Maybe it’s the shoes. Maybe it’s the completely infectious song. Maybe it’s just me but I love Aura Dione’s I Will Love You Monday (365 Days And Nights).
So it’s nothing mind-blowing or earth shattering but it is folk-country bubble gum pop at its best. See? I just had to invent a new category to describe her sound.
Maybe it’s just the shoes…
xx
yours in musical madness
The Assembly, Havana Club Rum & Dim Mak present: Steve Aoki South African Tour – April 2nd & 3rd 2010, with photos by The Cobrasnake.
Los Angeles based electro kingpin Steve Aoki performs live in Cape Town, at The Assembly, on Friday 2nd April 2010, with photos by The Cobrasnake.
Based in Los Angeles, California, Steve Aoki is the founder of hipster electro record label DIM MAK RECORDS whose artist roster boasts A – list acts such as MSTRKRFT, The Bloody Beetroots, The Klaxons and The Gossip, and can also be credited with discovering Bloc Party. As a producer, Aoki has worked on official remixes for many highly acclaimed artists including Michael Jackson, The Killers, Chris Cornell, Snoop Dog, Duran Duran, and Lenny Kravitz.
He won the prestigious Billboard Magazine’s Best Mix album of 2008 for his debut release Pillowface, and his airplane chronicles a mix album that includes exclusive remixes, guest vocals and overdubs by a vast array of artists including Erol Alkan, Spank Rock, Santigold, Kid Sister, Justice, Soulwax, and Uffie.
Aoki is currently involved in a number of exciting collaboration projects with release dates set in 2010, these include RIFOKI (with Bob Rifo from The Bloody Beetroots), Colossus (with Boys Noize & The Faint), Hello, Goodbye / Rocket (with Laidback Luke), and “Brrrap” (with Armand van Helden). He has rightly earned a reputation as one of the top DJs in the Electrohouse scene and has won numerous awards including DJ of the year (Paper Magazine), Best set of the Season (Ibiza Awards) & Best Party Rocker DJ (BPM Magazine).
Not satisfied with crouching behind the DJ Booth, his ferociously energetic live sets add fuel to the music as he drives the crowds’ energy into a frenzied state with a mix of stage diving, live vocals and other debauched antics. Aoki is at the forefront of the new-age dance scene, playing to sell out crowds across North America, Europe, Asia & Australia. Also involved in fashion, his own label DIM MAK COLLECTION has been active since 2004 and is stocked across the globe.
Steve Aoki will perform on Friday 2nd April at Cape Town’s premier live music & entertainment venue, The Assembly, supported by local DJs Battle Beyond the Stars, Haezer, Grave Danger & Lapse. Limited early bird tickets are available for R80 via The Assembly’s ticket outlets – Shelflife (loop st) and online here. Full price tickets for those who miss the early bird special are available through the same sources for R120. This event is expected to sell out, therefore presale tickets are highly recommended – should they be available, standard tickets will be on sale at the door for R150. Doors open at 9pm.
The End is Nigh presents Steve Aoki in JHB on Sat 3 April. Aoki will be supported by local DJs ManKaZam, Data Takashi, The Champs, Shuffle Shame & Musical Chairs at a brand new venue, The Woods Live. This event will take place as a covered street & indoor party.
Mark “The Cobrasnake” Hunter is the world’s quintessential party photographer, renowed across the globe for his charismatic coverage of the Los Angeles Hipster scene. The Cobrasnake has toured alongside Aoki in a number of countries, including Canada, Thailand, Australia & Europe, and now, thanks to Adidas & Vice Magazine, he’ll be joining Steve Aoki in South Africa, for what promises to be a whirlwind experience!
Press release sent to: musicalmover@gmail.com
“Live and direct from the Honky Tonk of Electro comes three shit-faced extra terrestrials known amongst the elite simply as Donny, Preston and Holly.” They are Hyper Crush. They are wacky, unique, outspoken and are bringing the 80’s back one dancefloor banger at a time.
The trio “have been friends since we were really young, Donny and Preston were causing trouble in middle school together at 15 years old, We met Holly in high school and shit just made sense..” Originally, the name of the band was the Bel-Airs, but the name changed along with their style and Hyper Crush was born. They picked the band name as they “wanted an original name that did not have any meaning and sounded rad, the two words Hyper and Crush sound like our music, and we like both of those words”
Their musical influences range from “Pet Shop Boys and Rage against the Machine to New Order” as well as “any groups that are pushing the envelope musically.” and bands like “Daft Punk or Tony Scott (director of Top Gun and Days of Thunder) are who they would like most to collaborate with. As for pushing the envelope musically and experimenting, it is something they are doing themselves-they have used sounds from Nintendo’s Duck Hunt game to begin the song “The Arcade” and music from The Legend of Zelda to end it.
Making music was something that “just kinda happened, [as we have] loved it since we were kids…” As for their sound, they describe it as “High Energy. Fun. A swift side-kick to the face.” Which it is. It’s upbeat, funky and has an irresistibleness that one cannot deny.
When asked what they would like to achieve in the music industry, their reply was “Have you seen the movie Wall Street? We wanna be the Gordon Gecko of the music Industry.” The movie Wall Street is about stockbroker with “a strong desire to get to the top” and who will do “just about anything to get into the big leagues”. One can only admire their determination to make it in the industry.
Hyper Crush toured with Kevin Rudolf in spring 2009. The second half of the tour was cancelled for unknown reasons, but touring as the opening act for Lady Gaga surely made up for the botched Kevin Rudolf tour. Opening for Lady Gaga was a mixture of “great exposure, bad sausages” it was also “an amazing opportunity that we took full advantage of, gained a bunch of new fans in Europe, and didn’t eat for a solid month (bad food)…and blew up 2 lasers because of the power conversion..” Now that’s how every tour should be.
Their favourite thing about performing is “the feeling we get when we hear the crowd screaming, and chanting your name before the show, it’s an amazing feeling to know hundreds of people are in the audience that appreciate what we do…” They add “we also love to stage dive and to spray the crowd with super soakers…”
Recording their debut album The Arcade “was awesome, and very time consuming, sometimes we would be up till 10 or 11 am, We were able to try new things musically that were not really being done at that time, We did all the artwork too..” After some delays in releasing their second album they chose to release Mixtape Volume 2 through the internet as their “goal was to get it into as many people’s hands as possible, so we gave it away for free [so] we put up the Mixtape everywhere we could…”
They have a new album coming out soon and so far the name for it is most likely going to be “Flip the Switch”. Recording the new album is going “Fantastic! It is mostly done, we are super happy with the way it turned out. We were exploring a newer bigger sound on this record…” The new and bigger sound is something to look out for. As for their favourite track off the album as of yet it is probably “Flip the Switch”
Their song, “Keep Up” has been described as “a dance floor banger, sure to make you dance so fast you can barely see your sneakers.” It also happens to be the new single they have released and they will have a video for it “coming real soon” as well as a “new album coming soon and when we say soon we mean in the next decade hopefully…”
They have some crazy off the wall antics in studio which include “Preston trying to buy a shotgun (but settled for the most powerful fully automatic BB guns) which we fire at cans in the studio while recording to keep our wits about us…” A typical day in studio for Hyper Crush…
The trio aren’t satisfied with just making music; Preston is working on “developing interplanetary commuter space travel mainly through magnetic powered super crafts.” Donny is practicing being a male escort for lonely upper class housewives in and around southern California and Holly has always dreamed of working at hot dog on a stick and has an interview in the coming weeks. She is keeping her fingers crossed.”
As for the band members themselves “Holly has the mouth of a trucker and is quite a hussie at times. Along with having an unmatched amount of sass she is also very opinionated.” This means she talks the most rubbish (at any given moment). Whilst on tour, it’s all about being clean, clean, clean. Very clean. “We are all really clean, we think Preston has OCD. Donny refuses to let his bare feet touch any type of floor. Ideally we wish we could boil the entire world to completely disinfect it.” You know, the usual.
I had to know with a band such as Hyper Crush just exactly what their craziest show experience has been and it happened at “one of our first shows” “It was in a club in Hollywood. We performed right on the dancefloor. Some guy grabbed Holly’s mic (she got caught slipping) and started talking shit. We ended up getting the mic back and continued to rock. That person is no longer with us.”
Donny is the brash, no nonsense, rapper who tells it like it is. He has the nickname “PonyBoy” and he “took it from the movie The Outsiders which we were obsessed with for a time.” He continues “I’m a straight shooter just like PonyBoy was.” Word. He happens to have the “wits of a pigeon and an ego big enough for 5 men”. It’s pretty impressive and he feels “It is stressful at times. It consumes alot of my energy causing me to have to rest sporadically throughout the day.” He would rather have “Worldwide fame” than a pair of vintage 80’s sneakers as he has “plenty of dope sneakers.” Worldwide fame it is. When they take over the world Donny’s message to their fans would be “Thank you for sticking by us.” Short, sweet and straight to the point.
When asked who would win in a fistfight, Donny or Preston? Donny says “Well being that I test my strength often in drunken street fights I might have an edge on Pres.” Preston says “That would never happen; we would end up fighting you first. If it did though we would duel to the death…”
Preston is a take no prisoners kind of guy. He also happens to be a convicted felon and a fulltime alcoholic as well as a DJ/producer extraordinaire. That doesn’t leave much time for anything else, how he manages it all is simple he explains “the fact is, I have an addictive personality. It works to my advantage, I never stop working, just keep going and going…” Donny has a nickname (“PonyBoy”) and Preston doesn’t although his “old nickname was “Cutti”” That counts for something on the nickname front.
Holly is the bubble gum to their lollipop, metaphorically of course. She has to handle a lot of testosterone with the two guys but she “loves it!” As for the hard decisions in life, such the question of shoes or gum? She would go for “shoes. A lot more damage can be done with my kicks and heels” True that.
When they take over the world she would tell their fans that “Honestly, we couldn’t have done it without you guys…” and Preston would say “Thanks [to the fans] for riding hard with us and we hope you keep repping the crush till the day you perish from the earth because you know we will.”
They have “fresh rhymes and funky beats and they are armed with enough neon to make you wear shades.” You have been warned. Now get ready for them to tear up the dancefloor.
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“Live and direct from the Honky Tonk of Electro comes three shit-faced extra terrestrials known amongst the elite simply as Donny, Preston and Holly.” They are Hyper Crush. They are wacky, unique, outspoken and are bringing the 80’s back one dancefloor banger at a time.
The trio “have been friends since we were really young, Donny and Preston were causing trouble in middle school together at 15 years old, We met Holly in high school and shit just made sense..” Originally, the name of the band was the Bel-Airs, but the name changed along with their style and Hyper Crush was born. They picked the band name as they “wanted an original name that did not have any meaning and sounded rad, the two words Hyper and Crush sound like our music, and we like both of those words”
Their musical influences range from “Pet Shop Boys and Rage against the Machine to New Order” as well as “any groups that are pushing the envelope musically.” and bands like “Daft Punk or Tony Scott (director of Top Gun and Days of Thunder) are who they would like most to collaborate with. As for pushing the envelope musically and experimenting, it is something they are doing themselves-they have used sounds from Nintendo’s Duck Hunt game to begin the song “The Arcade” and music from The Legend of Zelda to end it.
Making music was something that “just kinda happened, [as we have] loved it since we were kids…” As for their sound, they describe it as “High Energy. Fun. A swift side-kick to the face.” Which it is. It’s upbeat, funky and has an irresistibleness that one cannot deny.
Their song, “Keep Up” has been described as “a dance floor banger, sure to make you dance so fast you can barely see your sneakers.” It also happens to be the new single they are releasing and they will have a video for it “coming real soon” as well as a “new album coming soon and when we say soon we mean in the next decade hopefully…”
When asked what they would like to achieve in the music industry, their reply was “Have you seen the movie Wall Street? We wanna be the Gordon Gecko of the music Industry.” The movie Wall Street is about stockbroker with “a strong desire to get to the top.” and who will do “just about anything to get into the big leagues” and whilst they are no means stockbrokers, you can only admire their determination to make it in the industry.
Hyper Crush toured with Kevin Rudolf in spring 2009. The second half of the tour was cancelled for unknown reasons, but touring as the opening act for Lady Gaga surely made up for the botched Kevin Rudolf tour. Opening for Lady Gaga was a mixture of “great exposure, bad sausages” it was also “an amazing opportunity that we took full advantage of, gained a bunch of new fans in Europe, and didn’t eat for a solid month (bad food)…and blew up 2 lasers because of the power conversion..” Now that’s how every tour should be.
Their favourite thing about performing is “the feeling we get when we hear the crowd screaming, and chanting your name before the show, it’s an amazing feeling to know hundreds of people are in the audience that appreciate what we do…” They add “we also love to stage dive and to spray the crowd with super soakers…”
Recording their debut album The Arcade “was awesome, and very time consuming, sometimes we would be up till 10 or 11 am, We were able to try new things musically that were not really being done at that time, We did all the artwork too..” After some delays in releasing their second album they chose to release Mixtape Volume 2 through the internet as their “goal was to get it into as many people’s hands as possible, so we gave it away for free [so] we put up the Mixtape everywhere we could”
They have a new album coming out soon and so far the name for it is most likely going to be “Flip the Switch”. Recording the new album is going “Fantastic! It is mostly done, we are super happy with the way it turned out. We were exploring a newer bigger sound on this record…” The new and bigger sound is something to look out for. As for their favourite track off the album as of yet it is probably “Flip the Switch”
They have some crazy off the wall antics in studio which include “Preston trying to buy a shotgun (but settled for the most powerful fully automatic BB guns) which we fire at cans in the studio while recording to keep our wits about us…” Can you say a typical day in studio for Hyper Crush…
The trio aren’t satisfied with just making music; Preston is working on “developing interplanetary commuter space travel mainly through magnetic powered super crafts.” Donny practicing being a male escort for lonely upper class housewives in and around southern California and Holly has always dreamed of working at hot dog on a stick and has an interview in the coming weeks. She is keeping her fingers crossed.”
As for the band members themselves “Holly has the mouth of a trucker and is quite a hussie at times. Along with having an unmatched amount of sass she is also very opinionated.” This means she talks the most rubbish (at any given moment). Whilst on tour, it’s all about being clean, clean, clean. Very clean. “We are all really clean, we think Preston has OCD. Donny refuses to let his bare feet touch any type of floor. Ideally we wish we could boil the entire world to completely disinfect it.” You know, the usual.
I had to know with a band such as Hyper Crush just exactly what their craziest show experience has been and it happened at “one of our first shows” “It was in a club in Hollywood. We performed right on the dancefloor. Some guy grabbed Holly’s mic (she got caught slipping) and started talking shit. We ended up getting the mic back and continued to rock. That person is no longer with us.”
Donny is the brash, no nonsense, rapper who tells it like it is. He has the nickname “PonyBoy” and he “took it from the movie The Outsiders which we were obsessed with for a time.” He continues “I’m a straight shooter just like PonyBoy was.” Word. He happens to have the “wits of a pigeon and an ego big enough for 5 men”. It’s pretty impressive and he feels “It is stressful at times. It consumes alot of my energy causing me to have to rest sporadically throughout the day.” He would rather have “Worldwide fame” than a pair of vintage 80’s sneakers as he has “plenty of dope sneakers.” Worldwide fame it is. When they take over the world Donny’s message to their fans would be “Thank you for sticking by us.” Short, sweet and straight to the point.
When asked who would win in a fistfight, Donny or Preston? Donny says “Well being that I test my strength often in drunken street fights I might have an edge on Pres.” Preston says “That would never happen; we would end up fighting you first. If it did though we would duel to the death…”
Preston is a take no prisoners kind of guy. He also happens to be a convicted felon and a fulltime alcoholic as well as a DJ/producer extraordinaire. That doesn’t leave much time for anything else, how he manages it all is simple he explains “the fact is, I have an addictive personality. It works to my advantage, I never stop working, just keep going and going…” Donny has a nickname (“PonyBoy”) and Preston doesn’t although his “old nickname was “Cutti”” That counts for something on the nickname front. When they take over the world Preston would say “Thanks [to the fans] for riding hard with us and we hope you keep repping the crush till the day you perish from the earth because you know we will.”
Holly is the bubble gum to Preston and Donny’s lollipop, metaphorically of course. She has to handle a lot of testosterone with the two guys but she “loves it!” As for the hard decisions in life, such the question of shoes or gum she would go for “shoes. A lot more damage can be done with my kicks and heels” True that. When they take over the world she would tell their fans that “Honestly, we couldn’t have done it without you guys…”
They have “fresh rhymes and funky beats and they are armed with enough neon to make you wear shades.” You have been warned. Now get ready for them to tear up the dancefloor.
Meet Bit Funk. He’s Chicago/Toronto-based producer who makes “melodies with thrilling synths and dangerous basslines.”
He has just finished a new remix of ‘Love Love Love for the rising London-based singer Kirstenana (who is someone to look out for) and the remix shows off his versatility and plain skill. I have the song repeat and it’s likely to stay on for the next couple of weeks.
He has made his own work available for free download and these songs are treats. If you are an electro fan you’ll no doubt enjoy them.
Bit Funk – Love Scientific
Bit Funk – Things I can’t remember
Bit Funk – A question for you
Get going.
xx
yours in musical madness
One of my all time favourite bands is Needtobreathe, hailing from the small town of Possum Kingdom in South Carolina.
Some would compare them to Kings of Leon as it’s led by brothers (Bear and Bo Rinehart) and their father is a pastor; now that would be true if the guys from Kings of Leon were cleaner, less gruff and their was sound more country rock than rock ‘n roll, then you’d have Neetobreathe.
I’m currently obsessively listening to their new album,The Outsiders and standout tracks include: Prisoner, Hurricane and Girl named Tennessee.
xx
yours in musical madness
Saturday plays host to Gazelle’s Kalahari Safari, Cape Town Stopover, where Gazelle will be joined by Jack Parow, The Plastics, Tommy Gun & DJ Sideshow. This show will also be the world premiere of Gazelle’s new music video for “Just Now”.
There are rumours that Gazelle might only be back in Cape Town next year as they head off to NYC, an Asian, and 2 European tours, in just the first half of this year!
I have 2 x double tickets for this show. All you have to do is comment on the post saying why you’d like to go. It’s that simple. Winners will picked on Friday afternoon.
xx
yours in musical madness
She has been dubbed an “art-glam-trash-pop teen who makes Lady Gaga look a bit, well, old and crap” by The Guardian UK. Her name is Sky Ferreira.
She’s appeared in a Justice video adding a “cappella squeaks and sighs” to ‘We Are Your Friends’ and she is currently working with Paul Epworth, Bloodshy & Avant, Dallas Austin and more on her debut album to be released this year. Guess what? She’s only 17.
DJ Skeet Skeet took her cover of The Beatles ‘Happiness is a Warm Gun’ and put Dr Dre’s beat over it resulting in the mash-up called ‘Happy Dre. It’s beyond amazing. She looks set to make a mark in 2010. Believe it. Check out more of her music here.
Thanks to Talya for the heads up!
xx
yours in musical madness
The PopCop explains the Music Alliance Pact as something that “takes you on a 35-stop journey through seven continents on the 15th of every month, bringing music from the untapped reaches of Estonia to the beach fronts of Copacabana and the back alleys of Beijing.” Counting The Beat says of it “On a monthly basis music bloggers from around the globe select a track from their own country which is then posted collectively and simultaneously on those blogs – giving each nation’s track international exposure.” This month I give to you Dans Republic.
SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
Dans Republic – Afrikaans
Dans Republic is the coming together of two groups – Flash Republic, a band with the ability to set the dancefloors alight, and Foto Na Dans, who are breaking the boundaries of Afrikaans music with their own signature style. Their electro-tinged song Afrikaans showcases and merges the English and Afrikaans genre. It blends their unique styles seamlessly into something that is dreamy, indie, rock and electro all at once, yet never compromises each band’s sound.
ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Eloisa Lopez – Espiral
This is one of Zonaindie’s favorite tracks from 2009. It was taken from Eloisa’s third album, Por Un Paisaje. Maybe we like her so much because she manages to elegantly combine acoustic textures with native South American percussions and digital sounds. Espiral is a great example of this, and yet an unbelievably catchy tune that has Leo García as a guest vocalist. What else could you ask for?
AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Kite Club – Royal Gums
Royal Gums is one of those tracks that grabs you straight away and drags you along for three minutes thanks to its chanting hooks and penchant for large-scale production. It opens with a beat lifted from Psychocandy and an explosion of layered vocals but then settles into a calming, meditative refrain, just letting the melody and harmonies carry the song. Kite Club (aka Nicholas Futcher) marries the laptop trickery to the tune without letting it control the song nor detract from its melodic core.
BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Barulhista – Indieota
When it comes to avant-garde music in Brazil, Barulhista (which means something like “noise follower”) is certainly an artist to keep an eye on. His electro-acoustic sounds encompass experimental electronica and more concrete music both in his solo songs and in the soundtracks he composes. Indiota (a mix of “indie” and “idiot” in Portuguese) is as close to pop as he has ever been.
CANADA: I(Heart)Music
Novels – No Hard Feelings
A supergroup of sorts featuring members of Born Ruffians, Tokyo Police Club and Will Currie & The Country French among others, Novels quietly released their self-titled debut EP into the world around Christmas. As No Hard Feelings (not to mention the other four tracks) demonstrates, it totally lives up to its pedigree. The album is full of catchy, 70s-inspired pop and it makes the EP well worth a (free!) download.
CHILE: Super 45
Moreno – Pica
Moreno is the new darling of Chilean indie-rock. With a powerful and psychedelic sound, Giancarlo Landini’s project – he plays every instrument on record and has a backing band for live shows – is inspired by lo-fi legends such as Lou Barlow (Sebadoh), J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr) and Robert Pollard (Guided By Voices), with a classic flavor.
CHINA: Wooozy
Mosaic – Sunshine Train
Mosaic are one of the new generation of bands from Chengdu. They were called GT6 before they changed their name in 2008. At the end of last year they successfully completed a tour of China through 10 cities. Although they haven’t released a full-length album, they are definitely worth a listen.
COLOMBIA: Colombia Urbana
Rayo y Toby – Manitas Mágicas
After trying with different partners, Rayo and Toby finally realized they themselves were the perfect combination. The duo mix good urban music with a shot of melody and their approach is both fresh and unsettling.
DENMARK: All Scandinavian
Before The Show – Gabriel
Before The Show was originally a solo project by multi-instrumentalist Laurids Smedegaard, who often worked on his own songs just hours before he went on stage with any one of the numerous other bands he’s involved in (hence the band name). Now a quintet, Before The Show are working on getting their debut released and until that happens we can all enjoy this excellent taste of what’s to come.
ENGLAND: The Daily Growl
Jose Vanders – For Now
Jose Vanders is a piano-playing chanteuse who is less eccentric than Regina Spektor and smarter than Kate Nash, but with even more doe-eyed, curly-haired cuteness. For Now shows off her gift for melody and picture-book lyrics, albeit on a ukulele instead of her usual piano. Jose has released three exquisite EPs in each of the past three years, aged 17, 18 and 19. Surely fame beckons at 20.
ESTONIA: Popop
Barthol Lo Mejor – Windshield Pfeiffer
Barthol Lo Mejor makes popdada music – experiments with electro rhythms and unconventional sounds including pieces of conversations, cliches, old movies and anime cartoons. His music is considered effective for recovering from hard drug addiction. Windshield Pfeiffer is part of the K8 MOSH EP, available for free download here
FINLAND: Glue
Kiki Pau – An Old Song
After their well-receive debut Let’s Rock, Kiki Pau return with a fantastic sophomore album to be released in early March. A MAP exclusive, An Old Song is the opening track of White Mountain and shows a more guitar-driven band with uplifting spirits. Those following the Nordic indie scene will hear about this band quite a lot this year because the whole album is a keeper that channels the classic sound of T.Rex, The Velvet Underground and left-field US guitar gods such as Pavement and Guide By Voices without forgetting a twist of Finnish pop.
FRANCE: ZikNation
Satine – Iron Güm
Drawing inspiration from northern poptronica (Under Byen, Mùm, Efterklang) and electro rock bands (Radiohead, The Notwist), Satine gave birth to their first intimate yet powerful tracks in 2004. Live, the band unfolds a dreamlike visual universe with video projections and light shows that make every concert a unique experience. But it’s always deep, beautiful and organic.
GERMANY – Blogpartei
Napoli Is Not Nepal – People Call It Mantra
Napoli Is Not Nepal is the solo project of Cologne-based Hendryk Martin. What he calls ‘electro nihilism’, I’d call outstanding ambient electro with some eclectic moments. Although People Call It Mantra was released in mid-2009 as part of the album Boredom Is Always Counterrevolutionary, it’s still quite a statement for the growing influence of music that sits between ambient and indie.
GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
Etten – Clockwork Skies
Etten, former lead singer of the Greek band Film, weaves her tales of hope and dreams in a warm bearskin coat of pop sensibilities. Her voice offers the moods ‘light and shade’, while production touches colorfully paint enchanting pictures. Dark, but never needlessly so, I Know You’re Behind Me But I’m Not Scared is an intoxicating, addictive debut that offers a rich, distinct world of lullabies, spacey timbres and ghostly beauty. It blends brittle, 80s-influenced electro and Knife-inspired synths with buzzing basslines, guitars and samples in a sound that’s both atmospheric and richly textured.
ICELAND: I Love Icelandic Music
Mammut – Svefnsykt
Mammut were formed in 2003 by two boys and three girls, aged 14-16. David Fricke of Rolling Stone magazine called them “a really good band”. They played SXSW in 2007 and toured with dEUS in Iceland and Germany. In 2008, Mammut released their second album, Karkari, through Icelandic label Record Records. Svefnsykt was its first single.
INDIA: Indiecision
Noush Like Sploosh – 3 Act Circus
Noush Like Sploosh is one of the most promising hopefuls of India’s growing, urban singer-songwriter scene. Armed with a dry wit and a musical sensibility falling somewhere between Regina Spektor and Imogen Heap, Noush Like Sploosh’s music is refreshing indie-pop that’s lyrical yet largely accessible. 3 Act Circus brings together myriad references, a laid-back ambient pop vibe and Ms Sploosh’s positively delectable vocals.
INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
RNRM – Zsa Zsa Zsu
RNRM are one of the finest electronic acts to have emerged from Indonesia’s underground and have earned praised in several music scenes, from punk-rock to high-class dance clubs. Their latest record, Outbox, was listed as one of the best albums of the last decade by Deathrockstar.
IRELAND: Nialler9
Autumn Owls – Raindrops In The River
Autumn Owls are a Dublin four-piece who have been honing their brand of nocturnal atmospheric rock songs since 2006. With two burgeoning and impressive EPs released and a debut album on the way, the band will travel to Austin this year to play the SXSW festival. Watch out for these guys in 2010.
ITALY: Polaroid
København Store – Strangers
The main quality of København Store’s music is its ability to build a layered and monumental sound with an incredibly strong emotional impact. There is something vast about the band, as if they could throw their songs for miles and miles. Strangers is taken from the forthcoming release, Hi. The new album will be the first chapter of a trilogy.
JAPAN: JPOP Lover
LITE – The Sun Sank
LITE are one of the most enthusiastic live bands in Tokyo. They are often compared to Battles and Mogwai, and combine math-rock power and precision with emotionally-charged compositions. They will be doing a U.S. west coast tour with Mike Watt & The Missingmen in March. The Sun Sank is taken from their latest EP, Turns Red.
MEXICO: Red Bull PanameriKa
Furland – Quiero Ser Un Color
Furland are famous for having a huge grass-ball on stage, this Mexico City quartet dream of tripping to a place where strawberry fields stretch forever. On their proper debut, La Historia de la Luz, they explore the eternal message of love through light, sound… and a banjo. Quiero Ser Un Color is the first single off a 360-degree work filled with lush orchestrations, majestic vibes and acidic lyrics stuffed with cotton candy – food for thought.
NETHERLANDS: Amsterdam Event Guide
Moon & Sun – Ashes
To escape from the harsh winter we need some music that draws pictures of summer hazy beaches, endless days and warm nights. Enter the gorgeous Moon & Sun from Amsterdam. Their whimsical, sexy sound merges with a slightly more eerie tone of the vocal melodies and harmonies between frontlady Monica Tormell and her accompanying musicians. Playing a mix of piano, drums, guitars and steel drums, Moon & Sun have definitely got the 2010 sound down with their Caribbean sensibilities.
NEW ZEALAND: Counting The Beat
Pumice – Greenock
New Zealand’s best one-man band multi-instrumentalist psych-noise outfit is Pumice, the pseudonym of Stefan Neville. One of Pumice’s best albums, 2007’s Pebbles, is about to get a vinyl release on Soft Abuse Records. Wheezing organ and guitar feedback combine in album centrepiece Greenock, named after the Scottish village Neville’s ancestors originated from.
NORWAY: Eardrums
Team Me – Weathervanes And Chemicals
Team Me play warm and rich orchestrated pop music in the same vein as Sufjan Stevens, Efterklang, Hjaltalin or Sigur Rós. This used to be Marius D. Hagen’s one-man band – a recording project where he could play the songs that didn’t fit in his other bands. But Team Me has grown into a seven-strong orchestra and the fragile acoustic songs Hagen used to play have been transformed into a much larger and richer sound. Hagen is also a member of alternative rock band Jaqueline and half of semi-electronic pop duo SiN along with Tord Øverland Knudsen of English band The Wombats. SiN will release their debut album later this year and hopefully we’ll also get a release from Team Me in 2010.
PERU: SoTB
Rafo De La Cuba – Freak Profesional
Rafo De La Cuba has left anonymity to become an idol of Web 2.0. His home demos skip from ear to ear so it was no surprise that someone so talented could not stay hidden. Influenced by The Beatles, his songs tell simply of life – intimate stories turned into melancholic, but not sad, poetry. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long to hear new material, with his debut LP due to be released soon.
PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Jasmin Jones – Lost In Rainbows
Jasmin Jones, whose mother is Portuguese, was born in Australia and lived in different countries during her childhood. She is a surfer and nature lover. Her debut album Beyond The Clouds will be released this year, even though she didn’t find a label to represent her. Jasmin currently lives in Lisbon and besides her solo career, she is the vocalist for Triplet, a rock band.
ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Kumm – Pop Song
Kumm started 12 years ago as an art-rock band. Much like their influences, Sonic Youth and Spritualized, they have developed a new approach to rock by constantly experimenting with various sounds and styles. Their latest album, Far From Telescopes, is a refreshing pop experience, a new episode of their music journey – far from their roots and closer to simpler things. This is a band that has grown up by getting younger.
SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Werd – Breakdown
Even if you’re just a casual hip hop listener, you owe it to yourself to give Werd a spin. The 22-year-old’s rhymes are as cunningly creative as they are uncompromising and he executes them with such furious, stylish precision. You can (and should) download everything the Edinburgh rapper has done for free from his Bandcamp page. In the meantime, the irresistible force of sub-two-minute track Breakdown will leave you wanting more… which is the point, yes?
SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
Stellarium – Chocolate & Strawberry
Stellarium are a shoegaze band, and that’s all you need to know. Instead of updating a familiar sound, they do something even more commendable by playing shoegaze as if it never went away. The moment the fuzz bass comes in during Chocolate & Strawberry, you’re caught in the band’s intricate web of white noise, ghostly reverb and cryptic vocals. Overall, the whole thing sounds like a long shutter exposure speeding past bright lights. Bliss.
SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
The Pony – Disturbance
Four-member indie-rock band The Pony released their first full-length album, Pony, last year. Full of well-produced tracks, it offers plenty of variety. Disturbance is a catchy, energetic song with great hooks to keep the listener coming back for more.
SPAIN: Oscuro Magazine
Estereotypo – The Big Fake
Estereotypo are one of those pop-rock bands with which you can’t remain indifferent. It’s best to see them live, where their power and presence are reminiscent of bands like Franz Ferdinand, The Faint, Foals or Delorean. Based in Santander, their second album, Love Your City, is out this month and The Big Fake embodies the powerful sound of this great indie band.
SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Staphan O’Bell – On The Rooftop
This song is great example of romantic swirling pop à la Rufus Wainwright. It’s one of three songs that are available from Stockholm resident Staphan O’Bell’s forthcoming album. If On The Rooftop is any indication then that album will be one to keep an eye out for.
UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
Toro Y Moi – Thanks Vision
Toro Y Moi is the solo work of South Carolinian Chaz Bundick. Hailing from the college town of Columbia, Bundick creates distorted lo-fi pop music that warmly floats between your ears like something beautiful you’d stumble across while sifting through static radio waves.
VENEZUELA: Barquisimento
Atkinson – Pais Tropical
Wincho Schäfer, Erik Aldrey and Rafael Cadavieco are musicians from famous Venezuelan bands Desorden Publico, Zapato 3 and Amigos Invisibles who decided to join talents in this interesting project called Atkinson. They launched their first production last March and since then they’ve been touring the country amazing new fans with smart lyrics and clean but catchy pop-rock. Pais Tropical is a musical explanation of the socio-political particularities of Venezuela.
To download all 35 songs in one file click here
Musical Mover & Shaker! 
