photos by Erez Avissar

Simian Mobile Disco

Warm Up at MoMA PS1 continued on Saturday (8/6) with Simian Mobile Disco, Omar S, Steve More, Beppe Loda, and Forma. It rained through Simian Mobile Disco's DJ set but a dance party ensued nevertheless.

SMD also DJ'd a FIXED party that night and Forma played The Stone.

Warm Up happens again this Saturday (8/13) with Black Dice, His Name is Alive (DJ set), oOoOO, Clams Casino, Ayshay (DJ set), and Water Borders. Meanwhile two of them play Mercury Lounge tonight (8/11).

More pictures from this past Saturday below...

Continue reading "Simian Mobile Disco, Omar S, Steve More, Beppe Loda & Forma warmed up PS1 (pics)"

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: Mister Heavenly - "Pineapple Girl" (MP3)

Descendents at FFFFest (more by Tim Griffin)

Much like last year, FYF Fest 2011 is poppin' off with some incredible bands, many of whom recently reunited. This year the LA fest will host a coveted Descendents appearance, a Death From Above 1979 show, Guided By Voices, another Kid Dynamite reunion, The Dead Milkmen, Explosions in the Sky, the return of The Weakerthans and many, many notable others. Full lineup is below. The show goes down at 1st and Main in downtown Los Angeles on September 3rd. Tickets are on sale.

Future Islands plays FYF Fest and plays Death By Audio in Brooklyn TONIGHT (6/28).

For Kid Dynamite, which features members of Lifetime, Paint it Black and None More Black, the reunion is their first since re-emerging for This is Hardcore last year with Ink & Dagger. The band called it quits in 2000 and reunited in 2005 at CBGB and some other times too. I hope they schedule another NYC show, but it's just LA for now.

This is Hardcore THIS YEAR features an appearance from Ressurection, which also featured Dan Yemin on guitar. Tickets for This is Hardcore 2011, taking place in Philly's Starlight Ballroom, is mostly sold-out, with tickets for the Sunday show still available.

The Descendents appearance at FYFest is one of several dates scheduled for the reunited band, NYC's Roseland, Chicago Riot Fest, and Philly's Riot Fest included. Tickets are still available for the 9/23 Roseland show.

Mister Heavenly will hit the road for a string of dates on the West Coast leading up to FYF Fest. Check out their full tour schedule below, and look for their new LP Out of Love on 8/16 via Sub Pop. Check out "Pineapple Girl" from that record above.

The Death From Above 1979 appearance is one of several slated for the band in the coming months, including a 7/22 appearance at Williamsburg Waterfront. Tickets are still available OR, you can try your hand by winning a pair at our Facebook. The full set of DFA1979 dates are below.

The Weakerthans have a few other dates slated for Europe and Canada in the coming months. Hopefully they add more US dates too. All dates for now are listed below.

A few bands on the FYFest lineup (namely, Cults, Off!, and No Age) will also appear in NYC at the House of Vans this summer, and for FREE. The FYF-presented House of Vans series of shows starts this Thursday (6/30). You just have to RSVP to get in (and maybe get there early).

All Weakerthans, DFA1979, and Mister Heavenly dates, some video, and the full FYF Fest lineup is below.

Continue reading "FYF Fest in LA, This is Hardcore in Philly, Future Islands in BK, Mister Heavenly on tour, a DFA1979 contest & more"

crowd @ Warm Up 2010 (more by Zach Dilgard)

The full schedule for MoMa's 20l1 'Warm Up' season at PS1 has since been announced. The dance parties happen at the Long Island City location every Saturday from July 2 through September 3 from 2 PM to 9 PM. Admission is $15 and includes access to all exhibitions and 'Warm Up.' Check out the full lineup below.

As discussed, Four Tet and Matthewdavid play 'Warm Up' on July 9. STBRKT (who recently collaborated with Little Dragon) along with FaltyDL and others are also on that bill.

Other days feature Delicate Steve, Odd Future DJ Syd tha Kyd, Black Dice, Juan Maclean, Blood Orange, Solange, Grimes, Tanlines, Sun Araw and many other DJs, producers and and bands. Das Racist, Simian Mobile Disco, Ford & Lopatin, Gang Gang Dance and a few other groups are performing DJ sets.

More info and the full schedule below...

Continue reading "PS1's 2011 'Warm Up' lineup announced"

DOWNLOAD: Simian Mobile Disco - Flea in Your Ear (Flange Bliss remix) (MP3)

As previously announced, this Friday and Saturday (3/18-3/19) at Terminal 5 is the pre-Ultra Music Festival HARD Weekend 2011 in NYC. Crystal Castles will play a sold out show at Terminal 5 on Friday with Teengirl Fantasy. On Saturday (3/19), Simian Mobile Disco will take over the Manhattan venue with Skream, Benga, and Fake Blood. Tickets are still on sale for that one.

In honor of those shows, we're giving away the Flange Bliss remix of SMD's "Flea in Your Ear" (a bonus track from "Temporary Pleasure"). Grab the MP3 above.

SMD is on tour now with Blondes and Juan Maclean (who is DJing). All dates are below.

James Ford of Simian Mobile Disco produced the upcoming, fourth Arctic Monkeys album Suck It and See. The album comes out June 7 on Domino. Video for the James Ford-produced track "Brick by Brick" below.

AM are touring North America in May. Tickets for the May 24 Central Park show are sold out. Video, dates and stuff below...

Continue reading "Simian Mobile Disco on tour, James Ford produced Arctic Monkeys (remix MP3, video, dates & stuff)"

by BBG

Symbolism?

In case you somehow missed the crush of commercials on cable television, MTV has a new and possibly NSFW show called Skins based on a UK series about teens, sex, drugs, mental health and family. Skins, whose demographic seems to be "hip teens" who like nudity (read: teens) and pervy would-be pedophiles, will be celebrated at a FREE NYC party at the tail end of this week.

Rusko, Sleigh Bells, Klever, Drop the Lime, and Kill the Noise will perform at an undisclosed NYC location on January 14th. The party jumps off at 10PM and you must be 16 to get in ("16 to party, 21 to drink."). More details, and directions on how to get in are on the Facebook invite though even with an RSVP, "ENTRY BASED ON CAPACITY AND IS NOT GUARANTEED."

Sleigh Bells' "Kids" is the theme song to Skins, which premieres on Jan 17th. And the show is Sleigh Bells' only U.S. appearance in the coming months. The duo will spend the rest of January into February in Europe. All dates are listed below.

'Skins' party DJ Rusko went on a HARD Fest tour over the summer with Crystal Castles, Sinden & Destructo, though he wasn't on the bill when the tour hit NYC's Terminal 5 in August. Rusko won't be there either when Crystal Castles and Destructo play the same NYC venue on March 18th, 2011 (also a HARD show), and Rusko won't be there when HARD and Destructo return to Terminal 5, one night later, for a March 19th show with Simian Mobile Disco, Skream and Benga, and Fake Blood. Tickets are on sale. It's a "HARD Weekend" (flyer below).

Before then, Simian Mobile Disco are going on tour with Juan Maclean and Blondes (dates below). After then, Crystal Castles, Simian Mobile Disco AND RUSKO (and many others) will play the Ultra Music Festival in Florida (Friday, March 25, Saturday, March 26 and Sunday, March 27, 2011 in downtown Miami's Bicentennial Park). Currently announced lineup at the link.

All SMD & Sleigh Bells tour dates, flyers and some videos below....

Continue reading "Skins is coming... (MTV party Friday w/ Sleigh Bells & Rusko) + a HARD Simian Mobile Disco gig, Ultra Music Fest, other dates"

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 "

We'll get a more complete press release in the morning (and confirm what is listed below is 100% correct), but in the meantime below is a picture of the 2010 Sasquatch poster (that someone Tweeted) and the lineup as read by Bradford Cox at tonight's Atlas Sound show in Seattle (and being listed all over the Internet)....

Continue reading "Sasquatch announces 2010 lineup (includes Massive Attack & My Morning Jacket) (and many more) "

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

"Simian Mobile Disco has been tearing up the dance floor ever since they released their critically-acclaimed, debut record, Attack Decay Sustain Release. Hailed as "the saviours of dance music" (FADER) the duo returns to America this fall to play select shows across the country, continuing to invigorate audiences with new music from their soon to be released sophomore LP, Temporary Pleasure out on Wichita on September 15th.

Temporary Pleasure is a spellbinding mix of high octane beats and melodies, capped off by incredible vocal performances from the likes of The Gossip's Beth Ditto, Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor, Super Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys, Yeasayer's Chris Keating, Jamie Lidell and more.

In addition to being sold via all digital service providers, a special deluxe package of Temporary Pleasure will be available at American Apparel retail locations only. This package includes an exclusive t-shirt designed by acclaimed British artist Kate Moross along with the bonus tracks, "Belvedere" and "Flea In Your Ear" (Flange Bliss Mix)." [PR]

Speaking of the Pool Party, Simian Mobile Disco DJ'd that show at the Williamsburg Waterfront on August 9th. Their fall tour will have them playing live. Those dates include an October 30th show at Webster Hall (one day before Halloween which is when the Junior Boys play The Bell House).

Jamie Lidell (a guest on the new SMD album) has a show coming up at LPR. Super Furry Animals (Gruff is another guest) have three area shows coming up in September, one of which is at ATP NY.

All SMD dates are with JDH & Dave P. All dates below...

Continue reading "Simian Mobile Disco - guest-full new album & 2009 tour dates"

photos by Bao Nguyen

DOWNLOAD: Simian Mobile Disco - Cruel Intentions (feat. Beth Ditto) (MP3)

"On what was expected to be a rainy Sunday, it turned out to be a hazy day at the Brooklyn Pool Party where Fiery Furnaces performed and Simian Mobile Disco spun some music.

If you haven't already heard this new track from SMD's upcoming album Temporary Pleasure, then have a listen." [Persona Sauna]

Continue reading "Simian Mobile Disco, Fiery Furnaces & Dark Meat @ the Williamsburg Waterfront Pool Party in NYC - pics "

DOWNLOAD: Flashmen ft. Sewingpattern - As The Night Rolls On [Guitar Edit] (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: 33Hz - I Feel Alive (Eli Escobar remix) (MP3)

Dublex Inc

This weekend is packed with plenty of opportunities to get down outside. To begin with there is P.S.1's weekly Warm Up, followed by New Release's Beach Party, LIC on Saturday (8/8). This week's Warm Up features the Music Committee of the (late) Merce Cunningham Dance Company: Stephan Moore and David Behrman, Eats Tapes, Lovefingers (highly recommended disco! check out the tons of free mixes on his site), Master Khan (check out his mix from last month on Beats In Space), and special guests. More info on Warm Up and Stephan Moore & David Behrman below:

Stephan Moore is a Brooklyn sound artist whose work relies on the collection and use of real world sound, perception of sonic environments, improvisation and interactivity. David Behrman has been active as a composer and artist since the 1960s, making sound and multimedia installations for gallery spaces as well as concert music. The MCDC was founded in 1953 by Modernist choreographer Merce Cunningham, who commissioned more new music by American composers than any other single choreographer.

Warm Up Admission
On Warm Up Saturdays, from 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., the admission fee to P.S.1 and Warm Up is $10.00. Included in this price is access to all exhibitions and to Warm Up. We do not offer special discounts for seniors or students on Warm Up Saturdays. Cash only.

continued....

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (part 2) (PS1, Dublex Inc, Boys Noise, Simian Mobile Disco, BEMF, 33Hz, more)"

DOWNLOAD: Jacques Renault - July "Summer In The City" DJ Mix (MP3)

Alex From Tokyo @ People Don't Dance No More - July 8, 2009 (David Bruno)

Hopefully you've had a good week in dance so far. Wednesday night I enjoyed some house & disco loveliness from Robot Blair, David Bruno, and Alex from Tokyo at People Don't Dance No More at the Annex. This weekend there's much more house, disco, and otherwise headed our way, starting with Saturday (7/11):

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

"The emails have been piling up and everyone's asking, "dude, what's up with the Pool Parties?" Well DUDE, so sorry to keep you waiting, but here at JELLY we've been working our asses off to bring you one of the greatest free concert series in history. The Pool Parties are going to be extremely crucial this year, "epic" or "amazing" as you people say these days. Seriously, eight weeks of FREE shows on the waterfront of Williamsburg? Does it get any better? You might be thinking "waterfront"? Yeah, in case you didn't hear the McCarren Pool's closed so get over it :) , and yeah we kept the name Pool Parties even though the East River's not at a pool, so what? We've still got DODGEBALL, basketball, DJ's, bands, burgers the works! We love you more than your parents ever could, and if you want to have fun and hang out with us this summer. [Full schedule below]. Bring your friends but please don't bring these things [pictured above]. As you can see below, underage drinking will not be tolerated. . You guys wouldn't do that though, so there's nothing to worry about. Thank you for visiting and stay tuned!!" -Jelly

Continue reading "JellyNYC announces Pool Parties @ Williamsburg Waterfront!"

Juan Maclean @ Bowery Ballroom in October (more by Tim Griffin)

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* Old 97's @ Maxwell's
* Peaches @ the Stone Pony (NJ)
* Frances @ Roosevelt Live
* OJ All Day @ Brooklyn Lyceum
* Lucy Wainwright Roche @ Joe's Pub
* John Zorn Improv Night @ The Stone
* Screaming Females @ the Court Tavern (NJ)
* Ume, Aloke, Black Swan Green @ Glasslands
* The NY Dolls @ Starland Ballroom (NJ)
* The Juan Maclean, The Field @ Webster Hall
* Ethel, Gutbucket @ Prospect Park Bandshell
* Vieux Farka Toure, BLK JKS @ Highline Ballroom
* Passion Pit, Shy Child, Cale Parks @ Bowery Ballroom
* HEALTH, Awesome Color, Kid Congo Power @ Market Hotel
* Wild Yaks, The Theater Fire, Robert Gomez @ Union Pool
* The Loom, Cotton Jones, The Wild Moccasins @ Union Hall
* Sick of It All, Capital, Bane, Inhuman @ Gramercy Theatre
* Secret Life of Sofia, No Eye Contact, Joe & Flying Spoons @ The Cameo
* DAT Politics, Miho by Miho Hatori/New Optimism, Lumberob @ Bruar Falls
* The Maccabees, Miike Snow, Hatcham Social @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Natalie Portman's Shaved Head, Kittens Ablaze, Home Video @ Santos Party House
* Harry & the Potters, Remus Lupins, The Whomping Willows @ The Bell House
* Crocodiles, ArpLine, Big Bang TV, Eytan & His Orchestra, Silvertone @ Mercury Lounge
* Boogie Boarder, Pow Wow!, Darlings, Dinosaur Feathers, Los Basement, Soldier on Dear Friend @ Shea Stadium

The Mermaid Parade is in Coney Island; Clearwater Festival is up at Croton-on-the-Hudson.

Two more chances to see the mighty Screaming Females before they leave on tour with Jack White. Tonight at the Court Tavern in New Brunswick, and Thursday when they open for Dinosaur Jr @ MHOW.

Miho Hatori (of Cibo Matto) and band New Optimism have bee added ot the bill at Bruar Falls tonight. She played LPR, The Stone and Glasslands earlier this month.

The Major Lazer video shoot is underway at Studio B.

Ethel and Gutbucket play their live score to sci-fi flick Nave de los Monstruos at Prospect Park Bandshell. Gutbucket plays an opening set too. That's a free Celebrate Brooklyn show.

The much-delayed NYC debut of Miike Snow is tonight. They'll play the Music Hall of Williamsburg with The Maccabees and Hatcham Social (who already played Don Hills and Cake Shop in the past week). All three of those bands play a sold-out Mercury Lounge show on Monday.

The OJ All Day Fest is having its second and final day at the Brooklyn Lyceum today.Peggy Sue, who fills in for Scary Mansions, plays tonight at 8pm. The full schedule for that fest is below...

Simian Mobile Disco's new video for "Audacity of Huge", below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Saturday?"

DOWNLOAD: Fiery Furnaces - The End is Near (MP3)

The Fiery Furnaces @ Middle East Downstairs (6/12/09) (gikthechamp)

"Eleanor kept mentioning how most of the new songs were about ex-boyfriends, and at one point was almost apologizing for that fact, joking that they were now out of ideas. She shouldn't be so concerned. I love the more obscure and whimsical topics that have come up in past Furnaces releases, but I welcome this more straightforward, emotionally driven material. They've done it before, but it's never been as bittersweet as this, nor as neat and soulful. It was time to shift gears, and they made exactly the right decision -- their melodic sensibility is front and center, the preciousness is dialed down considerably." [Fluxblog]

Three days later, Matt's other band King's Crescent played a Martin Bisi-curated Northside Festival show at Spike Hill. Lucid Culture writes that they "flipped the script and played a joyous, virtuosic, completely in-the-pocket set of vintage Meters covers."

On August 9th, the Fiery Furnaces will join Simian Mobile Disco (who are playing DJ) on the bill of the free JellyNYC Pool Party at the Williamsburg Waterfront. Finger on the Pulse are also DJing at this one. All FF dates below...

Continue reading "Fiery Furnaces played LPR, King's Crescent played Spike Hill, FF playing Pool Party w/ Simian Mobile Disco ++ new MP3"

Lou Reed @ Le Poisson Rouge (more by Lori Baily)

tonight in NYC
* DANCE
* Tribeca Film Festival
* Harlem Shakes @ Starr Space
* Jandek @ NYU's E&L Auditorium
* Tanlines, Suckers @ Glasslands
* Darwin Deez & Savoir Adore @ Pianos
* Hush Arbors, Jason Ajemian @ Sycamore
* Fischerspooner @ the Performing Garage
* Wizzard Sleeve & Box Elders @ Vassar
* Ted Leo & Paul F Tompkins @ 92YTribeca
* Child Abuse, Bolongoni, Ezee Tiger @ Bruar Falls
* Lou Reed + Metal Machine Trio @ Gramercy Theatre
* Simian Mobile Disco, JDH & Dave P (FIXED) @ Highline Ballroom
* Papa, The Foundry Field Recordings, Olivia & The Housemates @ Union Hall
* Prefuse 73, Blast Off, Tiny Toones, Nine 11 Thesaurus, Grade 13 @ The Bell House
* Shooting Spires, Daniel Francis Doyle, Twin Powers, Ric Leichtung, Psychothriller @ Death By Audio

Psychedelic Horseshit played last night. They'll be back tomorrow.

Steve Buscemi performed at Issue Project Room the other night. How was it?

Fiasco plays Silent Barn tomorrow (really, this time).

Simian Mobile Disco will be back to DJ the Williamsburg Waterfront this summer.

Let me Twitter Dat (Video below)...

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

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...)"

"Though promoters around the country report strong early ticket sales for festivals and summer tours, the recession is causing jitters. This year Coachella, which has the most glamorous reputation of all American festivals, began selling tickets on layaway, and 18 percent of its customers took that option, Mr. Tollett said.

The proliferation of big festivals, like Bonnaroo near Nashville and Lollapalooza in Chicago, has not been without casualties. This year Langerado in Miami shut down, citing the economy. The Pemberton Festival in British Columbia is on hiatus after only one year, although its promoter, Live Nation, said the problem was permit delays." [NY Times]

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2009 - the official & complete lineup"

Simian Mobile Disco @ Mess With Texas 2008 (more by Ryan Muir)

Simian Mobile Disco is the first act we can confirm that is playing the Williamsburg Waterfront this summer. As you might remember, the waterfront is McCarren Park Pool's free show location replacement. The pair will DJ the spot on Sunday, August 9th. Okay, it's only a DJ gig, but still good to hear things are happening at the venue.

SMD is currently on tour. For a chance to see them "live" in NYC, they stop by the Highline Ballroom for a show on Thursday, Apr 23rd (Tickets are still on sale).

Newish vid (with "flashing image warning") for the band's song "10000 Horses Can't Be Wrong", and updated dates, below...

Continue reading "Simian Mobile Disco DJing the Williamsburg Waterfront"

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)"

Been meaning to post this Simian Mobile Disco tour for a while - when the April 24th NYC show was still scheduled for Studio B. It's since been moved to Highline Ballroom and is still on sale. Last week they debuted a new song called "Synthesise" in a video. Watch it, and all dates, below...

Continue reading "Simian Mobile Disco - new song & video, 2009 Tour Dates"

DOWNLOAD: Simian Mobile Disco - In the Mix (N-Joy) 11/7/08 (MP3)

Ulrich Schnauss @ Webster Hall - November 7, 2008

The past few weeks have been amazing dance-wise. Perhaps it was only a matter of time before there was some type of lull. I wouldn't say last week was bad...just nothing like the few weeks before. I started last week off early Thursday night at Hiro for the Hours showcase which featured Fires of Rome and Cazals. I only caught the last few songs of Fires' of Rome set, but their playing was tight and sounded very true to their album which somehow combines elements of classic rock with hints of 60's/70's and a bit of dance. Going into the evening I was more familiar with Cazals and like their material better than Fires' of Rome, but overall wasn't that engaged by their performance, though their playing was good, and the live versions of their tracks "Somebody Somewhere", "Poor Innocent Boy", and "Both Sides" were excellent and really stood out. The rest of the tracks however, just seemed to breeze right by. In all fairness, Cazals' keyboardist was absent, which I imagine took a way some of the more electronic/dance elements of their sound. Overall it was a decent night, just a little less dancey than I would have liked.

more about last week, and lots of upcoming events, below...

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (Boy 8-Bit, Justin Martin, Simian Mobile Disco, Ulrich Schnauss & more)"

by Ryan Barkan

Gogol Bordello @ Irving Plaza (more by Jefferson)

The second edition of this controversial new feature is back. "It's Not Selling Out Anymore" (or is it?)...

Aggressive racing game, Motorstorm, was one of the most successful titles for the Playstation 3 in 2007 (selling over three million copies world wide). It was only natural then, that Sony Computer Entertainment would get a sequel out in 2008. Enter Motorstorm: Pacific Rift. The game recently hit shelves in the US at end of October and in the UK this past week. The TV spot announcing the new game brilliantly matched Motorstorm's crazy, edgy style of racing on tracks in exotic locations with the "authentic energy" of Gogol Bordello's "Wonderlust King." Watch the video of the commercial below. Gogol Bordello tour dates are HERE.

While Gogol did not make the in-game soundrack, David Bowie, Clutch, Megadeth, The Hives, Simian Mobile Disco, Death From Above 1979, and more all made the cut. Eight of the forty-five songs are exclusive to the game including a remix by Diplo of Nirvana's "Swap Meet" *.

Speaking of exclusives, The Ramones' classic jam "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker" was covered by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and singer Jemina Pearl (from the now defunct Be Your Own Pet). Their version exclusively premiered in this past week's episode of Gossip Girl. Love & Rockets made the episode too...though not as an exclusive.

Other Notable Licensing News:

On the tube, One Tree Hill had songs by Ra Ra Riot and Margot & the Nuclear So-So's; 90210 had Florence & The Machine, The Raconteurs, and The Bravery; Grey's Anatomy had The Bird And The Bee, Whitest Boy Alive, and Brett Dennon.

M83's "You, Appearing" provides a solemn background to a French commercial for Douleurs' "Pain Without Borders" commercial. Watch the video below. M83 is currently on a tour of the US (and in NYC this week).

Cadbury's new "Favourites" commercial features the song "Stars and Sons" by Canadian supergroup Broken Social Scene. Watch the video below. Pics from the band's recent show at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple can be seen HERE.

Supreme continues its love for musical collaborations with the announcement of a Bad Brains x Supreme collection. The line consists of a couple hoodies, a t-shirt, and two different styles of Vans shoes. Bad Brains have been busy lately playing shows in Austin, NYC and elsewhere.

Vans recently released its fourth Iron Maiden tribute shoe, this time featuring the artwork from the Powerslave album. The Sk8-Hi and slip on models are available at the vans online store as well as local distributors.

Videos below...

Continue reading "It's Not Selling Out Anymore -- This Week in Music Licensing"

photos by Kate Pedatella

details on Simian Mobile Disco's broken gear at the end of the post....

DEVO

The Sonics rolled back the years during their highly anticipated comeback set at Primvera Sound, as old met new at the eclectic festival. The punk pioneers played a hit heavy set on day two of the festival (Friday), wowing the Barcelona audience with classics including 'Strychnine' and 'The Witch'.

Playing a rare festival show as part of their comeback tour, the Seattle band headed up a line up packed with returning legends.

Earlier on, the Bob Mould Band raced through favourites from the singer's former bands, Sugar and Husker Du, including 'Hoover Dam' and 'Hardly Getting Over It'.

Post punk trailblazers Devo received one of the best receptions of the festival so far, with a set as tight as their trademark yellow jumpsuits - which were disgarded towards the end of the show.

Spanish favourites Sebadoh made their return to the Barcelona festival to perform their debut album 'The Freed Man'.

And Portishead played their second set of the festival, following on from Thursday's showstopper, this time in the indoors Auditori. [Virtual Festivals][

Continue reading "more pictures & stuff from Primavera Sound 2008"

part 1, part 2.1, part 2.2.....

SMD @ Museum of Natural History, Mar 28, 2008 (JKART)

There's a lot of options for dancing in NYC this weekend. I've already highlighted Optimo at Studio B. Even more below.....

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (04/04/08) (part 2.2) "