old: 1 Mile North "In 1983 He Loved to Fly"

Minor Shadows

Been traversing backwards in the musical spectrum lately, delving into the depths of ambient, sound design and so-called "new age" music for the past few months, and while I've been listening to a lot of German music from the late 70s, one of the more modern acts that has hit me is 1 Mile North. I was not aware of the soundscape duo until recently (thx), however, the groups minimal output (just two records, the last of which was released in 2003 on Ba Da Bing!) has been extremely affecting. Much like Stars of the Lid's Music for Nitrous Oxide, 1 Mile North craft shades akin to Vangelis' soundtrack for Blade Runner, an ever (un)conscious mix of digital scapes and acoustic voices. Perfect for the ensuing Winter.

mp3: Sacred Harp "Rappahannock (JR)"

Dogwood

Daniel Bachman first came to my attention when Mirror Universe released his tape Feast of the Green Corn earlier this year. Noticeably out of line with the proto-chillwave the South Carolina label had released prior, Sacred Harp culled Apalachian ragas reminiscent of Robbie Basho, John Fahey, and most recently, Jack Rose (R.I.P.), and while the comparisons are apt, they are not defining. Sacred Harp is not simply channeling these axeman, but rather joining the tradition from a different standpoint, one with as much clear focus on dirging drones, as high-mountain balladry. Sacred Harp's debut full-length Apparitions at the Kenmore Plantation, if anything, proves that Bachman can sit side-by-side on Grandfather Mountain playing with his elders, and that each will most likely look at him, slyly, and nod, in recognition, which is pretty much the best compliment you could get from an elder statesman. One of the most striking debuts of the year, and one that sits mighty well next to Julian Lynch's Mare, and Rose's swan song, Luck In the Valley.

Sacred Harp's Apparitions at the Kenmore Plantation is currently available as a free digital dowload, as well as a limited, self-released edition of 300 from the artist himself. Highest recommendation!

MP3: Sacred Harp: "Rappahannock (JR)"

mp3: D'eon "Keep the Faith" (Airbird remix)

Palinopsia

Hippos in Tanks has been coming hard with a string of releases banging from iPhone playlists round the globe (Games, White Car, Laurel Halo, just to name a couple), but don't let that distract you from seeking out Chris D'eon's, ahum, D'eon project. The Montreal-based electronic composer, whose work falls somewhere between the minimalism of Kompakt bangers and the third-eye'd dance floor jams of his H.I.T peers. While D'eon's last release found him exploring a variety of genres, his latest, Palinopsia, is more "in-the-groove"; it's cohesive and tight, with extended cuts winding in and out of each other, yet each track manages to retain its individual identity. It's not a concept record, but the concept of Palinopsia, defined as "a visual disturbance that causes images to persist to some extent even after their corresponding stimulus has left," could not be more present, as shades of rhythms past and present stew in an enticing, often brilliant, cauldron where future philosophies boil to bewonderment. The visual accompaniment for D'eon's "Keep the Faith" comes from FCP-freakazoid Megazord, who, well, you'll see. Just watch.

In addition, the homey Airbird just took a trip through Megazord's video, and crafted an unhinged remix of the tune, complete with muted vox, glistening synthetics, and an extended downbeat breakdown, which rather than playing the obvious "build->explode" card, rides the repetitive rhythm until the beat complete unfolds on itself and sails into the darkness.

In addition to all this, you can catch D'eon this Friday at the Tortilla Factory off the Jefferson L, where he will be playing the Bobka + Newtown presented Tortilla's on the Creek show, which also features LA BIG VIC, Weird Magic DJs, and special guests. Also, it's my birthday. Come hang.

D'eon- Keep the Faith (Airbird Remix)

video: Tooth Ache "Skin"

B-ton


Synth-pop's roots coincided with the rise of the VHS format, along with the pre-auto tracking analog glitches suffered by many an overplayed tape. This subtly warped video meshes perfectly with tooth ache's "Skin", their mutually detuned quality elevating the degradation of William Basinski's Disintegration Loops to modern pop practices (video, mp3, 7"). Maybe it's the drum machine, or the decay'd glam of a hypothetical video shoot at the Church Street Marketplace, but "Skin" is a sci-pop joyride.

Skin 7 inch is out now on clear vinyl via Father Daughter Records

radio: Sunday Brunch 11/14/2010

Awareness

Celestial feedback from a cosmonaut satellite flutters in after the spacial frequencies delivered by the Tesla Effect. A two-hour mix as heavily influenced by the title of the Flaming Lips record Transmissions from the Satellite Heart, as it is by the daydreams and mental images the title conjures up.

Sunday Brunch 11/14/2010
Flying Saucer Attack + Roy Montgomery- and, goodbye
Arthur Clarke- fractals- the colors of infinity
Magic Lantern- Friendship
Duncan Cameron- Glyphs
Ocarina of Time Ending
Carl Sagan "100 Billion Galaxies each w/ 100 Billion stars"
Dolphins into the Future- Ho'okena Halawai
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Spermwhales- hissssssy fits
Ram Dass on "Awareness"
Sacred Harp- Make For Me A Way
John Fahey- Fare Forward Voyagers
Herbcraft- Dark Deities
Acid Folk- Fields of Gold Pt. I
Pigeons- Crucifix & Chain
Kendra Smith- Iridescence 31
Grouper- Stuck
Blankets- Ghost Interlude
Tjutjuna- Collider
Four Tet/Burial Moths (forest swords)
Baby Birds Dont Drink Milk- Jeremy irons Couple skate
Kendra Smith- Turning the Wheels of the Law
Velvet Davenport- Lily Girl
Zonotope- Inserting the Galactic Disc
Beach Boys- Wouldn't It Be Nice (slow)
Mountain Stream Field Recording
David Attenborough in Birds of Paradise
Rangers Street Smell excerpt
Taj Mahal Travelers- 6:20-6:46 (excerpt)
Super Mario Galaxy
Scott La Rock Mega Mix

Download Sunday Brunch 11/14/2010

radio: Sunday Brunch w/ GAMES

Mad Buddah Abusers
This past Sunday I headed into the Newtown lab with GAMES to DJ up a WaySlower couple of hours for the kids. The result is a mix of Nyquil R&B, digi-whackness and straight slow-jams. The set flows pretty nicely, from Da Brat to Yeezy to Toni Braxton to Luther Vandros to Depeche Mode to Airbird. Wanna leave a few surprises in there for ya, but be sure to check out GAMES set, about half way through the show.

Download Sunday Brunch 11/7/2010 w/ GAMES


GAMES Wayslower DJ set
Nicholas Makelberge - Dying in Africa
Depeche Mode - Everything Counts
Alexander O'neil - A Broken Heart Can Mend
ELO - Secret Messages
Angela Bofil - Can't Slow Down
Luther Vandross - Come Back

show: Velvet Davenport, Big Troubles + More! 11/13

Warmy Girls
Flyer by Parker Sprout

Parker Sprout's psych-pop troupe Velvet Davenport are back in town for the first time since May. Seems like a while ago, especially since VD dropped both the White Blue tape and Warmy Girls LP since their last visit to the Big Apple. Needless to say, super excited for this show, especially since the Minneapolis act will be a full band. With that in mind, it might be the band's last show in the US for a while, as Parker Sprout is headed to Berlin for a few months, which, if David Bowie's exile (or anyone, for that matter) in Berlin says anything, could spur a darker, more minimalist sound from VD, an aspect of the band's ultra-hallucinated pop I've been waiting for them to explore. Be sure to get their early to peep the damaged roots folk of Flower Orgy, Appalachian ragas and finger-picking ala Sacred Harp, Silent Diane's sweeping synthetic pop, and Big Troubles... well you already know what Big Troubles sound like. Myself and DJ Toly Sopralo will be spinning tunes between sets. Shea Stadium, Saturday Night. Do it.

Giving away a Guest List spot for the Show. Leave your most psychedelic moment in the comments to win.

Velvet Davenport- Never Ending Days

new: Silent Diane "Spell" | NYC debut

Riverside

Vintage drum machines and swelling synths may spell witch-house, or chillwave, depending on what set you roll in, however, in the case of Silent Diane those micro-genres couldn't be more inappropriate. Rather, the Austin duo of Christine Apprille and Eli Welbourne craft notably hi-fi (for their peers) dark-pop, with elements of Ketamin house and dark wave for good measure. The result is marveling mix of its components, as woozy and romantic, as it is spellbinding. The groups debut single on Answering Machine Recordings (also home to Austin compadre How I Quit Crack, who works in similar realms.) If "Juliet the Painting" and "Riverside" showed us what Silent Diane are capable of, "Spell" and "Aegion" hint at what the future may hold for the synth-duo.

Silent Diane are making their NYC debut this week and will be playing the Chocolate Bobka show at Shea Stadium Saturday 11/13 with Big Troubles, Velvet Davenport, Sacred Harp and Flower Orgy.

Aegion by Silent Diane

Spell by Silent Diane

new: THE REPORT V.II / Dolphins into the Future video

Ke Ala Ke Kua

One of the hopes for The Report V.II was to get Christian "Megazord" Oldham to work with Dolphins Into the Future (aka Lieven Martens). Both 'Zord and Lieven have been experimenting in similar dimensions, which, though very different, seem to coalesce in some bizarre, 4th level venn diagram. The result of their collaboration is the video for "Ke Ala Ke Kua," a seemingly simplistic rendering of the ideas that may come when you think about Dolphins into the Future or Megazord; new age bliss, oceanic field recordings, digital tomfoolery. It's all here. In fact, it's the aesthetic motivation for The Report V.II.

The Report V.II is now completely finalized, yet I'm unable to figure out how many copies to order. With that in mind, I started a Kickstarter project to get readers/viewers to choose how large the pressing of The Report V.II is. Find out about the compilation, DVD, and book here.

Back the project through Kickstarter!

radio: Sunday Brunch 10/3 edition

Hellllllllllo Pitch Bend

Catching up on my mismanaged radio archive, here is a Sunday Brunch from about a month ago. If I recall correctly, it was a dark afternoon and I was chilling in the studio with Mr. Zonotope™, whom you will be hearing A LOT about very shortly. Trust me. Vibe fluttered between insect calls and noir-ish psych (Pigeons, Kria Brekkan, James Ferraro), before cross-fading into warped African & dark waves, with the pitch bent all the way down and the mid's frolicking back and forth like restless kids. And that's just the first 25 minutes. Expect the unexpected. Then ride it 'til dawn.

Sunday Brunch 10/3/2010

news: RIP The Old Big Troubles, Hail The New Big Troubles

Back to (Pre-)School

ATTENTION! ATTENTION! BIG TROUBLES DID NOT BREAK UP. IF YOU BELIEVED THAT, YOU ARE HAVE NO SENSE OF HUMOR.

Seeing Big Trouble's first ever show in the summer of 2009, it was clear the shoegaze revivalists were on to something very heavy. However, in the midst of releasing their debut record on OESB, the group seems to have experienced a bit of a shake up, with founding member Ian Drennan, as well as drummer Sam Franklin, leaving the band, seemingly, for good. (Bassist Luka Usmiani hasn't officially quit, though won't be playing with the new incarnation nightly.) Sam Franklin's official statement:

"Sam's out, Ian said he'll do it when it "feels right"/"when I fucking give a shit again, OK?" and Luka plays whenever the bus is running on time. All who remains dedicated to Big Troubles is Alex. Alex and the children he has collected, recruited, kidnapped and outright stolen. Music enthusiasts: meet The New Big Troubles."

That said, it's nice to hear Big Troubles moving away from the cliche shoegaze realm into proto-rock riffing territory reminiscent of late 90's/early 2000's PRS-guitar rock. The dueling drummers here are definitely not Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzman, and thank god!, cause these animals are murdering floor toms. Rumor has it The New Big Troubles will be touring with SwimJams in 2011. Stay tuned.

video: AMASA GANA "Dolven"

Switched On


Been getting heavily into AMASA GANA since Austin friends started recommending the droner group to me a few months back. These guys are fearless explorers of the minimalist realm, unafraid of merging illustrious beauty with darkened textures. Sort of like if SOTL were as concerned with bleak mental states as they are with minimal wonder. Directed by Wiley Wiggins (yes, that Wiley Wiggins), "Dolven" delves into the heart of AMASA GANA's aesthetic, a mix of digital abstractions and analog relics, each harrowing back to dark ages of civilization, while still marching forward into the unknown. Keep an ear on these guys.

radio: Spooky Sunday Brunch 10/31

Spooky
Here's the latest edition of Sunday Brunch. The Spooky edition. Lots of weird clips for horror/humor flicks, etc. Don't have much to say about this one except I was all alone in the Newtown Studio and there was a hertz outside in the hallway. It was fucking frightening.

DL 10/31/2010 Spooky Sunday Brunch (and be sure to scope the archives)

video: Danny Brown "Cyclops"

Welcome 2 Detroit

While we in NYC anxiously await the East Coast debut of Odd Future, Detroit's own freak-a-zord hybrid Danny Brown is holding down an even grimier, absolutely zoinked style of absurd futuristic hip-hop that's as hood as his hometown, while also kicking on some Parliament-esque outer space insanity. Brown's "Hybrid" plays like a coming out party for a dude who should be on everybody's lips, and his latest, "Cyclops", only reinforces that sentiment, securing Brown's place as one of the leaders of the burgeoning "WTF" rap community. (Yeah, that's what I'm calling it, WTF Rap.) Brown's not a guy I wanna catch in a dark alley, but he's definitely a dude I wanna spend an afternoon with guzzling DXM and spitting with Mad Libs and MPC beats. Even then, I'd have a finger on the 911 emergency number. Peep the "Cyclops" video to find out why.

show: Sore Eros/Mountainhood Record Release Party

Blackburn
Jonathan at Blackburn & I are throwing a big show this weekend to celebrate the latest releases by Sore Eros's (Know Touching out on SHDWPLY), as well as Mountainhood's The Boat-Makers Daughter, the latest full-length from Blackburn. The show also features the mystical guitar ventures of Sultan (grip her TCC tape here), Luka Usmiani's revelatory No Demons Here and Animal Hospital, whom I caught at Coop 87 during CMJ and sounded pretty good. Come hang this Saturday at Shea Stadium. Rumor has it artist Molly Smith will have some silk screened versions of the above poster. Rad. Watch Sore Eros brand new video for "Giraffe's Kiss."

mp3: Pigeons Liasons LP & Vison of the Valley EP

Pure
Fresh off the release of the heavenly psychic Si Faustine, Bronx-based Pigeons are back with a pair of new releases on Soft Abuse. The duo includes the remarkable Liasons full-length, a record which finds Clark & Wednesday exploring the paisley side of their nouvelle-psych. The exploration is fitting for the duo, who've been carving a niche for themselves by crafting songs as equally romantic as they are narcotic. Personally, the only thing I can liken their sound to is a good film noir...informed by flower child sensibilities. Hints of Opal, as well as Kendra Smith's solo work, looms, as does the effected wonder of wah'd out bedroom compositions...with a bosaa-drum machine beat, and a lil' flute for flavor. And that's just the opener, "Smoke," a track which appeared on Pigeons TCC tape. The second track, "Race," wanders down all the rain soaked alleys you'd want to walk down at 4am in Paris drunk on good wine and too many rollies.

Pigeons- Race

In addition to the beautiful Liasons, Pigeons are also releasing a new 7-inch, Visions of the Valley, which contains two brand new tracks from the band. Released in an edition of 200 with hand-printed sleeves. Be sure to snag one of those on their tour with Fabulous Diamonds. Listen to the whole thing below.

Pigeons - The Postcard
Pigeons- Sunset Park

epic: 1000th Post Mega Giveaway

Oh, Shit!

It's taken three and a half years but somehow we made it to 1,000 posts without getting insanely sick of this. In fact, it's sort of baffling that this site is still around, especially since we've seen a lot of sites we loved vanish into a sea of 0's-and-1's. In all honesty, I never would've thought things would come this far, let alone expand into the physical realm with The Report, The Curatorial Club, the Sunday Brunch radio show, and the seemingly infinite Chocolate Bobka Presents concert series. It's a real honor y'all have stuck around this long. That said, let's get to the good shit.

We've been making a ton of stuff over the past couple of years, and now here's your chance to own it all in a single bundle. Think of it as the only collection of the Bobka archives. Leave your favorite Bobka-related moment in the comments for a chance to win. Only 1 will be chosen.

This includes:

All 32 Bobkasts on a DVD data disc. (Hours of custom mixes with Special Art)
All Episodes of Sunday Brunch on DVD Data disc
All Chocolate Boboka videos & videos for Tunnelvision
A copy of The Report V.I DVD
A copy of The Report V.1 cassette
A copy of every single TCC release (including all sold out tapes. Note some will be bootleg versions-- ie. Spend the Night with Games.)
Complimentary entrance (+1) to the next 3 Bobka shoes (11/6 (peep below) , 11/13 (peep below), 11/19)
A copy of the Report V.II (including tape & DVD)

A copy of Pure Ecstasy's Easy 7"
A copy of Real Estate's self-tlted debut LP
A copy of Fluffy Lumber's Group Tightener 7"
A copy of Coasting's Group Tightener 7"
A copy of Alex Bleeker's Group Tightener 7"
A copy of Andrew Cedermark's Moon Deluxe LP
A copy of Pill Wonder's Surf/Jungle 12"
A copy of Big Troubles Worry LP
A copy of Mountain Man's Sun Dog 10" EP
A copy of the sold-out Tennis Marathon 7" (Yellow vinyl)