04 Mar 2014 — Parker Bruce
The other day, Dummy premiered the EP For Seven Nights This Island Is Ours, by a 25-year old Londoner named Ana Caprix. Honestly, it's one of the best things I've heard so far this year. It is a totally immersive listen with a very observational, patient tone. The highlights include "@The Villa (Blackout)" which joins two thematically disparate Britney Spears songs, "Criminal" and "I Wanna Go," from her 2011 album, Femme Fatale. The way Ana Caprix unites them is truly moving. And the song ends in a complete and total "Ray of Light" manner. ":))" sounds like I Break Horses' "Winter Beats" just with Miguel, and "O.K.O.M.O." is transportive as if we are in some futuristic cathedral where thumping and thudding Gregorian chant still reigns. Go download it here.
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03 Mar 2014 — Parker Bruce
The name of Little Jinder's new song "Ful och Tråkig Tjej" means "ugly and boring girl" in Swedish. Though I have no idea what she is saying in the rest of the lyrics (except for "super duper" at one point), I'm assuming it is an indictment of mean girls. This zapping song with its stun gun effect calls to mind a more relaxed Team Rockit, Mssingno, and perhaps most specifically, Ryuichi Sakamoto's soundtrack to the 1983 David Bowie movie Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, with its abundance of chimes. And the turquoise, baby blue, purple, and pink video is wonderfully strange with Little Jinder getting a manicure and her hair brushed and braided by two people with shirts that read "Girl." There's also an array of Little Jinder gear present throughout such as a bedsheet and sticker emblazoned with her image as well as a temporary tattoo bearing the song's title. "Ful och Tråkig Tjej" is out now on Sweden's Goldenbest Records. Get it on iTunes!
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03 Mar 2014 — Parker Bruce
It's difficult to believe the singer of the song "Oil Panic", remixed here by Sweden's Daniel Savio, used to be in a hardcore band, but such is the case with Torgny. The original "Oil Panic" has hints of Torgny's hardcore past in it with all the big, yelling, and loud vocals, revved up and raring to go sharp synth, and a deliberate beat. Daniel Savio's version has a panning gait with what sounds like plops in a pond. Torgny's original bombastic and gonzo approach is mulled into stretching and elegantly squeaking baubles of synth. Torgny's album, Oil Panic, is out now.
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03 Mar 2014 — Henning Lahmann
Berlin via Norway electronic producer Boska, last seen when releasing his very convincing Submarine 12" on Munich label Permanent Vacation last October, today drops a mixtape in order to inaugurate Fathermother, a collective gathered around the band Fiordmoss, which counts Jon-Eirik Boska as one of its members. The 29-minute piece named Løveår ("Lion Year" in English) is truly a treat, in its entirety composed of new and consistently convincing material by the artist. Slightly downbeat in tone yet at times suitable for any afterhour dancefloor, the tracks are among Boska's lushest and most refined works yet. The music is accompanied by its own website, created by Roman Přikryl, which features sliding visuals by Petra Hermanová, who had already been responsible for Boska's superb visuals during their set at the NFOP stage of last year's Torstraßen Festival.
Visit the website here to watch and listen to Løveår, and to download the mixtape for free. Recommended.
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02 Mar 2014 — Henning Lahmann
Do you miss Hype Williams already? Could this have been a Hype Williams track? Would you miss Dean Blunt as much as you miss Hype Williams or do you not care as you don't see any difference anyway? Do you think Dean Blunt felt "pressured" to drop a new track now that Inga Copeland has finally announced her proper debut album? Do you think Hype Williams came out of the shadows to direct Yeezus: The Movie because "Hype Williams" is finally not a thing anymore? Do you think Dean Blunt's next album Black Metal will contain black metal samples instead of Julee Cruise or K-Ci & JoJo? Would we need to invent a new genre name for that? Why would anyone leave Hippos In Tanks in order to release new material on Rough Trade, isn't that very 90s? Is that the point maybe, that it "feels" very 90s, so ironically? How did they make Blunt suddenly disappear in the video? Is the protagonists' choice of clothing a comment on or maybe even an endorsement of #normcore? What does it say about us that we didn't know what "Mersh" is? What does it tell us about Dean Blunt?
We have no idea. While you're trying to find out, here's a song to sing along to:
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28 Feb 2014 — Henning Lahmann
People, or really anything that matters, don't need to be pretty to take our breath, Yohuna aka Wisconsin native Johanne Swanson tells us in the chorus of her latest song "Badges", a variation of The Hunger Games' Katniss Everdeen's famous quote "I am not pretty. I am not beautiful. I am as radiant as the sun," and inspired by Californian artist Faye Orlove's stunning portrait of said character. "Badges" now happens to be both breathtaking and immensely pretty; built upon a sparse Casiotone instrumentation and with a little help from her friend Emily Reo, the song's unassuming melody leaves enough room for Yohuna's lyrics to unfold a sad yet cautiously optimistic narrative about being in search of whatever, and (possibly) arriving somewhere in the end. We assume, or can at least hope, that being a radiating light will turn out to be helpful for that.
New Yohuna songs actually recorded and put down onto some physical format are still all too rare occasions, so go and cherish this one as much as her last song, the equally disarming "Apart" which came out on Le Sigh's first compilation on Birdtapes in November – because who knows how long we'll have to wait for the next one. "Badges" will be part of Boring Ecstasy, a 14-track vinyl compilation put out by Brooklyn's Orchid Tapes in celebration of the label's four-year anniversary. Pre-orders go up March 22. Check out Andi Wilson's portrait of Orchid Tapes over here.
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27 Feb 2014 — Tonje Thilesen
We're very excited to announce that we're taking part as one of the blogs of Hype Machine's Hype Hotel at SXSW this year, more particularly on Saturday, March 15th, together with our friends at ISO50. Together, we've curated a line-up of acts that particularly fits the sound of our websites, including live sets by Berlin local Machinedrum and his highly anticipated Vapor City Live performance, fellow Norwegian Cashmere Cat, Montreal's Jacques Greene, Danish producer Tomas Barfod (featuring Nina K), Hyperdub's rising Jessy Lanza, and The Range. In the DJ booth between shows, you will also get a chance to catch ISO50's Heathered Pearls, Joel Ford and Brandom Boom from The-Drum.
SCHEDULE:
12 The Range
1pm Tomas Barfod + Nina K
2pm Jessy Lanza
3pm Cashmere Cat
4pm Jacques Greene
5pm Machinedrum (Vapor City live)
Heathered Pearls (DJ)
Joel Ford (DJ)
The-Drum (DJ)
Make sure to RSVP via Hype Machine so you can come celebrate the event with us, and of course, don't forget to check out the other day shows curated by our friends Disco Naivetë x Crack in the Road, Yours Truly x Gorilla vs Bear, I Guess I'm Floating, Consequence of Sound, and Ears of the Beholder x Yvynyl.
Thanks to the sponsors Taco Bell, Titos Handmade Vodka and Miller. See you there!
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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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