Electronicbeats // News

Computer Take An Electronic Turn

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:39:24 GMT

Remix Vinyl 'Give Me Another Frame' Released

Computer are known for their mellow electro-rock sound, but with four brand-new remix versions they are now showcasing their electronic side.

The remixes, done by Robosonic, Richard Davis, Juho Kahilainen and computer's Jan Hertz, present dancier, heavier versions of three songs off computer's debut record 'Give Me A Frame', and will be released through diskomafia.

Playfully entitled 'Give Me Another Frame', the remix record is now available as free download from computer's website. Starting September 5, it will be available as a 12" vinyl at the record dealer of your choice.

Electronic Beats Festival Vienna - Line-Up Announced!

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:21:04 GMT

The line-up for Electronic Beats Festival in Vienna has just been announced. After the football EURO 2008 has drawn our attention to Austria, it is time for the next big event, the Electronic Beats Festival in Vienna.

The following artists will be entertaining the crowds on October 18, 2008, at Museumsquartier:

Gorillaz Soundsystem
Booka Shade
Tricky
Whitest Boy Alive
Lo-Fi Fnk
and DJ Observer.

With a wealth of cutting edge artists to entertain and wow, this is set to be our most exciting festival yet. Information on tickets and set times will be announced shortly.

Electronic Beats bring you the best in forward thinking music, in a one day festival. For a taste of the atmosphere, check out the links below.

Iceland Rocks – in London

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:30:08 GMT

Iceland Airwaves Festival Kicks Off 10th Anniversary in London

The Iceland Airwaves Festival has ever since their start in 1999 brought together a wild mixture of local acts on those that were on the verge of making it big. All that in the almost surreal setting of an island in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. Of course, that makes getting there a little bit harder for all those of us who live on the continental shelf (even though Iceland Air is offering package deals which include airfare, it’s not exactly next door).

Therefore, Iceland Airwaves has a special event planned for their 10th anniversary. They will celebrate with a club whirlwind in East London on September 19, 2008, named London Airwave. The extravaganza will sweep across eight of London’s stylish clubs and will include acts such as

Florence And The Machine
The Whip
The Teenagers
Metronomy
These New Puritans
Poney Poney
Cazals/ Autokratz
Crookers

and many more. Tickets are £20 plus booking fee.

Of course, the Iceland Airwaves Festival will take place this year, too, if you are able to handle it. The snowparty takes place October 15- 19, 2008, in Reykjavik. Here, artists like

CSS
Simian Mobile Disco
Junior Boys
Gus Gus
Final Fantasy
Crystal Castles

and others will surely melt the ice.

London Airwaves
Friday, September 19, 2008
Venues: 93 Feet East, Cargo, Bar Music Hall, Vibe Bar, The Macbeth, Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, Old Blue Last & Hearn St carpark.

Iceland Airwaves
October 15-19, 2008
Reykjavik Art Museum, Gaukurinn, NASA, Organ, Grand Rokk, Barinn, and others

Bolero Recomposed

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:44:10 GMT

Bolero - surely one of the most recognisable pieces of 20th century contemporary classical music is getting the remix treatment. Not however from the Crazy Frog, but by two of dance music's most respectable figures: Carl Craig - a man who surely needs no introduction - and dub-techno originator Moritz von Oswald of Basic Channel fame. They have been locked away in the studio, tinkering with an original recording of Bolero by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra from 1987 and have created a truly unique piece of music. Combining the classical melodies with a rhythmic structure this is one of those very special collaborations which techno music throws up now and again. Furthermore they not only gave Bolero a re-rub, but they are also working on similar reinterpretations of Ravel’s ’Rapsodie Espagnola’ and Modest Mussorgsky’s ’Bilder einer Ausstellung’.

The full album "Re-Composed Vol. 3" is due to be released October 17th.

Product Placement Action vs. GEMA

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:38:51 GMT

In a new art project, Johannes Kreidler is attacking - or rather mocking - German GEMA agency for their copyright policy. In a video uploaded to YouTube (check link below), he claims to have used 70,200 works of other artists and wants to register all of those correctly at the GEMA.

This all has its legal background. When using, quoting or referring to bits of other artists' work in songs, one has to get the correct license agreement via GEMA (which otherwise goes by the lenghty name of "Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte" and is somewhat Germany's RIAA).

But with technical inventions and especially music sharing and mixing via the internet, this process is lagging behind the way music is produced and shared today.

Therefore, the idea to draw attention to this issue is perfectly understandable and as an artist finding a creative way to point out the absurdity of the current reglement is a goal reached here.

But the desire for publicity it is a bit too outspoken ("press and onlookers welcome", it says in the video), and the force behind this all seems to be a good bit of self-promotion and spotlight-searching on Kreidler's part, too. This spoils the cause he is after, but let's hope this project will still help move forward the much needed restructuring of the license agreements.

Electronic Producers Get Ready - Win Studio Production with MySpace and Sony Vaio

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:32:44 GMT

All unsigned electronic producers and sound fricklers listen up!

MySpace is cooperating with Sony and Intel to find the latest electronic talent. In this competition, you can win a professional studio recording, 2000 Vinyl copies of his or her track, and support by Sony as well as a live performance at one of MySpace Secret Shows. The list doesn't end here: lastly, a professional producer/ DJ- duo will remix the winning track.

Now here is how to get close to that precious price. Head to MySpace and add the Sony Vaio Electronic Sound Experience (see links below) as a friend. Only now you will be able to upload your best track and subject it to the Jury made up of Moonbootica and Sony Experts. And it wouldn't be MySpace if there wasn't another jury to place a click: the users will get to vote in 3 of the 10 finalists.

Of the last ten, the winner will again be determined through user voting, so impress the huge MySpace crowd with your track. The competition has started on the 7th of August and will go until September 24.

Press Play Again

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:11:35 GMT

Muxtape On Unintended Break

The popular site, on which users can create and share their own playlists, has run into problems with the RIAA, the Recording Industry Association of America. As often with digital music sharing, copyrights are a sticky area, even if it is just about self-created playlists.

Hopefully, all disagreements will be sorted out soon so we can again enjoy Muxtape's simple, stylish approach.

1, 2, 3 GO!

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:27:00 GMT

Berlin Label ~scape just re-released the first three albums from pioneering electronic producer Pole. First released almost a decade ago, Pole's distinctive collage of dubby bass and glitchy sounds, originating from his broken filter unit (also where he found his moniker) was years ahead of it's time and remained suitably niche. Fast forward to now and his influence, intentional or not, is clearly visible with the likes of Villalobos and Shakleton, combining dub, dubstep and minimalism. Released as a three in one digi-pack, with selected bonus tracks, and a forthcoming Shakelton remix the album(s) are available now. Check out the links below for the Pole 1 2 3 album player.

Share The Party At Open Source Festival

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 10:57:50 GMT

A beautiful location close to the Rhine, a day-and-night party program and some of the coolest acts on the scene: the Open Source Festival on Saturday, August 23, promises for a good time. Here not software but the love for music and dancing will be shared. Set at the Strandbad Lörick in Düsseldorf during the day, the party will move to the Böhlerwerke at sundown.

The line-up at both locations leaves no desire unanswered. Among the artists are

Junior Boys
Uffie & DJ Feadz
Modeselektor, with Pfadfinderei providing for an all-around experience with their visuals
Blowfly & Otto von Schirach
Jake the Rapper & Raz Ohara
Sub-Tle

and many more. It seems the organizers won't fall short of their promise to gather "international, national, and local heroes and the world's best audience at one of the most beautiful places". A bus shuttle will get the festival crowd from the beachside location to the nightly clubbing area. Otherwise, taking public transportation or your bike is recommended because parking spots are rare.

Tickets are available in a daytime and day-and-night-version, costing 19 or 29 Euros advance buying price. But hurry up, the day-and-night ticktes for the whole festival are available at limited numbers only! Click on the links below to buy tickets or find out more about the festival.

Open Source Festival, August 23, 2008, Strandbad Lörick and Böhlerwerke, Düsseldorf

London Club Matter Announces First Acts

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:04:34 GMT

Latest Addition to London's Club Scene Set to Start Big

The team of London's club Fabric will open up their new venue 'matter' and have just announced the first six weeks of their program. It doesn't lack events to look forward to. Live Launch, the club's opening night on September 19, 2008, has performances of James Lavelle and Pablo Clements aka UNKLE plus Late of the Pier and Iglu & Hartley lined up for the first party-goers, with the next day's Club Launch celebrated with Carl Cox.

Over the next weeks, artists such as Simian Mobile Disco, Armand van Helden and the artists of Moshi Moshi Records will perform at matter to help make the club a bright light on London's club scene.

'Matter', located within the O2 arena, will welcome up to 2,600 dancers to three floors, and with their state-of-the-art soundsystem and 360 degrees visuals promises to offer a unique party experience. Tickets go on sale Thursday, August 14, prizes are 10- 20 pounds.

Program:

September

19th – Live Launch Night – UNKLE Live, Late Of The Pier Live , Iglu & Hartley Live, Huw Stephens
20th – Club Launch Night – Carl Cox, Kissy Sell Out, Yousef & More TBA
26th – Mylo, Reverend and The Makers Live, Casino Royale Live, Riotous Rockers more TBA
27th – Renaissance – Sasha, Marcus James, CR2 Live & Direct - Mark Brown, Micky Slim, Steve Mac, Arno Cost

October

2nd – Mousetrap Party: Deadmau5 Live, Chris Lake
3rd – This is Not London – Simian Mobile Disco
10th – BedRock 10th Anniversary – John Digweed
17th – This Is Not London – Southern Fried Records, Armand Van Helden
18th – This Is Not London - Moshi Moshi Records Label Party
24th – This Is Not London – James Murphy

Voulez-vous danser avec moi?

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:19:07 GMT

Tecktronik Open 'Dance in August' Festival in Berlin, Which Celebrates its 20th Anniversary

French dancers Tecktonik and DJ Fetish will open the 20th international dancing festival „Tanz im August“ (Dance in August) on August 15, 2008.

The Tecktronik dance style, born in club Metropolis on Paris’s outskirts around the year 2001, has generated considerable buzz already in France. From the club’s regulars, it has spread among the young French crowd. By now, the fifth Tecktronik CD-compilation is about to be released, and the dance ensemble, the „Eklesiasts“, are showing off their skills in numerous videos (check links below for some examples).

With their performance at the dance festival, they’re stepping outside France’s borders. Their energetic, silly, party-happy style is bound to find copycats all over Europe.

The dance festival has brought together dancers from genres ranging from modern ballet to hiphop, from experimental to classical styles. This unique mix is the appeal of the festival, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary. It will last until August 31, 2008.

Tecktronik Performance & DJ Fetish, August 15, 2008, 10 pm, HAU 2, Am Halleschen Ufer 32, Berlin-Kreuzberg

Festival Dance in August, August 15-31, 2008, Hebbel am Ufer, Am Halleschen Ufer, Berlin-Kreuzberg

See links below for more information on the festival, Tecktronik, and the other performers.

Addictive TV Remix Olympics

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:04:43 GMT

Addictive TV To Remix Olympic Broadcasts Live

With the Olympic Games opening on Friday, August 8, we are starting into more than three weeks of top-level atheletic competition, with countless hours of broadcasting. To spice it up a little more, Addictive TV have teamed up with Austrian TV station ORF to produce live remixes of the Olympics broadcasts!

They will get their laptops started at ORF's Vienna studios to remix the Olympics feed into their own live channel for up to five hours a day.

Addictive have also been active in the sports sector before, presenting their Sportive clip at the Adidas "Gongzhen - Art in Sport" exhibition. Click on the link below to see the clip on Youtube.

A New DVD Celebrates Kraftwerk

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:14:59 GMT

With this new three-hour (!) DVD, entitled Kraftwerk and the Electronic Revolution, another page is added to Kraftwerk's book of legends. The documentary, to be released on September 4 through MVD, DVD, follows the pioneers of electronic music from their early stages through the peak of their popularity in the 1970s and their resurgence during the 80s.

It features interviews with Kraftwerk's members as well as others who were there with them, fellow artists and journalists. Additionally, many of Kraftwerk's live and studio recordings can be found on the DVD.

Kraftwerk have paved the way for many that came after them, or, as Electronic Beats' Peyman puts it: "Rarely has a musical formation exerted such influence, all the while constantly osciallating between Avantgarde and Pop."

Documentary: Kraftwerk and the Electronic Revolution, out Sept 4, 2008. Click on links below to the MVD store (search Kraftwerk) to find out more.

Bertelsmann Quits Sony BMG Venture

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:18:38 GMT

Bertelsmann to sell their 50 percent share of Sony BMG to Sony

Yet another sign the music industry is undergoing profound changes, and not everyone will come out on top. Bertelsmann announced on August 5, 2008, that the company will sell their 50 percent share of Sony BMG, the music joint venture of the Germany media empire with the Sony Corporation.

And while it's not Alicia Key's fault (she's one of Sony BMG's artists), Bertelsmann has long contemplated a move out of the music business. After selling their BMG Music Publishing venture two years ago, leaving Sony BMG is the next step.

The anti-trust bodies of several countries have yet to approve the sale, with the price rumored to be around one billion euro. With traditional ways to make money from music eroding, it will be interesting to see which direction Sony BMG, to be renamed Sony Music Entertainment Inc, will take under the lead of the Sony Corporation.

Primary Colours Festival

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:39:57 GMT

When it comes to being a breeding ground for electronic music, Berlin has a unique stand. From techno to minimal and house, all shades of this genre have found their place in the underground clubs of the city on the Spree. So it was just a question of time until Berlin would get her very own electronic music festival. This is the task the Primary Colours Festival, set to party hard on Saturday, August 9, has come out to do.

For the first time, it will gather a cross-section of Berlin’s rich electronic music scene, to celebrate the different styles and sounds this city is home to. Among the artists performing on three floors are Jahcoozi, Jake the Rapper, Pantha du Prince, Sasse aka Freestyle Man, Miss Fitz, Pigeon, and many more.

The setting adds another special touch to this festival, as the party will take place at the Citadel in Spandau, a beautiful fortress with thick walls, watchtowers, and a middle-ages feel to it. Don’t wake up the bats, party people!

To transport all the prospective dancers from Berlin’s centre to the outskirts of the city, two party busses will go back and forth all day, one leaving from Ostbahnhof, the other one from Space Hall at Zossener Strasse. Check myspcae.com/primary_colours for details on times (click on link below).

Primary Colours Festival, Saturday, August 9, at Citadel Spandau, starting 3 pm

Mainstage

Jahcoozi (Asound, Berlin)
Jake the Rapper live
Sweet N Candy (Einmalseins, District Of Corruption)
Channel X Live
Patha du Prince
Aaron Hedges
John Osborn
Martin Zadak vs Kotelett
DJ Humus
Dana Ruh
M.Thorn
Hintergrundrauschen

Resident Advisor Floor (outdoor)
Guillaume & the Coutu Dumonts live
Len Faki
Sasse aka Freestyle Man
Miss Fitz
Agaric live
Quarion live
Hedda
Molly
Mr. Statik

Beatsreet Floor (indoor)
Konrad Black
Matt John
Pigon
Rebekkah Aff
Simon Winniewski

Berlin Calling

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:27:48 GMT

Latest movie of director Hannes Stöhr will premiere on August 8 at Locarno Film Festival

"Berlin Calling" tells the story of electronic musician Martin, who tours the clubs under the name of DJ Icarus. Shortly before his big record release, one of Martin's live sets ends in a mental hospital, and everthing seems to turn upside down.

So far the story synopsis of Hannes Stöhr's new masterpiece. The director of "One Day in Europe", and "Berlin is in Germany" has long been weaving the themes of music and Berlin into his work. Paul Kalkbrenner impersonates Martin and bears responsibility for the movie's soundtrack, both promising facts in itself.

With the premiere date set on August 8 in Locarno, it won't be long until we get to see this film about "art and insanity, delusion and ecstasy, hope and future (...) music and the joy of living... and of course, about love", as director Stöhr puts it. It will come to cinemas in Germany starting October 2.

To get a glimpse of what to expect, check out the trailer on the movie's website.

A new round of Jägermeister's Rock:Liga

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:08:09 GMT

Crystal Castles, Metronomy and Shitdisco in the run for title 2009

After Mediengruppe Telekommander won the title of JägerMeister 2008, it is now time for the next round in this popular competition by beverage producers Jägermeister. There will be four groups with three contestants each - the winners of the groups will play each other in the final to determine the champion. With Crystal Castles, Metronomy, and Shitdisco all in Group B, it will be hard to pick a favourite in this electro-heavy competition.

But this decision will be left up to the audience of the concerts, who will nominate the winners by their level of applause. In Group A, competition also promises to be tough, with Bloodlights, Die Mannequin, and Oceansize up against each other. As for now, Groups A and B are set to go, with the competitors in Groups C and D to be announced in the fall. So get ready to go out and help crown the JägerMeister 2009.

Check out the links below for more information.

GAS live at Schauspielhaus Leipzig

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:31:28 GMT

Wolfgang Voigt plays live as GAS for the first time

On September 28, Wolfgang Voigt will be performing live under his GAS project- for the first time in twelve years, the organizers say. After this spring's re-release of his four GAS records in a four-disc-edition called Nah und Fern (Near and Far), this founding member of the minimal movement will finally take the stage. Together with video artist Petra Hollenbach, he will perform an audio-visual fairytale.

And which better setting could there be for his magical music than the red-cushioned seats of a pompous theatre? The gig will take place at Leipzig's Centraltheatre, with tickets available online now (check links below) and at the ticket counter starting August 11.

Wolfgang Voigt presents: GAS live, Centraltheater, September 28, 2008, at 8 pm.

Shit Happens

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:36:38 GMT

With New Dog Poo Bags, Scoop Up Your Dog's Marks In Style

Having a dog is not as fun when it comes to cleaning up after your best friend. Trying to pick up your dog's left-overs without getting your hands dirty looks awkward and is uncomfortable. But what to do about it?

Nina Dautzenberg and Andrea Gadesmann are coming to the rescue of dog lovers. They have designed very cute and funny, yet also undeniably useful dog poo bags.

Through a special folding technique, these stylish paper bags allow dog owners to scoop up their pet's stuff without getting their hands in it. Also, they're fully recyclable and come in different sizes. With prints such as "Size matters" or "Don't blame me", these little helpers add a fun punch-line to this usually avoided task. Keeping our city clean has just become a lot easier!

Check out their online store by clicking on the link below.

An Artists' Playground

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:41:36 GMT

The minds behind the distinguished Get Physical record label have founded a new playground for music lovers. Label Kindisch (childish) is every house musicians sandcastle. Here, "artists are invited to run free and experiment within all the varieties of contemporary House music," the founders say.

This leads to a new and fresh style that mixes House into Jazz and Soul, for example, and has caught on with DJs such as Derrick Carter, Claude Von Stroke, and many others. Founded in Berlin two years ago, their website is now online internationally. There you can check out the artists and, by clicking on the link below, listen to a mix of some of their proudest children.