by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: Martyn - "Viper" (MP3)

Martyn began DJ and promoting d&b nights in Holland as far back as 1996, but it was as recent as three years ago that his production began to be recognised. He had releases on Marcus Intalex's Revolv:R, both d&b and dubstep-- fitting since Marcus Intalex released one of the first deep house inspired dubstep-esque singles "Taking Over Me" as far back as 2000. But while Martyn bought into early Wookie material, it wasn't until Kode9's "Sine of the Dub" that Martyn took notice of dubstep. "I heard that record and it fitted right into some of the music I was hunting down at that time such as the reggae/techno from Berlin like Rhythm & Sound, Main Street and Basic Channel," he explains. [Pitchfork]

Martyn released his second LP, Ghost People, last month via FlyLo's Brainfeeder label. The album is full of hollow dubstep beats in the vein of Kode9, who is mentioned above as one of Martyn's influences, and features guest vocals on the first track by Spaceape, who collaborated with Kode9 in 2006 for the pioneering Memories of the Future album, and again earlier this year on the duo's followup, Black Sun. But what really makes Ghost People a memorable listen is the way he works in his house influences. He can come out sounding like a better version of Deadmau5's early material (before he began taking a much frattier direction). The songs layer four-on-the-floor beats with more off-kilter ones and almost always use percussion in the forefront of the song, with a sparse melody in the background. The one exception is the album's especially house-y closing track, "We Are You In The Future," which opens with a catchy bouncing synth line that gets built off for almost 9 minutes, and is by far the longest track on the album. The album track "Viper" is available for download above.

Martyn's only got one North American date coming up and its The FIXED Holiday Bash at Public Assembly on December 16 with Jonas Reinhardt (live), Andrew "The Wiz" Potter, Ulysses, JDH & Dave P, and a back room hosted by Throne of Blood. Tickets for the show are on sale now.

All dates below...

Continue reading "Martyn's released his 2nd LP on Brainfeeder, playing the FIXED Holiday party (dates & MP3)"

Though most of the lineup has yet to be revealed - except for King Krule, Metronomy (who also play MHOW), Purity Ring, Fat Trel (pictured above) and Bleached (more on them in a sec), this year's CMJ Fader Fort RSVP is up and running for their 10/21 and 10/22 shows at 443 w 18th St in Manhattan. More details, including the lineup, TBA soon.

Those dates are the same as the two free BrooklynVegan parties happening at Public Assembly in Brooklyn (no RSVP required), though Fader Fort runs 2-9pm, and the BV parties are from noon-6pm.

Vice's Noisey party with Twin Shadow happens at Santos Party House on the night of 10/19, and as previously mentioned, Twin Shadow are also playing another show which is now announced and is also free and also requires RSVP. The newly-announced show also happens at night, but on Saturday, 10/22, at Le Bain. It's the "Making Time" party and Seekae is also on the bill.

Making Time is FIXED's Philly sister, and FIXED have a CMJ party of their own as well. Their showcase will take place at Public Assembly on 10/19 with Teengirl Fantasy, Still Corners, Lemonade, Chad Valley, Radio People, Warm Ghost, CFCF (DJ Set), and Resident DJs JDH & Dave P (who also DJs Making Time). Tycho was originally scheduled to play this showcase but has since cancelled all of his CMJ shows in favor of a single pre-CMJ show happening at MHOW this Sunday. Tickets for the FIXED show are on sale.

SMD at Williamsburg Waterfront in 2009 (more by Bao Ngyuyen)

Simian Mobile Disco are kicking off an international tour this month which begins with a DJ set on Saturday, August 6 at Warm Up. They'll also DJ a FIXED party later that night (8/6) at Public Assembly with FIXED DJs JDH & Dave P. Tickets for the Public Assembly party are on sale now.

Simian Mobile Disco recently made a mixtape for Feel My Bicep. According to the duo, "This mix is a little bit different to our club sets - mixture of more leftfield early electronics, krautrock, ambient etc..." They've also got a new video for "Gizzard" and a trailer video for their Summer 2011 live show. Check those out along with all dates, FIXED flier, and the full PS1 lineup below...

Continue reading "Simian Mobile Disco DJing FIXED after PS1 --- 2011 tour dates (and a mixtape too)"

DOWNLOAD: YACHT - "Utopia" (Miracles Club Remix) (MP3)

The Miracles Club will play a few NYC shows this month including their previously mentioned PS1 show this Saturday (7/23) with Gang Gang Dance (DJ), Syd tha Kyd (OFWGKTA), Laurel Halo, and others. The next day (7/24), they'll play a Jelly RockBeach show with Death Grips, Bass Drum of Death, MNDR, and Night Manager. Check out a video from the first RockBeach show below.

The following week, Miracles Club will play two more NYC shows: July 28 at Glasslands with Vockah Redu and a FIXED party on July 29 at Public Assembly with Midnight Magic and Trap.Avoid. The Glasslands show is presented by MyOpenBar and tickets are on sale. You can also get advanced tickets for the Public Assembly show.

The Miracles Club also played with Midnight Magic during Northside at the DFA Showcase. YACHT, who headlined that show, was recently remixed by The Miracles Club. They put their twist on the title track of YACHT's recently released apocalyptic concept album Utopia. Grab that above.

Sissy Bounce artist Vockah Redu (pictured), who is on the Glasslands bill with The Miracles Club, also play PS1 one week later (7/30) with XXXY and Holy Other. Vanity Fair says, "Vockah's shows are elaborately choreographed and costumed, like how Ziggy Stardust would've ended up if he'd been raised in the Magnolia Houses."

All tour dates and video below...

Continue reading "The Miracles Club remixed YACHT, playing PS1, RockBeach, Glasslands & FIXED (Vockah Redu coming too) ---- MP3 & dates"

French electro artist/producer/dj Joakim is set to release his fourth LP Nothing Gold on his own label Tigersushi this September. He released the album's lead single "Forever Young" on June 13. It was released as a 12" single with three remixes of the track on his label. Check out the video and soundcloud streams of the remixes below.

He'll go on a short US tour in support of the album which kicks off today (7/8) in San Francisco at No Way Back. The tour hits NYC on July 16 at MoMA PS1 where he plays a Warm Up. Joakim also returns to NYC on August 7 at Le Bain for a Tigersushi party.

Joakim's DC date is presented by FIXED who meanwhile bring The Magician to Good Units in NYC this Saturday(7/9). All FIXED events are listed below.

All dates the video and songs below too...

Continue reading "Joakim now on tour, releasing new album (dates, new video & 3 remixes of the single)"

DOWNLOAD: Gold Panda - "MPB" (MP3)

UK producer Gold Panda recently released the song "MPB" for free on his website. Grab an MP3 of the track above, or stream it below.

Gold Panda is currently on tour in Europe and will embark on a short US run at the end of October. The US dates include a NYC show on October 29 at Good Units as a FIXED event with JDH & Dave P. Tickets are on sale for the show that is one day before Gold Panda plays Moogfest in Asheville, NC.

Gold Panda toured with HEALTH in 2010. HEALTH return to NYC tonight (6/30).

All tour dates, the new song, and a stream of Gold Panda's entire Primavera Sound set, below...

Continue reading "a new Gold Panda MP3 & a bunch of tour dates"

Vito & Stephen

Aeroplane is now a one-man operation, Vito having amicably parted company with his bandmate Stephen Fasano. Not that we should be alarmed. "There are worse things in life!" says Vito. "Stephen's gonna do music on his own, I'm gonna do music on my own. I'm the studio guy, he was more the DJ so when the music became more important, the more I was alone in the studio. The future of Aeroplane was this album and I wrote it and played every instrument." The two are still on good terms: "He's picking me up tomorrow at the airport. I'm probably going to produce the stuff he writes in the future and I'm not going to have a word to say about it!"

The next edition of long-running dance (and some rock) party FIXED happens tonight (5/26) at Le Poisson Rouge with Belgium's Aeroplane (aka one-man operation Vito De Luca) and FIXED regulars JDH & Dave P. Aeroplane released a mixtape on soundcloud in April with remixes of Adele, Shit Robot, Alex Winston (who Star Slinger also just remixed) and others. Stream the mixtape below. Tickets for tonight's show are still on sale.

JDH & Dave P bring the other Belgian DJ, one who used to be the the other half of Aeroplane, The Magician (aka Stephen Fasano), to FIXED on July 9 at Good Units in the Hudson Hotel. Tickets are on sale. The Magician will also be performing at Camp Bisco during that trip, as will JDH & Dave P.

FIXED also has a party scheduled on Saturday (5/28) at Public Assembly with Parallels. Parallels (featuring ex-Crystal Castles drummer Cameron Findlay) plays the front room with Miho Hatori of Cibo Matto, who just announced a tour. People at Parties and JDH open the show, and Pendu Disco DJs play the back room with Butterclock and You.

The Aereplane mix is below...

Continue reading "Aeroplane is here, The Magician is coming"

DOWNLOAD: Pantha Du Prince - "A Nomad's Retreat" The Slight Below Remix (MP3)

Pantha Du Prince released a new album on Tuesday via Rough Trade. "XI versions of Black Noise is comprised of re-workings of tracks originally on Pantha Du Prince's album Black Noise by friends and contemporaries including amongst others Animal Collective, Moritz Von Oswald, Four Tet, Efdemin and North American pioneer Hieroglyphic Being. Pantha Du Prince also does his own new version of "Lay In A Shimmer"." Check out the fifth track on the LP, The Slight Below remix of "A Nomad's Retreat" above. The full tracklist is below.

Pantha Du Prince is now on a North American tour that concludes in NYC at Good Units at Hudson Hotel on April 22nd. it's a FIXED event, and Pantha is playing "live", as are The Sight Below (who remixed the above track). JDH and Dave P will DJ. Advanced tickets are on sale. All Pantha tour dates are listed below.

Four Tet will appear at Gowanus Grove at the end of May, and at EMPAC Studio 1 in Troy, NY with Jon Hopkins on September 15th.

Animal Collective just announced a Prospect Park show and other dates. The Brooklyn show goes on AmEx presale today (4/20) at noon. An updated set of tour dates is below.

Continue reading "Pantha Du Prince released an album of re-workings, on tour now (MP3, dates & updated Animal Collective dates too)"

DOWNLOAD: Glasser - Mirrorage (Lindstrom remix) (MP3)

Dates below...

Continue reading "Lindstrøm is coming, remixed Glasser (dates & MP3)"

Matthew Dear @ MHOW in 2008 (more by Bao Nguyen)

As mentioned, Pitchfork will be hosting three days of shows at Brooklyn Bowl during, but-it-looks-like/probably completely unaffiliated with, CMJ this year (Thursday/Friday/Saturday CMJ week). "Brooklyn Bowl is located at 61 Wythe Avenue between N. 11th and N. 12th streets. The festival starts at 2 p.m. each day, with doors opening at 1 p.m. Tickets are $10, both in advance and day of the show." They're calling it the #OFFLINE Festival.

Based on the lineups and start time, it looks like each #OFFLINE day will be about a 12 hour show. No set times yet though, but the full lineups and ticket links are below...

Matthew Dear is one of the biggest names on the list (he plays Saturday), and it will be one of three CMJ week shows for Matthew. His first is Friday night at Webster Hall with Jamaica and Dominique Young Unique. His third is later on Saturday at Public Assembly for the FIXED/Making Time Party with Matthew Dear, Crocodiles, Holy Ghost!, Javelin, Gold Panda, Jamaica, and Kisses.

The FIXED/Making Time party starts after the BrooklynVegan party which is also happening at Public Assembly that same day. Just to be clear:

SATURDAY OCTOBER 23RD
* BrooklynVegan @ Public Assembly 12-6pm (free - more details TBA)
* FIXED/Making Time @ Public Assembly 9pm-late (tickets)
* Pitchfork @ Brooklyn Bowl 2pm-late (tickets)
* BrooklynVegan metal @ Union Pool 7pm-late ($5.00 or CMJ badge at the door)

We (BrooklynVegan) will also be at Public Assembly all day on Friday, October 22nd (details TBA), and at Music Hall of Williamsburg on the Thursday night.

All Matthew Dear tour dates (many of which we previously posted including a November show at MHoW), and the Pitchfork #OFFLINE Fest info, below...

Continue reading "Pitchfork announces #OFFLINE not-CMJ parties, Matthew Dear also playing Making Time & Girls & Boys parties (lineups) "

photos by Andrew St. Clair

HEALTH @ Santos

"Hailing from far-off Melbourne, Australia, Andrew Szekeres, Vincent Vendetta and Daniel Stricker, otherwise known as the Midnight Juggernauts, shook the stage of Santos Party House for another outstanding event courtesy of Fixed this past Thursday with their energetic performance of live instrumental dance music. They were joined on stage by HEALTH, who warmed up the expectant crowd, anxious to get their feet moving and heads bobbing." [The HiFi Cartel]

More pictures from Thursday night's late show (Midnight Juggernauts went on close to 2am), and the headliner's setlist, below...

Continue reading "HEALTH & Midnight Juggernauts @ Santos Party House (pics)"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Pantha du Prince - Welt Am Draht (Animal Collective Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pantha du Prince - "Stick To My Side" (feat. Panda Bear) (Four Tet remix) (MP3)

Pantha du Prince...

German electronic music maven Pantha du Prince (Hendrick Weber) will be playing his first US shows in three years starting tonight, June 15th, in Washington DC. He visits NYC for a live set at Santos Party House on Thursday, June 17th. Also at that will be Fixed residents JDH and Dave P and Swedish duo Dada Life. Tickets are still on sale.

Pantha's third album and his first on Rough Trade, Black Noise, came out earlier this year. Weber is clearly a well-connected guy - the record features a guest vocal spot by Panda Bear and a bass-guest turn by Tyler Pope of LCD Soundsystem/!!!/Out Hud. The AC crew even remixed one of the album tracks. That's posted above, along with a Four Tet remix of the Noah Lennox song. The album is still streaming at the label's site.

Pantha du Prince's three June US shows will be followed up by a full stateside tour in the fall. In the meantime, Pantha du Prince crisscrosses Europe this summer. The video for "Stick to My Side" (again, that's the Panda Bear one), all tour dates, and the upcoming schedule for Fixed are all below...

Continue reading "Pantha du Prince is here for 3 US shows - those dates (include Fixed), Animal Collective remixes, album stream & more"

Simian Mobile Disco @ Williamsburg Waterfront 2009 (more by Bao Nguyen)

Simian Mobile Disco will be DJing at Fixed's March 11th party at (Le) Poisson Rouge. The show will be first of a quarterly (4x a year) residency for the UK duo at Fixed. Tickets for the first date are on sale. The other exact NY show dates are still TBA.

SMD have some other DJ sets planned too - a few in March around the LPR show, and a few in May around Sasquach. Presumably that will also be around the time when their second quarter NYC show happens, possibly at Santos Party House where six more Fixed parties are already scheduled. Full list below.

The video for their song "Cruel intentions," which features Beth Ditto on vocals, is below. It was on their latest record, Temporary Pleasure, which came out in August 2009 on Wichita Recordings. In February, SMD released an EP, Extra Temporary, which "compiles the four tracks from the bonus second CD of Temporary Pleasure, along with the two bonus tracks from the iTunes version of the album." The video, all tour dates, a flyer and the upcoming Fixed schedule are below...

Continue reading "Simian Mobile Disco's 2010 schedule includes a residency at FIXED in NYC & other dates "

DOWNLOAD: Dada Life - Giant August Mix 2009 (MP3)

Pilooski @ Brooklyn Bowl - Sept. 26, 2009

Last week was great music-wise! On the less dancey side of things, Gonzales showcased his great talent behind the piano, not to mention a hilarious sense of humor at Joe's Pub friday night. Early Saturday night Phoenix rocked Central Park to perfection, followed by a late night dj set from Pilooski at Brooklyn Bowl, completing the weekend's trifecta of musical talents from Paris.

Pilooski's set lived up to the two I witnessed previously. Starting at 1:15, and deejaying nearly 2 hours, Pilooski treated the modest sized but seriously moving crowd to a great variety of highly danceable tunes. From some of his own expert edits ("Crawfish" by Elvis, "Beggin' " by Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, etc.), to disco, to even some harder sounding electro, Pilooski yet again, showed New York how a wonderfully diverse dj set could still be extremely cohesive and get everyone dancing. Yes, he's already been here three times this year, but I can't wait until Pilooski is back again. In the meantime, here's what's going on this week, starting with Thursday (10/1):

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (part 1) (Dada Life, Tim Exile, Annie Mac, free Martyn & Micachu tickets & more) "

DOWNLOAD: Alter Ego - Jolly Joker (Supermayer Remix) (MP3)

Moby @ Irving Plaza - Sept 21, 2009 (amaindrault)

A lot of dancing went down last week & weekend but I missed most of it. Hopefully you were able to catch the Rapture at Matchless, Moby at Irving Plaza or Music Hall of Williamsburg, or some of the many other shows & dance parties that happened last week. If not, there are plenty of opportunities to make up for it this week, starting with Thursday (9/23):

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

Esser & Datarock on stage together (rugbarn)

Hopefully you made it out Thursday & Friday. I did not, so we're heading right into what's happening this weekend:

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (part 2)"

DOWNLOAD: Tim Sweeney Live @ Sunday Best - August 16 (MP3)

Joakim

It's been a very exciting week in dance, with both Bassment Jaxx and Royksopp show announcements. Unfortunately we still have to wait a few months before those happen. In the meantime, here is what's going on this weekend:

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (part 2) (Joakim, Michna, Theo Parrish, Holy Ghost, Soul Bowl, the Drums & more) "

"There's a good reason why the new record is called Scars," says Felix Buxton. "Making it has been a grueling process. When we finished recording, it felt like we'd come out of a boxing ring." His bandmate Simon Ratcliffe nods in agreement.

Basement Jaxx's new album 'Scars' will be released by Ultra and XL Records on October 6th. A little less than a month later the band will visit North America to DJ in a few major cities, including New York City of course. Tickets are now on sale for a November 7th gig at Santos Party House which doubles as FIXED's 5-year anniversary party.

'Scars' is full of guest appearances including Kelis, Maleka & Chipmunk, Eli "Paperboy" Reed, Sam Sparro, Lightspeed Champion, Amp Fiddler, Yo Majesty, Yoko Ono, Paloma Faith, Lisa Kekaula, Jose Hendrix, and Jose James. All dates, the tour poster, the Scars (cover art above) tracklisting, and the video for "Raindrops", below....

Continue reading "Basement Jaxx - 2009 DJ tour dates (NYC on sale), new album w/ Kelis, Yoko, Eli Reed, Lightspeed Champion, more"

School of Seven Bells @ South Street Seaport Friday (more by Chris La Putt)

Somehow I didn't go out last week, except for Pilooski and Friendly Fires on Tuesday & Wednesday which I already told you about. Plenty of other dance events went on though...the School of Seven Bells show at the Seaport (above), the DFA Boat Party, Flashing Lights, and Girls & Boys. Now, on to this week:

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

MSTRKRFT @ the 2009 Rothbury Festival (more by Graeme Flegenheimer - NSFW)

Last weekend I finally made it out dancing on a day other than Sunday for a change. Saturday night I headed to the Tribeca Grand's basement where Fixed was making its welcome return. I caught the last two songs of Free Energy's set. It was my first time seeing the band, and as much as two songs aren't much to go by, they at least made me want to hear more. Following Free Energy, Dave P deejayed a bit, playing Fixed's typically awesome mix of very current dance tracks from a variety of genres, while the stage was set up for Lemonade.

I have nothing against Lemonade, but have never really gotten into their music so I sat tight during their set, patiently waiting for Riton to begin his. He finally went on somewhere around 2/2:30 and to the degree I really wasn't too familiar with his music to begin with (save for a remix here & there), his selections were very unexpected. It's all a bit of a blur now...lots of current stuff, with a lot of really random tracks thrown in (ie Abba's "Voulez Vous") that worked beautifully and had everyone who had stuck around getting down. The early ending (3:30) left things a little bittersweet (I wanted that last half hour!), but overall it was a great night.

While there is no Fixed party happening this week, there are lots of other great events sure to have you dancing through your weekend. Here's what's going on, starting with Thursday (7/30):

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (part 1) (The Rapture, All Points West, A-Trak, MSTRKRFT & 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: 2020 Soundsystem vs. The Glass - Won't Bother Me (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Silver City - Shiver (2020 Soundsystem live version) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: AC Slater - Rock It Out (MP3)

Classixx @ the Studio @ Webster Hall - March 10, 2009 (CRED)

I was out of town last weekend and unfortunately missed all the awesome acts that came through New York. I managed to make it out Tuesday night for the Scion party, but was feeling tired and not too into it. You already know how I feel about Hearts Revolution and nothing about their performance on Tuesday changed that. I caught some of Classixx's set before I left, which started off with some mellow, almost loungey disco before quickly working up to some very danceable tracks from the likes of Holy Ghost, Mylo, Sebastien Tellier, Ce Ce Peniston, and Alan Braxe & Fred Falke. Tuesday night helped take the edge off, but I am really, really looking forward to a lot that's happening this weekend. Friday night (3/13) there is way too much good stuff going on.

Starting early in the evening (9pm) Four Tet & Jon Hopkins along with Mapei will be performing at One Step Beyond at the Musuem of Natural History:

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (Calvin Harris & more)"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Modeselektor - The White Flash (Ft. Thom Yorke) (MP3)

Moderat

Last week Squarepusher made me really happy. He is the king of electronic music for me....And Mr. Squarepusher is so gorgeous! And fat sound! I was thinking about our sick military world, the omnipresent consumption, the insanity of humanity.. But out of this, I started becoming creative. I got ideas for my new project BE, colors and designs for ellen allien fashion where whirling through my head. Music enables my creativity and brings charm into my life. In the last months I spent too much time with pushing my label BPitch Control, instead of doing music. But now the path is ready for doing music on my own, finally. :)

See you on the dance floor. :) -[Ellen Allien on her site]

Ellen Allien's BPitch Control label is releasing the self-titled debut LP by Moderat, a combo group of Modeselektor and Apparat, on April 21st. Moderat will play a Saturday, May 30th NYC show at Webster Hall, as part of a brief end-of-May US tour. All dates below.

Ellen Allien toured with Modeselektor in '08 (w/ a Studio B-turned Highline Ballroom date), and collaborated with Apparat on the Orchestra of Bubbles LP in 2006. Modeselektor was last here in January when they played Bowery Ballroom.

The Moderat LP was to feature a guest spot by L.A. rapper Busdriver on the song "BeatsWaySick," but, the press release says, "due to legal issues at the time of manufacturing, [the track] will be released as an exclusive download in the near future." Busdriver is playing SXSW on Thursday, March 19 at The Independent and Friday, March 20 at Back Alley Social, with other Austin dates below.

Ellen Allien's "10 Years of BPitch" tour is set to next visit NYC on Friday, March 27th at Studio B where she'll share a bill with Thomas Muller and Gui Boratto). The night is presented by FIXED, the parties-hosting team of JDH (Josh Houtkin) and Dave P (David Pianka). Tickets are available for the show, with the option to buy a 3-day package that includes March 26th's Ladyhawke with Heartsrevolution show and March 28th's The Twelves & Yuksek (dj set) gig, both also at Studio B.

The three-day ticket and 10-years-of-Bpitch also coincide with FIXED's fourth birthday.

The FIXED party was conceptualized around 2003 after JDH took the amazing 2ManyDJ lads to one of Dave P's Making Time parties in Philadelphia. After JDH and Dave realized that they were spinning the same events together and both had mutual admiration for the music they were DJing out at parties, the idea for FIXED was born.

"We just seemed to play a lot together as we liked similar music," admits JDH. "We started booking gigs around the US, Canada and Europe, and we would both go, and they would end up saying, 'Well, why don't we just book you two together as DJs?' and that's pretty much how we play now... as one set."

Establishing their first home base at the Tribeca Grand Hotel, FIXED went on to host a number of legendary and groundbreaking performances from a number of critically-acclaimed acts, including 2ManyDJs, Hot Chip, The Rapture, Mylo, and Erol Alkan.

"We always say that our biggest influence for FIXED was the Trash party [UK DJ Erol Alkan's legendary weekly party], which sadly, doesn't go on anymore," says JDH. "We wanted to do a big club night for the average person who likes good music."

The status of Studio B as a venue has been in question for a while, but not to worry...

The venue has now re-opened under new management, and [JDH and Dave P] will be expanding their vision of exciting music bookings, while also revitalizing New York's nightlife scene with a top-notch and diverse team of live music bookers and promoters. Starting this March, expect a fresh mix of dance music, hip-hop parties, live shows, curated special events, and more.

Little Boots played Studio B on February 6. All future FIXED dates, tour dates, the Moderat tracklist, and Ellen Allien videos below...

Continue reading "Ellen Allien (BPitch) releasing Moderat (sans Busdriver) - both touring, playing NYC + FIXED is four, STUDIO B is open"

photos by Tim Griffin, words by Noah Perabo

Little Boots strolled onto the stage at Studio B just before 1:30 am in a hooded black dress to an enthusiastic welcome from the Brooklyn crowd that had patiently awaited her appearance (2/6). While her signature Tenori-On was lit up on a stand next to her, she explained that it was suffering from technical difficulties and would not be used. She proceeded to sing, dance, play tambourine and keyboards throughout a playful 30-minute set of throbbing electro-pop. Backed by impressive beats from her drummer and keyboardist, she exuded confidence and sass throughout the night even getting on the crowd's case at one point for not dancing as hard as their London counterparts. While her keyboard playing and lyrics ("I'm gonna take you home tonight, I'm gonna make you feel alright") leave something to be desired, her songs' constant hooks made it clear that she is poised for mainstream success. - Noah

Speaking of US mainstream sucess for UK artists, Adele, Duffy, and Estelle all, appeared, and took home awards, at the Grammys on Sunday night. More pictures from Little Boots' Friday night show below...

Continue reading "Little Boots @ Studio B in Brooklyn, NYC - pics"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Max Tundra - "Which Song" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Max Tundra - Playboy (Hot Chip) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Max Tundra - promo mix 2008 (MP3)

Max Tundra

Enigmatic Brit artist Max Tundra has been releasing music for 10 years but only just released his third album, Parallax Error Beheads You, back in October -- his first in six years. One of the reasons for being such a slowpoke probably has something to do with the way he makes them:

The main technology behind this and all of my albums has been the Commodore Amiga 500 - bestselling home computer at the time - running a $1 public domain software tracker program. The sounds don't emerge from the Amiga itself however; the machine is used to control various synths, samplers and the like. I look at columns of numbers all day on the screen of a black and white television; these digits relate to pitches, durations and tones. A lot of the noises on my record are real; the cello, bass guitar, drums, piano, trumpet and others are all rehearsed and played by me, but sometimes I will use realistic fake versions of these noises. Each song is recorded in a different way; drumkits are recorded on mono cassette recorders twice, then stuck together on the left and right of a mix; string arrangements are planned and then layered up; each note of an electric guitar is sampled so that it can be sequenced in ways too complicated for my fat fingers to play at full speed. And then I have a cup of tea and sing my heart out.

Seems like a painstaking and annoying way to make a record to me, but there's no denying the results: his albums don't sound like anybody else's. (Well, maybe just a little like Scritti Politti.) Max is making his NYC live debut this week, opening for The Rosebuds at Bowery Ballroom on Friday (1/16, tickets) and a headlining FIXED show at Le Poisson Rouge on Saturday (1/17, tickets). I'm curious to see how he'll pull it off his music in a live setting as well as how much equipment he'll have. What concert reviews of his I've read have been favorable (like this one from December).

Darren Hanlon

A few more options for you this week. Australian singer-songwriter Darren Hanlon has two NYC shows this week: tonight (1/13) at Googies (above The Living Room), and tomorrow (1/14) at the Bell House where he'll be trading off songs with Graham Smith of Kleenex Girl Wonder in the venue's front lounge. It's a free show. Hanlon's shows are as well known for his witty between-song stories and banter as he is his lovely folk-pop, so if you are fans of Billy Bragg, Robyn Hitchcock or fellow Aussies The Lucksmiths (with whom Hanlon spent a brief stint in the late '90s). He's a charmer.

As I mentioned a while back, Ida Maria is in town this week playing Mercury Lounge on Thursday (1/15) and Union Hall on Friday (1/16) and I am super-psyched for this. Both shows are sold out, but Union Hall usually has a few tickets available night of show if you get there right as doors open (which is 8PM, but Ida's not on till 10).

Also this week: The Muslims make their first New York appearances since switching their name to The Soft Pack. Their EP, which made my Best of 2008 list and has already sold out two vinyl pressings, is getting re-pressed in February under the new moniker with an additional three songs. Maybe they'll have those with them at the merch table for these shows? They play Mercury Lounge on Friday (1/16) and Union Pool on Saturday (1/17). Both shows also feature their 1928 Recordings label-mates the Browns.

Speaking of name changes, SpaceKamp, who I've written about before, now spell their name as SpaceCamp. Same great sound, now with more C. In addition to working with Adam Green, Spacecamp are helping Dev Hynes with the new Lightspeed Champion record as well. (Video of Dev and Spacecamp in the studio below.) They play Zebulon on Friday (1/16) and maybe you can quiz them on the new spelling if you go.

Videos and such after the jump...

Continue reading "Max Tundra, Darren Hanlon, SpaceCamp, Soft Pack, Ida Maria & more in this Week in Indie"