Bridges for Music: An introduction
The non-profit organization, who are set to bring Richie Hawtin to South Africa in February, introduce their goals through the story of young Cape Town DJ Niskerone.
Bridges for Music: An introduction
The non-profit organization, who are set to bring Richie Hawtin to South Africa in February, introduce their goals through the story of young Cape Town DJ Niskerone.
Mix of the day: Special Request
Paul Woolford steps out under his pirate radio-influenced alias with a rough-and-ready electro, acid house and hardcore session for FACT.
Sub Antix drops a hybrid hit on "80 Weight VIP"
There's been a lot of talk about trap lately and seeing that producers of all stripes, from electro house to dubstep, are taking up the torch, there's a fair amount of stylistic splintering happening. The eighth release from Datsik's Firepower label features a mixture of styles from the Vancouver producer Sub Antix. Known for his ability to flow between dubstep's many subgenres, Mr. Antix flexes his abilities even further by blending dubstep and trap on the new track "80 Weight VIP."
Mix of the Day: Metope
It’s 2013. You know the drill by now. After Metope‘s Radio Session, it’s time to drop his handcrafted, house-heavy Mix of the Day. We find it interesting that the producer chose this specific name; in architecture, a metope is a rectangular section used to fill space between elements of sculpture and beauty. Hmm.
The tracklist for the mix is below, The audio, above.
Tracklist:
Sante – Protection (Hrdvsion Remix)
Mark Jenkins – Wind It Back
Metope – No Self-Control Feat. Sid Le Rock
Paul Mad – Down Stress
Adam Marshall – White Mouse
Francys – Chase The Sun
Louie Fresco – Owl Night
H2 – The Day Before
Atmosfear – Dancing In Outer Space (The Revenge Rmx)
Thugfucker, Tale Of Us, Life And Death – Step Aside (Lightweight) (Feat. Scott Mccloud)
Catz N Dogz – They Frontin Feat. Monty Luke
Matmos’ Drew Daniel on Schneider TM’s Construction Sounds
Drew Daniel is best known for his work with avant-electronic duo Matmos, together with partner M. C. (Martin) Schmidt. The couple make toe-tapping, conceptual electronic pop from unusual sound sources. For their most recent release, The Ganzfeld EP (Thrill Jockey), they conducted their own version of the famed parapsychological experiment by putting test subjects (mostly friends) in a state of sensory deprivation. They then played them white noise and attepted to telepathically communicate “the concept of the new Matmos record”. The subjects’ impressions were then used as a compositional guide for both the EP and the band’s upcoming LP, The Marriage of True Minds, scheduled for early 2013.
Electronic music, especially rhythmically predictable, warm, analogue sounding electronic music, has become a way to keep everybody working. You put a record on to push back the sounds of the outside so that you’re able to focus. Whether that record is Burial, Andy Stott or Pye Corner Audio, it doesn’t actually matter; the point is that there’s a nice and predictable structure that serves to increase your workflow. In contrast, Schneider TM’s Construction Sounds effectively functions as a critique of this modern, functional and occasionally mindless way of listening. Choosing to have the sounds of manual labor, the sounds you usually try to blot out, be the noise coming out of your speakers subverts the very idea of music as buffer against the real world. It refuses to offer the listener a shortcut to feeling “contemporary” while avoiding real issues. In fact, you could argue that it makes real world issues the point of focus, and it’s a coolly critical thing for Dirk Dresselhaus to attempt. That doesn’t mean that Construction Sounds isn’t beautiful or complex. I was reminded of the record Sleeper Awakes at the Edge of the Abyss by Merzbow and Christoph Heemann, where Heemann sculpts these new age melodies underneath Merzbow’s collosal wall of noise. You have to listen through the noise to find another layer that taps into a very different emotion. Having this turbulent feeling buried deep within and somehow obfuscated by the real world is actually a Romantic trope, and by using melody as a counterpoint to the grating sounds of industry, as on “Grinder in the Sky” or “Container”, Dresselhaus takes the listener to a similar emotional plane. I see it as a strategy for producing a certain kind of longing, similar to how My Bloody Valentine would bury their drums almost beyond perception—the direct result being an almost unplaceable sense of yearning stirred up within the listener. Dresselhaus has also thought a lot about tuning because there’s something strangely harmonious about the interlock that’s hap- pening. Indeed, many machines are based on the same kind of cycle. In the US anything that’s electrical—fans, fluorescent lights, you name it—have their hum tuned to B-flat. This makes me curious as to whether engine cycles also emit the same tone. Certainly, Dresselhaus exploits the innate musicality of those sonic by-products that we refuse to categorize as musical.
Accordingly, it would be foolish to talk about Construction Sounds without mentioning musique concrète. This record both relates and breaks with Pierre Schaeffer’s conflicted theory of creating a disconnect between sound and source. Schaeffer always sought to create objet sonore that would float free of reference, whereas most other artists and musicians who made compelling musique concrète actually did the opposite. Here Dresselhaus has given clues in the titles—“Grinder”, “Container”, “Pneunisch”—in effect, stressing the relationship between material and music, as well as prompting us to think about how we perceive raw matter. But what I find most dramatic is the level of restraint he shows; if Matthew Herbert had done it, or even me and Martin [Schmidt] as Matmos, I’m sure we would have drawn upon the syntax of sampling with rhyth- mic chops and edits. Dresselhaus has gone elsewhere, tracing a path more closely resembling that of kosmische musik and the German electronic continuum, with the ambition of transcending the sampler to something more abstract. The titular track opens the album with fourteen minutes of industrial grind. It’s a risk, but it also offers an option: you can hear it as invasive back- ground sound or you can choose to carefully enter inside its world. By foregrounding the industrial harshness of that first track Dresselhaus takes a risk, and some people may not make it past those fourteen minutes. But those that do are intrigued; they want to really follow the whole journey.
Of course, historically machine sounds are also closely linked to industrial music, and what intrigues me is the strenu- ous effort put into fighting the genre’s father figures. The press one-sheet requests reviewers not to compare Construction Sounds to Throbbing Gristle or Einstürzende Neubauten—a defensive, almost Oedipal gesture hinted at in the title: this is an album which, at least in one sense, is about building, not destroying. And it’s a partial rejection of industrial-sounding pop music for a much more conceptual schema. Listening to the record I thought I detected a political narrative, and Dresselhaus openly describes that he was responding to sounds of gentrification and real estate speculation in Berlin. That’s a salient topic in a city with so much empty property. What can justify building something new in 2012 when there are so many buildings ripe for repurposing? Construction as a sound is an index of prosperity. This is certainly the case in Baltimore, where Matmos is based. It’s a poor city filled with abandoned buildings, and I’m astonished every time I see a construction site. Why build when it’s already there? I heard this record as reinforcing this viewpoint by pulling what’s outside into the interior domestic space and forcing you to confront what’s happening beyond your window. My partner Martin [Schmidt] hears the record in a much gentler register, where it’s about transforming rawness into something beautiful simply by staring into it and carefully work- ing with it until it becomes thera- peutic, improved, and ennobled. Or maybe Construction Sounds is just a sonic Rorschach blot. ~
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This article is taken from Electronic Beats Magazine Winter 2012.
Jean Michel Jarre considers tax ‘defection’ to UK
French music star in talks with Downing Street over move to Tech City hub as France's highest earners rail against tax rises
One of France's most famous music stars Jean Michel Jarre has been in talks with the Downing Street over a possible transfer of business operations to the UK, No 10 has said.
The prime minister's office confirmed Jarre, famous for his brand of electronic music, light-show extravaganzas and record-breaking numbers at his vast outdoor concerts, met with No 10 officials in September to discuss locating within the government-backed Tech City, which offers generous tax incentives to investors.
The announcement comes as France's highest constitutional court rejected the socialist government's attempt to impose a 75% tax on its highest earners.
On the political blog site Order-order, which broke the story on Monday, a Downing Street source was quoted as describing the meeting as a "defection" from France over the higher tax rate. "He's been into No 10 to talk to us about defection – it's like a crappy old spy movie," the source was reported as saying.
Jarre's Paris-based agent did not immediately return a call for comment.
Last year the 64-year-old, Lyon-born musician performed a massive concert in Monaco to celebrate the marriage of Prince Albert. Jarre was previously married to the English actor Charlotte Rampling, with whom he has a son. They divorced in 2002.
In 2005, the musician started Jarre Technologies to develop high-end audio products including the Aerodream One, an 11ft iPod dock, which retails for about £300,000.
David Cameron irked French Socialists in May when he said at the G20 summit he would "roll out the red carpet" and "welcome more French businesses to Britain" if François Hollande raised taxes on the rich. He said by paying British taxes, French firms could help "pay for our health service and schools and everything else".
The Socialist MP Claude Bartolone, now leader of the parliament, said French people who moved to London for less tax always returned to France for medical care and schools because public services "no longer exist" in Britain.
France is in the grip of a debate about tax exile after the actor Gerard Depardieu bought a house across the border in Belgium, prompting the French prime minister, Jean Marc Ayrault, to say: "It's pathetic really. Paying taxes is an act of patriotism and we're asking the rich to make a special effort here for the country."
Depardieu railed against high taxes in an open a letter published in the Journal du Dimanche in December, saying he would give up his French passport and was leaving "because you consider that success, creativity, talent, anything different, are grounds for sanction".
Alain Afflelou, who runs France's biggest spectacles business, announced he was moving to London to expand his business, but added that he would stay resident in France and pay taxes there.
Hollande's flagship super-tax on the mega-rich has dominated the headlines recently after France's highest court rejected it as unconstitutional. The temporary measure would have meant individuals earning more than €1m (£800,000) would be taxed at 75% on income in excess of that. It was thrown out on a technicality, which means it will not come into effect this year. The government has promised to tweak the bill and introduce it in 2014.
The symbolic 75% tax was only a small part of a series of tax measures by Hollande, including new charges on capital gains, an increase in France's unique wealth tax, an increase in inheritance charges and an exit tax for entrepreneurs selling their companies.
While Cameron has cut the UK's top rate of income tax, Hollande has created a 45% tax bracket for annual incomes exceeding €150,000.
A Downing Street spokesman told the Guardian Jarre met with officials and talked specifically about the coalition's Tech City hub, and was seeking opportunities to become "part of the cluster".
Tamlin Magee, news editor of website Tech-Eye, said a move by a French company would be unusual but symbolic. "If this plan goes ahead, it sounds like it will be good PR for Tech City, but I wouldn't put too much stock into this one move. Technology has been an area where the Conservatives are trying to be seen as progressive, and the existing tax loopholes, if you can afford them, virtually serve as an advert."
He said the UK continued to be attractive to technology businesses: "Successful startups were already forming in this area of London, organically, without assistance from the government, however, since, Silicon Valley Bank recently opened its doors and it looks like there will be plenty more investment.
"At the moment, the move is unusual. However, with the amount of French people already living in London, many of them wealthy, it would not be too surprising if they take their businesses with them. Exactly who this would benefit would be up for debate."
In a statement No 10 said: "Jean Michel Jarre visited Downing street to meet with officials about 'Tech City', London's media and technology hub. There are a growing number of businesses and entrepreneurs from across the world who want to be part of the technology cluster in east London and we are keen for that to continue."
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Jean Michel Jarre considers tax ‘defection’ to UK
French music star in talks with Downing Street over move to Tech City hub as France's highest earners rail against tax rises
One of France's most famous music stars Jean Michel Jarre has been in talks with the Downing Street over a possible transfer of business operations to the UK, No 10 has said.
The prime minister's office confirmed Jarre, famous for his brand of electronic music, light-show extravaganzas and record-breaking numbers at his vast outdoor concerts, met with No 10 officials in September to discuss locating within the government-backed Tech City, which offers generous tax incentives to investors.
The announcement comes as France's highest constitutional court rejected the socialist government's attempt to impose a 75% tax on its highest earners.
On the political blog site Order-order, which broke the story on Monday, a Downing Street source was quoted as describing the meeting as a "defection" from France over the higher tax rate. "He's been into No 10 to talk to us about defection – it's like a crappy old spy movie," the source was reported as saying.
Jarre's Paris-based agent did not immediately return a call for comment.
Last year the 64-year-old, Lyon-born musician performed a massive concert in Monaco to celebrate the marriage of Prince Albert. Jarre was previously married to the English actor Charlotte Rampling, with whom he has a son. They divorced in 2002.
In 2005, the musician started Jarre Technologies to develop high-end audio products including the Aerodream One, an 11ft iPod dock, which retails for about £300,000.
David Cameron irked French Socialists in May when he said at the G20 summit he would "roll out the red carpet" and "welcome more French businesses to Britain" if François Hollande raised taxes on the rich. He said by paying British taxes, French firms could help "pay for our health service and schools and everything else".
The Socialist MP Claude Bartolone, now leader of the parliament, said French people who moved to London for less tax always returned to France for medical care and schools because public services "no longer exist" in Britain.
France is in the grip of a debate about tax exile after the actor Gerard Depardieu bought a house across the border in Belgium, prompting the French prime minister, Jean Marc Ayrault, to say: "It's pathetic really. Paying taxes is an act of patriotism and we're asking the rich to make a special effort here for the country."
Depardieu railed against high taxes in an open a letter published in the Journal du Dimanche in December, saying he would give up his French passport and was leaving "because you consider that success, creativity, talent, anything different, are grounds for sanction".
Alain Afflelou, who runs France's biggest spectacles business, announced he was moving to London to expand his business, but added that he would stay resident in France and pay taxes there.
Hollande's flagship super-tax on the mega-rich has dominated the headlines recently after France's highest court rejected it as unconstitutional. The temporary measure would have meant individuals earning more than €1m (£800,000) would be taxed at 75% on income in excess of that. It was thrown out on a technicality, which means it will not come into effect this year. The government has promised to tweak the bill and introduce it in 2014.
The symbolic 75% tax was only a small part of a series of tax measures by Hollande, including new charges on capital gains, an increase in France's unique wealth tax, an increase in inheritance charges and an exit tax for entrepreneurs selling their companies.
While Cameron has cut the UK's top rate of income tax, Hollande has created a 45% tax bracket for annual incomes exceeding €150,000.
A Downing Street spokesman told the Guardian Jarre met with officials and talked specifically about the coalition's Tech City hub, and was seeking opportunities to become "part of the cluster".
Tamlin Magee, news editor of website Tech-Eye, said a move by a French company would be unusual but symbolic. "If this plan goes ahead, it sounds like it will be good PR for Tech City, but I wouldn't put too much stock into this one move. Technology has been an area where the Conservatives are trying to be seen as progressive, and the existing tax loopholes, if you can afford them, virtually serve as an advert."
He said the UK continued to be attractive to technology businesses: "Successful startups were already forming in this area of London, organically, without assistance from the government, however, since, Silicon Valley Bank recently opened its doors and it looks like there will be plenty more investment.
"At the moment, the move is unusual. However, with the amount of French people already living in London, many of them wealthy, it would not be too surprising if they take their businesses with them. Exactly who this would benefit would be up for debate."
In a statement No 10 said: "Jean Michel Jarre visited Downing street to meet with officials about 'Tech City', London's media and technology hub. There are a growing number of businesses and entrepreneurs from across the world who want to be part of the technology cluster in east London and we are keen for that to continue."
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Exclusives : FILTER 50: Contributors
To finish up FILTER's 10th year in print, we'd like to thank everyone who has made this dream publication a reality. Here's a closer look at all of the contributors that FILTER has had throughout the last decade, 50 issues and countless late-night hours.
Thank you all.
Love,
FILTER
Continue reading at FILTERmagazine.comMCDE’s burnout
Danilo Plessow tells Trouw about the circumstances which led him to needing six months off from DJing earlier this year.
Adam Marshall’s New Kanada label debuts Diva’s dark and unique techno
With their affinity for twisted vocal samples, Diva seems an apt name for the new project that's come seemingly from nowhere to drop their debut EP, Paris Stabbing, on Adam Marshall's New Kanada imprint. Processed beyond the point of recognition and then laid on top of a pounding hardware-techno foundation, the refracted vocals that mark Diva's productions—specifically this EP's title track—have made for a mysteriously alluring end to New Kanada's impressive 2012 run.
Nicky Romero talks organic development, positive pop crossovers, and the importance of being more than just a DJ
Where the late Kurt Cobain once said the duty of youth is to challenge corruption, the Netherlands’ young dance-music frontrunner Nicky Romero has had his own vigilant reign over electronic music. An aspiring drummer turned beatsmith to every corner of global club culture and its pop-savvy sidelines, Romero has the ability to unite two cultures without ever impeding on musical quality—and it's landed him an impressive amount of #1s and live milestones for a man yet to hit his mid-20s.
Taken under the wing of David Guetta and juggling his own vivacious peak-time offerings with studio spots for the likes of Rihanna, Romero's recently minted Protocol Recordings venture and radio concept has added yet another notch on the belt of an artist who looks set to do it all on his own terms. Off the back of a landmark year that has climaxed in collaborative releases alongside Nervo and Avicii, Nicky Romero caught up with Beatport News to talk organic progress, the balance of club anthems with crossover hits, and why being just a DJ doesn’t cut it anymore.
Mix of the day: Tom Moulton
Here's a rare set from disco pioneer Tom Moulton, recorded (with surprisingly high sound quality) at New York City's Sandpiper Club in 1974.
Dave Aju (Slices DVD Feature)
It was a warm sunny afternoon in Berlin when the Electronic Beats Slices team met up with San Francisco-based DJ and producer Marc Barrite aka Dave Aju in Berlin. Near Kreuzberg’s river Landwehrkanal Dave Aju sat down for an interview on music production and the fusion of house with hip-hop. Afterwards it was vinyl only: watch Dave Aju visiting Phono Phono and crate digging at Holy’s Hit Records, Heisse Scheiben, 33 RPM Store and other Berlin vinyl destinations.
Watch our video feature on Dave Aju in 1080p full HD video, taken from Slices DVD 3-12. Subscribe to and watch more Slices features and live videos on our Youtube Channel, order the DVD online.
2012 Editor’s Picks: Moritz Gayard
Ciao, 2012:
1. Gobby (UNO NYC)
Yup, Gobby is my man. In 2012 the Harlem-based provocateur Gobby released two highly underrated pieces: his Above Ground album in October, and the equally progressive New Hat EP—both through New York’s premium label UNO NYC. This is true colorful outsider techno. Who needs old industrial lads exploring techno, when the future is made by bass kids who grew up with all these production possibilities in their bedroom? Forward forever: don’t sleep on Gobby!
2. Erkin Koray (Mega Müzik)
Just inches behind Gobby comes popular Turkish singer Erkin Koray. Although I live in Neukölln, a lovely area with many Turkish fellas around, it took me until this year to explore these extraordinary skills from decades ago. Now 71 years old, Erkin never stopped bringing his music to the world. You can easily browse the internet for his complete back catalogue, and I tell you, this is a long-lasting voyage with a lot of treasures to be find. Like this video above… Süper.
3. Inga Copeland (World Music Group)
Inga is an enigma. I failed in every single attempt to actually see her live (just because of that unbelievably huge amount of fog—pumped into the Berghain for example). While buddy Dean Blunt serves brilliant distorted sounds, it’s Inga who furnishes the duo with its brilliance. Within the next year both are planning to establish their own imprint, entitled World Music Group and The Wire reports that the imprint intends to issue “most future recordings/works through this channel.” Even with Google or Discogs it is impossible to overview Inga’s full output in 2012. You can try “B.M.W.” from her Faith 12-inch, listen to her guesting on Hyperdub’s monthly Rinse show, check her collaboration with Dean Blunt for ‘The Narcissist” or even instantly download 30 unreleased tracks for free right here.
4. MGUN (Don’t Be Afraid)
Detroit, it is. Thanks to young techno producer MGUN I havent lost my hope that techno is back on track. Detroit’s Manuel Gonzales is most defo the one to watch if you too foster these hopes. Fusing the likes of Underground Resistance with some bloody synth beats, this is all I needed in 2012. After launching his brilliant The Upstairs Apt. EP via the London-based imprint Don’t Be Afraid in October just days ago he dropped his equally well crafted Race EP through Will Bankhead‘s always inspiring Trilogy Tapes. Have a listen above.
5. Shlohmo (Friends of Friends)
Was erlauben Shlohmo? Under-rated electronic music producer Shlohmo dropped one of the most futuristic examples of how the bass should get treated in 2013 on his unbelievable three track EP, Vacation—following up last year’s LP Bad Vibes. Both released via the L.A.-based Friends of Friends imprint. Shlohmo can do no wrong and above you can listen to his killer remix of LOL BOYS’ “Changes”, which is the track for me in 2012. You can explore more Shlohmo remixes for the likes of Burial, Flume, Little Dragon, Toro Y Moi, Aaliyah feat. Drake or Jeremih on his Soundcloud.
6. Torn Hawk (L.I.E.S.)
Video artist Luke Wyatt’s new electronic music venture is called Torn Hawk and his first releases under the L.I.E.S. umbrella is fantastic. Though the folks over at Boomkat labeled this “slow, psychedelic Kraut-ish disco” I would definitely add that Torn Hawk plays marvelously with some pop references, which make his music—along with the VHS-retro music videos—some kind of special which we can’t quite define (although maybe the aesthetic is reminding us of Hippos in Tanks a little). Looks like there’ll be much more to explore in 2013. Rave on, Torn.
7. Holly Herndon (RVNG Intl.)
This is all about the deconstruction of techno and it feels so good—no matter what tome of the day it actually is. Shame that it took until 2012 for the full-length release, realized by the one-and-only Matt from RVNG Intl., who brought us Julia Holter in full glory last year. Speaking of which, most of Holly’s songs are composed entirely of layers of distorted voices, which is analogous to Holter’s method.
8. The-Drum (Mishka)
The-Drum is the production duo made up of Jeremiah Chrome and Brandon Boom. They has been crafting their delectably queasy brand of R&B since late 2010. Since there isn’t much info online, I kindly asked Brandon to give us a short insight of what is hot in 2013:
Boom: ”Next thing will be a fresh R&B group called Jody featuring talent/local friends of ours. Four guys, most notably James of The GTW and Cole of Whi’lo with us (The-Drum) on production. We have also started a record label called C R I M E which the first Jody mini-EP will be released on and a full supergroup project. That project features The-Drum (me and Jeremiah), Josh Fox (Valis), Mike Perkins (Mr. 666), Seth Sher (Psychic Steel), and Michael Vallera (CLEARED). We are currently recording that album which draws its influence from kraut, movie soundtracks, library music, and exotic automobiles.”
Cant’t wait, Brandon.
9. CHARLI XCX (IAMSOUND)
I am definetly not a sucker for mixtapes or compilations, but CHARLI XCX‘s Super Ultra Mixtape nicely accompanied me on various Berlin subway rides. The dark pop princess wonderfully mixed a delicious potpourri of covers and layered her vocals over the likes of Baths and How to Dress Well. They’re all pretty great takes that you should definitely check out above.
10. Zebra Katz (Jeffree’s)
This. That. SHIT. Zebra Katz opened my mind to listening to much more hip-hop than I ever thought possible. The above track and video just blow me away with its Yonkers sensibility. And I’m truly loving the heavy bass. For me, this was the collaboration of the year: NYC’s Katz, hot on the heels of his release on Diplo’s Mad Decent label, and Boyfriend one of the rising stars of tropical bass.
