Tuesday, March 26, 2013

P026: Cabeza de Vaca – Spanish Electronica Part III.


Already up on Cabeza de Vaca and Scanner FM is 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.

 

 
Consulta aquí toda la información sobre la convocatoria entre Scanner FM y LEV Festival


Click here for more information about the competition between Scanner FM and the LEV Festival





Monday, March 25, 2013

BASES CONVOCATORIA L.E.V. - SCANNERFM 2013


El Laboratorio de Electrónica Visual y la emisora de radio scannerFM colaboran 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 scann erFM 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.


 

PROCESO DE INSCRIPCIÓN.



1.- Crear perfil en Soundcloud y subir un mínimo de 3 canciones y un máximo de 5 al al dropbox del grupo de Soundcloud habilitado para el efecto en http://www.levfestival.com/13/convocatoria o en http://soundcloud.com/groups/convocatoria-lev-scannerfm/dropbox.

 

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.
 
 

P025: Cabeza de Vaca – Spanish Electronica Part II.


Up now on Cabeza de Vaca and Scanner FM is 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 Radio  for 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.




 



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Saturday, March 16, 2013

P024: Cabeza de Vaca – Spanish Electronica Part I.


This week on Cabeza de Vaca and Scanner FM we 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.




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Monday, March 11, 2013

P023: Cabeza de Vaca – Post-Sandwell District


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.

 




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Tuesday, March 5, 2013

P022: Cabeza de Vaca – Shoegaze techno.



Dedicated to DJ Wayne.


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.


 



Until next week!



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