Join me for a night of madness at WEBSTER HALL JUNE 19th! I’ll be spinning the latest and greatest in-house, tech, and tribal on the main floor til 1am, alongside resident DJ’s Tengo and Mike Chach!!
You do not want to miss this: DIRTY HOUSE MUSIC + CIRCUS PARTY = MADNESS !
Make sure you check out the pics and links below to get an idea of the sensory overload this party is!
Go to the guest list line and say you’re on “Stigz List” for reduced admission-half price – ($20). For more info and bottle service shoot me a message on Facebook, click here for the event invite.
Get ready for an “Aural Beatdown!” Hear all the dirty filthy beats you love that I drop on the radio shows each week, and some brand new tracks that are too hot for the airwaves.
WEBSTER HALL
JUNE 19TH
19 to Remember, 21+ to forget
STIGZ
TENGO
MIKE CHACH
CIRCUS by SHANE SAVANT
STIGZ LIST FOR HALFPRICE ADMISSION!
PEACE.LOVE.MUSIC
– Stigz
* To check out what ManhattanStyle.com said about DJ Stigz, click here
Daniel Edwards had some things to say about Things of That Nature:
I absolutely love Black Taxi’s Things of That Nature. I hesitate to call this engaging and varied album indie-rock for fear of people dismissing it based on that moniker, but Black Taxi takes the indie-rock sound and infuses it with their unique blend of pop, new wave, alt-rock, classic rock…the list goes on; “Pretty Mama” and “Shoeshine” incorporate ska-esque horn sections; “Can’t Bring Myself To Care” evokes a longing, harmonized country vibe. Things of That Nature is like a conversation with the band; every track reveals a little bit more about them, painting a big colorful portrait of their sound. I wouldn’t skip a track on the CD, and I’d pay special attention to “Head on a Pike.” Everyone should listen to Black Taxi’s Things of That Nature.
If you are not a singer/songwriter fan, like me, then deciding on whether to give Charlotte Martin a try may be quite the daunting one. After all, the already over-crowded genre is home to hundreds of cringe inducing hacks, bubble gum drivel, clichés and over-hyped “artists” (Ryan Adams, Vanessa Carlton, Michelle Branch, Jackson Brown, and Paula Cole are a few that come to mind). But I assure you that the sonic risk is well worth it; if you stay the course, eventually you will find light at the end of the tunnel, and it is here that you will stumble across someone like CharMar (as her devoted fan-base calls her).
Since making her way to the music scene in 1998, CharMar has built up an incredibly large and diverse discography, including several EP’s, numerous collaborations and one-offs, and six full length albums. With so much available material to sample, where should you start? For ‘gem in the rough’ type tunes, be sure to explore her roots as an emerging singer/pianist by sampling her first release Mystery, Magic, and Seeds (1998)* or its follow-up One Girl Army (2001)* , with several of these early cuts being popular staples of her current live sets. Or there’s On Your Shore (see below), which expanded her sound, upgrading her quiet meditations into crisp, cathedral filling epics. Or if experimentation is more your speed, then be sure to experience her purest and most intoxicating release Stromata (2007), where Charlotte runs amok in the audio spectrum; stacking layers of world-beat, rock, electro, tinges of dark-wave and even a touch of opera, with her vocal/piano styling holding the reigns, resulting in one of the most awe-inspiring experimental albums of the past decade. With her latest opus Piano Trees, Charlotte engages her finely tuned piano stylings to create a deep, room filling atmosphere which aim to put one at ease and offer glimmers of inspiration with each floating chord struck. Life is full of small risks, and Charlotte Martin has proven again and again that she is one worth taking.
* Both Mystery, Magic, and Seeds and One Girl Army are damn near impossible to find, with the former being out of print and the latter never having being released. However, there is an EP with re-recorded selections from OGA. See Charlotte’s discography on her site.
Required Listening On Your Shore (2004)
After serious thought, I highly recommend my first full introduction to her musical universe, her major label debut On Your Shore. Sweeping arrangements, along with glittering high-end production work (courtesy of Ken Andrews), help to highlight the lush, piano driven songs that frame her elegant vocals. Stand out tracks include: “Sweet Chariot”, the wounded beauty of the title track “On Your Shore”, and the piano rock out of “Steele” (my personal favorite). Simply put, this album is a piece of audio beauty; above and beyond what a major label debut from an artist should be.
Best 8 songs for Atmosphere
8. “Sweet Chariot” (from On Your Shore)- Sitting on a park bench, thinking of all that could have been, and feeling sorry for yourself.
7. “Four Walls” (from Stromata)- Locking your door and flash-dancing away your frustrations.
6. “Cloudbusting” (from Reproductions)- Missing someone that you love, in all of its heart wrenching agony.
5. “Shrink” (from Rarities .6)- Helping you to pretend that only Mondays at work suck.
4. “A Beautiful Spot Out In The Skyline” (from Piano Trees)–Staring off into space with a glass of wine and reflecting, in montage form, of course.
3. “Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town” (from Reproductions)- Pretending that Pearl Jam didn’t write shitty songs.
2. “(I’m Normal) Please Date Me” (from Orphans)- Not feeling so bad for looking at photos of your ex, or saving her # in your phone, or driving by her house once in a while, or…
1. “Pills” (from Stromata)- Have I lost my mind? Am I insane? Yes… you are, and now you can bask in your off-the-rocker glory while you talk to yourself.
By Tina Teresi
With this single line, I was hooked. It’s quite possible that you’ve already heard the new single from the acclaimed UK band The Hours, “Ali in the Jungle”. Before I go praising one of my new favorite bands, let me give you some background.
The Hours hail from the UK and have played with prestigious rock bands such as U2, Oasis, and Kasabian. Their four song digital EP Ali and the Jungle was released on January 26th through Hickory/RED and is now available on iTunes. The Hours came together when singer-songwriter-producer Antony Geen, whose resume includes stints with Elastica and Pulp, was inspired to write songs “that are honest blood and guts on the floor” after seeing a Patti Smith performance. Genn rang up keyboardist Martin Slattery, his previous bandmate in The Mescaleros, Joe Strummer’s post-Clash band, and The Hours formed shortly thereafter. After experiencing The Hours’ music, Genn’s good friend Damien Hirst, the controversial post-modern UK artist, threw his support behind the band, developing a clock’s-eyed skull “logo” for The Hours’ records and on-stage set.
Their hit single “Ali in the Jungle” is featured in the new short film from Nike called “Human Chain”. The 60-second film, launched on February 12th through Nike’s Just Do It Facebook Community, is being aired over the Olympic broadcasts on NBC and ESPN as well as other major stations, including basketball coverage. Nike states that the Human Chain video “ celebrates the intensity, dynamism and determination that connects athletes in all sports and motivates them to inspiring performances.” It features athletic superstars Oscar Pistorius, Sergio Aguero, Deron Williams, Maria Sharapova, Mike Spinner, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, LaDainian Tomlinson and Lance Armstrong along with less recognized athletes to show us that they combine everyone into one unbroken chain of movement.
Watch the video here:
After you watch “Human Chain”, I’m deeming it MANDATORY to watch the video for “Ali in the Jungle”.
This highly detailed stop-motion video, directed by Swedish music video and film director Jonas Odell (“Take Me Out”/Franz Ferdinand, “Windows in the Sky”/U2, “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked”/Ida Maria), is phenomenal; it blew my mind! The song “Ali in the Jungle” was inspired by the famous 1974 World Heavyweight Boxing Championship between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali, fast paced and filled with hard-hitting hooks. Make sure to visit their MySpace page and read the ‘About The Hours’ section. If none of these other details have sold you, their bio will. I thank The Hours for being true, real, non-poser musicians as well as creating some of the best music I’ve heard so far this year!
This weekly feature isn’t a new concept, instead, it is an old concept with a new twist: the recommending of great music by someone who actually listens to it for pleasure! This may not sound like much, but when you think about it, most journalists are handed CD’s and listen and report because it’s their job. But here, music is listened to for enjoyment, not because anybody has to, helping to give this column a genuine feel. This place is not just limited to the Indie/Unsigned Artists, it’s also about “mainstream” artists that are truly taking musical risks, or ones that have seen their hey-day, but continue to make music, only on their owns terms. So we get to know each other better, I will provide you the reader with an introduction to my musical taste. Genre wise, I have a deep and undying love for New Wave, Synth-Pop, and 80’s music (and by 80’s I don’t mean that garbage called Hair metal, talk about posers). I am also deeply into the faceless world of Electronica, including the sub-genre of DJ culture. Take a look through my iPod or CD collection, you will find a diverse rotation of artists spanning each and every realm, such as BT, Paul Oakenfold, Human League, The Police, Sondre Lerche, The The, Boston, Static-X, Beth Orton, Charlotte Martin, Ken Andrews to name a few. What you won’t find in my collection are any Emo, Pop-punk or Indie “darling” bands or any of the like. I firmly believe that there is nothing likable about any of those genres, though I have tried to many of the artists a fair listen. In writing this weekly article, I hope to open up a whole new world of sonic experiences to you, showing you the roads less traveled. I am reaching out to you, the reader, to give the artist that I am talking about an honest shot.
Artists You Don’t Know About, but SHOULD
For my first installment in this weekly series, I have chosen one of my favorite artists, a musician that has never failed to excite or amaze, someone who pushes the sonic boundaries further and further out with each realese; he goes by the name of BT. So where do I begin? One would think that it would be the easiest of tasks to write about your favorite musician on the planet, but alas, it has proven to be one of the most difficult articles that I have ever had to write. Electronica artist, DJ (or not), music synthesist, film composer, these are just a few of the titles that one can bestow upon BT. The only thing more diverse than the man is his music, as evident by his albums, and the constant genre defying work each seems to be.
For starters, those of you that prefer dream-like trance that provides both a good beat to dance to, or soothing rhythms to chill to, one should be guided towards his first full-length effort Ima (1995). The album offers a journey through time and space, complete with pulsing rhythms, whale calling, floating pianos, and what can only be described as breathy, shimmering synth swirls, which help provide an audio journey through some distant far off land. In the U.S. version of the release, the listener is treated to a 2x CD experience, with disc 2 featuring collaboration with Tori Amos on the dance/rock track “Blue Skies”. Venturing further down the road of sound is his second effort ESCM, which expands further on the sonic journey of Ima, and is the first album to begin branching into genres such as hip-hop, drum and bass, and alt-rock (even featuring some live instruments). It features a more club-oriented vibe, which is exemplified in one of his most popular dance tunes “Flaming June” (which also appears at the end of the album as a brief orchestral hidden track). Or there’s the eclecticism of his third album, Movement in Still Life (2000), which gives you access to the inner workings of Bt’s mind, giving you a guide tour of the musical genres that not only influence him, but showing you the areas where he truly runs free. The opening hip-hop jam “Madskillz/Mic Chekka”, transitions into a pumping dance-rock assault (“Never Gonna Come Back Down”), which gives way to symphonic dance (“Dreaming”), right into an alt-rock ballad (“Shame”). The rest of the album continues on this course of action, each song constantly changing and shifting genres, while successfully staying on track to make the album a rocking cluster-fuck of cohesion (and I mean this in the best way). His fourth album, Emotional Technology (2003), represented a musical about face, giving more of a poppier-inflected sound in addition to the dance music that he is known for. It features Bt on vocals for several songs, and showcases more of his rock and acoustic roots, although his biggest hit in “Somnambulist” is still the dance sound known to BT fans. However, the album that represents a true musical journey is best contained within the 5.1 surround sound barriers of his most recent offering This Binary Universe (2006). Instead of dance numbers, flitching ballads, or hip-hop jams, instead the listener is given the access to a 5.1 surround sound world filled with ambient soundscapes, lush orchestral arrangements, and classical arrangements sequenced in time with its electronic counterparts.
Required Listening
ESCM (1997)
Top 10* Sonic Experiences
I originally had created a top 5 list to provide a good introduction to BT, however, upon listening to all of his albums again, I realized that a top 10 list would be needed, as his genre hopping is so prolific, it needs to be properly addressed. SO, for your consideration, here are the 10 best introductions to the sonic realm of Mr. BT:
Flaming June (from the album ESCM)
Tripping the Light Fantastic (from the album Ima)
Never Gonna Come Back Down (from the album Movement in Still Life)
Somnambulist (from the album Emotional Technology)
Love on Haight Street (from the album Movement in Still Life)
Girls Kissing (Music from and inspired the film Monster)
Blue Skies [ft. Tori Amos] (from the album Ima)
1.618 (from the album This Binary Universe)
Fibonacci Sequence (form the album Rare and Remixed)
The Road to Lostwithiel (from the album 10 Years in the Life)
PEACE.LOVE.MUSIC
Nevermind The Posers 