7
I'm a big fan of remixes. In some ways, remixing follows in the jazz tradition of improvising upon others' compositions: quoting their musical passages, reworking and rearranging them, sometimes in a way that deviates very little from the original, though, as is evidenced by Pluxus' reimagining of "Det snurrar i min skalle", other times in almost unrecognizable ways. Familjen's tracks lend themselves quite easily to remixes by other electronic artists, though, as I'd assumed, seeing how wide a range of musicians fall into the category "electronic", there are some remixes that are not quite up to the standard of the others. Kasper Bjørke's remix strays so little from the original framework of "Huvudet i sanden" that I am not entirely sure what the point was. The version featuring Adam T's supplementary hip-hop lyrics drags Familjen's track so far outside of the musical veins that made it appealing, to force in the additional lyrics that the remix feels lopsided and schizophrenic. Both reworkings of "Feber" have a very 90s, Moby-esque feel to them, so these songs will trend one way or the other depending on your own personal preferences. The iffy aspects out of the way, the remix album hold some gems: Mike Dow's phenomenal remix of "Det snurrar...", Perfume Unicorn's fantastic and festive reshaping of "Huvudet...", the aforementioned Pluxus contribution - a luxuriously paced, dark emendation, and Boeoes Kaelstigen's 'hey day of the Haçienda'-reshaping of "Det snurrar...". It's a mixed bag, but the last four tracks I mentioned are well worth the sticker price.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Skweeelicious! talks to Mesak, one of skweee's best-known artists: http://skweee.com/?p=11
Look for the new Rickard Jäverling album "The valleys" on Kning Disk this coming February.
New El Perro Del Mar tourdates:
11/13 - Ciné Nordica @ Cinéma du Panthéon, Paris (FRA)
11/15 - Ciné Nordica @ Cinéma du Panthéon, Paris (FRA) w/Frida Hyvönen
11/27 - Razzmatazz 2, Barcelona (ESP)
11/28 - Rockstar, Bilbao (ESP)
11/29 - Joy Eslava Theater, Madrid (ESP)
11/30 - Mirror, Valencia (ESP)
12/03 - Maxime, Lisbon (POR)
She also reports that she is working on a new mini-album revolving around the theme of love. Expect more details soon?
Dark Tranquility has formally announced that Daniel Antonsson (Dimension Zero, ex-Soilwork) is their new permanent bassist.
Finnish act Captain Cougar has posted their very first music video for the song "Jesus doesn't live here anymore" on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJRiM-eYpM4&fmt=18
pHinnWeb reports that Finnish downtempo artist Lackluster has two new huge comps out on SLSK Records: http://phinnweb.blogspot.com/2008/11/lackluster-compcomp-remixcomp.html
Now available for pre-order: Tiger Lou - A partial print (CD)
CDs aren't in stock just yet, but they should be here very soon. Don't forget to take advantage of our November sale!
Finnish avant/oddball DIY label Rabbit Ilsn has added improv act Neue Haas Grotesk to their roster. Sample here: www.myspace.com/neuehaasgrotesk
The Psyke Project check in to report that their next album is done and confirmed for an August 24, 2009 release date: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=11135271&blogID=447692434
Dusted on the new Luomo album "Convivial": http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4661
Swedish rockers "Demons" will release their new album "Ace in the hole" on January 30 with the single "My bleeding heart" preceding it earlier in the month. Expect tourdates in Sweden, Italy and Germany to be confirmed shortly, otherwise listen to a preview at myspace: http://www.myspace.com/demonssthlm
Danish act Safri Duo are back with a new album entitled "Origins", due out November 17. Preview the single "Twilight" at their website: http://www.safriduo.com/
Excellent Norwegian indiepop act Je Suis Animal has reportedly signed with Angular Recordings in the UK and will be releasing the album "Self-taught magic from a book" over there on December 1.
Familjen