"Open harmonics on the top three strings, alternating between the 7th and 5th fret."
— Steve Albini on how to play the intro to Big Black’s “Kerosene”
(Source: reddit.com)
"I remember playing this tune at Terror Town. It was a haunted house in Detroit, and I got hired at 15 to DJ inside the S&M room. Yes, so just to clarify: During Halloween, they would open an attraction where you walk through and, somewhere in the middle, I would be DJing a little club setup where dominatrix girls would whip you into submission. The funniest part is that it was in a children’s water park owned by some Italian mafia bullshit. After it closed, they would have leather parties and shows inside the park lobby, and I would play mostly booty music. One time I played “Come to Daddy,” and the doms really loved that song."
— Jimmy Edgar, on his first encounter with DJ Assault’s “Shake It Baby”
(Source: xlr8r.com)
New Music - Jimmy Edgar, Lone
Since I’m not writing so much for non-work outlets these days, I’ll start sharing some of my thoughts here. Two great new albums from Jimmy Edgar and Lone are out today, and here’s why I like ‘em:
Jimmy Edgar - Majenta (Hotflush)
For how much music Jimmy Edgar’s made, it’s kind of crazy that he’s not even 30 yet - some people just get an early start (for Jimmy, at age 14). His new album, Majenta, is definitely a worthwhile listen. While his last album, 2009’s XXX, came after a brief hiatus, Majenta follows pretty much consistent creativity and activity. When I interviewed Jimmy around the time of XXX, he mentioned that he’d been celibate during the recording process. For an album so full of sexual sounds and lyrics, it was surprising - but then again, there was a kind of alienation about many of the vocals. This time around, things just feel looser and more confident. Lead single “This One’s For The Children” joins a lineage of sweaty house tracks with lustful monologues - somewhere Aaron-Carl is smiling. I’ll admit that the I’ve loved other cover art more, but the music is just solid:
Lone - Galaxy Garden(R&S)
R&S’s resurgence as a “now” label has been impressive, to say the least. I can’t say I’m gung-ho for every new signing, but they definitely bet on the right horse in the post-dubstep/glowing house sound that they have now. Lone is a shining jewel in the latter category. In interviews, he’s credited Boards of Canada as a major influence on his sound - me, I’m reminded more fully of 808 State circa-Quadrastate, plus a bit of Plaid circa-Not For Threes. In other words, both groups that clearly influenced BoC, but Lone has more of the raviness of 808 State and the intricate melodic beauty of Plaid than the mysterious melancholy that I more closely associate with BoC. 808 State makes me think of futuristic raves on a polynesian island, Plaid of a city built entirely within a massive Tokyo hi-rise, BoC of a cult compound in the countryside in the early 70s, and Lone of…now, I suppose. Hard to define, but it’s worth it.
On other thing to note - there’s an excellent collaboration with Machinedrum on the new Lone album. Between this and Machinedrum’s previous single, “Sacred Frequency”, I’d really like to hear Travis Stewart step out from behind the mic a bit. Perhaps he’ll have his Jamie Lidell moment at some point even…or at least his Caribou moment. That collabo:
First gifboom - playing with a new Korg Monotron Duo (Taken with GifBoom)
