Giorgio Moroder and Daft Punk team up to make disco/helmet dreams come true

By Liz Louche on

Giorgio Moroder and Daft Punk team up to make disco/helmet dreams come true http://www.tinymixtapes.com/sites/default/files/news-12-06-daft-punk-giorgio-moroder.jpg

Somewhere up in Disco Heaven, the sassiest of the celestial storks have compiled their most dazzling sequins, their loopiest Quaaludes, and their wildest dreams to give birth to the Ultimate Electronic Music Collaboration: Giorgio Moroder + Daft Punk. That’s right, the robot-loving French duo have teamed up for a Very Special — so special it’s AFTERSCHOOL SPECIAL — track with the legendary Italian disco producer Moroder.

Urb reports that Moroder told a reporter at the International Music Summit in (where else?) Ibiza that he had recently recorded what he calls a “rap” for Daft Punk’s latest, as-yet release-date-less album. For said “rap,” Moroder was asked to go into the studio and start talking about his life. Moroder was like, “Yeah, cool, I can handle that.” (Not an actual quote.) But then when he walked into the studio it was CRAZY because there were just tons and tons of microphones everywhere, microphones of random and intriguing vintages, microphones from the 1960s up until today. Moroder was like, “Umm, WHAT.” (Again, not an actual quote. Probably everything Giorgio Moroder says is charming and continental and has handclaps layered beneath it.) So then an engineer told him that “the mic they would use would depend on what decade of his life he was speaking about. When Moroder asked if anyone would know the difference, the engineer replied ‘They will know.’” Because, of course they will. They’re French disco robots from the future.

And hence today’s world became a little bit more glittery. It’s a beautiful story, isn’t it? And there’s a happy ending, too, despite the album’s current lack of a release date or a name or any more concrete details for those of us aren’t sure we can live another day without hearing said track. Okay, cue the montage where everyone hugs each other and life is better than ever. Because apparently, Chic’s Nile Rodgers has also been working with Daft Punk. Also, so has a unicorn with a multi-colored horn that lights up in rhythm with the beat. THE END.

• Daft Punk: http://www.daftpunk.com
• Giorgio Moroder: http://www.moroder.net

Digital music sales outperform physical alternatives for the first time in the UK; CDs hit the gym in desperate attempt to maintain sex appeal

By Mike Reid on Jun 1 2012

Well la dee da. Look who’s getting some benefit out of their generally reluctant acceptance of 21st-century technology — the music industry, that’s who. You might recall a few news headlines from this past January alluding to the fact that overall album sales in the US actually increased in 2011, for the first time since 2004. As a deeper look at the facts indicates, the increase wasn’t due to a miraculous and widespread epiphany concerning the supposed immorality of illegal file sharing, nor was it due to the ongoing resurgence of vinyl records; nope, as you might expect, living in a culture where screens of various types are basically an extra human appendage, the increase can be attributed primarily to the rise in digital album sales, which increased 19.5% in 2011 to a record 103.1 million. Digital albums accounted for 50.3% of all album sales last year, making it the first time that their physical counterparts were overtaken as the majority.

That was in the US. It was only a matter of time before our friends across the pond took a break from their chimney-sweeping to join in on the trend. According to CMU, for the first quarter of 2012, digital music sales accounted for 55.5% of recorded music income in the UK, making it the first time for them that revenue from digital sales outperformed that of their physical siblings. To be sure, CD sales, both in the UK and the US, have continued to decline, but the increase in digital sales is marked, as Geoff Taylor, Chief Executive of the BPI, the organization representing British major and independent record labels, points out: “This is a significant milestone in the evolution of the music business. UK record labels have embraced digital to their core, supporting innovation and licensing more new online and mobile services than any other country. As a result, the industry’s prospects for growth look brighter than for several years.”

Taylor then added: “We will need to see this trend repeated for several quarters to say we have turned the corner – demand for physical CDs remains strong in the UK, especially in Q4. However, the creativity, investment and digital expertise of the British music industry point the way forward for growth in the UK economy.” That’s an unusually optimistic reaction for a large-scale music organization. Can’t we just stick to trillion-dollar lawsuits and ominous predictions about the death of the music industry? This is making me uncomfortable.

• BPI: http://www.bpi.co.uk

[Photo: Ken Segall]

Bill Fay will release his first album of new material in 40 years this August

By Mike McHugh on Jun 1 2012

In the early 1970s, British songwriter Bill Fay released two albums of stirring music that would unfortunately represent his entire recorded output for decades. His candid lyrics and earthy, jazz-infused compositions failed to garner him many fans either in the general public or at his record label, leading Fay to place his quavering voice in storage after 1971’s gorgeous Time of the Last Persecution. Although his music career had effectively ended, Fay did not let the record industry’s cold shoulder dissuade him from continuing to write songs.

Nor did his two LPs fade into total obscurity. Over the years Fay fanatics like Nick Cave, David Tibet, and Jeff Tweedy have sung the man’s praises in the media, eventually leading Fay to resurface in the early 2000s. A number of rarities compilations followed, including an album of previously unreleased songs recorded in his active years. On August 21, though, the world will finally find out what exactly Fay’s been working on with his first studio album in more than 40 years. Entitled Life Is People, the album’s press release comes stacked with all the right words, including “lush,” “expansive,” and “eternal truths.” Yup, that sounds like a Bill Fay album, alright! There’s even a Wilco cover in the tracklist, which one can only assume is a shout out to number-one-Fay-man-fan Jeff Tweedy. So be on the lookout, folks, we’ve got another Vashti Bunyan-type situation on our hands that you’d be a sucker to miss out on!

Life Is People tracklist:

01. There Is a Valley
02. Big Painter
03. The Never Ending Happening
04. This World
05. The Healing Day
06. City of Dreams
07. Be at Peace with Yourself
08. Jesus, Etc.
10. Empires
11. Thank You Lord
12. Cosmic Concerto (Life Is People)
13. The Coast No Man Can Tell

• Bill Fay: http://www.billfay.co.uk
• Dead Oceans: http://www.deadoceans.com

Dan Deacon announces new album on Domino, hopefully featuring Francis Ford Coppola on lead vocals

By Nobodaddy on May 31 2012

Hey righteous party animals! Are you guys talking about makin’ banging albums? Well, watch out. Because nobody makes albums like ma boy Dan “Dan Deacon” Deacon! Why, just this morning I was peeping deets about the new album that the old party-starting rave master has up his sleeve for August 28 in the USA (August 27 everywhere else). Yeah, it’s right next to all the fuckin Ecstasy that he also keeps up his sleeve! BOO-yeazz!! Alright, settle it down, now, settle it down. Anyway, he’s fixing to call it America, and it’s his first album for them outrageous mo-fuckers at Domino (they’re all whacked-out and Euro Trip over there, so you know they know how to throw it down) and his followup to the crotch-grabbing transcendence of Bromst (TMT Review) from back in hazy-ass 2k9. (P.S. Me and this chick got all crunked out listening to that record once and started eating hotdogs and then french kissing and passing the chewed up hotdogs all back and forth between our mouths and shit while we rubbed up against each other, you know? Shit. Was. SENSORY.)

I think we can totes expect more of the same ballin’, balls-out, balls-to-the-wall badassery this time around. Actually, give me one sec. to copy/paste some press release shit here… I won’t even read it first. I’m just gonna assume that it backs up my general ‘tude. Here we go. Haha, put this in your pipe:

The ecstatic, celebratory sounds found on America are in compelling contrast with the darker thematic undercurrents. The album demonstrates anger, confusion, and apocalyptic anxiety over corporatism and war, but finds consolation in the geography of the United States and in recent social movements both domestic and international […]There’s a subtler approach to timbre on America, informed by Deacon’s recent experiences in the classical world - commissions and collaborations, his Carnegie Hall debut; his first film score (for a Francis Ford Coppola film).

…Dawg! Uh, that is not where my headspace was all at. Sorry, duders. But if it’s any big dif to you, the album’s first single still sounds pretty tub-thumbing to these ragin’ ears. So maybe that press release is just full of some bunk ass schwag.

America tracklisting:

01. Guilford Avenue Bridge
02. True Thrush
03. Lots
04. Prettyboy
05. Crash Jam
06. USA I: Is a Monster
07. USA II: The Great American Desert
08. USA III: Rail
09. USA IV: Manifest

Dates:

07.07.12 - Des Moines, IA - 80/35 Festival
07.12.12 - New York, NY - Pier 84 *
07.14.12 - Cincinnati, OH - Bunbury Music Festival
07.21.12 - Antigonish, NS - Evolve Festival
09.01.12 - Chicago, IL - North Coast Music Festival
09.07.12 - Raleigh, NC - Hopscotch Music Festival
09.19.12 - Prague, Czech Republic - Meet Factory
09.20.12 - Berlin, Germany - Festsall Kreuzberg
09.21.12 - Hamburg, Germany - Reepers
09.22.12 - Eindehoven, Netherlands - Area 51
09.23.12 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Bitterzoet
09.24.12 - Brussels, Belgium - Botanique
09.25.12 - Paris, France - Le Trebando
09.26.12 - London, UK - Scala
09.28.12 - Manchester, UK - Islington Mill
09.29.12 - Brighton, UK - The Haunt

* John Maus

• Dan Deacon: http://www.dandeacon.com
• Domino: http://www.dominorecordco.com

RACES announce summer tour, racists announce summer stay inside and boil in their own repulsive hatred

By E. Nagurney on May 31 2012

It is a good thing that the internet is text-based and not conversation-from-a-loud-crowded-room-based. If the internet really were the latter, you might have heard the headline of this article and thought that racists were going on tour. “Racists? I don’t want to see racists.” That’s you reacting in this imaginary situation. Frankly, I don’t blame you! I wouldn’t want to see racists either and I’d be doubly concerned that they had become organized enough as a group to book an entire tour. That would truly be unfortunate.

Thankfully, we have the sweet clarity of text. As you can see, it’s RACES who are going on tour. RACES are a Los Angeles-based indie rock signed to Frenchkiss who are (probably and hopefully) not awful racists. They are going on tour to play songs and (probably and hopefully) not try to spread a message of hate and intolerance for other living human beings. They’ll be on tour through much of July and August, playing a string of shows in cities that you might live in. Do you live in Denver? Minneapolis? Chicago? Austin? The other cities on this tour? Well, then you can go see them. Did I mention that they have a debut album called Year of the Witch out on Frenchkiss? They do. See, they even love witches.

RACES dates:

07.17.12 - Larimer Lounge - Denver, CO
07.19.12 - Madison, WI - University of Wisconsin, Memorial Union Terrace
07.20.12 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry
07.21.12 - Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern
07.22.12 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern
07.23.12 - Toronto, ON - Drake Hotel
07.25.12 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie
07.27.12 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
07.28.12 - Brooklyn, NY - Glasslands
07.29.12 - Washington, DC - DC9
07.31.12 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
08.01.12 - Nashville, TN - High Watt
08.03.12 - Houston, TX - Rudyard’s
08.04.12 - Austin, TX - Stubb’s
08.06.12 - El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Palace
08.07.12 - Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room

• RACES: http://racestheband.com
• Frenchkiss: http://www.frenchkissrecords.com

RIP: Steeve Hurdle, ex-Gorguts/Negativa guitar player

By Shane Mack on May 31 2012

From Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles:

According to Cooperative Funeraire de L’Estrie in Quebec, ex-GORGUTS/NEGATIVA guitar player “Big” Steeve Hurdle passed away on May 20th after post-surgical complications. Hurdle was living in Sherbrooke, Quebec at the time of his passing.

• Gorguts: http://www.gorguts.com
• Negativa: http://www.myspace.com/negativa1

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