, arrives October 24, and you can also check out the video for the brooding "Marvin's Room."
SPIN.com
September 12, 2011
Link
Drake's records suggest late nights at the club. The Canadian rapper-singer's blog, however, suggests he spent the wee hours of Saturday night in front of his computer, uploading three new tracks: "Club Paradise," the Rick Ross-featuring "Free Spirit," and a remix of Waka Flocka Flame's "Round of Applause."
"Club Paradise" and "Free Spirit" are both produced by 40, aka Noah Shebib, who has also worked on songs by Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, and Trey Songz in addition to Drake's Thank Me Later. On "Club Paradise," Drake returns to a familiar topic -- feeling out of place in the fast-money circuit -- as 40 supplies woozy slow-motion backing. "Free Spirit" adds hip-hop muscle to a horn-kissed Sade sample, as Ross and Drake exchange macho boasts (Drizzy: "Tat my fucking name on you so I know it's real").
The remix of Waka Flocka's "Round of Applause" finds Drake rapping over some stuttering menace from producer Lex Luger, whose brand of monolithic blare has been everywhere lately. Drake explained on his blog: "First Lex Luger beat I ever got to rap on...feel like I got seat B60 on Southwest...everybody has gone in before me...but we made it happen!" As Luger stretches his ominous sound into strip-club fodder, Drake joins Waka Flocka with a verse about throwing bills.
The links originally posted on Drake's blog have been taken down, but you can still hear the tracks below. Drake's second album, Take Care, arrives October 24, and you can also check out the video for the brooding "Marvin's Room."
Hear It:: Drake, "Club Paradise
Hear It:: Drake (feat. Rick Ross), "Free Spirit"
Hear It:: Waka Flocka Flame (feat. Drake), "Round of Applause (Remix)"
Hear It:: Drake (feat. Rick Ross), "Free Spirit"
Hear It:: Waka Flocka Flame (feat. Drake), "Round of Applause (Remix)"
Winehouse Died From Detox-Related Seizure: Father
News Article
SPIN.com
September 12, 2011
Link
Amy Winehouse's father says he thinks a seizure connected to alcohol detoxification caused the singer's unexpected death in London on July 23. "Everything Amy did, she did to excess," Mitch Winehouse said Friday in a taping of a new Anderson Cooper talk show, according to the Associated Press. "She drank to excess and did detox to excess."
The "Rehab" singer had been suffering seizures and losing consciousness during an effort to fight her alcoholism without medical assistance, her father said on Anderson's syndicated show, which is set to premiere Monday. The elder Winehouse is quoted as saying "the periods of abstinence were becoming longer, and the periods of drinking were becoming shorter. It was heading in the right direction."
Toxicology reports showed there was alcohol in the singer's system at the time of her death but did not conclusively indicate whether this was a contributing factor. No illegal drugs were present in her system, Winehouse's family said in an August 23 statement announcing the test results.
Mitch Winehouse said he learned about his daughter's death by phone, the AP reports. He was in New York, and when he heard the emotion in a security guard's voice on the other end of the call, he says he immediately asked, "Is she dead?"
The singer's father wiped away tears as Cooper's show played old video footage of her, according to the AP. "When she wasn't drinking," Mitch Winehouse reportedly said, "she was absolutely on top of the world."
Separately, British singer and songwriter Joss Stone has told the Wall Street Journal she has imagined putting together a supergroup to honor Amy Winehouse. Though she hasn't taken any steps toward doing so, she says the U.K. singers she has in mind include Adele, KT Tunstall, Corinne Bailey Rae, and 15-year-old artist Birdy.
"It would be great to put out a song, or even a five-track release," Stone told the WSJ, which points out she has an album on the way this month from SuperHeavy, her supergroup with Mick Jagger, A.R. Rahman, Damian Marley, and Dave Stewart.
SPIN.com
September 12, 2011
Link
Amy Winehouse's father says he thinks a seizure connected to alcohol detoxification caused the singer's unexpected death in London on July 23. "Everything Amy did, she did to excess," Mitch Winehouse said Friday in a taping of a new Anderson Cooper talk show, according to the Associated Press. "She drank to excess and did detox to excess."
The "Rehab" singer had been suffering seizures and losing consciousness during an effort to fight her alcoholism without medical assistance, her father said on Anderson's syndicated show, which is set to premiere Monday. The elder Winehouse is quoted as saying "the periods of abstinence were becoming longer, and the periods of drinking were becoming shorter. It was heading in the right direction."
Toxicology reports showed there was alcohol in the singer's system at the time of her death but did not conclusively indicate whether this was a contributing factor. No illegal drugs were present in her system, Winehouse's family said in an August 23 statement announcing the test results.
Mitch Winehouse said he learned about his daughter's death by phone, the AP reports. He was in New York, and when he heard the emotion in a security guard's voice on the other end of the call, he says he immediately asked, "Is she dead?"
The singer's father wiped away tears as Cooper's show played old video footage of her, according to the AP. "When she wasn't drinking," Mitch Winehouse reportedly said, "she was absolutely on top of the world."
Separately, British singer and songwriter Joss Stone has told the Wall Street Journal she has imagined putting together a supergroup to honor Amy Winehouse. Though she hasn't taken any steps toward doing so, she says the U.K. singers she has in mind include Adele, KT Tunstall, Corinne Bailey Rae, and 15-year-old artist Birdy.
"It would be great to put out a song, or even a five-track release," Stone told the WSJ, which points out she has an album on the way this month from SuperHeavy, her supergroup with Mick Jagger, A.R. Rahman, Damian Marley, and Dave Stewart.
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