There is just no way of doing a Breaking Out feature with Nueva Forma because there is just so much going on that yesterday is already old news!
First and foremost, Nueva Forma released the 21st instalment of the Listening pleasures podcasts. Yet again, it amazes, subtracts and adds all that a podcast could ever need and making this one of the most consistent, groundbreaking music podcasts out there in the great seaworthy internet. The episode was lovingly curated by Wolfe+585 who took the reigns and you should check it out here.
As if that was not enough, one of my favorite Nueva Forma luminaries released a new track: IG88‘s Between Vivid and Exhale.
Besides all these goodies, it sucks to be poor because with the right means or a borrowed jet, I would have made it to Priceless Fest were Masmod, Miori andRecue played..
Here is the teaser:
…and here are the highlights:
No Nueva forma post could be completed without me whining about Miori so I’ll keep it simple and dignified by providing his soundcloud page once again and a beautiful track from his previous release I Have No Memory Of This Place. Needless to say that his new album can’t come out fast enough.
As I finish editing this post something else may have happened over at Nueva Forma so make sure you check out their web site and facebook!
This is only a catching up feature due to my overly busy, pointless life and general aloofness. IG88, AKA Branden Clarke one of Nueva Foma‘s new inductees released his label debut and to no one’s fault but my own, I failed to talk about it on Cultbreak. After I flailed myself for several hours I finally listened to the album from top to bottom and found, as expected, a marvel of breaking melodious vocals, upbeats, downbeats, joy, sadness and memory. It is not often that a record tells a story.
Have a listen:
IG88 is yet another great addition to the Nueva Forma catalog; a label that insists on not disappointing those of us looking for great new music.
Oliver Tank is the brilliant Australian musician that has been impressing everyone with its music as some are describing it as Bon Iver meets James Blake.
While there’s still no full album for the 22 year old on the horizon yet, his debut EP Dreams, released by Yes Records, is making the wonders of a lot of people all over the internet and he has already had his first international performance at Iceland Airwaves Festival in Reykjavik on October 2011.
Also, check out his performance live at The Bridge Club in Brisbane, Australia, presented by Silo Arts:
I have been scouring the internet for what I hope will become a new trend: Music Video Playlists! Here is one of my favorites so far:
This was performed live on tinychat and bummerbit radio during BummerBit Presents – Devil`s Heartbeat
- A live virtual event held in videochat and streamed over Bummerbit radio
†† Synesthesiæ Films Visual / DJ Set: Haunted Disco ††
Tracklisting:
0. Haunted Disco (Serial Killer Spectre Ambient Opener) 00:00
1. Valotihkuu – Synaesthesia (Intro) 00:52
2. VHS Head – Sundown 04:33
3. Walsh – Kommissar ft.PERSONA LA AVE 06:20
4. Navigateur – Girl On The Couch 08:59
5. Cadillac – Dreams (Sun Glitters Remix) 11:34
6. Monster Rally – Rainbow Rd. (Teen Daze Remix) 15:33
7. A Gap Between – Blaster 18:55
8. LUST – Mémoire 21:05
I kinda forgot to post this and i don’t really know why since Bon Iver is easily one my Top albums of last year! Anyway, and even if this has been out for a month now and you probably already saw it, i figured it was better late than never.
Bon Iver had an incredible year with his self-titled album being praised by fans and critics all over and wonning him Best Alternative Music Album and Best New Artist at the Grammys 2012 even thou he’s not really new, since he’s been delighting our ears for years and this is actually the second album with the first released back in 2008.
Anyway, here’s the amazing new video for one of my favorite tracks, Towers:
…and bellow, to redeem myself for the late post, ill leave you with the outstanding 4AD/Jagjaguwar Session at AIR Studios which is pure bliss and probably the most rewarding 24 minutes of your musical life!
Few people noticed that in 2011 Minnesota native John Maus released an album that explored a well established field of nostalgic electriopop eclectica. Things changed when the album started getting a fraction of its deserved airplay and the fact that the field is populated by some rather remarkable names in no way took away any merit for what is a stunning and unique set of extremely pleasing synth rifs layered over vocal layers reminiscent of Georgio Maroder and German industrial techno. His 2011 release is called We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves and is however just the latest collection of brilliant and ethereal low-fi songs.
There is something intrinsically pleasing about whatever layers of sound Manchester’s Holy Other publishes. It would seem that the world comes to a near halt and all things around us fall in step with deep vocals and beats that cut through our perceptions and force us to tap along as a melancholic wall of sound consumes you from the inside out. Holy Other‘s production started about a a year and a half ago in Berlin though he has been quoted saying that location does not influence his sound, we can tell that he listens to 80′s music though one cannot pinpoint one or another influence. Indeed we can only recognize a few samples such as the drum pattern of Yr Love, which samples Grace Jones’s Pull Up To The Bumper. At most we can certainly notice a heavy R&B influence in several tracks but he never lets himself get pinned down. Holy Other is a unique, patient, enveloping music that will take over your heart rate.
Just when you think that you have heard it all, an artist shows up and proves you wrong. Aaron Sjorgren is one of those artists. He creates under the alias of Miori and has an album out called I Have No Memory of This place and you can hear it here.
Miori is published by Nueva Forma and currently working on a follow up to is first EP. He has graced us with some visuals and sound teasers.
One can hardly wait.
TEEEL aka Jim Smith recently sat down with Cultbreak and kindly answered a few questions that needed some answers.
Cultbreak : You’ve had a busy year. Tell us what you have been up to and what you are willing to reveal about the new album.
TEEEL : I’ve been extremely busy this year with work, life and writing music into the night. I also run a mobile DJ company so my weekends tend to fill up really quick. I recently set up my Live performance rig and have been practicing to play out future events. As for the new album, I’ve started compiling all of my comp song ideas, loops, etc. into sub-genres. Basically I’ll put together songs that work well with each other. Some nights I’ll write a really dancy track and other nights I’ll begin a synth melody, drum pattern, or guitar riff. And then other nights I don’t write music at all and just create synth patches or clean up my sound library. The new album will be across the board as far as genres are concerned, but it will still have Teeel’s signature sound. Same guitar, same synths, same vocals just a broader range of feeling and style compared to Amulet.
TEEEL: I posted about doing physicals on my Facebook page and they contacted me to do cassettes. We’re doing a limited run of 100. I’m really excited and should be pretty awesome.
Cultbreak: You were recently quoted as a willing performer for some summer backyard parties. That tells me that it’s all about the good times and the beats. Is that a good assessment?
TEEEL : Absolutely! Growing up, my friends and I put together some amazing shows from Backyard Bonfire Dance Parties with Trance and Drum and Bass to renting a Vietnam Vet Hall and having Hardcore bands play all day. Where I grew up, there were at least 2-3 shows a week in someone’s backyard or garage. It seemed like every kid in the neighborhood played an instrument. There were so many bands and places to play every week, it was so much fun. I love clubs and all but sometimes it’s nice to chill and have a good time with real people. No security. No insane drink prices.
I think it would be exciting to drive out to different cities, play and hang with fun people.
Cultbreak : There is great and unavoidable summery, nostalgic dept. in your music; a dept. that may escape someone younger that will simply discover something new and amazing. Still, how much of your music is part of the soundtrack of your childhood? Were were you in 1987?
TEEEL : I was obsessed with music as long as I can remember. In 1987, I was most likely watching MTV videos or a movie at my friend Gary’s. He was allowed to watch anything so I was able to see a fair share of Horror flicks at a young age. Whenever I my play synths, I just think about the 80s.
The movies, the music, the hairstlyes, the fashion. Everything seemed really fun.
Cultbreak : I guess we were too young to realize that the world could blow up at any moment. Do you think that we will move on and the next generation will be as nostalgic towards the music and aesthetic of the 90′s as we are towards the 80′s?
TEEEL: That’s a great question. The 80s were so unique and unusual so I think that time period will always stick out. Looking back to the 60s and 70s, they were very unique too. I think because we’re so close to the 90s and 2000s we don’t really focus on it now, In 10 more years 90s Hip Hop and Hard Rock could be stronger than ever. I guess we shall see.
Cultbreak: Is the chill-wave the right description of your work and is it really all about synth-pop nostalgia and a deep longing for exuberant haircuts?
TEEL : I’ve written songs that were dark with heavy metal guitar to really chill and light electronica. I think people hear reverb and they automatically think chill-wave. Genres are silly, in my opinion. I just write music and that’s what comes out. It’s the mood of what I want to hear at the time. I’m a huge fan of synth-based music and love the 80s so I’m automatically drawn to those sounds.
Cultbreak : There were some great synth riffs in 80′s metal / poodle-haired rock!
TEEEL : Oh yeah man. Everyone knows the Oberheim OBX synth in Van Halen’s “Jump”. I loved the 80s hair band videos more than anything. Unplugged neon-colored instruments, woman with ridiculous Aquanet hairdos and dancing on car hoods. Doesn’t get much better than that.
Cultbreak : I’ve read some really interesting and very positive reviews of your music yet they always want to compare you with something else, namely from the 80′s. Do you find that to be a burden or just a great compliment? Can you be summarized to just a few comparisons? Can anyone?
TEEEL : I’ve gotten some great comparisons. I think it’s funny though. Most of the time I write a song, I’m not referencing those artists. I then go back and listen and I’m like “Ok, I get it. The guitar sounds a little like New Order” Honestly, I’m just amazed how much thought people put into my music.
They can describe it better than I can. It’s awesome.
Cultbreak : Moodgadget and Ghostly International have quickly become unavoidable labels for fans of electronic music. How did Moodgadget and your amazing collaborations with Ghostly come about?
TEEEL : The first track I released under TEEEL was Goodbye on the Dry Waves compilation from Moodgadget and ISO50.From there, we did Amulet on Moodgadget Records. Recently, we worked on another compilation called UNDER THE MOUNTAIN featuring my latest song MOOGWAI plus a handful of other amazing Moodgadget artists. The compilation featured everyone that played at the Moodgadget Showcase at the Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn. It was a truly amazing day and event. Everyone played a great set and it was nice to meet my fellow label mates.
Cultbreak : Vinyl is making a huge comeback. Will we soon find TEEEL printed in this oh so lovely and ever palpable format?
TEEEL : I’m really trying to. I want to do it right. I might actually fund the whole thing. If anything, I’m going to do a limited run of CDs that will have bonus songs. I also plan on designing a few prints and other fun stuff in the near future.
Cultbreak: Tell me about the other names you performed with or under; Would you re-invent yourself yet again?
TEEEL : I’ve played in bands since high school. My first band was hardcore/metal band called”Transgression” I got into DJing and electronic music in the mid 90s. That lead to the desire to produce my own music while continuing to DJ parties and jam with different people. In college, I was in a band McFly (Not the crappy boy band group from Europe) I played guitar on some songs and sang on others. I started writing dark drum and bass under my DJ name Agent Smith and then later Incision. I was still learning about production and got frustrated making such technical music. I decided to just love drum and bass and instead, write a bunch of melodic electronica. I used the name Mimeo for a while and even made hip hop beats under Dead Ringa and minimal electro tunes under Hoverboard. I also started a project with a co-worker called Silver Sea which is a hybrid of his guitars and my production. I feel each style I write needs it’s own identity and brand and concept. I don’t think I can just write one style all day and not try to explore something else. I’m investing all of my time into Teeel and I’m doing it on my own. I make sure to write back to every fan, every supporter, keep my websites updated, and most importantly, write music as much as I can.
Cultbreak : I don’t know of any active music makers that are not active music listeners. What have you been listening to lately?
TEEEL : Right now, my car’s 6-disc changer has the latest albums from Cut Copy, Calvin Harris, Grum and Washed Out. I also have a 311 Mix, and a MP3 burned disc of my upcoming song ideas.
Cultbreak: When will the new TEEEL Album be out on Moodgadget?
TEEEL : I don’t have anything on the books yet. Once I complete the album I have to work with the label to schedule the release and fit it appropriately into their catalog. For now, I’ll be continuing to push out new tunes, remixes and much more.
Cultbreak : Thank you so much for talking to us!
TEEEL : Thanks again for this interview. It’s been fun! Shout out to my friends family and fans. I love you all.
TEEEL’s debut album, AMULET is published by Moodgadget and has received immensely deserved praise.
To close here is Marx on my heart by TEEEL
Inter // States is a Tokyo time-lapse piece by photographer Samuel Cockedey. The soundtrack is “Paradigm Flux (Tokyo Cut)” by Woob, from the “Paradigm Flux” EP (listen) and is available here.
I have seldom seen a better combination of music and time lapse photography.
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Cultbreak is a website based in Lisbon, Portugal dedicated to bringing you the latest music and artistic short-films around. Browse our selection and enjoy the blog.
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