// nicole cifani
music, new media, technology, culture
New Music Preview No. 1
Jan 30th
Right now I’m listening to more music than ever.
Thought I’d share a few singles of what I’ve got in rotation this month.
What are you listening to? I’d love to know!
xx – nicole
Dan Black – “Yours ” (The Hours)
This is an artist I’m really excited for in 2010. The album UN is available digitally right now on the iTunes store, and the album is expected to have an official release next month. He’ll be performing live at Cinespace in Hollywood on 2/23 and Spaceland on 2/24.
http://www.myspace.com/danblacksound
Delphic – “Doubt” (R&S)
Delphic’s debut album Acolyte is out real soon, and it’s already built up a large amount of buzz – they’ve been cited in numerous ‘Ones To Watch in 2010′ lists and have been hyped up a bit on the blogs. The record is lush, modern, energetic electronic music, and if you’re a fan of bands like Hot Chip, Friendly Fires and Empire of the Sun you may dig these guys.
http://www.myspace.com/delphic
ChewLips – “Play Together” (Kitsune)
“Play Together” is a taken from their debut named Unicorn available February 9th on import. I suspect you can find a few singles floating around out there, including issues from some of the recent Kitsune label compilations. You can learn more about the london-based trio at -
http://www.myspace.com/chewlips
We Fell To Earth – “Deaf” (Ais)
A producer group comprised of the duo Wendy Rae Fowler alongside Richard File. Richard is best known for his work with James Lavelle as part of the group Unkle. The two met in fall of 2005 at Rancho de la Luna Studios near Joshua Tree here in So-Cal, where Richard was recording with Josh Hommie from Queens of the Stone Age. The two hit it off and began recording together, with their debut self-titled album released independently last August.
Pete Lawrie – “Black and Blue (Troublemaker remix)” (Field Records/Island)This muti-talented, multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter actually has roots as a hip-hop DJ and producer. If you head on over to his website there’s a free mixtape for download that pays homage to his roots. You can check out a few samples of his work prior to this years’ debut coming at us from Island Records.
TAPETHERADIO – “Stay Inside” (unsigned/indie)
The most recent signing to Rough Trade records, this is their second single and is quite appropriate for these wintery days. The song is aptly named “Stay Inside”…
http://www.myspace.com/tapetheradio
Mike Slott – “Gardening” (LuckyMe / All City)
He’s a producer who worked alongside Hudson Mohawke, Dabrye, and others…His first LP Lucky 9teen was released last month by LuckyMe recordings.
http://www.myspace.com/mikeslottbeats
The HotRats – “Big Sky” (Fat Possum)
England’s HotRats is actually the lead singer and drummer from Supergrass – Gaz Coombes and Danny Goffey – alongside rockstar producer Nigel Godrich who’s best known for his work with bands like Radiohead, Beck, and Air. They recently played a few packed shows in LA that included the full band members from both Radiohead and Spoon in attendance. I’m really digging this album. It’s named Turn Ons, and is collection of cover songs -reworkings of classics by the likes of the Doors, the Kinks, the Cure, Elvis Costello, Squeeze, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, the English Beat, and David Bowie. The album came out Monday.
The Webb Sisters – “Plastered Scene” (Mercury)
They’re sisters from Kent, UK born to a hairdresser father and a tennis coach mother. They signed to Mercury records and released their first LP in June 2006 named Daylight Crossing. They’ve recently collaborated with Angelo Petraglia from Kings of Leon, and were backup singers from Leonard Cohen’s tour in 2008, his first tour in 14 years. They recently played a few dates at the esteemed Hotel Cafe…
http://www.thewebbsisters.com/
Can’t say no to Bowie! Last week he released A Reality Tour Live 2 CD set – 33 songs recorded live from a Nov 2003 show in Dublin.
New Music: Lonelady
Jan 30th
Manchester-based Lonelady produces raw, snappy beats with sharp and shouty singing reminiscent of Beth Ditto of the Gossip, Chew Lips or DFA’s Pylon.
Recording in an old mill turned studio, Julie Campbell laid down tracks for her debut in a short 4 weeks – channeling wide-ranging influences from Prince, ESG, The Fall, REM, Joy Division, and Peaches.
Her sound incorporates a smart, party vibe that when cut to the bone remains quite arty and tasteful.
It’s a quality recording from Warp, the label with a reputation for nothing but quality releases.
From RCRDLBL:
“Stripping back the glossy veneer of glass and cheap tinfoil to uncover the brittle, workaday ordinariness of a Manchester that has been trampled, buried and renovated, she exposes the raw, ragged memories, ideals and nerves now wriggling, bare, vulnerable; the dove-grey patina of the old city that lurks beneath. Uncovering a Manchester we seldom choose to revisit with her harsh, uncompromising and discordant stance, a new kind of beauty is revealed, alive with the rich hues of slate and mauve we’ve been persuaded to outgrow and discouraged from appreciating.”
“Nerve Up” is out February 22nd on Warp. You can grab a free single over at RCRDLBL.
More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/jan/29/new-band-lonelady
http://warp.net/records/lonelady
Visiting Aria
Jan 18th
Over the weekend I made a trip to Las Vegas for my friend Katie’s 30th birthday celebration.
On Saturday we paid a visit to CityCenter, the newest development on the strip that includes 2 hotels, a condo structure, restaurants, shopping center and spas.
The development, officially opened in December, is completely LEED-certified making it the largest sustainably-designed architectural development in the world. Rockstar architects involved in the project include Helmut Jahn, Studio Daniel Libeskind, and Foster + Partners.
The modernist design is breathtaking with plenty of glass and steel, extraordinary lighting and surprising turns and angles at every step.
It’s a beautiful complex and well worth the visit. I had a great time visiting the Aria Casino where we caught a few football games, played some games of our own in the casino and nibbled at a totally delish patisserie. Check out some snaps below!
More:
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gensler-leads-design-of-citycenter-79314067.html
http://www.dwell.com/articles/citycenter-las-vegas.html
http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/01/07/is-it-green-citycenter/
Choice Albums of 2009
Dec 12th
There were many amazing releases this year from all genres, ranging from well known artists to the obscure.
Below are my top 10 pics for 2009 as well as a quite considerable list of notable runners-up!
Runners Up:
Doves “Kingdom of Rust”
Bodycode “Immune”
Silversun Pickups “Swoon”
Muse “The Resistance”
White Rabbits “It’s Frightening”
Nosaj Thing “Drift”
DJ Vadim “U Can’t Lurn Imaginashun”
One Eskimo “One Eskimo”
Ingrid Michaelson “Everybody”
The XX “xx”
Volcano Choir “Unmap”
The Antlers “Hospice”
Dead Weather “Horehound”
Neon Indian “Psychic Chasms”
Dead Man’s Bones “Dead Man’s Bones”
Califone “All my Friends are Funeral Singers”
Mayer Hawthorne “A Strange Arrangement”
Monsters of Folk “Monsters of Folk”
Phoenix “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix”
Click here for last year’s choice music podcasts of 2008.
New Music: She Is Danger
Nov 25th
For those of you who think dubstep is contrived strictly by the male gender, I’m not at all sad to inform you that you’re mistaken.
She Is Danger is Maya Jane Coles and Lena Cullen. The female duo from the UK write, produce, engineer and perform all of their own music and according to MySpace are likened to a “modern day Burial meets Portishead, with hints of Massive Attack and Kosheen.”
Nice.
A single is coming mid-December, with the full album in Spring 2010.
More:
http://www.myspace.com/sheisdangermusic
dj mixing: 20 years of Warp
Nov 22nd
This year, the seminal independent record label Warp Records celebrates 20 years of releasing cutting-edge electronic music.
In honor of their 20th anniversary I’ve put together a mix highlighting a few favorite tracks.
When creating a mixtape I usually start with a playlist of anywhere from 40-60 songs and shape it down from there. It ’s always painful to make these edits, but this time was particularly difficult because there are so many important songs that have been released over the years I’m sad to not include.
I wound up with a selection of singles I love – and have meant a lot to me over time – rather than a generalized “best of” list, which can tend to be so subjective.
If you’re also a fan of Warp, don’t forget include your favorites in the comments section!
Enjoy!
Musichifi dj mix #003 – a celebration of warp records by musichifi
//tracklist
Nightmares on Wax “Les Nuits”
Autechre “Nine”
Kenny Larkin “Tedra”
Squarepusher “My Red Hot Car”
Lfo “LFO (Leeds Warehouse mix)”
Aphex Twin “Windowlicker”
Flying Lotus feat. Andreya Triana “Tea Leaf Dancers”
Jamie Lidell – “Multiply”
!!! – “Must Be The Moon”
Grizzly Bear “Two Weeks”
For more:
Warp Records Essentials (eMusic)
Four Must-Have Favorites From Warp Records (Flavorwire)
Conversations in Public Part 4: We’re the Best of Friends
Nov 15th
A few weeks ago I had an interesting conversation amongst friends in the dark corner of a Chinatown Bar.
Of all things one could discuss on a Saturday night at 1a.m. we got to chatting about, well, chatting. Specifically, on voicemail, e-mail, IM, SMS, FB and Twitter.
Leave it to the nerds.
As biggest nerd ever, I thought more about this over the course of the next few days.
While the aforementioned mediums make it easier to communicate, while we participate we’re sacrificing the human experience and encouraging alienation from others.
My friends know that I generally dislike voicemail. It’s rare that I leave them and admittedly barely listen to them.
They’re like an awkwardly scripted one-way time capsule from the past. Why not leave the same message in real time – circa now?
In 1995 I signed up for my first email address. In the interest of self-disclosure for the sake of this story I (gulp) became semi-addicted to AOL chat rooms.
This was back in the day when we were all on dial-up – and paid for internet by the hour.
Like most people, I was beyond intrigued with the notion of chatting in real time with anyone from anywhere in the world. For a angst-ridden teenage girl growing up in the midwestern suburbs it was my portal.
Ironically enough, I quickly became friends with someone who happened to live nearby. We immediately bonded over our mutual obsession of music, media, the arts, and local underground parties (ok fine, “raves”).
There were no rules. We’d chat anytime of day or night when both of us happened to be online. There was no limit to the range of topics we’d discuss.
Over time, our lives became closer and he felt like a real friend.
One year we briefly met in person by total accident. We chatted for a few awkward moments until my friend pulled me away. “Who is that guy?” She asked.
She didn’t even have an e-mail address at that point so maybe she wouldn’t understand…or would she? I tried to explain.
“Ok, anyway…”, she replied. “Wanna get some frozen yogurt?”
When I moved away to college our friendship continued.
He’d give me feedback on various art projects and tips for acclimating to a newly vegan diet. I’d give him girl advice and let him know what I thought of his latest remix. We’d crack jokes, share URLs and pontificate the meaning of life years later as I procrastinated writing those 30 page papers in grad school.
He moved to Los Angeles, I moved to Boston.
We became friends on MySpace, then Friendster, then Facebook.
I moved to Los Angeles.
We slowly became friends In Real Life. Bonded by our mutual common interests, I’ve found myself on more than one occasion chatting with him poolside at the Roosevelt Hotel or under the skylights at LA hotspot Bardot.
My male companions give him the hairy eye wondering who the dude is I’m chatting conspiratorially alongside.
15 years later, we still communicate on IM. Now, we also communicate via SMS and e-mail too.
And sometimes, we’ll even drop the other a Voicemail.
Are our lives intertwined? Somewhat.
Will we ever connect on a deep and meaningful level? Probably not.
As part of different spheres, our interests overlap on a social level only.
Yet for someone I’ve hung out with for maybe an hour total in person, he probably knows more about me than anyone.
Communicating on IM can build a form of friendship. We’re missing the part that hanging in person brings – the adventures, atmosphere, lingering conversations, observations, body language. These things bring meaning to a surface-level friendship and make it come alive.
Can a real friendship be fostered online then, when all we have is type?
Leave your comments by clicking on “comments” at the top of this post.
Lady GaGa “Bad Romance”
Nov 13th
“Bad Romance” is Lady GaGa’s first single from The Fame Monster.
On collaborating with director Francis Lawrence on the music video, she explains to MTV that
“I could give him all my weirdest, most psychotic ideas, but it would come across to and be relevant to the public.”
Indeed.
The Cremaster 3 meets bats-in-the-belfry Russian vodka advert gives most “artsy” music videos as of late a run for their money.
I’ve been on the fence about Lady G as cultural device.
I used to believe that she was everything wrong with the music industry.
Now I’m finally starting to realize that the stranger she gets, oddly enough the more relevance she has – and the more I like her.
Perhaps devoid of serious musical talent with lyrics certainly distanced from being poetic, this is artistry folks – however served up.
What do you think? Leave your comments at the top.
dj mixing
Oct 27th
I’ve been a fan of electronic music as far back as I can remember. When I moved to Boston and especially LA, I started going to more shows and listening to all kinds of music. It really opened my mind to different styles and genres.
I had already been DJ’ing electronic music (mostly tech-house and electro) and began incorporating sounds from the rock, soul, funk, disco, hip-hop, and indie arenas into my sets.
Now that I program online radio stations, that knowledge has come in handy as I work on everything under the sun from country to folk to indie to Christian rock.
This set is back to the electronic scene. I’ve always loved this genre as I have a fondness for clean, minimal production aesthetics paired with uptempo and forward-thinking sounds.
I like this mix and find it a great one to listen to when going on a run or when you generally just like something upbeat to listen to.
It took me awhile to find my grounding after making the shift from vinyl to cd’s to mp3’s. Now I’m 100% digital and have found a good rhythm so to speak in which to create. So expect more mixes from me in the near future!
Check it, share it with your friends – lemmie know what you think!
// tracklisting
Mstrkrft “Heartbreaker”
Morgan Page “Fight for You”
Metric “Sick Muse (Adam Freeland Remix)”
Florence and the Machine “You’ve Got The Love (The xx Remix)”
Beni “Fringe Element”
Duck Sauce (A-Trak & Armand Van Helden) “Anyway”
Roxy Music “Angel Eyes (Serge Santiago Dub Remix)”
Lindstrøm and Christabelle “Baby Can’t Stop (Aeroplane Remix)”
Dan Black “U + Me”
The Gossip “Love Long Distance”
Disclaimer: As this was recorded live (aka on the fly) there were no edits or re-takes – so pls pardon any gaffes! 
Mining Moof
Oct 25th
Moof.com is one service of many that’s a step closer to granting us an all-access portal to our iTunes music collections from off-site.
A simple .xml export/import from iTunes allows Moof to quickly assess your library, referencing all tracks and playlists located there.
Moof currently pulls content from YouTube. Often, it pulls live versions of songs rather than the original, making it fun to watch video playback while adding a new dimension to the casual listening experience.
The site brings closer the idea of having access to our music collection anywhere, from any device of choice (almost – when am I gonna get access from my car stereo receiver, anyway?). A huge bonus is the ability to share songs and playlists with others.
Some sites like Drowned in Sound and We Are Hunted already do this on cloud-based music streaming service Spotify.
It will be interesting to see if Moof – or a related site – will eventually partner with content providers to enable full-on access to everything in my iTunes library whether it be live versions, remixes, rarities, or originals.
