Category Archives: Features
After a series of false starts in other bands, the members of Manchester’s The Whip finally realize their dance-rock dreams. Since The Whip formed three years ago in Manchester, England, they’ve been on a nonstop touring schedule, bringing their dirty, sexy, sweaty, and infectious dance-rock to all corners of the world. While they’ve rocked clubs and festivals from Tokyo to Austin, two boiling hot outdoor gigs last summer stand out for them. The first is opening for The Breeders at … Continue reading
Satoshi Tomiie is among a growing legion of globetrotting DJs who are blurring the lines between dance floor genres.
Revered DJ/producer Satoshi Tomiie hails from Japan and calls New York City home. However, he hasn’t spent much time in either place during the past year. “My summer tour kicked off in May, and I was on the road nonstop until September,” explains Tomiie, talking from a hotel room in Buenos Aires. “I didn’t go back to New York at all. After the tour was over, I left two weeks later for another couple of months. I don’t spend time in one particular place; I keep moving. It’s difficult for me to stay in one place because I love what I’m doing.” Continue reading
Anders Ilar is one of the most underrated producers working in electronic music today. His sound blurs the lines between techno, IDM and ambient, creating a style all his own. 2008 was a big year for him, where’s he headed now? What drew you to electronic music? Who would you count among your formative influences? Anders Ilar: My love for electronic music started quite early in my childhood, and I strongly suspect R2-D2 had a lot to do with it. … Continue reading
Rennie Pilgrem’s TCR label pioneered the genre known as new school breaks while serving as a vehicle for productions by Pilgrem, B.L.I.M., Arthur Baker and Koma & Bones. As the label turns 15, Pilgrem recalls what it was like running an indie label in the previous century. The sampler was king: It made home recording possible and introduced the manipulation of sound as an accepted form of music. Mine (an EMU) cost $5,000 in 1997. I sold it six months … Continue reading
London’s The End calls it quits on their own terms after 13 magical years. By the time you read this, London’s End club will have shut its hallowed metal doors. However, unlike most nightclub closures, which typically occur due to legal or financial woes, the end of The End came about through the same sort of serendipity which made it one of the world’s foremost clubbing institutions. The turning point came last year when the block that houses the West … Continue reading
Matt Johnson sings and plays keyboards. Kim Schiffino plays drums. Together they are Matt and Kim, and they create short, sweet and simple dance-happy indie rock. They’re like a less-drugged version of The Kills, a less serious version of Mates Of State or The White Stripes with none of that creepy pseudo incest to bring things down. Formed in 2004, the NYC-based duo Matt & Kim (who are a romantic couple as well as a musical one), released their self-titled … Continue reading
Issue 25 features an interview with Ezekiel Honig, who recently issued Surfaces Of A Broken Marching Band. Here’s a transcript of our chat with Honig. From Technology Is Lonely through to your most recent release, Surfaces Of A Broken Marching Band, you’ve tweaked and refined your sound. You’ve obviously moved towards a more ambient sound, but how do you see yourself developing as an artist? Ezekiel Honig: I suppose what I’m trying to do more of over time is gradually … Continue reading
2008 was a phenomenal year for Richie Hawtin and M-nus Records, who marked the label’s tenth anniversary with the audio-visual onslaught known as Contakt and released choice albums from Gaiser and Heartthrob. In Issue 25, we pay homage to Hawtin in the coveted Icon section. Here’s the rest of the interview where Hawtin discusses the amount of effort it took to stage the Contakt tour, his opinion on the so-called death of minimal and his plans for his Plastikman alias. … Continue reading
With a sound somewhere between Fischerspooner and Pet Shop Boys, Philly’s The Model is pushing electronic music’s boundaries. “Physical is pop music, which is easy to do, though not everyone can do it,” says Markie Model, singer for The Model. He’s talking about his band’s debut album. Like his bandmates Johnny (with whom Markie started The Model), Jason, and Ziggy, he’s on a first-name only basis with the world. “I don’t believe that I, or music, can change people, or … Continue reading