Floatinghead's ramblings about music and music-related themes interspersed with various interludes and home of Cabeza de Vaca radio show on Scanner FM, Barcelona.
Already up on Cabeza de Vaca and Scanner FMis the third and final
installment (for now) of our series on Spanish electronica. This week we turn
our attention to the seminal Semantica label run by Svreca aka Enrique Mena.
Easily one of the best labels in the world as well as Spain, with its
exceptional design and its advanced sound, always predictive and ahead of the
pack.
There is also room for two tracks by Juan Rico
aka Reeko and Architectural who is one of the most in-form producers in the
peninsula at the moment.
El Laboratorio de Electrónica
Visualy la emisora de radio scannerFMcolaboran en la creación de una convocatoria a nivel nacional con el fin de
promover y facilitar la difusión de nuevos creadores de música electrónica de
nuestro país.
La convocatoria abre el plazo para recepción de trabajos el día 22 de marzo.
El plazo para inscribirse finaliza el día 12 de abril.
De entre todos los proyectos recibidos se seleccionarán dos
ganadores que pasarán a formar parte de las actividades realizadas en
colaboración con scannerFM en la séptima edición de L.E.V. Festival, que se celebrará los días 3 y 4 de Mayo. La actuación será retransmitida en directo a través de la
emisora.
2.- Hacerse fan del Facebook de scannerFM
y L.E.V. y enviar un mensaje con el
enlace al perfil de usuario en Soundcloud.
3.- En caso de no disponer de Facebook, enviar por correo
electrónico a contact@levfestival.com el
enlace al perfil de usuario.
SELECCIÓN DE TRABAJOS.
De entre todos los trabajos inscritos a la convocatoria se
seleccionarán un total de 2 proyectos
que contarán con un slot de 35/40min para actuar en el festival.
El comité selector de los proyectos estará integrado por miembros de
scannerFM y la organización de L.E.V.
Los ganadores serán notificados vía correo electrónico el día 14 de abril y sus nombres serán
publicados a través de los canales habituales de difusión tanto de L.E.V. como de scannerFM.
PREMIO
Los ganadores recibirán:
-Actuación en la séptima edición
de L.E.V. Festival, que se celebrará
durante los días 3 y 4 de Mayo. La actuación tendrá lugar el viernes 3 de Mayo en el espacio Cafeteria de la Laboral.
-Viaje, alojamiento durante el
fin de semana del festival y acreditación para el festival.
-La actuación será emitida en directo
dentro de un programa especial desde scannerFM
previa entrevista con el grupo/proyecto ganador.
-Inclusión de un tema del
artista ganador en el top de scannerFM.
-Promoción desde L.E.V. 2013 como artista de la
programación.
ACEPTACION DE BASES
Los participantes autorizan a scannerFm
y L.E.V. Festival a difundir los
temas presentados a la convocatoria en los soportes on-line levfestival.com y
scannerfm.com
Los ganadores autorizan a scannerFm a emitir el directo realizado en
el festival y a su grabación para uso en streaming en el directorio de podcasts
de L.E.V. Festival.
Tomar la decisión de presentar el material necesario para concursar
significa aceptar y someterse a estas bases en su totalidad, así como las
interpretaciones o ajustes que sobre la marcha pueda realizar la organización
del concurso. El incumplimiento total o parcial de las presentes bases puede
ser motivo de la descalificación de los interesados.
Up now on Cabeza de Vaca and Scanner FMis the second of our
three part series dedicated to Spanish electronica. This time around we turn
our attention to Barcelona’s Hivern Discs label and some other artists and
labels pushing at the limitations of the sound where it meets bass and techno.
Please also
check out the “Isometric Axis Vol 1” compilation at the Soulless Lab Records website site. It is a free download, like
the “Cinematograph” compilation we highlighted last week and is another excellent
introduction to some more dancefloor friendly sounds in Spain at the moment.
Also, check
out the Red Bull Music Academy Radiofor a recent live set of Clip!, The artist who
opens todays show, recorded (by me!) at the Mutek festival recently.
Next week we close off with Spanish techno and
the Semantica label.
This week on Cabeza de Vaca and Scanner FMwe start the first of a
three part series all focused on Spanish electronica. First up we concentrate
on experimental, IDM styles with hints of techno, dubstep and ambient thrown in
for good measure. The other focus is on the work of Héctor Sandoval who has
just released a phenomenal album called “El poso que da el tiempo” on Scheme
under his Komatssu moniker. My (edited down) review of the album can be found
on Resident Advisor.In addition, his long-running Exium
collaboration with Valentin Corujo also appears to be bearing some particularly
tasty fruit also at the right time with an album also in the works. It is certainly
a critical moment for Señor Sandoval and indeed Spanish electronica in general
as judging by the quality on offer here and in the upcoming shows. Moreover, a
lot of the music is free if the crisis has bitten you hard, as it has done to
many in Spain.
First up as far as notes go, apologies to Davic
Nod as I did not announce his track intentionally as I honestly thought I would
be out of time and would have to drop it for the next show. In the end I made some
last minute edits after recording the voice and I slipped it in. I will
announce it retrospectively next week in any case.
Please also
check out the “Cinematograph” compilation at José Merinero aka J.M.’s Artico NetLabel site. It is a free download, as is J.M.s EP “Broadcast”
and is a wonderful introduction to the more IDM, experimental and ambient
sounds of Spain.
Next week we do house with Hivern Disc and the
week after it is techno with Semantica. Finally, apologies if you think I
missed your music or label as it is difficult to fit everyone in.
Apologies as I am getting way behind myself
these days. Too much work and compartmentalising things means the minimum
effective effort to make something work without betraying them which includes
the blog. In any case the new show has been up nearly a week already and is available here on Scanner FM.
Two things I forgot to mention were that they
had revealed that Sandwell District would release a Fabric mix before I did the
show, but the news was not official until this week. Fabric 69 will be mixed by Function and Regis
essentially. I had imagined an all-label mix much like Silent Servant’s mix
that is floating around on Discogs as a limited CD.
Speaking of mixes, the original Rrose podcast
is archived from RA, but Rrose himself/herself has published a link to a higher
resolution 320kbs file that still works if you haven’t tried it yet. Rrose RA Podcast 318
I also forgot to
mention that Âme also had an EP out called “Rrose Sélavy” with a title track of
the same name from 2010. Not the first time either, but looking forward to more
from Rrose in the future.
It has been up already a week, but it has been
a busy time for me so I did not get to cross-post here on Mind Bomb the new Cabeza de Vaca show on Scanner FM!
Thematically it is a personal show since my
origins were totally Luddite and guitar-based for many years and several of the
songs have roots in particular epochs that mean little to anyone else but me.
The MBV remix, for example, was an occasional track at the old Fruition, Firm and
Loft clubs back in Perth in Australia in the early 90s and always caused
consternation amongst the indie kids as to whether it was ok to dance to or
not. It is hard to quantify the divide between clubbers and indie kids, but I
am sure it exists today, but back when electronica really broke through it was
a vicious war for turf between the two and it seemed like there was almost no
common ground by some unwritten law. Certainly the later days of the Firm there
was a mini-club in the room next door that played house and techno circa 91 and
92, but was invariably empty. Raves did happen from time to time, but it didn’t
seem like there was much scene back then, but I am probably wrong. In anycase, Andy
Weatherall was a champion who crossed divides, not only for his remix work with
MBV (which has its flaws), but also for his work with others like Primal Scream
and amongst others Happy Mondays. Not shoegaze, I know, but if you are looking
for crossover material from the time it is a good example. In particular, the
Club Mix of “Hallelujah” by Weatherall is a classic and was used to great
effect in the film “24 Hour Party People.”
There were some other tracks that I just couldn’t
squeeze in as well which is a shame. Some I wanted to flag up include the DJ
Spooky remix of Lush’s “Undertow”, the best track off their second album “Split”.
Spooky’s remix is long, but it doesn’t ever really feel boring, always adding
in a new element right to the end. It’s a big shame that Lush didn’t push more
collaboration’s with dance artists as their sexy image, their psychedelic sound
and the twin voices of Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson would have been a dream.
The Telescopes were another curious band of the
era. They changed almost more than any other group, starting as a gothic-styled
band with a heavy guitar sound and a rich source of poetic lyrics from Steven
Lawrie on their seminal “Taste” album, original released on What Goes on
Records. Their switch to Creation slowed them down at first for the essential “Precious
Little” EP, before psychedelia kicked in for a glorious run of three EPs that
accumulated in the eponymous album that bore more of a jazz influence. Amongst
the three Eps was “Celeste” with its radio friendly title track, but also a “megamix”
of sorts in the 9-plus minutes of “Celestial”. Hardly a perfect track, perhaps
dulled a little by the repetitive bass and drums, but the psychedelic top end
is extraordinary, whereas the long-range effect over the 9 minutes certainly
papers over the cracks. A lost moment perhaps, at least in terms of the dance floor,
but after that they still had “The Third Wave” album and more in them, and they
still more or less exist today.
The inclusion of Bark Psychosis was a hard
choice to make as it is not essentially a dance track, but it does sound like a
guitar band trying to appropriate the sound. As well, the chunky bass and
guitars do tend to signal Graham Sutton’s future forays into drum n bass
territory with Boymerang, a one album project, like the reformed Bark Psychosis
in the early 2000s. Another missed opportunity for all?
Finally, Slowdive finish off the show with
another of their masterpieces and a surprising turn after their other
masterpiece that is “Pygmalion”. Never has there even been such a big contrast
between sounds of one group in such a small time. The isolationist and
depressive minimalism of “Pygmalion” was far away from the sentimental and
elegant “5 EP”, four tracks of genuine shoegaze techno that was ultimately a
step too far for the band who broke up there after. Definitely a missed opportunity,
and one that has not yet been followed up on by anyone sufficiently. There was
even a remix EP of the EP, but sadly it didn’t quite reach the same heights,
however, there is a surprising number of Slowdive remixes out there for the
crate digger.
Finally, I cannot finish without mentioning
Speedy J’s EP “Shoegaze” that came out on Electric Deluxe in 2011.
