Emerging Fervour

It’s the time of the year, where apparently nothing has changed in music for the last 50 years. No matter where you go or what you do these few weeks, you’re being persecuted by ‘Silent Night’, ‘Winter Wonderland’ or ‘The Little Drummer Boy’. Only the interpreters slightly vary here and there. Finally most of the people have come to terms with the fact that there is no other sound between mid-november and the end of december. So you might enjoy these three christmassy sound alternatives. Merry Christmas!

“That Fuzzy Feeling” and is a compilation made by LOaF Recordings and the Arctic Circle. 15 tracks from artists like Isan, Peter Broderick, Hauschka, Rothko and the Sleeping Years or the North Sea Radio Orchestra look into this particular mood, and this certain melancholy that’s wafting all around this time of the year. All tracks tend towards electronic music or/and contemporary classic, but without avoiding typical christmas sounds. And all the songs on the album prove, that you don’t have to reinterpret the same old classics again and again. There is a fair amount of space in this musical universe to add some new christmas sounds.

He is an artist, he is tough-minded, he’s ridiculously passionate. Whether it’s classical instrumental music like on “Solo Piano” oder pop and disco influenced music like on “Soft Power”, he’s always devoted to what he’s creating. So I guess it’s no coincidence, that Jason Charles Beck aka Chilly Gonzales entitled his new album “Ivory Tower”. This time he travels old trails anew, which means: Euro-Pop pulls into the station again, please mind the gap. Beats and loops shake hands whilst he’s putting it bluntly: “They say revenge is just like sashimi, best served cold, so shiver when you see me.” Apart from that, “Ivory Tower” is also the soundtrack to the correspondent film. Lo and behold, Gonzales plays “Hershell”, a nomadic chess player who dreams of a chess play without winners or losers, a chess play that is just about the perfect moves. He describes his debut as “an existential sports comedy” and from the end of september on you could go to a cinema and figure out what that means.

So this landed in my inbox from my good friend and I thought it’s so hilarious, I just have to share it. Not only is it funny, it’s a refreshing view at what is happening in London and trying to keep up with life and trends, although I do think the label dickhead might be a bit strong. But come on, admit it, we all think there is a bit of truth in there (“,)

Being a Dickhead’s Cool

Carl Burgess is a filmmaker whose work is full of surrealism and absurdism. His piece for music video for Ratatat’s single “Drugs” caught my attention, and I just had to share with you. Check out part of Carl’s interview with the Creators Project and the video.

Ratatat – Drugs from Blink on Vimeo.

Your latest piece, a frightening yet compelling music video for electronic music duo Ratatat’s single “Drugs” (above), is made using stock footage from Getty Images. It could be seen as a companion piece to Three People Trapped in Infinite Politeness. What is it that appeals to you about stock images being manipulated?

I had the idea to make a video from stock footage long before Evan [bass player and producer] got in touch about making a video for Ratatat. Getty Images is something I’ve worked with in the past, and I knew it had legs to become something more. In a similar way to Pictures From The Daily Mail I’d been scouring Getty for a long time — saving up a library of these clips. I was captivated by how surreal they were, the long stares into the camera, the fake smiles and the bad acting. I’d think “Who the hell buys these clips”? A good example of this is the woman at the end of the Ratatat video who’s stroking the dog, that one is so weird, I’d love to know what purpose they had in mind for that one.

Living in the UK or any other English speaking country, you might forget that there is music produced in other languages than English. As I’ve now just moved back to Switzerland, the one thing I am really enjoying is hearing music in other languages and yes some might be classified as ‘euro-trash’ (and rightly so) but hearing French and Spanish hip-hop is not only giving me flash backs to when I was a teenager, it’s making me excited again about different types of music which I forgotten, I loved so much.

So this weekend was a feast for me, as the ‘Züri Faescht‘ was showcasing various bands from all over Europe and the one that everyone kept telling me is the big thing in Switzerland is ‘Big Siz‘ which of course I had to go and check out. Big Zis has already released three albums and is known in the country for her Elektro-Pop-Alternative-Punk-Rap style. As I was watching the crowd going wild over her, it was easy to see why. A bundle of energy, having so much fun on stage, singing & rapping to dancy tunes, no one can stand still. But judge for yourselves:

I came across Tanya Traboulsi when interviewing musician, Zeid Hamdan (check out the interview here). An amazing photographer, Tanya captures the atmosphere of all her subjects and I just couldn’t resist asking her some big questions…

Tanya, we saw your work when we interviewed Zeid Hamdan and fell in love with it, please tell us a little about you?

I grew up in Beirut and at some point moved to Austria, then came back to Lebanon. Photography was always part of my life, even as a child. I didn’t study it though, I studied fashion design and then later on started working in photography.

Your images really capture atmosphere’s and emotions, what’s your secret?

I think that the most important thing in life is to have a passion for something. Anything you do that you truly love, will succeed. And this passion and love will show in your work, whatever work it is. Also, I think that it’s really important to know (or at least try to know) what you want in / from life, and more importantly what you don’t want. Once you have figured that out, things become much easier.

What was your favourite shoot?

I can’t really think of only one favourite shoot… When I shoot concerts and musicians, I feel really inspired and at ease, because I love and have always loved music, and the musicians that I photograph are wonderful artists that truly inspire me.

Carte Blanche to The Ex ∨

Haussmann Tree ∨

Ben Frost ∨

A-Trio ∨

Charbel Haber | Tony Elieh | Tarek Atoui ∨

All my series are quite personal and have a special meaning to me, like for example my latest series that I shot in Beirut, called “Collection 1983″.

∧ “Collection 1983 was shot in an abandoned wood factory during the Lebanese civil war that was later occupied by militias. The raw concrete walls became a canvas for their hopes and dreams as fighting raged around. Locked away and neglected, these palimpsest images offer a snapshot into the minds of forgotten soldiers” ∨

If you could have chosen to photograph any event of the past 100 years, what event would that be?

So we introduced you to Axel a little while ago and now to show you him in action

So Axel turns up at my house.. gosh is he ready to experience my really bad wardrobe!! First he asks me what I like… hmm to which he gets my random brain dump to get his head round.  Actually I don’t think I have ever thought about it properly. So into the wardrobe we go.. firstly the wardrobe is not very organised so hard for Axel to know where to start…

So he asks me what I like, what do I think, what could you put that with it… arr all back to me, I thought Axel was supposed to be the stylist!  However I eventually understand what he was trying to do.. empower me to make decisions. So we spent a couple of hours looking at what could go with what.. things I had never thought about.. suddenly my wardrobe didn’t seem so dull after all, but yes it still needs work. The session allowed Axel to get a real feel of what I had and the gaps.. as well as making me think for the first time.

A face full of peanut butter and several tongues to lick it off. No, this is no tag line for a porn, this is a video (and a real funny one by the way) from a band called Signals. It was made by “jack of all trades” Vice Cooler to promote the Signal’s first single” What Dreams”,  just released on moshi moshi. What Dreams is a piece of exhilarating chaotic pop music a bit like mashed potatoes. Looks as it has been eaten before when you have it on your plate, but it’s what you need from time to time. You can just swallow without chewing and you’re full and happy. Afterwards a little burp and the world is perfect again. I dare say they’re chance is not that bad to snaffle the title for the summer hit 2010 from The Drums through the back door. Jon Gray, Bill Gray and Jacob Cooper are not that glossy, they’re louder and a bit filthier, which I really like.

I met Samir playing in the ski resort of Chamonix.. and I have to say the music moved me so much I had to share this with everyone. Samir plays the piano and the accordeon mixing all types of styles.. the difference is that Samir really plays from the heart which makes the music so incredible. Rather than go on and on, just check out his website. You have to listen to my personal favourite.. go to www.samirhodzic.com… go into music, album, composed music and listen to Mont Blanc Serenity..

Happy listening.. xx

Following on from our Shankaboot post, I’m on a roll. I came across Soapkills a couple of years ago, a Lebanese underground group from Beirut. Soapkills was formed by Zeid Hamdan and Yasmine Hamdan back in 1998 and although they’re working on separate projects now, both Yasmine and Zeid are very much still in the music scene (more on them in later posts).

Soapkills draws inspiration from classical arabic songs…Yasmine’s soft, sensual voice, mixed with Zeid minimalist electro make this an explosive mixture of wow music. Soapkills has released several albums, and has performed in Europe, Middle East, Autralia, Canada.

Herzan from the album ‘Enta Fen’ is one of my favourite tracks from Soap Kills∨

Yasmine Hamdan

Born in Beirut. She spent her childhood abroad escaping the wars in the Middle-East. She returned back to Beirut at the end of Lebanese civil war. A psychology graduate, Yasmine took courses in Arabic classical singing and Oud lessons (Arabic guitar) at the Lebanese Conservatory. During her time there, she also learnt to play guitar, and Arabic dance.

Zeid Hamdan

Born in Beirut. He spent his adolescence in Paris. He began his artistic trip with acting in film and theater. After returning to Beirut, Zeid continued with his acting and at the same time he played guitar and founded several bands.