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ailsa forlenza, anthony "Shake" shakir, blue hawaii, buffablog road trip, foundry series, four tet, purity ring, shigeto, Toronto — 0 comments

buffaBLOG Road Trip Review: Foundry Series Week 1 - Four Tet & Purity Ring

Two days before the Foundry Series launched their three-week electronic music festival at the Tower Automotive Building, the city of Toronto denied access to the industrial haven that event-planners and independent musicians have cited as an area that needs exploring. Inside of the venue reminded me of one of the rooms at Silo City-- moving through large, wide pillars in a vast, formerly abandoned space. This was initially a bit of a bummer-to everyone involved- but luckily they were able to move the party to 99 Sudbury, a part-time gym, part-time venue space.

For having only a short period of time to transfer the initially envisioned idea, the space served its purpose, split into two rooms, one smaller, more intimate and boasting ridiculously comfortable leather couches, and the other larger, a little more vacuous, with a giant 3-D video installation behind the DJ stage. I was excited to see Four Tet live since I heard "Angel Echoes" for the first time. Whenever I checked out his tour page it would read: Europe, Europe, Europe...It all fell into place step by step--wanting to travel to Toronto for a weekend, rediscovering my obsession for Four Tet, and a recent introduction to Purity Ring.

The festival was split into two separate nights, the first featuring Four Tet as the headliner with Gingy, DJ Colin, and Anthony "Shake" Shakir as openers. During Gingy's set my boyfriend and I decided to absorb the heavy, almost hard-house bangers on the leather couches, feel out the place, observe the crowd. Immediately I made the mistake of making eye contact with an intense looking woman who slithered next to us and said: "My name is Mary...married with three kids." Wanting to be polite, as many Canadians are to myself, I congratulated her. She found it strange that we would travel to see Four Tet from the states, and then proceeded to dance seductively in front of me. Shortly after, and slowly running out of diplomatic responses, we moved to the main room where Anthony "Shake" Shakir was starting his set. (In advance, I apologize for the quality of photos. One has to do their best when only working via phone.)

I felt like I was teleported to the 90's, seeing the stack of records lined up to the side and watching Shakir mix with grace. After the show I did a little more research on the guy, having only found beforehand an old-school mix on a local Toronto DJ compilation on Spotify. He's a contemporary of acid-house guys Derrick May and Carl Craig and produced their earlier Metroplex releases. It was a refreshing break to watch instead of staring at a lit-up Macintosh apple computer. Initially his set began with a down-tempo house vibe and progressed to a smooth drum and bass style.

Four Tet went on around 2 a.m., and at that point the place was jammed up. I secured a spot to the right of the stage and caught a decent visual for the first half of his set. He looked tired, but methodical, a decent poker face at all times mixed with the occasional smirk and glance at the audience. Musically, his set transferred from the psychedelic and ethereal sounds he's known for to harder, dance-heavy grooves, to specific blocks of middle-eastern influenced music, which really had the crowd going a little nuts. At one point, three girls tried to dance on the speakers, and one of them fell off the stage in front of me. That's kind of what you get for trying to go-go dance when Four Tet is playing.

Night two's recap is a little less specific than night one, as I indulged in too many red bull vodkas initially and had to regain my breath and sanity during Blue Hawaii. I made it onto the floor for Austrian DJ Katie Stelmanis, whose relaxed and subtle ebbs of house was a very grounding experience. Again, another gap occurred, and Shigeto was the next act I caught. He performed a live drum solo set mixed with a slightly hip-hop vibe until Megan James from Purity Ring took over. To my surprise the room was even more packed and excited for Purity Ring versus Four Tet's crowd. Already knowing that Purity Ring was to a play a DJ set, I expected James to play a more trap-influenced mix. Instead, the music was still grind-heavy but switched beats a little too quickly instead of a comfortable glide between songs.

Visually, the installations Foundry set-up reminded me of a watered down version of Amon Tobin's 'ISAM' live. The video screen focused on swirling cubes with an inter-spatial vibe. Once again, for the time-crunch, it was as much of a sensory experience as it could be. The next two line-ups for the Foundry series aren't as name-heavy as the first, but still worth checking out if you want to party.

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Album Review: Four Tet - Beautiful Rewind

There was something comforting about Four Tet’s recent eight-hour DJ set for London-based Rinse FM to celebrate the release of his latest record, Beautiful Rewind. Four Tet, real name Kieran Hebden, provided a sonic pillow, a sprawling set of dub, disco, jungle, house, garage, jazz; showing how it all connects to the mutant form of dance music he makes. Beautiful Rewind is the latest manifestation of his ever-changing musical identity, another step towards the dance-floor.

Four Tet’s transition to the club in the past few years has been a natural one. In an interview with Clash Magazine before the release of There Is Love In You, 2010’s halcyon tinted side-long glance at house and techno, “When I started making this album, I wanted to make music that touched on those moments that make me feel on fire inside, make me feel sublime. I think that ties in the DJing a lot.” The record followed residencies at London’s Plastic People and with James Holden’s Border Community at The End. The years since have seen Four Tet’s total immersion into the world of dance music, fully realizing the skeletal beats he used to bury under warm analog ephemera and old jazz samples. 2012’s Pink was his most straightforward take on House yet, released piece meal as vinyl-only singles before being compiled into an hour-long album, the sum of its parts not the single narrative of his past albums, but the many of a night out.

Beautiful Rewind is a return to the album as a fully enclosed entity, collecting the sprawl of his eight-hour Rinse FM set and compacting it, confidently switching directions and mood. First track, “Gong,” takes off from Four Tet’s past work with schoolmate Burial, a fractured and reassembled take on jungle and grime. It’s some of Four Tet’s darkest work, the broken refrain “She don’t love me” repeated over the tumbling bass. It merely serves as the half to a whole, with next track “Parallel Jalebi” serving as a feathery counter-balance, undecipherable diva vocals over a fluorescent House pulse. “Jalebi” recalls Four Tet’s best moments, the type of tune that’s simple and beautiful, like all of Rounds’ “Hands” or when the vocals enter on There Is Love In You’s “Angel Echoes.” On “Jalebi,” he does something else, cutting the song off early only to bring it back, a rewind, a pre-internet romanticism of a moment so great that it needs to be replayed, immediately. He’ll do it again on “Kool FM,” a nod to the influential London pirate radio station of the same name, bringing the bonkers jungle beat to the point of release over and over to the point where you think it won’t happen, when it finally does, the track is nearly finished. A high quickly faded into nothing.

Four Tet leaves himself outs, steering clear of any sort of fatigue or stagnation. The fuzzy plinks of “Ba Teaches Yoga” is more atmospheric than anything else on the record, something he still does better than anyone, while “Unicorn” might just be his prettiest song yet. It stutters and rises, revealing it’s kaleidoscopic heart as it begins to race forward. Like Boards of Canada’s “Everything You Do Is A Balloon,” it sounds like it could buffer a science program, one about space or the tectonic shift of the planets.

Most of the album’s heart lays on the dance-floor. Four Tet’s always had the best drum sounds this side of Burial, and now he’s using them for propulsion, like on “Aerial” and “Buchla.” Closing track, “Your Body Feels,” is a communion of his past and his present, of the head and the body. Its track title is repeated throughout, a come-up and come-on living on in perpetuity, never brought to completion.

Beautiful Rewind continues Four Tet’s streak of excellent records, complete and forward-looking statements that haven’t aged in a sea of post-tronica albums that have. It also continues an already rich year from contemporaries, Mount Kimbie, Falty DL, Oneohtrix Point Never, the previously mentioned Boards of Canada, who have all released outstanding records that traffic in the same adventurous sonic territory Four Tet does. Chances are he already played them on his marathon broadcast.

Grade: A-

arcade fire, cass mccombs, Danny Brown, Dismemberment Plan, ducktails, four tet, Glasser, Heavenly Beat, mtorsell, new music, omar souleyman, oneohtrix point never, Sky Ferreira, sleigh bells, summer camp — 0 comments

Listener's Digest Presents - New Albums to Watch for in October

The fall is a big times for new releases. This summer seemed like very little happened after Yeezus in terms of big exciting releases, even sleeper albums seemed kind of scant for a few weeks there. Coming off of that, the sudden onslaught of new music can be overwhelming. No worries, because your friendly bloggers here at buffaBlog are providing you with some quick recommendations to help organize your month of music listening and purchases. By bloggers, I mean me, so a friendly blogger at buffaBlog is here to help. October has a little bit of everything, culminating in the much hyped release from Arcade Fire. But until then, there are exciting new releases from Danny Brown, Glasser, Cass McCombs, The Dismemberment Plan, and many more.

October 1

Oneohtrix Point Never – R Plus Seven: Oneohtrix Point Never will release another collection of his rather hard to pin down work tomorrow, his first album on the legendarily innovative Warp Records. Mixing the ambient and the upsetting, Daniel Lopatin's ongoing electronic project is sure to be one of October's most interesting and engaging releases.
October 8

Danny Brown – Old: You can already stream this record but it officially comes out on October 8. Danny Brown finally makes his long awaited follow up to XXX. Earlier released tracks off this record suggest this record will be ridiculous, adding to an exciting year for hip hop (Drake, Kanye West, A$AP Ferg, Earl Sweatshirt etc. etc.). Brown seems to be pushing himself further, taking his music in dizzyingly and delightfully weird directions.

Glasser - Interiors: Following up her well received debut, Cameron Mesirow aka Glasser, returns with Interiors. Another record you can stream before it's official debut, Glasser writes spacey/spookey electronic songs that straddle the border between catchy and haunting, which leaves you with the same end result I suppose.

Summer Camp – Summer Camp: Summer Camp’s new record appears to be a nice burst of synth pop in a year filled with such bursts. “Fresh” is definitely a sleeper jam for 2013 with a clean rhythm and a almost disco feel. Definitely an easy dancer should you need something for your upcoming costume party. The album will be a great mix of new wave and disco and a definite crowd pleaser. Hard to tell if this will get a lot of attention when it comes out, but it should.

October 15

Cass McCombs – Big Wheel and Others: It’s been a while since McCombs released Humor Risk, 2011’s nearly flawless collection of folk rock. Early singles have been exceptional so expect this record to be more of the same, which will go nicely with the changing leaves and oncoming chill.

The Dismemberment Plan – Uncanny Valley: This is more personal for me than anything else coming out in October. I first discovered the Dismemberment Plan in high school and they shaped my music taste in a number of ways. Their work has stood the test of time in such a way that I grew into instead of grown out of their music. After an immensely successful reunion tour, the group recorded their first new album in over 12 years. I am certainly apprehensive to see if their return matches up to their past accomplishment but I also have to keep reminding myself that I could never repeat the connection I made to their music at 16. So, we will see if they hit me in a different but equally impactful way as I approach 30. Early indicators point to this being a possible yes.

Heavenly Beat – Prominence: Heavenly Beat, formerly of Beach Fossils, follows up their 2012 debut, underrated in its own right, with another collection of hazed over wistful pop songs. The first single was a solid note of growth for John Peña, and I am confident the album will contain more of the same.

October 22

Ducktails – Wish Hotel EP: Matthew Mondanile’s side project has proven to be one favorite records of 2013 (it is true, just ask Mac) so it is exciting to see him releasing another album, albeit an EP in the same year. A decidedly lower key affair than The Flower Lane, Mondanile returns to recording alone. However, the first single, “Honey Tiger Eyees,” was as blissed out and grandiose as anything Ducktails has done previously.

Omar Souleyman – Wenu Wenu: A star in the Middle East, Souleyman has slowly been gaining recognition in the West for his ecstatic and poppy take on traditional music. For his wider US debut, Souleyman enlisted the production of Four Tet, whose own musical style seems a perfect match. The first single, “Wenu Wenu,” a joyous and epic party stomper, should give you a good idea of what to expect from the album. Certainly something I am anxious to hear.

October 29

Sky Ferreira – Night Time, My Time: Sky Ferreira was recently in the news for being caught with massive quantities of heroin(along with the lead singer of DIIV, oh the scandal!!). Ok, maybe it was not massive, but it was a bit of heroin, certainly more than average…I think. Anyway, Ferreira is set to finally release her debut full length after a year of smaller releases. The first single featured Ferraira doing what she does best and that is performing infinitely catchy low-key pop.

Arcade Fire – Reflekor: Hey, did you hear Arcade Fire are releasing a new album? Do you have the internet? Ok, then I don’t have to do much for this one. James Murphy produced their 4th record which promises to be more heavily influenced by Haitian music and features a more groove centric sound. “Reflecktor,” the first single, might be one of my favorite songs of theirs to date.

Album to Avoid

Sleigh Bells – Bitter Rivals: It’s been a longtime since I had second hand embarrassment from someone else'smusic but that is how I feel when I hear new music from Sleigh Bells. I really liked them in the beginning but their music has worn thin about as quickly as their first show in Buffalo a few years ago (they played for 20 minutes if you were curious). Every time I hear something from this album, I wince involuntarily. At this point, Sleigh Bells has pretty much exhausted their schtick and I am certain I heard one of their riffs on a Kid Rock song back in high school.

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Listener's Digest: Four Tet - "Parallel Jalebi"

One of the bigger stories in the indie music world this year came when Kieran Hebden, aka Four Tet, revealed that he was also Burial, the recording name of English musician William Bevan. This would later turn out to be false, but for those 24 hours when everyone believed, it dominated just about every music blog. Thankfully, the ruse had no effect on me, since - and I suppose I'll give up some cred here - I had never listened to Four Tet or Burial in my life.

I gave the former a try for the first with his latest track, "Parallel Jalebi," and my feelings could best be described as a mix of confusion and intrigue. The song begins with an extremely rapid sequence of blips that does not cease until its conclusion, and about a minute through, is joined by a disembodied female voice that says nothing discernible, but sounds creepier and creepier by the second. On their own, these noises wouldn't do much, but together, they create quite a jarring effect. I will admit, I'm very curious to see what the rest of Four Tet's catalog has to offer. Maybe I'll check out that Burial dude, too.

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Listener's Digest: Justin Timberlake - "Suit & Tie" (Four Tet Remix)

While at first, it seems like this is an odd pairing for a remix; however, with Four Tet's recent push in the direction of house music and Justin Timberlake's continued ability to turn out solid pop songs, today's remix of "Suit & Tie," is a welcome one. Four Tet keeps Timberlake's vocals, speeds them up, eliminates Jay-Z's ultimately weak section (let's face it, Jay-Z has been really phoning it in in recent years), and adds a chopped up beat. The result is an excellent meshing of two artists' talents.

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Listen to Four Tet's Remix of the xx's "Angels"

Kieran Hebden aka Four Tet has remixed the lead track “Angels” from the xx’s new album, Coexist. The electronic producer previously worked with the band’s material in 2010, remixing the single “VCR” off of their sublime debut record. Debuting last night on BBC Radio One, the remix takes the breathy vocals of Romy Madley Croft and puts them in front of the bright ambience that define much of the producer’s work. Rather than crowding the negative space that defines the original cut, the atmosphere is kept in tact and brightened by the electronic texture that marks the Londoner’s work.

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Album of the Week: Four Tet - Pink

Four Tet's progression has been a curious one. The trip hop bliss of "Hands" has given way to a more minimalistic approach on his last few releases. After the jubilant noise of 2005's Everything Ecstatic, Hebden didn't release another album under the Four Tet moniker until 2008 with the Ringer EP, which seemed like a diversionary departure into minimal house at the time. 2010's There is Love In You cemented the artistic left turn, maintaining just enough of Four Tet's freewheeling live drums to fit into his canon but with a new found sense of focus. As opposed to Hebden seemingly hurling ingredients at the wall, creating collages of simultaneously chaotic and gentle roughness, it now seemed as though Hebden had developed into a calculated marksman, capable of hitting his targets with precision.

This was reflected in his DJ mixes as well, which were once a hodgepodge collection of his wide ranging influences slamming against one another like an ugly bar brawl of jazz musicians, rappers and folk singers (my money's on the jazz musicians, they drink the most). His new full length Pink continues his adventures in all things minimal, compiling the singles he's released over the past year on his Text label along with two new tracks, "Lion" and "Peace For Earth". "Lion" holds fast with a steady four on the floor beat and deep sub bass hits before a dark, brooding synth progression fades in like an early John Carpenter film creeping onto the set of Saturday Night Fever. "Peace For Earth" clocks in at over 11 minutes, with the first few minutes feeling like a lost Vangelis soundtrack before rhythmic arpeggios take over, allowing the slightest amount of variation to maintain interest but never allowing (or needing) a beat to materialize.

Album opener "Locked" starts off not quite unlike any other Four Tet album, with a crisp, natural drum sample. Suddenly, heavy kicks and claps overlay the beat with big womping bass hits and heavily phased guitars. These are the sort of elements that could be found populating his earlier releases, but with a patient 8 minutes and 30 seconds allowing each element proper time to breathe it stands out as modern Four Tet. "Jupiters" opens with a catchy meandering synth melody that drops out halfway in favor of tight electronic rim shots and ghetto fabulous sub bass kicks. "Pyramid" features a rare vocal sample loop that for a moment resembles old school house until the funky syncopated bass becomes more muted and modulates under layers of light synths, adding some emotional resonance to an otherwise monotonous club track.

In summation, Pink is a minimal album and it isn't. It's the kind of music you put on while you're doing your taxes, then 30 minutes go by and you realize that you've gotten nothing done because your brain has been completely occupied in some sort of hypnotic, contemplative vegetative state. It's an album that thumbs it's nose at predictability, yet still manages to embrace all of the conventions of electronic dance music without irony. Never before have machines been in such effortless collaboration with their beautifully flawed organic counterparts.