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Arveene and Misk Mix by arcadeponyrecords
We really like your mix. What’s in there and why?
We signed a track called 10k Favour to Arcade Pony, a London based label run by Punx Soundcheck. The mix is a selection of tracks from a label comp. Jon the label boss asked us to to give it the A&M rub and that’s basically it.. not done something like that before so it was interesting and a challenge as you’re limited to what you can play with…
Under Arveene & MiSK we’ve seen one single already. Are you in the studio? What can we expect next?
We’ve actually had a few now… Hells Bells on Gung Ho! recordings did well for us, Love & Lust on Plant NYC, Love Money Music Body on MofoHifi, and next up is 10K Favour on Arcade Pony. We’ve just signed 3 tracks to Mason’s Animal Language imprint, and another to Gash Digital. We’re in the studio almost every day, so you can expect more sexual electronic music.
What are your plans for the summer / rest of 2011?
Working on more A&M music, remixes , gigging and getting out as possible. We’ve a number of collaborations in the pipeline and we’re also working with some recording artists as producers. Gig wise we have various dates around Europe coming up including a We Love Space for Rock Nights on Sunday August 21st in Ibiza. We also have some dates booked at various festivals in Ireland & the UK. Also there’s a UK & Ireland Tour happening in October/November too…
Who’s on your radar? Who do you recommend?
We’re big fans of Zombie Nation, Julian Bashmore, Ado, Dr. Gonzo, NT89, In Flagranti, Tag Team Terror, Light Year, The Finger Prince…
Also we’ve been listening to a lot of 80′s electro and acid.. Virgo, Farley Jack Master of Funk, Hot Mix 5, Strafe Armando, Pierre’s Fantasy Club, Phuture, Fast Eddie, Walter Gibbons, Imperial Brothers, Newcleus… so you can probably expect an acid flavour to some of the newer A&M works…
Track listing
1: Starpunk – punks theme – lo fi best remix
2: Chris Coco – city knows your name – RE:RAW remix
3: Banished to Frigia – Alien Choke – Ali Renault remix
4: Punx soundcheck – badman – PhatStack remix
5: Stuff ya disco – House wars
6: Natural Born Chillers – Funky Beat – Vatimant remix
7: Arveene & Misk – 10K favour
8: Neo Tokyo – LaserLaser – NightBreaker remix also contains punx soundcheck – cassette – neo Tokyo remix
9: Natural Born Chillers – A1 Sound
10: Lo Fi Beats – Plumstep also contains A1 sound
http://www.myspace.com/arveenej
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The magical wonderland that is one of our favourite club nights in London, Off Modern have asked as down to host Room 2 this Thursday at their first night of 2011.
In Room 1 the line up is pretty special featuring the likes of D/R/U/G/S, Chad Valley and DJ’s Brains, Milo (The Big Pink), Sammy Seven from S.C.U.M and Moderns brilliant residents Tomfoolery & Nasty Mcquaid.
Alongside the musical feast there’s also art in the gallery room from Henry Mackay-Bull who’s installation entitled ‘Stly3dd&Acc3z’ will be on show all evening.
It’s also only £5.00 all night with doors opening at 9:00pm til 3:00am and you can find Fragment DJ’s in Room 2 from 12:00pm till late playing all your favourites and some new specialties. For more information head over to the Facebook event here, or the Off Modern website here.
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The Finnish duo featuring sisters Emma & Mia Kemppainen (and a friend) are making waves across Europe with their fun style of pop. Think of a Scandinavian New Young Pony Club but much much better.
Describe your sound?
We make fresh edgy pop hooks. We experiment a lot with sounds and beats. We’ve been very inspired by the 90s lately (stuff like the Orb, Neneh Cherry, Happy Mondays), but also modern bands [like] Metronomy and Late of the Pier have played a part in our sound.
For the uninitiated and non-French speakers, what does your name translate as?
LCMDF stands for Le Corps Mince de Françoise, which stands for “The Skinny Body of Francoise” in English. There’s many stories moving around about that name, and we’d like to keep it that way.
How does your relationship as sisters affect the way you work together? Who makes the decisions?
We’re like in a symbiosis, we’ve grown up together, we hang out, we work together night and day. I think it’s the sisterhood that actually makes it possible, it’s such a unique relationship. We only have two years between us, so we have always been quite equal. Emma’s the older one, so obviously she runs ahead in the decision making, but it’s all built on trust and the similar taste in style. I always know she gets it right.
What is it like in Finland for emerging bands? Is there a movement you feel a part of?
The finnish music scene is very very small. There’s a lot of talent and creativity there, but not really that much ambition, which is a shame.
When we started out I [felt] we were doing something totally new and fresh, something totally unseen before in Finland. Therefore there wasn’t really any competition, but I have to say that the reception was anything than low key, people either hated us or loved us, and they weren’t holding back with their opinions. Now there’s a lot of new bands emerging from Helsinki, trying to push abroad without [a] label like we did in the beginning. A lot has happened in the past 4 years. I certainly feel that we started something.
You’re now signed to Heavenly, played a sold out show in Helsinki, and have been picked up on by press worldwide. Have you been surprised by the early enthusiasm?
I hadn’t even finished school yet, and suddenly I was on the cover of all the biggest Finnish music and lifestyle magazines. It totally went over our expectations back then. But it always took a lot of hard work, and you start to understand the consequences of your actions.. Success doesn’t happen on its own.
What are you looking forward to this year, and what are your plans for the future?
The Album “LOVE & NATURE” is out in february, so we’re very exited to just get it out there, share it with the world. We are also looking forward to taking the new [album] live on the road, play as much gigs as possible and reach as many people as possible with our music. So next year is hopefully gonna be a lot of travel, and also getting started on the second album…
Le Corps Mince de Françoise debut album ‘Love & Nature’ is out February 21st.
Words: Lizzie Simner
http://www.myspace.com/lecorpsmincedefrancoise
When meeting Derwin you are face to face with a contradiction. He is a successful musician in his own right, and remixed the likes of Bloc Party, Zero 7 and Little Boots. On the other hand, he is a shy character that is dreading going on stage in 15 minutes time.
How does performing make you feel?
I guess I’m a bit shy, it’s really stressful. You get the feeling you should cater to the audience, but at the same time you just want to do what you do, and not be bothered about what anybody wants. I mean the problem is the audience, they just don’t get it. It’s not their fault. I just feel uncomfortable on stage, like I’m there to perform like a monkey or something. When you are on stage in front of loads of people and you aren’t well known it’s difficult, when they are there to see you it’s great, but I think I could take it or leave it at the moment, the live thing.
You used to lay lyrics over your tracks. Why did you get out of the rap game?
Yeah well, I was never in it I think, that’s why. No, I used to do freestyling with this guy Infinite Livez on Big Dada, and I was making beats as well… We had an improvised noise rap group called Kiss Akabusi, It was good fun but I didn’t really feel comfortable doing it. I mean I loved to rap because I grew up listening to hip hop and stuff and I really wanted to be a rapper, but when I realised I was shit I gave up.
I heard that you used to work in a sex shop?
It was probably one of the best jobs I ever had, it was easy. It was just long hours and a lot of weird customers. It was quite depressing; I’d get invited to weird orgies by 60 year old guys asking me to bang their wives. And I got a lot of questions about erectile dysfunction, and making your cock bigger, quite a lot of that. The most depressing thing was how many fake vaginas and blow up dolls I sold around Christmas… one guy bought a blow up doll on Christmas Eve and brought it back on Boxing Day because it didn’t work. So he’d had it over Christmas and thought “right, I’m gonna get a shag out of this blow up doll” and it didn’t blow up, so his Christmas was ruined. Grim.
You sold your entire record collection to pay for a Japanese diploma… Was that hard to do?
Not really because I got to a point where I didn’t know what else I should do with my life, it was a real teenager kind of thing, even though I was 23. I kind of just sacrificed one thing for another. I love being able to speak, read and write another language. It’s not a language that a lot of people would take the time out to learn I don’t think.
Which record do you miss the most?
A few old Aphex Twin records from when he wasn’t called Aphex Twin, he was called something else… Also this track by Intelligent Hoodlum and Craig G – Live And Direct From The House Of Hits. My mate gave it to me on a 12”, and I fucking sold it. And I’m really annoyed that I sold it because it’s amazing.
How did living in Japan for a year affect you?
I get really inspired when I’m there, I like the way things look. It taught me to be more independent, and trust myself. Trust my own judgment, and just do what I’m doing.
What are you listening to at the moment?
I just bought the Mount Kimbie album, and an album by a guy called Forest Swords. And Jason Derulo I guess.
Finally, do you have a joke for us?
No.
New York’s hottest new band are exactly that, their raw style of guitar driven pop has caused audiences worldwide to sit up and take notice. I caught up with singer Johnny Pierce half way through the North American leg of their first major tour. The tour itself kicked off with the news that bassist Adam Kessler was to quit the band due to fatigue.
From the off, it was clear that any previously stated sadness and regret had stagnated. I asked Johnny if he was prepared to talk about the issue: “It’s not that I don’t want to talk about [Kessler] him or that it’s a sore subject, he just isn’t worth talking about.” Moving on…
Having such a catastrophic event [Kessler’s Departure] happening to the band the eve of a major tour, was there ever a period you thought of postponing the live dates?
Well there was a period of about 60 minutes where [we] weren’t sure what we would do, but we never once thought of moving the tour. There was a sense of sadness which quickly turned to anger, and that quickly turned to relief and inspiration. We called our friend, Tom and asked him to play guitar for the US tour and he already knew the songs and quickly learned the parts and we started the tour on time and with so much hope and excitement.
Did it feel that the performance and energy of the live shows were affected in any way?
Everything clicks. It feels alive and real again. We are all peddling in the same direction now.
How has your relationship developed with Surfer Blood during the tour? Have they been a support throughout the process?
We have been good friends with those boys for years, so it was cool to see both of our bands sorta take off at the same time and to be able to tour together has been a cool thing. They went through the same thing, losing their bass player literally the same week Adam left us, so in a way we have been supporting each other.
When your tour reaches the UK there will be a much bigger fan base waiting for you than your last tour. Has the scale of enthusiasm for your debut album come as a surprise and are you apprehensive in how to follow it up?
Well, we have been touring literally non-stop for the last year and a half, so it is nice to see people coming out to our shows in bigger numbers. We’ve begun work on the new album already, and of course we want people to like it, but we have to like it first, ya know?
Your album is influenced by life in Florida. Will your next album reflect your new home, New York?
I think our new album will reflect our lives in a more tangible way. I would imagine New York will have a real part to play in that. It is my favourite place in the world, after all.
Are there any aspects of living in Florida you particularly miss?
None at all. We love playing shows there, but I could not live there, if only for the fact that it would be revisiting my past. I like to move forward.
Your sound and style has been cited as part of a general trend in a return to post-punk. Do you see yourselves as part of this, or part of a more progressive movement?
I don’t really know what is going on in the music world really. I never have been one to follow current trends. I’d like to think we are part of something good, but I guess that’s for others to decide. We just record songs that we think need to be made.
Finally, being on the road for so long can be demanding. What do you do to unwind?
If we get a day off, we usually walk around aimlessly. We’ve been gone for so long, that we become chemically restless and can barely sit down. It’s a strange life.
Words: Danny O’Kane
http://www.myspace.com/thedrumsforever
The debut album by Mount Kimbie, Crooks and Lovers, is an expansive yet understated record. Lump them in with post-dubstep contemporaries Joy Orbison and James Blake if you like, in reality their unassuming sound is a broken love-letter to the capital in all its ramshackle, hyperactive beauty. Jehan Harding caught up with Dom Maker and Kai Campos after their set at Field Day to find out more.
How did you guys meet?
Dom: We met at university, we were in the same halls together. That was in South London at Elephant and Castle. I was studying film and video.
Kai: I was studying Artist Management. We used to walk to uni together sometimes, talk about music and stuff.
How long have you been producing?
D: Together about two and a half years. Prior to that, I’d done about five or six months. It’s easy to get into but it’s not easy to master. The amount of throwaway files we’ve got is unbelievable. It’s really difficult to keep the quality up. I just produce a lot of shit..it’s difficult.
Mount Kimbie – Field by Ragged Words
How does the partnership work? Is it like one of you will start with something?
D: We’ve always worked in that way. We wrote together [when] we were in London, and then I moved to Brighton and it’s become more sending things back and forwards. We don’t assign roles or anything like that.
K: We both do similar things I guess, share ideas. Quite often if we’re practising for a live gig, we’ll end up writing a lot and developing things.
I always think with music like Mount Kimbie’s, the environment is very important? Do you wanna get a more secluded studio?
D: We’re trying to find a space at the moment.
K: It doesn’t really need to be a studio, don’t need a 30k studio. Just need a space that isn’t my kitchen. We’ve moved around quite a lot, probably recorded in like I dunno, ten different places.
Like where?
K: Dom had this shitty old fucking room in Peckham. Just so small, horribly small.
D: Just taken up by the speakers, the monitors.
K: We wrote most of the first EP in there.
D: I think you can hear that.
K: Second one was done at my house, mostly in my kitchen. The album was all over kitchens and garages bedrooms and stuff.
What’s the story behind the album name, Crooks & Lovers?
K: I was listening to a podcast called the Hackney podcast. They usually centre around a specific theme. This one was about Night in Hackney taking about taxi drivers driving around, dropping people off. How they are kind of, these people that are involved so much in the city and they really don’t know they connect everybody. There was a line about delivering lover to lover and crook to crook. I thought it really summed up my experience of London, in terms of, I love the place dearly and I hate it as well. This crook and a lover aspect to it, same with everybody you meet in London, they’re crooks and lovers.
http://www.myspace.com/mountkimbie
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The Mercury Prize underdogs may have missed out on the top accolade but stand unfazed as they continue to break through with a forthcoming second album. Jehan Harding talks to singer Dave Okumu.
The Invisible are delightfully difficult to place. The critical acclaim showered over their self titled debut album, nominated for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize in 2009, hasn’t changed them in the slightest. Soulful frontman, Dave Okumu was even asked to join the panel of judges this year, an honour surely bestowed only upon those with certain credentials.
“It’s really made me appreciate even more the significance of being nominated. What it actually takes to make that shortlist, having been on both sides of the fence, which is really peculiar, a bit like going behind enemy lines in the most positive way.”
“There’s something tokenistic about a winner, an overall winner. I think the most significant thing about the Mercury award is actually the shortlist. It provides an overview of what has happened in British music over 12 months. I think if anyone wanted to look back at a particular year or period in music, they could look at the Mercury award and whatever you think about that shortlist, it’s kind of there to promote discussion in a way. It’s never going to cover absolutely everything.”
The trio, consisting of Okumu (vocals / guitars), Tom Herbert (bass / synthesizer) and Leo Taylor (drums), continue to immerse themselves in other projects. Hot Chip’s recent album, Made In The Dark, featured contributions from Taylor, whilst Herbert and Okumu are working with long-time Zero 7 collaborator, Tom Skinner, under the name of Crump.
“I think space vs distraction is always a challenge, it’s the challenge of the modern age. It’s seems like so many people are so often in flux just trying to get things finished, get things done and it can be really difficult if you haven’t got a structure that automatically provides that. We’re always juggling various things, whether it’s live commitments or our involvement in other projects that are important to us. The Invisible feels quite significant and we’re really proud of ourselves for just creating our own structure.”
Whilst sessions for their debut were overseen by avant-garde electronic pioneer, Matthew Herbert in secluded Whitstable, the follow-up has been more half and half. The foundations have been laid in London at The Pool, under the watchful eye of Ben Hillier, esteemed producer behind Blur’s Think Tank amongst other classics.
“I’d never been there before [The Pool], and I always wanted to record there. I’m a real fan of Ben’s and I love the studio, so it was great to do some tracking there.”
The trio have now decamped to Brighton for overdubs and tweaks and good times all round with Rich File, formerly of UNKLE, calling the shots and keeping them sane.
“It just feels like he’s exactly what we need. The role of a producer can mean so many things, it can be very ambiguous, some producers are glorified engineers, some producers are fascist sort of imposers of their vision which is kind of how I see Rich. Obviously we really need someone who can help us realize our ideas fully and bring that extra dimension and continually keep us focused and inspire us. Rich is doing all of the above, and he’s also just making it really really fun. So many people make records and it can be quite a miserable place, tortured and painful. There’s a lot of agonizing and insecurity and concern about what people are going to think, that’s just totally absent from this process and that has a lot to do with Rich. Just the energy that he brings to the table, the types of dance-moves he selects at certain points to express the meaning of the song. It could be in the way that he marinades the bacon with chilli sauce, at just the right moment when you really need that little pick-me-up. Or when he introduces Maynards Wine Gums to proceedings. Or through the way that he produces sound through an array of really quite high-end equipment. It’s just a whole range of things really, it’s just a joy. I feel like I could just carry on doing this forever, I hope we’ll make lots of records together.”
Their debut album remains a joy. Hushed pop vocals drift over a world of acoustic warmth, filtered through electronic meanderings tinged abrasively and tenderly. So many ideas dwelled upon, but never for too long. The melancholy zest of London Town’s no-no-no hook and the cop-car siren solo at the end of Constant for example. The total effect is one of urgency and immediacy belied by a casual charm, that of a group totally on top of their aesthetic.
Bolstered by touring and the ensuing reaffirmation of their identity, the follow-up is definitely a record to be excited about. More captured hearts and critical fanfare will head The Invisible’s way. I know this because they are on the right path. One of their own making.
The Invisible will release their second album this summer.
Words: Jehan Harding
Images: Mads Perch
As part of Issue One Fragment got the opportunity to catch up with Dan Swan; the artist and film maker favoured by many in the music industry including M.I.A and Rye Rye about his debut film; Lux Laze.
Dystopia is in the very essence of Daniel Swan’s debut short film, Lux Laze, which is an evocative homage to the visual codes of science fiction.
A time traveller reaches an uninhabited single continent of alienating and looming cityscapes. Soundtracked by Jack Latham, who provides a guttural otherworldly feel; the film marks a visual high water mark for a young filmmaker who is making waves with his unique style.
So how did the collaboration with Jack come about?
Dan: Well, do you know the band Lightning Bolt? The drummer has his own project, called Black Pus, and they were originally going to score it, but because of touring they couldn’t. Then I had a week, and asked Jack to do it and he said yes.
So did you just send him the film and get him to come up with something?
Well, no, it’s part of the reason I failed Camberwell [College] actually. I was late finishing the film so I ended up handing in the packaging I’d made with a VHS inside, except I hadn’t finished the film yet so I filled it with episodes of old American sitcoms. Loads of old Will and Grace episodes I think. Then one day I got a call from my tutor saying he’d managed to locate a VHS deck, and my heart just sank.
Do you approach things the same way? Whether you’re doing a music video, or visuals, or a film?
The first thing I did were these collages of Youtube videos, they were short films made out of clips I’d got off Youtube, I’d left the sound hard rigged in, so that it can create its own soundtrack. I don’t think my method of working has changed much since then, except now I’m making these things myself rather than re-appropriating them. I like to use the wrong tools for the job. I liken it to making collages, when you can’t change everything and you have to use what you can use.
You’ve already developed a really unique visual style I think. Especially in Lux Laze where it really seems to suit this sci-fi dystopia the characters explore.
It was more about the visuals, and the style, than the plot. I knew what I wanted visually, and the hardest bit was trying to come up with a plot to match what I wanted to create.
Did you shoot Lux Laze straight onto VHS?
Yeah, which was a real hassle. I wish I had shot it straight onto DV and then moved it onto VHS, it would’ve been a lot easier.
What I especially liked was that, you know how people say sci-fi and fantasy work is really about the present, but Lux Laze isn’t, its so self contained.
People said that it needed some kind of social critique to it, but I don’t think you should approach making a film by saying ‘this needs to be an exploration of what’s wrong with society’, or ‘I need to be dealing with social issues’. I wanted to make Lux Laze because I watch a lot of sci-fi and wanted to reference certain things I love.
What have you got planned next then?
I’m actually starting work on a second sci-fi film, which is going to be a Fata Morgana (mirage) desert type film set in an uninhabited future. There’ll be a machine, the last machine on earth, which has to re-inhabit the earth through this creature, this mutated little thing. I want to get some sort of mutant reptile from a pet shop, but I don’t know how easy it’ll be to get one? It’s all resting on its star character really.
Words: Felix Petty, Off Modern
Images: Dan Swan
Pick up a copy of Daniel Swan’s Lux Laze over at his website here: www.danielswan.co.uk
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The first month of 2011 is almost over so it’s time to get dancing again in build up to what should be an incredible summer of new music. There’s some big things on the horizon for the team here at Fragment and to celebrate deadlines for Issue 2 being over we thought we’d throw another one of our super partys to coincide.
Fragment 10, amazingly our tenth party and ninth at the Horse & Groom is set to be a blinder. Currently including our residents Moman, Mad as Hell and James Fragment we also have good friend and ali Opuscule coming down. We’ll also be adding one or two names to the bill over the next week so stay tuned on that.
For more information and updates head over to the facebook event here or the RA event here.
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The team here at Fragment just got hold of some flights and tickets to this years Sonar festival in Barcelona, so in true Fragment fashion we thought we’d show a little preview to one of Europe’s best summer activities.
Little Dragon
Massive massive year for this little one, from releasing yet another brilliant record the dragon team then went on to collab with Gorillaz and many more, can’t wait for a little boogie to this one.
A-Trak
There’s the mighty A-Trak with his whole funky/pop/dance new stuff going on, I truly hope he doesn’t play this but it’s the most relevant youtube video I could get my hands on.
Atmosphere
Bringing the hip-hop vibe down to Barcelona’s high street’s will be the massive Atmosphere. Not many of us have listened to him scince we gave up pretending to skateboard but you know he’ll bring the house down.
Hype Williams
It’s weird, It’s oddly wonderful and that’s about all. We’re big fans of their live shows we’ve seen in the past so a post paella dance off will be all that’s called for when their tunes start jumpin.
Preview part 2 coming next month! Get yourself some tickets here.
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