Unfortunately more traveling equates to less posts, hence the recent slowdown. But to make up for it were gonna trash Euro Trash Girls’ apartment this weekend, and you are all invited!
The Z.A.C.K. - 565, Where Are You || Philips
Archive for the ‘Italo’ Category
Busy-ness
Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
SXSWhaaaa?
Thursday, March 13th, 2008
SXSW is taking place right now, I know because every scamming, party-humping promoter is blogging about twittering about seeing what everyone is talking about. As the tidal wave of trivial information seeps into every email and social networking profile we solicit, the drunken, camera phone equipped Internet chatter only seems to alienate me from the collective experience of every BBQ and clever stencil in Austin’s sweaty streets.
Perspective is necessary to turn trivialities into context; without it, every text-fed update of “went to bathroom and ran into Benny from ______ ” (some random band) does not paint help paint a cohesive picture, it just seems like more feedback in a festival of amps. While we at SOAP have our own set of events and festivals we favor, we understand the importance of participating in these cultural endeavors first hand, not risking inadequate understanding of our generation’s indulgences care of the skittish minds of culturally-wired youth.
Which brings us to our next “must,” a triumph of corporate philanthropy and grassroots weirdness, The Red Bull FlugTag. A team will be fashioned, a structure will be built, and goddamnit, a beautiful story will be crafted to carry every reader through it. Sure, there’s no pulled pork sandwiches, record label showcases or emerging social media, but can any of that compare to people trying to fly?
SXSW is taking place right now, I know because every scamming, party-humping promoter is blogging about twittering about seeing what everyone is talking about. As the tidal wave of trivial information seeps into every email and social networking profile we solicit, the drunken, camera phone equipped Internet chatter only seems to alienate me from the collective experience of every BBQ and clever stencil in Austin’s sweaty streets.
Perspective is necessary to turn trivialities into context; without it, every text-fed update of “went to bathroom and ran into Benny from ______ ” (some random band) does not paint help paint a cohesive picture, it just seems like more feedback in a festival of amps. While we at SOAP have our own set of events and festivals we favor, we understand the importance of participating in these cultural endeavors first hand, not risking inadequate understanding of our generation’s indulgences care of the skittish minds of culturally-wired youth.
Which brings us to our next “must,” a triumph of corporate philanthropy and grassroots weirdness, The Red Bull FlugTag. A team will be fashioned, a structure will be built, and goddamnit, a beautiful story will be crafted to carry every reader through it. Sure, there’s no pulled pork sandwiches, record label showcases or emerging social media, but can any of that compare to people trying to fly?
MMM 54 Monday, March 10th, 2008
MMM 50!
Tuesday, February 12th, 2008
Big bird and Snuffleupagous (sp?) are taking us to the disco to celebrate 50 weeks of Monday Morning Motions! WOOOO!
Moonbase - Waiting For A Train (Instrumental Dub) || Il Discotto
Big bird and Snuffleupagous (sp?) are taking us to the disco to celebrate 50 weeks of Monday Morning Motions! WOOOO!
Moonbase - Waiting For A Train (Instrumental Dub) || Il Discotto
MMM 49
Monday, February 4th, 2008
How unreasonably sexy is Diana Est?
How unreasonably sexy is Diana Est?
He Hath Returneth
Thursday, January 10th, 2008
Full CES review coming, but first witness the coolest hybrid of electronics and nature, a full mile away from the conference center at the circus-inspired Wynn hotel:
Yes, this is an actual giant puppet/robot frog that sings “What A Wonderful World,” and does a decent Armstrong lip-synch.
Sadly, my hotel had nothing near as interesting; aside from the $50 NY steak I had at the bar amongst prostitutes and VC honchos. To be fair, it was a fine steak…
Full CES review coming, but first witness the coolest hybrid of electronics and nature, a full mile away from the conference center at the circus-inspired Wynn hotel:
Yes, this is an actual giant puppet/robot frog that sings “What A Wonderful World,” and does a decent Armstrong lip-synch.
Sadly, my hotel had nothing near as interesting; aside from the $50 NY steak I had at the bar amongst prostitutes and VC honchos. To be fair, it was a fine steak…
MMM 45 Monday, January 7th, 2008
SOAP’s Top Releases of 2007
Saturday, January 5th, 2008
Yeeeeeah…So we know it’s a little late. Blame Jesus and the lunar calendar for that. But we figured it would be a good would to kick off the new year.
So without further adu, we present you with…
SOAP’s TOP RELEASES OF 2007!
And now for the obligatory disclaimer: Instead of railing off 150 tracks like we did last year, we decided instead to focus on individual releases from similar sub-genres. This required a lot of recall and classification. Two things we’re not particularly good at. So take this list for what is is and feel free to let us know if you think we left anything out.
Makina Girgir - The Spell EP || Das Drehmoment - Das Drehmoment has slowly, but surely, become one of SOAPs favorite labels. For our money, nobody does electro-pop and wave music better. Makina Girgir is the embodiment of everything we love about Das Drehmoment. Squeaky-clean electro-pop, with a dark sense of humor. Every track on The Spell works as a single, but the cohesive tone of the EP is what makes it such a poignant a memorable release. Fit for the dance-floor or the living room, this is a truly beautiful record that is not to be missed.
Honorable Mention - Suicide Booth - Aura EP || Das Drehmoment
Glass Candy - Beat Box & Miss Broadway || Italians Do It Better - So we’re gonna cheat here and mention two releases by Glass Candy. Miss Broadway was without a doubt one of the best covers we’ve ever heard and really solidified Ida No’s position amongst modern day disco divas. Beat Box is just a solid all-around release. It’s pretty amazing how a song like Digital Versicolor, with it’s super-silly lyrics and super-simple melody, can convey such passion and sensuality. But isn’t that what Glass Candy is all about?
Nimoy - Untitled || Bunker - In 2007 we were reminded that electro can be unique, inspiring, and soulful. For us, Nimoy’s untitled Bunker release was the harbinger of this re-realization. Haunting but not dark, lush but not overwhelming, just the way we like it. Electro for electro’s sake.
Honorable Mentions - ERP - Vox Atomaton || Frustrated Funk & Duracel - Hole In Head EP || SD
Aeroplane - Aeroplane & Caramellas || Eskimo - Aeroplane has mastered the art of seduction. We’ve known this ever since we heard their self-titled track on the Lindstrom & Prins Thomas Essential Mix. What we didn’t know was that the EP would contain a B-side that was (arguably) even better then the aforementioned A. Aeroplane’s electronics just sound so, er, organic - a perfect blend between the natural and the synthesized.
Burial - Untrue || Hyperdub - We’re not going to pretend that we’re dub-step experts. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if Untrue is shunned by the dub-step community, as is the common fan-boy reaction when a piece of the underground becomes slightly popular. But the fact remains that Untrue is truly (pardon the pun) an inspirational album. We won’t waste your time trying to explain exactly why Untrue is so amazing. The appeal of the record is about as mysterious and unique as the producer himself. Give it a listen or read one of the 29032189438 other reviews floating around the blogosphere. If you’re not moved by this record your probably dead, deaf, or in denial. Brace yourself dub-step fan-boy, we’re gonna be hearing a lot more Archangel in the near future.
Honorable Mention - Boxcutter - Glyphic || Planet Mu
Newworldaquarium - The Dead Bears || NWAQ - There’s something so familiar yet so unique about Newworldaquarium’s music. Beautiful, atmospheric, slow-motion techno of the highest caliber. What separates this release from others in the same vein is its funky undertones. It seems that every track has some element that keeps it from running too deep. Top notch production.
November Növelet - Magic || Galakthorrö - We were a little late on November Növelet’s latest release, but it didn’t take us long to realize that Magic was indeed a worthy successor to 1999’s From Heaven On Earth. Dark and monotone female vocals can easily be dismissed as cliche, but Mrs. Arafna pulls it off and deserves a spot amongst the Beta Evers and Nancy Fortunes of this world. Beautifully haunting or hauntingly beautiful. You decide.
Yeeeeeah…So we know it’s a little late. Blame Jesus and the lunar calendar for that. But we figured it would be a good would to kick off the new year.
So without further adu, we present you with…
SOAP’s TOP RELEASES OF 2007!
And now for the obligatory disclaimer: Instead of railing off 150 tracks like we did last year, we decided instead to focus on individual releases from similar sub-genres. This required a lot of recall and classification. Two things we’re not particularly good at. So take this list for what is is and feel free to let us know if you think we left anything out.
Makina Girgir - The Spell EP || Das Drehmoment - Das Drehmoment has slowly, but surely, become one of SOAPs favorite labels. For our money, nobody does electro-pop and wave music better. Makina Girgir is the embodiment of everything we love about Das Drehmoment. Squeaky-clean electro-pop, with a dark sense of humor. Every track on The Spell works as a single, but the cohesive tone of the EP is what makes it such a poignant a memorable release. Fit for the dance-floor or the living room, this is a truly beautiful record that is not to be missed.
Honorable Mention - Suicide Booth - Aura EP || Das Drehmoment
Glass Candy - Beat Box & Miss Broadway || Italians Do It Better - So we’re gonna cheat here and mention two releases by Glass Candy. Miss Broadway was without a doubt one of the best covers we’ve ever heard and really solidified Ida No’s position amongst modern day disco divas. Beat Box is just a solid all-around release. It’s pretty amazing how a song like Digital Versicolor, with it’s super-silly lyrics and super-simple melody, can convey such passion and sensuality. But isn’t that what Glass Candy is all about?
Nimoy - Untitled || Bunker - In 2007 we were reminded that electro can be unique, inspiring, and soulful. For us, Nimoy’s untitled Bunker release was the harbinger of this re-realization. Haunting but not dark, lush but not overwhelming, just the way we like it. Electro for electro’s sake.
Honorable Mentions - ERP - Vox Atomaton || Frustrated Funk & Duracel - Hole In Head EP || SD
Aeroplane - Aeroplane & Caramellas || Eskimo - Aeroplane has mastered the art of seduction. We’ve known this ever since we heard their self-titled track on the Lindstrom & Prins Thomas Essential Mix. What we didn’t know was that the EP would contain a B-side that was (arguably) even better then the aforementioned A. Aeroplane’s electronics just sound so, er, organic - a perfect blend between the natural and the synthesized.
Burial - Untrue || Hyperdub - We’re not going to pretend that we’re dub-step experts. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if Untrue is shunned by the dub-step community, as is the common fan-boy reaction when a piece of the underground becomes slightly popular. But the fact remains that Untrue is truly (pardon the pun) an inspirational album. We won’t waste your time trying to explain exactly why Untrue is so amazing. The appeal of the record is about as mysterious and unique as the producer himself. Give it a listen or read one of the 29032189438 other reviews floating around the blogosphere. If you’re not moved by this record your probably dead, deaf, or in denial. Brace yourself dub-step fan-boy, we’re gonna be hearing a lot more Archangel in the near future.
Honorable Mention - Boxcutter - Glyphic || Planet Mu
Newworldaquarium - The Dead Bears || NWAQ - There’s something so familiar yet so unique about Newworldaquarium’s music. Beautiful, atmospheric, slow-motion techno of the highest caliber. What separates this release from others in the same vein is its funky undertones. It seems that every track has some element that keeps it from running too deep. Top notch production.
November Növelet - Magic || Galakthorrö - We were a little late on November Növelet’s latest release, but it didn’t take us long to realize that Magic was indeed a worthy successor to 1999’s From Heaven On Earth. Dark and monotone female vocals can easily be dismissed as cliche, but Mrs. Arafna pulls it off and deserves a spot amongst the Beta Evers and Nancy Fortunes of this world. Beautifully haunting or hauntingly beautiful. You decide.
It Came From The Thing: Paul Lekakis
Tuesday, December 11th, 2007
Another It Came From The Thing, another amazing record cover. I mean seriosuly, what is that thing? A light-saber?
There’s something to be said about mid-eighties, American Hi-NRG. I’m not sure what it is, but there’s something…
Paul Lekakis - Boom Boom (Let’s Go Back To My Room) || ZYX
Another It Came From The Thing, another amazing record cover. I mean seriosuly, what is that thing? A light-saber?
There’s something to be said about mid-eighties, American Hi-NRG. I’m not sure what it is, but there’s something…
Paul Lekakis - Boom Boom (Let’s Go Back To My Room) || ZYX
MMM 42
Monday, December 3rd, 2007
Double up Monday.
Kano - Ikeya Seki || Hispavox
Double up Monday.
Kano - Ikeya Seki || Hispavox
