27 Feb 2014 — Tonje Thilesen
While we're eagerly waiting for new details on Prism House next release, two of Norway's most exciting producer names of the past few years (in my opinion), Snasen and Torkelsen, have given their production aid to a few tracks off the New York duo's 2013 release, Reflections EP. Just to expect from Snasen's warped mind, his take on "Need You (Part I)" moves through a thick fog, occasionally unveiling his inspiration to Jon Hopkins and fellow Ceremony resident Albert Swarm; while Torkelsen does exactly what he's best at, finding the lonely, but utterly beautiful balance between melancholy and dance music.
More details to follow soon on Prism House's next release, so keep an eye up on our buddies at Ceremony NYC.
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20 Feb 2014 — Trey Reis
Looking at the visual geography of “M4U” on the Soundcloud embed, it’s the kind of track you turn the volume on your computer down a few notches before pressing play. It could be a blast of harsh noise from the looks of its plateaued waveform. It’s not, of course, and the body of that unsloping wall of sound is built by the throbbing quality of the unrelenting bass beats driving the track. And it never lets up. It’s a welcome change from all of the glitchy inconsistencies of so much of beat-based music being magnetized and compressed to tape. But, then again, Beer on the Rug has always had a tendency of keeping things cool. Like “welcome, have a seat anywhere you like, here’s a beer in a cup. Things rarely get so out-of-hand that it ends up on the rug.” Well, we’re not ruling anything out.
“M4U” is the first single from the new ENDO KAME album, MUSIC 4 EON GREEN available for streaming now from the Beer on the Rug website. No word yet on a physical release, but considering the BOTR track record, I wouldn’t rule that out either.
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20 Feb 2014 — Evelyn Malinowski
Snarly, lonesome, and bulging: those are some words that describe Karen Gwyer's new EP New Roof. With "Missisissipippi," lonesomeness, with some amount of resentment, is the more suitable quality of the EP's three tracks. This of course an impression made by the down-octave synth; but the fanning on top of it during the track's last quarter in particular conveys some kind of malcontent. As the track starts, the sound of artificial wind lain on top of tethered drone and later a slow beat – the one that ties interestingly into the prime beat – likewise gives off an impression of isolation, where only the wind can be heard apart from a burning feeling from inside. Makes me think that she composed the song during the heat of the summer in a shack on the edge of the city, which clearly isn't the case. With these observations aside, Gwyer's sound is agreeably unqiue among releases today, and it's laudable to see how much can be done within her domain/room as it both sounds and is in fact meandering and spacious.
New Roof is freshly available on No Pain in Pop. You can order it here.
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20 Feb 2014 — Henning Lahmann
As some of you will know, No Fear Of Pop started as little more than a historical accident, and in some ways you may even say that it still is. But hey, it's been around for four years now already, and isn't that sort of legitimising in itself? Almost an aeon in blog terms, we're still happy to be doing what we're doing, and we promise (?) that we have no intention to stop. Which is why we figured that it's about time to finally properly celebrate another year of existence, and the night to do so will happen at Neukölln venue Sameheads tomorrow, Friday, February 21 – so come and have a good time with us, congratulate, bring flowers, or just seize the opportunity to finally complain about everything that bothers you, in general and concerning our humble website.
The magic starts at 10pm. A few fine friends and long-standing supporters are helping us to make the party unforgettable, in this order:
10pm No Fear Of Pop
11pm Cory & Robin
12am Jason Grier
1am Antonie93 (Montreal/live)
2am Joey Hansom
3am Why Alex Why?
4am Michael Aniser (Noisekölln)
Go here for more details. Also, don't miss our show on Berlin Community Radio tomorrow afternoon, 4pm CET as usual, to hear us play some of our all-time favourites that were posted on the site over the past four years.
In anticipation of the night, our dear friend Joey Hansom has made us a mix, including some of the more dancefloor-friendly tunes that have been featured on No Fear Of Pop. Take a listen below, and join us tomorrow night!
Tracklist:
Airbird “Part of the Game”
Gacha “Remember”
Jef Barbara “About Singers”
Planningtorock “All Love’s Legal”
Godmother “These Things Take Time”
Easter “Sky”
Antoine93 “Only Do the Music”
Alexander Geist “A Woman’s Right to Choose”
White Car “Now We Continue”
Shine 2009 feat. Paula Abdul “So Free” (Jensen Sportag Remix)
Tomas Barfod “Aether”
Ital “Queens”
Heatsick “Speculative”
Ikonika feat. Jessy Lanza “Beach Mode (Keep It Simple)”
Kassem Mosse “Broken Patterns”
Avalon Emerson “Zsa”
Holly Herndon “Chorus”
Maria Minerva “Gloria”
Felicita “Shougang Fantasy / Wavey”
Stay+ feat. Queenie “Crashed”
Cloud Boat “Pink Grin II”
Laurel Halo “Throw”
Arca “Mother”
Kuhrye-oo “For the Fame II”
How to Dress Well “Ready for the World”
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19 Feb 2014 — Kelsie Brown
By no means a stranger to NFOP, Paris producer Sebastien Forrester, aka Holy Strays has changed directions a bit and remixed rapper Rejjie Snow, the pseudonym of Dublin, Ireland's Alex Anyaegbunam. Similar to how Forest Swords handled the production of young hip hop artist Haleek Maul's "Lobo", Holy Strays adds a dark and almost baroque edge to Rejjie Snow's already menacing words. "Snow" is taken from Rejovich, Anyaegbunam's 2013 debut EP on Kaya Kaya Records. It works so well that we can barely even imagine it's a re-work, as Rejjie Snow's deep voice flows too well with the ominous bells placed carefully by Holy Strays. We can only hope that this is more than just a chance encounter for the French producer, and that more collaboration with hip hop artists is to come.
Stream "Snow" as remixed by Holy Strays below:
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18 Feb 2014 — Lukas Dubro
"Everyday" by Swedish pop duo Iberia was one of my favourite music videos of last year, with its used footage-driven rave atmosphere. We see some skinhead hardcore fans hanging out at a rave event, taking group pictures, smoking, talking, walking or putting lipstick on. People who know hardcore will be missing one thing: the dance moves. As a concession, we get a lesson in hardcore fashion style, since the camera is paying a lot of attention to their outfits: You get close ups from their futurstically coloured Nike Airmax sneakers, their camouflage pants, the tags on their jackets and sweaters and other small accesoires. So at the end, everyone will be abled to recognize a hardcore kid in a club.
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The clip is one further example of the appropriation of the sound and style of the 90s rave culture in contemproray music. The music of Canadian counter culture icon Grimes is only the most well-known instance. Even magazine Electronic Beats – famous for its conversations with grandfathers of pop and rock – put German mainstream rave legend H.P. Baxxter on the cover. And even the Berlin underground has started to adapt, re-discovering the sweat pants and bomber jackets so signifying for early Dutch hardcore. Just go to any Janus or Creamcake party at expat stronghold Chesters and you'll understand. In a recent interview with Berlin's "The One-Hit Parade", Chesters regular M.E.S.H. bluntly admitted that he's not only listening to and DJing 90s Dutch dance underground tracks, but that the music's samples also serve as his own work's basis. His reappropriation goes as far as using similar software synthesizers for his productions.
It's still not very clear where and when this whole rave revival started. But it certainly grew over the past two years. One of the first artists referencing 90s rave was of course UK producer Zomby with his 2008 EP Where Were You in 92?. Zooming out to get a bigger picture, one cannot deny that the 90s are back on a grand scale. Further examples include vaporwave, the revival of R'n'B (and even Usher!), or the latest album by sound visionist Oneohtrix Point Never. So maybe the hardcore's resurrection is just one further aspect within a larger development.
Even though the latest video for Iberia's new song "Glide" doesn't picture skinheads, we still get to see sweatpants and some branded gloves. We're also confronted with an inverted colour effect, a visual technique that was as well popular some 20 years ago and that's furthermore quite reminiscent of the ghostly 3D animations that Oneohtrix Point Never employed on his tour last fall. The typo used for the Gothenburg/Berlin duo's name tag, blinking up several times in the video, may be viewed as a reference to the vaporwave movement. Once again unearthing that certain decade by means of their visuals, Iberia re-emphasise how serious they are – and we all should be? – when it comes to bringing back the ghosts of our childhood and youth. Watch the video for "Glide" below.
Iberia's self-titled debut full-length is out on Hybris in March.
17 Feb 2014 — Parker Bruce
Over the summer, Swedish act Shadow Shadow (aka Mattias Friberg) gave us a 7" that went straight to the heart. Now, the full-length Riviera is following on March 4th here in America courtesy of Shadow Shadow's own label Molnstaden. "Kill Screen" further demonstrates his mastery of synth sagas. Friberg makes songs that are thoughtful and relentless, taking this very common sound further than many of his brethern. Like "1000001" and "Riviera" before it with their cataclysmic words ("we would not fall in love," "I can't fight the nights all by myself"), "Kill Screen" aches beyond belief as it waltzes, dallies, and dithers. It's music that immediately puts a lump in your throat, constricting your breath, and we wouldn't have it any other way. Kicki Halmos' vocals come across as if they are hidden behind a great screen. As I write this, I'm sitting in a café/bar in Brooklyn where, a few minutes ago, they lowered the lights – which feels like the ideal way to listen to Shadow Shadow's all-encompassing tomes. Find the pre-order here.
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17 Feb 2014 — Parker Bruce
Finally, after two long years of anticipation, one of England's best new bands, Fear of Men, are about to put out their first proper album, Loom. "Alta" and "Waterfall" both demonstrate how much Fear of Men have learned about structure and changes in tone since last year's Early Fragments. The LP's title reflects the band's sonic expansions, intimating a sound that is cocoon-like and enveloping. "Alta" is a low key sea shanty of sorts delving into the tufting tune of "Waterfall." Where the lyrics on Early Fragments expressed a picaresque form of alienation, "Waterfall" gives hope: "I'm not alone in this." Ending with a minute-long string instrument solo, there surely are very promising things ahead.
Loom is out April 21 via Kanine Records. Pre-order now over here.
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