Feral Children

Feral Children Bio

Feral Children are a high-energy Seattle-based experimental-rock band with a wild range of sonic explorations and an explosive live show. Their debut album, Second to the Last Frontier was produced by Scott Colburn (Animal Collective and Arcade Fire) who expertly captured the fivesome’s raw sonic outbursts and draws upon and expands from their diverse set of influences. Comparisons to Animal Collective and early-era Modest Mouse are good starting points, but don't fully realize Feral Children's complete range. Their ferocious live performances have ravaged the West Coast and most recently, lucky throngs of SXSW-goers witnessed them wreak havoc at multiple showcases.

Described by Seattle’s The Stranger as “convulsive, percussive, skuzzed-out rock, as primal as a caveman fertility ritual,” Feral Children remain true to their moniker over the album’s 12 tracks.

The album kicks off with the rollicking “Spy/Glass House,” and launches into a frenzy almost right off the bat as a spiky guitar riff collides with vocalist/percussionist Jeff Keenan’s howling melodies. The song bursts at the seams with an eerie tension that pervades the entire record. “Jaundice Giraffe,” a staple on KEXP, begins with a ghostly synth line before various falsetto “woos” take over, leading into guttural yelps and tribal chanting, coalescing with a barrage of squelchy electronics. “Me, Me Just Me” demonstrates the band’s rhythm-heavy tendencies as Keenan pounds away in unison against heavy drum beats while alternating between a hurried delivery and cathartic bark. The band’s apparent weirdness and dark sense of humor shine through in the bouncy “Baby Joseph Stalin” while “Lost in the Woods,” which clocks in at more than seven minutes, and album closer “Zyghost” muse about religion with a sarcastic tone: “He thought he heard the voice of God but he couldn’t understand a goddamn word,” Keenan spits in the latter.

Formed in 2004 in the backwoods of Maple Valley, a small rural community about 30 miles outside of Seattle, Feral Children’s LP is unmistakably a product of the Northwest. It is gritty, spastic, inspired and gloriously unhinged or as Seattle Weekly exclaimed: “a fascinating, beautifully narrated work.”

There are only a handful of historically documented cases of feral children: wild spawn raised by animals on the outskirts of society's rigid structure. And while many are pure folklore, there's no disputing the Northwest's claim to their own. These Feral Children's seeds were sewn over ten years ago in the rural woods of Maple Valley Wash., under overcast skies. This David Lynchian setting was where bassist/vocalist Jim Cotton was shipped as an adolescent from South Boston via Greyhound to live with his extended family, after being deemed too wild for his mother to handle. Before long, and despite extreme culture shock, Jim found a friend in now bandmate, Jeff Keenan. "We played grunge on acoustic guitars, to the horse on the farm next door," Keenan recalls of the day he and Cotton first met. "You know you're backwoods when the first concert you play is to a horse". And that's exactly what happened. The two, like most skeptical junior high kids, were quite wary of one another at first, but bonded fast ­ both frustrated with familial and environmental circumstances beyond their control. In music, they found an outlet from the constricting confines of isolation. Eventually they brought friends Josh Gamble and Sergey Posrednikov into the fold to form their first band Blood Alley Accident, a now self-professed homage to seminal Northwest bands like Built to Spill and Modest Mouse. Between band practice and pranks that involved rearranging the letters on church reader boards and hurling turkeys and pumpkins into town pubs on respective holidays, the displaced band of ruffians navigated the rocky, evergreen edged terrain through high school, until parting ways (temporarily): Keenan to Olympia, Cotton to Alaska, Gamble to Ohio, and the classically trained Posrednikov to intensive piano lessons.

It was Cotton who first made the pilgrimage to Seattle, the city that spawned his heroes like 764-HERO's John Atkins, Murder City Devils and the Fastbacks. He worked various jobs from a baggage handler at SeaTac airport to cleaning fish guts from buckets on a ship. The others followed soon after, and with the addition of drummer Bill Cole, Feral Children were born ­ a new incarnation cut from the same cloth of their tumultuous, backwoods roots.

The band struggled and sweated to gain a foothold in one of music's seasoned epicenters, elbowing their way through the teaming masses of those attempting to do the same. But their howls in the dark were not unheeded for long.

Producer heavy Scott Colburn signed on to work on their full length, convinced by the "amazing live energy" that came through during a show at Seattle club S.S. Marie Antoinette. It's clear why: the energy is electric and evokes a visceral response. Dualities in drummers (Cole behind the kit and Keenan, standing and flailing behind his) and vocalists ­ Cotton and Keenan trade duties, their distinctly versatile, yet different styles bringing a dynamic, ever-shifting element ­ combine, and the force hits hard, from all sides. A live Feral Children show would be unsettling if it ended without bloodshed, an instrument or three destroyed, or thrown at each other onstage. Yet, there's a succinct order to the chaos as this group of untamed creatures attempt to communicate with the world through primal percussion, pop melodies and screaming vocals.

It's this incendiary live show that caught the attention of influential Seattle-based radio station KEXP who has championed the band with major airplay and a high-profile slot on their holiday show alongside Yeasayer and Dead Confederate. There's been no shortage of local press with the Seattle Weekly heralding the record as a "fascinating, beautifully narrated work" and The Stranger proclaiming the live show to be "burning and manic."

Translated to tape, Second to the Last Frontier, recorded last spring in six days at Colburn's Gravel Voice studio, retains the live energy, writhing and glistening with yelps, screams, buzzing guitars, dual drummers, intense keys, resonant melodies and an underlying tone of conflict and frustration. It's an urgent and angsty effort that combines basement rock with pop and classical elements, stringing them out into complex, often manic song structures.

Tracks like album opener "Spy/Glass House" begin and end in completely different places, with Keenan's haunting, hymnal pop style vocals imparting interludes like "When I'm alone/I put make-up on the wall". Traditional verse/chorus alternation appears at times, such as "Billionaires vs. Millionaires," who's casually delivered, addictive chorus rewards the listener multiple times before fading out from pounding keyboards to meandering guitars and mumbling.

Though the journey is one of dark detours, this is a record replete with magnetic hooks, whether it's the driving syncopated rhythms, melodic distorted keyboards and screams on "Me, Me, Just Me," or the warbly harmonic chorus of "Baby Joseph Stalin." The expanse they create is ominously overcast, yet there are just enough shining sun breaks to pierce the dense cloud cover.

"It's about being poor and being frustrated," says Cotton. "But I think the thing I'm most proud of, is that it actually sounds like the first Northwest record that I've heard in ten years. I really love this place. We all grew up here. It actually sounds like it belongs here."

Mass.Mvmnt

Scientific American Andy Rohrmann Interview

Scientific American is Andrew "Andy" Rohrmann. Andy makes beats and electronic noises on computers. After playing in local bands for a stint in his native Seattle, Andy became interested with the idea of making music on his own. Using computers to mix up his favorite elements of hip hop, jazz, and electronic music, Andy came up with his own unique blend as Scientific American. The past few years have been filled with shamelessly promoting things such as cars (Volkswagen), charge cards (Discover), and cameras (Hewlett Packard) in the form of music for television ads. In between these jobs, Scientific still finds time to perform live, featuring lots of button pushing, some turntable work and even controlling video from the stage. Andy is a busy man as he also runs a label(Mass.Mvmnt), picks content, writes music, d.j.'s. and works as a designer and graphic art director. Mass.Mvmnt was founded in 2004 in the Pacific Northwest, as a group of producers and artists dedicated to the freshest in innovate electronic influenced music. Both a label and collective, if the Mvmnt has one goal … it's to connect listeners with new and inspiring sounds. Mass.Mvmnt releases everything from dance music and glitchy 303 hip hop to dub ambience & jazz influenced techno. Andy took time to speak with us here at NECODO.

NECODO: How did you come to love electronic dance music, what were your first influences & memories?

Andy: I fell into electronic music from a hip hop angle...loving artists like Mantronix, The Bomb Squad and Erik B. and Rakim. In the late 90s I started hearing instrumental hip hop like DJ Krush, Coldcut, etc. and their related labels (most notably mo wax and ninja tune) and it grew from there. Where my interest in electronic music veers toward non-dancefloor material, the other partners in Mass.Mvmnt (the three members of fcs north, ams, jsw and mug frosty) are much more involved in techno, and thus we find a balance for the label as a whole.

NECODO: How did this turn into creating and running a record label ?

Andy: We've been involved in music in the northwest for years, as producers, promoters, and just fans in general. Starting a label for us is not so much a business move as it is a natural extension of day to day life. Our focus isn't so much on pushing product as it is being involved in a more abstract way. For example, we put just as much emphasis on the mixes we host on the site as we do on our 'legitimate' releases.

NECODO: Is there a creed or manifesto to Mass.Mvmnt?

Andy: We like to draw connections between aspects of music that maybe people wouldn't normally draw. We're not a 'techno' label, or a 'downtempo' label, we're a loose collective based around more abstract concepts of community and art, and hopefully in the end people will see those connections as well. If someone approaches Mass.Mvmnt because of our involvement with Riow Arai, maybe they'll come across a techno mix by Jerry Abstract that they wouldn't have found otherwise. When you stop looking at everything you create as a potential product or "revenue stream", you start to do more interesting things. For example, the Scientific American/Plastiq Phantom split 12" is actually a 3-way collaboration with visual artist Nando Costa (now head of nervo.tv). Releasing the vinyl was the last piece of the puzzle, after a song was created by me, remixed by Plastiq Phantom, and then used as the soundtrack for an animated short film by Nando.

NECODO: Can you tell us something about your production to distribution process? You hear the song you want and then what happens?

Andy: The first priority for us is that we have profound respect for anyone we work with. Secondly is there something we can do for an artist than no one else is currently doing, or even thinking of? The Riow Arai and Nongenetic collaboration is an excellent example. We were all longtime fans of both Riow Arai and Shadowhuntaz (Nongenetic's primary group), and we helped make the connection between the two. When they hit it off so well and ended up making an album together, was a pleasant surprise to everyone involved.

NECODO: How are your artists able to work with the same tools that everyone else has and keep their sound fresh?

Andy: A lot of it has to do with the huge variety of influences and not being tied to producing within any specific genre. It gives you much more room for general creativity. The result is difficult to define, but ultimately in my mind it leads to better music.

NECODO: What is the current state of electronic music in the US, in the world and where do you see it heading in the future?

Andy: Artistically it's better than ever. while there is certainly a larger amount to sift through thanks to technology, the quality vs. crap ratio is the same as its always been. Also, I think genre jumping in dj sets is more widespread these days, which makes the whole experience that much more interesting.

NECODO: How do you discover your talent to put out ?

Andy: The old fashioned way: word of mouth.

NECODO: Any last words on where you see digital and vinyl releases in the future and how they will continue to evolve in dj sphere and the public's consumption?

Andy: I think digital distribution opens up a lot of opportunities to redefine what constitutes a legitimate "product". I'm hoping we see a lot more creativity in how these products are presented in the coming years.

NECODO: Andy, it's been a pleasure do you have any parting words?

Andy: Just to note that we have a catalog of 'mixtapes' always available at massmvmnt.com. I think that about sums it up. thanks again!

Playlist

Mass.Mvmnt Discography

Fcssa Various Artists mass mvmnt	Riow Arai + Nongenetic Riow Arai + Nongenetic mass mvmnt	Proud To Swim Home Various Artists mass mvmnt
Say Go FCS North mass mvmnt	Tomorrow Grieves Today Time Promises Power mass mvmnt

Blank Artists Store Announcement

Blank Artists Digital Boutique

We've joined forces with the illustrious label Blank Artists to build a music store that is the best of both worlds - Blank style and NECODO code. Blank Artists is a collective based out of Detroit whose output leans toward techno yet cannot be definitively pinned down. Their new store allows them to keep control of their branding while offering a seamless download experience all about getting their music to the consumer as effortlessly as possible. The store ushers in a new era of partnering for NECODO - check it out today at blankartists.com !

Josh Dahlberg Free MP3

AM Brain Josh Dahlberg Blank Artists

Blank Artist Josh Dahlberg is back with a brooding pulsating subdued yet slightly threatening 3 track ep. There is nothing depressing about these works. Instead they contain a seriousness that harks to the forefathers of techno as well as re-pave the much traveled road for upstarts in America. Big effects and throbbing acid bass lines predominate AM Brain which quickly grabs your attention and doesn't relinquish it until the last pulse fades away. OMGPHEEK is punctuated with unique snares, quirky machine sounds, unintelligible vocals and nice effect laden builds which are strategically located to keep the minimal yet engaging vibe live enough to have a bouncing dance floor. Phenotypical Pinner gets straight to the point with gurgled bass lines and a hand clap that drives the track within the 1st minute. Again Dahlberg digs deep to put his own signature on most of the sounds he uses to create atmospheric and unique techno tracks. As co-head of the 3-year old Blank label he continues to grow as a producer as he showcases not only a label continuing to rise. Dahlberg also demonstrates that just because the 2nd and 3rd wave of Detroit producers have all succumbed to the Berlin temptation there is always someone else to step in and fill the production line in the rust belt music mecca. Josh Dahlberg's OMGPHEEK (download 320kbps MP3)

Jared Wilson Free MP3

Office Analogue Jared Wilson Blank Artists

Known as much for his cats, long hair and beard among the "purists and minimalists" in techno as his straight up old school jakking acid house, Wilson is almost an anomaly. Corn dogs and analog go hand in hand in this man's mind. DJ Pierre, Adonis, and Phuture would be proud of the modulation and tweaking that come through the speakers on this release. Harkening back to when Rave was what "parties" were called and warehouse walls dripped with sweat like they were melted by acid. His drum programming is not to be ignored nor are the sweeping chords that fill in the spaces that were left by the godfathers of this movement with emotion and positive dance energy. It is no wonder acid house used the smiley face emblem as a mantra and logo of sorts. Jared has taken it back and made us all want to wave our hands in the air, smile, sweat and dance the night away. For your enjoyment - Jimmer - (download 320kbpsMP3)

Prosthetic Pressings' Sean Sanders

Prosthetic Pressings' Sean Sanders Interview

Sean Sanders is a member of Groove Media group and owner manager of Prosthetic Pressings. He's always keeping his eyes to the horizon to find quality music that makes him want to move, stuff that he can feel. Sean was kind enough to take some time to chat with me about how he came to be where he is and what the goals are for his slamming label.

NECODO: I understand you have some motivation and help with this label, can you tell me about that?

Sean: My label mate is Marko Peraica I wouldn't be talking to you if it wasn't for him.

NECODO: Damn, big props to Marko, how did you two get this thing going?

Sean: Well first off I was at school at WMC and Marko Peraica was one of my buddies growing up still living in Chicago. He came to visit me and saw how I was living, which was basically just partying and acting like a fool everyday. I had all these ambitions to do something creative for print design in the music industry, but couldn't get the balls/energy to do anything. He called me a loser and that I had wasted my talents. Being the competitive person that I am I proved him wrong. I started designing flyers for clubs and then that triggered me to do shows which helped me to contact people of all types of calibers. Marko was still living in Chicago doing DNB with MIA crew and Combat Records, while I was doing house and techno nights in Michigan. When we combined forces our two little black books got large. We had whole different breeds of artists we knew so we decided start a label up. We took our first big step into the great unknown and that's where we are now (9 releases later).

NECODO: There seems to be a whole family affair in Chicago. How did the hook up with GrooveSource Media come about?

Sean: The graphic design thing. I have a company that does C.D. sleeves, 12" jackets, fliers and stickers and stuff. It is awesome to get paid to do what I like.

NECODO: Here's to keeping the music alive in 2008 in the U.S.! Most of you cats up there have some history which seems reflected in the depth of what your putting out.

Sean: I have to admit I was an old party kid back in 93-94. I was around the scene with the second wave of house artists. I stepped back for a bit and went to school at Western Michigan in Kalamazoo where I got my B.of S.. Its half way between Detroit and Chicago. I had to tailor my sounds to that in between sound. I than started my own night that lasted for two and a half years. We started getting into more techno stuff. We decided to get bigger scale, make a label and see what happens. We signed Alex Zalenka as our first artist and started pushing vinyl. We pressed it and here we are this in between techno and jacking house label.

NECODO: Sean, I love it. When Punisher's clam bake hit I was totally , "whoa, what is this." Three releases later and I still feel that way.

Sean: Thanks so much that means allot. That's why we do it. Well its great to break even which digital as let us do. It doesn't cost as much but we still love putting the tangible feeling of vinyl in people's hands.

NECODO: Ok, I should let you go, but before give us an idea of what is on the horizon for you.

Sean: Sure, no problem. We are continuing to work with Alex Bau. He is making some great sounds and it really fits where we are right now. Kind of in between "classic deep Detroit" techno and house. We have to keep the level to high quality like curtis 005. Its got to have those nasty chuggy bass lines.

I am not sure I want to start dropping names but next we have Lee Holman and Dan Curtin’s(PP011) and obviously we are wanting more Punisher and Zalenka. We also have dealings going on with Submerge 101, Florian Mendell, Kooky Scientist, Lee Curtis, and your g.o.d. pals. We also want to step up with more full length releases.

NECODO: We have much to keep our ears and eyes out for thanks for sharing the knowledge and the love.

Sean: My pleasure I look forward to meeting some NECODO at the DEMF. Ciao.

Prosthetic Releases

We Own the Night Max H. Prosthetic Pressings

Shadow EP Massimo Moccia Prosthetic Pressings

Descendant Alex Zelenka Prosthetic Pressings

Decibel Director Sean Horton's Top Ten

This was selected by Sean Horton aka Nordic Soul / INCITE! - DJ, Producer, Founding Director and Curator of the Decibel Festival. Watch out for his star to continue to rise. He recently wiped the minds of the "Bonkers!" event in Seattle at the Peloton Musique release party. More that just a moniker, the name Nordic Soul describes Horton's production aesthetic, which fuses the soulful sounds of Detroit's urban landscape (Horton's upbringing) with the ethereal textures and melodies associated with Northern Europe (Horton's heritage). Known as "the busiest man in Seattle techno," Nordic Soul is a key member of the growing U.S. electronic music scene and clearly here to stay.

Fortuitously, Horton's DJing and production skills match his organizational prowess. The Detroit native's nuanced takes on all styles of techno, dub, hip hop, electro pop, and ambient has enabled him to open for luminaries like Trentemoller, Derrick May, Plaid, Boys Noize, Four Tet, Green Velvet, Monolake, Funkstorung, Cobblestone Jazz, Thomas Fehlmann, Bassnectar, Modeselektor, Murcof, John Tejada, Deadbeat, T. Raumschmiere and Bruno Pronsato. Visit myspace.com/nordicsoul for tracks, DJ mixes and info.

Keep an ear out for Nordic Soul as he opens for Apparat on Friday May 23rd in Seattle, performs at the closing night DEMF after party at Oslo in Detroit May 26th and then heads to a panel at this year's Mutek in Montreal. In June he returns to Seattle where he'll be performing live with Radio Slave June 4th and DJs with Moby on June 8th.

Playlist

Free Download From Vacuum From Detroit

Gibson's Revenge Vacuum From Detroit Blank Artists

Swingin' techno from the always-quality Blank Artists. Gibson's Revenge kicks off with a delayed percussive synth line before dropping the beat - then develops with vocal samples + synth stabs. The Keith Kemp remix is a little dubbier, opting for more textural developments. Captain's Theme is a shuffly techno track driven by a live bass sample and percussion switches. Both VFD tracks are remarkably short for dancefloor fodder, the remix is a bit longer. Recommended. Matt Abbott is Vacuum From Detroit. Get Captains Theme here - (download 320kbpsMP3)

8 Free Downloads - Exclusive Promo Tracks

Free Downloads on Every Album!

Tea Parties, Guns & Valor Truckasauras Fourthcity

"I have seen the future of techno and it's TRUCKASAURAS!" said Philip Sherburne of Pitchfork Media. "Do!" wrote Vice Magazine. What do you think? NECODO has partnered with Fourthcity to bring you Truckasauras' debut album two weeks ahead of the official release date. "Tea Parties, Guns & Valor" is now available for sale as a full-album download in MP3 (320 kbps) and FLAC (lossless) formats. Two fabulously free mp3 downloads and streams are available on the album page. Show your support by posting Truck's debut album to your blog and your Facebook page!

The Original: Ghostface Killa - Charlie Brown

Scion A/V Remix Project: Ghostface Killah vs. Rhythm Roots Allstars Ghostface Killah Scion Audio Visual (SAV)

Ghostface Killa VS. Rhythm Roots All-Stars: Charlie Brown. This is the song in its original form. L.A. funk rockers Rhythm Roots All-Stars have backed hip hop icons like Talib Kweli, Slick Rick and Big Daddy Kane. For their tango with Ghostface they flip the usual script and come out of the box with a menacing 114BPM cinematic vibe layered with some diwali handclaps. (download 320 kbps MP3)

The Remixes: Guns N' Bombs, Orgasmic, Yusek, Mehdi

Scion A/V Remix Project: Ghostface Killah Remixes Ghostface Killah Scion Audio Visual (SAV)

Scion AV plays the mad scientist and combines the illest hardcore hip hop stylings of Ghostface Killah with cutting-edge deviant disco straight from the French electro underground. Ed Banger label's lucky boy DJ Mehdi kicks things off with a rap from Mapei and some dusty samples from Justice. French crew TTC's Dj and producer Orgasmic keeps Killah's vocal intact but pitches the tempo to 122 and goes Detroit-via-Versailles on the 909 and rocks a keyboard line that Ron Hardy would have slayed the Warehouse with. Prep your bassbins before dropping Yusek's take on Charlie Brown as the heavy kickdrums and buzzsaw synths want to shred everything in the frequency range. Rude bass and twisted vocal treatments take control in Guns N Bombs demented disco rework that jacks the tempo to 130. (download 320 kbps MP3)

Blood and Water Compilation

Blood and Water Various Artists Blank Artists

The first compilation from Blank Artists featuring the entire roster of madmen offers something for every electronic music listener. Starting with the abstract ambient track closure from C.A.P. Blood and Water is light electronic pop from Hot Pink Karma. RS-232 steps up large with their take on machine music using an enticing vocal. Vacuum gets your ass moving when he rocks a dirty break and stabs in Shooting Blue. Codeine tweaks the brain with their intelligent dance music. Spleece kicks a dirty hip hop groove and keeps the ladies smiling with the sweet and sultry vocal of Peril. JCummings brings the 1st "true techno" track intermission, love those 4/4 kicks, hand claps, driving bass lines and serious keyboard work. Pocket full of empty heads back into the classic Warp sounding territory with machines bringing the funk. Great use of vocals in Points of contention by Dahlberg who drives the track with a deep bass progressions and his own morphed claps, this is the tip! Closer is the perfect closer to this release tying everything you have heard through this Blank Artists session into a solid entity. Theatre of the Absurd uses static, feedback and breaks to great effect to put the ending touches on this nicely. Every Square Inch Feat. Peril Elle by E. Spleece (download 320kbps MP3)

Codine

Recent Events Codine Blank Artists

Erik Cronin produces as Codine. His industrial beat and classic Detroit bass influences are melded into this aural machine ballet. A bass groove starts the e.p. off and is lead by hand claps and hats. The acid-esque bass line walks the dog while cloudy stabs accent the horizon. Metamorphic is built around effected chimes and oscillating wave forms playing with each other. Mirror is straight squelchy TB 303s tweaking over hi-hats, snares and toms. New School Old School madness. Codine's blending of genres fuses seamlessly in this tight release. Codine Holding Pattern (download 320kbps MP3)

Truckasauras Exclusive

Truckasauras Exclusively from NECODO

Tea Parties, Guns & Valor Truckasauras Fourthcity

"I have seen the future of techno and it's TRUCKASAURAS!" said Philip Sherburne of Pitchfork Media. "Do!" wrote Vice Magazine. What do you think? NECODO has partnered with Fourthcity to bring you Truckasauras' debut album two weeks ahead of the official release date. "Tea Parties, Guns & Valor" is now available for sale as a full-album download in MP3 (320 kbps) and FLAC (lossless) formats. Two fabulously free mp3 downloads and streams are available on the album page. Show your support by posting Truck's debut album to your blog and your Facebook page!

Interviewing Adam Swan of Truckasauras

Truckasauras devours everything in its path. A "band" that has taken over its creators and like artificial intelligence is on a path of its own making. Tyler & Adam Swan and Ryan Trudell have been making music together in some format for over fifteen years. Include video mixer Dan Bordon or horn player Anthony Moore and you have two seemingly different beasts. With Moore the trio becomes a quartet of serious hip hop and techno influenced jazz funk musicians that make up Foscil. When you trade Moore for Bordon's video imagery the Truck beast is unleashed. For such minute differences they are all together different entities. Once time has been spent with the band (which is more family than group) it all begins to make sense. The video projections usually lead the show and act as a focal point for the audience unless Adam is berating the megaphone or Tyler is making a rare Truck appearance on the drum kit. In this guise, they pull out their Game boys and MIDI patch them together with vintage gear like Sequential Circuits TOM, Commodore 64 clone melded to a MIDI keyboard, megaphone, a melodica as well as the legendary series from Roland: the SH101, TB303 and the bass master itself TR808. This mash-up of sequenced MIDI gear creates the spine of this mighty monster. Dan Bordon's video mixing of Airwolf (a theme the band recorded on this album), monster trucks, classic "wrasslin" footage and the movies anyone over twenty one may not want to admit having seen but guiltily recall and the exterior of the formidable monster takes shape. All the fun and spectacle of a monster truck jam comes to life out of this crew yet a rudimentary Nintendo-esque innocence still exists. This is not your average genre classifiable creature. As the band says "Truck took on a life of its own" and its really hard to understand how or comprehend its intentions until you have had your party rocked and any pre-conceived notions destroyed in person. With just the smallest good fortune this release will further the ever evolving Truckasauras into a "Rex" that can't go extinct and destroys a city near you.

So how do 4 guys and musical toys fueled by Makers Mark, cheap beer and mary jane equate into the hippest electronic project currently on the West Coast? Adam takes some time to share with us how all of this came about before this monster is unleashed on a world wide audience.

NECODO: Adam, thanks for taking the time out to talk to me. So how does it feel so close to the tip of the tornado out here before it hits? Or is this the calm before the storm?

Adam: This is all pretty cool.We are all so excited about everything falling into place.

NECODO: Can you expand on that? How is everything "falling into place"?

Adam: Sure, we have really good shows lined up, we start with Portland than Seattle and then were playing Sasquatch! All of the artwork is looking sick everyone working with us and handling it is being great and is as excited and as motivated as we are.

NECODO: Can you give me some more detail about how you and your brother became friends and started playing with Ryan as you three are the core for Foscil and Truckasauras?

Adam: Yeah, Ryan and Tyler were like grade school best friends. Our Dad and Uncle used to have a group together. My grandfather played Jazz Piano in Chicago so we had a huge musical background our entire lives.Ryan and Tyler had a garage grunge band which kind of evolved into Foscil. We have Tony rocking horns in Foscil and Dan providing the visual inspiration for Truck.

NECODO: How did Foscil evolve into Truck?

Adam: Foscil is mad serious. It's kind of about the big instruments like live drums, horns, Rhodes and guitars. Truckasauras started when Ryan bought the nano loop for Gameboy. Than he started buying all of this other old analog gear. Foscil became the performance that rocked the party and than with the smaller gear Truckasauras somehow evolved into itself. Once we started taking it seriously we got out of the basements and started getting better shows. Than Truckasauras took us over, ha ha.

NECODO: It takes everyone within its reach over for sure! I heard some stories about the party in Portland that Pitchfork editor and bad ass DJ Philip Sherburne came to, can you expel the rumors and give me the facts?

Adam: That was just one of those times when things just happen but they all happen for the best. We were scheduled to play Holocene and right after sound check this car crashes into a telephone pole outside the club and cut the power to the entire block. We just hung outside the club and invited everyone that came to come to this house party the next night. Philip showed up wrote the article and our myspace page blew up.

NECODO: I'm loving the Basic remix to Knuckle Buckeruff and Howie C the 808 beats remind me of "Brass Monkey" somehow.

Adam: Aww man, that is the O.G. of the obnoxious drum loop, thanks!

NECODO: You guys are a bit of an anomaly. The first people I played stuff for just knew you weren't white. There is a lot of jazz, soul and funk but then I see you and your brother at Ellen Alien.

Adam: For sure we just love music and want to absorb it all. We would all love to be at the Detroit Electronic Music Festival but we are starting at home and hopefully growing outward. We put ourselves into everything we do. Ellen is a super hot DJ that owns her own record label and produces, what's not to like? What I don't like is how gentrification puts a halt to things. I hope things on the (Capitol) "hill" improve soon. Gentrification is taking over which is unfortunate for the night clubs that love, live and support electronic music.

NECODO: Volume was the ONLY issue with Ellen that night for sure, the city (Seattle) and clubs need to come to terms ASAP. I want to know more about your Father and family being so heavily into music.

Adam: It took years before I found out "Knocking On Heaven's Door" was written by Bob Dylan and not my father because he sang that song so much. He and my Uncle just always played together. What I hate is that Tyler, A.J. (youngest Swan sibling) and I never met or played with our Grandfather. He died pretty young after being a night pastor and pianist on Rush Street in Chicago. He provided hope, reprieve and a haven for bums, alcoholics and homeless people back in the day. At night after Jazz guys would gig they may not have anywhere to go afterwards and would come and jam with him. He was supposed to have been willing to jam for all hours. He did one album on his own as the Night Pastor and friends and I know he was on some trombone player friends of his release. I think the members of our family have every copy that was pressed. When my Dad and Uncle turned their extra time to golf and less to music my brothers and I reaped the rewards by getting all of their old gear.

NECODO: I am going to do my best to find the Night Pastor. I obviously wish you and the rest of the guys nothing but the best and hope this grows larger than any of us can imagine.

Adam: Thanks so much man, that's awesome and we all appreciate it and will keep making the best music we can.

Truckasauras Related Fourthcity Releases

BUTTER (Fourthcity ... Various Artists Fourthcity	Discuss The Benifit... Foscil and Specs One Fourthcity	Foscil Foscil Fourthcity
Scape Scape Fourthcity	Battery Operated B.O.B.-22 Fourthcity	Fourthcity 014 V/A Fourthcity

Pink Skull Julian Grefe Interview

Julian Grefe of Pink Skull Interview

Pink Skull are a collaborative effort based in Philadelphia. Mostly the brainchild of Julian Grefe, the group formed in 2003 with Ian Kelly and Justin Geller. Their sole intent was to create a universe of quirky, danceable and psychedelic house. Drawing from their past experiences in punk rock, electronic music and insatiable record collecting they did just that. Between these three members and over the past ten years their personal discographies range from punk and emo to housey electro and downtempo.

We got Julian to tell us about his time in the dance world, the Pink Skull project and his take on recording before he goes on the road to do a few DJ sets and than take the full band on the road for the Fu*# Yeah Tour!

NECODO: Julian, thanks for taking the time to talk with us. You have a lot going on right now with the full length remix record ("Zeppelin 3" on Free News Projects), your single with remixes on the Savant Guard ("Drugs Will Keep Us Together") and trying to put together some tours with the band. Why don't you tell us about those?

Julian: No problem, thank you for this. This is the first record on The Savant Guard label. I really liked the song but it didn't fit on the album and I really wanted it to get out. I sent them some extra material from the sessions with that being one of them and they jumped on it. I am pretty picky of who I would want to do remixes. Trevor Lovey (House of 909) was at the top of the list. He is fantastic and I am a huge fan of his work. Savant reached out and pulled it off. I knew Ming (from Ming + FS) but I wasn't that familiar with 33HZ but they did a great job. We will have another club friendly release coming out in September as well.'

NECODO: Pretty smoking stuff. Your kind of the head or at least spokesman for this collective group of skulls how did you come together?

Julian: Ian and I have a funny story we were at the same "life changing" rave ten years before we started hanging out. I think it was in '93 when certain things were going around the scene that we both tried for the first time and we both heard Josh Wink drop "Don't Laugh". That sealed the deal for "club music" for me. We later had a connection from roommates and girlfriends and discovered that we had both sort of lost our minds for the first time at the same party. Justin and I had been playing out and seeing each other at allot of the same gigs. We started hanging out and were asked to to curate the inaugural mix for renegade dance purveyor RVNG INTL's series of hotshot dj compilations. The idea was to bring friends together that get along well. We got along so well we decided to set some guidelines and genres and see if we could make a record together and it worked.

NECODO: It seems you all brought something from your own back ground and versatility that makes it work. How does that work for the live show?

Julian: Ian is no longer with us but now with the addition of the live players it is a more dangerous group we are dealing with. Jeremy Gewertz plays drums, Mike Hammel plays bass and Sam Murphy plays guitars. All of those guys came from a serious rock school of thought and don't really listen to electronic music per se. I think they add a visceral quality this is lacking from a laptop p.a. or a DJ set. The current five piece has been together for a little more than a year. With the additional elements we can get into more dubby guitar overtones, chuggy bass lines and live percussion that just gives everything a more disco like sound. We also have a video component to the live set where we mix our own animation which is video synched to the music in Ableton Live. It just feels like a party. Our backgrounds are all weird, hard, quirky and diverse but at the same time it generally all makes sense together.

NECODO: How does that effect your writing process when you are coming from an electronic musician's solo computer and some gear style set up?

Julian: It's certainly a more labor intensive process but it is very satisfying to be able to nerd out and record with a group of friends. We record analog 15 track to one inch tape. After we record the drums like that we dump it to pro-tools and than take it home and edit the drum tracks to loops and phrases to build songs off of. I have been collecting synths since the early 90's. I like my Moog, Novation and Roland analog sounds. We go back to the studio to add those and continue to edit and mix until we like what we have. I like to run everything through processors and API preamps than tweak it out to get as full a sound as I possibly can.

NECODO: Can you tell me some of the things that pushed you in the direction to make funky exciting and strange dance music?

Julian: My Mom was a huge fan of commercial disco. The usual names like Rick James and Donna Summer. Her copy of "On the Radio" was played all the time. At the same time there were Prog Bands and some classical music played in my childhood home near the swamps of New Jersey. I think what really hit was my Aunt bought me a copy of Stakker Humanoid in 1988. It blew my mind, I still have that same copy today! I got really into hard core and punk when I was a bit older. I bought the cro-mags. There was some serious brutality on that record. That was the scariest music I had ever heard and I listened to it intently every day for some time. The fact they made and recorded that record and loved doing what they were doing and were able to survive doing it made me believe I could do the same. Even though I still have a day job I love my current situation. It allows me to stay free of burning out.

NECODO: Thanks for your time Julian - I think things are going to continue going the way you want this year.

Julian: Thanks!

Playlist

Pink Skull Discography

Blast Yr Akk Pink Skull Tonearm	Unicorn Harpoon Pink Skull Tonearm	Pink Skull EP Pink Skull Free News Projects
Zeppelin 3 Pink Skull, Ghostfa... Free News Projects	Drugs Will Keep Us ... Pink Skull The Savant Guard	Driz-Bodia Plastic Little Tonearm

Blank Artists Free MP3

Selected Remixes RS-232 Blank Artists

This week's free download is off RS-232's "Selected Remixes" EP. These are nice, deep and bubbly minimal techno tracks. Clean gurgling acid lines with spartan vocal sounds. There is a sparse Scandinavian tech feel to this release which must reflect the Detroit winters. "Poppies Will Make Them Sleep (Josh Dahlberg mix)" is the most floor friendly but still retains a dreamy slumber-esque quality. Lethargy Josh Cummings mix uses effects to mesmerize the ears. Two versions of "The Glittering Wives" by Colin Zyskowski (check his stuff on Tora Tora Tora and Addon) use repetition like a Steve Reich composition to create hypnotic effects to spellbind the discerning listener. The EP ends with "Fly For Precious" remixed by Andy Toth - aka Dr. Toefinger - formerly of the Detroit Grand Pubahs/Throw Records. The remix is centered around an effected vocal track, presumably discussing the future, while samples growl and slither around the stereoscape. RS-232 - The Glittering Wives (Colin Zyskowski's Will Alone mix) - (Download 320 kbps MP3)

Orac/Caro, Free Download

Interviewing Randy Jones

Randy Jones is the co-head of Orac recordings as well as one of the most eclectic DJ's you may ever hear and the amazingly talented producer known as Caro. He took some time out preparing for this weekend's CMKY festival in Boulder where he will perform a live p.a and give a Cycling '74 Jitter workshop.

NECODO: Randy, thanks for taking time to chat with us, we have enjoyed your last Orac release doP and wish we were going to be in Colorado with you this weekend. Can you tell us what you will be doing?

Randy: Tonight I should be working on my show for this weekend but I'll be dancing to the music of Phil Quenum, an artist we've released on Orac who's over now from Paris. Our doP release has been continuing to pick up steam. We are very pleased with the response to that one. On Saturday I am doing a workshop (at the Atlas Building) to showcase Jitter, a computer program I co-wrote for cycling '74. It's a graphics and matrix processing add-on to the popular Max/MSP software. Lots of people are using it to do live audiovisuals these days. It is easier to demonstrate than to talk about, so I recommend you check out www.cycling74.com for an intro. I will be performing a live p.a. with vocals as Caro on Sunday in Boulder City Park.

NECODO: That sounds amazing how did you pull those gigs off?

Randy: I met Kate Lesta through her dealings with the Decibel festival in Seattle. She is a real sweet heart and has put together a very nice festival for Boulder.

NECODO: Tell me about the names Orac and your performing name Caro.

Randy: No one ever believes me when I tell them neither word has anything to do with the other. Orac was a highly sophisticated but insane super computer on the late 70's T.V. series Blake 7, which some of us were into a while back. Caro is my disco suave persona for vocal music. I was already performing and writing under the name Caro before Konstantin (Orac co-founder) pointed out that it was Orac backwards. I had no idea until then.

NECODO: What does the future hold for the world of Orac?

Randy: This conversation is very timely as we have two upcoming releases featuring 70 year old German music wizard Konrad "Con" Schnitzler. He worked with Eruption and was a founding member of Kluster and Tangerine Dream. I went to Berlin last year to meet him and put this together. It takes a while to get remixes out of people but the first release has Bruno Pronsato and Dandy Jack doing remixes. The second release has a wonderful remix from Thomas Fehlman. He was a true innovator in making music that reflects an environment. He has freed himself of sequencers and is inspired by the sheer quality of sounds in industrial environments. I have always been into music that is on the borderline between "Art Music" and "Dance Music". The label hopes to push the boundaries and create a mood so one can just sit and listen but not necessarily focus the mind so much that one won't dance.

NECODO: That sounds amazing I will keep my ears tuned a bit more and look out for that release. Who were your inspirations in getting you into and creating electronic music?

Randy: Initially my Parent's collection was large and they had some of that Wendy Carlos and Moog stuff but the one that I wore out was The Electronic Spirit Of Eric Satie. After that the record that I listened to every day was Aphex Twin "Selected Ambient Works 85-92" I would be driving in Wisconsin in the winter snow and the headlights hit the white lines and made these light tunnels that I would follow. That record was my soundtrack that year.

NECODO: That record made a huge impact in the world allowing electronic music to be even more readily accepted on it's own terms. Wisconsin is firmly rooted in the Mid-West how was that environment?

Randy: The parties were intense. Everyone in Chicago and Detroit had been to Europe in that time frame and the people from more rural areas like Madison (where I was) had all been to Chicago and Detroit so it was all very similar. It started with finding a cheap space, having a lot of sound and dancing, which we had to do to keep warm! So we went literally from barns to old abandoned warehouses. Wherever you could bring people together with pumping techno tunes to borderline hardcore it would happen.

NECODO: Man, we could talk about that for hours but let me keep it to one more question. How did you end up moving from Madison to here?

Randy: That was by accident really. I had planned to move to Austin to work for my friend's Graphic Design company after college. I decided to drive across country and see things before I went down there. I stopped into Vancouver and Seattle and decided to stay and enjoy the weather and the mountains. After a while I decided I didn't want to live somewhere flat and have stayed ever since.

NECODO:That is certainly to the gain of the North West. Thanks Randy, best wishes this weekend and on your future projects which we will keep posted here.

Playlist

Classic Orac Releases

Lighthouse Dop Orac Records	Acalanto Quenum Orac Records	Fields Of May Strategy Orac Records
Supernature Solenoid Orac Records	Super Vamp Strategy Orac Records	Super Contact Danse Caro Orac Records

Free Download - Theatre Of The Absurd

Synapse Theatre Of The Absurd Blank Artists

This week's free download is "Slowly Plugging in a USB Peripheral" from Theatre of the Absurd. Craig Doepker is Theatre of the Absurd. His work struts around you, hips swaying, head hung low with a cigarette hanging all rock-n-roll-style from the corner of its sly, devious grin. The minimalist feel contrasting with subtle nuances of technical skill, deceptively simple complexity in layering and the occasional, seemingly off, yet on-time beats may leave the listener uneasy, yet undoubtedly pleased. It's kind of like the first time making out with your best friend's significant other. You almost feel that you shouldn't like it, but you do. It's ok. It's our little secret. Any of this music would have fit right in with Angelo Badalamenti's work for Twin Peaks and his subsequent soundtrack's for David Lynch. Theatre of the Absurd was a term coined by the critic Martin Esslin in 1961. Esslin presented the defining playwrights of the movement as Samuel Beckett, Arthur Adamov, Eugene Ionesco, Jean Genet and Harold Pinter. Esslin saw the work of these playwrights as giving artistic articulation to Albert Camus' philosophy that life is inherently without meaning as illustrated in his work The Myth of Sisyphus. Though the term is applied to a wide range of plays, some characteristics coincide in many of the plays: broad comedy, often similar to Vaudeville, mixed with horrific or tragic images; characters caught in hopeless situations forced to do repetitive or meaningless actions; dialogue full of clichés, wordplay, and nonsense; plots that are cyclical or absurdly expansive; either a parody or dismissal of realism and the concept of the "well-made play". Slowly Plugging in a USB Peripheral (download MP3 320kbps)

Free MP3, Vacuum Interview and Sweatbox Top 10 Downloads

Sweatbox Industries Top 10

Playlist

Vacuum/G.O.D.

Some may say I had the pleasure of speaking this week to Vacuum. Honestly I am still unsure. I listened to the theme for Close Encounters of the Third Kind twice all the way through to get this to you. In the midst of the usual dreary non festival week in Detroit, we were able to pull Matt/Corky/Vacuum/Half of Guys On Drugs away from his own CPM party on a Tuesday night at the Worx, a People Mover/Blank Artists event on Thursday and a CPM party as G.O.D. on Friday with Stewart Walker, [A]pendics.shuffle and Elon to chat with us.

In his own words, Corky calls himself "a dirtbag and a burnout". "The only thing separating him from your run-of-the-mill, drug addled, lowlife, redneck, hoodrat mutha is that he is the owner of a laptop computer and a stellar record collection." "G.O.D. specializes in resampling music that you wrote off in middle school, causing bleeding ears and making both their laptops and listeners want to take a shower after every performance from the aural filth they spew forth."

When these two get together it is a monstrously delectable potion that intoxicates everyone into a bacchanalian frenzy. Here is our conversation with Corky Thacher who along with Rocky Dennis aka E.Spleece become Guys On Drugs.

NECODO: What got you into electronic music?

Corky: Well, I was really into death metal, doom rock & gangster rap as a kid. Then I heard Plastikman "Sheet One". That pretty much changed my outlook on music in general. I never heard anything like it.

NECODO: How did you become a Blank Artist?

I'm not quite sure how I met Josh Dahlberg. It's all a bit blurry, but I knew he was on to something good. There really isn't anyone in Detroit taking a label as seriously as him and Drew Pompa. I've been making music on computers for about 14 years and never put anything out. I'm just really into what Blank Artists stand for. They make a party. They are a bunch of degenerates like me.

NECODO: Can you tell me how you and Rocky Dennis became Guys on Drugs?

Corky: We always played at the same gigs. I originally started a group called Death Squad that was us and Darkcube from Detroit, he is a sick electro guy. After that I dunno, I just came up with the name Guys On Drugs. With it also standing for G.O.D. I knew we had to do something with it. We can melt people's faces, kill babies...something. It just fits us so well. Then my ex went though my phone while I was sleeping and found out I was with this other girl. She kicked me out. Rocky welcomed me to his place with open arms and as of now, I think I owe him around $1700 for past rent and just me in general being a broke motha.

NECODO: Is there a manifesto that runs through your performances?

Corky: Our sets are half of our own production and the other half is tracks that we edit and play live.

NECODO: Have you heard some Seattle 'religious' types saw the fliers and posters out on the streets and caused a little stir? Rumors are they attempted to cause the club owner to cancel the show? What is your message to them?

Corky: Haha. My message to them is to meet us at the airport so can we can bleed half of them and dose the other half with acid and make them watch us bleed the other half. Hail Satan!

NECODO: Ok, put the beakers and leeches away and stay focused. Tell me about your affiliation with CPM?

Corky: I started CPM (City People Music) about 6 years ago. I've had everyone from Hawtin to Questlove play an event. We do all kinds of genres. The "Ride The Snake" parties are a bunch of drunk Detroit techno dj's playing heavy metal all night. We also do Hip Hop parties and our semi monthly "Hook & Sling funk & disco" parties.

NECODO: What can we expect from you this weekend and in the future?

Corky: This weekend everyone should expect face melting madness! Wear diapers, hide your sisters and make sure to bring band aids.

HHmm, as far as the future, expect some G.O.D.and Vacuum releases on Blank Artists. I am also doing some stuff for Berlin's Mineral Musica and some secret Magnum Product shit.

NECODO: We've been warned, I will be in the Sweatbox at 9 with a full emergency kit but not a snake bite kit.

Corky: Word.

RS-232 Free Download

Up Like Stairs Down Like Water RS-232 Blank Artists

Joe Cantrell of Los Angeles creates music under the alias RS-232. It's from his release "Up Like Stairs Down Like Water" that this weeks free download comes. Harkening back to the days in the early 90's when the Sheffield machine sounds of Warp recording artists like Black Dog Productions, Richard Kirk, and his Cabaret Voltaire ruled the industrial wasteland. Big hand claps that sound like voluminous echos over the ocean. Swooning washes of sound lull the listener into mellow depths. This has artificial intelligence imprinted inside its frequencies. (download 320 kbps MP3)

Free downloads, B-Girl, Mr. De, Ticon

8 Weeks of Free Downloads

7 weeks until Movement D.E.M.F. and our unveiling of the Blank Artists store but who is counting? Our pals at Blank have gotten deep into the hype and created this nice banner last week to commemorate the occasion. We took some time out to chat with our fellow Seattle resident hip hop producer B-Girl about getting into the hip hop game and what lead to her first release Love or Fate. As always our favorites round out the list.

J.A.Cummings' Control Theory

Control Theory J.A. Cummings Blank Artists

This weeks free download is from Josh Cummings. This is the first vinyl release by Blank Artists. You can hear the Morodor influence on it. In recent conversations with the Blank office I know these guys are feeling this kinda groove pretty hard and the news from the 08 WMC was that most of the other raging D.J.'s and party people are too. J. A. Cummings - "An Unknown Groove" (download 320kbps MP3)

DJ B-Girl

Mia B. aka. DJ B-Girl was wowed the first time she took notice to dance music back in 1992. She saw the music visually in layers. Where the hi-hats, hand claps,and kicks flowed with synth lines and sometimes vocals or raps. This lead her to DJ'ing Drum and Bass in an attempt to to create a community and break through barriers that speaking couldn't. Disappointed that her voice was being lost with merely scratching and mixing others music lead her to to recording sounds and completing a degree in audio engineering and recording. Now as the Label Manager for Urban and Hip Hop music at Oseao Media Group she is on the pulse of the current hip hop scenes heartbeat. Being able to constantly hear new sounds allows her to not be trapped into any particular style. Around 2004 she put all of her focus into hip hop where she felt her eclectic vision fit best with her engineering and lyrical talents. B-Girl feels Love Or Fate has captured about 60% of what she is capable of showcasing the best of her battle beats, underground hip hop and experimental sounds. By continuing to evolve and grow and simultaneously narrow down and minimize her media file obsession the next release will contain a more singular focus. After her day ends at Oseao she spends the evenings writing at least a track a week and can't have enough notebooks for the overflowing words in her head. This will provide another outlet besides the boxes of spiral notebooks and ghost writing lyrics for area rappers. Finding peace with her own voice is still a work in progress on many levels as she is entertained when other people use here lyrics. You can watch this outlet continue to grow for her in the new blog @ http://bgirlmedia.com/wordpress/.

Love Or Fate

Love or Fate B-Girl B-Girl Media

This is a showcase of all things B-Girl. Various styles infuse this thirteen track epic. A Focus on versatility and production value is apparant on every track. Mia uses her own voice sparringly and pushes other rappers to broaden their vocal pallette over her sonic canvas.

Broken Beats

Dirty Ventures ep Lank/Adrack Automat Records

DosCe' Hip Hop Beats#8 DosCe', DosCe' Prod... DosCe'

Holi'De' Mr.De' Submerge Recordings

House

Defstall EP Shaunie Sharper Aphrodisio Recordings

Remix Line EP VA Bus Records

Wanna Party Patrick Turner Sensei

Trance

Excimer Ronario Ocean Drive Records

Rain Stars Eternal Solarstone Solaris

2AM Ticon Digital Structures

Techno

The 50th Naked Lunc... Various Artists Naked Lunch Records

Especial DJ Ferro Parallel 125 Records

conscious movement EP harada / harada, dj... micro.fon

Submerge, Underground Resistance, Blank Artists

Underground Resistance

We have a host of new things we want to shout out about and scream from the rooftops. What excites us most is being live with all labels from Submerge and the Underground Resistance. Mad Mike Banks' digital catalog is available to us and you, the discerning music investor. After a stint in "Members of The House", Mike left and partnered with Jeff Mills in the industrial/EBM outfit Final Cut. Rob Hood would later join up as a graphics designer and vocalist and Underground Resistance was born. Mike is as much a man of ideas and education as a classically trained musician. He would continue to bring people together such as Alan Oldham (DJ T-1000) being one of the first official strike force DJs. It is hard to escape the influence of this massive giant of Techno. Even IntelliNET/+8's Richie Hawtin and John Aquaviva grew significantly as artists, DJs, label heads and distributors due to their friendly rivalry with Submerge. Mike has always made it more about the music than personality by keeping press photos of himself non-existent or by wearing a mask (hearkening to his former military days) or by using one of his muscle cars to parlay his own image. Mills and Hood left in 1992 and Mike continued to use Underground Resistance and Submerge as schools and breeding grounds for any motivated and devoted electronic "warriors".

Check out these records and this massive interview with Mike Banks (Wire, Novermber '07).

UR/Submerge Albums

Infiltrator The Infiltrator Underground Resistance	Hi-Tech Dreams - Lo... Mad Mike Underground Resistance	Slide Skate Dj Skurge Underground Resistance
Depth Charge 6 Various Artists Submerge Recordings	Electronic Warfare 2.0 Underground Resistance Submerge Recordings	Follow The Leader: ... Various Artists Submerge Recordings

Need You - Darkstar (Hyperdub)

Need You Darkstar Hyperdub

This is Hyperdub-with-a-twist! Much brighter sound on this release + lots of vocoder love. "Need You" is a shuffly 2step number that borrows a couple dubstep tricks. "Squeeze My Lime" is a somber fugue, slowly plodding along, driven by this melodic pattern for about 2 and a half minutes before the beat really kicks in. There's something of Jay Dee inspired vibe here - loose programming, lush arrangements.

Free Tracks from Blank Artists - DEMF Countdown

The Future is Vintage Hot Pink Karma Blank Artists

Today marks 8 weeks until Movement:DEMF 08. In getting ready for the journey to techno Mecca, Blank Artists has teamed up with NECODO to share a free download each week until we arrive. With Hot Pink Karma's "Play it Cool" you can hear where the label began. For the first Blank release Fil - rock machinist and beat control specialist, and Zuker - executive tonal sounds coordinator, team up to offer a barrage of rhythmic and tonal sounds that are known to cause movement when placed in the ear. Created as an experimental mixture of funk, blues, and soul, this duo continues to please crowds across the mid-west. Hot Pink Karma - "Play It Cool" (download MP3 320kbps)

More Detroit

Traditions and Conc... Los Hermanos Submerge Recordings	Night Drive / Time ... Model 500 Metroplex	Update Model 600 Metroplex
KMS - The Definitiv... Various Artists KMS	Flash Fix Electrofunk Records	Revenge Of The Wolf Martian, The Red Planet

Dirty Grimey Beats

Microphonepet Mochipet daly city records	Mu5h / Spliff Dub Zomby Hyperdub	Ruff in the Bunny F... Murderbot Dead Homies
Balancing Lakes Barry Lynn Planet Mu	10 Tons Heavy Various Artists Planet Mu	Acid Sauna The Doubtful Guest Planet Mu

Profound House

Nordic Love Ep Deemah Atlantic Standard R...

Midnight Love Tennishero DNM - Dealers of No...

South Roots Various Artists DeepClass Records

Techno Bangers

Umbra MO7S Monism Music

Lost Fragments EP Goran Kan aka Kerkez Impact Mechanics

The War Of Art Rennie Foster Dirty Works

Smoldering Sounds

Smoldering Sounds

Lots of music and so little time for your ears to consume it all! We lead off with new wave post rock electro phunk from Michael Phunk. This is perfect for the analog nu-wave lovers. Sleazetone Records provide 9 remixes to Sscion's clown. Current hot act Glass Candy does three of the versions that evoke Prince while Moves!!! and DJC sound straight out of the Chicago and Baltimore "juke" scenes. This week in deep dark dub step and drum and bass, one of our favorite new labels, Dead Homies, hits us with Starkey's NC 17 and drops three original tracks and various remixes that gouge your gut and capture your butt.

Smoldering Albums

Different Robot E.P Michell Phunk Seek Records

Clown Remixes Ssion Sleazetone Records

NC-17 EP Starkey Dead Homies

Techno Department

From our techno department, we start with Maxson. This is a stark deep techno record on Difusion that defines deep with the bass lines. Sub frequencies like these either make one dance or induce the bowels. Angel Alanis is back on his own Impact Mechanics imprint with squelchy bass and percussive tracks that are sure to trample the meek on the dance floor. This can fit into an Adam Beyer or DJ Rush set. Classy and, at the same time, it is both stout and grim. One of the few women in techno, Punisher, delivers Electric Agriculture Part 1 on Prosthetic Pressings. She has reduced this EP to the least amount of sounds possible to remain techno to play with your head and affect your feet. Mustafa Avdic relinquishes 4 remixes of his magnanimous "Welcome to the Inferno" for the hungry techno public for digestion. Socks and Sandles Rishi Saturn EP shows how techno can be hard and minimal and still seem familiar and beautiful. Countered straddles the line between warehouse techno and banging acid with three remixes of "How It Is" and two extra analog grinding pounders.

Techno Albums

Catharsis Maxson Difusion Records	Knock Sucka EP Angel Alanis Impact Mechanics	Electric Agricultur... Punisher Prosthetic Pressings
Welcome To Inferno EP Mustafa Avdic Solar Cathedral Rec...	Rishi Saturn Ep Socks And Sandals Microcosm Music	How It Is Countered Xynthetic

Ministry of House

In house this week, Getaway Records puts out a sampler that seems tailored for the new Virgin Atlantic suite planes with beds and bars. Elegant and polished yet full of spunk and surprise, just in time for WMC! Jon Pegnato has five remixes of his boisterous and exuberant "Shush" theme. Dust Traxx culls the vaults to find and give us "Brother to Brother" for the first time digitally available. Strings, filters, jacking kicks and jazz vocalizing showcase why this has been classic house for so long. We just recently went live with deep house label Atlantic Standard Recordings. We posted music from Matheson, Deemah, and a compilation that really stands the test of time.

House Albums

Getaway Sampler Various Artists Getaway Recordings	Shush Theme 2008 Jon Pegnato Shush Music	Brother To Brother Brother 2 Brother Dust Traxx Chicago
It' s You EP Matheson Atlantic Standard R...	Dig it EP Deemah Atlantic Standard R...	The Saturday Nite EP Various Artists Atlantic Standard R...

Dope Material

Releases that are too versatile to categorize as one style lead off with Ninja Tune's Zero DB has nine songs remixed for Heavyweight Gringos. Everything from hip hop, jazz and techno is mixed into this compilation. Daly City has gathered together their finest laptop warriors with these two records. The recognizable names of (A)Pendics shuffle, Geoff White, Kero, Aneurysm show up on Mochipet. The next wave of producers on the edge of glitch core and insanity are showcased on SF Laptop Machine Battle.

Until next time, enjoy!

Dope Albums

Heavyweight Gringos... Zero Db Ninja Tune

Mochipet - Feel My ... Various Artists daly city records

Daly City Sf Laptop... Various Artists daly city records

Blank Artists Interview and Deep House Releases

Interview With Blank Artists Josh Dahlberg

Q: What's the NECODO crew been digging on recently?

A: Our mind's gone Blank! Blank... Artists!

In this issue, we catch up with one of our favorite young producers, Mr. Josh Dahlberg: DJ and co-head of Blank Artists. Josh discusses how he got into electronic music, what he uses to produce and his take on Detroit techno. Over in the store, we have lots of hot new releases: Gant Garrard, whose "Hot Mama" is a must listen with Sweet Pauline on vocals; Punisher and David Powers with "Enter The Hej" - 4 deep tracks of techno beauty; Milos Pavlovic drops a huge EP that should be a club staple until summer; Terrence Parker with "The Rosa Resolution", featuring MC Al Sharpton; new label Dead Homies bringing some fresh jungle to the table - and tons more!

Josh Dahlberg counts the city as much an influence as his musical education: Kraftwerk, Talking Heads, The Police, Yaz, Trent Abbe, and Gil Scott-Heron. After getting into music at an early age, he rarely did much else besides sports and hanging with friend and future label partner, Josh Cummings. Dahlberg founded Blank Artists while in college in Northern Michigan. He earned his status in Detroit after working with Underground Resistance/Submerge at their famous base camp on Grand Ave. He is proud that XLR8R has called him "a refiner of the Detroit sound...well on the way to making an impact on dance music". But don't take their word for it - hear it yourself! Be on the lookout for his upcoming release "AM Brain" April 1st.

NECODO: How did you get into electronic music?

Josh: I was first exposed to dance music my freshman year of high school by a friend. I developed an interest and by the time I was 16 I was DJing and writing/recording songs with a drum machine and sampler. Since then, it's been a passion that has kept burning. I started Blank Artists as a way to facilitate creative endeavors and exhibit the collaborative efforts of artists that draw from a diverse realm of influences.

NECODO: What are your influences?

Josh: Early on, "Geology: A Subjective History of Planet E, Vol. 1." provided a gateway into Detroit and what techno and house meant in the context of the city's cultural landscape. Absolutely love that CD. Lately, I have been listening to a bunch of post-punk, new wave, and early electro records - stuff like Giorgio Moroder, Ultravox, and Siouxie and the Banshees.

NECODO: How do you write and what do you use? Software and Hardware?

Josh:I use a combination of Cubase, Reason, and Ableton for multi-track recording and sequencing. I really depend on Cubase though, especially when I get closer to mixing the song down. For hardware, I like getting keyboards from second hand shops, recording them to my computer, and layering effects on them digitally.

NECODO: What's your take on the digitization of music and to the fading out of physical music - tape, c.d. and vinyl?

Josh: I don’t think anything beats having a physical copy of a record or CD. I feel that people are compelled to shop online and move to technologies such as Serato and Traktor for convenience and versatility. However, I am confident in the fact that as long as turntables are in the clubs and in people's basements, vinyl will have a market.

NECODO: What's your take on Traktor?

Josh: Programs like Traktor are great. There's no doubt that they make DJing more convenient and allow for more versatility. I have adopted the technology as a way to beef up the amount of different music I can play in a single DJ set.

NECODO: What are the visual and sonic differences of vinyl only DJs compared to DJs that use laptops and CDs?

Josh: For me, it's more about the DJ and what he or she can do and less about what format is being used. Ultimately it's all about how the different mediums for music can supplement one and other.

NECODO: What's the importance and relevance of Detroit and in particular, Detroit Techno?

Josh: Historically, Detroit has been blessed with an abundance of musical talent living inside its boundaries. That's why the city was and still is important. Blank Artists draws inspiration from Detroit Techno - but we aren't a Detroit Techno label, nor do we aim to be. We focus on bringing all sorts of different electronic music to the table. That being said, Detroit Techno is still very alive inside Detroit and around the world, proving how relevant it still is.

NECODO: What other label discographies have you graced with your presence?

Josh: I have also released music on People Mover, the Ferrispark Sub-label Gravid Digital, as well as D Records, which is run by Paxahau.

Thanks for your time, Josh! We expect more great things to happen as the year progresses.

Josh Dahlberg's First Full Length

Ego/Timid Josh Dahlberg Blank Artists

Starting in a dark corner speaker with a popped cone, "This Time" builds slowly with horn stabs and hypnotic dancing synth lines. Getting progressively lighter in "Hasty Mode", Josh uses unusual and original sounds to create his take on Techno. "So Electro" features busted circuit noise so raw and unforgiving it pushes you to the edge until the effected vocal comes in. Dahlberg hits stride running fast and hard on " Budapest Flight" the clubbing stand out of the album. "Ink Flamed" gets the feet heady and "Splinter Sleep" finishes the release off cooling things down for the after party transition.

New on NECODO

Hot Momma Gant Garrard Dust Traxx Chicago	Enter the Hej Punisher & David ... Hej Records	Momentum presents T... Milos Pavlovic DBH Music
The Rosa Resolution Terrence Parker Parker MusicWorks	Ganja Fi Legal Jacky Murda feat. W... Dead Homies	The Source Volume 14 Various Artists The Source
Fool's Gold Ssion Sleazetone Records	Camila del Mar DJ Herr DeepClass Records	Transport EP Marco Severino Leichtklang Recordings
Styrofoam Soup EP Various Artists DesignForms	Interstella EP Night Drugs Beatism	My Streets Murderbot Dead Homies
The Hive EP Andrew Chibale Surge	Far Too Louth EP Sean Nash Afro Acid-Digital	Iceworks Danzai Xynthetic

Orac, Blank Artists & Spectral Sound

Orac, Blank Artists & Spectral Sound

Mad Techno this week! First up: Parisian trio dOP (Orac) with a beautiful mishmash of techno and jazz - title track "Lighthouse" must be heard to be believed! Coming up next is a sick 4-track compilation on one of our favorite labels - Blank Artists, straight outta Detroit. Label boss Josh Dahlberg sets it off with a minimal vocal stormer; later, old schooler Keith Kemp gets "Gooey Hands" from manipulating all that bass. As if one stunning multi-artist techno EP wasn't enough, we got Spectral Sound up with another installment of their "Death Is Nothing To Fear" series! Anything with Kate Simko and Seth Troxler makes us dance!

In the wide world of Disco, Environ makes some noise for the first time since Metro Area 7, dropping 2 transcendental albums: Kelley Polar with "I Need You To Hold On While The Sky Is Falling" and Daniel Wang with "Idealism 2005". Kelley Polar's "I Need You..." is his 2nd full-length, a brand-new foray into his unique brand of electro-orchestro-pop. Daniel Wang's "Idealism 2005" is a re-release of his seminal 2001 debut "Idealism", partially responsible for the (still-continuing) italo-disco resurgence.

New House releases: Dj Sulli with some dirty "Bassment Dubs", complete with satanic pitched down vocals, soulful house chords, and of course, mad bass. Check the "Bass Dub" for some heat. Next, Dennis Ferrer gets a lush remixing by Charles Webster on King Street Sounds. There's a remix for everybody on there, but the "Club Mix" is really the pick of the litter.

Shoegazers everywhere will be happy to hear n5MD's latest offerings from bitcrush and subtractiveLAD. Both albums are very meditative, with bitcrush's "Epilogue In Waves" opting for more guitars and subtractiveLAD opting for more synths. Plenty of reverb to spare, rest assured...

On a more experimental tip: some loopy techno from The Field on Dealers of Nordic Music. This stuff reminds me a bit of The Gasman, except you could actually dance to it if you wanted. Next is "200", Planet Mu's aptly-titled 200th record. This compilation goes absolutely everywhere, but spends quite a bit of time rocking the dubstep and some of the newer sounds that Planet Mu is exploring. Last but not least, we have another compilation from Portland's States Rights. Can a bunch of outsider-techno indie kids seriously hang with Planet Mu? We certainly think so!

What We Are Grooving On

Lighthouse Dop Orac Records	Robots Love Fun Various Artists Blank Artists	DINTF EP Various Artists Spectral Sound
I Need You To Hold ... Kelley Polar Environ	Idealism 2005 Daniel Wang Environ	How Do I Let Go Dennis Ferrer Featu... King Street Sounds
The Bassment Dubz Dj Sulli Amfibius Recordings	Epilogue In Waves Bitcrush n5MD	Apparatus Subtractivelad n5MD
Sound of Light - No... The Field DNM - Dealers of No...	200 Various Artists Planet Mu	Grown Zone/Groan Zone Various Artists States Rights Records

Out Today - Spectral, Ghostly and Auralism Records.

Spectral, Ghostly and Auralism Records.

New music available today! Spectral Records releases the latest in the Death Is Nothing To Fear series focused on bringing exposure to new voices in the world of techno. Flying Lotus from Warp Records and Kode 9 the head of Hyperdub Recordings remix Dabrye on Get Dirty EP. Auralism presents a hot compilation featuring heavy tracks that incorporate ambient tones and deep grooves.

We are looking for new members to our street team, if you are interested in new music and meeting people shoot us a line.

Out Today

Death Is Nothing To... Various Artist Spectral Sound

Get Dirty EP Dabrye Ghostly International

Aural Therapy 1.4 Various Artists Auralism Records

Still Fresh

8 Bit Game Ep KAITARO NAKAJIMA Revolver Records	Detroit Underground 08 Litwinenko Detroit Underground	Gibson's Revenge Vacuum From Detroit Blank Artists
Mfds The Death Set Counter Records	Let the Blind Lead ... Atlas Sound kranky	Naked Acid Valet kranky
Aural Therapy 1.2 Various Artists Auralism Records	Aural Therapy 1.3 Various Artists Auralism Records	The Many Moods of B... Ben Benjamin Ghostly International

Terrence Parker, Orlando Voorn, Dust Traxx and more...

GrooveSource Interview

Howdy,

This week we bring you slamming new house releases from Chicago's Dust Traxx label, Detroit house legend Terrence Parker, Amsterdam/Detroit legend Orlando Voorn, and hot material on Leichtklang Recordings and Shush Music.

All of the music in this newsletter is brought to you through our new partnership with GrooveSource. This Chicago based digital distributor will add nearly 100 labels to our catalog over the next few weeks. Read on to learn more about digital distribution - the process by which files from your favorite producer's laptop end up on the web, and eventually on your iPod. We are interviewing Marea Stamper, aka the Lady Ms. Four Square, the managing director of GrooveMedia Group.

NECODO: Can you give me a brief summary of how digital distribution works?

Marea: Digital distribution works a lot like standard vinyl distribution in as much as we basically take a schedule of releases and provide them to various retail outlets for a percentage of the sales. We find new labels by relying almost exclusively on our own personal tastes and knowledge. We’re walking discographies over here. We do occasionally peruse charts and reviews on other websites, but that’s really no different from what we would do as dance music lovers, DJ’s, producers and label owners in our private lives. We work directly with the labels or label groups and act as the liaison between them and the stores. We collect the money for the sales, we send the releases, we place the ads and we negotiate on their behalf to get them the best deals in as many outlets as reasonably possible.

NECODO: What do you do/what is your role in these schemes?

Marea: I am the managing director of GrooveMedia Group and we do a lot more than digital distribution. We also handle synchronization licensing for TV, movies and games. We are opening our publishing wing. We do event marketing for corporate partners and outsource a whole range of services from manufacturing to a digital whitelabel promo service to labels. As managing director of GrooveMedia Group, I handle a whole range of often strange and unpredictable situations. At any moment I could be on the south side of Chicago taking a hoagie to an artist that I am trying to sign or holding a ladder still while our CEO’s dad tries to fix our furnace 12 feet up in the air. Our office is situated in the beautiful garbage district of Chicago so everyday I walk past a recycling dump the size of a Wal-Mart. From the prestigious to the inane, I have my finger in a lot of honey pots. Monday through Friday they call me “Bosslady” around here. In this office I am a mom to about 9 boys between the age of 22 and 35. When I’m not making sure that they get up on time, “do their homework” and wash behind their ears I am a teacher, lawyer, secretary, glass-ceiling-kicker, intern wrangler, A+R, bare-knuckle boxer, diplomat, hostage negotiator, marketing executive, cowgirl, dishwasher, nurse, DJ and producer. Did I mention that I commute between my office/apartment in Chicago and my house/husband/dogs in Louisville, KY?

NECODO: How has the download format changed the industry?

Marea: For better or worse, digital sales have changed dance music irreversibly. Vinyl sales have plummeted, which is a good thing for the birds and the bees and all us crazy folks that want to breathe clean air, but a bad thing for the mom and pop vendors and vinyl distros. A lot of good professionals have lost jobs due to the bottom dropping out of vinyl. I personally prefer to play it. However, I, like many others, am in the process of going towards using digital myself. I am a digital label owner and I appreciate the freedom of the format and that we do not use petroleum to manufacture mp3’s. There area a lot of quality control issues when it comes to the digital label in today’s market though. The pollution we save from vinyl is “musically recouped” in garbage music. There’s a lot of bad, poorly constructed, poorly mastered material out there. The good thing about vinyl was that the cumbersome manufacturing process acted as quality control. You had to really want to do it. There was money on the line. Mastering was a part of the manufacturing process. Now every 18 year old with a laptop is a producer and label owner. There are good results from the new freedom. Deadmau5 is an example. He’s young, talented and fresh. Digital was a huge part of his success. But for every Deadmau5 there are 10 dead rats that should have left the files on their desktop. Not everyone is a producer. A laptop does not a musician make. We’re starting to see backlash. Lots of stores are cracking down on the qualifications to be a partner. Now the question is how far will the backlash go?

NECODO: Do you think the artist is better off selling digital, vinyl, or c.d.?

Marea: I like to see a combination of limited quantity vinyl and full release digital with exclusive material for each medium. For now there are still vinyl purists and they want their material too. I say give it to them.

Digital is way to sell records and take some of the risk out, which is good for starving artists. The digital stores generally just take a piece of the pie. So you're going to get something with no investment in a physical product.

NECODO: What is your opinion of the current state of music in the U.S.? How do we improve/change/keep that?

Marea: We don’t know who we are. The US needs to reclaim its identity and stop breastfeeding off of Europe. A lot of people in Detroit think it’s suburb of Berlin now. I love the Germans and I love German techno like the day is long. I play a lot of techno from that region. I play a lot of Detroit techno too! So I mean no disrespect at all. But the Germans know who they are and that’s what makes them great. They’re proud of Berlin and the sound you hear coming out of there right now is what it is because somebody asked “what’s next,” not, “hey what are they doing over there and how can we precisely emulate it.”

Like them we need to know who we are.

I live in Chicago, God help me, and once, a long time ago this city gave the world a gift. Real honest to goodness, jackin’ Chicago house is a miracle and a revelation. It should be treated as the gospel that it is. It’s good news! Detroit techno is a blessing. Now I’m not saying that we in America don’t need to love our elders. We clearly do love them with good cause. But we need to own that legacy AND at the same time figure out how to lovingly obliterate it. “Kill your idols.” Let’s acknowledge the past, draw on it when appropriate and focus on the future. Jeff Mills and Ron Hardy are great because they resisted history. Jeff Mills is still asking what’s next. Richie is still asking what’s next. They pulled from the past but ultimately became more. I want to become a nation of iconoclasts.

NECODO: What do you see in store for the future/ any big changes coming that will affect the industry?

Marea: Better technology will make digital DJing even more prominent than it is now. Digital Godzilla will continue to eat the record industry. Vinyl will become a luxury item. Britney Spears will be less important. We will be more important.

Some of their hottest and most recent stormers are listed below.

Until next time, holla!

Hot Traxx From GrooveSource

Warped Angel Alanis A-Squared Muzik	Tramp Stamp EP Avex Axiom Solar Cathedral Rec...	Leaving DJ Hyperactive 4 Track Records
TP Classics Volume 1 Terrence Parker Parker MusicWorks	Matthews EP bernstein RaceCarProductions	Onlyworld Murderbot Dead Homies
The Grind Orlando Voorn Nitty Gritty Beats	Game One 2007 Remix... Infiniti NightVision	NightVision Anthem ... Orlando Voorn NightVision
Inspira EP Francesco Mennillo Leichtklang Recordings	Enfant Terrible EP Simone Mora Leichtklang Recordings	Scream Michael Airhart Dust Traxx Chicago
#2 Yonkapin Dust Traxx Chicago	I Need House Brother 2 Brother Dust Traxx Chicago	Groove Mission Craig Alexander Dust Traxx Chicago
Last Dance in Chica... DJ Kue featuring Su... Shush Music	Over It Jon Pegnato Shush Music	Deep Inside Plug and Play Shush Music

Take on NECODO

Take Interview

Ironically, Take has been giving a lot more than taking in 2008. In January, the Los Angeles-based hip hop producer dropped his album Earthtones & Concrete, and his Plus Ultra EP featuring collaborations with some of the lords of LA dream hop. With another EP out in February, and a Europe tour and full length release in June, 2008 is shaping up to be the most prolific year for Take yet - and that's all before the Summer Solstice!

I first heard Take on his 2 tracker Took One on Poo Bah, an LA based label grown out of the Poo Bah record store. The sound is obviously grown from hip hop, but with so many slowly unfolding, beatless passages it sounds more and more like jazz and early experimental electronic music. Then again, I heard his Earthtones & Concrete album, and I was sold from that record on out. In this issue we catch up with Take, providing an insight into his studio, creative process, his hometown and his spaced-out hip hop movement.

NECODO: So, what's your studio like?

Take: nothing fancy, basically I have a Mac Pro, I use an Ensoniq ASR10 sampler at the center of my studio for beginning my songs and doing drums. Of course turntables, Roland Juno 106, MicroKorg, circuit bent Casio, Fender Rhodes, Yamaha CP-30, drum kit, percussion instruments: shakers and bells and etcetera...

NECODO: So you do all the sequencing with the ASR-10, or is it more of a sound module?

Take: I do a lot of sequencing on the ASR, I've had it for 10 years, so I've learned to freak it pretty well - and make it do what I want. So basically I'll make the backbone of the song in the ASR, then I'll dump it into the computer - Digital Performer and also Ableton Live - multitrack it, tweak it, cut and paste, do different forms of editing, and build on top of that with more samples. Sometimes I'll tweak stuff on the computer and then bring it back to the ASR, sequence it and then drop it back to the computer. It's just got a nice feel and it's easy to use, it's just old school.

NECODO: No vibraphone? I've heard it on tracks like "Tuesday Never Comes" (off Earthtones & Concrete)

Take: It's all samples! I wish I had a vibraphone, I'd love a vibraphone... They're so expensive though, maybe once I ever get paid from some of this music, I'll buy one.

NECODO: Haha, well, we're trying to help you out there. So you use a lot of gear, real instruments - do you do any DSP, any virtual instruments?

Take: Well, I don't want to give it all away. I mostly like to record actual sounds and then destroy em and tweak em. I don't go deep into DSP, I don't create my own patches or anything like that... Yet. That whole side of it is a little bit of a turn off for me: when I want to make music, I just want to get to it. Technology is already in the way enough, it's like, there's always something that's not working and you're like, "what the deuce isn't working!? Come on!"

NECODO: So how did you get started with music?

Take: Well I've played music for years, I've played little shows with my friends since I was 16. I started DJ'ing in college after I saw a friend do it. I just went to a party and watched him DJ, and completely fell in love - I actually ended up playing that same party. I got up there and my first mix was like, spot on, and the crowd loved it! And I was sold from there, and I felt all badass... Of course, I played my 2nd record and totally trainwrecked. But that first taste of it - being on and mixing - had me sold so instantly that from then on I was at his house every day, "yo, teach me how to DJ, teach me how to DJ..." and eventually got pretty good at DJ'ing, and that transitioned to wanting to learn how to produce the music that I was working with. I still DJ today, all the time.

NECODO: What kinda music do you play? Do you stay in one sound, do you go all over?

Take: It depends on the spot - I love music, all kinds of music. So I can do a party that's all soul and mod hits from the 60s, I can do a party that's all classic hip hop, or I can do house music, or I can do funk and soul. That's a party atmosphere. But what I love to play the most is beats, just beats, like the whole movement that I'm a part of - that kinda stuff. Heavy, instrumental, electronic, electro/hip hop type beats.

NECODO: I've been listening to dublab quite a bit, and I hear a lot of ... Basically a lot of your friends on there (Daedelus, Kutmah). What is this whole movement? It seems it's LA with this crunchy sound... It's instrumental, seems headier - dreamier hip hop?

Take: Yeah man, it's a whole movement, we've been building it for a while. I think 2008 or 2009 is gonna be the year for this - it's all over the world now, people everywhere. Here [in LA] you got a huge scene: Flying Lotus, Samiyam, Blackmonk, Ras G, Pudge, Kutmah, Gaslamp Killer, Nobody, Madlib of course, I'm sure I'm forgetting some people. In Japan you got Circulations; in Germany, my man Jay Scarlet, Up My Alley Records; in Dublin, there's Hudson MoHawk, and Heralds of Change, Mike Slott and Rusty; in Amsterdam you've got all these cats over there - Eat Concrete (myspace), Red Nose Distrikt, the whole Beat Dimensions crew, and Cinnaman... It really is a worldwide movement.

NECODO: What's the relationships between cities? Do you guys trade gigs?

Take: Yeah if we can, we trade gigs. It's usually in small grimy spots where the club owners let you do what you want. Now with the Internet, we trade music back and forth - everybody's got each other's shit, and we just basically bump each other's shit in different cities. It's a beautiful thing. At the same time, it's still a small movement - it's all influenced by J Dilla, you know? We're all little students of J Dilla, I think, even though everyone's doing their own thing stylistically, he's just played a huge influence in our movement, he's really set the vibe and the whole swing. I have to give credit to him.

NECODO: Right, I was going to ask about J Dilla. I've noticed the bass...

Take: The bass, the drums - Dilla changed hip hop, he changed hip hop forever. Even commercial radio beats are copping Dilla. Dilla was one of the first people to heavily use the doubled up claps, the slow, off kilter swing drums. Hip hop was in a time where the drum programming was real busy, [beatboxes a busy drum track] - and here comes Dilla, and he's just like "kick, snare. kick, snare." He really leaves it open and gives it this heady nod feel that is just ridiculous. He really just flipped it on that, and now even major label stuff sounds like it's trying to imitate that swing.

NECODO: So what are you planning to do next?

Take: Well, on February 14 I have another EP coming out on Eat Concrete out of Amesterdam. It's called "The Dirty Decibels of Thomas 2000" - more of a fun, alter-ego type of record. The beats are heavier, it's less melancholy, less of an artsy, heady record. Just straight up, heavy hitting, fun, good beat shit. So they're releasing the EP and a full-length after that which should be out in June. I'll be touring in Europe in June, looking forward to meeting all the people I've been in touch with for a while, and just rocking it with them and having fun. In the meantime I'm just trying to do as many shows as possible, you know: DJ'ing parties, internet radio shows, just trying to stay on the grind, and do as much shit as possible.

Take's enthusiasm for his movement is apparent. J. Dilla's influence can be heard creeping around in seemingly every hip hop track nowadays; in Take's circle it's even more apparent, with each artist bringing his own interpretation of the loping, bass-heavy beats and soulful chords that make up Dilla's signature sound. Delightfully, Take's work is wildly divergent from the party line - one minute it can be bumping gritty synth-a-hop; the next moment, a shimmering sound scape, similar to the moon's light o'er a lake. Flowery flattering aside, it was a pleasure to gain an insight into this very "now" sound - the list of links alone is going to take me a month to digest. I recommend you all check out his friends, and keep an ear out for his "Dirty Decibels of Thomas 2000" 12 inch out on Eat Concrete.

Q. Harris

Downloads by Take

Earthtones & Concrete Take Inner Current Recor...

Plus Ultra EP Take Inner Current Recor...

Took One Take Poo-Bah Records

Related Downloads

MonkMusic Blackmonk Poo-Bah Records	Raach City Riot Ta'Raach Poo-Bah Records	Day & Night Blackmonk & Ras G Poo-Bah Records
Warm Like The Sunshine Kutmah Poo-Bah Records	Exquisite Corpse Daedelus Ninja Tune	One/Three Dabrye Ghostly International
living vicariously ... Twerk Mille Plateaux	Bumps Bumps Stones Throw Records	Theme For A Broken ... DJ Rels Stones Throw Records

Favorites of 2007

2007 Favorites

Salutations, sonic spelunkers!

We've compiled a capital collection of corpulent cuts - completely comprehensive, from cymbal crash to crossfader crab! Our favorite 2007 releases from all surfaces - dancefloor to astral plane!

NEW FEATURES! We thought it would be neat if you could listen to the newsletter without having to go to the site first. And there you have it! Click any album cover or the "listen" button to stream preview clips right from the newsletter page. Stay tuned - we are coding more fun stuff. In the meantime - tell us what you want, email support at necodo.com.

Last, but not least - did you notice those brand new "share", "send to a friend" and "bookmark" buttons? Give us some love - spread the good word about NECODO! Digg it!

TECHNO

Noiser/Fred's Bells Audion Spectral Sound	Continuate Pär Grindvik Spectral Sound	Who's Afraid of Det... Claude VonStroke dirtybird
Afterblaster EP Miskate Microcosm Music	Tactile Red Mike Shannon Cynosure Records	Acalanto Quenum Orac Records

HOUSE

Metro Area 7 Metro Area Environ	Pen Caps And Colore... Someone Else Foundsound Records	Boiling Point Freaks MFF
Bounce Back YSE Lost My Dog	Hold On Holy Ghost ! DFA Records	I'm A Freak Fukkk Offf Coco Machete Records

HIP HOP

36 15 TTC TTC Big Dada

Art Brut Fe De Yoot Infinite Livez vs. ... Big Dada

Plastic Rap Supersoul Metatronix

DUBSTEP / DANCEHALL

Untrue Burial Hyperdub	Sunset Dub / 9 Samu... Quarta 330 Hyperdub	Dem Nah Like Me Ghislain Poirier Tigerbeat6
Copyright Laws MRK 1 Planet Mu	Scion CD Sampler Vo... Various Artists Scion Audio Visual ...	Jah War The Bug Ninja Tune

JUNGLE / DRUM'N'BASS / BREAKCORE

The Eyez EP AP Bolan Ozone Media 320

Girls Love Breakcor... Mochipet daly city records

Grooverider Shitmat Planet Mu

IDM

Podgelism Lusine Ghostly International	Detroit Underground 07 Litwinenko Detroit Underground	Volu Beit Aelters Tigerbeat6
Foley Room Amon Tobin Ninja Tune	Natura Morta Cepia Ghostly International	Audiogold The Gasman Planet Mu

PSY TRANCE

ULTRAPOP 2 Various Artists FABULARECORDS	Vicious Delicious Infected Mushroom BNE/YOYO Records	De-Classified Eat Static Solstice Music Inte...
Where to go Electrypnose Digital Psionics	Horn Please Penta AuraQuake Music	Retrodelic Vibes 3 Various Artists Avatar Records

COMPILATIONS

Afterhours 3 - Glob... Various Artists Global Underground

BUTTER (Fourthcity ... Various Artists Fourthcity

Well Deep: Ten Year... Various Artists Big Dada

DOWNTEMPO

Dusker KILN Ghostly International

Micalavera Damiak n5MD

Standing on a Hummi... Mark Templeton Anticipate Recordings

POP / INDIE ROCK

Asa Breed Matthew Dear Ghostly International

Mosaic Mustfuzz Inzec Records

Haunts Bark Bark Bark RETARD DISCO

Ron Murphy

Jan 22, 2008

Greetings Music Fans,

We're back with more news and reviews. First up is a user review of The Bug by dznqbit. Seattle's Jeff Mcllwain performs live as LUSINE when he opens for Gui Boratto Wednesday night 23 January @ Nectar. Check out his back catalog on Hymen Records as well as his latest beautiful remix of the Stars Has Eyes track "Le Punisher" on Tigerbeat6. We have two new releases from Take on Inner Current Recordings. For those of you who like your music, dark and somber we have recently aquired the Soleilmoon catalog. Go check it out! We hate to have inform you of the loss of a true innovator in Detroit Techno, Ron Murphy. We wanted to share what we know about the man who had such a profound effect on the techno sound. We hope 2008 is treating you well thus far - hope you haven't broken any resolutions yet!

"Poison Dart" By THE BUG

The Bug with a huge release!!! The real star of the show is Warrior Queen, whose vocals get spread over 5 remixes. There's something for everyone (who is into dubstep) on this release!

The original beat is a half-time dubstep style with a repetitive bassline decorated by a constantly changing percussion track. "South Rakkas remix" has this super swingin' beat... Do the kids call it "swingstep" ? After rockin the vocals over the beat they break it down with a half-time hip hop beat with dubbed out vocals and (of course) the bassline. "Baku Scratch megamix" is awesome, a little more experimental - goes absolutely EVERYWHERE! First he laces some male rap over the original beat and then some turntable tricks (d-delay-lay sty-style-le) ... Then into the hook, with Warrior Queen's vocals twisted around and dubbed to all hell. "Skream remix" sounds like it's gonna kill on a big system. This squelchy sort of bassline, but it's not quite a 303, more noisy. The beat is a half-time dubstep thing with the obligatory gun sounds. Ace remix, my pick of the litter. "Stereotyp remix" got an upbeat style, spacey breakdowns, start-stop beats and ... bass. Then you got a bonus track with "Stampin" - it's the original beat + vocals from Flowdan coming correct. SOLID release from Ninja Tune.

Featured Album : Earthtones & Concrete

Earthtones & Concrete Take Inner Current Recordings

Take blows up on Inner Current with a double whammy - new album and a new EP! I first heard him on his 2 tracker Took One on Poo-Bah, a meditative and laidback composition that references hiphop but never respecting to it's boundaries. This album is basically a superset of that EP - but instead of 2 tracks we have 18. The album itself reminds me a lot of Prefuse/73's "One Word Extinguisher" in many ways: the balance between traditional boom bap tracks and beatless "interludes" or "textural soundscapes", the alternation of haphazard mishmashes of samples and precisely arranged sections, seemingly orthogonal sections that melt from one to the next before varying parts between the two. That comparison made, Take strongly resembles Daedelus (fellow LA denizen and known conspirator - check his album on Ninja Tune, "Exquisite Corpse") in his sampling taste, and I believe there are appropriate parallels drawn to Leafcutter John (whose "Housebound Spirit" was one of 2003's best IDM releases) for his composition and technique. Tracks like "Black Space & Tangerines" represent Take's dreamy, meditative style: undulating drone synths accompanied by an understated rhythm track lay the groundwork for swirling vibraphone harmonies and sneaky trademark LA bass. "Man Plays Dirty", "Monopoly Money", "Stepping Over Buildings" and "Slouched Over Rmx" feature the more familiar straight ahead boom bap strut but dense with layers, always changing up and bringing in/out ideas. The tracks that are not dominated by a loping beat are spaced out, lazy numbers that exude both a casual approach and deeply felt emotion. "The Trouble With Libras" is probably the hit of the album for me - a very mellow interlude with a laidback guitar cadenza. Simple but it works. Overall the album is very dreamy, slightly hallucinogenic, an emotional lens. This is not particularly a "funky" album, this is not something you put on for you and your girlfriends to dance around in your underwear. This is music to chop carrots by; music to skip school to; music to do homework to; music for an afternoon in the office or at your pad watching cartoons. Q. Harris

Spotlight Artist: Lusine ICL

Sounds like the cover as much as possible. Has overtones of Brian Eno through entire disc. Short dynamic atmospheric soundscapes. effected percusion and frequencies take the mind on a listful journey.

Ron Murphy Detroit vinyl legend

On Saturday January 12th, Ron Murphy passed away at the age of 59 from an apparent heart attack.

As an audio engineer, he worked the reverb and echo units during Isaac Hayes' classic recording of "Walk On By" in 1971 at United Sound. He created his company, National Sound Corporation, and used his vintage cutting lathe from the 30's to master the music of almost every artist who put a record out from Detroit. The NSC logo was a stamp of sound quality. In the late 80's, he came to prominence in Detroit producing acetates and masters for the Legends of Detroit Techno. Murphy would master and cut metal prototype records, dub plates and acetates for artists to get their records mass produced or to have as tools to use in a club setting before pressing mass quantities. His attention to detail in producing a 12" singles as a work of art led to innovative and pioneering ideas and uses of vinyl as a tool. Loops and lock grooves had been used in records before, but in cutting a record at 33 and 1/3 he mastered tempo to one rotation. This allows a DJ to mix a single loop as a base and start using 3 turntables in sets. Jeff Mills utilized this feature on his earliest Axis releases. Messages in the grooves allowed Underground Resistance and Plus 8 recordings to have a positive competitive rivalry as well as send notes to fans and make statements. Ron cut records that played from the inside of the record outwards, put two songs in the same groove with what he called x2 technology and even cut entire songs backwards.

Murphy was known for producing full and warm sounds and not allowing the bass to kick a needle out of a groove. His kick drum sounds were the soul to Detroit's mechanistic machine music. Ron mastered one side of a piece of vinyl to its maximum sound availability. Depending on the length of the song and the pitch of the record, either 33 or 45, Ron would maximize the sonic potential of each record. He generally wouldn't cut a single 12" at 33 rpm that was longer than 12 minutes or a 45 over 9 minutes so he could keep as much frequency range as possible.

Ron's health had been waning in the early 2000's. VMax/Underground Resistance artist, Heath Brunner, studied under Ron to learn his techniques as best as possible. No word yet on Murphy's last wishes or the status of the future for Sound Enterprises. For memorial information, to keep abreast of the situation and future regards, see www.soundenterprises.com

Gary Davis

Jan 14, 2008

Greetings music lovers!

NECODO newsletter numero ni (nipponese) now announcing new knowledge! Can you dig it? In this issue: the story of Gary Davis, Miami Bass architect; NECODO user Earconscious with his review of a new Gary Davis mixtape by Mr. Chin; original work from Mr. Chin called "Meecheeko From Japan"; plus the new releases from Ghislain Poirier and 60hz, now available worldwide.

Featured Artist - Gary Davis

We're back to drop a bit of knowledge on you. This week's featured release is from Smash Hit Music Co: The music of Gary Davis in a continuous mix by Mr. Chin: "A New Jersey Story".

Gary Davis is one living legend that you probably have never heard of. Don't beat yourself up about it. Less than four years ago, Gary Davis didn't even know who "Gary Davis" was. It took Jeff Overton, an avid record collector trying to get any extra vinyl that Gary might have lying around to part with, to let Gary in on his own seemingly secret legacy. A long conversation later, Gary discovered that the music he made nearly twenty four years prior had become some of the most valuable collectible releases in eBay history. Some 12" releases go anywhere from $300 to $700 a piece.

I had the good fortune of getting my history lesson straight from the source, Mr. Gary Davis himself. What follows is less an interview and more of a "histography" that brings this magical record to light and Mr. Davis' amazingly storied career to an even longer life.

The Early Years

Raised in Camden N.J. by a father who was an R.C.A. electrical engineer, Gary was one of the first kids in the state to hear a high fidelity stereo sound system. His father built one that would get much use and feature his own eclectic tastes that spanned Jazz, lots of Classical, and (much to Gary's chagrin) Country and Western; an old habit from being around lots of "good ol' boys" in the Korean War. Gary's father had a larger house than most of his relatives, so when his Uncle Richard "Groove" Holmes got a new organ from Hammond, that "old B3" was brought over to the Davis house. This instigated Gary's parents to start piano lessons that carried over to Gary being able to play the church organ. The B3 is a such a unique instrument that it would only fill the Davis household for a few years before Uncle Richard came back to retrieve the classic organ, as the new gear just didn't have the same sound.

Around this time Gary would also be introduced to his other passion while on vacation with the family. This was when he was allowed to use the 8mm film camera to shoot some footage. When they returned, Gary and his siblings went on to make monster movies and other projects for themselves and friends.

Gary started college at Rutgers University where he hoped to follow his fathers footsteps into electrical engineering.

His heart was into music and so he transferred to Glassboro State (which is now Rowan U.). Here he would study Jazz piano, music theory, and composition. One of his Professors being Manny Alban, a Jazz legend that had done session work with many greats, one of them being Stan Kenton. Gary learned chord progressions and tapped into something he had noticed his uncle doing - playing a steady funky bass line with his left hand and an exploding melody with his right. Recording some of his Uncle’s sessions would lead to future projects that could not have been foreseen at the end of the 70's.

The Fusion of Disco, Jazz and Rap

A collective group of young neighborhood musicians, including Gary and his brother, called themselves the "Final Explosions." They later became "Sanction" and garnered session work in New York City. One of the first sessions was for Wayne Ford, where Gary would meet Peter Brown. Peter owned P&P records and was a man of the street, knowing how to hype projects and get people together. Gary likens him to a modern urban Hip Hop mogul who is all over the place, some days easy to find running the show, and at other times impossible to find for weeks on end.

His brother joined the military, left the group, and would be replaced by Darrell Felt. Darrell's father had been a jazz man so he and Gary hit it off immediately. This took their projects in a more wide-scoping direction without limits. Gary used his knowledge of orchestral string arrangements along with jazz progressions, and fused them to the beats that Peter was looking for. These compositions were aimed straight at dance floors and roller skating rinks. Having young vocalist Clyde Alexander, (15) be the only artist to sign on the track and receive artist credit. Gary was given credit as producer. In those days everyone had a role. Vocals, Guitars, horns, percussion as varied as behind a kit to timbale, vibes, marimbas, toms, handclaps, vocal yelps, Gary was arranger, performer/pianos, organs keys, & song writer. "Gotta get your love" on heavenly star records by Clyde Alexander & Sanction would go on to be the single that would fetch record eBay prices.

NECODO News

Listening to these early tracks one can hear Blues, Jazz, R and B, Soul, Funk, Disco, Hip Hop, and what would later become House, Techno, and Trance. Ultimately what the beat is doing is how the music becomes defined. These loose free sessions with Gary as the arranger and song writer didn't succumb to boundaries of genre, and were done with such musical knowledge and awareness that they became the valuables they are today. Always trying to take his feelings and emotions, and then combine his many influences into a song.

The Start of Chocolate Star

After going back and forth between the city and his home in Camden, Mr. Davis lost touch with Peter Brown. Brown had already introduced Gary to many of his foundation of artists, such as vocalists, The Jones Sisters; and drummer, Michael Campbell. From those early sessions Gary had met many of the people who he would continue to work with over the next four years. With the elements in place, he set out to create his own controlled project.

Local D.J. and graphic artist, Dennis Jones, helped push Gary to produce Chocolate Star. Gary had his own four-track recorder then, so he could write and layer tracks. Uncle Holmes even let Gary use one of his early expensive synthesizers. Combine that with one of the earliest Casio drum machines and you have the makings of a classic twenty seven years in the making.

These songs such as "Pop," "The Professor is Space Walking," "Stay With Me," "Gee Dee," "Queen Constance Theme," "Searching For My Lover," and "Remember Me" all contain an original elegance that nearly screams the definition of Funk music.

It was during this time Gary garnered the nickname, "The Professor," due to his education and slightly reclusive ways of retreating to the studio to work on the next thing.

The move to Florida and into "Miami Bass" and Films

Camden was, and still remains, a poor city with a high crime rate. After a few vacations in Florida visiting Uncles and cousins, he was convinced to come down to "live in heaven and leave hell." This was in 1984 when the long grooves of Disco had become the rhythms and foundation of rap music. While working in fast food at Popeye's in Riviera Beach, he convinced managers to use some of the air time they had bought with a local television station to shoot a commercial. It had to have some impact, because soon he had Chocolate Star and his four-track studio up and running again. This led to making his own music videos and working at and producing his own series called, "He is a ...?" for WXEL. This lasted for two and a half years with eighty seven episodes being produced. One of them led to a short film called, "He Is A Robber?" In this time, Gary was instrumental in attracting creative minds around him and bringing lots of ideas to fruition. His talent pool was many of the names that would become the foundation that Miami Bass would be built upon. Artists such as K.C. Cooli C., Damon Ware and BWare records, Jock B the Human Beat Box, Baby Fresh, JB Ski, D Kriss, DJ Wiz and Danny D who would produce the first "Boom I got Your Girlfriend." Even Luther Campbell was known to drop in before he became Luke Skywalker and started working with the Two Live Crew. This era is what Gary expects to have come in to the spotlight next. He is trying to garner all of the original tracks and reels together for a compilation.

Then there was a short stint running an old theater in collaboration with the city of Pahokie, FL; which combined cinema, a music and film studio, and a positive hang out for young people. Doing this for a year, not having the control he wanted, knowing he couldn't do everything himself, and wanting to see ideas come to reality, Gary focused more of his time completing film projects which allowed him to put some of his own songs in the soundtracks. Being very good at corralling talent has allowed him to keep his streak of indie films alive and well today. Since 1995, he has released fourteen independent productions in a capacity from writer, director, cinematographer, and producer. His last few films: "Jade and the White Tiger," "Sweet and Innocent," "Sinners Prayer," and "Zen;" have gathered so much attention, they are now available through Netflix.

Epilogue

This brings us full circle in our story. It happened to be through "Jade and The White Tiger" that allowed savvy Internet shopper Jeff Overton to wonder, "Is this the same Gary Davis?" That was nearly four years ago. In that time Gary has had a musical reunion with Peter Brown in New York, worked a deal with Traffic Entertainment, and released "The Best Of Gary Davis." Many of his master tracks are in the hands of Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez and Terry Hunter to be remixed. He sent the master reels of his Uncle Richard "Groove" Holmes to Mr. Chen for ep.II which has allowed him to do the "Natalie Cole thang" and play along. He is currently working on part II of "Zen" with "Count Osaka." This is a story of revenge by a half-black, half-Japanese Vampire in 1750 Japan.

These are the three major phases of the storied career that makes Mr. Davis so unique: Disco/Rap Pioneer, Miami Bass Instigator, and Independent Film Maker. I asked Gary to leave us with some musings and, as usual, he didn't fail to deliver.

"There is nothing wrong with digital distribution at all. It allows more people to hear the music… Do what you like to do, and follow through. Don't let anyone keep you from following your dreams and passions. If you do something well, sooner or later people are going to discover what you’re doing. Do not depend on other people to have control over your destiny. If you want to do it, just do it! Don't worry about your age or what you may have done in the past. Some people find their calling late in life. Educate the people, and pass the music on."

We here at NECODO will do just that, Gary. Thanks.

-J Grindle

Featured User Review - A New Jersey Story

From the art work one may be fooled into thinking this is a lost release from the master of Funk himself James Brown. Not quite but close, it is from a legend still in the making; Mr. Gary Davis. This is a collection of grooves recently mixed by L.A.'s Mr. Chin. The original samples are from Gary Davis' own vault of tapes that even include his Uncle Richard "Groove" Holmes on Hammond B-3 from back in the day. New vocals were put down by Mr. Chin, original vocalist Clyde Alexander and Gary himself. This allowed Gary to perform with his legendary Uncle which he didn't get to do while he was alive. Mr Chin edits and masters the collection adding some new piano by Gary to create this complex mix of soulful funk disco that continues to stand the test of time and can bring Gary's story further into the light. People who want an authentic piece of American Soul history should catch this rare groove.

From Da Vault - Meecheeko From Japan

Meecheeko From Japan Mr. Chin Rong Music

Mr. Chin's "Meecheeko from Japan" is on the Rong Music label owned by Ben Cook. This is a sampling artist's wildest dream. Combining on-the-street dialog, deep dark clanging bass lines, scratching, typewriter-like cymbal work; the remix is a bit more Dee Lite like with swirly flute sounding keyboards, bending/not quite acid lines, and a bit more big beat percussion. The EP is rounded out with "No Compromise," a treatise on computer making music with crazy jazz lines weaved in and out of this dissertation. Makes one eager to hear what Mr. Chin has and will do with samples of Gary Davis' past and present sounds.

New Release - No More Blood (remix)

No More Blood Various Artists Ninja Tune

Now available worldwide! Some synthed up dancehall for your ass. Ragga vocals preachin peace and an end to violence. The beat is this arpeggiated Nintendo-sounding voice that morphs through different sonic shapes while repeating the same melodic line. Stabshot Riddim is basically the instrumental of this remix. Frontaways Riddim is a short but enticing little dancehall riddim with filtered synth noises being twisted throughout.

New Release - Bad Girl

Bad Girl 60 Hz Ninja Tune

Now available worldwide! Ninja Tune bringing it with Cecile toasting over some grimey dancehall from 60hz (sixtycycles). Growling bass, phased guitar shifting around and understated apocalyptic synthlines make up the beat while Cecile works the mic. The A. Montana Riddim is the instrumental side.

Parting Shot

Quick joke for you guys - this is for the programmers.

Q: What is a bird's favorite programming language?

A: awk!

Q: What is a bird's favorite part about descendants of C?

A: Ternary expressions!

Comin up next week we got another dubstep jam from The Bug, strutty hip hop from Take on Inner Current, tech-house remixes of RS-232 on Blank Records, and some ruff drumnbass from 3rd Degree out on Ground Level. Until next time!