You may recognize the name Ryuichi Sakamoto as a member of the pioneering Japanese synthpop band Yellow Magic Orchestra, or as composer for one of many film scores including The Last Emperor (with David Byrne), Babel, The Sheltering Sky, or one of dozens of others. But now the solo artist/composer will embark a new adventure, a short set of US dates including Skirball Center at NYU on 10/18- one of only ten US dates on his calendar where he'll be...

"...bringing his music to audiences through sustainable and ecologically sound touring. In addition, a carbon offset will be made for all carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the tour. Sakamoto has devoted much of his time in recent years to environmental concerns - to turning Ego into Eco as he puts it. Beginning in 2001, he has made a huge attempt to use alternative energy for touring."

NYC show tickets are on sale.

These rare appearances are part of a tour in celebration of the release of his TWO LPs playing the piano and out of noise, out on Decca on 9/28. The first disc, playing the piano, finds Sakamoto covering his previous works with solo piano while the second finds him "the ambiguities between music and noise".

"The second CD, out of noise, is arguably Sakamoto's most ambitious to date in which he continues to explore the netherworld between music and noise that has fascinated him for years. He is joined here by, among others, Austrian guitarist/laptop artist Christian Fennesz, guitarist Cornelius (Keigo Oyamada), England's renowned early music group Fretwork, and Icelandic multi-instrumentalist Skuli Sverrisson."

Ryuichi was last in NYC in 2009 for the Bang on a Can Marathon.

Some Sakamoto videos, as well as his full tour sked, below...

Continue reading "Ryuichi Sakamoto releasing new LPs, touring (dates) "

photos by Kevin Mazur/ Wire Image

"Yoko Ono, Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, Bette midler, freaking amazing!" - nico843

Yoko's Plastic Ono Band will be playing a special show at BAM's Gilman Opera House on Tuesday, February 16th. The show includes guest spots from original/former Plastic Ono band members Eric Clapton, bassist Klaus Voormann and drummer Jim Keltner. Other guests include Justin Bond, Kim Gordon, Bette Midler, Thurston Moore, Mark Ronson, Scissor Sisters, Martha Wainwright, Haruomi Hosono, Paul Simon and son Harper Simon, and current Ono Band members Cornelius, Yuka Honda and Sean Lennon.

That's how we listed last night's event at BAM (2/16). Martha Wainwright, whose mother recently passed away, ended up not being there, but Gene Ween showed up. Full review and setlist coming soon. In the meantime here are a set of pics...

Continue reading "Yoko's Plastic Ono Band played BAM w/ Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Bette Midler, Scissor Sisters & more (pics)"

Yoko's Plastic Ono Band will be playing a special show at BAM's Gilman Opera House on Tuesday, February 16th. The show includes guest spots from original/former Plastic Ono band members Eric Clapton, bassist Klaus Voormann and drummer Jim Keltner (one former "member," Ringo Star, isn't scheduled to be there, though he is in NYC on Jan 14th). Other guests include Justin Bond, Kim Gordon, Bette Midler, Thurston Moore, Mark Ronson, Scissor Sisters, Martha Wainwright, Haruomi Hosono, Paul Simon and son Harper Simon, and current Ono Band members Cornelius, Yuka Honda and Sean Lennon. Tickets are on sale.

Plastic Ono Band (sans guests) will also be at this year's Noise Pop Festival in San Fran on Febraury 23rd. The group's new sprawling record, Between My Head And The Sky, the first 'Ono Band' record since the '70s, came out last September. A flyer for the show is below...

Continue reading "Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band playing BAM w/ lots of special guests (Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Bette Midler) (tix on sale)"

DOWNLOAD: Memory Tapes - Bicycle (MP3)

The intial lineup for Noise Pop 2010, which takes over San Francisco February 23rd to March 1st, has been updated. Newly announced acts include Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band (with Cornelius, Yuka Honda, Sean Lennon), The Dodos & Magik Magik Orchestra collaborative performance, !!!, Harlem, Deerhoof, Memory Tapes, The Fresh and Onlys, Scout Niblett, Far (Reunion Show), The Mumlers, P.E.E (Reunion Show), Mirah, Laura Gibson, Nico Vega, Japanese Motors, Princeton, Free Energy, The Growlers, Nurses, Magic Wands, The Lonely Forest, The Hot Toddies, Tempo No Tempo, Judgement Day. The full current lineup is posted below.

Tickets and passes for most of those are on sale now. Tickets for Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band (with Deerhoof) on February 23rd and the Dodos & Magik Magik Orchestra collaborative shows go on sale on Sunday, January 10th.

Memory Tapes, chillwave Jerseyan Dayve Hawk, is one of the acts scheduled for the fest. He's going to be in the UK for a short run of shows this January, and he's confirmed that US dates and a European tour are forthcoming. The song "Bicycle" off his debut, Seek Magic, is above. The album is being re-issued on Feb 8th, "with an exclusive 48 minute 4 track CD2 through Urban Outfitters and digitally exclusively via iTunes".

UPDATE: Memory Tapes is opening for Atlas Sound at The Bell House on February 3rd. Tickets are still on sale.

More info on Noise Pop 2010 below...

Continue reading "Noise Pop expands 2010 lineup - updates include !!!, Far, Yoko Ono & Memory Tapes who is touring soon "

Cornelius @ Webster Hall, NYC - Jan 26, 2008 (Tom Hayes)

* Chromeo & Kid Sister are playing Bowery Ballroom
* The Dodos & Alberta Cross are playing Mercury Lounge
* And then Spectrum is playing Mercury Lounge
* Vampire Weekend is playing Virgin
* Vampire Weekend Best New Music
* Human Giant @ UCB
* ECNY Awards

I was up all night fixing stuff because of a server and software upgrade. Things will probably still not be totally normal for a little while. Let me know if you get any weird errors. Very tired...What else?

Marco Benevento, @ Sullivan Hall, Jan. 10, 2008

Benevento/Russo Duo are opening for Cornelius tonight (Jan 25) in DC, and tomorrow at Webster Hall (tix still available). Benevento is also in the midst of a month-long residency at Sullivan Hall. The next and last show is January 31st. Kaki King was a special guest at last night's show. More dates at their site.

Cornelius is coming back to the United States (from Japan) in January. Tickets go on sale Sunday at noon for a "Sensuous Synchronized Show" show at Webster Hall in NYC on January 26th. He played Webster Hall last time too. All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Cornelius - 2008 Tour Dates"

Raise your hand if you visited Webster Hall this week....

Ted Leo @ Webster Hall, NYC - May 05, 2007 (CRED)

Blonde Redhead @ Webster Hall, NYC - May 08, 2007 (CRED)

Cornelius @ Webster Hall, NYC - May 10, 2007 (CRED)

Linkin Park is playing there tonight. No, I'm serious.

What else is going on?....

* Musicians should feel free to fly Delta again
* Arcade Fire asks Calexico to do a cover
* Takka Takka frontman fired from day job
* Hook: New Order breakup confirmed
* Clap Your Hands Say Yea in a movie with Hanks, Malkovich
* North By Northeast Announces This Year's Highlights
* Pretty Girls Make Graves begin farewell tour
* John Vanderslice & St Vincent brought the show outside
* Fight breaks out at Ben Folds gig
* Ben Gibbard covers the Mountain Goats
* Voxtrot launch "Voxtrot" micro-site
* Bright Eyes - the building
* Apostle of Hustle - 2007 Tour Dates
* Bad Brains tickets on sale
* Resemblance between The Little Ones & N.E.R.D......
*..... just a coincidence

DOWNLOAD: Dirty Down Mix Vol. 1 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Cornelius - Point of View Point (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Wicked Pase Rock mix live from Miami (MP3) (via Fluokids)

Cornelius is touring. He gets to NYC on May 10th. I caught him this weekend at Coachella (hence the reason for no dance post last week). Here's a picture of his show in LA on Monday...

Cornelius @ The El Ray - Apr 30, 2007 (CRED)

Spank Rock @ Coachella - 2007

Chk Chk Chk @ Coachella - 2007

I'm going to geek out on Bjork too.

Wow. What an amazing show last night. After seeing her at Coachella and last night, I really hope that crunchy dance version of "Declare Independence" she rocks at the end of her set gets a proper release. "Raise Your Flag!" would go down well in the clubs. Speaking of da clubs, Spank Rock (who destroyed Coachella on Sunday night) remixed "Earth Intruders."

Zeitgeist: DANCE? Can You Feel It?

Larry Tee in this week's Village Voice:

"Dance music finally has an opportunity. It's kind of hot. I sense something is changing here."

Tricia Romano delves into the comings and goings of the fight against the Caberet Law, Larry Tee's proposed "Dance Music Invasion Festival" in NYC October 3rd through 7th, and the Dance Parade on May 19th (partly to protest the Caberet Law, partly to showcase dance (as in the act of)). Dance illegally this weekend: declare your independence.

Speaking of legality, the recent decision by the FCC's Copyright Royalty Board of Royalty Oversight, Discussion, and Redundancy that hiked up fees for internet broadcasters is being challenged by the SaveNetRadio organization. Internet radio is a crucial promotion vehicle for dance music. Go there and read up. Call your congressperson.

Moby is kicking the dust off his stack of "Go" remixes and playing an old school rave set for the Cut & Trouble + Bass crews at the Masters of the Universe party at Studio B on Saturday (May 5th) night. Wear a mask and rave out. Other techno legends dropping through town this weekend: Sven Vath at Cielo tonight (Thursday May 3rd) and Juan Atkins at Sullivan Room Saturday (May 5th) (Tix).

Lots of Justice news this week. After a wild live set at Coachella that featured 45 minutes of cut, chopped, and fuzzed originals and pieces of their remixes, all performed from a Marshall stack stage. The boys have released their video for their massive next single "D.A.N.C.E." Its basically a pretty amazing ad for So Me's work with the Revolver clothing line. If this song isn't on every radio station this summer, I'd be very surprised. All of you PYTs make sure to kick the B.E.A.T. loud. Possibly one of the most anticipated dance albums of the past few years, Justice's † is out on Vice SOMETIME soon?

Justice video, more news, downloads, parties, and other surprises, BELOW....

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ David Bruno (05/03/07)"