The Mire

KoP doing GoS

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Walmsley) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:48:00 +0000

The best Michael Jackson clip you'll see over the coming weeks and month of media coverage.

Marshall Allen exclusive ticket offer

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:53:00 +0000

The legendary saxophonist and de facto leader of The Sun Ra Arkestra Marshall Allen plays a one-off UK show at London’s Café Oto on 6 July. Allen, who is touring Europe with the Arkestra during July, will be joined by the Arkestra’s piano player Farid Barron as well as some of London’s leading free music players for this exclusive and extremely rare event. Tickets cost £16 in advance, £18 on the door.

But in an exclusive offer, readers of The Wire can claim a special discount and get tickets for just £14.

To buy discounted tickets, click on either of the links below (NB Discounted tickets are limited and available on a first come first served basis): We Got Tickets or SU Tickets For more information on the event click here

Sonar 2009: Omar Souleyman

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Fresh from the successful Sublime Frequencies UK tour last May, Omar Souleyman continues on through Europe, kicking off his set at Sonar 2009, 19 June:

Sonar 2009: Konono N˚1

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:50:00 +0000

Another new vid: Congolese group Konono N˚1 were set to play at last year's Sonar festival but unfortunately had to cancel at the last minute due to visa problems... The video below is of their soundcheck about a half hour before their scheduled set on friday 18 June. Though the lighting is low it's definitely the clearest view I could get as once the hall filled out it was nearly impossible to stay still from everyone dancing!

Sonar 2009: The Wizard (aka Jeff Mills)

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:46:00 +0000

Check out an exclusive excerpt from Jeff Mills's DJ set as The Wizard at Sonar 2009, 18 June:

Sonar 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:29:00 +0000

If you're in Barcelona for Sonar today & this weekend, come by The Wire's stall in the editorial fair (it's in MACBA's main building) and say hi... We'll be around all today and tomorrow selling back issues + free CD w/each issue, T-shirts and earplugs (!) checking out the music and generally hanging out. Inspired by the artistic environment, we've constructed an interactive sculptural installation as an added attraction (see below)

Stay tuned... We've got some rough and ready video excerpts of Jeff Mills's DJ set as The Wizard, Luomo (Sasu Ripatti aka Vladislav Delay) and Konono Nº 1 live onstage to upload when we get a chance.

Rowe Words

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Walmsley) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:01:00 +0000

Interesting link forwarded to me recently of Keith Rowe describing in detail the thoughts and ideas behind his recent ErstWhile/ErstLive release. Some fascinating ideas here, but such is their conceptual density throughout each minute of the piece, you wonder how (or if) a listener is expected to gain access to this extraordinary inner world of ideas and schemes from the relatively austere music on the disc.

This rare glimpse into this artist's inner monologue is nothing like my experience of playing onstage, though. Most of my thought processes were along the lines of 'what shall I do for the next few minutes/where do I want to be in ten minutes'.

Fela, Voice Of America

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Walmsley) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:01:00 +0000

I'm probably the last person on the planet to discover these, but I only just ran across these recordings of Fela Kuti from Nigeria in 1965. Some of these early tracks have been released elsewhere, and often it's a little like hearing the early Wailers – the pieces just haven't fallen into place yet. However, these recordings, made for a show called Voice Of America, I understand, are surely must-listen material....

http://www.voanews.com/english/africa/blog/index.cfm?mode=entry&entry=8DC92121-9F33-ED7A-D547329B08561449

Listening To The Office To Make Music To Listen To In The Office

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Walmsley) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:01:00 +0000

You may have noticed the Real Office Ambience, field recordings of The Wire office recorded by Jez riley French, which you can download from our website.

Jez's contact mics seem to have disturbed some karmic balance at The Wire, because I've sensed several weird audio disturbance since he's been in. The noise-cancelling headphones that are an essential part of a Reviews Editor’s armoury have started feeding back strangely when the battery runs down, giving a wistful, medium pitched sinewave like a robotic sigh before they conk out; the portable CD player that I keep close at hand has started skipping on the first track, so that a Touchin' Bass compilation of electro began to sound like Errorsmith crossed with Oval; then the jack plug of my iPod started malfunctioning, and a Rinse FM download of a funky/house set began to sound like it had been run through a ring modulator, leaving a ghost of the music without any impact or warmth.

The office ambience may never be the same again; perhaps some sacred convent has been broken.

Comus and Ultra-red on Adventures In Modern Music

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:16:00 +0000

Adventures In Modern Music, 11 June with Rob Young: Comus are one of the great forgotten English progressive folk groups. Their 1971 album First Utterance was a blast of savage pagan energy directed against hippy complacency. Amazingly, the group have reformed and will play First Utterance in full at this week's Equinox Festival. Rob will be joined by the group's main singer and songwriter, Roger Wootton, to discuss Comus's history and influences, and play a selection of music by Comus and their contemporaries. Resonance 104.4 FM or online, 11 June, 9PM BST

On Saturday 13 June Anne Hilde Neset will be hosting a special extra edition of AIMM where she'll be joined by the international art/music collective Ultra-red (who currently have a show on at London's Raven Row Gallery) members Dont Rhine and Robert Sember to discuss their various projects. Resonance 104.4 FM or online, 13 June, 3:30PM BST

Varèse and the jazzmen

noreply@blogger.com (Tony Herrington) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:41:00 +0000

The WFMU blog has a number of MP3s that purport to be 1957 recordings of composer Edgard Varèse conducting a jazz workshop group that includes Charles Mingus, Teo Macero, Art Farmer and others. The music is very moody and abstract and well worth hearing. Claims that it somehow represents ground zero for free jazz should be taken with a major pinch of salt, however.

Adventures In Modern Music Thursday 4 June

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Walmsley) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:29:00 +0000

On Adventures In Modern Music this week, Derek Walmsley will be talking to Simon Reynell of the Another Timbre label and organiser of this month's Unnamed Music Festival in London and Leeds. We'll be talking about the state of improvisation today and Simon will be playing some choice selections of recent music. Listen live on 104.4FM or online at the Resonance FM website.

The show is available to download here

Only Built For Logan Mills

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Walmsley) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:54:00 +0000

Not sure who Logan Mills is, actually, but the illustrations he's done of Wu-Tang sleeves as Blue Note covers are absolutely fantastic (via ihatemusic)

Straight To Your Dome

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Walmsley) — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:43:00 +0000

... the Tuffnell Park Dome in North London, that is, straight from Syria. Friday was an amazing Sublime Frequencies show with Group Doueh and Omar Souleyman.

Footage of Omar Souleyman raving it up

Follow The Wire On Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan) — Wed, 27 May 2009 11:45:00 +0000

We've just set up a Facebook page, if you'd like to follow us there, click on: HERE
It's still a bit basic but we'll fill it out over the following weeks and then update it regularly with (mostly) relevant info about the magazine, our web exclusives, news and other tidbits...

Mixing It

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Walmsley) — Wed, 27 May 2009 09:11:00 +0000

Two amazing You Tube clips of beatmatching.

Delia Derbyshire on the ones and twos and threes reel-to-reels (via Gutterbreakz)

Greg Wilson, first DJ to beatmatch on UK TV on The Tube, despite being hassled by an irritating Jools Holland (via Dissensus)

Jackmaster mixes it up for The Wire

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Blanning) — Thu, 21 May 2009 17:04:00 +0000

An exclusive mix from Glasgow's Jackmaster which was originally broadcast on our Adventures In Modern Music programme on Resonance FM last week. Jackmaster is a resident at Numbers, works at Rubadub, and has his hands in a number of labels as well, including Dress 2 Sweat and Wireblock. Originally I asked him for half an hour, but he provided over an hour's worth of music and with so much unreleased material, I wasn't going to protest! Thanks, Jack!!
I'm not sure what it is about Glaswegian DJs (maybe one day I'll bore you all with my theories about places like Glasgow, San Francisco and Detroit), from Optimo to Kode9 to all of the Numbers crew, but they tend to mix it up a bit more and Jack's tracklist is no exception. A good mix all around which is especially interesting to reflect the changing face of UK dance music, but for my money the latter half really gets things bumping. Download it (128 kps, 71mb) by clicking here.

Tracklist:
1. Elecktroids - Future Intro
2. Lando Kal - Fuzzy Ankles (Wireblock)
3. Lunice - Wobble (Unreleased)
4. Guido - The Way You Make Me Feel (Punch Drunk)
5. Shabba Ranks - Mr Loverman D.M. Ragga Hop Remix (Epic)
6. Dials - Riggle Giddum (Unreleased)
7. Rustie - Ultraman Remix (Unreleased)
8. Debruit - Pouls (Musique Large)
9. Redinho - Mo Brap (Wireblock)
10. Ghosts On Tape - Equator Jam (Wireblock)
11. Peter Digital Orchestra aka Fulgeance - Red & White (Wireblock)
12. Apparat - Hold On Modeselektor Remix (Shitkatapult)
13. $tinkworx - Coelacanth (Strange Life)
14. Shadow Dancer - What Is Natural (Boys Noize)
15. L-Vis 1990 - United Groove (Mad Decent)
16. Apple - Chantes (Unreleased)
17. Lil Silva - Different (Unreleased)
18. Sticky - Juneirah Riddim (Ltd.)
19. Emvee - Nocturnal (Wireblock)
20. Secret Agent Gel Feat. Coppa Kid - Crew (Bok Bok Remix) (Unreleased)
21. Starkey - Knob Twiddler (Unreleased)
22. Dorian Concept - Trilingual Dance Sexperience (Unreleased)
23. 77Klash - Pressure (Unreleased)
24. Touchy Subject - Wicked Act (Wireblock)
25. Crime Mob - Knuck If You Buck (Accapella)
26. DJ Oddz - Strung Up VIP (Black Majik)
27. Mr. De' - Detroit Zoo (Electrofunk)
28. Joker - Purple City (Kapsize)
29. Low Deep - I Know (Colourfulstate)
30. Redinho Bare Blips (Wireblock)
31. Clarke - Dirty Pixie (Warp)
32. Ludacris - Pussy Poppin'
33. AFX - Analord 9 Edit (Rephlex)
34. Bonecrusher - Never Scared (So So Def)
35. Rustie - Jagz The Smack (Stuffrecords)

Continuous Flow

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Walmsley) — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:32:00 +0000

A search for Company Flow on Amazon yields the following book suggestion: Natural Laws Applied to Production: Show How Modern Industrial Organization is Based on the Principle of Continuous Flow. by Mathews Conveyer Company. Funnily enough, the title sounds rather like a Company Flow lyric.

You Tube linkage

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Walmsley) — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:05:00 +0000

Two highly recommended You Tube selections for you – on the Fact Magazine site Droid of the Woofah magazine and the Wearie website has selected 20 ridiculously good ragga tracks. I'm unacquainted with quite a lot of it, but there's several foundational beats here, including some of the rhythms that forged reggaeton. With artists with name such as Major Mackerel and Gregory Peck, you can't really go wrong.

If your appetite was whetted for Omar Souleyman by Clive Bell's piece in The Wire 304, check out this video. I can hardly imagine how good weddings in Syria must be.

Basic Replay

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Walmsley) — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:31:00 +0000

Honest Jon's night at Plastic People last night – Sleeparchive, DJ Pete/Substance and Mark Ernestus of Basic Channel, some of the best German electronic names essentially – had a strangely arse-about-face feel. Not that that's necessarily bad, far from it.

Around 11.45pm Sleeparchive was banging out Minimal Techno, the crowd fully locked-in, although this was unapologetically functional music. DJ Pete then played solely dubstep for an hour or so. For the crowd, which thinned out noticeably, it was odd for someone to come all that way just to lay down the same stuff we're used to hearing week in week out. It was almost like the early 90s, when rock 'n' roll's original Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis, stooped so low as to profess a love of this new MTV fad.

The set certainly 'worked' pretty well, with DJ Pete cranking the faders and EQs maniacally, gleefully unleashing fat basslines, locked in to the music. Strange, then, that the last set by Mark Ernestus, who looked almost unsure of what he was doing, was so much more interesting. Ernestus looked weirdly nervous, filing through his dancehall 7"s again and again, like a DJ wishing he'd bought more tunes. He played each of his dancehall instrumentals in full with a slightly awkward pause in between. It was as refreshing as a blast of cold water in the face, though, these immediate, synthetic recordings, with no sonic detailing or muso production depth, just sharp angles and edges.

It was the one set in the evening which didn't properly 'work', and yet because the building blocks were unfamiliar, it was easily the best of the night...

Alexis O'Hara mix tonight

noreply@blogger.com (Susanna Glaser) — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:17:00 +0000

Just a heads up that I'll be playing Alexis O'Hara's special guest mix tonight (Thursday 7 May, 21:00 BST) on the Adventures In Modern Music show on Resonance FM. She's currently in the middle of constructing her Squeeque: Speakerbox Igloo (yup, an igloo constructed from speakers) at Galerie Skol in Montreal. The exhibition is up for just 2 days. More info here

The tracklist for the mix includes, according to Alexis, "montreal musicians who are all my friends. it runs the gamut from bluegrass to electro to dance to experimental to noise to pop"...

ad-miring the 'nuum

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa Blanning) — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:14:00 +0000

Here's my slightly revised presentation from last week's Hardcore Continuum seminar (thanks to Steve and Jeremy for making it all happen). I was actually going to do more revision, but as K-Punk reminds me, one can endlessly revise and then it'll never get posted or published anywhere. Plus, perhaps it'd be disingenuous to present something here superior to or bearing little relation to what was actually presented there.
For anyone interested who couldn't make it, you can find Alex Williams's and Blackdown's pieces on their respective blogs already. As well, if you haven't seen it already, footage of Simon's talk on the 'nuum from earlier this year can be found from FACT Liverpool's site here. And of course, his original articles which outlined his ideas about this have been made available on our own website, (introduction to the online re-publishings here)

Redefining Hardcore
As an American living in London, I’ve got something of an outsider’s perspective to all of this. In fact, when I first heard the term "Hardcore Continuum" I didn’t know that the reason Simon Reynolds named it as such was in homage to the trend that kicked it off: Hardcore Rave. Yet the idea of a Hardcore Continuum made instant sense to me, without any need for explanation.
But with the knowledge that “Hardcore” refers to Hardcore Rave comes an image of the ‘nuum like a line (or lines) of dominoes, each microgenre along the way acting as a catalyst to a successor down the line, furthering the kinetic motion. Unfortunately, the linear quality of this may be exactly what prevents some from fully embracing what is otherwise an insightful example of pattern recognition.
For myself, I prefer to think of another definition of ‘hardcore’: something or somebody completely uncompromising in vision or commitment to an idea – in this case, the music. For me, the Hardcore Continuum is hardcore in this manner for two reasons. Firstly, the rigidity of the format: electronic beat-driven music originating in the UK, designed to make people dance. Secondly, more importantly, it’s the constant search for new ideas; an undertaking to innovate instead of resting on tried and tested formulas. When thought of in this way, ‘hardcore’ becomes defining ethos instead of ground zero for the phenomenon.
This hardcore drive in the UK producers whose work we’re talking about today may differ slightly from the more political rock and punk artists the term is more often associated with. While it’s probably safe to say that all of these key producers have strived to be a little different than their predecessors, it’s often the case that there may be additional underlying motivations. These can include relief from boredom, the hope to turn a quick buck or perhaps only the need to feed an audience that thrives on novelty. It’s not a question of “doing it for the right reasons, man”. Instead, the end product maintains strict standards of one-upmanship that hone an edge of competition and permutation. This ever-shifting landscape of club culture is both the cause and effect to the constantly evolving sounds until neither the audiences nor the artists will settle for less than the newest and the best. There’s no time for complacency when you’re hardcore.
When ‘Hardcore’ is redefined as above, it helps clean up the more contentious issues of Reynolds’s existing model. It’s easy to throw out the more arbitrary presuppositions – “ridiculous sublime” is one – and a seemingly necessarily causal relationship between the microgenres. It doesn’t matter that they come from each other (although a connection is certainly audible almost all of the time); more that they all come from the same place – Britain – and serve the same purpose – making people move, stepping it up beyond the previously established sounds, one mutated dance form at a time.
Once you give birth to something, it has its own life, it exists in its own right and belongs to the world. Reynolds knows this and has stated that he is happy for others to grapple with the notions that he has proposed and take up the development of his ideas. They are not so sacred that his framework cannot be adjusted. But the limitations are not within the concepts surrounding the Hardcore Continuum, but rather lie within the people who would deny the value of its ideas and refuse to take it upon themselves to improve upon them.

David Stubbs on The Today Programme

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Walmsley) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:53:00 +0000

A (very) late notice to say that The Wire's David Stubbs will be appearing on BBC Radio 4's Today programme tomorrow morning to discuss his new book, Fear Of Music: Why People Get Rothko But Don't Get Stockhausen. He'll be on at 8:20, I understand.

TG Vids (and others...)

noreply@blogger.com (Nathan) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:51:00 +0000

Check out some recent footage shot by Chris Carter of a jam during Throbbing Gristle's soundcheck in LA as part of their US tour which ends tonight in NYC with a sold out show... Next up is June 19th show in Copenhagen followed by two appearances on the 21st (the earlier show is already sold out) in London [check out their site for more info]

LA Soundcheck Jam from Chris Carter on Vimeo.

Also out there in the eVideosphere UbuWeb continue their expansion with a few interesting vids:
Craig Baldwin's 1995 film Sonic Outlaws which looks at copyright infringement, music and art including Negativland (and their run in with U2 and Island Records)

And on the TG theme, UbuWeb's also posted Tony Oursler's Synesthesia interview with Genesis P-Orridge (part of a series of interviews with Downtown NYC artists including John Cale, Thurston Moore, Dan Graham, Genesis P-Orridge, Kim Gordon, Glenn Branca, Laurie Anderson, Tony Conrad, David Byrne, Lydia Lunch, Alan Vega, and Arto Lindsay)

All of this along with some work by the digital artist Cory Arcangel (Wire #290) and Derek Jarman's 1993 film Wittgentstein

Wrinkles In Time

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Walmsley) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:25:00 +0000

While I won't claim that early 90s junglists Tek9 aka 4Hero had the power to warp the spacetime continuum, "Del Die Gogo" from their recently reissued early Reinforced material certainly had me checking my iPod and counting out the beats to check it wasn't skipping. I think they've sampled the synth riff of Human Resource's "Dominator", but screwed up into micro black hole.