|.........Music.........|.........DJ.........|.........Production.........|.........Interviews.........|.........Parties.........|

Friday, March 27, 2009

Tech... No, Candy.

Rabbit-Eyed’s third and latest mix opens with the sound of warm honey spreading over the milky thighs of a sacrificial virgin. By the end of it, she’s won her life and wrecked her chastity.

The 1hr20minute mix is Rabbit Eyed’s most complex and accomplished to date. Kicking off with sweet, mellow tech-house, the first 15 minutes of the mix have to be taken with as open and easy a mind as can be provided. The tracks are superb, quality selections, but in the context of a techno mix seem to sway and meander without enough purpose. Listening to the mix the second or third time around, the sassy, girly, near-disco beginnings set the scene perfectly for an omniscient mechanical techno slice. As first impressions go, though, this one doesn’t really cut it. At Dubfire’s JHB show (*THIS IS AN OBLIQUE COMPARISON*), in his endless test tube font, the words "Trust Me" flowed over and over from the screen through our black (rabbit?) eyes . The problem with Rabbit Eyed’s opening, here, is that we don’t trust it yet. It’s a bit like a stranger offering you a slightly warm Sparkle. It might be nice, but it might be laced with rohypnol. Having listening to the mix now almost constantly since Friday, I’m still not sure which it was… but I am sure I’m not the first girl to say maybe to a ruphie.
And thank fuck (on most, but especially this occasion) for that. At 26 minutes, with wide, flat bass sliding into the space between my skirt and hip – trust was as obvious as our grinding jaws. The weirdo with the sweetie isn’t a deviant; he is god and your mother and the best bath of your life.

Around this point in the mix (first time around) I made my boyfriend put on his shiny Reeboks and take me for a walk. Now that the trust has been established, it is pushed and stretched to its absolute limits – and the pushing and the stretching can’t possibly be absorbed by the stationary body. I walked; in all other instances, the instruction burning into the base of your spine is: dance. You must move on this drum and this bass, this quickly and this slowly. And that, above and beyond and certainly beneath all else, is why the mix is a fucking killer mix. Whatsoever emotions and sensations Rabbit Eyed slams and subjugates, every single one belongs to a dance floor. There’s a lot to say about subtlety (a lot to say about Rabbit Eyed’s subtlety, which this mix exemplifies), but the point, the thrust and the crux is that this is dance music. And you’d better dance to it.

The techno starts bass-driven and deceptively simple with Adam Shaw’s Falling Down. Deceptive, I say, because who can’t dance on that beat? It’s the smile and the clean hair that tell you its ok to put the Sparkle in your mouth. The first taste of the something ugly comes in just a few minutes later with a Gennaro Mastrantonio Remix of Andrews & Fatasses, and the words start failing from there.

Primarily, there’s a delicacy in the mixing that shows a lot more respect than most middle class bitches are used to. With dirty beats (god help my ghetto mouth) especially, the tendency to slaan usually wins. Here, however, shifts and ebbs and perhaps something like the first bite into a strawberry Bubbaloo are more appropriate ideas. Perhaps it’s that these beats aren’t really all that dirty – they just make you feel that way.

It’s in that skirt-fiddling bass of the 26th minute that something icy in your womb twigs on. Somebody knows. Paranoia, this integral component of techno, begins its slimy ascent and doesn’t take much longer to assure you It Is More Real Than you Will Ever Be. Everything you are afraid of is piqued and poised to ruin your life. By the first hissy smoke machine around minute 40 of the mix, and the full, boxy kick that ensues, the fear is carving tiny bullet holes through our poor girl’s purity. And every spike is lovelier than the last.

So now that you know you have nothing to hide, and now that you know you were right to be ashamed – the funkiest fucking tweeting tooting swishing slaps the clammy hand from the dancing hip and blows up the back of the little girl’s skirt like a dirty uncle role play game with unclear boundaries. Travelling, infinitesimal noises of elastic joy cruise over the wet tar bass lines, lifting and dropping like hyper-charged Jelly Tots. Which, of course, is what I meant by subtlety and what I mean by god and your mother.

Sure, around 53 minutes there’s a beeping tringing itching that reminds you of what you didn’t tell the doctor about that mark, but by the time the first hour’s up we’re rolling in wank-synth (although it was closely preceded by death-synth) like its Nineteen Eighty-Lame all over again.

Guilt and pride are the same sin cosseted in Rabbit Eyed’s merciless techno. Mostly, you will be punished. Occasionally, you will be rewarded. And, consistently, there is no alternative.

Except that, everything I’ve just tried to say is washed away in the very end. After all that hymen-ripping, heart-racing, thigh-sweating emotional filth… I have never been cleaner than the last few minutes and their dulcet, nostalgic softness have left me.

I don’t want to ruin the surprise; I won’t tell you what the Sparkle was really made of. Download the damn thing and taste gut-twisting sugar yourself.

Rabbit Eyed - March Promo Mix 2009 (Mediafire)

Tracklisting:

Who’s Afraid of Detroit – Claude VonStroke
Magic (Cates&dpl Make Magic Bootleg) – Ladyhawke/Cates&dpl
Falling Down (Original Club Mix) – Adam Shaw
El (Gennaro Mastrantonio Remix) - Andrews & Fatasses
Redirected (Original) - Leeks
In Pursuit of Sound – Mark Holmes & Ticker
Smile When You Kill Me (Original Mix) – Jerome Isma-Ae
Uno (Koen Groeneveld Backtrack Remix) Alex Young
The Prophet – Style of Eye
Out Of The Ordinary (Original Mix) – Lutzenkirchen
Clocks – H2
Beating Frequency (Original Mix) – Highcat
Sputnik – Zoo Brazil
Evouh – Pryda
Need To Feel Loved (Adam K & Soha Vocal Mix) - Reflekt

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Belushi's Beloved - 005


Foamo the new Switch..... ?

Probably not, but with a little extra effort, some dogged determination, summer school and a little elbow grease he should get there.

Foamo - Everything Cool (320kbps MediaFire)

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Quick 40 minute Belushi Mix and Cat Shit One


If the image above even remotely interests you go check out the trailer for Cat Shit One.
And if the image didn't, the name should spark a synapse, it'll be released in North America as
"Apocalypse Meow" which couldn't hold a flame to the original name.

Why do they feel the need to change the name, it's in english already.
Do they honestly feel "shit" is to strong a word, and that it needs to be replaced by the less offensive word "apocalypse"?

You've dropped the Fat Man and Little Boy on them already, do you honestly feel 
more North Americans (sorry Canada and Mexico, I know it's not your fault) would be amused by your word play and suddenly feel the urge to view the show, i mean come on.

Oh Well, a rose by any other name would still look just as sweet judging by the trailer.

And here's a mix i slapped together last week, just a little taste, so all you budding dj's and headphones with haircuts can download it, and I've incl. a tracklisting to assist y'all in biting my Cat Shit One.

A longer mix with more intensity to follow at the beginning of next month.

Belushi Quick 40min Mix (192kbps MediaFire)


   Tracklisting:

1.            Röyksopp - Happy Up Here (Breakbot Remix)

2.            Michael Jackson -  Get On The Floor (Holy Ghost Edit)

3.            Breakbot – Penelope Pitstop

4.            Filthy Dukes - This Rhythm (Filthy Dukes Kill Em All Remix)

5.            The  Twelves – When You Talk

6.            Empire of the Sun – Walking On a Dream (Pegase Remix)

7.            Curses! - The Deep End (Holy Ghost! Remix)

8.            Mr. Oizo – Jo (Original Mix)

9.           Animal Collective - My Girls (HATCHMATIK DISCO BOOTLEG)

10.       Matt Hughes – Can’t Talk Now

11.    Animal Collective – My Girls (Gigamesh 'Proper House' Remix)

12.    Mongrel - Hit From The Morning Sin (Fuego '96 Bulls remix)

13.       Plemo vs. Rampue feat. Jessica Drosten - Excess Express 

       (Bastian Heerhorst mellow mix)

14.    Don Diablo -Get On The Floor (Don Diablo's Just Begun Edit)

15.    Curse! - The Deep End (Bart B MoreRemix)

16.    Zombie Disco Squad - Eurovision (Mowgli Remix)

17.    Poni Hoax - Hypercommunication (Alter Ego Remix)

18.    Muscles - The Lake (Jokers Of The Scene Remix)

19.    Herve & Dj Sneak – Droppin’ Kisses

20.    Prince - Controversy (Stupid Fresh Remix)

21.    Vega - All Too Vivid (Kill the Noise Remix)



You're not German? Or a Robot? Hmmm...

Calvin Harris. You know him. He's that dude who made some catchy pop a little while ago and has recently made some more.

I liked "Girls" and "Acceptable in the 80's" . They're fun. I didn't give them a whole lot of thought and I still don't really have a lot to say about them save for this - catchy pop that sticks in your head and makes you twitch is never a bad thing. With the abundance of crap that floats around each year, who are we to ask for more?

Barry Bostwick: Acceptable in the 80's

Truth be told, I'm not the person to be writing about Calvin Harris. He's not German or a even robot which, for practical reasons, immediately disqualifies him from my playlist... up until now.

There are those moments when emotions are running high and the crowd is raw. You've built from quiet to chaos and the last track you played was intense enough to strip the flesh off hardest dancing bastard. At times like these you can pack it in, play your final goodbye or you can do even more damage by paving the way for something harder. I like the idea of moving far away from vicious, just for a moment and choosing to play...

Something sweet - and by sweet I mean the dancefloor equivalent of a doctor popping a cheap sweet into the mouth of a weeping child.

Need To Feel Love (Adam K & Soha Vocal Mix) (Mediafire)

or

Something thought provoking - and here's why I care about young Master Harris today...

Calvin Harris - Im Not Alone (Deadmau5 Remix) (Mediafire)

This remix of "I'm Not Alone" is the work of Beatport darling Deadmau5 who couldn't produce a shit track if he tried. The reason that I'm writing about Calvin Harris and not Deadmou5 is because the genius behind this track, when you think about it, is the lyrics. They're profound in their simplicity and combined with Deadmou5's usual flare for the dramatic, well... Jesus... just listen to that bastard...

I like to imagine little vignettes when I'm screening potential set material. This one involved a past-his-prime clubber hearing this on the floor at the precise moment that his pills are kicking in properly. He'd be looking around at all the fresh faces, shedding a single tear down his puffy cheek and thinking about calling his ex to give it another shot because he can't even remember what all the fights were about anyway. I don't know why but the idea of that really warms my heart.

Monday, March 23, 2009

ARCADE: Superhero Secret Society

Arcade throws super parties.
Now they have a fitting theme nogal!

Here's the awesome line-up for this Saturday's party:

ScarCream (live)
Sibot (
Real Estate Agents / Playdoe)
Markus Wormstorm (
Real Estate Agents / Sweat-X)
Lapse
Bruce Willis

Visual villains:

Gogo Video!

Diamond Ray

__________________________________________________

Check out this mix from the new dubstep duo ScarCream:


ScarCream - The Coctail Mix (Zshare)

ARCADE: Superhero Secret Society, Saturday, 28 March. Mercury Live (CPT)
For more info on this event, check it out on Facebook here.

Lobster Fight!

I watched a tank full of lobsters trying to kick the crap out of each other last Sunday. Have you ever seen lobsters fight?

It was a miserable scene...

All but one had their claws bound. Take a guess which one stirring the shit? Seriously, this guy was a dick. Sauntering around, claws raised above his terrible lobster head, jabbing at his defenseless buddies while they scuttled around the tank. Some were using others as shields to fend him off. Now, had I been in the market for lobster flesh you can bet your ass that Snips McDouche would have been first against the wall. I wasn't so he wasn't but I probably should have. The message had to be sent, lobster-on-lobster violence is never ok!

What would your ultimate lobster fight track be?

I know what I was listening to. It worked for me.

Skream - Filth (Mediafire)

Friday, March 20, 2009

Dancing in the Shadows


Just saw Lapse's post on Yuksek now (one post below). He's totally on point about straight, banging electro. The kind that reminds you of what you loved about Daft Punk and gives you no doubt about dance floor shake-ability. Yuksek certainly fits that category with a prolific output over the years.

New to the scene (or at least in terms of public praise), but who also fit the same category, are Shadow Dancer. They've just released an album on Boys Noize, Golden Traxe and it straight bangs.

Check out their Myspace for an album teaser.

Shadow Dancer - This Is This (Zshare)

Belushi's Beloved - Week 004




Techno + Fidget x Canada = Dance-floor Sweatfest

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

I Got Bass: Hulk Hop Vs Crunk Rock

Our own Data Takashi refers to his combination of dubstep, grime, crunk, b-more, hip-hop, fidget and whatever else fires up the subs, as "Bass 'n Boogie". Add some other lingo with a fondness for making up subgenres like Lazer Bass, Robo Booty, Turbo Crunk and Glitch hop, to keep us updated with the latest "sounds" that pleases our senses and keeps our booties shaking, and you have some badass bass 'n boogie all of your own; or rather "Hulk Hop Vs Crunk Rock" as Chrome Kids would put it.

"This music speaks with the most relevance for the times we’re living in now. Our background, although most prolific in Hip-hop, takes in a youth of Dancehalls, Raves and Jungle nights, and between us we’ve deejayed at Reggae nights, Rock nights, Punk nights, Drum & Bass nights, Bhangra nights and Free Parties. For us being Chrome Kids is the natural development from all of these, and "Hulk Hop Vs Crunk Rock" is our soundtrack for the moment."


Chrome Kids - Hulk Hop Vs Crunk Rock (Zshare)


Check out the full tracklisting and more single track downloads from their mixtape on their blog right here. And be sure to check out the exclusive Monkey and Stagga remixes!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Inteplanetary Melodies, Inteplanetary Harmonies


Here's a Disco Baldelli cosmic disco demo I put together for Destrukto of Deconstruction. It was for a party he wanted me to play at but unfortunately I couldn't make it in the end being a Cape Town / Joburg dimension jumper. So I thought I would share it with you all. Here's the tracklisting...

1. Poni Hoax - Antibodies
2. Inflagranti - Just Gazing
3. YACHT - Summer Song
4. Richard the Third - How Can You Tell (Super Disco Short Edit)
5. Mickey Moonlight – Interplanetary Music (Riton's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik Rerub)
6. Fake Blood - Mars

...and here's the link:

Inteplanetary Melodies, Inteplanetary Harmonies (Zshare)


P.S. Sorry for those who are not fans of Zshare, I dont seem to be able to upload to my mediafire account. May have maxed it out or something. Will look into it...

Later Space Invaders...

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Belushi's Beloved - Week 003




m!z-znnzzbn.aah!nn-azbz-zzaazbz?aannaazmzb-a-azmn.aanzzb-aaa-an.n-zazzz-aanz-b-aaan.-mzbz?-az?aazbzzaannaan?z!n.-naannz!n.nnaa-hzan.z!n.aannzmzmaan?n.zzz!n.a-z?aaz?n.n.znaa-az-aaznn.z!n?n.bg mmzazbz?aazbz?aaz-n!n!aa-azan.aa-bz,n-z-znzbzzn?aam!z-znnzzbn.aah!nn-azbz-zzaah,mabaaa-azb-azmn.n,aam!z-znnzzbn.zmzbn-zbz--bz?bg mamhbgaamhn.zzn,aaznz-z!n.aanzz!nnzbzzz?bgbgaaa!nz-bz!z,a!

In order to translate from Zombese, please use this handy translator.

Gay, Chord Driven House, Made Me Do It.



"A keyboard playing a robot, simply amazing."

In class 2 I received as a joke/gift from a deranged relative a Casio keyboard.
I could never operate it, besides learning to play Chopsticks and the theme to Beverly Hills Cop in the key of dog.

So besides not dropping mad skills on a keyboard in the late 80's, I was never that fond of the keyboard and neither were my parents, nor my uncle who regards anything recorded within 50 feet of a computer not music, the elitist bluegrass jerk. (I can't wait to tell him on his death bed, that i prestiked an old 386 processor to the inside of his banjo).

I don't think taping a strap to the bastard child of keyboard and guitar (the guitar is the dad) helps that much either, maybe 12,3% better by my calculations but not enough. Holding a keytar just makes you look like an ironic douche, but it has cured a dear friend of mine of his crippling World of Warcraft addiction, well selling his computer and using the cash to buy a keytar is what cured him, temporarily, Carl you are in our prayers.


"Not Carl, just an ironic douche"

Another thing that turned me off keyboards was that I thought all keyboard/keytar players came from eastern europe, which didn't help the art get any notoriety till the fall of the berlin wall and I also thought all ironic douches were from eastern block as well in retrospect.

But when i started getting the odd track that contained some keyboard stabs, i started putting them to one side. And the collection grew, and I fucking loved the sound.
I have no idea what it is that I loved about the throw back motorcity house sound, it should annoy me like a child with an infinite supply of balloons filled with Melrose, but It didn't.

I started trying to tell mates of the sound, usually describing it as cheesy keyboard house, or gay 90's house, sometimes "Powerhouse" which unfortunately instantly conjures the image of gay bodybuilders.

So if anyone knows the genre name for that gay, keyboard driven house sound let me know someday, when the comments are active please. It'll make categorizing in iTunes easier.

And to my dear old aloof Casio keyboard, all is forgiven and please return at your leisure.

Below are some samples of that Gay/Power/Chord/Throw-Back/Piano/Key/House sound, incl. the popular Surkin - White Knight 2 which has led the resurgence.







Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Isn't Techno fascinating?

The plastic sounds, powerful drugs and cyborg disciples... it all seems to come together perfectly to create something both sickening and curiously seductive! Arguably the essential ingredients for a good night out or similarly, the character traits of an really entertaining friend that you're kind of ashamed of. The most alluring quality though, the promise of something new, is what keeps me coming back...

Without the proper outfit,
it's just not the same party

My first encounter with Popof was with two remixes of Lützenkirchen's "All that Jazz". A great track to be sure but his reinterpretations were nothing short of the blackest kind of alchemy.



Popof. A French person

Information on Popof is scant. Trudging through the blog-mire reveals little, save that he is A. an ex member of a underground DJ collective called Heretik and B. French.

Another French person

What I can say is that through his stylish use of liquid textures, high doses of repetition and a prevailing sense of escalation, Popof has created a viable option for those who like dance music to kick them square in the stomach but to do it without screaming at them.




Popof - Mr. Orange (Mediafire)


To put things further in perspective and also because if you haven't heard it, now's the time...


Monday, March 09, 2009

Ali B at Fiction



Sorry all for the belated review of Ali B at Fiction. Between making music and being a DJ I manage two myspace pages, two facebook fan pages, two facebook groups, a blog (not this one) and an entire online publication, so I sometimes get snowed under by an avalanche of Web 2.0 responsibility. Anyway here it is:

The crowd on the night was a mixture of regulars and randoms off the street. Ali B’s mix and mashup of jacking nu-skool club electro and b-more classic rave edits worked the crowd perfectly, many responding to the ‘take-the-piss’ remixes as if he were playing the original. When he dropped bangers like the Soulwax remix of ‘Kids’ the dancefloor morphed into a mutant disco mosh pit.

The track that best describes the night for me is ‘Mars’ by Fake Blood. It comes in with enticing crisp slowed-down D&B drums and warped voice samples, jumps into an old-school rave breakdown and then comes back in again with basslines and beats that will move any dancefloor, big or small.

Fake Blood - Mars (Zshare)

Incidentally this track went down the bomb when Data Takashi played it this past Saturday after the Bloody Beetroot's set. In fact one half of the Beetroots played an impromptu set at the very end of the night and he dropped Mars as well; proof thats its the ish-nit.

Thursday, March 05, 2009

The Golden Fox is here.

In a world filled with epileptic fit inducing broken oscillation bouncing distortion-tweaking glitch machining music, it's good to know there's an illusive Golden Fox out there.

This Fox is the Golden Filter, New York based Disco saviours, who's brand of the over-cliched "Nu Disco" has taken the Blogosphere by their golden locks and shaken the wobble right out of it.

I don't really play them out, people aren't ready to relax and listen, rather I keep their masterpeice "Solid Gold" on repeat whilst listening to the ever so gentle, golden voice of their lead singer, who by the way you cannot see. She must be this mysterious fox they're going on about.

Automatically there are a lot of comparisons to Little Boots....I'll leave that desicsion up to you on who's better...


And for all the those who say it's not danceable, alas, I add a Russ Chimes remix.

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Belushi's Beloved - Week 002


It ain't new but it sure is fresh.
Off the B side of Pocket Piano, Tunisia Bambaataa is a discofunk fueled gem complete with vocal sample from Chic's Goodtimes.
Last time I heard Dj Mehdi (FRA), he was going on about how "he was somebody". Now I believe he is somebody, a real person.
A real person inhabited by the spirit of an ancient monkey, because only an ancient monkey could get a rhythm so primal and so bloody right.


And here's a remix of it by swiss born Mercury.


And if you are in Cape Town this friday, pop into the Assembly and see Dj Lapse and Belushi teach the Bloody Beetroots in the fine art of good track selection (Lesson 1), understanding the break(Lesson 2) and tempo matching (Lesson 3).
I'm sure their only reply would be *silence* followed by *ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ*.

The Bloody Beetroots (Italy) Live in SA - Interview



Press Release:

The End is Nigh (JHB) and The Assembly (CPT) are proud to present Italian electro giants, The Bloody Beetroots. The duo have been ripping it up since 2007 and have become a rawkus name to be reckoned with on the international electro scene. They have produced incredible remixes for the likes of MSTRKRFT, The Kills, Robyn, The Crookers, Alex Gopher, Etienne de Crecy, Goose, Peaches, The Whip, Timbaland and others. The also have two EP's, Cornelius and Rombo, on Dim Mak Records, who have previously released artists like Bloc Party, The Klaxons, The Gossip, the Mystery Jets, MSTRKRFT and Whitey. The Bloody Beetroots have also managed to grip the scene with their monstrous DJ sets and have toured with other dance giants like Justice, the Crookers, Busy P and Steve Aoki. Be prepared.

The Cape Town gig will be supported by Belushi, Battle Beyond The Stars, Kitsch Witsch, Alex, Grave Danger and Lapse. The Johannesburg gig will be supported by End is Nigh regulars - King Of Town, ManKaZam, Richard the Third, Data Takashi, easytiger and DJ Badly.

__________________________________________________

The Bloody Beetroots combine punk and rave with Italo disco, techno, electro and hip hop. They wear masks because they come from Marvel comics and they throw superheroes’ parties on another level of seriousness. On the night of their performances they possess the sound system like the bastard offspring of the Misfits and Daft Punk on steroids. JFK of MSTRKRFT got them onto Steve Aoki’s renowned Dim Mak label, run by people who (just like our very own The End Is Nigh crew) promote music that usually is not catered for, but there definitely is a demand for. Now they are bringing the noize to South Africa - twice! Heads up Jo’burg and Cape Town, we are in for a heavy treat!

__________________________________________________

The Bloody Beetroots is the brainchild of prolific producer, Bob Rifo. We caught up with an extremely busy Bob, while on a break in the studio, from recording their much anticipated debut full length. Here's an interview with a very excited Sir Cornelius in anticipation of their gigs here in South Africa.

Bob, you are a producer, performer and multi-instrumentalist. What inspired you to go from classical guitar training to electronic music?

Bob: "I love the music, that's my passion. I'm in love with new genres and compositions everyday. My inspiration are people and feelings... And it doesn't matter if I play classical or electronic music, that's music."

And for ten years you were exercising your skills as a producer, covering a lot of new genres by working on various projects. Do you think its essential for a producer to build up a repertoire to set themselves apart from others?

Bob: "Yes, totally! You have to know what's the music as much as possible, open your mind and try different things. I used to play punk, jazz, classical music and trip hop. Also if you produce different genres, you can learn lots of new tricks!"

I think we can relate to that here in South Africa, since if you are more of an underground DJ, there aren't as many people here to support a sound that is a full blown scene overseas. Diversity helps to get more bookings. What advice would you give aspiring DJs and producers?

It doesn't matter where you live, I'm a 2.0 Artist... You have Myspace, Twitter, Facebook... Lots of social networks just for your productions. Be yourself and follow a dream, now that it's possible. There are no walls anymore... The major music industry is going down, but the 2.0 artists are growing up. It's a kind of anarchy after years and years of majors dominium. People know what's a good song, they choose for you. You do good music you like."

Hence independent record labels are also thriving since they have adopted and adapted to exactly those conditions. How is to work with Dim Mak, a label that spawned artists like Bloc Party and The Klaxons, and launched them to international fame? I mean, Steve Aoki mentioned that you are not only his favourite project on his label, but that your stuff is the "biggest bangers" in his DJ sets!

Bob: "Steve is more than a label manager, he's my family and we work together by email/chat 5 hours per day. Everyday we need to confront each other, so we can discuss this crazy new market of music. Dim Mak is the most versatile label of the world - they do indie, hardcore, electro and instrumental projects. It was an honour sharing the roster with Bloc Party and The Klaxons."

Its apparent many labels are diversifying and expanding their catalogues, like Ninja Tunes for example. They have been signing artists like Fink, who is essentially a folkie and singer song writer. If Dim Mak didn’t pick you up, who would be your next choice? Ed Banger, Kitsune, or someone else?

Bob: "I received many many offers, but Dim Mak/Downtown was the best."

You have a new old school Hardcore punk project - RIFOKI. Will it perhaps be a band with live instruments? Tell us more about it.

Bob: "Yes, you are right, that's the way now, to conquest the new market... Rifoki = Rifo + Aoki. Steve sings, I play all the instruments, but I also have some guests, like Congorock and the producer of ZU (Ipecac Records - Mike Patton's label)"

Are you hoping to take both Bloody Beetroots and Rifoki on tour like Soulwax do with 2 Many DJs and Nite Versions? And will the new project reside on Dim Mak or would Ipecac be an option, with artists like Otto Van Schirach (amongst others like Kaada, Isis and The Melvins) whose been getting quite a lot of press and mentions. Like from top Berlin producers Modeselektor. Its quite the unusual but exciting label!

Bob: "Yes, we already did something like that, but not separately. Everytime I DJ with Steve, I play Rifoki, he sings live. Rifoki will be a Dim Mak release in September 2009. The 1st single will be "Sperm Donor". I love Otto!"

What's the next single and when can we expect it?

Bob: "The next single is "Warp 1.9" and its coming out on March 24th. We're gonna launch it with a slow motion video and on a limited edition vinyl. No CDs, just digital and vinyl. Steve sings on it, that's why after "Warp" we decided to do a harcore project."

Any special designing going on with the vinyl?

Bob: "No, its just black... cos it's very dark and rave with a huge hoover sound."

We are very curious what comments Michael Sembello had about your reworking of "Maniac" from Flashdance. What did he have to say?

Bob: "Aw, Michael loved it! It was funny to read his email, cos i didn't expect it."

And its funny to find emo and punk kids going to raves now and dancing to it!

Bob: "Haha, yes! You know I just remixed a pop punk band from Japan called FACT.... 180 bpm! I didn't touch it... I tried to remix them on 180 bpm - was a great challenge. Maybe my fastest remix."

That's the fastest remix I think we've ever heard about! But Japanese crowds are up for anything, the crazier the better! You going there any time soon?

Bob: "Yes, i noticed it! And yes, I'm gonna play at Fuji Festival very soon."

Fuji is huge! And how was it to tour with Justice? We actually have the opportunity to vote for him to play here (go vote to bring Justice over at Urban Wave's site HERE and "tune" them!).

Bob: "Was great, I played 5 times with Justice. Nice guys! Especially Gaspard, he came for my last gig in Paris. I was really surprised! Big respect."

What is your opinion of just using software that automates mixing? Do you think there is a threat for the existence of the DJ like Deadmau5 stated in an interview?

Bob: "Each person chooses how to play. You know, I'm a musician and I love playing instruments... So I play the CDJs like instruments. I don't want automations, just my hands. I play the CDJs like a guitar, for me every gig is a kind of live concert, I'm not a robot. Have to play and play and play."

What is your favourite hardware in your live rig’s set up? Any toys and gadgets you couldn’t live or perform without?

Two CDJs and a mixer are enough, Tommy plays one sampler and one Kaoss pad under my DJ set - that's all! Its not important how many toys you play in your DJ set. The most important thing is you have to arrive to the people. I play with and for my crowd, everytime."

Its become a definite trend to incorporate visuals with live performances. Do you emphasize a lot on visuals to add to or compliment your overall performance? And do you think that in the near future, music and visuals will have a 50/50 contribution to the success of it?

Bob: "Mmm... I play in a rock and roll way... My roots are from punk, so no visuals, just rock 'n' roll... Good lights and that's all for now. I'm projecting a live show with instruments for this winter, but the focus is always the music. I love playing with visuals, but I don't wanna have distractions. So I think i'll choose something like a LED console."

Aside from a myriad of influences, you combine your sound from the 'French Touch' scene and Italo Disco. Could you explain the difference between the two for our South African readers?

Bob: "Mmm... good question. You can discover the french touch with two main labels - Crydamoure and Roulè. About italo disco, some good references are Rondò Veneziano, Gazebo, La Bionda, Klein and Mbo. Different things, but good harmonies. The best thing of italo disco are the influences: disco, punk and new romantic. The rhythm for both are binary, there's a classic clap, 4/4 and the main drum machine was a roland TR 909. The main difference between italo disco and french touch are the samples."

Do you have any residencies? We read somewhere you are busy putting a club together in Italy. Do you prefer a residency or touring?

Bob: "I don't like having residencies, I prefer touring, that's the best option. I'm supporting my buddies to do the same around the world."

Any new productions in the works aside from the album?

Bob: "Yes, I have a new production coming out - Congorock's "Runark" on Fool's Gold (Brooklyn) and I'm one of the producers on Rinocerose's "Futurino" album. There's also my new Tiga remix of his track "Mind Dimension"."

__________________________________________________

You can catch The Bloody Beetroots, live in South Africa on March 6 at The Assembly in Cape Town (more info HERE), and Saturday, March 7 at The Alexander Theater in Johannesburg (more info HERE).

__________________________________________________

The Bloody Beetroots Discography:

See a full listing HERE

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

The Walls Have Ears. Robot Ears

This happens almost every night. I can hear my housemate and his girlfriend fucking through the rice paper-thin wall that divides our rooms. I need to do something, step out for a while, drink a beer on the roof or just drown them out as usual, with a pair of headphones plugged directly into the infinite sea of entertainment possibilities that is the Internet.


Some kind souls have taken to posting feature length movies, broken down into easy to digest pieces on YouTube. Bless them. As a result I've been watching David Cronenberg's 1981 classic "Scanners" in 10 minute slices. Like most of Cronenberg's movies, Scanners feels septic. Equally though, like most movies set "IN THE FUTURE" from 1981, it has that grainy porno vibe that adds to the oily sense of unease in ways that they couldn't possibly have predicted when they made it.

I feel similarly when listening to Kraftwerk. Much like watching "Scanners", listening to Kraftwerk in 1981 must have been a mind-fuck. Both opened windows into hypothetical futures and neither looked very bright. Could "Scanners" be right? Would there be a telekinetic underground uprising, reducing us to slaves under the whip of those with extrasensory capabilities? Was there truth in Kraftwerk's vocoder filtered words? Would we all turn our backs on our humanity, choose isolation and give ourselves over to computer love? From their beginnings in 1974, Kraftwerk's visionary style laid foundations so solid, sprawling and intricate that all electronic music that followed owes them a debt of gratitude. So ahead of their time, their often mournful, synthetic melodies, bleeps and squeaks paint a picture of NOW so prophetic that, like that poor bastard from the beginning of "Scanners", thinking about it makes my head feel like it's going to explode

Kraftwerk - Heimkomputer (Live) - 1981 (Mediafire)


Monday, March 02, 2009

Excuse me, I have to go. Somewhere there is a crime happening.




The 80's gave me so much joy I owe it head. Or something. Thundercats and Masters of the Universe ensured that the fresh smell of plastic that escapes the blister packaging of a new toy would trigger waves of contentment in me throughout my life. The ultra-violent and mostly funny RoboCop (Darren Aronofsky remake in 2010) began my love affair with the word "fuck" and showed me that the dude who played the dad on "That 70's Show" is actually really terrifying. Mad Magazine (Pre Bill Gaines' death) made me realise that nothing is sacred and under no circumstances should anything be taken seriously, ever. And when I heard Ministry for the first time I found that synthesizers talk directly to my groin, drum machines to my feet and that all music could be made just a little bit better with movie samples, tape-loops and Al Jourgensen snarling about some crap in the background...

This is from the charmingly titled "The Land of Rape and Honey" and it has just the right levels of anxiety, menace and repetition to transform even the most mundane task into a war... ...a war you can win!