by Bill Pearis

Bertrand Burgalat @ Pop Montreal 2012 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

When we first posted that French artist Bertrand Burgalat would be coming to NYC for the CMJ Festival we didn't know much, but we now have specifics. He plays the Union Square Ballroom on October 16 and will be at Fat Baby on October 17. He recently played Pop Montreal (check out ze photos) and there's video footage of what looked to be a super fun show below.

The Union Square Ballroom show is part of an all-French, dance-oriented line-up that also includesSkip the Use, Juveniles, Yan Wagner and Total Warr. The show is free and open to the public with RSVP though the RSVP ...link on this page doesn't seem to be working just yet.

Tomorrow's World

France seems to be fairly well represented at this year's CMJ and in addition to Bertrand Burgalat and the artists above there is also Tomorrow's World, which is the new project from Air's Jean-Benoit Dunckel and Lou Hayter who was (is?) keyboardist in New Young Pony Club (and put out a great solo single a few years ago under the name The New Sins). Tomorrow's World's track "So Long My Love" has been floating around the web for most of 2012 but it just now getting a physical release.

Tomorrow's World are on another mostly-French CMJ bill, this one at Highline Ballroom on October 17 with Housse de Racket (Cassius side project), Lescop and UK electrop group Citizens!. Tickets are on sale now for this one now.

Citizens! will be playing a few additional gigs during CMJ though their schedule hasn't been fleshed out. Keep your eyes peeled and in the meantime you can check out their video for "True Romance" below.

Additionally, Irene and Francis Jacob will also be here, playing 10/14 at Shrine (info), 10/19 at Joe's Pub (tix) and 10/20 at Barbes (info). You make recognize Irene from starring in '90s arthouse hits The Double Life of Veronique and Krzysztof Kieslowski's Red.

In non-CMJ French artist news, Etienne de Crecy, one of the big names in the late '90s "French touch" sound (along with Cassius, Alex Gopher, etc) will play Santos on November 5. Tickets are on sale. Etienne is also playing The Voodoo Experience in New Orleans and FFF Fest in Austin.

There are a few other videos for French bands playing during CMJ below.

Continue reading "French bands coming to CMJ; Bertrand Burgalat shows; Etienne de Crecy & Air side project Tomorrow's World too"

After teasing folks with a few names here and there -- like Run DMC most recently -- Austin's annual Fun Fun Fun Fest (Nov 2 - 4) has revealed it's full line-up, including Public Image Ltd, De La Soul, Superchunk, Santigold, Refused, X peforming Los Angeles, and lots, lots more. 3-day passes go on sale at 10AM CST.

Full FFF Fest lineup is below.

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest full lineup (De La Soul, Refused, Fucked Up, Public Image Ltd, Santigold, Sharon Van Etten, Rakim, X, Converge, Japandroids & more)"

DOWNLOAD: The Black Ghosts - I Want Nothing (Sinden remix) (MP3)

Ghostland Observatory @ All Points West - Day 3 (more by Chris La Putt)

Last week in dance it seemed like there was even more than usual going on. While I missed what looked like a typically awesome night of deejaying from A-Trak & co. at Webster Hall on Friday I made it out to the Tribeca Grand Saturday night to see Dirty Sound System. Unfortunately the dirty duo did not live up to my perhaps too high expectations after seeing their French partner in crime, Pilooski, kill it back in May. They played some tracks I was happy to hear out...Tiga's "Shoes", the Pilooski edit of Elvis' "Crawfish"...I was even glad to hear Dolly Parton's "Jolene". However, after an hour of many classic pop tracks, with very little mixing (which I anticipated but was hoping wasn't true for the pair who refer to themselves as "more selectors than traditionnal dj's") I was left a little disappointed, hoping for something a little more left field.

Luckily by the time they started letting people in and I got to All Points West on Sunday, things had turned around. Mogwai (who I'd never heard before) sounded great from the beer garden and Ghostland Observatory, who former Week In Dance writer David Bruno had urged me to check out years ago, lived up to the hype. What was already a great night ended on an even better note, with everyone in the Queen of the Valley Tent going crazy for Etienne de Crécy's live set:

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (part 1) "

photos by Tim Griffin and Chris La Putt

"After a soggy Friday and sunny Saturday, the thunderstorms returned for the third and last day of All Points West, this time resulting in major delays and canceled sets for the festival held at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ. But after the rain cleared and mercifully stayed away, organizers hustled to get the schedule back on track, culminating in a dazzler of a headlining set by British rockers Coldplay.

Sunday's line-up, scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. in the comedy tent and 2 p.m. on the music stages, was pushed back several hours due to severe storms that hit the area midday. Fans who arrived early were turned away at the gates, and it wasn't until just before 4 p.m. that ticket holders were invited to line up at the festival entrance for an even longer wait for admission. Comedians Todd Barry, Christian Finnegan and Janeane Garofalo, originally slated for 45-minute sets at the Queen of the Valley tent, were rushed through with 10 minutes each to make way for the musical acts that followed them. "I might do a tour of entirely rained-out festivals," said Barry, "it's big money for not a lot of work at all."

Some sets were canceled altogether--indie rockers Steel Train and New Jersey punk band the Gaslight Anthem, scheduled to take the main Blue Comet stage in the afternoon, were scrapped to allow later bands to perform at their scheduled times." [Billboard]

As you may have heard, Coldplay's Sunday night set included covers of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and Beastie Boys' "Fight For Your Right". Jay-Z covered "No Sleep Till Brooklyn on Friday.

MGMT played against Coldplay on Sunday, and Echo and The Bunnymen instead opened for Coldplay on the main stage (with Courtney Love watching in the wings). Akron/Family, Silversun Pickups, Mogwai, Lykke Li, Elbow, the Black Keys, and others also played sets on the shortened, very wet day. More pictures, and the two Coldplay cover videos, and some setlists, below....

Continue reading "All Points West 2009 - Day 3 Pictures (Coldplay, mud, MGMT)"

DOWNLOAD: Dirty Sound System - Summer Tape 2009 (MP3)

Dirty Sound System

It's been a while since I was this excited about a weekend, dance-wise. One of the many reasons why is Dirty Sound System is coming to New York this Saturday (8/1). According to their website, the French duo of Clovis Goux & Guillaume Sorge...

...spin everything from house, electro free jazz to spacey disco, acid house, krautrock, sunshine pop, folk, rythm'n'blues, music soundtracks... it depends on how far the dancefloor is ready to go.

Based on the awesome set their Dirty compatriot Pilooski spun at Mister Saturday Night back in May (which you can now download here) and their excellent selections on Dirty Edits 1 & 2 & Dirty Space Disco I have no doubt about their ability to get a dancefloor moving.

Info on the party they are deejaying on Saturday night below, plus download their Summer Tape 2009 at the top of this post and some mixes by Prince Language's (who is also deejaying the party) here. Also, be sure to check out Dirty Sound System's latest release Dirty French Psychedelics (available at Turntable Lab and on iTunes).

continued below...

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (part 2) (Dirty Sound System, Plant Music, Ete D'amour, Sunday Best, APW & more)"

DOWNLOAD: Moby - Shot In The Back Of The Head (MP3)

Feadz @ Webster Hall - April 17, 2009

There was a lot happening last week in dance. The amount of great options for Friday alone was overwhelming...there was Flying Lotus and Kode9 at AMNH and the Juan Maclean (who recently added a NY tour date with the Field) played Le Poisson Rouge.

I opted to go to Webster Hall to see Feadz and Etienne De Crecy. Feadz literally bounced his way through his entire set which included a bunch of recent electro, and a little bit of this and that thrown in...all of which he manipulated and tweaked to perfection. Partial setlist (and much, much more) below...

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (Etienne De Crecy, Simian Mobile Disco, Moby & more...)"

DOWNLOAD: Sharegroove - Douglass Loft Hot Pot mix (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: David Bruno - I Went To Miami And All I Got Was This Stupid Mix (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Bag Raiders - Shooting Stars (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Bag Raiders - Turbo Love (MP3)

Jokers of the Scene @ Plan B - April 14, 2009

Last Friday I was too tired to brave Webster Hall for Congorock even though I wanted to, and not being here Saturday or Sunday meant I didn't go out until Tuesday. That night I went to another one of the excellent parties Scion has been throwing monthly at Plan B. I didn't find out about it until the last minute - hopefully some of you saw the details I posted in the comments.

In any case...it wound up being a lot of fun. It wasn't as packed as quickly as usual, but by the time Jokers of the Scene started deejaying, Plan B had filled up nicely. Their set lived up to the two times I saw JoTS previously - great and full of new stuff, hardly any of which I knew, save for "One Day" by the Juan MacLean (who is playing a show at LPR tonight, but more on that and other upcoming events below...).

Toward the end of their set, just minutes after I had finished talking to a friend about Mr. Oizo, the next deejay coincidentally opened his set with "Flat Beat". The shock continued when the other half of the dj duo (who I later discovered were Super Viral Brothers) started to drop verses over the beats. He (Anthony Mills) continued to do so for the rest of the set which consisted of the following tracks (along with a few others) delivered by Olle Cornéer (who also happens to be half of Dada Life):

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (Etienne de Crecy, Flying Lotus, Plan B, Coachella & more...)"

Following last year's inaugural event, festival producers began work immediately on resolving concerns expressed by fans in attendance. They have worked closely with their partners at NJ Transit to improve light-rail service and capacity. As an added value for 2009, festival goers who choose to travel to the site utilizing the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line can ride for free throughout the weekend with their ALL POINTS WEST festival ticket. Additionally, based on the popularity of the ferry as a mode of transportation from lower Manhattan to Liberty State Park, the frequency and size of the ferryboats will increase at a reduced price for festival attendees.... The producers have also worked with their partners at Liberty State Park to improve the fan experience in the beer gardens. This year's areas will be larger, have shorter lines, and feature shade tents, views of the stages and food concessions...

The second annual ALL POINTS WEST MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL returns to Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey Friday, July 31, Saturday, August 1 and Sunday, August 2. Like last year, bands will play on three stages, except "the Queen of the Valley stage has been changed to a Coachella-like tent creating an environment that will showcase comedy, DJs, electronic acts and bands."

More details on the items above will be posted at the apwfestival.com. The entire lineup (it's good!) and ticket info, below...

Continue reading "All Point West - 2009 festival dates & lineup (Tool, My Bloody Valentine, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Beastie Boys, Coldplay)"

DOWNLOAD: Chromeo - Tenderoni (Etienne de Crecy remix) (MP3)

Etienne de Crécy is largely responsible for the electro inspired house sounds coming out of Paris right now. Back when everyone was doing their best filtered house Daft Punk impersonations, Etienne, the boys from Air, and Alex Gopher sped their bpm up, switched on a 303 and Super Discount was born. This remix of Chromeo's "Tenderoni" rips the track into a peak-time blog house anthem. - David Bruno

Tickets are on sale for a July 6th show at Studio B in Brooklyn with Chromeo, Flosstradamus, and Kid Sister. All tour dates below....

Continue reading "ETIENNE DE CRECY remix of CHROMEO's Tenderoni (MP3) + 2007 Tour Dates (w/ FLOSSTRADAMUS)"