I’ve always liked the name “Wagon Christ” though it sounds more like an industrial/ebm name than this mellow, sample-based groovy stuff here. But, that doesn’t mean that this video and track aren’t sweet, just that I think of buzzsaws and four on the floor beats and distorted vocals when I hear the words “Wagon” and “Christ” put together. Maybe I’m just mixing it all up with Velvet Acid Christ? That’s probably it. And maybe “wagon” is associated with Wumpscut???? Because that’s what I expect Wagon Christ to sound like, but he does not. Not even close.
I mean, has Luke Vibert ever put out a hard edged electronic music record? I have no idea. Probably not. It’s just that the name Wagon Christ is so evocative. Someone get this guy on Metropolis Records already. Christ.
This is a pretty nice little video for “Calculate” from this year’s ISAM. Though it seems simple, it’s definitely not. Imagining the number of keyframes in this thing’s timeline makes me tired. And uncomfortable.
Here’s what I’ve learned from this video: Norwegians have complicated relationships with stuffed animals. Luckily, this document of their troubles with the cotton-filled kind is backed by a dreamy synthpop track which I think is great.
Here’s another break-up song, but more triumphant than the last one. I honestly know nothing at all about these guys and I am way too lazy to google them so you’ll have to deal with having zero description. You know what? Let’s make up a story.
Thomaz Klinglebaum, originally a member of Lithuanian EBM group Deine Ende, found himself DJing regularly in Berlin after the dissolution of his EBM group. One night after a long set of minimal tech house and gabber (strange mix, right?) he met with Anders Lutz, another DJ on the German house scene. Over a few litres of prime German beer and a pack of Nat Shermans, they discovered they both had an affinity for positive dreamy dance beats that they felt were lacking from the dour, sparse musical palate of tech house. They got together and produced the first Reptar record, releasing only a few 12″ singles of their now infamous underground sleeper hit, “A Blister’s Name.”
After their successful world tour opening for Daft Punk, Klinglebaum and Lutz went back to the studio to write their second record. When they had trouble making it come together in a fashion they were pleased with, they recruited indie rock icon Simon Spinwell, formerly of the now-defunct Possible Target, to provide soulful vocals and a little bit of flare to their recipe for musical greatness. “Blastoff” is the first single from that second record, and was inspired by Spinwell’s break up with pop starlet Angie Murch, or as people know her, Ms. Future.
See? That wasn’t so hard, was it? I bet their real story is more interesting than mine, but that would require some measure of research on my part and we all know that The Black Laser does not research. Are you still reading this?
This is a lovely piece of French house music and the dancing feet are quite fine. The Revenge of the Nerds sweaters at the end are an extra sweet touch.
Can you read the name “Modeselektor” without yelling “SELECTAH!!” in your brain? I really can’t. Maybe I spent too many of my teenage years listening to Meat Beat Manifesto’s Subliminal Sandwich (specifically, the second track from the album “Nuclear Bomb”), but I always yell SELECTAH!!! in my head. Every single time.
So, when I saw this video posted earlier today, I was all ah, modeSELECTAH!!! and Thom Yorke, that’s pretty neat. I like Modeselektor (Modeskeletor???). The track is a nice piece of minor key tech house with Thom Yorke’s unmistakable vocals singing words that could easily be mistaken for other words. Ironic. But it’s nice and the bass is thick and a smidge wobbly, suggesting dubstep without any of the genre’s trappings. I quite like it.
The video, violent and dark yet muted, matches the song perfectly. The story of a little boy collecting batteries in some sort of post-zombie-apocalypse England may not have anything to do with what Thom Yorke is singing about (not that I can decipher what he’s singing about), but the tonality is a perfect fit. It’s interesting to see the classic zombie tropes presented more artfully, more abstractly, against a soundtrack that you would never associate with a horror film. It’s like a short, dreamy, slow-motion, art zombie film. It’s great.
Do you all remember last summer when Lele’s Flage was on heavy rotation and “Breakfast” was the hottest house jam of the fucking season? Yeah, I do too. That was awesome. Well, The 2 Bears are 2011’s Lele and this track, “Bear Hug,” is the new “Breakfast”. Bitch, get yo Bear Hug on and watch this video. It is awesome.
You’ll remember Duck Sauce from last year’s ridiculously huge hit “Barbara Streisand”. Well, the American/Canadian DJ duo of Armand Van Helden and A-Trak are back with this absurd NSFW video for their new track “Big Bad Wolf”. Is it as catchy as “Barbara Streisand”? I’m not sure. Do I like it? I do. It’s definitely a less funky track, more house, darker. I will have to listen on good speakers and not the shitty headphones I have on right now.
