Nils Frahm releases “Lemon Day” from his upcoming three-hour-long album, “Music for Animals.”

Photo by LEITER

Renowned composer, producer and performer Nils Frahm releases a new single, “Lemon Day,” from his forthcoming album, Music For Animals, out September 23rd on LEITER. The track unfolds at an unhurried, meditative pace in a celebration of tone, timbre and texture, before building up itself in a complex atmospheric way of playing. While the beginning reveals a dark and thoughtful mood, the dynamic evolves into a warm and light tone.

 
Listen to Nils Frahm’s “Lemon Day”
 

Containing ten tracks and clocking in at over three hours long, Music For Animals is an ambitious and compelling set different to anything Frahm’s released to date. In fact, it finds the Piano Day founder declining to use a piano, but at the same time retains many of the qualities that have set the influential musician’s work apart over much of the last two decades. “My constant inspiration,” Frahm explains, “was something as mesmerizing as watching a great waterfall or the leaves on a tree in a storm. It’s good we have symphonies and music where there’s a development, but a waterfall doesn’t need an Act 1, 2, 3, then an outcome, and nor do the leaves on a tree in a storm. Some people like watching the leaves rustle and the branches move. This record is for them.”

As a title, Music For Animals is a tongue-in-cheek nod to the conceptual albums of the 1950s – like Raymond Scott’s Music For Babies – as well as to contemporary playlist habits. “I feel a certain frustration with the functional use of music these days, all these playlists with names like Music for Sleeping, Music for Focus, Music for Masturbation,” Frahm laughs. “Music always seems to need to do something useful. That’s a very client-driven logic: the client needs something, the music should deliver that, otherwise ‘You’re Fired!’ With this album, there was no specific audience in mind, and nor was it adapted to any particular purpose. But in fact, it seemed to please the animals I’ve spent a lot of time with these last months, so, you know: if you can’t beat them, join them…!”

At three hours long, Music For Animals might seem initially intimidating, but the truth is that this substantial collection encourages listeners to bask in its tranquility at their chosen depth, demanding only as much attention as they wish to contribute. As Frahm himself happily points out, “It all comes back to that waterfall. If you want to watch it, watch it. If you don’t, then you don’t have to. It will always be the same, yet never quite the same.” Indeed, that’s Music For Animals’ greatest strength. Instantly recognizable, it’s still like nothing else.

Following a European leg, Frahm will tour across North America in support of Music For Animals. A full list of dates can be found below and tickets for all shows are on sale now.

 
Listen to “Right Right Right”
 
Pre-order Music For Animals
 
Nils Frahm Tour Dates
Buy Tickets
Thu. Sept. 22 – Berlin, DE @ Funkhaus
Fri. Sept. 23 – Berlin, DE @ Funkhaus
Sat. Sept. 24 – Berlin, DE @ Funkhaus
Sat. Oct. 1 – Wien, AT @ Konzerthaus
Sun. Oct. 2 – München, DE @ Isarphilharmonie
Mon. Oct. 10 – Katowice, PL @ NOSPR
Oct. 11 – Wroclaw, PL @ NFM
Fri. Oct. 14 – Brussels, BE @ Nuits Sonores at Bozar
Sat. Oct. 15 – Heerlen, NL @ Parkstad Limburg Theaters
Sun. Oct. 16 – Leipzig, DE @ Gewandhaus
Wed. Oct. 19 – Antwerp, BE @ Queen Elizabeth Hall – SOLD OUT
Thu. Oct. 20 – Amsterdam, NL @ Concertgebouw – SOLD OUT
Fri. Oct. 21 – Aarhus, EK @ Musikhuset
Sun. Oct. 23 – Copenhagen, DK @ Royal Danish Opera House
Wed. Oct. 26 – Frankfurt, DE @ Alte Oper
Thu. Nov. 24 – Prague, CZ @ Prague Sounds at Forum Karlin
Sat. Nov. 26 – Paris, FR @ Salle Pleyel – SOLD OUT
Sun. Nov. 27 – Paris, FR @ Salle Pleyel
Wed. Apr. 19, 2023 – Montreal, QC @ Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier
Thu. Apr. 20, 2023 – Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre
Fri. Apr. 21, 2023 – Boston, MA @ Berklee Performance Center
Sat. Apr. 22, 2023 – Toronto, On @ Massey Hall
Sun. Apr. 23, 2023 – Chicago, IL @ TBA
Wed. Apr. 26, 2023 – Vancouver, BC @ Chan Centre
Thu. Apr. 27, 2023 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount
Fri. Apr. 28, 2023 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
Sat. Apr. 29, 2023 – Los Angeles, CA @ Orpheum
Sun. Apr. 30, 2023 – Los Angeles, CA @ Orpheum
Thu. July 11, 2024 – London, UK @ Barbican
Fri. July 12, 2024 – London, UK @ Barbican
Sat. July 13, 2024 – London, UK @ Barbican
Sun. July 14, 2024 – London, UK @ Barbican

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Yuri at Pitch Perfect PR.]

WSND DJ set list – Nocturne – July 24, 2022

Thanks to all who listened to my latest Nocturne show on WSND. Here’s the set list from July 24, 2022.

  1. Mexico City Blondes – All Night
  2. Hugo Smooth – Won’t Play Bumpum Cars
  3. Mountain – Theme for an Imaginary Western (requested)
  4. CHAI – Curly Adventure
  5. Soul Coughing – Circles
  6. The Hearse radio ad
  7. Nine Inch Nails – Temp Fix
  8. “Weird Al” Yankovic – Dog Eat Dog
  9. Osees – Static God (live)
  10. The Cramps – Chicken (live)
  11. Young Blood radio ad
  12. Outkast – Pink and Blue
  13. De La Soul – Eye Know (The Know It All mix)
  14. Howlin’ Wolf – Shake for Me
  15. Gallencamps Shoes radio ad
  16. Dex Romweber Duo – Nowhere
  17. Sun Voyager – Gypsy Hill
  18. Visiting Hours radio ad
  19. The Well – Dragon Snort
  20. Zeke – Dölphenwülf
  21. House of Large Sizes – The History of Camouflage
  22. The Cure – Fascination Street
  23. Lalo Schifrin – The Gentle Softness
  24. The Duke Spirit – Cuts Across the Land
  25. Wild in the Sky radio ad
  26. Fountains of Wayne – All Kinds of Time
  27. Tears for Fears – Head Over Heels (requested)
  28. The Police – Mother (requested)
  29. The Naughty Cheerleader radio ad
  30. Morphine – Sheila
  31. Don’t Answer the Phone radio ad
  32. The Black Angels – Telephone
  33. Morcheeba – Tape Loop

I’m back on air July 31st! Give me listen, won’t you?

Keep your mind open.

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WSND DJ set list – Deep Dive of Tom Jones

It was a fun deep dive tonight of Tom Jones‘ music on July 24, 2022. Here’s the set list.

  1. Tom Jones – It’s Not Unusual
  2. Solomon Burke – Cry to Me
  3. Jackie Wilson – (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher
  4. Brook Benton – It’s Just a Matter of Time
  5. Tommy Scott and The Senators – Baby I’m in Love
  6. Tom Jones – Chills and Fever
  7. Tom Jones – Thunderball (live)
  8. Tom Jones and The Flaming Lips – Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century (requested)
  9. Tom Jones – With These Hands
  10. Elvis Presley – One Pair of Hands
  11. Tom Jones – Sixteen Tons
  12. Tom Jones – I’ll Never Fall in Love Again
  13. Lonnie Donegan – The Wabash Cannonball (live)
  14. Tom Jones – Twist and Shout (live)
  15. Tom Jones – Treat Her Right (live)
  16. Tom Jones and Little Richard – Rock ‘n’ Roll Medley (live)
  17. Tom Jones and Janis Joplin – Raise Your Hand (live)
  18. Tom Jones – She’s a Lady
  19. Tom Jones – Resurrection Shuffle (requested)
  20. The Blossoms – He’s a Rebel
  21. Quiet Elegance – I’m Afraid of Losing You
  22. Tom Jones – Touch Me
  23. Tom Jones and Art of Noise – Kiss
  24. Tom Jones – Lift Me Up
  25. Tom Jones and Portishead – Motherless Child
  26. Tom Jones and The Cardigans – Burning Down the House (requested)
  27. Tom Jones and Stereophonics – Mama Told Me Not to Come (requested)
  28. Tom Jones – Burning Hell
  29. Tom Jones and Jack White – Evil

Up next week is a deep dive of Fatboy Slim. I hope you give me a listen.

Keep your mind open.

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Rochelle Jordan announces remix album of “Play with the Changes” out September 16, 2022.

Photo by Jessica Gillette

Los Angeles-based artist Rochelle Jordan announces Play With The Changes Remixed, a reimagination of her acclaimed 2021 album Play With The Changes, out September 16th on Young Art Records. In conjunction, Jordan unveils its lead single, “Love You Good (Remix)” ft. LSDXOXO and announces a fall North American tour supporting Channel Tres. A year after Play With The Changes and her recent sold-out headline tour, which also included select dates opening for Kaytranada, Jordan taps him along with Sango, Byron The Aquarius, Soul Clap, and more to expand on the album’s futuristic sonic landscape. “Love You Good (Remix)” finds Jordan and LSDXOXO’s vocals intertwining atop an irresistible beat, reiterating Jordan’s original thesis for Play With The Changes: without experimentation, innovation is impossible.

 
Listen to “Love You Good (Remix)” ft. LSDXOXO
 

Defying categorization to create a project full of slinky, dancefloor-packing burners that channel her U.K. roots, Play With the Changes is reminiscent of Jordan’s childhood nights spent listening to her brother’s 2-step hymns from the other side of the wall. Garnering year end praise from Billboard, Bandcamp, and more, Play With The Changes presents Jordan as a modern heir in a lineage of powerhouse vocalists with style and imagination.

 
Pre-order Play With The Changes Remixed
 
Play With The Changes Remixed Tracklist:
1. Situation (&Me Remix)
2. Dancing Elephants (DJ Minx Remix)
3. Got Em (Sango Remix)
4. Count It (KLSH Remix)
5. All Along (Kaytranada Remix)
6. Nothing Left (Kingdom Remix)
7. Lay (Machinedrum Remix)
8. Love You Good (Remix) ft. LSDXOXO
9. Next 2 You (Sinistarr Remix)
10. Already (Things You Say Remix)
11. Broken Steel (Soul Clap Remix)
12. Something (Byron The Aquarius Remix)
 
Rochelle Jordan Tour Dates:
(all dates supporting Channel Tres)
Tue. Sep. 27 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
Wed. Sep. 28 – Albuquerque @ Electric Playhouse
Fri. Sep. 30 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
Sat. Oct. 1- Dallas, TX @ The Echo
Sun. Oct. 2 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live – Studio
Tue. Oct. 4 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
Thu. Oct. 6 – Detroit, MI @ Leland City Park
Fri. Oct. 7 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Hall
Sat. Oct. 8 – Montreal, QC @ S.A.T
Tue. Oct. 11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Thu. Oct. 13 – Washington, DC @ Culture
Fri. Oct. 14 – New York, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
Tue. Dec. 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theater
Wed. Dec. 7 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theater
Sat. Dec. 10 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ The Fremont Theater
Wed. Dec. 14 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
Thu. Dec. 15 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
Fri. Dec. 16 – Vancouver, BC @ Celebrities Nightclub 

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: GOAT – Headsoup

Collecting B-sides, singles, re-edits, and new material, GOAT‘s Headsoup is a great release for fans of the band and fans of wild psychedelic rock.

“The Sun the Moon,” for example was the B-side to the “Goatman” single. The alternate version of “Stonegoat” sounds thicker than the original, making it even more mind-altering. “Dreambuilding” is also chock-full of distorted guitars, and the wild hand percussion on it is a perfect yang to the guitars’ yin. “Dig My Grave” tones down the fuzz so it can add more reverb.

The re-edit of “It’s Time for Fun” almost becomes a krautrock track with its electro-beats and pulsing synthesizers. “Relax” is a loud, yet hypnotizing instrumental. The alternate take of “Union of Mind and Soul” is just as bouncy as the original. “The Snake of Addis Ababa” could probably charm a cobra out of a wicker basket with its entrancing guitar work and rhythm.

“Goatfizz” is another cool instrumental, reminding me of late 1970s / early 1980s background jazz you’d hear in a hotel lobby or on an obscure late night cable TV channel. The new edit of “Let It Burn” is as heavy as a Black Sabbath B-side. “Friday Pt. 1” is soft and mellow to balance out the previous track, with a soulful saxophone solo to boot. “Fill My Mouth” is, as you might imagine from the title, the naughtiest song GOAT has written – and one of their funkiest as well. I mean, holy crap, the flute breakdown on it alone is worth the price of admission. “Fill My Mouth” and the following track, the sexy, psychedelic “Queen of the Underground” were GOAT’s first new tracks in several years, and showed they were still at the top of their game.

Let’s hope there’s more new stuff to come, because Headsoup only made us GOAT fans hungrier.

Keep your mind open.

[Fill my subscription box.]

Rewind Review: GOAT – Live Ballroom Ritual (2013)

Recorded in Camden’s Electric Ballroom in London on July 27, 2013, GOAT‘s Live Ballroom Ritual is a ripping album that captures the band of Swedish voodoo psych-rockers blowing people’s minds and taking them to other planes of existence.

The show starts simply enough, with the calm, soothing guitar strumming on “Dirabi” for over three minutes before the drums and hand percussion come in to let everyone know that they’re in for a mystical journey. “Golden Dawn” continues this levitation into some kind of sacred space between funk and psychedelia. “People get ready under the rainbow,” the ladies of GOAT sing on “Disco Fever” – a swirling, pulsing track that probably had the whole place bouncing and sweating after just three songs in the set.

“Stonegoat” was their new single at the time, and it’s a stomper that contrasts well with the mellower (but no less funkier, especially with its ripping saxpohone solo) “Let It Bleed.” The instrumental “Dreambuilding” is absolutely hypnotic, leading us to the sweaty, heavy “Run to Your Mama” that I’m sure floored the one thousand-plus fans in the audience.

Three “goat songs” follow: The somehow heavier “Goathead,” with its percussive bass,” the trance (and possibly hallucination)-inducing “Goatman, and “Goatlord” – a slow sizzler that sets the table for the eleven-minute “Det som aldrig förändras – Kristallen den fina.” It’s a massive track that fills whichever space in which you hear it. Every part of it crushes. The performance ends with the massively fuzzy “The Sun the Moon,” combining chants with frenetic drumming and sawmill guitars.

I consider myself lucky to have seen GOAT live here in the United States. I hope they will return soon. They are doing some European shows these days, but their shows here have become somewhat legendary, like this stunning performance.

Keep your mind open.

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WSND DJ set list – Nocturne – July 17, 2022

It was another fun two hours of music on WSND last night. Here’s all the wild stuff I spun on July 17, 2022.

  1. House of Large Sizes – Cranko-American
  2. Arctic Monkeys – All My Own Stunts
  3. Failure – Shrine
  4. Buzzcocks – Between Heaven and Hell
  5. Social Distortion – She’s a Knockout
  6. New Bomb Turks – Spanish Fly by Night
  7. Warish – Voices
  8. The Psychedelic Furs – Love My Way
  9. Radiohead – High and Dry (live)
  10. Love and Rockets – The Light (live)
  11. Dunsmuir – Deceiver
  12. Soulwax – Conversation Intercom
  13. Fuzz – Time Collapse
  14. Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros – Redemption Song
  15. Boss Hog – Sick
  16. The Donnas – All Messed Up
  17. Nights Beats – Useless Game
  18. The Black Keys – The Moan
  19. Tim Heidecker – Say Yes
  20. Elvis Presley – Trying to Get to You
  21. Gerhard Heinz – Die Mädchen in Kloster
  22. Regressive Left – World on Fire
  23. Kalbells – Poppy Tree
  24. ABBA – Take a Chance on Me (requested)
  25. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Ambergris
  26. Chromatics – Light As a Feather
  27. Beto Villares – Rio da Bossa Nova

I’ll be back on air soon. Give me a listen.

Keep your mind open.

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WSND DJ set list – Deep Dive of Kraftwerk

Thanks to all who tuned in for my deep dive of Kraftwerk. It was a fun show. Here’s the set list from July 17, 2022.

  1. Kraftwerk – The Robots
  2. Organisation – Silver Forest
  3. NEU! – Isi
  4. Kraftwerk – First Techno (live)
  5. Kraftwerk – Köln II (live)
  6. Kraftwerk – Elektrischesroulette
  7. MC5 – Kick Out the Jams (live)
  8. Kraftwerk – Autobahn (single version)
  9. Kraftwerk – Radioactivity
  10. Kraftwerk – Trans Europa Express (original German language version)
  11. Kraftwerk – Les Mannequins (original French language version)
  12. Joy Division – Dead Souls
  13. Kraftwerk – The Model
  14. Kraftwerk – Computer Love
  15. Kraftwerk – Pocket Calculator (live)
  16. LCD Soundsystem – Disco Infiltrator (single version)
  17. Kraftwerk – Electric Café
  18. Kraftwerk – The Telephone Call
  19. Siouxsie and the Banshees – Hall of Mirrors
  20. Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark – Neon Lights
  21. Kraftwerk – Elektro Kardiogramm

The next deep dive will be either July 24th or July 30th (depending on some travel plans I have for the weekend of the 24th) and will cover the music of Tom Jones.

Keep your mind open.

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Wrecka Stow: CD-BD – Angers, France

Located at 5 Place Mondain Chanlouineau in Angers, France, CD-BD is a combination record store and comic book shop. What’s not to like?

The store is in a nice shopping area in Angers, across from a diner and near plenty of other nice little shops and eateries. They sell vinyl and CDs of all sorts, and a wide collection of graphic novels and comic book trade paperbacks.

CDs, comic book magazines, and erotica!

The music genres sold there run from classic rock to electronic music. The graphic novels range from standard superhero fare to historical adventure tales and adults only material.

An entire corner devoted to graphic novels and trade paperbacks.
Picture discs!
Electro vinyl! 45’s!

I knew we were in a cool store when I heard them playing this.

I mean, how do you not like a store if they’re playing a Teardrop Explodes record?

Be sure to grab some music (and comics) here while you’re in Angers.

Keep your mind open.

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We can now hear Charles Stepney’s original 4-track demo of “That’s the Way of the World.”

Photo by Rubie Stepney

Today, Chicago label International Anthem presents “That’s The Way of the World,” the latest track off Step on Step, the forthcoming double LP collection of home recordings by the late and under-sung legend Charles Stepney, out September 9th. This recording of “That’s The Way of the World” encapsulates an iconic piece of music history: the eventual studio version of the song, co-written by Stepney and Earth, Wind & Fire’s Maurice and Verdine White, and arranged by Stepney for the EWF album and film of the same name, would become one of the biggest recordings ever released by the band. Deemed one of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time by Rolling Stone, this original 4-track demo version of “That’s The Way of the World” offers an unprecedented look into Stepney’s creative process, and helps us understand what EWF lead singer Philip Bailey meant when he said in 2001: “The success of Earth Wind & Fire, and all our great songs that we made in that era, would not, could not, and wouldn’t have been made without Charles Stepney. He was very much an equal part, or more, than all of us put together.”

 
Listen to “That’s The Way of the World”

The digital cover art for today’s “That’s The Way of The World” is an old family photo of Stepney’s youngest daughter Chanté (who was just a toddler when her father passed away in 1976), in a high chair at their family home on the Southside of Chicago. About the photo, Chanté says: “People often ask if I’m sad that I don’t remember him, and while I wish I could recall more, my family has done an amazing job with giving me a full understanding of who he was as a man, father, musician, etc… I’m told wonderful stories of how he would prepare my breakfast and put me in the high chair to eat. A couple years ago, Shirley Wahls told me that the lyrics to “That’s the Way of the World” were partially inspired by my birth… Everyone thought it was pretty cool that Charles and Rubie were having a BABY at their age!”
 
The forthcoming Step on Step, Charles Stepney’s de-facto debut album that releases almost 50 years since his passing, features 23 tracks, most of which are original compositions by Stepney that were never again recorded by him or any other artist. It also features prototypical, seedling-style demos of Stepney compositions for Earth, Wind & Fire, including today’s “That’s The Way of The World,” “Imagination,” and “On Your Face,” as well as the original version of “Black Gold,” which would eventually be recorded by Rotary Connection (as “I Am The Black Gold of The Sun,” with lyrics by Richard Rudolph).
 
The album’s announcement and lead singles “Step on Step,” “Daddy’s Diddies,” and “Look B4U Leap” has brought on excitement from many longtime fans of Stepney’s work, including most recently Tyler The Creator, who played “Daddy’s Diddies” on a recent NTS Radio show while bantering: “Charles Stepney…Genius!”

All of the otherwise unrecorded, previously unnamed original compositions contained on Step on Step were given their titles by Stepney’s daughters Eibur, Charlene, and Chanté Stepney, whose voices are also heard throughout the album, telling stories and sharing memories about their father.

In celebration of Step on Step, The Stepney Sisters and International Anthem are hosting a series of events across Chicago this summer. Dubbed the “Summer of Stepney,” these events will extend through September and include performances by a new large ensemble – Rotary Connection 222 – under the musical direction of International Anthem recording artist Junius Paul. Rotary Connection 222 was created by Paul in collaboration with the Stepney Sisters, and in its current state features Makaya McCraven (drums), Jackson Shepard (guitar), Alexis Lombre (keys), Meagan McNeal (vocals), and Stepney’s granddaughter Brandice Manuel (vocals), with new arrangements written by De’Sean Jones and Jeff Parker.

Summer of Stepney highlights will include a series of documentary webisodes created by filmmaker Brian Ashby (Scrappers, The Area, Hairy Who & the Chicago Imagists), in-stores, live streams, interviews, and an August 18th show called Charles Stepney: Out of the Shadows on Chicago’s grandest public performance stage, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park.

The next Summer of Stepney event is a day party at iconic Chicago record store Dusty Groove on Saturday July 23rd, featuring DJ sets by Wax Poetics writer Ronnie Reese, and more.

For more information about Charles Stepney, Rotary Connection 222, Summer of Stepney events, and the Charles Stepney: Out of the Shadows performance at Millennium Park, visit www.summerofstepney.com.

 
Pre-order Step on Step
 
Listen to “Step on Step” by Charles Stepney
 
Listen to “Daddy’s Diddies” by Charles Stepney
 
Listen To “Look B4U Leap” by Charles Stepney

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]