From 8-Bit To Warm Orchestral

Have you ever seen an album box as cool as this one? It's modelled after the floppy-reader of a Commodore64 computer and there's also a beautiful flyer in style. The Commodore64 Orchestra finally released their album and it’s fantastic. Earlier I wrote a post about their live performance, but the album is worth another post. The orchestra plays tunes of C64 games from the 80’s. Inside the cool box are two cd’s, one with the original computergametunes and another one with the orchestral versions. It is striking how much wonderful melodies were incoporated in these simple games.

As a bonus there’s additional multimedia on the cd. It features an interview with Rob Hubbard and Jeroen Tel, the original composers of the music. You can also find a trailer for the project. The coolest thing supplied with the album is a zip file with three seperate tracks with the flute-, bass-, and stringparts of the track ‘Monty on the run’. These tracks can be used for a remix-competition. The 20 finest remixes will be released! More zip files will be posted on their website, so check that out if you like it. The album can be bought here.

Rob Hubbard - Monty on the run (mp3)

C64 Orchestra - Monty on the run (mp3)

The Remix

The remix has come a long way.

A remix used to mean the track just got doubled in length or a thumping club beat was added, preferably both. In 1982 both Soft Cell and The Human League released an entire album ful of remixes. After that remixes become more popular but only since a couple of years have remixes gotten more creative and are seen as something that could be as cool as (or even cooler than) the original. Now an artist's worth is also judged by the remixes they make and the remix artists they choose for their tracks. Bands like Depeche Mode show they're still 'hip to it' by choosing artists like Tiga, M83, Jacques Lu Cont, Goldfrapp, Richard X and Boys Noize to remix their tracks. And who knows where The Klaxons (remember them?) would be if it hadn't been for the Soulwax, Kavinsky, To My Boy and especially the Van She remix?

Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus (Boys Noize Remix) (mp3)

The Klaxons - Gravity's Rainbow (Soulwax Remix) (mp3)

2006 and 2007 were important years for remixes; acts such as Justice, Digitalism, Boys Noize and Simian Mobile Disco gained a following based almost solely on their remix work before releasing an album.
Several indie bands released remix albums; Architecture in Helsinki, Stars, Xiu Xiu, My Brightest Diamond, and At The Close of Every Day for example.
Soulwax released an album with remixes they did for other artists and started playing them live (!).

Architecture in Helsinki - Do The Whirlwind (Metronomy Remix) (mp3)

Don't be too afraid, it's quite lovely: Xiu Xiu - Hello From Eau Claire (Gold Chains Remix) (mp3)

2008 will bring a new album by Metronomy and two new ‘remix acts’ will release albums that are highly anticipated. Some remixers have original takes on a song, some remixers even improve it but the two remix acts I’m talking about consistently impress the hell out of me with their remixes.

Van She improved The Klaxons ‘Gravity's Rainbow’ by about 300%, had something new to say about Tiga’s ‘I’m Gonna Want You’ and clubbed Feist’s ‘1 2 3 4’ to the next level. Their EP featured ‘Kelly’, one of the most cathy popsongs of 2006. They’ll release their as of yet untitled debut in 2008.

The Teenagers did a kick-ass Lo FI-Fnk remix for 'City' (try to sit still to this one!), cut up Au Revoir Simone’s ‘Fallen Snow’ and added some bass to Simian Mobile Disco’s ‘The Beat’. Their current single 'Starlett Johansson' is a sure-fire hit and will most likely be featured on their debut album that’ll be released in 2008.

Feist - 1 2 3 4 (Van She Technologic Remix) (mp3)

This one's for you Wiegertje: Muscles – One Inch Badge Pin (Van She Tech City Gym Remix) (mp3)

Van She - Kelly (mp3)

One of my favorite remixes ever: Lo Fi-Fnk - City (The Teenagers Remix) (mp3)

The Teenagers - Starlett Johansson (mp3)

Busy

It's been a busy week.

Last thursday Loney, Dear played in Utrecht. His performance suffered from the same thing as the the last one I saw; the supporting act was better. First time Patrick Watson opened for him and left me pretty breathless (I hadn't heard of him then), this time Neonbelle opened for them and again they proved to be quite talented.

Then it was time for STRP on friday. STRP is a festival where technology and art meet. Which meant there were different installations (a lot of interactive videogames and light installations) and some music shows in the evening and DJ-sets all through the night. Unfortunately I was only able to see Apparat & Band and Roisin Murphy play (had to miss Soulwax, Modeselektor and Goose among others).
I wasn't all that impressed with Apparat who started a bit...lackluster in my opinion. Apparently it was a subtly built set and it got a lot better, however by that time I was gone to see Roisin Murphy. Roisin presented herself as a more intelligent version of Kylie or Madonna even. Highlights were of course 'Movie Star' but there also was a song from her previous record (I assume) that was very trance-inducing and 'Dear Miami' and 'Primitive' worked rather well live.

Sunday iLiKETRAiNS ended my busy weekend. I was surprised to see they were a lot younger than I had imagined since the singer has a very low voice I associate with people like Nick Cave or Lou Reed. They played their set well but played only two songs from their EP Progress/Reform which is a lot better than their current cd which features two many bleh songs and isn't produced very well. The visuals were nice though; a projected chessmatch to the drum of 'a Rook House For Bobby' and a very psychedelic everchanging rorscharchtest.

Next up: The National


Entire EP! Neonbelle - In a Cabin With... (free download)

Roisin Murphy - Primitive (mp3)

iLiKETRAiNS - A Rook House For Bobby (myspace)

Apparat

One of my favorite electronic records of last year was 'Orchestra of Bubbles' by Ellen Allien & Apparat. I knew Ellen Allien, Berlin Techno-diva and founder of BPitch Control music label but hadn't heard Apparat's music before (although he worked on Ellen's 2003 'Berlinette') and was very curious about it. Apparat is Sascha Ring, electronic musician and one of the owners of Shitkatapult records who released 'Walls' in may this year.
Walls is a surprisingly eclectic record. It features pure dance-pop (Hailing from the Edge and especially Holdon), darker Junior Boys-y songs (Limelight) and M83-like synth-shoegaze (Headup). but my favorite is the two-part Fractales. Part 1 has beats that would make Timbaland go fetal in a corner with jealousy but at the same time are much more subte and delicate than his. Part 2 is a fragile melancholic dreamy synth-scape with lots of strings.

This friday I will have to face a difficult descision; at STRP festival Apparat and Roisin Murphy will partly play at the same time. What should I do?


Best dance song from 2006: Ellen Allien & Apparat - Do Not Break (myspace)

A beatmaster at work: Apparat - Fractales part 1 (myspace)

A remix from BPitch control's hipsters and one of Thom Yorke's favorite band's: Apparat - Holdon (Modeselektor Remix) (mp3)

Beer's gone. So now what?

Some personal information probably no one will care about: I'm from a small town in the middle east. Of the Netherlands that is. It's where they speak the dialect the name of our blog is taken from.

To add some trivial knowledge certainly no one will ever care about: just a couple of years ago our local pride Grolsch Beer moved its fabric to a nearby region, which left some hardcore locals with a severe identical crisis. This week it became public Grolsch is about to be sold to a South African brewery. [sentimental mode] Serves them right, those bastards who stole our pride away. [/sentimantal mode]

But we don't need Grolsch anyway. We've got Junkie XL. He's from our part of the country and proud of it! To kill the pain of losing a major brewery, he comes up with the perfect solution: Fuck more! I say we act in accordance with his suggestion.

Junkie XL - Fuck More (video)

(I'd link the mp3, but then you'd probably skip this awesome video)

Neonbelle

As I mentioned in the Beirut review last week, the supporting act was Neonbelle. It was their second show ever (as Neonbelle that is), but you wouldn't have guessed.
Neonbelle are a Dutch project consisting of Pien Feith (who has her own band) and Jelte Heringa (who worked with Spinvis amongst others). A while ago they dissappeared into a cabin (for the aptly-titled project 'In a cabin with...' from Badmintone records) with no clear idea and came out with a (free!) EP filled with beautiful songs.
Their sound can perhaps best be compared to Portishead or Hooverphonic in a sense that it's mostly slow, electronically based with haunting female vocals. But they do have a sound that is clearly their own; not just the beats but also the vocals are lesss clean and a bit darker. Their live performance was nothing less than stunning; Pien's voice was incredible and showed a controlled rawness that's quite unique (it reminds me a bit of PJ Harvey or Cat Power). Jelte's beats were sparse and extremely pleasant. The combination is pure gold.

The EP is completely free and can be downloaded here. The 22nd of november there's a showcase in Tivoli opening for Loney, Dear.

Not there yet

Poor Zach Condon. He was sick as a dog and drinking a lot of whiskey (or was it cough sirup?) to be able to keep playing yesterday. Zach Condon is of course Beirut, you know, the 21-year old American kid who was only 19 when his first cd (as Beirut) was released. Makes you think what you've done with your life up till now, doesn't it? (I know I haven't done crap with mine). His balkan influenced music spread like a virus over the net and almost every paper I've read had an article about him.
So he's talented and popular. But one thing became clear during the show; he hasn't made his materpiece yet. Yes, his voice was great even wracked by illness, yes, his band was great even though there was little room for improvisation. But the main flaw with Beirut is that he just doesn't have enough great songs. The first song (and title song) on his first record 'Gulag Orkestar' is clearly his best song by far. Armed with the knowledge of the potential shown in that song the other songs seem to be good enough and not as good as they could be. Having said all this I must add that even his weaker songs are better than the great songs of a lot of other artists.

I expect him to evolve (artistically that is) and release his true masterpiece in a couple of years. If he keeps his talented band then he'll realy blow us away with his show then.


First and still best song: Beirut - Gulag orkestar (mp3)

From the second album: Beirut - A Sunday Smile (mp3)


* the supporting act Neonbelle was incredible and as such deserves a seperate post.

The Arcade Fire still burns or the Win Butler did it

Last april Arcade Fire would play in the beautiful Vredenburg theatre. The band and the place gave the show high potential and it was sold out immediately. Unfortunately frontman Win Butler lost his voice and had to skip the rest of the tour, including that show. Last night they had their revenge. They played in the (much bigger and less intimate, as in: not at all) Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. But still I had high hopes. And that was just what I was afraid of.
Because may 2005 I (together with Konditorei) saw them in Amsterdam and that is probably still my favorite concert ever. It was one of those concerts where everything just comes together. The setting was Paradiso, a venue that's not too big and used to be a church (with those beautiful windows) where their theatrical music fits perfectly. The crowd was enthousiastic and ecstatic but respectfull (as in not clapping and not singing when they shouldn't be. Yes I'm talking directly to you, you stupid spastic bitch and monotomous zobie asshole!). The bandmembers were obviously enjoying themselves and the songs and the set were fantastic.
That's why I was a bit scared that yesterdays show would not live up to my expectations. And for a song it didn't. Opener 'Black Mirror' didn't impress that much because the sound was crap and Win seemed a bit agitated (by the crap sound I now assume) but the sound got better. And then they played an incredible version of 'In The Backseat' and I knew that they still had it. Chills. And I haven't even mentioned the fantastic New Order cover or the visuals. The big round screens showing live-footage (made to look old) and real old tv fragments.

I think everyone would agree with me that it was quite a spectacular show. Aside from the sound that started badly the only thing I criticism I can come up with is the fake flat organ...I don't see why there was a need for that.


One of the many highlights: Arcade Fire - No Cars Go (mp3)

What good would that do if there's no place to go, I ask you: Arcade Fire - Keep the Car Running (mp3)

Thanks to Konditorei for starting this post and Ruben for linking the Age of Consent cover.

Fest

glamour in the DJ booth

Saturday Ulkedoof DJ'd at Fest. There was much joy and dancing and someone working some knobs and switches while trying to look like he knew what he was doing. Anyway, the set featured favorites like:

Lo Fi-Fnk - City (The Teenagers Remix) (mp3)
Pop Levi - Pick Me Up Uppercut (myspace)
Malle Pietje en de Bimbo's - Tienerhoer (Seymour Bits Remix)
Feist - 1234 (Van She Technologic Remix)
Junior Boys - In the Morning (mp3)
Cold War Kids - Hang Me Out To Dry (Hostage Remix)
Metric - Monster Hospital (MSTRKRFT Remix) (mp3)
Black Kids - Listen to your Body Tonight (mp3)
CSS - Knife (Grizzy Bear cover) (mp3)
The Field - Everday (myspace)
Isoleé - Face b (myspace)

and of course: The Smiths - Hang the DJ (more appropriate to some then 'Last Night a DJ Saved my Life (Mirage Remix)' by Indeep)

I hereby officialy declare the shoegaze-revival opened

I was actually waiting for one more clear sign before definitely declaring a shoegaze revival. And then it came to me.
I guess you could say it started with then-popular My Vitriol (My Vitri-who? exactly.) in 2001, the same year M83 formed. My Vitriol were very clearly influenced by THE shoegazers My Bloody Valentine and were not afraid to show it (hence the name of the band I guess). Then M83 released their first real shoegaze-ish album in 2003 (Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts), this time it was shoegaze with synths. Then Amusent Parks on Fire formed (well, it's one guy, so I guess he didn't so much 'form' as decided to be APOF) which is described more as stargazing then shoegazing (listen to it, it will become clear). 2006 saw the release of the acclaimed album Pet Grief by The Radio Dept.

Now 2007 sees post-shoegaze acts like Silversun Pickups, Air Formation, Film School, A Place to Bury Strangers, The Maps, Blonde Redhead and there is the highly suspicious recent appreciation for Alcian Blue.
The real revival was soooo close I thought...and then the final sign came to me: My Bloody Valentine are going to release a new album...this year!

quick shoegaze-course:

The original: My Bloody Valentine - Only Shallow (mp3)

With synths: M83 - Teen Angst (mp3)

Stargazer: Amusement Parks on Fire - You Made Me Realise (My Bloody Valentine cover)

Broke up in 2006: Alcian Blue - Frozen Sleep (link to post with mp3)

indie-shoegaze: Film School - Two Kinds (mp3)

hardest shoegaze you'll ever hear: A Place to Bury Strangers - To Fix the Gash in Your Head (mp3)

m83 with guitars: The Maps - Elouise (mp3)

Sonic Youth adepts: Blonde Redhead - 23 (mp3)

Alcian Blue

Precisely a year ago Alcian Blue’s website read that the Washington DC-based band called it a day and quit. Two months ago I read this ‘news’ after discovering their self-titled/produced debut album and couldn’t believe that a wider audience hadn’t noticed them. And the fact that they make shoegaze/ gothrock/ dreampop/ postpunk/ or whatever you want to call it, couldn’t have been a real obstacle since Pitchfork is smurfing A Place To Bury Strangers.

A few months before quitting, Alcian Blue delivered a masterpiece with delicate synthscapes, hushed vocals, lots of pedals (thanks to Death By Audio, again see my last post) and a drum machine. Especially the use of the latter makes their sound distinct from My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, The Cure, Joy Divis…Yawn...

Where was I? Oh yes, this year they released their final EP Years To Late, with four of the five tracks listenable at theirplace. But I have to say that it’s not as great, gloomy, synthy and truly wonderful as their album, due to the fact that their drum machine is replaced by an actual drummer and their songs are too dreamy and stretched out…which is also nice, but makes them less unique…but I already said that. Did I mention that they are great!?

Three of the many favorites of their self-titled album:

Very Cure-esque: Alcian Blue - You Just Disappear (mp3)

Pounding yet slow: Alcian Blue - Frozen Sleep (mp3)

Tambourine jingles: Alcian Blue - See You Shine (mp3)

Let's smurf to Joy Division!

In this era of Joy Division hyping (seriously, when is this going to stop? And will this repeat itself on, let’s say, a five year basis, likewise to the five and a half ABBA revivals we’ve had so far?), let me tell you that eighties joy can be divided differently.

The Wombats already pointed out the silliness of dancing to Joy Division and in this respect I have nothing to add. Let’s all keep celebrating the irony of dancing to sorrow and misery. We have all reason to do so since this night a Dutch Pop Idol contestant responded “Who’s that?”, when she was complimented on her apparently well thought-out theatric eighties Kate Bush-dress. So kudos to The Wombats.

Kudos to Late of the Pier, to To My Boy and to Hadouken! for setting a new standard of new rave, after Klaxons had accidentally mistaken it for anything that combines electro, guitars and some high-pitched oowoowoow’s.

And finally, kudos to Nintendo’s NES, which brought us an enormous source of 8 Bit samples that have been used by an increasing number of electro-/synthpop bands. Fans of The Smurfs on NES must now worship Thermostatic from Sweden for recycling its samples and producing the masterpiece Joy Toy (2005). What’s in a name!

The Wombats – Let’s Dance To Joy Division (video)
Late Of The Pier – Broken (mp3)
To My Boy – The Grid (video)
Hadouken! – That Boy That Girl (mp3)
Thermostatic – Reasons (mp3)

8bitpeoples.com (free 8 bit releases)

Breaking news

This is just too much.

Not only have Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds confirmed that their new record (that's gonna be called 'DIG, LAZARUS, DIG!!!') is planned for a release on march 3rd 2008 but Morrissey (also known as the object of her obsession) plans a Greatest Hits collection and a new record with Jerry Finn who did 'You Are The Quarry' in 2008!



If only I could, Nick's so dreamy...*sigh*: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Into My Arms (mp3)

How appropriate: Morrissey - November Spawned a Monster (mp3)

Beep-boop beep-beep-boop!

What are you saying R2D2? Has Timmy fallen down the well again?

Ah, Blip-blop. I never played much of the original Super Mario, but I had a Commodore 64. Whenever I feel like moving around on the dancefloor like a robot from 1984, there is nothing like this!

My like for the genre started with an impromptu performance by 6955 in Utrecht (my sleeve is even crappier than the one shown there, poke around for fun stuff and MP3s). It was a really great show, just a guy on stage dicking around with a bunch of Nintendos but somehow using them for sequencing real cool music.

Then on to 64revolt (another site with lots of free MP3s, try Alice, Sweet Alice) and Motormark (now sadly defunct, but what a great closing show for Dour 2006! - I remember thinking 'So this is what electro-punk-rock for the 2010s sounds like!' ) and then Dan Deacon (see Choquolage's last post).

The Polish Ambassador also deserves to be snuck inbetween somewhere. Although, strictly, he's not blip-blop, he gave me last year's summer soundtrack. Especially with London Telecommunicating. He has also made one rather silly video featuring my IKEA chair :)

The latest (and greatest - isn't it always?) in this line is Crystal Castles. Not named after the computer game (from 1983!) but after She-ra's Castle! Yeah, from He-man. How nerdy can you get? Well, for me not nerdy enough, because Knights is a really awesome song. Check it out here , but close your eyes - the video does not move at all!)

And then, there's also Megablast (Hip Hop On Precinct 13) by Bomb the Bass and ASCII Disko and The Peoples Republic of Europe (or The Popular European Republic, or whatever they are called) and Add N to (X)... But they don't really count.

Batshit briliant

Opening an album with a song that's basically Woody Woodpecker's laugh looped at two different speeds with some xylophone, crappy keyboard sounds and crazyfying beats? That Dan Deacon surely is a bold musician...or just plain batshit crazy.

Helium voiced scream anthems, nintendo happy hardcore and techno drums, yet integrated in great pop songs. His album 'Spiderman of the Rings' is a bit like the not-quite backwards-dancing dwarf from Twin Peaks; it freaks you the hell out but you just can't stop watching/listening.

Not as unlistenable as you might expect: Dan Deacon - Crystal Cat (mp3)

Again not as unlistenable as you might expect: Dan Deacon - Wham City (mp3)