Review Earplug May 2008 Tight mixes, pithy dialogue, and rapid-fire vocal samples are apropos for his day-job as an ad man, but it’s Steve Stein’s delivery and sense of humor that have made him a crate-digging icon. Better known as Steinski, the DJ/producer launched his landmark “Lessons” mixes with Douglas “Double Dee” DiFranco in the […]
Review Earplug May 2008 Breezy and incessant, “Einsteigen” kicks off Ellen Allien’s latest full-length with impatient beeps and the sound of commuters jostling inside Berlin’s Alexanderplatz station. It’s an appropriate intro, one that marks SOOL as the work of an artist in transit. While Allien’s recent Boogy Bytes mix was subdued, bubbling, and spectral — […]
Feature XLR8R April 2008 Link What, exactly, does it mean when you’re 26, it’s 2008, and you still harbor a schoolboy’s crush on Molly Ringwald? If you’re Anthony Gonzalez, the French producer behind M83, it means picking album-cover models is easy. “When we were at the modeling agency in New York, I saw this ginger […]
Interview Earplug May 2008 Ypsilanti, Michigan, resident Todd Osborn is often (semi-jokingly) compared to MacGuyver. Not only has the producer made scores of excellent house, techno, and drum ‘n bass records, but he also once designed weapons for the Air Force (“I truly cannot talk about details of that because of security clearances I’ve signed,” […]
Interview Earplug April 2008 The mosaic of Kieran Hebden’s musical narrative is one of constant, relentless evolution. From his collaborations as part of Fridge to the ever-mutating sound of his Four Tet moniker and his inspired improvisational playdates with legendary drummer Steve Reid, the UK-based producer/performer re-invents any genre he’s exploring. For his expansive new […]
Feature URB April 2008 Link If music trends in Morocco came up in conversation, many Americans might sheepishly inquire if things are still kicking at Rick’s Café. Outside of select examples like Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir,” popular culture in the States tunes out this North African nation’s music. But the cultural exchange rate looks different when […]
Interview Earplug March 2008 Raised on a family farm an hour outside of Oslo, Norwegian producer Joachim Dyrdahl has a definite appreciation for the quiet life. While his work under the name diskJokke certainly has its share of raucous moments — enough so that he’s earned frequent bookings at Oslo’s famous Sunkissed club night — […]
Preview Prague Post March 5, 2008 Coming from Berlin — a nexus of electronic music and minimal, streamlined techno — Modeselektor might be expected to sound cerebral and sleek. But the music made by the production duo of Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary, among the headliners of this year’s Sperm Festival, is raucous and unhinged. […]
Interview Prague Post March 5, 2008 The blissful electronic melodies of Caribou, the alias of Canadian producer Dan Snaith, put a personal spin on sunny ’60s pop — psychedelic beauty, blinding sunshine and lyrics about all-consuming attractions to beautiful women. It suggests a certain easygoing demeanor, but it would be a mistake to assume that […]
Story XLR8R February 2008 Link Radiohead’s self-issued, internet-first, pay-as-you-wish release of In Rainbows is perhaps the best-selling digital album ever, according to unofficial early sales figures. But the stunt’s revolutionary appeal was tarnished when it was revealed that the files were released at a sub-par bit rate. It would be interesting to hear what Dr. […]