Sunday, September 25, 2011

New War Breaks Out


Melbourne band New War marked the release of their 12" 'Ghostwalking' with an impressive show at the Phoenix Public House last night (Sat 24 Sep). Signed to American label Fast Weapons (they were responsible for a Thurston Moore/Talk Normal split 7" earlier this year), New War create an intensely rhythmic sound that mixes the post-punk renderings of Mutiny-period Birthday Party, King Trigger, Plays With Marionettes and pre-Breakfast Club Simple Minds into something profoundly fresh.

Having mutated out of US-based band Shoplifting (which featured Chromatics associate Devin Welch and Gossip's Hannah Blilie), Chris Pugmire and Melissa Stock have brought their music back to Melbourne and joined up with Bird Blobs drummer Steve Masterson and SIR's Jesse Shepherd (also a one-time member of The Ancients with Henry Krips, aka Henry Wagons).

Fast Weapons, the label run by Gossip's Nathan Howdeshell, has issued New War's 12" with remixes by Gossip and HTRK. 'Ghostwalking' is produced by Lindsay Gravina (Ripe, Magic Dirt, Rowland S Howard, HTRK, Cosmic Psychos).

And yeah, that was Beth Ditto bopping by you at the Phoenix...
Purchase here.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Adam Askew - Death Mix

round and round and... Recorded live at DoADD studio north.
All vinyl. Hand made.

Star crossed lovers, flights of fantasy, astral rejection.
Love in ZERO gravity can be, complicated.

'Death Mix' by Adam Askew (direct link)

TRACK LIST:
Autohaze - 'Guess It's More' (Summershine)
Sneaky Feelings - 'Waiting For Touchdown' (Flying Nun)
FLO Crew - 'Over These Years' (Beautiful Granville)
Vince Clarke & Paul Quinn - 'One Day (extension)' (Mute)
Wet Hair - 'Fame Hate' (De Stijl)
Aaliyah - 'We Need A Resolution (inst)' (Blackground Records)
Jose James - 'Detroit Loveletter' (Brownswood Recordings)
Bennie Maupin - 'Winds Of Change' (ECM Records)
SBTRKT - 'Ready Set Loop' (Young Turks)

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Hit It & Quit It - Radio Review Vol.1

HIT it!
Hit It & Quit It have released their first radio compilation. Co-hosted by Detroit-native Recloose and Auckland City's Frank Booker, this weekly two hour show is always fresh and always on point. The compilation features 20 tracks (the majority exclusives) and is due out in three formats; unmixed digital download (out now via Juno, iTunes and bunch of other digital sites), mixed CD (due out soon) and 2LP Serato vinyl.

Check track 11, 'Midrats'... produced by DoADD regular guest mixer and alter-ego The Delicate Genius.

The Delicate Genius - Midrats (sample) by thedelicategenius

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Kid Creole Rocks Out With His Coconuts Out

Kid Creole And The Coconuts were leaders of the early '80s funk scene and gave underground NY label ZE Records (Suicide, Was [Not Was], James Chance] their biggest sales successes. In the UK they were lauded and had a string of Latin/big band-influenced hits ('Me No Pop I', 'Stool Pigeon', 'Annie I'm Not Your Daddy'). Led by August Darnell, who took on the Hollywood gangster-style Kid Creole persona onstage,  the band's large membership turned over fast due to in-fighting and money woes. Post-1985 the band fell out of favour but Darnell kept the brand alive churning out the occasional album and moving his base from the US to Sweden.

The band's big funky swing has never really dated as it never really sounded of its time back when they were flying high. But it took Australian club lads Pnau to put Creole back on the radar for the decade-of-rave generation not familiar with the wonky beats so loved by Generation ZE. In 2002, Pnau invited Darnell to guest on what everyone thought would be their BIG second album Again. The single failed and was dropped from the album (which also stiffed). But the wonderful Latin house cut 'Una Noche', featuring Darnell, can still be found with a bit of digging. It's Pnau's finest acheivement.

In 2011, Darnell is back with an album on Strut (Horse Meat Disco, Dennis Coffey, Mulatu Astatke) and with production by disco emperor Brennan Green. First track to be previewed is 'We're Rocking Out Tonight'. And, Green does get The Coconuts to rock. Co-penned by Andrew Butler (Hercules And Love Affair and the mr.intl label), the cut is pure Kid Creole showy-biz with a bassline that should get done for indecent exposure and added lead breaks that give the band a strangely retro-now sound. An album, I Wake Up Screaming is out Sep 27.

Kid Creole And The Coconuts- We're Rockin' Out Tonight by Strut