I actually wrote a draft of this particular post in May but I’m only just now getting to publish it, because there’s just too damn much awesome shit to do in NYC. The Glass played the other night, Kavinsky and Mr. Oizo a few weeks ago, Boyznoise are tomorrow night…and of course let’s not forget the amazing Baron von Luxxury’s solo turn at APT last week – *damn*, I was good!
My man Johnny Jewel has produced a new compilation on fellow multi-tasker Mike Simonetti’s new Troubleman Unlimited imprint, Italians Do It Better Records. It’s called “After Dark” and I’ve been listening to it obsessively since I got it at the Glass Candy show in SF last month. It’s got twelve sultry slow-BPM space disco jams and it’s fucking gorgeous. Here are a few of my favorites:
MP3: “In The City” – Chromatics
Chromatics Space
MP3: “Lady Operator” – Mirage
Mirage Space
MP3: “La Grotta” – Professor Genius
Genius Space
MP3: “Miss Broadway (Demo)” – Glass Candy
Glass Space
All four songs are from the compilation on Italians Do It Better called “After Dark”, available at the Troubleman Unlimited web site.
Speaking of belated blog posting…the In The City conference ended TWO WEEKS ago for Chrissakes, so at long last, by means of a conference wrapup, here are a few final quotes and info tidbits from the panelists. In addition to all the music biz wisdom you will glean, if you read all the way through there are two extra bonus MP3s awaiting your clicky clicky:
* Hitmaker extrordinare Rodney Jerkins on trendy sounds and how he replies when people tell him “we need a song just like X”: “I don’t copy the radio – I MAKE the radio.”
* Matty Safer from the Rapture on how music blogs in the UK aren’t yet as influential there as a certain 3-letter monopolist rag still is: “If your band sounds like what’s in the NME, that means you’ve got 3 months to get hurry up and tour the UK” and capitalize on having the officially approved “sound du jour.”
* Patrick Moxley from Ultra Records on how what artists want is changing with the rise of digital music: “I had a hip-hop artist call me the other day and say ‘I want to do a deal’ – not a record deal, but a *ring tone* deal!”
* The uber-intelligent Marc Geiger on the malleability of taste: “People don’t know what they like, they like what they know.”
* Tony Wilson revealed that he received $150K for New Order’s contribution to the Pretty in Pink soundtrack (”Shell Shock”), but that it cost him $170K to record the track…someone buy this man a calculator and a time machine!
* Apparently Robbie Williams was overheard saying to Felix from Bassment Jaxx, regarding their multi million dollar sponsorship deals: “But are *your* sales improving? Neither are mine.”
* A few bons mots from lifelong Metallica manager (and recent Courtney Love ex-manager) Peter Mensch: “If you want to kill Jimmy Page, throw 2 pence in front of a London bus.” “Artist development still means getting radio, which in turn sells tickets.” “Don’t ever manage Germans!”
* From the Future of Music panel regarding GM’s $60 million budget on music clearances alone: “”Advertising is the new radio – and an ad *is* now the video.” Or, as Usher Winslet from the Whitecap Group put it: “Brand association is the future of economics in the music business.”
On the last night of the event I spoke briefly to Matty from The Rapture before his DJ set at Hiro about how much I love their new Escort remix. The original track is pretty bangin’ too, you can find it on the most disco-est blog out there, the always amazing and erudite 20JazzFunkGreats. Speaking of which, I was sitting outside at Cafe Pick Me Up yesterday and who do you think walked by wearing pink pumps and black eyeshadow? Mr. (well, perhaps Ms.) Throbbing Gristle his/herself, Genesis P-Orridge! I am an ol’ school starfucker, and I digress rather massively, so here’s the damn track:
MP3 “All Through The Night (The Rapture Hush Hush)” – Escort
I also went to see a band called Enter Shikari that was playing as part of the conference as Tony Wilson’s new “discovery.” Though I wish them well and admire their efforts to do an Emo-Nu-rave thing, I have to admit I wasn’t too crazy about them. But I’ll give Mr. Joy Division/New Order/Happy Mondays the benefit of the doubt and see if my ears don’t acclimate better over time. Mr. ‘24 Hour Party People’ has been right many times before:
MP3: “These Days (Demo)” – Joy Division
UPDATE: I just found out I may be doing a solo Luxxury show at the Boyznoise gig this Thursday night in NYC…stay tuned for details…
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[...] Here is Glass Candy’s wonderful version of that song, in case you missed it when I posted it a few months ago. [...]
[...] often than not in 2007 I listened to the Italians Do It Better compilation, “After Dark.” It’s basically Johnny Jewel’s production reel – he produced and performed almost [...]