Today,i’ve seen a way — the acclaimed debut from Manchester quartet Mandy, Indiana released via Fire Talk Records — was named one of Rough Trade’s Best Albums of 2023. In conjunction with today’s announcement, Mandy, Indiana present “Sheared (Pinking Shears Rework),” a clipping. remix of album standout “Pinking Shears.”
clipping.’s rework of “Pinking Shears” filters the politically charged track through a US lens. “The dream is all crooked cops, retail mark-up on basic goods, an ex-president getting away with treason,” raps Tony and GRAMMY Award winner Daveed Diggs. Rough Trade’s exclusive 12”features the clipping. remix alongside the original “Pinking Shears” and an instrumental version of the track.
Next month, Mandy, Indiana will bring their ”physically — yet brilliantly — overwhelming” (NME) live show to the US for their debut tour, featuring stops in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and a newly announced date in Chicago. Mandy, Indiana thrive in the unexpected, and their performances have become a vehicle to explore the boundaries of tension and release. A full list of dates are below and tickets are on sale now.
You know you’re onto something when Carlos Santana calls your album “a work of supreme creativity.”
That’s how he referred to Nevaris‘ album Reverberations – a great album of dub, trip-hop, and world beat music put together by percussionist / keyboardist Nevaris and a great lineup of musicians including producer / bassist / legend Bill Laswell, DJ Logic on turntables, Will Bernard and Matt Dickey on guitars, Lockatron on drums, and Peter Apfelbaum on horns and additional keys.
The album had me hooked within the first twenty seconds of its opening track, “Dub Sol.” The sexy horns, panning beats, and incense smoke bass lured me into an exotic desert tent where you are sorely tempted to stay the rest of your life. “Disruption” has some of the best horn arrangements on the record from Apfelbaum, and DJ Logic gets to strut his scratching stuff as well on the track.
Laswell’s excellent dub bass returns on “Ninth Sun,” which also percolates with plenty of weird, trippy effects created by him. “Remedy” could easily fit into a mystery film set in Jamaica, while “Interference” would slide easily into a Bond film soundtrack – particularly a scene in which Bond enters an exotic casino in order to set up a trade of valuable information and ends up in a dangerous situation that’s either going to get him killed or laid.
It’s only appropriate, then, that the following track is called “Safehouse,” and we can imagine Bond making it out of the casino in one-piece and kicking back with a lovely lady in a backroom lounge at a Kingston restaurant. The track instantly puts you in a calming place with synth effects and reverberated beats that slow you down and bring you some much-needed chill.
“Frequencia” thumps and bumps in all the right places, with DJ Logic’s subtle scratching mixing well with the hand percussion and Hammond organ riffs. The closer, “Lockatronic,” gives drummer Lockatron plenty of time to show you how he locks it down and puts the whole band in his back pocket. He absolutely snaps every beat.
I love experimental, almost ambient dub albums like this. It’s solid.
Chock-full of floor-filling beats and sexy grooves, Movement Remixesis a collection of eight tracks by Gimenö done by DJ and producer pals of his. It’s difficult to choose a favorite because they’re all good.
Vøsne‘s dub remix of “@cid” builds like the effects of something you took earlier but aren’t sure if it’s working. It is. It builds into a thumping, bumping, humping dance track. Vøsne also has a “regular” remix of the same track later on the EP that’s sexy and menacing at the same time. Reeko remixes “It’s my break” into something you’ll want to crank during your lunch break in the storeroom so you can drown out those Black Friday customers and your boss’ ridiculous demands…and then play the song for your boss so he / she / they can forget their stress for a little while.
The Hd Substance remix of “DT001” percolates for a bit to let you know you’re about to receive a hot, energizing brew. Avox25‘s remix of “Old Trib” buzzes and crackles with industrial touches and racing heartbeat rhythms. Jorge Ciccioli turns “Movement” into something you might hear at a haunted attraction next year. Klint‘s remix of “Day One” is something you might hear at an underground club that features both dancing and bare-knuckle boxing.
Edgar De Ramon piles on the electro-cymbals and hi-hats on his remix of “Ports.” The last cut is, appropriately, RE-ST‘s remix of “Finale.” It doesn’t send you out on a mellow note, however. It keeps you dancing, reminding you of the energy this record’s given you, and tempting you to just play the thing on a loop for an hour or more.
There isn’t a bad mix on here. Don’t miss it.
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oday, Egghunt Records releases “Teardrops” (parts 1 and 2), the new single from Rubblebucket. FLOOD has the premiere here, saying that “‘Teardrops’ is a rare duet from the band, with Tōth singing lead over the main riff while Traver sings harmonies in response.”
Just two months ago, Rubblebucket released “Abbreviation (Earth Worship Remix),” a collaboration with Grammy Award winner Kimbra –– and now “Teardrops,” a mellow breath of fresh air and a sort of breadth-widening for these heroes of indie-dance-pop.
“Teardrops,” the new super groovy mid-tempo lounger from Rubblebucket is an anthem about crying out all the emotions. It represents a new direction for the band, who Rolling Stone has called “the indie rock Miami Sound Machine.” In contrast to much of their previous high-energy indie-pop work, “Teardrops” could be the perfect soundtrack for lazing on the sundeck and wistfully letting your feelings move through you (“Take me so deep I become the rain”). “Teardrops” is a rare duet from the band, with Tōth singing lead over the main riff while Kalmia Traver answers in response over a sea of 808s, synths, hazy rhythm guitars and Afrobeat horn arrangements. While mood and tempo may be slightly subdued, the hooks are are strong as ever, as Paste once put it, “catchy enough to ass-kick Katy Perry off the pop charts (in a just world).”
One of the most compelling groups on the scene since the early 2010s, Rubblebucket’s seeds were sown when Kalmia Traver and Alex Toth, the group’s front persons, co-writers and co-producers, first began a friendship as jazz students at the University of Vermont. Soon after, they formed Rubblebucket, using the project to delve into pop, funk, dance and psychedelia; performances have spanned Bonnaroo to Glastonbury to their self-curated Dream Picnic Festival, and they’ve collaborated with kindred genre-blenders including Arcade Fire and Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears. Their latest full-length LP Earth Worship showcases intricately sparkling beats, hooky vocals, and irresistible melodic complexity—a celebration of togetherness, environmental curiosity, and the pleasure of doing what you love.
Kirin J Callinan; Australian artist, actor, writer, provocateur and musician releases “Eternally Hateful“ a super-charged, 80’s synth-pop track with repeated bold ambivalent lyrics. To accompany the video Callinan shares a medieval-inspired torturous music video – watch here. ‘Eternally Hateful’ is yet another taste off Callinan’s upcoming fourth full length LP titled If I Could Sing. The last four years new music from Callinan has been much speculated and mythical, but after some ambiguity and delay “Eternally Hateful” is here with more music on the way and arguably this is his finest work yet.
When asked about the new single “Eternally Hateful” Kirin says: “Musically, it could not be more simple. Three chords. A. E. B. IV-I-V. Over n over n over again, eternally. Hate, on the other hand, is a far more complex idea. Distressing, tbh. Destructive. Embarrassing. But no more so than Love. A resentful rage, a bitter overflow, a pointed supervex; forged from hurt, seeping from a seething heart, desperate to heal, by any means available, finding validity in anger, making sense of its pain, thin air turn to rage, some other type of cage. “You don’t know what love means anyway… Eternally Hateful! I hate you. I love you. And so on and so forth.””
This video directed by Isaac Brown and shot in France at Château de Sarzay, Ferme La Lande and Château de Crozant, is everything Kirin is, entertaining, provocative and creates a swirling train of thoughts of the juxtaposition of that love / hate game making it the perfect accompanying video for this single. Is there a cameo by Mac DeMarco? The video adds to the recurring phenomenon that is a Kirin J Callinan music video and strikes a fine balance between vision, vulnerability, complete and utter absurdity, pure pathos and unadulterated joy and have gone on to be cited as references and influences for countless others.
“What you’re about to witness is by far the most ambitious video project I’ve ever had the dis-ease, dis-comfort & dis-gust to have ever been involved with.” Kirin shares of the video. “It’s all entirely real. All of it. And it’s a miracle that I’m still here, alive today. Not only did the shooting of Eternally Hateful involve showing up to locations that none of us had ever been, to shoot things none of us had ever shot, without permission nor any other lawful, moral or divine right to do so (a scenario I have had more than some experience with before, to be perfectly honest); it was Isaac’s vision and the nature of this specific shoot ~ it’s scope, it’s impossibility, and it’s high potential for disaster &/or death ~ that was the most insane, most intoxicating & most appealing aspect of the idea to begin with. I hope you are as engaged and inspired watching this clip as I was ~ literally & figuratively ~ pushed, pulled & all round tortured making it.”
Isaac Brown adds: “I’ve always wanted to torture Kirin, so when there was an opportunity to do it for real, on camera, I was over the moon. “Kirin J Callinan’s performance is the heartbeat of our cinematic masterpiece. It’s a pulse of intensity and emotion that makes every scene come alive. This was a dream shoot if your dreams are like mine – cloaked devils with goat heads tying you up, slitting your throat and setting you on fire. People will love it. Singing, dancing, and some questionable swordplay. There is something for everybody”
If I Could Sing, Kirin’s fourth full length body of work will be released via a new signing deal with Callinan’s own record label Worse Records and [PIAS]. “Kirin J Callinan is ecstatic to announce that WORSE Records and WORSE WORLD WIDE Industries Incorporated (“It can only get WORSE™) ~ in our second coming and new configuration since the label’s initial insemination and honest beginnings as the honorary off shoot of TERRIBLE RECORDS USA and the humble home away from home for Quebecois superstar Hubert Lenois, Australian icons JACK LADDER & The DREAMLANDERS, and the long forgotten, one hit wonderkids SECONDS FLAT ~ have now, with the wind in our sails and our sales though the roof, signed on for exclusive distribution with the world’s best distributor & unrivaled international music network, PIAS. Our debut collaboration with PIAS will indeed be the release o’ my, KIRIN J CALLINAN’S, long awaited & well overdue opus IF I COULD SING, with a slew o the worlds very WORSE artists to follow soon thereafter. I’m excited. Thank you for your patience. It only gets WORSE”.
To celebrate the release Kirin will be performing a one off special show in Perth at Mojo’s in Fremantle on December 2. Tickets will be going on sale today. For more information and tickets please visit this link here.
Kirin J Callinan, misunderstood by the masses but loved and revered by artists the world over and his niche, eclectic and growing fanbase alike, Kirin’s new work with “Eternally Hateful” is here and his much speculated fourth full length LP If I Could Sing is rumored to be released any minute now…
To say that Faithless‘ 1996 album, Sunday 8pm, was a monumental release at the time is a bit of an understatement. Everyone was clamoring for albums like this, for bands like Massive Attack and Portishead and, really, anything from the UK that sounded like those bands, and then Faithless comes along and proves that they weren’t a cookie cutter band in the molds of those other great bands, but one that had their own unique style that mixed ambient music, shoegaze, trip hop, dub, and, yes, spiritual music.
Consider Maxi Jazz‘s line of “Even sitting in the garden one can still get stung.” on “The Garden.” It’s a Zen reminder at the start of an album that will explore love, loss, loneliness, yearning, reunions, and separations. On “Bring My Family Back,” Jazz reminisces about working hard to get ahead and realizing, once he’s “made it” that he hasn’t really arrived at anything worthwhile. Again, more Zen.
Please check your pulse if the drums on “Hour of Need” don’t get you moving. It’s a delightful song about letting your lover know you’ll be there for them when they’re at their lowest. “Postcards” is an instant classic, with Jazz’s lyrics taken from postcards he sent home during the band’s U.S. tour. “Take the Long Way Home” isn’t a cover of the Supertramp classic (although that would be wild to hear), but rather a synth-laden dance floor classic with snappy hi-hat beats and sexy, thudding bass.
On “Why Go?”, the band sing about a lover who unexpectedly shows up and how it can be awkward to talk them into staying. Unlike, “She’s My Baby,” a wild song that has Jazz talking about his wild sex life with his gal. The only thing more sultry than the lyrics is the wicked beat throughout it. “God Is a DJ” was, and still is, another classic, with Faithless (rightfully) comparing raves and dance clubs to places of worship, fellowship, and healing. To further that symbolism, the next track is “Hem of His Garment” – which speaks of love as something to be worshipped and cherished. “Killer’s Lullaby” is another thumper, and the special edition of the album has a sharp remix by Nightmares on Wax to boot – as well as a Paul Van Dyk remix of “Bring My Family Back.”
Sunday 8pm is a classic of the mid-1990s house / rave scene that still sounds fresh today.
After recently announcing new album Holly (OST) is out Oct 13th via Italians Do It Better,Johnny Jewel is sharing the second track from the score with Desire’s new single “The Power Of Love“, a beautiful Frankie Goes To Hollywood cover. Johnny Jewel created the the original motion picture soundtrack for the highly anticipated Fien Troch-directed new film Holly, his tenth solo album of experimental film music, following on from critically acclaimed works Windswept, Digital Rain, Home (OST), & Lost River (OST). Johnny Jewel is also set to embark on a special live tour throughout Europe in October and November, performing 60 minutes of cinematic bliss from his music for films.
Nominated for the Venice Film Festival and opening the Ghent Film Festival, Holly follows the story of a 15-year-old girl who calls her school to say she is staying home for the day. Soon after, a fire breaks out at the school, killing several students. With everyone touched by the tragedy, the community comes together, trying to heal. Anna, a teacher, intrigued by Holly and her strange premonition, invites her to join the volunteering group she runs. Holly’s presence seems to bring peace of mind, warmth, and hope to those she encounters. But soon, people begin to seek out Holly and her cathartic energy, demanding more and more from the young girl.
On the new single, Holly film director Fien Troch offered “I knew ‘The Power Of Love’ had to become part of Holly’s universe. We just needed to unlock the right door to enter the same space as the rest of Johnny’s music. While discussing the film, it became so clear to me that the voice had to be female. A strong & tender one, full of love. Desire is all of that to me. Desire became Holly’s voice.”
Johnny Jewel added “In the first version of the film I watched, Fien presented this idea to close with a Frankie Goes To Hollywood song. There is no other pop music in the entire film, so going out over end credits with a baroque ballad is a daring tonal shift. All the musical tension that precedes this moment makes the release all the more effective. While we were brainstorming on the texture of the score, Fien wondered what it would sound like to have Megan sing it. We worked on it privately in our studio, then I brought a rough version with me to show Fien in Amsterdam where we were mixing the film. The moment she finally saw it on screen for the first time was pure magic. It’s a true testament to her vision as a director to be able to merge those two very different worlds in her imagination.”
Duality Trax first opened its books in 2020 with an EP featuring Radiant Love regular Fio Fa and a remix of the year contender coming from Lisbon’s Violet. Since then the label has become known for its acute attention to detail, giving each release the shine it deserves while avoiding disposable practices and challenging the industry through its dedication to duality and balance, whether that be sonically or surrounding gender identity.
It’s really no surprise that one of house music’s leading label figures Tywi was destined to make an appearance. Having started the Haŵs imprint in his home city of Cardiff, the label’s wide-spread popularity began to gain the attention from some of the industry’s most respected heads and became a breeding ground for new artists to emerge. A shared love of music resulted in tracks being shared over time and eventually DUALITY6 was born. In what will be his first full length EP, Tywi continues to join the dots between 90’s house, prog, breaks and trance, with a huge remix coming from Frankfurt-based artist Maruwa, released Friday 8th September.
Title track ‘Reality Checkpoint’ connects various styles with a modern take on progressive trance. Sonics feel as if they’ve been projected from space in a kaleidoscopic mind-warping ride, coupled with the producer’s impressive ear for world building soundscapes. A child of the ‘90s, Maruwa combines her classically trained ear with the nostalgia of her upbringing in the remix; channeling early trance records and deep, chugging rhythms into a wave of euphoria fit for peak-time. It’s the first time the label has also delved head first into full trance territory, turning the intensity levels up while paying homage to both label owner and artist’s early musical influences.
The B side opens up with ‘Spellbound’ which feels like a guided tour around the cosmos, sat beside trusted travellers and embraced by everything-will-be-alright energy . The track’s interior is built around synths that feel both effortless and light as our tour guide brings us towards our final destination. The EP comes to a close with ‘Laws Of Motion’, building slowly with shades of leafy greens and deep oceanic blues as it gently brings us back down to earth.
Keep your mind open.
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From early residencies at weekly student nights in Glasgow to playing a pivotal role behind the scenes at La Cheetah Club, Big Miz has been immersed within the city’s walls since he was a teenager. Weekends spent crafting his sound behind the booth and creating lifelong friendships at the city’s famous after-hours scene have helped create an ecosystem for success. In Glasgow, even larger labels are always keen to support local talent and during one of his frequent visits to Rub A Dub Records, Big Miz was introduced to Dixon Avenue Basement Jams which eventually led to the release of his first EP.
Miz has carried this Glasgow courtesy throughout his whole career, which eventually led to connecting with HOMAGE label head Ryan Clover where they exchanged feedback and spins before locking down a release on the label’s heavy schedule. The New York based label’s ethos shares parallels to Glasgow’s – collaborative, fluid, and always ready to party.
Title track ‘Where I Belong‘ wastes no time on introductions, combining a range of hardware and software into a kaleidoscopic recording created for peak time. ‘Everything’s Fine’ demonstrates Miz’s knack for groove and melody, where classic acid sounds meet demanding stabs and an irresistible groove. Inspired by early house records, ‘The Feeling’ makes its presence felt with chunky kickdrums and uplifting vocal samples; Big Miz’s attention to detail and years of dancefloor education shines through, first establishing a hypnotic introduction and powerful transitions that have us hooked from the first bar.
The EP is beautifully rounded off by LUXE’s remix of the title track ‘Where I Belong’, following on from her standout EP on the beloved label Planet Euphorique. LUXE swaps rolling kick drums in favor of breakbeats and an ethereal backdrop. The space between musical elements is key, allowing us to breathe as our perspective shifts high above the city’s clouds.
Keep your mind open.
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Johnny Jewel (Chromatics, Desire, Glass Candy) has created the original motion picture soundtrack for the highly anticipated Fien Troch-directed new film Holly, which will come out October 13th via Italians Do It Better. The score also features Desire and is Johnny Jewel’s tenth solo album of experimental film music, following on from critically acclaimed works Windswept, Digital Rain, Home (OST), & Lost River (OST). Today the first single from the Holly soundtrack “The Witch” is streaming online. As well as this, Johnny Jewel is set to embark on a special live tour throughout Europe in October and November, performing 60 minutes of cinematic bliss from his music for films.
Nominated for the Venice Film Festival and opening the Ghent Film Festival, Holly follows the story of a 15-year-old girl who calls her school to say she is staying home for the day. Soon after, a fire breaks out at the school, killing several students. With everyone touched by the tragedy, the community comes together, trying to heal. Anna, a teacher, intrigued by Holly and her strange premonition, invites her to join the volunteering group she runs. Holly’s presence seems to bring peace of mind, warmth, and hope to those she encounters. But soon, people begin to seek out Holly and her cathartic energy, demanding more and more from the young girl.
On the soundtrack, Johnny Jewel said “I used music to usher in the unseen elements of Holly’s story. Underscoring the supernatural overtones of the film, I studied the wind in her hair, counted the plumes of smoke billowing from the burning high school, & stared into the howling forest swaying in the distance. The looming musical foreshadowing mirrors her gifts. As Holly’s character slowly unravels, the score begins to warp as it’s stretched to an ominously slow crawl.
Throughout the film, vague hues overlap seamlessly like clouds constantly morphing. As the audience, we project meanings to the shapes that emerge from the chaos in what appear to be patterns. It’s abstract enough to be unrecognisable, yet it’s somehow familiar. Inspired by the masters of mood like Goblin’s blood curdling chimes for Dario Argento, Tangerine Dream’s spiraling synthesis for William Friedkin, & John Carpenter’s hyper-minimalist approach to scoring his own films with Alan Howarth, I explored a genre-based language to trigger the audience’s subconscious. Metallic synthesizers, celeste bells, mellotron flutes & detuned music boxes haunt the recurring musical motif. Like an inevitable storm rolling in, the soundtrack is eerily elusive & at times, almost formless. At other times, the music is crystal clear & so sharply in focus you could reach out & touch it.”
On the collaboration, writer and director of Holly Fien Troch added “I’ve always been drawn to Johnny’s music, as it is reckless & physical. His music is an emotional roller coaster. Every time I see scenes of my film with Johnny’s music on, everything I’ve done & worked for is lifted to another level. When you work with Johnny, you don’t just get the score for your film. It’s like finally finding that missing element to make the story complete. It makes the film whole & gives it its own identity.
See Johnny Jewel live: Oct 25th – Saint Sebastian, Dabadaba ES Oct 27th – Neuchatel, Case A Chaos CH Nov 2nd – Vienna, Rote Bar Im Volkstheater AT Nov 3rd – Milan, Circolo Magnolia IT Nov 4th – Prague, Meet Factory CZ Nov 7th – Berlin, Hole 44 DE Nov 8th – Amsterdam, H.J.E. Wenckebachweg 48 NL Nov 9th – Brussels, Botanquie – Rotonde, BE Nov 10th – Barcelona, MIRA Festival ES Nov 11th – Porto, Mouco PT Nov 14th – Paris, Le Hasard Ludique FR Nov 15th – Dublin, The Sugar Club IE Nov 16th – Manchester, The White Hotel UK Nov 17th – Glasgow, CCA UK
