The Following Aesthetic Reasons

Music: Marcel Dettmann in Boston!

2008-12-31T10:37:00.000-08:00

A month ago, I put down a few mixes by Marcel Dettmann and promised that we'd be having him in Boston soon.

A week ago I named his mix Berghain 02 as the best/most important mix of 2008 in Boston's Weekly Dig.

2008 has been a huge year for Dettmann. His tracks for Ostgut Ton, his own imprint MDR and remixes for artists like Ellen Allien and labels like Rekids are the perfect example of what's being called the Berghain sound: bass-heavy and hard-hitting, but with thoughtful density and layered influences of old-school house.

No club in Boston is like his resident Berghain in Berlin, but on January 8th, Middlesex will host the party and with him at the helm it will be dark, rough and totally packed! The cover is just $5.

Dettmann live mix @ I Love Techno, Belgium

http://rapidshare.com/files/164262095/marcel_dettman_-_live_at_i_love_techno_-_15-11-2008-konop.mp3

Tracklist:
Modeselektor - The Black Block (Marcel Dettmann Redefinition) - BPitch Control 184
Peter Van Hoesen - Casual Care - Time 2 Express 002
Rolando - Where Were You? - Delsin 073
Kevin Gorman Seven Eight Nine (Marcel Dettmann Remix)
Unknown - Pulse - Klockworks 004
Gowentgone - M.A.M. (Marcel Dettmann Remix)
Matthew Styles - We Said Nothing - DNP 008
Tadeo - 4 - NET 28 001.1
Planetary Assault Systems - Mod - Figure 016
Damon Wild - Kabuki - Synewave 067
Loco Dice - Tight Laces (Marcel Dettmann Resonse 2) - Desolat 7DPRMX 002
Ame / H. Schwarz / Dixon - D.P.O.M.B. (Version 1) - Innervisions 017
Je Davu - Platzhirsch LTD. 009
Spokesman - Acid Creak (Pierre’s Reconstruction Mix) - X Stream 002
K Hand - These Sounds Lead The Way - Gorsch 101
Marcel Dettmann - Lattice - MDR 004
Circuit Breaker - Friend - Probe 030
Dettmann/Klock - Scenario - Ostgut Ton 011
Deetron - Let’s Get Over It (Marcel Dettmann Remix) - Music Man 141
Ø (Phase) - Ryder’s Return - Token 007
Marcel Dettmann - Plain - Beatstreet 003
Bam Bam - I Get A Rush - Westbrook 130

Film: Helvetica

2008-12-31T10:15:00.000-08:00

I not only beseech thee, O Font Geeks!, to see Helvetica, but anyone who has an eye for aesthetics and an understanding of what upstanding importance "pretty" has to our civilized (?) lives.

My review in Boston's Weekly Dig is here.

Music: New Mix from Baldur (aka Djezus)

2008-12-19T18:29:00.000-08:00

A new mix from Baldur (aka Djezus).

Baldur is a close friend and DJ here in Boston. Other things you should know about Baldur: he hails from Iceland, he rocks some of the sweetest duds on the dancefloor, he likes science, his minimal mixing style is world-renowned and voted among the best in Boston. Come see him spin regularly at Make it New, at the Middlesex Lounge in Cambridge, Thursdays.

Music: Secret Releases

2008-12-19T13:06:00.000-08:00

As denizens of the techno subculture, we are skeptical of celebrity. The luminaries who emerge are often more dark than bright, but the most intriguing incarnation of techno anti-star is he who is practically undetectable, he who is totally anonymous.

There have been a number of releases in 2008 which could fall into this category, for instance the recent Wax 100001 which was released out of Hardwax in June. Some have speculated that it is the handiwork of Shed, a rising star who also happens to work at Hardwax, because of its unique, dynamic and hard-hitting style. Either way, it received a lot of attention and has been featured in the playlists of a number of dj's (Simon Flower, Swayzak). Another well-hyped record was Sons of the Dragon, on the record label of the same name. This record is coming out of the US and is highly influenced by the classic Detroit house sound, lending itself to the rumor that it is the work of two legendary Detroit producers under the SOTD alias. There were only 300 white vinyl records made but the rumors were widely distributed in the chat forums.

Though this isn't anything new. The unknown artist who releases under the Pom Pom moniker has produced 32 records, the most recent of which (Pom Pom 032) was released this month on CD for the first time ever and is probably my favorite to boot, with dark textures and lots of surprises. The artist is believed to be one of the guys that works at the Space Hall record store in Berlin. Another major talent who has been releasing under the radar for awhile is Stephan T. Laubner, also known as STL. His label, Something Records, and his alias are mysterious and difficult to figure out from the interweb, he has no myspace page, and the releases are vinyl-only. Still, he is one of the most admired producers out there, especially among his peers.

Finally, 2008 has seen the creation of a label that shuns labels. Story introduces itself with the following: "Say hello to a label, run with passion, and witness the birth of a beautiful and deep house imprint. You won´t find any artist names on our records, we do not feel the need to let you know who did the record and so do the artists who contribute tracks. The only important thing is, they produced these tracks, full of understanding and with a great love for house music. Let the story begin and let us tell you something about our history." The first EP release, Story 01, uses the artistic alias CB Funk and is called Subway to Cologne. It was also on heavy rotation with dj's this summer.

Thoughts/feelings on this phenomenon? If you're reading this I hope you'll contribute your opinion, anonymous or not...

Music: Playlist December 15, 2008

2008-12-16T12:51:00.000-08:00

My radio show The Following Aesthetic Reasons is on every Monday from 7-10pm on 90.3FM on the Boston radio frequencies and streaming online at http://www.wzbc.org

Here is my playlist from last night.

It's not the season for live music...so we'll go see a movie instead.

The Brattle Theatre is currently showing Shoot the Piano Player (1962), Francois Truffaut

Film: Two Lane Blacktop (1971)

2008-12-16T10:11:00.000-08:00

I was a rider of trains last night, I took first one train and then another home from the station where I have my radio show once a week. From the radio station in suburb A, the city public transportation system has it such that I have to take a train all the way in to Boston to take a train to suburb B. The whole thing takes me an hour and a half to travel and as the time and neighborhoods pass I like to look out the windows and pretend I'm going fast and leaving something important behind. I've never been much into cars, but I think I get the appeal. We watched Top Gear on BBC America when I got home, where they applied vaseline to the camera lense to give it a soft focus as they revved engines, spun tricks and hugged curves. I dreamt of Two Lane Blacktop. Monte Hellman's 1971 minimalist roadtrip cult classic brings 60's counterculture into the open stretches of American highway. Starring musical icons James Taylor and The Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson, as well as film legends Warren Oates and Laurie Bird, the film has been such an inspiration that it spawned a musical tribute compilation in 2003 (with contributing artists like Cat Power, Calexico and Wilco) and was re-released as part of the Criterion Collection in 2007. Richard Linklater sums it up in his "15 Things I Love About Two Lane Blacktop".

Richard Linklater's Things I Love About Two-Lane Blacktop

Because it's the purest American road movie ever.
Because it's like a drive-in movie directed by a French New Wave director.
Because the only thing that can get between a boy and his car obsession is a girl, and Laurie Bird perfectly messes up the oneness between the Driver, the Mechanic, and their car.
Because Dennis Wilson gives the greatest performance ever by a driver.
Because James Taylor seems like a refugee from a Robert Bresson movie.
Because there was once a god who walked the Earth named Warren Oates.
Because there's a continuing controversy over who is the actual lead in this movie. There are different camps. Some say it's the '55 Chevy, some say it's the GTO.
Because it has the most purely cinematic ending in film history.
Because it's like a western. The guys are like old-time gunfighters, ready to out-draw the quickest gun in town. And they don't talk about old flames, but rather old cars they've had.
Because Warren Oates has a different cashmere sweater for every occasion. And of course the wet bar in the trunk.
Because unlike other films of the era with the designer alienation of the drug culture and the war protesters, this movie is about the alienation of everybody else, like Robert Frank's American Comes Alive.
Because Warren Oates, as GTO, orders a hamburger and an Alka Seltzer and says things like "Everything is going too fast and not fast enough."
Because it's both the last film of the '60s -- even though it came out in '71 -- but it's also the first film of the '70s. You know, that great era of "How the hell did they ever get that film made at a studio/Hollywood would never do that today" type of film.
Because engines have never sounded better in a movie.
Because these two young men on their trip to nowhere don't really know how to talk. The Driver doesn't really converse when he's behind the wheel, and the Mechanic doesn't really talk when he's working on the car. So this is primarily a visual, atmospheric experience. To watch this movie correctly is to become absorbed into it.
And, above all else, Two-Lane Blacktop goes all the way with its idea. And that's a rare thing in this world; a completely honest movie.

That having been said, I would also add to this list that it has an awesomely bad trailer (See Above.)

Music: Playlist December 8, 2008

2008-12-10T11:17:00.000-08:00

My radio show The Following Aesthetic Reasons is live every Monday from 7-10PM EST. on 90.3FM in Boston or stream live online here. Here is my playlist from Monday December 8, 2008.

This week in Boston:
Tuesday 12/09/08, Beethoven, Carter, Stravinsky at Boston Symphony Orchestra
Thursday 12/11/08, minimal techno at Make it New at Middlesex Lounge (Central Square, Cambridge MA)
Friday 12/12/08, is a huuuuge night for dancing and carousing...Thunderdome at the Greek American Political Club (Central Square, Cambridge MA)

Music: Eli Verveine

2008-12-10T08:19:00.000-08:00

Eli Verveine is a DJ from Switzerland who is anything but neutral. Her mixes, which are few and far between on the internet, are not only exquisite but are also exotic--in a word, recherche. The sense of the exotic comes from the warm, transcendent affect of the tracks, that are supremely mixed, deep, dubby and with a flavor of *Detroit*. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that the tracks are extremely hard to find on their own. Eli Verveine is a part of p45 records, and she has a radio show on Audioasyl called Scandal! I'm posting a selection of studio, radio, and club mixes. Among them is a mix called Carebear, which is a must-listen. All highly enjoyable!

First up, here is the highly anticipated Ssg Cast from Eli Verveine posted a few days ago.

robert hood – still
octal – heavier petting
swayzak – live, part 4
claro intelecto – dependant
dj joey anderson – thee analysis
stl – orange patterns
maus und stolle – extra vergine
chiapet – westworld
herbert – over and out
steve o`sullivan – she don`t do chicks
madteo – radici

Here is the Carebear Mix from Eli Verveine. Named an all-time favorite mix by just about everyone I know... who I am friends with.

rhythm & sound - carrier - rhythm & sound 05
dean decosta - precursor - lo-fi
son.sine - upekah - nurture
localfields - pico - zerogrounds
arne weinberg - spectral disease - aw
vector lovers - futures in plastic [claro intelecto remix] - soma
omar s. - detroit 02
claro intelecto - tria - ai records
donnacha costello - melan - force inc.
omar s. - detroit 04
maus - find a way - belowhttp://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=1022966290545396155
plastikman - artifakts - novamute

Here is a mix from Julietta, Vera, and Eli Verveine at the Harry Klein Club. 7 hours long and more soul/deep house/clubby. Sass in a glass.

Oh oh, here's a good one, a rare mix from 2007. Appearing on Comfort Noise Radio, Eli plays a 4 hour set with interviews. The playlist is too long to post but it can be found on the Comfort Noise website.

Here's another studio mix called Dustbunnies.

And a live set from Air Festival 2007...

Music: Manuel Tur, Dplay, Langenberg 7 Hour Set

2008-12-06T20:43:00.000-08:00

Download this 7 hour set from Manuel Tur, Dplay, and Langenberg @ Slowclub, Essen September 27, 2008

It's slow, pretty deep, groovy and dubby but with little vocal. Really great for work if your officemates don't appreciate the whole constant breakdown thing.

And when you have a minute to yourself, hang your hat on this vid from Moscow:

Vid provided by Infernal Techno Blog.

Film/Music: Arthur Russell and Patti Smith Documentaries

2008-12-05T13:23:00.000-08:00

We've seen a number of music documentaries lately, including two standouts...Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell & Patti Smith: Dream of Life...

As artistic portraits they are quite nice. I would especially recommend Wild Combination, and not just for the Arthur Russell fan, but for any good ole music snob. I wish I could say that the intimate footage, exclusive performance material and endearing interviews will reverberate in everyone, because it should. (Arthur Russell vs. Britney Spears) It will certainly penetrate anyone who's affected by music. The shear amount of material that Arthur Russell produced is impressive, the grounds broken are inspiring, and the sounds of his cello are downright haunting...

My review of Dream of Life for Boston's Weekly Dig is here.
Buy Wild Combination from Other Music here.

Music: I'm in Love With a German Film Star

2008-12-03T19:11:00.000-08:00

The original "I'm in Love with a German Film Star" is a post-punk classic by UK band The Passions, but it got a fresh makeover from artist and film-maker Sam Taylor-Wood in October of this year. The disc released on Kompakt also included remixes by Gui Boratto and Juergen Paape.

I found another cult classic at Retro in the Perfect Sense of The Sentence, Liasons Dangereuses' Los Ninos Del Parque. Influential to many DJ's and a rad album.

Finally, I totally fell in love with the UK's own La Roux this Spring, and I just found out that her track Quicksand was picked up by Kitsune and it's being released December 15th. The Passions and Liasons Dangereuses aren't listed in her influences but, err, they should be.

Photography: Michelle Williams by Michael Sanders

2008-12-03T18:56:00.000-08:00

Totally obsessed with these photos of Michelle Williams that I came across on the Some Notes on Napkins blog. You can find them and many more shoots on Michael Sanders Flickr photostream...

Music: Playlist December 1, 2008

2008-12-03T10:04:00.000-08:00

My radio show "The Following Aesthetic Reasons" is on every Monday night on WZBC 90.3 FM from 7-10pm EST Click here to see my playlist from the first day of December! You can stream it live weekly at wzbc.org.

In Boston this week: On Thursday check out WZBC's Monthly Countdown at Rivergods (River Street near Central Square, Cambridge MA), presenting our favorite indie rock tracks from the previous month (and if you didn't know it already, Rivergods is one of the best bars in Boston)...Then walk over to Make it New at Middlesex (Central Square, Cambridge MA) for some minimal techno (and another fabulous bar). Sunday, TT the Bears has Iceland's Kira Kira (with members of Mum and Parachutes, they opened for Sigur Ros in September) and ambient performers Dygn.

(My picture here is made with Poladroid.)

Magazine: 032c (Fashion, Politics, Art)

2008-11-20T14:53:00.000-08:00

032c is a bi-annual contemporary culture
magazine at the intersections of fashion, art and politics. Finding the new
in the old and the old in the new,032c invites leading and emerging
creatives to collaborate on mono-thematic issues. It has been considered
to be "dedicated to the celebration of ideas" by i-D, "revue ultra-pointue"
by French Vogue, or simply as "the Berlin magazine that propogates an
aesthetic of brutal elegance" by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. "The
magazine fuses art and architecture,literature, urban studies and fashion
in ways", states New York Times, "that can make one forget how depressing
a visit to a newsstand has become."
032c is internationally distributed to selected art bookstores, fashion
boutiques and newsstands. The magazine has been exhibited at places such
as London Design Museum, Colette (Paris), GAS (Tokyo), The Pineal Eye
(London) and the 3rd Berlin Biennial. The 16th issue is chillingly called
"Post-America", although it might as well be called "Post-NYC" because
apparently the only bookstores that carry the mag in the entire USA are in
NYC. I'm not surprised, just mildly bemused. Anyways, this is what you will
find in the 16th issue. I'll be picking it up when I'm in America, oh
excuse me New York, over Thanksgiving holiday.

16TH ISSUE
"Post-America", Winter 2008/2009

INSIDE: "A new world is coming into being almost unnoticed." JOHN GRAY tells Hans Ulrich Obrist about the political and financial unrest in the "Post American Age;" STEVEN MEISEL reveals fashion's cruel and beautiful in a rare interview (plus a seven-page foldout madness of all his Vogue Italia covers); Wes Jones illustrates Dubai and the effects of superabundance; artist STURTEVANT tackles copy, copyright, and the ready-made; architect Jürgen Mayer H., and artists Ralf Ziervogel and RothStauffenberg form a cluster of 3-4 FANTASTIC GERMANS (with 032c's Architectural Digest visit to Mozambique's Grand Hotel gone bad); Photographers Max Farago and Alasdair McLellan bring on "THE NUDES;" and so much more on 246 pages.

D €10 EU €12 US $20

Music: Marcel Dettmann 3 Mixes

2008-11-20T10:32:00.000-08:00

Bodytonic Podcast
November 11 2008. More jacking techno than Berghain 02.

I love Techno Belgium
November 15 2008. Liveset from Bruges (it's in Belgium). No tracklist.

Berghain 02 Mix
June 09 2008. Charting new territories in the deep dark...

01 tobias. – Balance
02 Norman Nodge – Native Rhythm Electric
03 Pied Plat - Double Trouble
04 Planetary Assault Systems - Kat
05 Tadeo - Reflection Nebula 056n (Substance Remix)
06 Risqué Rythum Team - The Jacking Zone
07 Samuli Kemppi – Vangel
08 Kevin Saunderson - Just Want Another Chance
09 Clatterbox - Press On
10 Redshape - Plonk (Original Mix)
11 Shed – Warped Mind
12 Tadeo - 4
13 Kate Simko - She Said (Ryan Elliott Edit)
14 Deetron – Let's Get Over It (Marcel Dettmann Remix)
15 T - Mo #1 - (previously unreleased)
16 Radio Slave – Tantakatan
17 Luke Hess - Believe & Receive (Shed's Deepanddubbydub)
18 Strand - Zephyr

In 2008, Marcel Dettmann has seen his stock rise exponentially. He has done a handful of remixes (Scuba, Substance, Deetron, Len Faki, etc.), produced the moody MDR04 EP and shared record space with Pigon on their dual release Kamm/Plain (on Beatstreet). It's not that these accomplishments are prolific, it's that they are prophetic. Outside of the studio, Dettmann is a resident at Berghain, possibly the best club in Berlin. He is part of OstGut Ton Records, presently one of the most widely admired in technoland. He is best friends with Shed. Basically, he is homecoming king and we admire his crazy-square jawline from a distance...a distance especially expansive for those of us in the USA, for whom the internet is our best chance to get close to whatever revolution in electronic sound is happening in Berlin, the now (I can't exactly say new) hub of techno. That having been said, Dettmann is not shy to name classic Detroit house and techno among his influences; his particular brand is dark, jacking and with powerful restraint. The Berghain 02 Mix was huge this summer and was called "a defining moment in techno" by Resident Advisor. The newer Bodytonic mix is more jacking techno and I added the I Love Techno Mix from Belgium for the sake of comparison.

Finally, we got word that Shed had a good time at his US debut in Boston, and so Dettmann is being booked in Boston early next year. Look forward to THAT, why doncha ;)

Music: Margaret Dygas

2008-11-19T10:18:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of the year I downloaded the You Very Mix by Margaret Dygas and was transfixed by it. As it turns out (I have been hoarding all of her mixes since then), Dygas has her own style of minimal techhouse with stripped down, isolated grooves which are smooth and hypnotic. Moreover, I was singularly excited when I found out from Little White Earbuds that she has a two track EP just newly released. See You Around and 37 to 7 are both up on her Myspace page. Co-produced by the venerable Tobias (Freund), the See You Around EP is a long, arrhythmic tunnel of rather experimental, but nonetheless catchy, undulating beats (and distorted voices, guitar strings, drones, clicks, bangs...). Philip Sherburne called it one of the most significant releases of 2008. (More on this article later)

Finally, a friend of mine told me a little story about how he met her:
"she probably wouldn't even remember this but years ago, she was a makeup artist in nyc and worked on a friend's film that i was an extra in. she was super beautiful and cool and she was talking to me about how into music she was and how she was going to get turntables and do more music stuff. now she's like really doing it."

It's a small world, especially if you like techno.

Music: DJ's Wanted to be On-Air!

2008-11-17T12:57:00.000-08:00

My radio show The Following Aesthetic Reasons is on tonight from 7-10PM on 90.3FM (in Boston and surrounding cities) or you can stream from anywhere, live, at wzbc.org

I'm going to try something new...Since my show is 3 hours long, I can't always play new tracks straight off the dancefloors of Berlin...I'd like to introduce a mix of the week for 30 minutes to an hour of showtime. I'd especially love if talented DJ's around Boston would come in and DJ with me live! Please contact me if you're interested, or comment here and I'll contact you.

Thanks for listening!

Fashion: Temporary Showroom

2008-11-17T12:22:00.000-08:00

Pictured: Fashions from Sweden based company, Odeur

It's like window shopping, only the windows are the kind on your laptop. The "Temporary Showroom" is a platform for European based fashion designers to show off their collections sans catwalk. Selected brands exhibit their work and although we still need to hunt them down to buy them, the designers at Temporary Showroom are exceedingly brilliant (and adorably European).

There is actually a Temporary Showroom Berlin, located in Berlin/Kastanienalle, which is a combination of a fashion showroom and a direct customer point of sale. At Temporary Showroom Berlin “temporary” refers to the limited period of time offered by Temporary Showroom to present new designs in the Temporary Showroom Berlin- gallery atmosphere. The presentation of the collections in Berlin is limited from 2 to 6 months, including, in cooperation with the designer, the individual composition of the room.

I definately adore the concept and the fashions. Odeur is sadly not in the US, but maybe we can be inspired by the profiles and odd shapes that they are known for...

Music: Rauwkost Live Mix

2008-11-14T11:50:00.000-08:00

Floris Regoort & Jasper Lowik are the Dutch duo behind Rauwkost. Their debut Ep, Trump It, released on ThirtyOneTwenty, was widely lauded and has been played in sets by Ricardo Villalobos, Raresh, etc. The three tracks on Trump It were all quite different, part groovy dancefloor and part moody minimal--which could mean interesting dj sets from these two. They are slated to spin at the TimeWarp Festival in Holland later this month along with this lineup of shining stars:

Ben Sims, Benny Rodrigues, Bo, Nijs en hun denkbeeldige vriendje, Darko Esser, Dimzen, el Locco, Federico Molinari, Ilario Alicante, Johanna Mercker, Johnny D , Joris Voorn, K.Cee, Karotte, Laurent Garnier, Marco Carola, Miss Monica, Moonbootica, Olivier Weiter, Pedro aka Petre Inspirescu, Phonopunk, Raresh, DJ Remy, Rhadoo, Sandeep, The Disco Boys, Two EM, Unders, Warren Fellow, Wesdex, Jason & The Argonauts, Loops

Their next production output will be with Kompass Records...

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1UYIT1B0

Music: Guido Schneider live at Watergate

2008-11-13T11:58:00.000-08:00

http://rapidshare.com/files/161731219/guido_schneider_at_watergate_22_10_08.mp3

Guido Schneider is largely known as one half of Glowing Glisses (with vocalist Florian Schirmacher, on Poker Flat), and for having created many wonderful remix productions. Under the moniker “Motoguzzi”, Guido remixed Easy Woman, which is based on a track remixed by Musik Krauses’ Robag Wruhme. This was released on the first compilation of Berlin’s legendary Berghain Club (Ex-Ostgut), mixed and compiled by his friend Andre Galuzzi. Nice minimal tech-house, this mix is two hours long (and in my opinion, stronger in the second half than the first).

Shop: L'Affiche Moderne

2008-11-13T11:31:00.001-08:00

I'm like 26 now, which means I can't decorate with my bitchin' posters of Sailor Moon and Luke Perry anymore. Neither can I afford art unless it's made with macaroni. Enter
L'Affiche Moderne, where young and talented graphic artists, illustrators, and photographers provide quality prints of their works for 29 euro (12 by 16 inch) or 59 euro (20 by 28 inch). When framed, these posters are money. Artists include Matilou, Anton, Sarah Jane, and more.

Now,

Music/Art: Tricot Machine Knit Video

2008-11-13T11:13:00.000-08:00

A note from David, of Dare to Care Records, about how the video was made:

"We actually shot our characters on green screen to start with. Then we edited, keyed and composited in AE to add the other elements like snow and stadium. We then outputed 723 jpeg of the clip to our knitter that used them as templates for the knits. The knitting technique is actually called in french "Tricot machine", hence the band's name!"

The innovative mixed media visual art is reminiscent of Copy Shop, an Oscar nominated short about a man who copies himself until he fills the whole world with his clones. Copy Shop actually consists of nearly 18,000 photocopied frames, which were animated and filmed with a 35mm camera.

Music: Chloe, Robert Johnson Series

2008-11-12T12:53:00.000-08:00

Trying to navigate through Chloe's official website is a weird experience. Sounds come out of nowhere, the menu options are befuzzling (who knows, where/when, what, whatever, who's who, who cares)...it's all pretty surreal. Her dj style, a stripped-back, minimal and dirty electro hybrid, is similarly hypnotic. A former resident at Le Pulp Chloe kicks off a series for the Robert Johnson club in Offenbach, Germany (owned by DJ Ata of Playhouse). Prins Thomas, Ivan Smagghe and Liquid will also contribute to the limited edition (2000 copies) set in 2009.

The Chloe Live at Robert Johnson tracklist is here, starting off with Gudrun Gut's cover of Smog's Rock Bottom Riser.

01. Gudrun Gut - Rock Bottom Riser
02. DJ Koze - Mariposa
03. Kalabrese - Makelovedisco
04. SIS - Orgsa
05. Shinedoe - Phunk (Steve Angello re-edit)
06. Partial Arts - Cruising
07. Samim & Michal - Circles
08. Vincenzo - The Phantom Image
09. Daso & Pawas - Ice
10. Heiko Mso feat. Malte - Reach
11. Plein Soleil - Casus Belli
12. Larry Heard - Spinal Tap
13. Trulz & Robin feat. Baseman - Turn My Head
14. Homebase - Centrino
15. Seventeen Evergreen - Music Is the Wine (Joakim remix)

Music: Playlist November 10 2008

2008-11-12T12:07:00.000-08:00

My playlist from Monday

My radio show The Following Aesthetic Reasons is Mondays from 7-10pm on 90.3 FM (if you're in the Boston area) or you can stream it live on wzbc.org

Working on recording and archiving...Until then, I'd really appreciate your comments :)

The Sea and Cake play tonight at Middle East Downstairs (Central Square, Cambridge MA), Thursday listen to WZBC from 7-10PM (90.3 FM or stream wzbc.org) to hear Area C perform live on Susanna Bolle's radio program, then go to Make it New for minimal techno until 2AM at Middlesex Lounge (Central Square, Cambridge MA), Sunday experience Paco Osuna at Phoenix Landing (Central Square, Cambridge MA)

Paco Osuna DJ Set at Minus Special Noice Radio 08-10-2008
http://rapidshare.com/files/152344825/Fabrizio_Maurizi_-_M_nus_Special___Noice___2008_-_10-08_UMP3.mp3

Fashion/art/vocabulary: Sarah Moon shooting for 10 Magazine

2008-11-10T13:10:00.000-08:00

Editorial - Hamartia: Is An Error, Or Sin.
Photographer - Sarah Moon
Stylist- Jacob K
Model - Monette at Natalie Models

Ten Magazine, how I love thee. In the lustrous pages of your Spring 2008 edition (alas, you only put out 4 issues a year!) you gave us this. Sarah Moon is a very talented photographer, who exhibits excellent technical control in these photos. The model, wearing shape-shifting clothes from experimental designers like Comme de Garcons, becomes a tragic and strange heroine with inchoate eyes and rough angles. She would kick your ass and then cry about it. You wonder, is the editorial called Hamartia because of the errors of the heroine or her storyteller (the photographer)? It is not entirely visually appealing, but the strength is in the shocking profiles and blurred boundaries, which (much like the word hamartia itself) are downright baffling.

Art: Peter Doig

2008-11-10T09:14:00.001-08:00

From February to May of this year, the Tate Britain held a major retrospective of the work of Scottish painter Peter Doig. The Paris Museum of Modern Art did too, from June to September. Given that his paintings are sold as some of the most expensive in Europe, it is fair to say that he is a well-recognized contemporary. His spendidly layered landscapes reference a whole host of artistic ancestors, Monet and Klimpt for sure. So Doig's paintings seem to be as familiar as a fairy tale and just as old, but there is an unexpected and provocative tilt which appeals to the modern in us. I am finding these paintings inspiring right now, because each painting is a story in itself...

Music: Solomun Ibiza Voice Podcast

2008-11-09T16:25:00.000-08:00

A fun mix from Solomun that I was listening to this weekend...

Love how it starts...

Shop: Toast UK

2008-11-07T09:01:00.001-08:00

That's it. I just received my Toast Catalog from the UK and my day has been decided for me: lounging in cashmere knickers, sweater and socks with a plate of toast and tea. You can even order bramble jam from this company. I have no idea what that is but it sounds adorable, I'm in.

Browse the catalog here.

Fashion: Do-it-yourself Hosiery

2008-11-07T08:47:00.000-08:00

Alexander Wang

Rodarte

Now, the fun part!

I don't speak Spanish, but the music allows me to follow along like a champ.

Film: Tideland and Irreversible

2008-11-07T08:06:00.000-08:00

Must-see films--macabre, disturbing and intermittently gorgeous. Filmmaker David Cronenberg described Tideland as "poetic horror", which personally speaking, sounds like my ideal genre. And as I was watching Irreversible last night with two friends of mine who are dating, we couldn't help but laugh at what a perfect "date movie" it was--if you are into the whole 9 minute long rape scene type thing...But as Beethoven's 7th symphony plays in the final scene, as the entire picture spins into chaos and then clarity, there is startling beauty and triumphant power. Yep, see em both.

Music: Playlist November 3 2008

2008-11-04T11:29:00.000-08:00

Here's my playlist from last night.

Harpers Bazaar UK November 2008
Model: Jeisa Chiminazzo
Photographer: Alexei Hay
Stylist: Alison Edmond

Music: Par Grindvik LWE Podcast

2008-11-04T10:56:00.000-08:00

Par Grindvik has been instrumental to the Swedish techno scene since the nineties as a record store owner, label manager and producer and has recently made the move to Berlin. This mix from Little White Earbuds includes a lot of the releases from his own label Islands and Islets, as well as Dutch label Outland and Swedish label Truesoul. Though he's sometimes been very minimal, this mix is thick with dub, drums, bass and dwindling delays.

Enjoy!

My New Project and Some Inspirations

2008-11-03T13:29:00.000-08:00

(Paula Put the Kettle On by artist Paula Rego)

I am embarking on a new side project, writing and illustrating a childrens book. My idea isn't new, it's as old as the first stories ever told. In fact, what I'm writing is based on folk tales and fairy tales, embracing the darkness and mystery that these traditional stories often revolve around. Some of my inspirations are Paula Rego's art , Hans Christian Anderson's stories , Edgar Allen Poe's short stories , Luella Bartley's Fall 2008 fashion show, Pan's Labyrinth, and my dreams. I remember when I was 8 my father reading Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with me and my siblings in a tent at our summerhouse in Maine. And from the Hans Christian Anderson catalog my favorite was "Wild Swans". I would love to hear some new stories/folktales as I do research these next few weeks...

Music: Playlist October 27 2008

2008-10-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

The playlist from last night...

Tonight we're probably going to have to watch the Celtics first game of the season...but not before we go by Gaslight for escargot and St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur cocktails. It's for Heather Stimmler-Hall's new Paris guide "Naughty Paris".

Legendary Pink Dots are at Middle East Downstairs (Central Square, Cambridge MA)on Wedsnesday...Dungen is at Great Scott (Allston MA) and Of Montreal are at the Orpheum Theatre (Boston MA) on Thursday.

For Halloween on Friday, make SURE you check out the return of Thunderdome...Mistaker has hijacked the Greek American Political Club @ 288 Green Street in Cambridge MA and along with the Hearthrob DJ's terror will reign.

Music: Soap&Skin

2008-10-28T09:57:00.001-07:00

Anja Plaschg, also known as Soap&Skin, is only 18 but already she is full of Weltschmerz. Well, it's very becoming on her, and with high Gothic fancy she gives sway to the piano and with such a melancholy voice she sings, cries, weeps her way into your heart. Highly influenced by forlorns like Cat Power and Nico, she could also be Lord Byron's muse or a very convincing Ophelia. Originally from Vienna, Anja as Soap&Skin has played at festivals all over Europe without even having a label backer or album release. Finally, a self-titled EP was released October 10th, with 4 tracks including a remix by Fennesz (!). A full length album is expected in early 2009. I'm listening to the EP on a rainy afternoon, reading "The Flounder" by Gunter Grass. Perfect combination, beautiful sounds.

Art: Sarah Applebaum

2008-10-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

Sarah Applebaum, a contemporary artist from San Francisco, creates amazing textured drawings which are hung all over the city. Still, I'm most impressed by her soft sculptures which are colorful, chimerical and recklessly so.

Gareth Pugh Spring Summer 2009

2008-10-21T16:41:00.000-07:00

Gareth Pugh, a young designer from London specializing in the avant garde and the architectural, recently received a prize to work in Paris and the fashion-guard are quite excited about his prospect there. Not one to disappoint, Pugh put on a show in Paris for the Spring/Summer 2009 collection which was well, hypnotizing.

Gelatin is used in the girls hair to look like they are coming out of water. It's a conceptual collection, the white front and black behind signifies that light comes out of dark, or as Pugh himself explains by way of example, "flowers are the most beautiful just before they die."

Playlist Oct 20 2008

2008-10-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

http://www.spinitron.com/public/index.php?station=wzbc&month=Oct&year=2008&plid=12884

Tonight we'll go see The Duchess because I'm a goddamn sucker for costume drama. Wednesday Hercules and Love Affair is at the Middle East Downstairs (Central Square, Cambridge MA) you can often get free tickets by calling into the on-air dj at 617-552-4686. Thursday you gotta decide between Lykke Li (pictured above, from Sweden), or Deerhoof/Experimental Dental School/Flying Luttenbachers. Lykke Li is everything that you could ever want in a pop star, i.e. weird and Scandinavian. But the Deerhoof etc show is also sure to be a riot, bouncy clattering artrock experimental improv freakouts. Lykke Li is at the Paradise (Boston MA) and Deerhoof is at The Middle East Downstairs (Central Square, Cambridge MA). Saturday, there's a Basstown event at Great Scott (Harvard Ave, Allston MA).

Lindsey Buckingham Interview

2008-10-15T18:07:00.000-07:00

It’s easy to forget that Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled 1975 album, the one with “Rhiannon” and “Say You Love Me,” wasn’t their first—it was their 15th. The reason for the band’s commercial breakthrough is largely attributed to the introduction of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks to the lineup. But this was one fucked up Brady Bunch, and it wasn’t long before Buckingham decided to “go his own way”…

So you were born in Palo Alto and went to Menlo Atherton High with Stevie Nicks? I am from there too! (I went to Sacred Heart Prep, the rival High School…)

-Oh really? So we’re a couple of rich kids huh? I had an idyllic childhood. Then Stevie and I moved down to LA to pursue a career in music with the band we were with at the time. Buckingham-Nicks, just me and Stevie. It’s a city that doesn’t inherently make sense, you know, LA is kind of a mess. But you’ve got to find your place in the city. Once you do, it’s alright. We struck up and we had to be in LA, or touring around everywhere else. You know, I have kids now and we’ve lived here for so long, I guess you could say I like it here in LA.

Right, you have an interesting background in music. You are self-taught and don’t read music, so what are your thoughts on how music has changed you and how is your experience with music is special?

-Yes my first instrument was the ukulele. And my parents eventually bought me a guitar. I would be using my fingers rather than a pick. And I would say that music has defined me rather than changed me. I was part of a time. You know, Elvis and what was going on at Haight and Ashbury. Rock and Roll. I would be in my room plucking along to records for hours at a time. I think my parents were wondering, “What is wrong with Lindsey?” My siblings and I, we grew up swimming, there’s a lot of that in Atherton. I was into swimming for a while, but it was music that was my passion. I was just really influenced by Elvis and the records that I had. I wanted to do that.

Can you tell me about your compositional process?

-I don’t think of myself as a writer of songs, but as a stylist. Like a painter painting, I go into a sort of meditative place. In my solo productions I am playing multiple instruments. So I am working with a blank canvas. If you allow yourself to be an antenna, the work just comes to you.

How much are your songs autobiographical?

-Well I think it’s impossible, as an artist, not to infuse your work with your own experience and point of view. For example, when we made Rumours, Christine and John were going through divorce and Stevie and I were breaking up. Even if we thought the songs we were making were generic, years later we realized what they were all about. It was a hard time, there was a lot of hurt and backlash. I don’t know how we managed to do it, really.

What was “Bleed to Love Her” about?

-(Pause). It was about someone I knew a long time ago who was very elusive with her emotions. I felt like I was bleeding all over the place. But you can’t force someone to take emotional risks, it just didn’t happen.

What was “Go Your Own Way” about? Just kidding. So, Gift of Screws, what did the material come from?

-There’s been sort of a pattern that as I’m poised to release solo work or in the process, the band will come in and “intervene”. Gift of Screws was a solo project I had presented to Warner Bros. in 2001, and it was proposed that Fleetwood Mac should record a handful of the songs. "Murrow Turning Over In His Grave", "Miranda", "Red Rover", "Come", "Steal Your Heart Away", "Bleed to Love Her" and "Say Goodbye" were therefore appearing on Fleetwood’s record Say You Will and in substantially the same form you know. The project is its own now, it is more experimental and less acoustic than my solo record from last year. There are a few older songs, still, that were stragglers, waiting to find a home.

What do you think of current music? Do you like electronic music?

-I think there’s some things that are new and interesting and a lot of crap, really. I like electronic music and the new brand of electronic-rock. I can’t remember all the stuff that’s new that I’ve been listening to lately, but I always buy new stuff.

So what’s up for next year?

-Well, the old lineup is basically going to come back together. I think we’re in a much better place. We were all such different people really. It was amazing that we could all be in the same band, it was a band that should never have been, but I guess that’s what made it work too. Christine McVie won’t be joining us though. We’ll practice some in the first few months of the year, and then probably go on tour in the Spring or Summer. Then there’s talk of another album. It’s a lot more commercial, you know, the tour thing. I don’t always like doing it. But, you know, it’s good.

Sounds like Thunder…
Gift of Screws is out now on Warner Bros/Reprise Records. Sheryl Crow was rumored to be joining the band to take McVie’s place when they go on tour in 2009, but that rumor has since been squashed. Phewww, that was close.

Purple Fashion Magazine

2008-10-14T18:03:00.000-07:00

So, if you dig the whole nonchalant sexy French woman thing you are A) Human, B) Going to love Purple Magazine from Paris. Women are unabashedly topless, eating jeweled bananas, looking snotty. And it is so chimerically tasteful. The features on fashion (men's too!), art, cinema, architecture, theatre, philosophy, food, politics, and society are always splendid. Check out the website, where now you now can order back issues from all the way back from 1992.

http://www.purple.fr/fashion.php?p=76

Vinyl Humor

2008-10-14T17:31:00.000-07:00

For the vinyl collector...Stefan Glerum has created these and far more damning prints for purchase on his blog.

http://stefanglerum.blogspot.com/

Playlist Oct 13 2008

2008-10-14T07:35:00.000-07:00

Here is the playlist from last night's show:

http://www.spinitron.com/public/index.php?station=wzbc&month=Oct&year=2008&plid=12840

Many calls when I played the Shunsower track by Robert Dietz & Markus Fix, here's the info:

Artist: Robert Dietz & Markus Fix
Record: Boston Shunsower
Recorded: Cecille Records
Release date: 6 October, 2008
02 tracks

A1. Shunsower ( 10:31 )
B1. Bo Boston ( 08:53 )

Played by Ricardo Villalobos, Raresh, Karotte, Nick Curly, Matthias Tanzmann, Johnny D, Reboot, Chris Tietjenafter

Number 1 on Heidi's top 10 tracks of October 2008 as reported by Resident Advisor:

http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj-chart.aspx?id=771&chart=5252

Gold Room

2008-10-10T14:28:00.001-07:00

gold room
Originally uploaded by neryl walker

Composition

2008-10-10T14:23:00.001-07:00

landing/stairwell
Originally uploaded by meetmeatmikes

Wallpaper Love

2008-10-10T14:21:00.001-07:00

art wall
Originally uploaded by lush bella

Check out Flickr group The Art of the Display

Berlin is in

2008-10-10T13:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=5510

So meeting Jan Krueger was such a pleasure, we had dinner and drinks before the show and got to talking about Berlin, Boston, techno and, errrrr, indie rock. He is, of course, part of the great label Hello?Repeat, the latest release is by Bruno Pronsato. I just put this in my top list for September/October, and I'm happy to post the review here written by our friend Will Lynch!

Boston Premiere: Jan Krueger (From Berlin, Hello?Repeat Records)

2008-10-08T16:15:00.000-07:00

People ask me alot where to go out in Boston. Make It New has always been my answer. It's every Thursday at Middlesex, in Central Square Cambridge, and I like it because the emphasis is right: no naked women/acid trippin' visuals, no $15 drinks/ no more beat-you-over-the-head breakdowns. The staff is awesome, the venue is dark, and OMFG, the music is NEW. As in, hot minimal tracks that aren't recycled next week too. Open till 2am, ususally free. This Thursday, the guest is new to Boston: Jan Krueger.

"Krueger is best known for playing a sinewy, seductive, serpentine combination of deep house and minimal techno that is proper for intimate dance floors. For Make It New, the lights we be extra-dim as Kreuger mixes a luscious set of Berlin and Detroit music that is sure to bring people closer together." -David Day

Jan Krueger at Bunker:
http://beyond.datavibe.net/20080702_JanKrueger.mp3

Jan Krueger on the Ibiza Voice podcast, June 2008:
http://www.ibiza-voice.com/sessions/media/Jan_krueger_Ibiza_Voice_Podcast.mp3

About Jan Krueger:
http://www.eardear.com/artists/index.php?artistid=21&anzeige=bio

Make It New on MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/makeitnew

Opening sets from Baldur/DJezus:
http://djezus.org/

And Alan Manzi:
http://www.myspace.com/alanmanz i

Playlist Oct 6 2008

2008-10-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

"The Following Aesthetic Reasons" is now Mondays 7-10pm on WZBC 90.3 FM (Boston radio frequencies) or stream live at wzbc.org

Here is the playlist from Monday:

http://www.spinitron.com/public/index.php?station=wzbc&month=Oct&year=2008&plid=12799

Deconstructed Design

2008-10-02T11:51:00.000-07:00

http://www.supermarkethq.com/designer/18/products

I just love these light fixtures which are photographs of natural or urban decay. Also the playful microphone!

Magda Mix--Electronic Beats Radio October 2008

2008-10-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

http://rs415.rapidshare.com/files/150210857/Magda___Electronic_Beats_Radio_Oktober_2008_UMP3.mp3

I generally choose to live in a bubble, sheltered from all politics, pop culture "hits", and celebrity dish. But even in the bubble you have stars, and so you could say that Magda is amongst the brightest stars in my little sky. Over the last few years, Magda has risen within Richie Hawtin's legendary label, Minus, to a influential seat on the techno set. Her performance(s) at the 2008 Detroit Electronic Music Festival were lauded as some of the best in show. Now, the shape of techno and electronic music to come could have something to do with Magda.
In an interview with UMP3, Magda sets it straight:
"...it’s all business, it’s all a market. And as much as I’d like to say, 'I’m cool, I’m underground, I’m not part of that,' - what if that happens to what I’m doing?" Magda is quick to stress that techno with the rest of the world must inevitably change, and that it is not a static, ahistorical, un-changing entity floating in time in space. “Techno and dance music really got popular around ‘97. It really blew up on a commercial level and people found out about it. Where ever things become commercialized, ultimately it pushes the subcultures more underground. I feel like now something new is going to happen again. It’s been kind of stagnant. Now most people know about it, so I think those people who came into it later, through trance or more commercial stuff are looking for other things. With the invention of technology and final scratch people are making super cool stuff, and it’s creating this new subculture. That’s exciting to me.”

Self Portrait Series

2008-10-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

Lou Doillon. Daughter of actor Jane Birkin and director Jacques Doillon. Now designing for French line La Redoute (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_yc76499TM) and Lee Cooper Jeans, her self-described style is "French Revolution meets Joséphine, which meets Millais’s Ophelia, wearing Degas’ tutu, Toulouse-Lautrec’s green stockings, Mary Poppins’s boots, and the Artful Dodger’s top hat, kind of with an air hostess hat."

Andy Warhol. The self portraiture of Warhol is ambiguous. Are the works, in fact, accurate representations of the real Andrew Warhol, or simply a means of deception? With his averted and superficial gaze, Warhol seems to deflect analysis and confrontation just like his famous fictional works of art.