So... I deliberated for a while on this one... what do you do when you have awesome music... that has kind of shit sound? Do you post it?
I think if the content is amazing enough the answer is yes.
I tried to figure out the best way to copy the Klaxons show at Coachella. I settled on running it through my "Windows Stereo Mixer" or whatever because I couldn't figure out how to do it on my Mac (I'm sure there was an easy way but I was pressed for time because I only realized a few mins prior to them taking stage that I should do this) so... basically what you have here is what you expect out of live streaming audio... glitches and all.
At the end of the day I've heard 10,000 bootlegs with sound 1/9 as good. I've got some Franz and some Bjork I'd never post because it sounds so bad. Some Dirty Pretty Things too.
The little gaps suck but... unless you did the same thing I did... or someone else posts this same thing... this is all we've got. None of the glitches are so bad that they ruin the songs... hopefully they stream video live for Pitchfork or something you guys can record it same way I did and we'll get it right!
So I hope you guys enjoy this.... and I hope someone else posts a better version lol!
If you download it and decide the glitches are too much (you fussy fucker) then check out Klaxons @ Transmusicales Festival 2006.
Klaxons... at... Schuba's... last night... fucking amazing! I mean completely fucking amazing. I was a little worried because of the recent Mixmag article where they talk about not playing the bass or singing or anything and having an awful show and I'm thinking "this could be a disaster".
They came on an launched into "The Bouncer" and, although it sounded awesome the crowd kind of bounced their heads and that was it. This happened for a while and I think Jamie warily made the comment "This isn't as good as our last Chicago crowd" and from there on out the audience was nuts... I mean fucking nuts. It was one shoulder push away from a fucking full on mosh pit.
I honestly have to put it up there as being of the best shows I've ever been to. They musically were perfect, you could tell they were there in the moment, and they were really trying to make an impression. IF YOU LIVE IN A TOWN WHERE THE TOUR IS NOT SOLD OUT THEN BUY TICKETS! You do not want to miss this...
So as a little inspiration here's a couple tracks I haven't posted before on Arcadia...
Just a funny little note... last night when I was talking to the band after the show Simon goes, "Didn't I slag your show?" and I was like "Yeah, but it's ok. No one took any offense to it. In fact the manager at the radio station was like 'You've brought us international fame' so it's all good" and they laughed... and then he said something like "No, I was just kind of making fun because Albion over in England is connected to this band the Libertines and that's really what I was making fun of" and I was like "Yeah, I, uh, don't know about that!"... *cough cough*... Nope, not me, I don't know anything about The Libertines/ Babyshambles/ Pete Doherty, nothing... never heard of em.... hahahaha...
Here's the rest of the show dates... as I said you better rush to try to get these fuckers! 17 Apr 2007 8:00 P 7TH STREET ENTRY (Age: 18+) MINEAPOLIS, MN 19 Apr 2007 8:00 P LARIMER LOUNGE (Age: 21+) DENVER, CO 21 Apr 2007 8:00 P EL PLEX (AGE: 18+) LOS ANGELES, CA 22 Apr 2007 8:00 P RICHARD'S ON RICHARD'S CABARET (Age: 19+) VANCOUVER, BC 23 Apr 2007 8:00 P CROCODILE CAFE (ALL AGES) SEATTLE, WA 24 Apr 2007 8:00 P DANTE'S (Age: 21+) PORTLAND, OR 26 Apr 2007 8:00 P POPSCENE @ 330 RITCH SAN FRANCISCO, CA 29 Apr 2007 8:00 P COACHELLA FESTIVAL (ALL AGES) INDIO, CA
Real quick before I let you go here... I wanted to post these streams that are over at Spinner... looks like Maximo Park and the Horrors are getting releases here in the USA! Although, I heard the Maximo album was a little difficult (I'll have the final say on that though)!
Spinner’s 3x3: Maximo Park Tracks: Apply Some Pressure, Going Missing, Kiss You Better Recorded from Brixton Academy, London
Spinner’s 3x3: The Horrors Tracks: Count in Fives, Crawdaddy Simone, Gloves Recorded from Red Eyed Fly in Austin, Texas
Thanks for stopping by... I'll be back asap with more awesomeness for ya...
AND WE'RE BACK... I think I'm on a roll with this new music... so we'll just keep it going...
Seeing as I'm going to see Klaxons on Sunday and Monday, I thought I'd put some of their opening bands on here... first off is Metronomy who is tipped for big big things this year. Unlike some of their counterparts that they haven't seemed so fond of Klaxons really seem to like Metronomy so I'd say he's a shoe in for "Break Out" of 2007!
Here's the low down from Wiki:
"Metronomy (Joseph Mount) is an electronic artist from Brighton, United Kingdom. In live shows his backing band is The Food Groups. He has also done remixes for Architecture in Helsinki, Infadels, Magnet, Dead Disco, Roots Manuva, Franz Ferdinand, Temposhark, Sébastien Tellier, Klaxons, Box Codax, Max Sedgley and The Young Knives."
Next off is Foals. I think that's a pretty shit name. Baby horses. Doesn't do much for me. BUT their music totally does... I was listening to their WOXY performance and some of these demos a LOT this week and am for sure playing them on Albion tonight... here's a really dope demo...
Here's the new Foals video for their song "Hummer"
A search on Wiki for The Whip provides us with info about a melodramatic play from 1909. Errrrrr... don't know what you tell you about The Whip... this song however is fucking fantastic... Imagine a perfect world where Joy Division never made "Atmosphere" and it ended up being made later as a New Order song, that's what "Frustration" is... the synths are very reminiscent of the latter I don't think they're rip offs in the slightest... this is quality shit and they have made a fan out of me overnight...
Then I have a couple recommendations (as they opened for Klaxons) that I don't have songs for... The KBC (not to be confused with The KBC Band) play the electronic rock thing in a direction that isn't quite the one that works for me... but I figured I should mention them because them seem to write a decent tune (although I couldn't find one on the internet for the life of me... check out the Myspace link above...
Here's a blurb from Wiki on The KBC: "All three members of the band were in the same class at school together and are currently signed to DIY Manchester label High Voltage Sounds. Since their limited debut 7”, Trippin, hit the independent record store shelves, the band have established themselves across the UK and Europe, playing alongside ¡Forward, Russia!, The Sunshine Underground, The Paddingtons and The Strokes. They also run their own nightclub, "Club Sandwich", in their hometown, Preston. They were handpicked to play the unsigned stage at Glastonbury in 2005, and have since enjoyed radio support by Marc Riley, Zane Lowe, XFM and Steve Lamacq. The band are currently set to release their debut album, On The Beat!, in the summer of 2007."
Another hotly tipped band has been Maths Class, who also don't seem to have any leaked tracks lying about... stay tuned to see if I can find out more about them... they didn't tour with Klaxons as far as I know but I imagine it's probably not long... I see them, more likely, playing with Shitdisco...
We'll that's it for this post... stay tuned for more new music AND MAKE SURE YOU LISTEN TO "THE SPIRIT OF ALBION" TONIGHT FROM 7-9 PM EST!!! The request line number at that time is (269) 387-3603... we'd love to hear from our readers!
I thought it was time for a more proper Hadouken! post. To tell you the truth the first time I heard them I wasn't sure if I liked them or not. They were so different from the flouro wearing bands out there that I was in a state of musical shock... but that turned out to be a good thing. Now I drive to work in the morning pumping "That Boy That Girl" and find myself sending their YouTube videos to friends and asking their management for a liner for my radio show lol (perhaps we can get through this one without being called the "most shittest fucking radio station on earth"... see prior post if you don't get that joke!).
Just in case you don't know anything about Hadouken!... well I actually don't know anything about them either... how come no new bands have bios?!?!?!? I was going to give you some background but I have none!
Here's what NME has to say about them though: "''London lot Hadouken! are the freshest thing on the site this week by miles. They sound angry, they sound smart and they sound like something youll be hearing a lot more of in the coming months. Best tune 'That Boy That Girl is a savage, snarling work of genius that makes me want to smash bottles over my head. In a good way." NME"
I don't want to steal their thunder so I'm not going to post "That Boy That Girl", or the b-side "Tuning In", because you should go BUY those... but I do have a version of "Dance Lesson" that seems to be at a low enough kbps that their label won't get upset (but it's still decent enough to want to listen to it repeatedly). I also thought I'd throw up the Plan B remix they did seeing as it's fucking dope...
Now another band I'd like to post about is South Central... only problem is I don't have much to tell you about them either! I can't find any info really other than their Myspace... apparently they've been opening for Klaxons and, if I'm to believe what the posts on their Myspace say, the Klaxons boys called them "cunts". Maybe that's a good thing... anyway you cut it they make some good music. I've been really really into their Sunshine Underground remix (p.s. did that come out here in the U.S.? The Sunshine Underground album? I want it but I can't find a place to download it!) recently... check their shit out @ Myspace.
I don't think South Central have an album out yet.. but they do have a real interesting video where their directors blew all the money on blow and strippers... check it out below... South Central - Castles Of Heroes
So, I sent an e-mail to Klaxons manager earlier... he had said as we got closer to the Chicago show I should send him an e-mail, and if they had a little extra time I could stop by to say hi.
So I rifled off a little letter and went back to watching Klaxons stuff on YouTube before I went to work (because I'm a big dork like that)...
So, I'm watching a video of them doing their NME tour diary (pt 1) and all of a sudden they're talking about doing liners for radio shows (what a coincidence seeing as they did one for me)...
And then all of a sudden they are, on camera, doing the liner for MY radioshow (fucking mental)!
Now before you keep reading, watch the video... I'd start the video @ 1:01...
"Probably the shittest fucking radio station on earth, isn't it?"...
HUH? Now what are the chances? What are the chances that I would send that e-mail (which had stemmed from them doing a liner for my show) and then I would immediately watch a video of them slagging my station (whilst doing that liner)!
It's all good though... I actually think it's funny... obviously they don't know me, the station, or our show so there is no harm in it... had they said "The guy who does the 'Spirit Of Albion' radio show is a loser who eats cat shit for breakfast" I probably would have had a problem with it... I'm sure it sucks to not have any free time and to have people like me with their hands out asking for something constantly...
I'm going to go so far as to say I actually kind of liked it (don't get me wrong... for the first couple of seconds I was like "What the fuck?!?!") because now thousands of people have heard of our tiny little show and are part of 5 seconds on the Klaxons history! I'll also go so far as to say I'm the biggest Klaxons fan in America so I don't care either way now lol... (BUT, it goes to show you though that you should be careful what you say because you never know who it's going to get back to)
Long story short... I got an email back and their manager said I can pop by for at least a picture... so keep your eyes on this spot for that!
While we are talking about Klaxons... I would like to take it upon myself to start a letter writing campaign to let Rolling Stone know what the fuck is up... they gave "Myths Of The Near Future" a two star rating. Two out of five.... I think the Ashley Simpson album got a better review than this... the review is a catty little snippet that has nothing to do with the band or their music; it's more just a slam on "New Rave"... If you believe in Klaxons let R.S. know they are retards and that they post crappy band wagon hopping bands all day long, and give them good reviews as well, so they shouldn't be talking such shit... here's the review...
On the sliding scale of terrible ideas, a U.K. "New Rave" scene rates somewhere between cat juggling and Studio 60. Until now, the best case you could make for old-school Madchester-era rave was that at least it didn't have any revival potential. But the Klaxons have made a bold entrance with the club hit "Atlantis to Interzone," dressing up in fluorescent wizard robes to chant, "Horses want to dance/But find their wings are damaged!" On Myths, they expand their suspiciously indie-ish rock riffs with tales of centaurs ("4 Horsemen of 2012") and Cyclopses ("Isle of Her"). Glowsticks are go! Or not!
But anyway... Sorry I was gone for so long! Miami ended up being more of a handful than I had expected. Granted... it was the most amazing time of my life. But I thought I was going to be able to post "live" from down there and that didn't happen. The hotel where WMC was at this year had internet you had to pay for and the internet at my hotel didn't work.
(If you don't like name dropping I wouldn't keep reading... I don't think I'M that special, but I do think that the people mentioned below are that special)
So I'm sorry I didn't get that info to you guys... but I ended up meeting Matthew Dear, Felix Da Housecat, Spank Rock, Oxy Cottintail, The Presets, BT, Paul Van Dyk, Keoki, Roger Sanchez, George Clinton, Goldie, Carl Cox, Fatboy Slim, Vince Lawrence, Busy P, and a bunch of other people.... we hung out with Crystal Castles, my buddy Curt from Flosstradamus (who is THE COVERSTAR OF THE CURRENT URB MAGAZINE SO Y'ALL MOTHERFUCKERS NEED TO PICK THAT SHIT UP AND SUPPORT MY BOY, YA HEARD?!?!?), and Larry Tee (who has by far the best single I heard at this year's Winter Music Conference called "Licky" featuring his good friend Princess Superstar, remixed by Herve)...
Here's me and Larry @ Karu & Y. He was supposed to play the closing set but Paul Rauhofer decided he wanted to play instead. Don't ask about the outfit... or my facial expression... I was hot... I was sweaty... I'd been dancing... I smelled bad... let's just not talk about it.
Really the most baller part of the whole trip wasn't meeting all these crazy people at Ultra and all these fancy places, it was hanging out with Larry Tee who is the coolest, most down to earth person I've ever met in the music industry.... he (thank god) swooped me up at 3am in downtown Miami and saved me from a bunch of crackhead zombies... I'd met him a few years before at the IDMA's and have talked to him online over the years but actually getting to spend time with him was the highlight of my trip...
Here's a couple more pictures I thought you guys would enjoy...
Here's me and Fatboy Slim
And me and Carl Cox
Let's get into the music... After that we will get back to a long rambling essay on "New Rave", but I'm not going to force you to scroll through it to get to the music... this is the shit I've been enjoying the most recently...
I was thinking about it more and more recently... and (as I'm sure you already knew) there is no such thing as "New Rave". HOLD ON, HOLD ON. Rewind. There is a New Rave scene but it's not the music... really...
To say it's a media construct is obvious and stupid. But really New Rave is a renewed interested in flourescent colours. And a desire for a new style of rock because the last drop of the Libertines legacy basically hit rock bottom with the Holloways, Milburn, and other bands from that ilk. New Rave came about because white males want to dance but "dance music" is too gay and punk (the other musical genre where people "dance") is too exclusive.
The funniest part about it is that New Rave came from a joke in a Klaxons interview with NME!
New Rave is really just a way to describe rock's "movement" towards dance music (but away from the commercial "trancey pants" end) and away from the "old guard" in British rock music. Now don't get me wrong... I love the old guard... but I only want to hear those types of songs from those bands! I don't want to hear one more band write a fucking Libs song! It's the same thing that happened in the U.S. for years after Nirvana. The "modern rock" scene in the United States is STILL just a stagnant pool of Nirvanawannabes.
So, basically, there is no solid musical thread for New Rave and that's why it doesn't exist. If there truely was roster it would be Klaxons, Shitdisco, Crystal Castles, Datarock, Goose, and CSS but not really. Then on the electronic side you've got Simian Mobile Disco, Justice, Digitalism, and a couple other people.
But that's too few bands so the music press have tried to apply it everywhere. It's kind of how people talk about how there's "something in the water" in Virginia because you've got Missy, Timbaland, and the Neptunes.... but, in all honesty, that's it! Same with "New Rave"...
Are Hot Chip "New Rave"? I don't think so. There are a lot of rock bands that get remixed (and have been for years), and there are a lot of electronic bands or duos or artists who appeal to rock fans. It would be easy to sling the New Rave term around to Chemical Brothers or anyone who's ever gotten an Errol Alkan remix. Primal Scream are the original New Rave band if you follow this logic. Also by this logic The Rakes Phones remix of "Retreat" is the first real New Rave song.
At the end of the day... "New Rave" is a fashion statement about wearing clothes that don't match with bright colours. It's early 90's nostalgia for a pre-9/11 world. It's young kids wanting their own Summer Of Love and people my age wanting to revisit their glory rave days... it's rock music wanting to dance and dance music wanting to rock but.... there is no cohesive whole and it's hard to make a case for it even existing (unless you're trying to sell magazines or records). It's about ten real bands, ten DJs/producers and all of them are so progressive they won't be sounding very New Rave for very long, as they are real artists! New Rave is a way for NME is make lots of money (which is fine because this is what their job is)... New Rave does not exist...
At this point this whole thing is going to collapse or grow out of it's prior constraints and the term won't be applicable... in the meantime shitty as bands like Enter Shikari will fall off, and somewhat more interesting bands like Hadouken! will either make new crazy mutant music or cease to exist... in the meantime bust out the glowsticks and mosh to your hearts content...
The term will not be used again on this blog...
Here's the Dance Your Pants Off Mixtape (which is not strictly British I might add):
The Presets- Are You The One? (Van She Remix) Gossip- Standing In The Way Of Control (Soulwax Remix) Justice vs Simian- We Are Your Friends Klaxons- Gravity's Rainbow (Van She Remix) Justice- Waters Of Nazareth Digitalism- TVTV Simian Mobile Disco- Boat Race Crystal Castles- Alice Practice The Futureheads- Worry About It Later (Switch Remix) The Rakes- Retreat (Phones Remix) These New Puritans- Elvisss (Demo) Shitdisco- I Know Kung Fu (James Ford Remix) Datarock- Fa Fa Fa Goose- Low Mode New Young Pony Club- Ice Cream (Van She Remix) Depeche Mode- Never Let Me Down Again (Digitalism Remix) Muse- Supermassive Black Hole (Phones Remix) Forward Russia- Nine (Napoleon IIIrd Remix) Brakes- All Night Disco Party (Herbert Remix) Franz Ferdinand- Outsiders (Isolee Remix) Klaxons- Magick (Simian Mobile Disco Remix) Editors- All Sparks (Cicada Remix) Bloc Party- The Prayer (Phones Full Metal Jackin Remix) Hot Chip- Colours (Fred Falke Remix) Goose- Low Mode Dead Disco- City Place Soulwax- NY Excuse (Justice Remix) Client feat Pete Doherty- Down To The Underground Robbie Williams- Lovelight (Soulwax Ravelight Dub)
A great deal of these tracks have been posted on the blog over the last year... most of the people I've talked to in the U.S. (including DJs) don't know shit about all this new music... so this list isn't redundant as you think it is... and a couple people asked for some suggestions so there they are!
P.S. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IF YOU DON'T ALREADY HAVE IT IS THE NME DANCEFLOOR DISTORTION CD THAT CAME FREE WITH THE MOST RECENT (November) KLAXONS ISSUE OF NME! It's mixed by Simian Mobile Disco and is one of those CD's you'll listen to in ten years and think "Aw! The good old days all on one cd!"
Also you can click below and get a lot of the songs and bands mentioned at eMusic!
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