05 Sep
Remix City Sifting through mountains of remix trash so you don't have to, in an attempt to find the ones that contribute to their originals. Today, modern Cambodian rock band The Cambodian Space Project get some love from David Gunn, and the single from How To Dress Well's upcoming record, Total Loss, gets remixed by UK producer Koreless.
++ SEE ALL: REMIX CITY POSTS - MUSIC COLUMNS - FULL POST

 

How To Dress Well + Koreless

How To Dress Well just premiered a new track today via NPR, entitled "& It Was U". This post is not about that, though you can listen to that sparse track HERE. Instead, this post is fixated on the remix of "Cold Nites" that UK producer Koreless did, which is like a tinkering melody emanating from an opened jewel box. This track is from HTDW's upcoming record, Total Loss, which comes out on September 17th on Weird World and Acephale. The original, in true Tom Krell fashion, is much more dramatic, somber, and R&B-oriented. Pre-order the record HERE or HERE. Limited editions available; full tracklisting below. How To Dress Well - "Cold Nites" (Koreless Remix) How To Dress Well - "Cold Nites" (Original)

 

15 Jun
"He's like an ambient R. Kelly," describes one girl to her friend. Both are waiting outside of Portland's Holocene for How To Dress Well, the project of solo musician Tom Krell, to take the stage. As simultaneously flattering and unflattering any comparisons to R. Kelly might be, they are, in this case, not entirely appropriate or accurate. Tom Krell of How To Dress Well is not R. Kelly though he may have a cadence that is similar. Nor are the differences found in both musicians' adoration of '90s R&B, which in Krell's case, was evidenced by slyly inserted homages to songs like INOJ's "Love You Down" and R. Kelly's "I Wish". Obvious fact of race aside, what separates Krell from a musician like R. Kelly is stage presence. Whereas one might expect R. Kelly to sloppily fall on his knees and babble when seized by the power and might of soul music, watching Krell is arresting in a completely different way. Krell is certainly brimming with passion, but in a much more reserved sense, coming off sometimes more as a choir boy than a soul singer. One almost wishes at times that he would throw more caution into the wind, to not only sing words with conviction, but to get a little less controlled, more possessed, and more anything goes in his entire being.
Portland, OR @ Holocene - June 14th, 2012

 

22 May
Bleep is a weekly column focusing on varying degrees of electronic music news, videos and MP3s. This week we feature the new Shit Robot 12", a mix from the impeccable Nicolas Jaar, another Carl Craig project to keep track of, and more. Read previous Bleep columns here.

 

Shit Robot

Marcus Lambkin's debut record From the Cradle to the Rave was a long time in the making, over a decade in fact, but since then the German producer has had his foot on the gas. After a string of excellent singles and remixes in support of the album, Lambkin returns to Shit Robot in 2012 with a brand new 12" and the announcement of a singles series. "Space Race/Teenage Bass" is the first single in the Green Machine series, a line of brand new tracks from Lambkin. Although no specific timetable has been set for the releases, it's a sign of commitment to new music from this incredibly talented producer, and I'm all for that. "Space Race" is a pure house track, a booming trip through late-90's and early-00's dance music. It's a return to his roots in a sense, as it's the kind of music Lambkin was making when he first got together with James Murphy and company over at DFA Records. "Teenage Bass" follows a similar patterns, a track molded from a singular beat extrapolated over seven tense and twisting minutes. Although this 12" doesn't match some of From the Cradle to the Rave's often goofy nature, this new release is certianly worth checking out. Green Machine vol. 1 is out this week on DFA Records, and you can listen to both tracks HERE.

 

Nicolas Jaar

New York by-way-of Chile producer Nicolas Jaar took everybody by surprise in 2011 with Space is Only Noise, an amazingly poignant and minimal electronic effort, a record which still sounds effortless yet will ultimately become timeless. Jaar recently delivered the newest BBC Essential Mix for the British radio program, and to say that it's essential would be redundant but it shouldn't lose its meaning; this mix is amazing. Don't mind the *NSYNC track; Jaar even manages to make the boy band cool again. Everyone from Aphex Twin to Feist, to Marvin Gaye and Jay-Z are included on the mix, so you know Jaar's influences don't side with a specific era or genre. Stream or download the entire show below, and head over HERE to read the entire tracklist.

 

31 Dec
Our third-annual album cover art feature uses interviews with artists and musicians to highlight the philosophical, thematic, and conceptual significance of great album cover artwork. THE BREAKDOWN    12 Collage + 14 Digital Illustration, Drawing, Design + 19 Illustration, Painting, Drawing + 8 Black And White Photography + 22 Color Photography + 6 Deluxe Packaging + 10 Fashion, Sculpture, Installation _____________________________    91 Album Covers For 2011 Best Of 2011 Album Cover Art

"Eery. Melancholic."
Dum Dum Girls - Only In Dreams
Art director Jeff Kleinsmith and photographer Shawn Brackbill capture the shadowy residue of an out-of-body experience.
Dum Dum Girls - Only in Dreams by subpop
QUOTES FROM: JEFF KLEINSMITH, ART DIRECTOR THEMES & CONCEPTS "Dee Dee from the band... had a very specific idea in mind, but I feel like it isn't my place to speak for her on this." CREATIVE PROCESS "There is a phenomenon called astral projection or astral travel which is the idea that there are two bodies - an astral body and a physical body, and there are some who believe that the astral body can travel outside of the physical one. There are some pretty famous photos depicting the astral body leaving the physical body, and Dee Dee wanted to make her own version with herself as the subject. Again, she would know better than I what this particular imagery means to her. Well, I LOVE the image. It is one of the most interesting images I've worked with in a long time. That's not exactly some high-minded insight, but it's how I feel about the image. Dee Dee never told me if it has personal meaning to her. I know she was going through some things, so it's possible that the image is directly related to that." THE EXTRAS "Tthe only thing to mention is the silver foil stamp on the front and back and maybe the old-style packaging. I'm referring to when LPs were first made, they were actually raw cardboard which was cover by a thin printed paper skin -- as opposed to printing directly on the cardboard. Most modern packaging is done this way, and this piece was done in the old style. Also, there is a 22" x 22" foldout poster inside along with a snazzy CD dust sleeve." Record Label Sub Pop Records The Artists Art Direction & Design - Dee Dee & Jeff Kleinsmith Photography - Shawn Brackbill Mediums & Materials Photography, Postcard, Computers