I’m probably not the only person for whom Daft Punk’s Discovery was a kind of gateway record into dance music. Along with the Avalanches’ Since I Left You, Discovery reignited my interest in a music that I hadn’t really thought much about since watching Amp on
mtv2 in high school and briefly trying to figure out if I liked
Everything But the Girl. (I think the answer is “maybe”.) The ecstasy
of that album is undeniable, and only made more powerful when colored
by twinges of melancholy. I’m still hooked on that combination.
Even before my encounter with Discovery, though, the groundwork had been laid by Stardust’s “Music Sounds Better With You”—the
one-off single by Thomas Bangalter (of Daft Punk), singer Benjamin
Diamond, and a producer named Alan Braxe that I had enjoyed for years.
As I would soon come to realize, Alan Braxe had been producing a number
of amazing singles and remixes under his own name and, most notably,
with Fred Falke. Fat, syrupy keyboards; plunging, melodic basslines;
and filter passes—god, the filter passes—these are all hallmarks of Braxe’s sound and when people refer to “the French touch,” he’s one of the architects of
it.
The
past couple years have seen the release of what has mostly been, to put
it kindly, not his best work. He’s put out some middling remixes,
stopped working with Fred Falke, and tussled with DJ Assault.
When two new remixes of Beyonce’s new single “Broken-Hearted Girl” were
announced, I had trouble mustering up much enthusiasm, but then I
actually listened to them. Beyonce’s great, but the original track is
pretty horrible—a plodding ballad that sounds like a demo, and a
questionable choice for even a 7th (!) single from last
year’s double album. These two remixes at once embody their source
material but veer off in much more interesting musical directions. I do
like the radio edit, though it might be too smooth for some. But
Braxe’s dub version is such an epic vision, and the chopping up of the
vocal track is a new direction for him, even if it’s kind of a Todd
Edwards move. Bottom line, this is expertly structured, always changing
and engaging on an emotional level that the original can’t possibly
achieve. When the horns drop in at 5:17, I felt that same kind of
sublime rush that first got me hooked on this stuff. Braxe’s best work
in years, easily.
Chief Boima (Ghetto Bassquake) takes a pointer from a Congolese gospel rhythm in his remix of THE VERY BEST. Download "Julia" on his site here and read about "Why Congolese Men Would Rather Starve Than Look Cheap" on BoingBoing here.
I hadn't thought much of Restless People since their CMJ show last week. But now I'm remembering them vividly. The synth-tones, the hint of rocksteady, their open-ended lyrics floating through the backroom at Piano's. They're a super-group of sorts, part Professor Murder and part Tanlines. If you missed Restless People at CMJ, check them here before they're gobbled up by the universe, or a good record label.
"There was an African apparition: Janka Nabay
from Sierra Leone, wearing a straw skirt and singing and dancing to
recorded tracks of what he said was a 500-year-old tradition called
bubu music. The tracks were modern, and the beat, fast and skeletal and
driven by bell taps, was unstoppable, demanding wider dissemination." Jon Pareles, NYTIMES
+ Bajah + the Dry Eye Crew (Sierra Leone)
+ Blitz the Ambassador (Ghana)
+ Jahdan Blakkamoore and Matt Shadetek (Guyana/USA)
+ IyaDedE (Rwanda)
+ DJ Zakee Kuduro
+ a late night Afro-dubstep /electro hip-hop set with secret special guests
+ projections by VJs Ted Dancin and Cupcakes Love Supreme
+ a special appearance by the father of West African bubu music, Ahmed Janka Nabay
+ and a friendly but belligerent devil or two
Seeing
that CMJ has come around again and is steamrolling through the city
brings back some old memories. I’m not really going to be heading to
many of the shows as I try to plow through grad school apps (though
attending the Green Owl showcase is of course
recommended/mandatory), but I remember back in high school that this
was really a cause for excitement. Now it sometimes seems like it’s too
overwhelming, maybe too much like a trade show—but man, as a teenager I
couldn’t believe I was so lucky to be living in the city that swelled
with so much action.
Easily my favorite CMJ memory was when I was in 9th
grade and there was this typical (for CMJ) mishmash of a show—Swedish
indie band Blithe, this weird glam/goth band on Sub Pop called Plexi,
Spoon, and headliners Archers of Loaf. As someone relatively green to
concert-going, I did not understand that the show would be starting
until 9pm at the earliest (instead of the 8pm on my ticket). It was a
school night, I definitely had a curfew, and I had really only wanted
to see Spoon and AOL. This was a problem.
While
mulling around the merch table I eyed a 7” that Britt Daniel (of Spoon)
had put out and was asking the merch guy annoying questions like, “Is
that song a cover or an original?” To his credit, he didn’t condescend
and he actually thought my knowledge of a Pixies B-side was cause
enough for me to meet Britt himself. Over the summer I had been
listening to their first album Telephono a lot and this was an awesome moment for me. Again, I was 13.
After
my friend and I talked him up a bit, I told him that while we really
wanted to see Spoon, we’d probably have to leave before they went on
due to curfew. Clearly bristling at the thought, he then suggested that
I call my parents, at which point he then spoke to my mom,
basically arguing politely as possible that it was only fair for us to
be able to stick around a little bit longer. In her infinite wisdom, my
mom allowed us to see Spoon and return home immediately after. I was
nerding out pretty hard and ended up buying the aforementioned 7” and Telephono on
vinyl. I already had the album on CD but I wanted him to autograph it
because I knew I was going to frame that shit. That LP and his
message—“To Ned- Thanks for staying out late. Britt”—is still up on the walls of my childhood room.
Tastes
change, and honestly I haven’t checked out any new Spoon albums since
maybe 2001, but I wish those guys all the success they deserve. CMJ is
definitely a week geared toward the industry but I hope that for some
people--performers, audience members, label employees, whoever--there
are special moments that remind them why they are passionate about this.
Theophilus London, Radioclit, Spike Jonez, M.I.A., Ben Bronfman, K'naan, Nabil -- that's not a crowd you'd normally see on Bleeker Street at 5 in the morning. But they were all there last night, lingering, not quite ready to let go of the Green Owl CMJ spirit. Ninjasonik, Violens, Grandchildren, Zakee Kuduro, Dub Defender... the whole thing still feels like a dream. K'naan and Clipse even showed up for post 2am sets. Videos and images from last night's CMJ showcase coming soon...
