Friday, March 28, 2008

Bah...

The official line-up is but a phlegm beneath the brogue of the one below.

However, many more additions (in line with early predictions) are expected in the coming months. Still though, there's some seriously good shit there already - My Bloody Valentine, Silver Apples, Sigur Ros, Wilco, Micah P Hinson (beautiful, folksie, indie-americana), Kila, Nick Cave's Grinderman (not mad about the new stuff, but he's so fuckin cool), Franz Ferdinand (not to be lazily categorised with the jaded-NME-style of indie. Case in point: Kapranos writes food articles in The Guar... sorry, the guardian.), Jape, Faust, and the potential highlight, Balanescu Quartet.

And this is before bodytonic gets rolling.

Interesting to notice the disappointment amongst certain people. Perhaps they'd be best served by another fesival altogether.

EP is a lot more than a music festival.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

BSITWT #6


Chromatics - Hands in the Dark (Italians do it better)

http://www.myspace.com/chromaticsmusics

Rumour mill: These guys are playing in Andrew Lane Theatre on Thurs April 24th. I will run over my granny to avoid missing this.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Jesus.

Hurrah. The Electric Picnic line-up according to nialler9, who presumably gets his news from real sources. We like to make ours up.

I was about to highlight the good stuff but wow, like...

Official line-up to be announced on electricpicnic.ie at 18h00.

My Bloody Valentine, Sex Pistols, Sigur Ros, Moby, Tindersticks, Massive Attack, Underworld, Super Furry Animals, Fatboy Slim, The Breeders, Elbow, CSS, George Clinton, Chic featuring Nile Rogers, Gary Numan, Franz Ferdinand, The Human League, 808 State, The Roots, The Orb, Mogwai, Faust, Neon Neon, Jamie Lidell, Foals, Lee Scratch Perry, Baaba Mal, The Wedding Present, Sebastien Tellier, Henry Rollins, Billy Bragg, Marty Mulligan, Saul Williams, Booka Shade, Transglobal Underground, King Creosote, Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong, Damien Rice, The Duke Spirit, Crystal Castles, Tinariwen, Red Snapper, F*ck Buttons, Micah P Hinson, Dan le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip, Fish Go Deep, Grand National, Lisa Hannigan, Super Extra Bonus Party, Cinephile, Kings of Convenience, David Kitt, Donal Dineen, Gemma Hayes, The Gossip, Plaid, Kevin Rowland, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Two Gallants, Trentemoller, Richie Hawtin, Paul Weller, James, Bloc Party, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Cornelius, Buzzcocks, DJ Krush, Supergrass, The Coral, Bonnie Prince Billy, Notwist, Goldfrapp, Calexico, Jimmy Cliff, Robyn, Hayseed Dixie, Low, Dirty Three.

'Fuck me' - Ted Maul.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

An Absolutely Unbelievable Documentary

DETROIT TECHNO: THE ORIGIN OF TECHNO

This is essential viewing for anyone with an interest in electronic music:



This documentary takes the viewer through the origins of Techno music in 1980s Detroit, with interviews with the originators, Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson. It then documents the evolution of the form through the 90s and its spread to Europe. The quality, incitefulness and social context make this absolutely essential viewing. Others to be featured include Richie Hawtin, Jeff Mills and George Clinton. Go on, put aside an hour and check this out...

Friday, March 21, 2008

While I'm at it

Anyone in this whole country with an interest in beautiful, mellow electronica has no excuse but to catch Milosh in the next few weeks. Mike Milosh is a Canadian (are we even surprised anymore???) artist, with two albums under his belt in the last 4 years (Meme and You Make Me Feel) and some of the most hypnotic, subtle melodies you are likely to hear anywhere at the moment. En plus, he does his own vocals, of such a quality that they could be plugged as a showcase in themselves.

Check out this list:

April 3 - Tralee
April 4 - Clonakilty
April 6 - Sligo
April 9 - Whelan's

So no matter where you live, there are no excuses. Be there, loch.

One big question: if Milosh is appearing in three separate places along the West coast, how the hell has the Roisin Dubh not managed to secure his services? Beggars belief really....

FYI: BTBW will be in attendance at the Whelan's show. And possibly the Clonakilty one just for the sheer randomness of it. (Milosh in West Cork?? Really?? Have we missed out on something??)

BSITWT #5


Milosh - Couldn't Sleep (Plug Research)

http://www.myspace.com/milosh

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Best Name for a Newspaper ever

The Frankfurt Four-Dimensional Continuum

Alt-St.Patrick's Weekend: Michael Mayer - Spy, David Kitt / Donal Dineen - Hogan's. The Kanyu Tree - Whelans)

Despite the calling of expensive shithole pubs and legions of joyriding knackers, BTBW managed to tear itself away from the more traditional St Patrick's Weekend pursuits this year.

High-end, free-flowing, funky pop harmonies, two new songs and, of course, a legion of top-notch groupies greeted us on Thursday night at yet another joyous Kanyu Tree performance at a packed-out Whelans. Find details of their upcoming tour on their myspace page here.

Kompakt fien Michael Mayer produced a belter of a set at a local furness known by the moniker 'Spy' on Sunday night. Per Fergal:

We were skeptical of the price starting out. The ridiculous heat in the main room (after we spent ten minutes wandering around the Wax part thinking ticket sales must have been really poor) only added to our potential disgruntlement. But once our position at the back of the dancefloor in a very impressive main room was taken, it was difficult not to be taken aback, firstly, by the Kompakt maestor's dazzling set, and secondly and more emphatically by the euphoric reaction of the Dublin crowd. A truly great night for Dublin's electrelligensia, with many within the room feeling they had rarely experienced such a party atmosphere in a Dublin club. Mayer provided the fodder with some textbook Kompakt-esque techno, combined with some rapturous melodies, as the crowd, no doubt aided by a bank holiday drinking session, went well and truly nuts. If only all gigs were this much fun.

Quite. After a neighbour-enraging afterparty at HQ, we dragged ourselves to an undoubtedly sneaky highlight of the weekend as, in what must have been David McWilliams' wet dream of a HiCo Paddy's Day, David Kitt and the incomparable Donal Dineen shared a turntable downstairs at Hogan's of George's Street. 60s soul and funk shared urinals with Planxty-esque trad and Swedish minimal-tech as the weekend drew to very secret, underground climax. Dineen plays Whelans with Milosh on April 8th, complete with picture show. Go.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Public Enemy

Good news for P.E. fans, this is nicked from Jim Carroll:

Possibly THE most politicized hip-hop act of all time, Public Enemy return to Ireland in May to perform their classic album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. People may moan that they are just another band back on tour to earn a few quid, and that may well be the case (hard to fully reject that idea when one thinks of the embarrassing appearances of Flava Flav on reality TV). But regardless of that possibility, I will certainly be going along to pay homage to a really important act in the history of hip-hop, and in black culture generally (despite the fact that I am not black). Check out the video, Fight the Power, which contains one of my favourite lyrics ever: "Elvis was a hero to most, but he never meant shit to me".

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

BSITWT#4

Daso - Daybreak (My Best Friend)

http://www.myspace.com/dasofranke

Ridiculous

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Hip-Hop was once great

This may not be the last post of this nature. Every now and then the demise of hip-hop genuinely gets me down. 'Tis far from ferraris and crystal champagne most of the fuckers were reared. So from time to time I may take a trip down memory lane in an attempt to remind us all of the good old days when hip-hop genuinely had a statement to make. To a time when lyricists were prophets and the music had real meaning for an African-American community that has for too long been in the shadows in the U.S. Kinda like the way the Wolfe Tones represent us. Kinda. Ish. Actually no.

First up is Biggie, probably one of the last of his kind. The era of political overtones and angry messages personified by Public Enemy, NWA et al was coming to an end as he began his oh-too short career, but Biggie was one of the last greats to portray the "Everyday Struggle" of life in black urban America. Here he is aged 17 battling with some dufus outside a grocery shop. You can sense the energy that would lead to a blistering solo debut, and quite possibly the best hip-hop album ever, Ready to Die.

Grand National for Picnic. Maybe. Ish.

ED reckons Bestival is a pretty good indicator of who is Stradbally-bound this August. As you can see, they're just as mad for the ker-razy we're-so-wavey-and-liberated, not-even-a-country type flags too, so we could be in business.

If this is true we may FINALLY witness a much coveted Grand National performance, along with - possibly - Sebastian Tellier, Crystal Castles et al. Worth a look...

Aphex Twin is sadly out of bounds thanks to them MCD fuckers (see Fuck Off Oxegen post below).

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

BSITWT #3

This song has a lot to answer for:

Grand National - Talk Amongst Yourselves (some kinda remix) - mp3




Why aren't these guys absolutely huge?

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Ulrich Schnauss, Button Factory, May 2nd

A gig not to be missed. The (presumably) German electronica maestro Ulrich (or Uli as he is known to his friends) Schnauss is coming to our shores. This is not to be missed by anybody who remembers the warm fuzzy feeling experienced when listening to his early albums Far Away Trains Passing By and A Strangely Isolated Place. After these two majestic wavy efforts 6 years passed until Uli came back with the ominously (for those who wish he would produce in perpetuity) titled 2007 release Goodbye, an album that does justice to and consolidates his earlier achievements. If this is indeed the end of Uli, be sure to be part of what should be an amazing night for Irish electronica fans, with Chequerboard supporting Uli. Just check out the Chequerboard myspace to see for yourself. It bodes well for our nation that we are capable of producing things of such beauty.

http://www.myspace.com/ulrichschnauss
http://www.myspace.com/chequerboardmusic

PS Chequerboard is the guest on Donal Dineen's Small Hours show this Thursday March 13th, midnight-2am - www.todayfm.com

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW - Delays, Sugar Club, 09/03/08

ME: Howya. Great gig.

Delays Guy: Cheers Mate. Thanks a lot.




Sunday, March 9, 2008

Friday, March 7, 2008

Fuck Off Oxegen


Well hippidy-hoo, here comes the Oxegen bandwagon again.

Before I start, I will at least concede that yes, they have Aphex Twin, Interpol, Seasick Steve and one or two other interesting acts. But seriously, Oxegen can really fuck off this year. Shit organisation, shit queues, shit crowd, shit mud, shit bogs, shit price, shit acts (€250 to see Fratellis? Piss off).

Don't get me wrong, I was a keen follower in my time - there is seemingly no better release for a recently leaving-certified festival debutant - but once or twice is enough, unless you like big queues, knackers, trench foot, mud fights, traffic, getting things stolen, rain, stampedes, Kaiser Chiefs and invariably making a bollox of your leg or something.

Here's a sample of possibly the most powerful argument against this atrocity:

Melt
Exit
Pukkelpop
Eurockeenes
Benicassim
Sonar


Now.

SPEAK YOUR BRAINS: Irish Music Mags

Fascinating debate over on Jim Carroll's blog here


Here were my two centimes:

Those who criticised Mongrel above simply don’t get it. Their reviews (and I’m thinking James Blunt here, which, as it happens, is still blu-takked to our kitchen door) were fucking hilarious, and that was primarily their function. Although some reviews were stunningly concise in their accuracy: on the recent Rilo Kiley record - “If this album was a person I’d want to sleep with it”. Their more ‘abstract’ reviews this week are phenomenally funny - go forth and read, people.
It will be fascinating to see how Eoin Butler’s articles pan out in the Irish Times. It is imperative that he be left with as much autonomy as possible. The very nature of his writing is otherwise at risk. I still enjoyed reading it last Saturday mind.

As for Foggy Notions, it’s sad to hear of its (temorary-ish) end. Someone above mentioned the fact that it constantly endorsed the music it covered. Indeed it did, is it not a good idea to exclusively cover the likes of Beruit, Pantha du Prince et al? It lends itself to wonderfully optimistic and non-authoritative tone, mainly due to the omission of coverage of shit music. I often saw it as Small Hours put to print. On the subject, Donal Dineen’s FN CD last summer was one of the most beautifully atmospheric and coherent compilations I’ve ever heard.

Re: The Hot Press Stuff. I subscribed to it in 2003. The political radicalism of their op-ed was fiery and refreshing. The features, interviews and writing were all of a high standard (Udell, Murphy, Tyaransen, Glendenning, I think), and it generally served as a decent companion to undergrad life.

Then I bought it last week. Jesus.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

BSITWT #1

Supermayer - The Art of Letting Go.

My Bhicycle looked like a car from a Dr. Dre video I was bouncing so much to this tune on the way to UCD.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Gui Boratto - Chromophobia - (Kompakt)

This blog is only taking shape at the moment so I feel no harm can be done by reviewing albums that were released prior to our conception. In particular I have no qualms reviewing this gem as I only listened to it in full for the first time ever yesterday, and my word was I astounded.

Boratto first came to attention in 2005 with Arquipelago, a glorious roaming electronica effort that had that end-of-a-house-party-as-we-all-sit-around-and-tell-each-other-how-much-we-love-each-other kind of vibe. A truly beautiful piece of production, Chromophobia is his first full length album as far as I can make out. If the intention of the name is to suggest that the array of colours should prepare us for the impending trip across a wide musical spectrum, then it is ingenious. If it is called that because the colours on the front look pretty, then I read into these things far too much.

Not to worry. Scene is the perfect intro track, leaving us confused and baying for more. Its opening wavy soundscape is followed by a dark overtone which sets the "scene"* for the album as a whole. What follows is far from the Boratto introduced to us by Arquipelago. Mr. Decay, Terminal and Gate 7 is a trio that would leave any nightclub in absolute rapture. Gate 7 is a powerful track, the climax of which, preceded by a minute of Doppelwhipper-esque teasing, has all the qualities any DJ would want in striving for that perfect moment when hands are in the air, sweat, tears and roars fill the room and life is as beautiful as it can get.

After this the journey changes course slightly, with Shebang a clicky, angry offering that would sit more comfortably in a Magda or Villalobos set than here. This is certainly not the Boratto I was expecting but I fucking love it. Chromophobia, The Blessing, Mala Strana, Acrostico, and Xilo bring the pace right back down to a more familiar level, as Boratto allows the album to cruise along with some very pretty efforts indeed. This was how I remembered him. The gorgeous Beautiful Life follows, a firm favourite and likely floor filler. It is possibly a little trancey, but after the trip we have been on nothing seems unexpected. Hera continues the slightly trancey vibe, but features some fantastically dark sounds. The Verdict is the album's final tune, and a fitting one at that. It takes things right down below an Arquipelago-type pace as the colour and variety of the album race in front of my eyes. The verdict: An absolute stormer of an album, showing a range of styles that I certianly was not aware of. The spanning of the PPS** is hugely impressive.

* Wow me and Gui are so on the same level here

** Pretty-Philthy Spectrum


The Verdict - mp3

Summer Loving

We all went to Oxegen last year so we have very little by way of moral high ground on this one. But this year will be different. This year there will be a Ryanair flight (god, very little moral high ground on anything today) at 6am rather than a Dublin Bus full of puking kids to bring us to our first festival destination. While nothing is confirmed and our agents are still negotiating with a whole host of possible sites, the bookies are shortening odds on the Melt Festival, outside of Berlin. Just check out the link and see for yourself. Line up is very electronic at the moment, but that is nothing but a plus these days. Prepare to shake your ass to Supermayer, Matthew Johnson, Tomas Anderssen (of "Washing Up" fame), Ellen Allien, Gui Boratto, Cobblestone Jazz, Booka Shade, and many more of the finest in all things minimal tech and electro. Add into the mix Bjork, Franz Ferdinand, Roisin Murphy and the undoubted tears which will flow when we hear Erlend Oye's sweet sweet voice for the first time live with The Whitest Boy Alive, the efficiency of the German rail network in getting us there, the €5 bottles of Yeltsin vodka and the hangover-curing German beers, and we are talking about one serious festival.

If this doesn't work out, leave the weekends of Exit, Sonar, Bennicassim, Eurockeenes and Pukkelpop free in case we decide to grace one of the above with our distinguished presence.