brokentripod:

celestialcow:

PLEASE TAKE ME.

(via matricide666)

blacklanternmusic:

24/2/2012 - BLACK LANTERN MUSIC PRESENTS…

MORPHAMISH (LIVE)
Morphamish is an extremely diverse producer who creates tracks, mixes & live sets with elements of all constantly evolving bass music - techno, breaks, 2step, house, dubstep, electro, funk, ambient, jungle, hiphop, hard mentalism and much more. In his own words, Morphamish makes and plays everything “from downtempo, folktronica and hip-hop, to lush steppers, warmer groovers and deepness, to heavy rollers, bangers and straight up nastiness…”

ASTHMATIC ASTRONAUT (LIVE)
Asthmatic Astronaut is without doubt one of the most talented and original beat producers in Scotland, and an enticing live performer. Drawing on hip-hop and experimentalism he creates deep and dreamy sound designs with neck-snapping breaks. He has been released by Tru Thoughts, Wah Wah 45s and has appeared on both volumes of the Stac remixes alongside luminaries such as Bonobo, Blue Daisy and Kid Kanevil.

KROWNE (LIVE)
Krowne is an electronica, hip-hop and techno producer based in Edinburgh. He is half of the due KROMATIC, who have had a featured live spot on Radio 1 Introducing. He has also had a double feature on the Netlabelism compilation, his last release Quantum living was featured on there site as well as gaining air play on WFMU in San Francisco and has had a 2 tracks from his latest ep “Distorted Thoughts” featured on the BBC Radio1 Introducing show.

Crushingly legit netlabel Black Lantern Music come through big-time with Morphamish alongside Asthmatic Astronaut, Krowne + Black Lantern DJs!

From 11pm-3am at Edinburgh @ Third Door on 24 Feb (£3 before midnight, £5 after).

EVENT PAGE ON FACEBOOK!

(via absolutelymadness)

antimatterdesign:

After the massive success of <ETC>01: Space Trash, the Cartel are back on 17th Feb with <ETC>02: No Skool. Time to skip class and report to the dancefloor!

Facebook event by clicking through. 

blacklanternmusic:

EdinburghTeknoCartel bring the best underground electronics to Edinburgh and the best Edinburgh has to offer to the rest of the world. We are proud to announce the launch of our own regular club night: ETC. Each night will represent a journey through electronic music with a focus towards creating a happy, hedonistic party environment. Expect musical diversity, while still gravitating towards the harder end of the spectrum.

Nights will be themed, with the incentive of cheap entry to those willing to dress up and bring a bit more vibe to the party. The theme for ETC 01 is Space Trash: we are looking for broken robots, Barbarellas, sleazy cyborgs and spaced out princesses to come and boogie down to some sleazy sci fi beats.

HENRY’S CELLAR BAR, EDINBURGH
FRIDAY 20 JAN, 2012
£3 (Space trash dress) £5 (Boring normal dress)

RUNNING ORDER

2-3 Alias23 
1-2 Damaged Electronics (live)
12-1 Morphamish (live)
11-12 Toxicologist

RESIDENTS

Alias23 (Pedigree Skum / Music Device Records)
Producer/Dj Alias23 is a stalwart of the Edinburgh scene. As a key member of free party collective Pedigree Skum, he is at home banging out his own brand of tekno in fields and warehouses across the country. Recently he has enjoyed guest slots at local nights like TERROR, ANAGRAM and BOXING DAY MASSACRE. This year has seen him travel across Europe and the UK supporting the likes of CRYSTAL DISTORTION and SUBURBASS.

Damaged Electronics (Prequel / TAA)
Damaged Electronics make free party sci fi electronics using a multitude of hardware, software, synths, samplers and drum machines. Their hybrid sound collects all the best bits from techno, hardtek, bassline, dubstep and breaks to produce a groove that is fresh, full, and funky. Over the last few years they have played with a number of crews including PREQUEL, EQUINOX, DIGITAL HARLOT, FREE IN THE PARK, VISUALYSE, TAA, FREAK, WOBBY, EDINBURGH UNSIGNED TEKNO SHOWCASE and FEAR THE SPHYNX CAT.

Morphamish (Black Lantern Music / Pillbox)
BLM head honcho Morphamish creates live dance music incorporating elements of techno, breaks, dubstep, garage, house, electro, funk, ambient, jungle, hiphop, hard mentalism, gentleness, and constantly evolving bass music. He was recently in session on BBC RADIO 1’S INTRODUCING show. He has had DJ Support from ROB DA BANK, MARY ANNE HOBBS and VIC GALLOWAY. Edinburgh clubbers are sure to remember his live sets from legendary nights such as PILLBOX, OBSCENE and DOGMA (to name but a few)

Toxicologist (Prequel / Unnecessary Surgery)
TOXICOLOGIST is one half of live tekno duo DAMAGED ELECTRONICS and onetime member of UNNECESSARY SURGERY. He was a resident at Cambridge’s PANIC! nightclub and Edinburgh’s PREQUEL preclub night and has also had guest spots at a number of nights including TERROR, CURIOS? SPLIT and too many free parties to mention. Stylistically he is all about the dancefloor, jumping from one genre to another with ease. He covers dubstep, breaks, baseline, techno, house, breakcore, hardtek, gabber all laced with a heavy dose of funk.

VISUALS

VJ MAVDOG
VJ MAVDOG has performed live visuals at the Knockengorroch World Music Festival and club nights Kombustion (Pedigree Skum), Dogma, Ghantin, Mutiny (Bass Bin Laden), Noizteez, Pulse, Club Together, Cause It and performed at K-os Audio Visual and the Big Red Door as well as many one off events and free parties. Together with DAMAGED ELECTRONICS he performed an integrated audio/visual set at EDINBURGH UNSIGNED TEKNO SHOWCASE back in August/ ETC 01 will see that collaboration remade and refined. Expect some tripped out techy visuals!

»FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE«

Happy New Year everyone! This is the second in a series of articles looking back on 2011’s highlights across TV, Film and other media. Part one can be found here.

The Story Of Film: An Odyssey

In 2011 Mark Cousins undertook one of the most ambitious documentary projects I have ever seen. Writing, directing, photographing and narrating this fifteen hour documentary series (based on his own book) is the culmination of a career as a film critic. The series takes us from the earliest days of cinema right through to the modern digital age looking through a global lens that is interested in more than just the bright lights of Hollywood. The level of control that Cousins exercises here mean that this work is truly personal and at times I had to say I was not in total agreement with him. Like a lot of critics he does have a tendency to demonize Hollywood in favour of more esoteric tastes. His views on Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings trilogy are particularly disparaging which is a shame as, to me, they are the perfect mixture between epic cinematic spectacle and well characterized emotional storytelling. However, the level of access that Cousins was given, to archive material and also to filmmakers and actors, mean that this is a fascinating and highly illuminating program. Definitely one for the film buffs and if a program can engage you enough to argue with the TV it is definitely worth a watch.

Portal 2

2007’s Portal was a real surprise hit for developer Valve Corporation. Supplied as a free add on to its Orange box compilation the games mixture of first person shooter and puzzle game was a massive hit. When they announced a sequel it sent shivers down the collective spines of the gaming community. The original game was short, dark and funny with a focus on game play rather than storytelling. Most of the story elements were subtle and hard to spot but keen players soon realized that this game was linked to Valve’s Half Life series. The sequel is a much larger affair and really extends all the elements of Portal into a really unique game. In the single player campaign we resume the role of Chell: the protagonist from the first portal game. She awakes to find herself in Aperture Science’s laboratories: a place where science has run amok for countless years. Once again the insane AI GlaDOS is forcing the player through an increasingly difficult series of “Test chambers”. These puzzle rooms can only be exited through the use of the games single weapon: a gun that fires portals. One mouse button fires one end of a portal and the second mouse button fires the other end. Add to this some demented gun turrets, goo that makes the ground bouncy, portable companion cubes and an astounding bit of voice acting from Stephen Merchant and you have a game that is destined to become a classic. But that’s only one half of the story, because Valve also included an online multiplier co-op mode (accessed through their Steam distribution service) which was entirely new 2 player experience with its own test chambers and distinct storyline. Although this was one of the most anticipated games of 2011 it failed to disappoint.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

I’ve already written about this here, but this really was one of the standout films of the year to me. It was the culmination of ten years worth of cinematic storytelling and it was just wonderful to see a final swansong from such an excellent ensemble cast. I mean really, what are all the character actors in Britain going to do now? The action sequences in this were unparallelled, with battle sequences rivaling the best of Lord of The Rings. This was also some of the most inventive and interesting uses of 3D that I have seen where depth and perspective were used to give you a bit more than just screen pop. The dragon riding sequence is immense! This is well worth a watch if you’ve not yet seen it. Doing parts one and two as a double bill comes highly recommended.

Jane Eyre

The film to have the best collection of awesome sounding names this year was Cary Joji Fukanaga’s Jane Eyre. The classic novel was adapted by Moira Buffini and it starred Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska. This is a breathtakingly beautiful and deeply moving film. The the pace of the movie is slow, giving room for long lingering shots of the landscape. It almost feels as if the rugged moors are a character in the story. Fassbender’s portrayal of Edward Fairfax Rochester is stern and imposing. Wasikowska’s Jane pulses with a quiet anger, pinned in by northern dignity. There are some wonderful supporting performances from Judi Dench and Jamie Ball. I think one of the interesting things about the approach that the filmmakers have taken here is that they have played up the books more Gothic tones. Parts of the story are truly chilling and mysterious. I think this is an adaptation that will stand the test of time. Not because it is particularly revisionist, nor even because it is particularly faithful to the original bur because it is just a hell of a good movie. Assured direction, a tight script and performances from actors who are really at the top of their game at the moment really made this stand out from other period dramas (a genre that I generally have little or no patience for)

2011: The Defining Media: Part 1

As we reach the close of this year I felt it might be an idea to drag myself away from the 90s to reflect on how 2011 has been. This is the first in a seriese of pieces where I shall list some events, movies and TV programs that have really stood out for me this yeart. Although I’ve not seen everything this year (really, who sees EVERYTHING?), these things that have helped to define my 2011.

Black Swan

This was the first film I went to see in the cinema this year and it was a real treat. A dark, harrowing and uncompromising treat but a treat nonetheless. Darren Aronofsky’s 5^th film centers on a tense rivalry between two ballerinas (Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis) performing in Swan Lake. Aronofsky has stated that this film is a companion piece to his 2008 film The Wrestler as both are about physical artists who go to obsessive lengths to perfect their arts. While I agree with this it is also good to see Aronofsky go back to the more expressionistic type of film making that he made his name with. There a sequences here that are pure Cronenberg-esque body horror which juxtaposes wonderfully with the achingly beautiful dance sequences.

Game of Thrones

Once again HBO prove that they are putting on some of the finest television in the world. Just as we are reeling from Boardwalk Empire they hit us with this. A fantasy epic based on George RR Martin’s bestselling A Song Of Ice and Fire series. Normally when I think of TV fantasy I think of Xena: Warrior Princess or other poorly realised drivel. This was not to be the case with Thrones. The cast is pitch perfect with standout performances from Sean Bean, Michelle Fairley, Aiden Gillen, Kate Dickie and Emilia Clarke. To me though the real star of the show is Peter Dinklage who plays Tyrion, the quick witted dwarf. Wits and intrigue are at the heart of this series which in some ways is closer to political thriller than fantasy. A real slow burner with some nice surprises, I’m waiting with baited breath for series 2.

The Doctors Wife

Without a doubt this is the single best 45 minutes of 2011. Steven Moffat’s run at Doctor Who has been a phenomenal success but when it was announced that one of this years episodes would be penned by Neil Gaimen I (and many other fans) went bananas! Neil Gaiman! Sandman! Neverwhere! Stardust! American Gods! I think he is the greatest storyteller we have seen for generations, to have him writing an episode of my favorite show was a dream come true. I was not disappointed. The story sees the TARDIS personified, it’s mind and soul put into a human body called Idris. While some excellent romance plays out between Idris and the Doctor we are treated to some of the best scares we have seen on the show since the glorious Hinchliffe/Holmes run at the beginning of Tom Baker’s tenure. Amy and Rory are are lost in the bowels of the TARDIS. The machine has been possessed by a malevolent enemy of the time lords who plays a game of temporal cat and mouse with the Ponds. The whole episode is packed with hints and references to different pints from Doctor Who’s long history. Fun as these references are they are handled in a way that does not interfere with the main thrust of the plot. Quite simply this is a love story to Doctor Who written by one of the finest writers the UK has ever produced.

Chris Cunningham Live

Chris Cunningham is the director of some of the most insane and gripping music videos ever made. He directed the infamous Aphex Twin videos Come To Daddy and Windowlicker (NSFW!) as well as countless videos for other Warp Recods artists and a wide range of musicians including Bjork and Madonna. He is a consummate video artist creating twisted cyborg images from nightmare worlds that strobe and twist with the beats in the music. October the last year or so he has been honing a multimedia live show and I was excited to go to London’s Roundhouse to check it out. A rooftop barbeque and excellent support performances from 16 Bit and Factory floor helped build the buzz. Cunningham’s show was dark, cerebral and full of black humor. His own compositions as well as work from numerous collaborators (Gil Scott Heron, Aphex Twin, Grace Jones and many more) assault you from every possible angle. Dark ambient tones, throbbing subbass and beats that stuttered between IDM and heavy breakcore. Video clips of sex, violence, gore and machinery play out over three massive screens. The man himself is impassive, a long haired silhouette behind racks of machinery. Film is chopped up and spun backwards to match the inside out beats. Footage of the venues own lighting rig is used to confuse the boundary between the audience and the screen. To draw us further into Chris’s exciting nightmare. I left exhilarated, my ears buzzing and my mind working overload to assimilate what I had just seen. It was something pretty special anyway.

This is the second piece I’ve posted regarding my ongoing love affair with the 90s, the decade I wont let die. In the 1990s the charts were dominated by dance music and DJ’s became household names. Now the best parts of dance music have slunk back to the underground while the worst have been incorporated into mainstream pop music. This article and Spotify playlist takes you through the ten albums that best exemplify a time WHEN DANCE MUSIC RULED THE WORLD!

The Prodigy “Experience”

The Prodigy had three massively influential, hugely successful albums over the 90s so I was hard pressed to pick just one for this list. I’ve gone with their debut album, Experience from 1992. This is an album that really encapsulated what was going on in the UK at the time. Dance music and rave culture were starting to break through from the underground and gain far reaching appeal. Bright stabby synths and a an alarmingly cheerful attitude are underpinned by some really inventive songwriting created a timeless classic that was to set the tone for dance music’s dominance of the nineties.

Orbital In Sides

Four years later and Orbital release In Sides. A top 5 album with a tie in song to one of the years biggest movies. But also a progressive concept album with songs reaching 13 minutes in length. This was Orbital’s fourth album. They had been releasing a steady stream of music since 1989, their lush orchestral constructions winning over a broader Sunday paper reading audience. The four movement piece The Box is at the center of the concept of In Sides. It is a deeply claustrophobic piece that seethes with premillenial tension.

Underworld Beaucoup Fish

Born Slippy .NUXX Arguably one of the defining dance music singles of all time, certainly one of the biggest of the nineties this was a b-side. In 1999 Underworld played that song to close a headlining set on Glastonbury’s main stage. As the 90s drew to a close dance music had won over the British public and Underworld were riding the crest of this wave. Beaucoup Fish is an assured and confident album. Karl Hyde’s other worldy storytelling over hypnotic, aggressive house rhythms. Lead single, Push Upstairs, was an instant classic.

Leftfeild: Leftisim

Although they only released 2 albums london duo Leftfeild’s influence upon the nineties was immense. Their 1995 debut album Leftisim fused house and dub in deep and powerful ways that had never been seen before in the mainstream. This is all underpinned with a big, well produced sound. Collaberations with vocalists like John Lydon helped bring this album to an older more rock orientated audience and saw the album peak at number 5 in the UK charts. The duo took a sound system approach to live shows and their massive sound saw them barred from playing at Brixton Academy after plaster started falling out of the ceiling.

The Chemical Brothers- Dig Your Own Hole

Another duo who pleased the mainstream with cannily chosen collaborations were the Chemical Brothers. They broke onto the scene in 1992 with DJ sets and live shows fused hip hob, funk, techno and psychedelia in a style that would become known as big beat. By 1997 the duo’s ascendancy was unstoppable. The album was preceded by two number 1 singles: the hard edged psychedelic Setting Sun which featured Noel Gallagher and Block Rocking Beats which won a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance even though the song is neither rock or instrumental. Although hailed as a big beat album to me the stand out track is It Doesn’t Matter, a rabid techno beast that was a smash on the underground in the summer of 96 when it was released as the white label Electronic Battle Weapon No. 1

Daft Punk – Homework

1997 might have been the greatest year of the greatest decade for dance music. As well as Dig Your Own Hole 97 also saw the release of The Prodigy’s Fat Of The Land and Homework, the first album by French house masters Daft Punk. The pair had been releasing singles since 1995 and had received support from The Chemical Brothers and Glasgow’s Soma Quality Recordings. In January 1997 their debut was released to critical and commercial success. Heavy house grooves filled with nods to disco and funk it spawned the massive hit, Around the World as well as tearing up the dance floor with tracks like Rolling and Scratching and Alive. Dance music, house in particular, was now dominating popular culture.

Laurent Garnier- 30

Laurent Garnier had been playing house music since the late eighties and held a residency at the legendary Ministry of Sound in the mid 90s. In 1997 (there’s that year again!) he released his second album, the introspectively themed 30. 30 spawned one of the years biggest dance hits, Crispy Bacon. Garnier’s label F-Communications would go on to release a string of hits in the french house/electro style by artists like Mr Oizo and The Youngsters

Fatboy Slim- On The Floor at the Boutique

Ministry of Sound’s nightclub and many compilation brands such as The Annual and Clubbers Guide helped to promote DJ culture, particularly the concept of a Superstar DJ. No one encapsulated the idea of a Superstar DJ more than Norman Cook. Cook had enjoyed success as the bass player for the House Martens and as part of Beats International but it was when he started DJing and producing under his Fatboy Slim alias that he became a household name. The mix album On The Floor At The Boutique captures the bouncy madcap feel of the big beat scene jumping through hip hop, funk and breakbeat music. It was recorded at Brighton’s Big Beat Boutique in 1997 (I didn’t check the years of these before writing this, I swear!)

Reprazent - Newforms

The 1997 Mercury Music Prize was won by New Forms an album that is a million miles away from Fatboy Slim’s tongue in cheek style. Roni Size recruited the cream of the emergent Drum and Bass scene to form Reprazent a band that took a serious jazz influenced approach to making their music. Their live show included live drummers and singers and was a massive hit a festivals that year. As the nineties wore on dance had diversified into many different genres: house, techno, big beat and new drum and bass. Drum and bass/jungle had its roots in the rave/hardcore scene of the early nineties but was now gaining respectability in the eyes of the UK public. It would go on to dominate the 2000s

Future Sound Of London – Lifeforms

Dance music had a second face in the 90s through chill out and backroom music. Ambient soundscapes for a Sunday morning crafted by artists like Nightmares On Wax, The Orb and The KLF. In 1994 Future Sound Of London released their second album, Lifeforms, a top ten album which epitomized the avaunt guard attitude of ambient producers. Standout tracks included title track Lifeforms and the exquisitely haunting Cascades. Although the album is a hallmark of the ambient genre FSOL went on to release more big beat and techno orientated sounds while keeping themselves firmly left of field.

I was a writer on a little horror flick called Outcast. We’re up for a BAFTA: Cineworld’s Audience Award for Best Scottish Film. Outcast will be showing at Cineworld cinemas in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen on monday night. A good chance to see it if you missed it. If you like it you can vote for us here: