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Posts Tagged ‘electronica’
[photo] Zazen Boys @ Irving Plaza 10/10/10
Monday, October 11th, 2010 by Kathy Chee[live report + interview] Close Encounters of the BOOM BOOM SATELLITES Kind
Monday, October 4th, 2010 by Sarah
If (or when) cyborg aliens ever crash land to earth, demanding to steal the pinnacle of human technology, I ‘m not going to show them NASA’s most advanced rocket or the creepy robot that can lie. I wouldn’t even show them the iPad. No, I would hand them the band BOOM BOOM SATELLITES, particularly fresh after their live on October 2 at Makuhari Event Hall in Chiba.
After witnessing one of the most intense, psychedelic electronic noisefests I’ve ever experienced, I think our future cyborg overlords will be quite pleased.
Electronic music is often written off as robotic and soulless, relying too heavily on computers to do most of the musical leg work. But that’s not the case for BBS, particularly live. There’s persistent electric warmth to BBS’ sound that translates into an ambient blanket, like the comforting glow of a sleeping motherboard. This is created through various synthesizers and to some extent Michiyuki Kawashima’s calm, semi-mumbling voice.
But that isn’t the most enticing aspect of a BBS live show. Underneath that protective layer lies a certain amount of caged chaos. For one split second, bassist Masayuki Nakano hit a single string, and the sound produced at that moment mimicked that of a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier. A few members of the audience clasped their hands over their ears, in pain but enjoying the jolt. There’s a cybernetic monster locked up deep inside their music and every innocent human being can hear it blasting at the walls of its synthesized prison. The audience is afraid to let it out, but oh-so-very curious as to what it will do when it gets its first taste of freedom.
The music alone could easily lull even the most sober listener into a trance, but BBS cleverly added striking lighting and visuals to this particular live. A translucent veil dropped in front of the band midway through the show during the song “STAY.” Images of an eternally magnifying world projected over their silhouettes like dreams within dreams within dreams. I wish I could tell you not a single face could look away from the stage, but I was so transfixed on what was happening before me, I can’t say for sure. All I know is that I didn’t blink for a good ten minutes.
BBS’ performance was all things the digital age lives for: electronic, curiously chaotic, and all around audio-visual stimulation. And with their upcoming U.S. tour, this is a small piece of music genius BBS will let us use to represent our generation. (more…)
[Review] BOOM BOOM SATELLITES – OVER AND OVER
Friday, October 1st, 2010 by Kathy Chee
For a band that started in Europe and has toured with Moby and Garbage, Over and Over is long overdue. Their first US release greatest hits album spans over a decade of electronic beats from 1997 to 2007. The tracks are all newly remixed, retaining the original flavor with a kick of spice. That is, they’re new if you didn’t pick up the best of album 19972007 back in January. Over and Over is a repeat of the first disc on Boom Boom Satellite’s Japanese release greatest hits album from January 27, 2010.
It’s a good attempt by Sony to infuse some Japanese flavor (other than your typical Jpop and Jrock fare) into the US market. Over and Over starts out big with “Kick it Out” and “What Goes Round Comes Around.” Both tracks are full of fast beats reminiscent of The Chemical Brothers, but with BBS’s precise work mixing in and mixing out various instruments and sounds. “Looking Glass,” a 1 minute ambient noise interlude, could easily have been replaced by something meatier. But the meat does come immediately after.
“Pill” is catchy, dirty and dark like your best NIN club track from the Downward Spiral. The Portishead-esque “Light My Fire” segue ways the album into a more down tempo kind of listening pleasure. And this is where BBS really shines, mixing in different vocal tracks, playing with sounds, noise and dragging it out across a downbeat. It leaves you swaying and itching to move while knowing the next track may just drag out the auditory joy even longer.
It’s a shame that Sony didn’t just release 19972007 in the US. The second disc rounds out the tracklist from the first disc. Their first single, “Push Eject,” and their Dark Knight feature, “Scatterin’ Monkey,” are both on the second disc of 19972007. For now, US audiences will just have to spin this CD Over and Over.
Official Website – http://www.bbs-net.com[review] Miu Sakamoto – Phantom Girl
Friday, May 28th, 2010 by Kathy Chee
Phantom Girl, like Miu Sakamoto’s singing, is hauntingly perfect in the clarity of the instruments and depth of layering sounds. The silent pauses in each track echo the emotions in her voice. The low key electro-pop instrumentals of Phantom Girl are thanks to producer Dave Liang of the Shanghai Restoration Project; the small doses of music brilliantly mixed with Sakamoto’s voice. Each little noise is a raindrop and, falling together, they make beautiful songs, bright and magical like a sun shower.
“The Blue Hour” opens softly with the slight off-key ring of a toy piano and a slow progression of introduced sounds that crescendo with Miu’s singing before tapering into the twilight of piano keys again.
The rest of the album follows suite, “Phantom Girls First Love” and “Destination” are just a touch upbeat and joyful. The sparse instrumentals, accompanying piano and layering of rhythms highlight Sakamoto’s sweet voice as the melody. Her own voice is layered into many of the songs, falling together to create her voice or falling apart to create indistinct notes.
The last two songs, “Our Home” and “A Girl’s Waltz”, don’t have any lyrics. There’s just a piano and Sakamoto’s voice, the lyrics forgotten or no longer necessary to Miu’s outlook of the world that her album encompasses.
Phantom Girl is Miu Sakamoto in a quiet, special light. She ghosts in and out of rhythm, constantly searching for the melody and holding your ears captive until the last song dissipates like mist in the morning.
Official Miu Sakamoto Website – http://www.miuskmt.com/ Miu Sakamoto Myspace – http://www.myspace.com/miusakamoto Shanghai Restoration Project – http://shanghairestorationproject.com/home.html[interview] Gossip from the Acid Queen: AYAKA IKIO
Monday, January 4th, 2010 by Kathy Chee
It’s only been a year since Ayaka Ikio’s RE: Acid Queen debuted on January 14, 2009. Now into her second album, GOSSIP, her high energy electro-pop and trance still tears up the dance floor without that Hello Kitty cuteness that saturates so much of Japan’s pop scene.
purple SKY: Your style is definitely based in a female point of view. How would you describe your approach to creating your music?
AYAKA IKIO: The main image in my mind is a woman who doesn’t have to depend on a man for things. Someone who’s independent and strong. Personally, I’m not as independent as I would like to be, but I’m trying to be more independent.
purple SKY: Do you have any musical role models who match that prototype?
AYAKA IKIO: Namie Amuro, she has a strong spirit. And The Pussycat Dolls give out a really strong vibe that I like.
purple SKY: What was it like to record your first release RE: ACID QUEEN while you were still a college student?
AYAKA IKIO: It was a secret from most of the people who knew me, but I got a lot of support from my producers and the music team, especially Kumahara-san of Fantastic Plastic Machine.
purple SKY: What was the biggest surprise for you about the recording process?
AYAKA IKIO: There wasn’t anything in particular about the process itself, but it surprised me that there was no window in the studio. I sort of hoped there would be windows! (more…)
[press release] Superglorious Presents Boom Boom Satellites
Monday, November 16th, 2009 by Kathy Chee
We’re very excited to announce that we’ll be presenting the Boom Boom Satellites at Santos Party House on November 24th. Ticket price? Free! RSVP at www.superglorious.com.
The Boom Boom Satellites are a Japanese electronic music duo consisting of guitarist and vocalist Michiyuki Kawashima and bassist and programmer Masayuki Nakano. While their music can be mostly classified as big beat or nu-skool breaks with heavy jazz influences, they are famous for the heavy usage of electric guitars in their music, and the final product often has a strong rock or punk flavor. They are currently signed to Sony Music Entertainment Japan, with whom they have released all of their albums in Japan
Opening for the Boom Boom Satellites will be Brooklyn based indie band: Me You Us Them.
Details:
November 24th (doors 7pm//show 8pm) [18+]
Santos Party House
96 Lafayette Street, New York
Boom Boom Satellites
Me You Us Them
DJ’s: Hipstarr; Hotline
[news] ACO returns 9/2/2009 with a new single, My Dearest Friend
Monday, July 20th, 2009 by Victoria Goldenberg
Trip-hop and electronica artist ACO will release a limited edition single, her first new recording in more than three and a half years, on Sept. 2. The CD, My Dearest Friend, will be followed by another single before the end of the year and an album at a future date.
ACO usually takes years to release new music, but when she does, she puts out something excellent. Her last original solo work was Mask, a mini album released in February 2006. A retrospective, ACO Best ~Girl’s Diary~, came out in December 2007. ACO is also a member of Golden Pink Arrow, a band that has played live but has not released any CDs.
Credit: http://natalie.mu/news/show/id/18871
ACO’s Official Site
Golden Pink Arrow’s Myspace