DJ

Pink Noises: Women on Electronic Music and Sound

admin — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:01:00 +0000

I was about fifteen years old when PinkNoises.com started up. I was very involved in riot grrrl music, so perhaps it's no surprise that I liked a website specifically dedicated to women in electronic music. The writer of this content—as well as the rest of the Pink Noises website—was Tara Rodgers. After years of performing and researching, she came out with a book by the same name.

Much like her website, Pink Noises encourages the creativity and capabilities of women in electronic music. Tara interviewed twenty-four different female artists; a diverse collection of electronic musicians, sound artists, composers, DJs, remixers, and performance artists. The end result is a book heavily, wonderfully saturated with facts, ideas, and experiences.

The DIY section was my particular favorite because it was the first time I had seen a music tutorial specifically written for amateur female artists. This section was full of information and resources, while being simple and direct. Creativity and experimentation were emphasized. Not only was I capable of creating my own music, but was also encouraged to.

On the flip side, I wish this book came with a CD featuring one song from each artist interviewed. However, there are lists of female artists and websites at the end of the book. Also, I felt my eyes glazing over some of the interviews. Though I admired women who were rich with technical knowledge and musical theory, I need to revisit their ideas when I have more musical experience. There is a helpful glossary of terms in the back of the book for those of us still learning.

Other interviews struck chords in me that had never been validated before. For instance, noticing that I shared a similar, basic upbringing of music as they did; we loved music growing up, took a few years of an instrument in school, joined a band, quit the band. Many of these women experienced sexism and unreliability of other performers while in rock bands. I kept seeing interviewees mention that electronic music is a great way to be creative without having to suffer misogyny or flakiness of others.

Creativity without bad attitudes? Sounds like a dream come true! Well, it is for the most part. Unfortunately, we still have the sexism of the electronic music industry to deal with. For example, most people probably envision a man wearing headphones and a hooded sweatshirt when they hear the phrase "electronic musician." This is a shame; Pink Noises clearly demonstrates women of all stripes as electronic musicians, many of whom have been creating for decades.

While some of the interviewed musicians reported positive community and good resources, others felt the blow of not having their work taken seriously or being excluded from electronic music magazines, events, and other outlets. It's no wonder that many female electronic musicians take up androgynous names or wear masks while performing. Both of these factors help demonstrate the artist's personal identity to their audience. However, I feel as though some female artists may also be conjuring Joan of Arc in order to be taken seriously.

In the book's introduction, Rodgers touches base on the history of electronic music. She notes that electronic music's beginnings stem from war. She writes that "amplification and recording technologies emerged directly from wartime expenditures or were funded for their potential military applications." The earliest electronic music piece, "The Art of Noises" (1913), is a "bold celebration" of "machines, modern industry, and war." Even the terminology of electronic music refers to war; "executes" a programming "command," DJs "battle," computer "crash."

Considering an industry with early war associations and plagued with sexism today, it's no wonder that there are so few women involved. Pink Noises succeeds in immortalizing a talented, diverse collection of female artists, as well as encouraging women to get involved in creating for themselves.

Written by: Jacquie Piasta, June 7th 2010

By the Throat

admin — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:42:00 +0000

By Eyedea and Abilities

Rhymesayers Entertainment

I have a difficult time choosing music. On the one hand, I have respect for those who are masters of their craft. On the other hand, I identify with heartfelt lyrics and an impassioned performance. Finding musicians who are both masterful and vulnerable is like finding a unicorn. These rare individuals are listened to for decades and deemed timeless.

Within seconds of listening, it is easy to determine that Eyedea is a highly-skilled DJ. He blends hip hop and rock in a way that is both seamless and surprisingly unique. For this alone, I give him a gold star. Don't be alarmed by the genre I've described; this is not your typical frat boy "rock rap" by any means. For example, his song "Spin Cycle" has some very Radiohead-esque moments.

Vocally, he's on fire. He can spit words easily and with an even flow. There's a vulnerability in his voice, though many of the lyrics on this album seem amorphous. All of these songs will make your head nod, but "Burn Fetish" stands out as the track that combines the best of Eyedea's abilities and the most honest of sentiment. "Love is just a chemical by any other name" and "You're so much like me, I feel sorry for you" are just a few of the countless choice lines in this song.

My favorite track is "Smile" because it is mellow, melodic, and hopeful. I selfishly wish he would make a whole separate album that sounds more like this track. I also wish he would do more musical interludes sans the vocals. No offense to his lyrical storytelling by any means; I just enjoy the sound he drums up in-between the words.

By the Throat would be a great soundtrack for driving, sleepless nights, or getting through a difficult burden that you're obligated to work out.

Written by: Jacquie Piasta, December 1st 2009

Beatdown

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:47:00 +0000

By Scratch Perverts

Fabric Records

In my mind, you either love drum and bass or you hate it—or you have no idea what it is. Pretty much indistinguishable from other Fabric mix albums and the Fabriclive series releases, this is the second d&b-heavy Scratch Perverts addition to the Fabric Records discography. Scratch Perverts were last heard on Fabric mixing for Fabriclive.22 in 2005, though they’re also resident DJs at the Fabric club in LDN.

If I’m to review turntable/DJ/club music from a feminist perspective, I’d have to say that the name Scratch Perverts rubs me the wrong way. It’s bad enough to be a pervert, but one whose name could also mean to itch? STDs are no joke, kids.

Beatdown is an album I’d send to my queer best pal, who currently lives in Minneapolis and never quite shook off our youthful nights spent at raves in Midwestern abandoned strip malls. My boi Daniel lives for good sushi and drum and bass. On the latter and pacifiers as drug accessories, we have never agreed. Grown up and a continent apart, I think of him as I sample this album.

While Scratch Perverts mix tracks from folks like Diplo, AC Slater, and M.I.A. can be heard under the din of the others, the mix left me a little flat on a Friday night. Maybe it was the end-of-week fatigue of the working class. Maybe my recent penchant for jazz has dulled my clubbing sensibilities. I have another birthday on the horizon, and I always feel older than I am. Whatever the case, I didn’t feel much like heading out for a night on the town when listening to Scratch Perverts. I felt like crawling into bed. Just when I thought the mix would pick up tempo, it stayed the same.

Then again, maybe my friend and I are stagnant in certain ways. Who isn’t? Don’t they say “some people never change?” But if this album isn’t for me, it’s certainly for my friend. It doesn’t really matter if we’ve changed or not; however it went down, we stuck together.

Written by: Brittany Shoot, October 29th 2009

Fabriclive.47

admin — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 08:29:00 +0000

By Toddla T

Fabric Records

From what I hear, Sheffield England is not a bumping metropolis. From listening to Toddla T, though, you’d gain a quite different impression.

Toddla T, the boy wonder known off-stage as Tom Bell, has been DJing since his mid-teens, is a resident DJ at Fabric, and makes frequent appearances on the BBC radio show “In New DJs We Trust.” His debut album, Skanky Skanky, was released earlier this year, and he produces fellow young British DJs and remixes the likes of Hot Chip.

On Fabriclive.47, Toddla T serves up many of his own tracks and remixes. Compared to the numerous other Fabric albums I’ve sampled over time, this came as a surprise—though a happy one. More accustomed to hearing almost-recognizable samples under old funk tracks and ‘90s R&B jams, TT’s blend of electro, house, drum and bass, and dancehall was a welcome change.

Of particular note are the small things: a random hymn sample that brought back days growing up in an evangelical church, singing “amen” in five part cycles, the women’s voices who fill in where beats just wouldn’t be enough.

It would be easy to mistake skinny white boy Toddla T for a large man of color based on his samples and influences alone. But who says race and ethnicity—or even gender—is directly linked to musical style, aptitude, or production? From the voices that boom from the tracks, it’s tricky to tell much about the young man behind the music. Maybe that subterfuge is all part of the plan.

Written by: Brittany Shoot, October 18th 2009

Detroit /Fabric 45 and Fabric 46

admin — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:41:00 +0000

By Omar S and Claude Von Stroke

Fabric Records

These two albums are the products of London’s Fabric nightclub’s monthly CD series. Fabric’s musical offerings span the electronic dance spectrum, and while they are super club with three distinct dance spaces, the sounds of Omar S on Detroit/Fabric 45 are refreshingly minimal. Referencing the famed early 1980s Detroit House scene, the album’s beats are loaded with reverb and recall the work of groups from the 1980s such as Liquid Liquid and ESG. It’s hard to imagine the tracks of this record reverberating on a huge dance floor, as the beats are accented with melodic electronic bleeps that sound like they could have been produced by a Nintendo Gameboy circa 1990.

In contrast to Omar S’ minimalism, Claude Von Stroke takes a more upbeat approach with his remixes, combining vocals and a variety of instrument and percussion samples which he layers over simple, danceable house beats. The album’s tracks flow together seamlessly, and each carries Claude Von Stroke’s distinctive techno touch. The disc could be a club-worthy dance party in itself if one wanted to recreate the Fabric experience at home. While neither album appears especially innovative, they are solid samplings of what is happening in contemporary, electronic dance music. As part of Fabric’s CD series and its FabricFirst program, where members get the monthly CD’s weeks before they arrive in stores, as well as discounts on club entry and a chance to skip the queue, club–bound Londoners should take note.

Written by: Eleanor Whitney, June 17th 2009

Fabriclive.40

admin — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:27:00 +0000

By Noisia

Fabric Records

Sound aficionados who venture forth on the Fabric path will discover music that is progressive, exciting, and out of this world. If you’re not a fan of drum n bass, break beats, and electronic music, you have to make the commitment to listen, but if you love sound and the evolution of human creative expression, that commitment is not hard to make.

Noisia is the Dutch trio of Nik Roos, Martijn Van Sonderen, and Thijs de Vlieger. They have been involved in the drum n bass music scene since 1998, and own two record labels: Vision and Division. They have performed across the world, working with major artists like Robbie Williams and Moby.

Fabriclive.40 is a mixed CD, which includes many of Noisia’s own tracks. As long as you enjoy robotic beings from the twenty-fifth century's outer space blasting back to our timeframe to teach us new and different things, Fabriclive.40 is incredible!

The first song sets the listener up for the experience. It is the only song with words, and those words are: “Ladies and Gentleman, can I please have your attention. I’ve just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story. I mean all of you stop what you’re doing and listen.” How can you not pay attention after that?

The music, at times, is harsh, disjointed, and dark. The drumbeat is relentless. Fabriclive.40 is shadowy future trek where you have to leave your mind at home to listen.

Some folks might think this music is just noise. However, if you make that commitment to listen, you’ll discover the melodies in this album that are like having veins of solid gold.

Written by: Patricia Ethelwyn Lang, August 1st 2008

Feed the Animals

admin — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:56:00 +0000

By Girl Talk

Illegal Art

When I heard the first Girl Talk album a few years back, I was pretty excited. It isn’t like remixing is innovative, nor is Gregg Gillis fashioning a new art form (even if he has made it more fashionable again). Sound collage has been around since Frank Zappa and Negativland made waves in decades past (and current), and DJs had been making beautiful mash-ups in clubs long before professors and college kids alike decided The Grey Album was a novel concept. But I liked hearing almost-recognizable '80s tracks under the latest dance craze, so I stuck with the unlikely DJ. Upon the arrival of the newest effort from the Pittsburgh-based laptop fiend, who more than a few of us grew up alongside, I remained optimistic while knowing I could be in for far too much of the same. Eight years is a long time to remix pop samples, even if you’re good at it.

And yet, Feed the Animals is fun, if excessively hip-hop heavy, at times, and a welcome change from older tracks that have since become far too repetitive in my iTunes. Once you get past the first two tracks, the album - which felt sort of a pair of shoes too bulky, heels too high to properly walk - becomes suddenly comfortable. Suddenly you’re ready to dance down the block and catch yourself wondering if that’s a Mya track from 1998 next to 2008 Britney Spears. Who knew Hot Chip mixed so well with Big Country? It all sounds so suddenly similar, or at the very least, complimentary.

Perhaps this is how sampling is supposed to evolve: new music, available for free via download, every so often. Otherwise, will we get bored? Did we already? The difference now is that what once felt like intangible club remixes now come out of your computer speakers. And maybe that magic was supposed to be left behind at the end of the night out, but I’m pretty into bringing it home.

Written by: Brittany Shoot, July 27th 2008

Fabric 39

admin — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:47:00 +0000

By Robert Hood

Fabric Records

Robert “Noise” Hood is one of the original members of the Detroit collective Underground Resistance (UR) and a solo DJ with an incredible discography. His work is informed by militant politics of music as a tool for social chance, and coming out of Reagan-era inner city Detroit, his radical views are personally informed. Solo after leaving UR in 1992, Hood still focuses on minimalist techno and has since also started his own label, M-Print, on which he continues to release collaborations with other UR artists.

On Fabric 39, we find Hood remixing disco samples and focusing on heavy repetition. In terms of this record as part of the ongoing Fabric and FabricLive series, I think it’s safe to say this album falls outside what some have come to expect from the collection. But this departure is in no way a negative thing. It should, instead, push people’s expectations about what a techno or dance album has been and will be in the future.

Hood doesn’t use mainstream samples in heavy rotation, and his music can seem a bit obscure in that sense. You don’t catch a ten second beat you know from your childhood and jump up to dance, but the album grows on you, and its fast repetitive beats, which are not immediately catchy, become mesmerizing the longer you listen. It also reminds me of the DJs on my more youthful days in the Midwestern rave scene, so despite the album’s lack of initial appeal, it holds a soft spot in my former ravergrrrl heart.

Written by: Brittany Shoot, June 12th 2008

Fabriclive 34

admin — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 01:20:00 +0000

By Krafty Kuts

Fabric

I am of the opinion that party music is best heard live while at the party. Loaded with funky break beats, old school rhythms, hip hop, MC style and unique mash-ups, suffice it to say that popping in [Fabriclive 3(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000N6TYSU?ie=UTF8&tag=feminrevie-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000N6TYSU) on my home stereo while trying to keep it down (paper thin apartment walls) didn’t do this mix appropriate justice.

Brought to us by the internationally known and hyped DJ mix series from the London-based nightclub, Fabric, breakbeat DJ Krafty Kuts joins the lineup up of notables like Grooverider, Diplo and Death in Vegas, to put together his album, which is the 34th in the Fabric Live mix series. The more I listened to this mix, the more I enjoyed it. Translation: Initially, I wasn’t blown away, but there were pockets of excitement that kept me going that I could appreciate the more I let the music take me over. Of course, break beats aren’t for everyone — this isn’t your regular dance stuff that gets played over the speakers at Abercrombie.

While “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash is easily one of the most overused tracks of all time, the high-speed spacey remix actually reinvigorates a track that would otherwise be trite. I thought tracks like “The Weekend Breaks” were not quite as strong because they tended to sound more typical, but these don’t dominate the album. The mixes tend to get funkier and groovier on the second half, such as the second to last track featuring Dynamite MC and the aptly titled final track "Funky Jam (Primal Scream)." Having a special place in my heart for funkier sounds, these later tracks got me up out of my office chair and snapping my fingers! If I heard these in the club, you know I would be jamming.

Both astute and new listeners will be impressed by the range of genres cohabitating on this album, from the tried and true of Grandmaster to the salsa rhythms on Ralph Robles’ “Takin’ Over” (which became a quick favorite). Though some of the faster and harder sounds on the opening tracks might not appeal to everyone, if you didn’t give it a chance you would definitely be missing out on some solid grooves.

Written by: Lillian B., August 30th 2007