Feature Pitchfork August 30, 2010 Link Here are my contributions to Pitchfork’s rundown of the best tracks of the ’90s. 176. Orbital “Chime” [FFRR; 1990] Simon Reynolds called this early rave anthem “The British ‘Strings of Life’,” and the grounds for comparison between Orbital’s buoyant first single and the Derrick May Detroit techno classic extend […]
Feature August 13, 2010 Resident Advisor Link RA talks to Drew Daniel and Martin Schmidt about micing cacti, counting with “the Bjork” and the philosophical dilemmas of live performance. While Matmos is often described in terms of conceptual frameworks and inspired sampling—bowing a rat cage or recording liposuction are but two of the most famous […]
Feature Wax Poetics Issue 42 Link Gil Scott-Heron doesn’t suffer no fools. During an afternoon phone call from his office in New York, the 61-year-old author and performer fielded interview questions with the same combination of humor, bluntness and insight that have made his poetry, novels and lyrics so valued and influential over the last […]
Interview Pitchfork July 26, 2010 Link “If you rated someone’s popularity by how much hate they get from journalists, I’m fucking super-popular.” Wesley Pentz– better known as DJ, producer, and Mad Decent label boss Diplo– dropped that quote near the conclusion of this interview, which might suggest he’s got a problem with the media. But […]
Feature EQ June 2010 Link Compass, the latest album from live-wire musician Jamie Lidell, finds the pitch-shifting, melody-looping extrovert experiencing a catharsis. Grasping for solid ground after suffering what he calls a “triple whammy”—the dissolution of a relationship, a change in management, and a move from Berlin to New York— he set down and in […]
Feature A.V. Club Chicago June 30, 2010 Link Our iconic architecture, crowning skyline, and diverse neighborhoods practically dare cinematographers to resist its charms. Not surprisingly, film history is dotted with iconic Chicago moments, from Jake and Elwood of Blues Brothers careening over the Skyway bridge to Cameron Frye from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off contemplating Seurat […]
Feature EQ April 29, 2010 Link Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings showcase the instinctual way Daptone does soul with I Learned the Hard Way. The Daptone story already has its share of legendary characters: There’s bassist/producer/co-owner Gabriel Roth, who turned a two-story house into a recording studio for the Daptone Records label; then there are […]
Feature EQ Magazine April 2010 Link The music of Denton, Texas, band Midlake sounds labored over in the best possible way, an artful, sepia-toned style of folk rock exuding the craftsmanship of a handwritten manuscript. But the band’s airy, languid delivery masks the precise arrangements and extensive effort expended during composition and recording. Making The […]
Feature EQ Magazine March 2010 Link English band Hot Chip has a particularly kinetic take on dance music. It’s funky machine music with pop soul, a combination cheekily referenced by a recent band shirt boasting an image of R&B eccentric R. Kelly sporting a red Devo hat. The group’s myriad influences came to play on […]