Kylie Minogue: Onward into space

Wow wow wow wow! Is this what the future looks like? Kylie Minogue performs her song "Wow" as some strange, foreign awards ceremony, it seems.
I've recently seen the actual video (which is more Daft Punk-inspired than the song itself, it seems), but it's on Daily Motion and I am laaaayzeeee.
Enjoy.

Flax : A Heart-Healthy Addition To Your Musical Diet

Lauren Flax may not live in Boston, but the DJs up here love her equally for her personality and mixes. This March, IHEARTCOMIX - the pioneering label from friends DJ Franki Chan and Travis Hayden - releases the HEARTSREVOLUTION 12" for CYOA! or "Choose Your Own Adventure."

HEARTSREVOLUTION are the musical entity from the people who created the Heartschallenger Ice Cream Truck and Lifestyle brand, Lo and Ben. Sonically they sound somewhere in between HuggyBear and 'The Virgin Suicides' soundtrack by Air. They've already released 2 limited edition pieces of vinyl. First, was the CYOA! single on white heart-shaped vinyl and the 2nd was a 6" glow-in-the-dark split record w/ Crystal Castles. They already have a video for their single 'CYOA' which has garnered over 270,000 views on youtube. Hearts are also RVCA advocates this year and have a full line of merch sold online and exclusively from their ice cream trucks. IHEARTCOMIX will be releasing their CYOA! remix 12" at the beginning of March. The single contains remixes by Brodinski, Lazaro Casanova, CFCF, Lauren Flax and Dan Oh.


(Just) Before They Were Rockstars: Hearthrob + Lauren Flax

We absolutely love the CYOA! remix, and I've personally played it on repeat more than I'm willing to share. Also here is the "Let's All Feel Good" mix, from late December. The tracklist is:
1) Sunday Brunch - Midsummer Night (original mix) / SVEK
2) Blaze - Lovelee Dae (20:20 vision main mix) / Playhouse
3) Mood II Swing - All Night Long / Groove On
4) Isolee - Monitor / Playhouse
5) Lego - El Ritmo De Verdad / Afterhours
6) Cajmere - Chit Chat / Clubhouse Records

Enjoy.


Audible: HEARTSREVOLUTION - "CYOA! (Lauren Flax String Theory Remix)"
Audible: Lauren Flax - Let's All Feel Good Mix (zShare)
MySpace: Lauren Flax

Saturday, February 23rd: A very special headliner

Basstown Presents:
D I P L O



And some other very special guests
who we will announce shortly

In the meantime, be sure to go and
BUY. YOUR. TICKETS.

(you can purchase them with cash
at Great Scott if you want to avoid
the Ticketweb service fee - hollur!)

This event will sell out!


We love you so.
Cheers,
Basstown

MySpace: Diplo

Local Voices: PASSION PIT

Not much more than a month ago, a band opened at the Great Scott in Allston, MA and stole the show as the club filled with their fans screaming along the lyrics louder than the singers mic'd on stage, all while completely flooring everyone who was lucky enough to witness them for the first time. That was the first time I saw Passion Pit and since that nite they have ignited a buzz about them unparalleled in speed in the Boston music scene. They've also been in rotation at WFNX and NPR.

The band consists of Michael Angelakos (songwriter/vocals/synth), Ian Hultquist (vocals/synth), Ayad al Adhamy (vocals/synth/sampling), Adam Lavinsky (drums/sampling), and Thom Plasse (bass/synth). Last nite i got to sit down with four of the five members and get better insight to what Passion Pit really is.

BASSTOWN - So im under the impression that this was originally your (Mike Angelakos) solo project, how did Passion Pit evolve into what it is today?

Mike Angelakos - "Well I started making electro-pop on my own in 2006, Im a pop songwriter though, typical formulaic pop, but i started playing it for my roomates and dancing and i realized how much fun it was. So i released an album (Chunk of Change) the night before a show on April 20th 2007 and i played with my laptop and just sang along, and it went over pretty well. Then Ian [Hultquist] and Adam [Lavinsky] offered to be my backup band if I ever wanted one. I called them a few weeks later and we got a practice space. I still do all the recording alone and play live with the band."

BT - so what way have you found to be most efficient for translating your programmed recordings into live songs?

Adam Lavinsky - "by nt playing along with the track"
M.A. - "yea we're not gonna be Kate Bush, the songs change several times before playing them live"

BT - So how does the local buzz about you guys make you feel?

Ian Hultquist - "it makes me nervous"
A.L. - "we just do it to have fun, i dont think about that"
M.A. - "i was horrified, i didnt expect it, i get horrible stage fright too, i think the local scene expects so much but we will warmly embrace it as it has embraced us."

BT - who are you feeling in the boston scene?

Ayad al Ahamy - "Ramming Speed, a thrash metal band that sings about pizza and girls and Eureka Gold i miss them"
M.A. - "Tulsa is awesome and Benefit Friends is doing great things"

BT - definitely, so whens the next album coming out?
M.A. - "its called Pretty Penny and its #2 of 3 concept albums and it will include 2 discs, one with the music and one with a multimedia experience for each song as well as acoustic versions and such, my roomate Sam Pettibon is putting it together, he's a genius."
I.H. - "its coming out in April"

Yep i'd say 6 more months of Enzyte and this P.P. will be huge. You can catch em this Saturday January 26th at Basstown, February 4th at Northeastern Univ.'s After Hours Club with The Peasantry, and February 15th at Charter Oaks in Hartford, CT. Also check back here for the premiere of their two new music videos for "Sleepyhead" and "Cuddle Fuddle"! heres there myspace once again.

Local Voices: PLUS MOVE

PLUS MOVE is more than just the most blogged-about electronic duo in Boston, they are a truly progressive musical force that plans on taking over your next party's stereo/dj's setlist. While many highly blogged artists tend to find reassurance in the Blog-House or "Blouse" formula of sidechain compressed and sampling rate deteriorated cut-and-paste electro, these dudes have taste and don't plan on just making shit to make blogs happy. Luckily we have em calling Allston home and they are finally coming back out of their cave to play their newest tracks and shake up some Boston dancefloors. I was lucky enough to talk to them this week.

-while it's set in stone you're called producers in the studio, what would you call yourselves on the stage? [do you have a name for the blurring between djing and live performance?]

[PM]-As soon as we release our first EP we will be PLUS MOVE LIVE. We will be playing all of our material, including remix work and original songs.

-speaking of things demanding a proper name, what exactly do you call the genre of music you create and play? [people throw around blog house, blouse, blog electro, neu rave, TRONSTEP, etc...]

[PM] We have no idea what to call the type of music we make.

-how do you feel about the music blog movement and what its done for you? i did a search for you on elbo.ws and it returned 29 mp3 posts by seperate blogs about you guys.

[PM] Blogs have done a lot for us. They're an easy way to reach your audience directly. It's because of them that we are listening to so many different artists.

-how did you get into electronic music?

[PM] Daft Punk

-what artists influence you most?

[PM] SebastiAn

-who are you listening to right now?

[PM] Danger, Curtis Mayfield, a lot of hip hop

-so whats the deal with the new ep? when is it coming out? whats on it? any label talk? [ill probly be asking you alot more depending on your answer to this]

[PM] Soon.



well they may be be short-spoken, but if you are wondering when you can check them out,
dont miss Noise Makers 1 over at All Asia Cafe tonite in Cambridge TONIITE 12/20
and definately dont skip out on BASSTOWN at GREAT SCOTT where they will be killing it
alongside PASSION PIT and DJ CHOYCE HACKS on 12/26!!!

heres there remix they recently finished just for you.
Ocelot - La Sforzo (PLUS MOVE REMIX)

Remix Contest: Sasha...no, yeah, THAT Sasha...

A week or two ago, DJ Die Young told me that Sasha's new track is good stuff...that if people didn't know it was from him, it would probably be much bigger. Even for me, it took a moment for the whole Sasche Funke? "No, Sasha...." Like...Digw-- "Sasha-And-Digweed Sasha..." Oh...ohhh. Really? Hmm...

Nevertheless, finally got around to listening to it today, and it's actually quite good.



Coming out on his own label, emFire, he's teamed up with Beatportal to find a producer worthy to remix his new single, "The Mongoose." Says Beatportal: "What’s more the remix competition is open to producers from all genres – Sasha’s looking for innovative, cutting-edge and thought-provoking mixes of his track." Here here!

As well as having their remix released on Sasha’s emFire, the winner will also receive a copy of Ableton Live 7 and will be interviewed by Beatportal.

And the two runners-up will receive Beatport download credits, a copy of Ableton Live 6 LE, and some Beatport gear.

:-O

Beatportal Contest: Mongoose Remix
Pre-Sale: The Mongoose
MySpace: Sasha

Sian : Wear Yours Scars Like Medals

Remember that song "Dark Train" by Underworld? Anyway...



From Wordandsound.de: The tenth release from Aus Music is a tasty little bomb from Sian to kick off the new year. Graham Goodwin aka Sian is a Dublin native raised gypsy style in southern Spain. As a self confessed workaholic-spaced-out-nature-junkie’, his commitment to the avant garde lifestyle has seen him grace decks at the nicest clubs and festivals in the world. He’s also released two albums and many singles on labels as diverse as Pokerflat, Dessous, Karmarouge, Dirtcrew and Einmaleins. His own label is Octopus, which we’ll be bringing you a great deal more of in 2008. Wear Your Scars Like Medals - has a very different vibe to Sian’s first outing on Aus, his lush, melodic ‘Apple Tree’. ‘Wear Your Scars..’ is an all together darker, more brooding affair. With no bass line to speak of and sirens and toms carrying the majority of the melody this can be classed as a truly tribal excursion. Roland Appel Remix - Taking the pitch of Sian’s sirens as the melodic starting point Roland builds a hypnotic deep techno track that is reminiscent of early Planet E releases. A gradual percussive build that continually evolves until reaching an anthemic peak. Roland Appel is best known to us as a member of quality nu jazzers Fauna Flash and Trüby Trio. But in the past year he’s been releasing as Roland Appel on Berlin’s excellent Sonar Kollectiv label. 2007 say him release two sublime dark techno hits - the epic Dark Soldier and Unforgiven. Remember kids - an appel a day keeps the doctor away.

Unforgettably haunting. Perhaps you will hear this at an upcoming Make It New? There is only one way to find out...



Cheers,
Basstown

Audible: Sian - "Wear Your Scars Like Medals"
MySpace: Sian

Kris "from the middle of f*cking NOWHERE" Menace

In one day, I've been learning quite a lot about Kris Menace. Also, about Seychelles, which is "an archipelago nation of 155 islands in the Indian Ocean, some 1,500 km east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar" (thanks Wikipedia ;] ). I used to think it was pretty rad that Curtis Vodka was from Alaska, but jesus christ!

Uncommon grounds for well-known DJs can often breed immense talent, and it's not lie that within the first 20 seconds of this Kris Menace mix from November filtered into my ears this morning, my eyes started tearing for neurological, not emotional, reasons. In all seriousness, it's so cerebral that I couldn't even imagine how gripping it could be in a fancy-schmancy pair of headphones...

Oh! While I'm at it, check out Seychelles' national flag...so, so rad:


I guess the bottom line is I don't know who the f*ck this gentleman is, but as I am openly admitting my flaws, I am also offering a kickass mix, passed on to me by David Day + Morgan Louis. Thanks guys ;)


Audible: Kris Menace - "DJ Mix Nov 2007"
MySpace: Kris Menace
Website: Compuphonic

Basstown = Ninjaz

Basstown was given a mighty test when we were contacted by Great Scott on Wednesday with a suddenly-open slot for the upcoming Saturday. It wasn't until Thursday night, when we were all running out the door to get to the soft re-launch of Make It New (with Basstown's DJ Die Young as a new resident) that the line up was in place. Like ninjas in the night, we were ready to unleash a sneak attack upon Boston.



Mistaker took the reins on this one, and you've got to hand it to him for his intense Photoshop skills. Two moar plz. Bringing in Rok One from NYC's Bangers, the night actually went off really well considering everyone was in Go Pats! mode and our friends at Happy Endings had a line that went around the block...


Mistaker @ Sneak Attack, Great Scott

In addition to our growing residency (the last Saturday of every month at Great Scott), our new partnering with Make It New, the long-running upscale techno night in Cambridge, and our co-presentation of Thunderdome alongside PUMA, we at Basstown are all smiles to see that, more than anything, we can put together a party on such short notice and still see plenty of heads come out to dance. Photos coming soon from the lovely Diana Levine at davidalavida.com - be sure to check out some of her past shots from Thunderdome IX and other events.

All always, thank you Boston. We love you!

MySpace: The Bangers

Angel Alanis + Local Hero = Hearthrob's Climax

Morgan Louis

Morgan Louis' set at Hearthrob last night was one for the books. Stuff of legend, perhaps. Everyone was at their boiling point, and the absolute climax of his part was a track from Angel Alanis + Local Hero (a friend of ML and Red Foxx, who also runs the blog Trash Menagerie). Most of us had never heard the song before, though Louis had spun it at both the last Hearthrob as well as the last Thunderdome with DJ Assault. "Yeah, it takes a while for things to set in, so you prolly missed it unknowlingly," he says. "I do the same."


Local Hero

Be sure to check it out. It's a keeper.


Audible: Angel Alanis + Local Hero - "Majik"
Website: Trash Menagerie
MySpace: Local Hero
MySpace: Morgan Louis

Local Voices: Andre Obin

Photo by Ricardo DeLima

Andre Obin is both a friend of Basstown as well as half of Matters & Dunaway, a local band that is unique to its allies for its team of Obin and Tom Gallagher. Combined, they are a tight unit of bass guitar, vocals, and electronics which wax nostalgic on some of Squarepusher's less IDM days. For the past year, Obin has been working on some solo work, and is currently getting known all over Boston for both his recent signing with Moodgadget (a subsidiary of Ghostly International) as well releasing Colorwheel. Andre makes real spaced out techno for people that like a little melody and a little thoughtfulness on the dance-floor. There are definitely nods to Underworld in this music. I'm hoping there is an anthem like 'Two Months Off' hiding in Andre.

1. Any interesting reason why you chose music...or did it choose you?

I was exposed to music at a very early age. My Dad played bass in blues bands, my grandmother played classical piano and my Mom has always been a fan of new age music. Metal music was a huge part of my adolescence. I've always used music to draw something out of me, whether it helps drive me through a work week or relax late at night. At this point, I need to create music for a little while each day or I start to lose the plot.

2. Have you DJ'd much in the past? Do you still?

I used to DJ years ago, but at a certain point, my commitment to production and performance took precedence. I'm not saying I won't ever DJ again, it's just that I get so much more fulfillment from creative genesis. Plus, Boston is very privledged to have a slew of great DJs like Erik (Baltimoroder), Baldur (DJezus), Jamie (DJ Die Young), Alan [Manzi], Billy [Kiely], Julian (Redfoxxx), etc., so yeah, it's not like people are begging for my return to the booth!

3. What about your equipment?

In general, I love my bass-guitars and guitar. For strictly electronic gear, I use Ableton Live, Reason, a Nord Virtual rack and an Electrix Warp Factory vocoder. A few people have recently told me that I'm developing a signature sound. . . I think part of that comes with the tools that I continue to go back to in Ableton, and the Nord provides certain classic elements like arpeggiation and filtration that I more or less obsess over.

4. Tell us about the upcoming release of Colorwheel.

An indie label in Brooklyn called Moodgadget will be distributing Colorwheel digitally within the next couple of months. The two gents who run Moodgadget work for Ghostly International, and Danny Scales, the artist behnid the cover designs for Matthew Dear, contributed the artwork for Colorwheel. I really dig the artwork. It feels good to collaborate with artists with a similar vision and appreciation of experimental music.

5. You have a few projects with a variety of monikers - Andre Obin, Matters & Dunaway, Isolation Reel - do they all take on different personalities or, technically, ways of creation/production?

Yes, absolutely. Matters & Dunaway is my collaboration with Thomas Gallagher. Naturally, collaborating means more specific functions for me. With M&D, I tend to focus on bass riffs, keyboard melodies and lyrics, while Tom handles the beat production and drumming, synthesis and fine-tuning. Organic instrumentation and the two different personalities make M&D sound and feel like a "band" experience both live and recorded. Solo, I work through a couple of different channels from day to day, depending on my mood and energy level. I have a lot of unreleased music that I would consider shoegaze. I think the shoegaze feel, especially the vocals, comes through in the music that I'm releasing under my own name. While the production
is farily tech and pretty hard, I think the overall result is lush and extravagant. It all probably stems from emulating my favorite bands and artists like Underworld, Slowdive and Boards of Canada.

6. Who are some local DJs and rock bands in Boston that you really love?

For the DJs, see my answer to question 2. Seriously, people living in Boston and Cambridge should be honored to have so many great DJs living in the area. For individual songs, I've had Tom Gallagher's marvelous remix of a Boston band called Anthems for Odyssey on repeat recently. To be honest, I'm somewhat out of touch with the rock scene right now. I used to have much more of a grip on good bands here when I was playing with Eyes Like Knives. It's really a question of making more time to go see indie rock at the Middle East, TTs, and Great Scott. It seems that I spend most of my nights out at the Middlesex Lounge soaking up the electronica.

7. If you were given $10,000, what's the first thing you would buy towards music (note: weed doesn't count!)?

Cheeky of you. My list is always full with things to keep an eye out for. The first major purchase would be a new bass-guitar amplifier as the Kustom tube amps are now officialy fried. I'd love to buy a new synthesizer, probably a Novation or Korg model with sweet string sounds. An Ableton controller would be up next. I would also like to upgrade from Ableton Live 6 to 7 as soon as 7 has a new compressor for proper side-chaining. I could use an acoustic guitar for the kitchen. OK, answering this question is starting to make me sad, so I'm going to move on.

8. What kind of differences do you see in the Boston techno and rock scenes?

As I said, I'm a bit out of touch with the rock scene currently. If there was a Boston band that could blow my fucking doors off, I think I would know about them by now. Techno and electronic music in general are permeating Cambridge more and more and for good reason. Techno is a great release, and we got some people here that can really lay it down night to night. I'm looking forward to the next wave of Boston indie bands with edge and drive. Rock n Roll will never die. If people leave a club sweaty with dilated eyes, it doesn't matter if they saw a punk band or a techno dj, you know they enjoyed themselves.

9. Anything else?

I'm looking forward to the My Bloody Valentine reunion shows in London next Summer, and you really should go see Control at the Kendal Square Cinema before having to settle for the DVD!

Audible: Andre Obin - "Colorwheel (unmastered)"
Audible: Andre Obin - "Premonition"
Audible: Andre Obin - "Response Systems"
Myspace: Matters & Dunaway
Label Site: Moodgadget Website

Basstown Exclusive Mix - Initiales AA

In preparation for the upcoming night Solid at Zuzu in Cambridge where the Providence based Initiales AA is a guest this week, we asked him some questions. He was kind enough to answer them and provide us with an exclusive mix for the occasion.

Q. What was the first record you ever bought as a DJing record? How old were you and where did you get it? Do you still have it?

A. As a DJ, my first two 12"s were Sieg Uber die Sonne - "I'm Not a Sound" and Star You Star Me - "Disco Dancer" from Deep Fix records in Kansas City in early Autumn 2004. I was 18. I still play them occasionally at less intense parties or openings. The Akufen remix of I'm Not a Sound will never cease to be amazing to me.

Q. Besides DJing or making music, what have you been up to lately?

A. I'm finishing up my BFA in Furniture Design at RISD this year. At the moment I'm working on a piece for the Milan Furniture Fair. I get to go over for that show in April. I'm hyped because I've never been to Italy. Otherwise, I've been updating my website: http://alvinaronson.com (a shameless plug).

Q. What album or artist is currently in your cd player/cued in your
itunes playlist and how do you feel about this artist? Do you think
they will be around in 5 years?

A. I've been listening to a mix by Dixon for the Body Language series. I like the mix because Dixon DJs with patience. None of the tracks rush in or out too quickly. Each song has breathing room and a good flow. It's the type of selection that ages well too. I think Dixon will be around in five years.

Q. Do you have a good story about the worst gig you ever had? If not,
whats the best one you've ever had?

A. There's a special venue that we Providence DJs like to play at. It's a big, dark, hot, sweaty loft with one dollar PBRs and when we party there it gets so packed that I feel a little claustrophobic. Sometimes playing there is a nightmare (cops, drunk guys trying to fight me, laptop thieves, blown speakers etc.), but most of the time it's a dream come true. We had a halloween party there in 2006. Morgan Louis, Redfoxx, and I played. It was one of the best nights of my life. I still remember the set I played that night almost track for track. I also remember these fake ficus trees that people were dancing with and Greg (Sensitive Hand) standing on top of a ladder spraying champagne on everyone.

Q. What's your favorite type of music to DJ, and why?

A. Music that facilitates various levels of engagement. I like minimal electronic dance music because a person can listen to it while they dance or socialize or work or read or eat with equal levels of success.

Here is the mix Alvin provided us. We think its great.
Initiales AA - Basstown Mix
Rufus Wainwright - Tiergarten (Supermayer Remix)
Apparat ft. Raz Ohara - Holdon (Modeslektor Remix)
Martini Bros - From Buleaux (Konrad Black Remix)
Dapayk & Padburg - Sister
Monty Luke & Tasho / Marc Houle - Paranoid / Techno Vocals (acapella)
Prztz - Nutdisco (Duckbeats So-Yo Dub)
Layo & Bushwacka - Life2Live (Jesse Rose Stripper Dub)
Tying Tiffany - You Know Me
Hidenobo Ito - Voicedelique (Krikor Remix)
Calvin Harris - Girls (Micky Slim's Bomb Squad Remix)
Deadmau5 - The Reward is Cheese
Kris Menace - Steamroller
Gregor Tresher - A Thousand Nights
Daso - Daybreak (Jona Mix)
Van Den Love - Tom Cruise (Christopher Wade's As Little As Possible Mix)

Basstown Presents: Make It New ... Above + Beyond

Happy New Year to all. Continuing on with the Gauche Oughties of this decade, 2008 was rung in for Basstown at Great Scott with the Campaign For Real-Time, Provocateur, and MicL PtVN (from the Campaign and Fantasy Mirrors, formerly known as Cassette). The night was sold out by 11pm, and the inside was reminiscent of the sold out residency we had for All Together Now just two days earlier!

Make It New, in the meantime, is evolving once again after just having celebrated its 3 year anniversary. With resident Alan Manzi staying on board along with Hearthrob's Baltimoroder, Basstown has partnered with the night to bring new residents to the board: Baldur a.k.a. DJezus, Volvox, and DJ Die Young.



Make It New is an institution -- from international guests like Isolee, Sasse and Alex Smoke alongside domestic stars like Juan Maclean, Metro Area and Jackmaster Flash, the Thursday night in Cambridge remains the place to hear the latest euro-house and tech-funk sounds. Coming back on board is one-time resident David Day, who, in addition to making an electronic music documentary (SpeakingInCode) now works for the Weekly Dig. Resident and founder Billy Kiely is hanging up his headphones for a spell, but rest assured the beloved South Boston native will continue making appearances. The night was also founded by NYC native Mike Uzzi (Unlocked Groove).

To stimulate your new year's, DJ Die Young and Volvox have teamed up make this excellent mix for Make It New...a way to glimpse into the future of the night, and the endless possibilities that lie ahead to keep all DJs involved on top of their game. As the scene continues to grow and prosper in Boston, we couldn't be happier to bring you the newest, freshest and most innovative in techno.

Tracklisting:
1. Dapayk & Padberg - Black Beauty
2. Elektrochemie - No. 19
3. Dubfire - I Feel Speed (Audion Remix)
4. Namito,Eyerer - Quipa
5. Adam Beyer - China Girl
6. Oxia - 12 Years Later
7. Cirez D - Teaser (Oliver Huntemann Remix)
8. Mr. Noize - Diplomatic
9. Mark Broom - Ping Pong
10. Oliver Huntemann - Zum Goldenen Handschuh
11. Rainer Weichhold - Bamboo
12. Popof - My Toyz
13. Markus Lange - Perihelion (Julian Jeweil Remix)
14. Shackleton - Blood on My Hands (Villalobos Remix)
15. Julian Jewil - Air Conditionne
16. Annie - Heartbeat (The Field Remix)
17. Panda Bear - Bros

Audible: DJ Die Young + Volvox - Make It New Mix 2008
MySpace: Make It New