Thursday, April 30, 2009

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

UPDATE / WOMAN OF THE WORLD

FYI: HISSNLISSN is moving soon. Everything I hoped this site would be (before it became a place for me to dump random Youtube links) will be taking place there - mixes, project news, and other exciting stuff.

Enjoy.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

VERSION>09



MONDAY APRIL 27, 2009

Electronique Night
Sonotheque, 1444 West Chicago Ave
9:00 pm • $5


Video program and musical performances

(I'll be doing an Ableton set before/between/after all the performances, all night. Have some v. special stuff planned, hope you can make it out.)

VERSION>09

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

THE FOUR HORSEMEN



Been stuck inside my head ever since hearing a v. interesting mix this weekend. Was considering purchasing a copy on Discogs when I realized that I already have the record - for some reason I overlooked this song in a big way, or it's just been that long since I've picked it up that I completely forgot about it. Either way, this seems to happen to me a lot, and it's annoying - I would have totally brought this with me to Phyllis' on Sunday and played it like five times, just like I wanted to do (but ultimately didn't) with "S-S-S-Single Bed."

Speaking of Phyllis', here are some lists.

Tracks I did play: Liars, "Broom"; some Will Oldham song that's way better on Youtube/the radio than it is in studio; Imagination, "Just an Illusion (Lindstrøm Vocal Edit)"; the whole 9+ minutes of Neil Young's version of "Down by the River"; "Jeepster"; "Dead Souls" (Still version); and I can't recall what else, but not much, really.

Things I wanted to play but didn't / forgot to: "Seen All Good People"; "Going Mobile"; "Sunrain"; "The Precise Temperature of Darkness"; "Take a Chance"; and this way out Circulus song.

Point: the set that didn't happen seems a lot more interesting / fun than the one that did.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

MORE D(-)DEVIL(S)

(BONUS VIDEO)

(BONUS LYRICS)
Judgement Day
The day has come!
Judgement Day!
It`s Judgement Day!
In the North:
Computers are taking over the world.
In the East:
Humans are becoming slaves to their own creations.
In the South:
People are running for their lives.
In the West:
You have to choose!
You can run, or you can hide!
You can talk, or you can fight!
But remember...
Everything you say, can and will be used against you...
So shut up and dance!!!
Whether you`re in the North, East, South or West...
Everything you say, can and will be used against you...
Judgement Day!
North, East, South, West!
Judgement Day!

(BONUS ANALYSIS)
Ok, so this is obviously from the same show, but it's the only other footage I could find, so I guess I'm at least somewhat wrong about point #3, above.
That said, I feel like some contradictions / oddities from the lyrics to "Judgement Day" should be pointed out here. I know what they say about glass houses and all, but still...

The North, where computers are apparently taking over the world, and the East, where humans are becoming slaves to their creations, sound like they're having similar issues, computers being man-made and all.
What, in fact, are the people in the South running from? A bit of detail would go a long way toward securing my credulity, Devil Man.
And I guess the big issue here is, do we, as Westerners, have to look forward to other than a choice? I'm going to go ahead and assume that whatever we choose, we'll ultimately end up opting for "shut up and dance," but I wonder why this apparent world-wide plague has yet to reach an entire quadrant of the globe.

DANCE WITH THE DEVIL



Four notes about this:

1. Do you ever get the feeling, when telling someone who's not "down," that you're into / dj techno, that this is among their immediate associations with the term? For me it's either this or "Firestarter."

2. Best comment:
52772 (4 hours ago)
I will rather hear gothic music!
3. The video is under four minutes. That's quite an elaborate stage setup for a four minute song. Do you think D-Devils had other songs that they played at this show, or was it just "Dance With The Devil" and fin.

4. What do you think these guys are doing now? Any chance they had something to do with Dubfire's remix of "Grindhouse Tool?"

(BONUS INSIDE JOKE)
5. I laughed not because I remember this song from the ads on B96 for haunted houses in Joliet, but because my initial thought was of Snooch.

Monday, April 13, 2009

MAIL CALL

My copy of "Deep Burnt" arrived in the mail today. Thanks to my landlord for accepting the package - Logan Square P.O. is a drag. Sucks for him, though - I'm playing the track as I type this with all the faders pushed to the hilt, and my landlord lives downstairs.

Other records that arrived:

Others, "Take 1 / Take 2" [Musique Risquee]
Jichael Mackson, "Baff" [Hartchef Discos]
Minimono / Markus Fix, "Sweet Murmur / House in the House" [Love Letters from Oslo]
V/A, "Exchange Place" [Strength Music] (in my most humble opinion, easily one of the most overlooked records of 2008 - two tracks feature prominently in tite mixes from last year, Steffi's RA podcast and Norman Nodge's mnml ssgs set, but I don't recall reading much about the record, label, or artists beyond that. I could just be ign'ant, though - this is very likely.)

Waiting on:

Woods 7" from Captured Tracks. Listen to the B-side, "The Dark," @ hypemachine.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

DENNEHY

PIETRO VS. MEIER @ LAVA 13.02.09

Bit of a "future classic" here. Knew I was hearing something amazing at the time (warmup for 2562) but honestly didn't expect it to be 1. recorded and 2. caned for months after the recording was made available. It's well deserved, and I hope anyone who has a chance to hear it, does, which is why I'm posting it here.

A few things I could go on and on about but won't, rather illustrating in brief: "bridging the gap"; the fact that this sets was done up on laptops, using Ableton, and how Pietro + Meier use the software to their advantage; how the setlist here illustrates "where we're at" in 2009, past + future classics.

Pietro + Meier join forces again this Tuesday @ Sonotheque, another 2 hour set warming up this time for Kode 9. Consider it a can't miss.

Jeff Pietro + Karl P. Meier. Lava. 13.2.09
82 min | 256 kbps | 150 mb

Exos - Begin (curved space edit) - Force Inc 208 - 2001
Basic Channel - Q1.1 (Edit) [warped loop] - BC04 - 1993
T++ - Audio1995#8_2 - Apple Pips 004 - 2008
Oz Artists - Matrix Noise - Æ LP01 - 1999
Burial - Night Train - Hyperdub 001 - 2005
The Black Dog - Floods V3.2 (Surgeon Remix) - Soma 231 - 2007
Can - Future Days (Carl Craig Blade Runner Remix) - Spoon 039/40 - 1997
Shackleton - Shortwave - Skull Disco 010 - 2008
Stasis - Once Around The Moon (stable orbit edit) - SSR 187 - 1997
Monolake - Alaska (Substance Remix 1) - ML021 - 2006
Mordant Music - Olde Wobbly - MM024 - 2008
Female - Exotica (O/V edit) - RSB 03 - 2005
Autechre - Lost - Warp 54 - 1994
Archae & Grovskopa - Dwell & Dive (version) - unreleased - 2002
TRG & Dub U - Harajuku - Tempa 036 - 2008
Headhunter - In Motion - Tempa CD014 - 2008
Martyn - Vancouver [warped loop] - 3024-002 - 2008
Hookian Mindz - Freshmess (Bandulu's Remix) - Flagbearer 106 - 1995
2 Bad Mice - Waremouse - Moving Shadow 14 - 1991
The Memory Foundation - Nutritious Dub - Central 17 - 2002
Jus Wan - The Crossing - Tube 10 003 - 2008
Shake - Landing, Surveying - NSC 1-4 - 1998
Plug - 3.41 - Rising High/Plug 1 - 1995
Scanone - DarkDub (Scanone VIP) - Combat 10 - 2006
Boxcutter - Grub - Planet Mu 147 - 2006
Funckarma - Otrivines - Ad Noiseam 99 - 2008
T++ - Allied - Erosion 008 - 2007
Monolake - Static - ML004 - 1999
Rumenige & Loktibrada - Rumbrada - UFF 6.0 - 2006
Bandulu - Ki - Infonet 024T - 1995
DJ Nex - Respect Is Due (shot edit) - Stafford North 1 - 1992
Heiko Laux (HLX) - Granulate Two - Kanzleramt 110 - 2004
Caustic Window - Clayhill Dub - Rephlex 009ii - 1993
Andy Stott - Blocked - Modern Love 024 - 2006
Boards Of Canada - The Beach At Redpoint - Warp 101 - 2002

Friday, April 10, 2009

La Ritournelle


Into the original studio version, but I like the way this is put together live - doesn't go straight for the jugular. Fantastic stuff.

Recap

Last night's Let's Go Deep session went well, far and away more fun (for me) than the Sonotheque set a week ago (really, a week ago? Must have been longer than that...). Setlist forthcoming - my records are still in the car. Wish I had more to say about it other than, yeah, sure feels good to play on functioning decks. Cafe Lura also made some huge upgrades to their soundsystem, likely for the dubstep boys / weekend junglists, but we'll definitely take it - nice to see that they're taking the place seriously (as opposed to some other places I've played - looking at you, Tumbao).

Eric is on to some, as we say, "out shit" lately. Anxiously awaiting his latest, and also hoping he can filter through some of the Mutant Sounds stuff for me, as I think I'm going to have my hands full (if/when it arrives) with a bunch of new records. Also received a disc of material dated 1991-1993 by a mutual acquaintance/neighbor, John of Shifty Science. Met him at the 25+25 party and was very excited to hear that he had this archive of tracks. The actual sounds have thus far totally surpassed my expectations (which were high to begin with) and when he says that he might be "getting the band back together" I seriously hope this is true. May be able to share some stuff with (all 2 of) you in the future.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

"Headfuck Techno"

Don't know how I missed this (I say this as I figuratively shake my fist at the Blogger follow feature), but the Cio D'or mix on mnml ssgs (ssgcast #21) is phenomenal. I usually reserve judgment until I've actually been through a piece as a whole, but only ~20 minutes into "Planetary Nebular" (Ms. D'or's title for the mix) and I can say with a great degree of confidence that this is a new favorite, something I'll be turning on more often than not in any mood, no matter the reason.

The guys at mnml ssgs have come up with a term for this type of sound - "head-" or "mind-fuck" techno. Donato Dozzy (whose name, interestingly enough, is reminiscent in some synaesthetic/onomatopeiatic way of his preferred sound) has been carrying the torch for this new breed of "true" minimal techno, and his RA podcast #105 is a great place to start. As the ssgs say: "elemental." It's easy to get wrapped up in sonic trends of genre music, but this stuff really excites me; it does with synths what Rob Hood did with percussion.

There's some overlap between this and the "Berghain sound" pushed by Ben Klock, Norman Nodge, and of course, Marcel Dettman, so it's only fitting that the news accompanying the mix is thus: Dozzy and D'or will be releasing an EP together on Peter Van Hoesen's Time to Express label. So into it.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Undergrads vs. Inmates


Few random thoughts / observations (not necessarily re: the above, though I do encourage you to take the time to check that out).

My first go at Sonotheque in five years wasn't what I expected. The setup was a bit janky - the feet of the decks were positioned precariously upon cigarette ashtrays with rubber bands tied round - and the main console wasn't an option for some reason. I had a hell of a time using the pitch sliders on both decks, as every time my meaty hands got hold of the pitch it would cause the record to skip. I guess the lesson here (in many ways) is that I do not play out often enough. Kind of sucks to know that the practice I'm constantly doing at home doesn't have much real world application, though - my best nights of late have been at the Let's Go Deep nights at Cafe Lura, where I usually end up bringing my own 1200's and am fairly comfortable with them. Excuses are like assholes...

Steve asked me about the SXSW trip and mentioned that I hadn't written about it. I really don't know what to write, for a number of reasons. I feel like my relative ignorance of the cultural context for a lot of what we saw allowed me to enjoy the shows without the burden of any kind of active, in the moment, metaphysical analysis - most discussions I had with Eric at the time, re: the music/crowds/etc. was limited to what was actually seen and heard, with some rote extrapolation. Knowing, now, just how much hype surrounds some of those bands makes it somewhat difficult to get my thoughts in order. I'll try, sometime.

(It doesn't help that for as much fun as I had going out to the shows, I still feel that the best parts of the trip involved getting to hang out with our dear friend / host, Will, which would make any honest, written discussion of the trip less of a critique and more of a diary entry.)

Finally got to meet Jake last night. Hey, Jake! I picked a URL at random.

A link to a Youtube video of Thee Oh Sees playing one of the shows we attended down in Austin gives me an idea - I think my SXSW roundup (get it? I mean, do you get it?) will consist of videos from shows we were at. It should be relatively easy, given the amount of iPhones present wherever we went.


Final note: discussion re: the label Troubleman Unlimited (relevant, again, in 2009) led to an immediate connection, one of the finest examples of the mid- to late-90's "emo" sound. What a loaded term that is. Indian Summer did it best/earliest, and the Canadian band Shotmaker ran with it. Troubleman released a great double-disc discography of the band's output sometime in the early 00's (which I bought from a bandmate's mini-distro on a Buy Nothing Day, which means I got it for free dollars and never followed up on my promise to pay him), and for reasons possibly limited to nostalgia / the amount of times I listened to those cd's, I think it "holds up." Those of you who are both curious and have loose morals can check out the complete discography here.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Awdio stream from Sonotheque tonight

If you're an agoraphobe, ill, or live far away, check out tonight's sets (including mine!) on awdio.com.

Pépé Bradock & The Grand Brûlé's Choir, "Deep Burnt"



Amazing house track. My tastes tend to run along two lines - "tracky" long loops or "tools" and euphoric, melodic stuff like this. Will never get enough of this one, especially when used tastefully in mixes... I first fell in love with the tune after hearing it in Panoramabar resident Steffi's Resident Advisor podcast #120. Steffi deploys the track toward the very end of the mix, serving upon first listen as a most pleasant surprise, an oasis after so much abrasive (in a good way), psychotic, dirty, looping house tracks (prime example: Marcus Mixx's "Psychousic"); repeat listens render "Deep Burnt" as sort of a mnemonic "goal," knowing you're going to be fed some well deserved sugar once the timer starts running to close, paired neatly with a Charles Webster remix of Justin Martin's "The Sad Piano," yet another melancholic / melodic earworm, though not quite on the same scale as "Deep Burnt."

Eric Cloutier (Bunker, NYC) used "Deep Burnt" early on in his recent podcast @ mnml ssgs, coming right out of / into (I forget which) one of my favorite house tunes of the moment (for entirely different reasons), Seth Troxler's "Aphrika," which uses a pitched down sample of a reading of Maya Angelou's poem, "Phenomenal Woman." I feel like Steffi may have set the standard for the use of "Deep Burnt" (toward the end of a mix, rather than early on) but despite this (personal/subjective) faux pas, Eric's mix is a terrific blend of the "deepest" house music played at a clip no faster than 120 bpm (sort of his m.o.). Keep an eye out for Eric's 3+ hour set from our 25+25 party (once we sort out some technical issues with the recording) - our expectations were high, and he exceeded them with little effort. Brilliant stuff.

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Chicago, IL, United States
Writer, DJ, and a few other things surrounded by scare quotes.

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