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“Thieves Like Us” by Art Prostitute

Alright, let’s spend a little time focusing on a band called Thieves Like Us for a minute. Of course, they’re another Kitsune signed group, giving more credit to a label that doesn’t need any more validation whatsoever. As a Sweedish and NY based synth-pop experimental indie collaboration, ‘Thieves received a lot of attention within the past few months for their track “Drugs In My Body”. It blew up. Now out of New York, after moving from Berlin, we can expect to hear a lot more from these guys coming up very shortly. Here are a few more of their songs if you have yet to hear what they have to offer.

On a little side note, they have a bleak little history of their music on their Myspace page with a funny excerpt that gives you an idea of who they are as people rather than musicians, stripping away image instead of building up and constructing some flashy, glam bullshit that we’ve become so familiar with. We were fans of rock and pop music and would try to find places to go out drinking and dancing, but all we would hear is techno and electro. The women didn’t seem to like us at all. We started deejaying ourselves.

Thieves Like Us - Drugs In My Body

Thieves Like Us - Program of the First

Thieves Like Us - Fass

Thieves Like Us - Headlong Into the Night

“Drugs in my Body” Music Video.

“Bear” by Me.

So, while at Debonair last night listening to The Glass play a set, I was drinking my beer as “Touch Your Toes” comes on. ‘Damn, what is that track?’ I ask my friends. They didn’t know, so I found myself wandering up to the dj booth to ask, surprised to hear that it was a ‘Helden track. I’m kind of an Armand Van Helden hater to be quite honest. And though it’s very apparent that he can construct a floor banger, I feel that most of his music is the same commercial house crap that everybody else creates nowadays. However, get Stretch Armstrong on the mix with it and DAMN. First you gotta drop the sub-par Fat Joe lyrics off of it and then you got something to work with. I’ll tell you what, if I was any good at mixing, I’d throw “Golden Skans” to that beat and watch a floor cave in on itself. I’ll throw the original remix on there just to help you get an idea of what I’m talking about in regards to Fat Joe.

As far as the other tunes go, the Ursula 1000 track that was touched up by Red Foxxxworth is awesome. I generally like anything that that guy touches. Boys Noize is still hot enough to drop a remix every post that I do. Britney Spears is so terrible that even Timbaland is reduced to new lows in producing for her, however, he can be redeemed through the Bloody Beetroots tearing his tracks apart for the moment- never really liked Timbo. Yeah. Of course, anything that The Junior Boy lay a hand on is an automatic work of genius, no matter how lengthy and boring the intro. Fujiya and Miyagi are rolling through Chicago in a few weeks as well- part of the assembly line of amazing talent that chi-town promoters have been baiting lately- so I’m going to start warming you guys up to their sound if you are previously unfamiliar. “Collarbone” is the first in a series of posts that will include their works, or maybe I’ll just heap them all together. I guess we’ll see. The Klaxons remix that Miyagi worked on is by FAR the best version I’ve heard so far, rivaling Switch’s remix for best overall Klaxons edit- if you want my two cents. And a little Trentemoller & The Knife to finish it all up with.

Armand Van Helden - Touch Your Toes (Stretch Armstrong Remix Instrumental)

Armand Van Helden - Touch Your Toes feat. Fat Joe (Stretch Armstrong Remix)

Timbaland - Miscommunication - Bloody Beetroots Remix

Ursula 1000 - Kaboom (Red Foxxxworth Remix)

Boys Noize - & Down (Ryan Justin Edit)

Basement Jaxx - Romeo (Shinichi Osawa Tokyo Garage Mix)

Britney Spears - Kiss Me All Over (Produced by Timbaland)

Decemberists - Perfect Crime (Junior Boys Remix)

Fujiya & Miyagi - Collarbone

Klaxons - Atlantis to Interzone (Mr. Miyagi Bootleg Remix)

The Knife - We Share Our Mothers Health (Trentemoller Remix)

LTJ Bukem @ Smart Bar

For those of you who want to relax and unwind, Smart Bar might be your spot this Thursday night. World renowned English drum & bass and jungle dj LTJ Bukem will be in town for the evening to showcase his breakthrough, legendary turntablism that has set standards since the 80’s. This guy may have started IDM for all we know, and though Chicago isn’t much of a city for d&b, any house or tech head would easily get down to what he has to offer. He is a bonafied gangster on the tables, and considering how well the sound setup and acoustics are of Smart Bar, it’ll be a night to remember.

LTJ Bukem - Parish

LTJ Bukem - Journey Inward

The Glass, Trancid & Mark Gertz @ Debonair

Alright, this is where I’m probably going to spend my night tonite. Dark Wave Disco DJs Trancid & Mark Gertz brought out The Glass to perform a DJ set, and if there is anything that I’ve learned the last few weeks it’s that these guys bring the noise on a regular basis. They’ll be kicking off the She Wants Revenge & Digitalism events within the next few weeks as well (look to your left for dates & places). Soon Trancid and Gertz will embark on a brief California tour to spread their notoriety. It’ll be interesting to see what these guys will be up to in another couple of months.

The Daft Punk Pyramid (Click to Enlarge)

The following text is an exerpt from MixMag

1. Abelton
“The show revolves around Ableton Live software on custom made super-computers, which we remotely access and control with Behringer BCR2000 midi controllers.”

2. Screens
“Next to the ethernet remote computer screens there are four Minimoog Voyagers, the classic analog synthesizers. They’re a 30-year old design.”

3. Moogs
“We can mix, shuffle, trigger loops, filter, distort samples, EQ in and out, transpose or destroy and deconstruct synth lines. We keep some surprises on the side too!”

4. Visuals
“There’s a direct connection between our rig and the lights and visuals of the show. The light and video engineers can also add or control layers during the show.”

5. Synths
“Inside the pyramid are synthesizers and remote controls connected to the rest of the music equipment and computers, which are in rack-mounted towers off stage.”

6. Teamwork
“Working the music equipment, lighting and video equipment, and building the pyramid for each show takes around 10 people, including both of us.”

So here’s to the skeptics that thought that Daft Punk just popped a CD in, or something to that effect. I’m tempted to get tickets to Vegoose at the end of October, which is the festival that happens in Las Vegas every year for those of you that haven’t heard. But I’m kind of broke from all of the smaller shows I’ve been seeing lately. We’ll see.

Junkie XL, photo by ME

Ever since I saw Junkie XL almost a year ago at Myst in Scottsdale, I have been an avid fan. He literally tore the roof off of that place that night, it was an amazing spectacle and it took place on Halloween- making the event even more memorable because everybody was ready to party. Totally awesome. The sound guys said that they had to make three seperate trips to Ace hardware to setup all of the electric gadgetry he required for his ensemble. I can’t emphasize how hard he can rock a crowd. I’m waiting for the Bloc Party “Sunday” remix that he played that night to either a) get leaked, or b) get released (hopefully). If you’ve heard or have it, let a brother know about it. Please.

Recently, Junkie released some new music. The first track is a download right off of his Myspace page. Very generous of him. The rest of them are random remixes that he has released through the years. The Coldplay song is a classic, no matter how gay you may think I am for saying it.

Junkie XL - Fuck More

Unkle - Burn My Shadow (Junkie XL 12 Inch Remix)

Coldplay - Talk (Junkie XL Remix)

Fatboy Slim - Weapon of Choice (Junkie XL Remix)

Here’s a remix of a Junkie XL track edited by Nine Inch Nails, entitled “Beauty Never Fades” -a very interesting collaboration.

Ulrich Schnauss @ The Knitting Factory, Photo by AlienRadio.

Take a journey through the music of Ulrich Schnauss with me for a moment. Where his production is static, yet ethereal. Not quite ambient, moreso an existential rollercoaster, suspending you in a moment as it all flows through you. There is a lot of emotion, a lot to digest and reflect on. It is not hard to be moved by his work, or to find yourself moving with it, swept away by a tide and then vanquished. Reset. With influences ranging from Tangerine Dream to Kraftwerk to My Bloody Valentines, there’s a whole grab bag of timeless organic wonder to sift through. Songs that when played you never want to end.

Ulrich has produced three albums in his career, his first entitled “Far Away Trains Passing” which was his premiere release in Berlin under the record label CCO. Germany, which has always been a progressive capitol of electronic music, as well as his birthplace, took to his sound very well. His delicate minimal instrumental shoegaze masterpieces stole hearts, and paved the way for the artist, eventually leading to his next installment; “A Strangely Isolated Place”.

Through this second release, Ulrich delved backwards into his earlier indie rock influences and even newer realms of songwriting, all coming together in the author’s developing sense of music and where he wanted to go with it. People noticed, mostly through a word of mouth movement that echoed his praises.

Now we are confronted with his final piece, rightfully entitled “Goodbye”. Such a bleak and unforgiving title suits the message well, as well as the sound that he has perpetually spun throughout the years. It all came together with “Goodbye”, some songs even multitasking over a hundred tracks together in a seamlessly blended masterpiece. The song “Stars” is a testament to his brilliance, only making it more devastating once you realize that this is his farewell note to the world. We will miss you, Ulrich Schnauss.

This week, Ulrich Schnauss will be finishing up his North American tour, sweeping through my city of Chicago day after tomorrow to throw a set at the Beat Kitchen with Auburn Lull, Manual & Airiel. Afterwards there will be a DJ set spun by Ulrich over at Darkroom. Considering that it might be your last chance to see his work live, I’d be sure to come and check out one of the two events. You can count on me being there. Here are some of his tracks. The first three are off of “Goodbye”, the fourth and fifth are the title tracks off of his first two albums. Beautiful, the type of music to listen to while driving, unloading from a day at work. Just take a deep breath…

Ulrich Schnauss - Stars

Ulrich Schnauss - Medusa

Ulrich Schnauss - Shine

Ulrich Schnauss - …Passing By

Ulrich Schnauss - A Strangely Isolated Place

Ulrich Shnauss Tour Dates

09/28 - Chicago, IL - Beat Kitchen (feat. Auburn Lull, Manual & Airiel)
09/28 - Chicago, IL - DJ Set @ Darkroom
09/29 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Club (feat. S.I. & Airiel
10/01 - Seattle, WA - Crocodile Cafe (feat. Turn-Ons & High Violets)
10/02 - Portland, OR - Holocene (feat. Turn-Ons & High Violets)
10/03 - San Fransisco, CA - Cafe Du Nord (feat. Manual & Fleeting Joys)
10/05 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour (feat. Manual & Fleeting Joys)

Metric, Live. Photo by Ming Wu.

The Metro has been rolling in impressive talent one after another the past few weeks with such diversity! The kind of diversity that suits my tastes and keeps my wallet empty and stomach full of beer. Cheers. Tonight, Toronto’s own Metric & Crystal Castles are lighting up Wrigleyville for their brief visit on their North American tour. Metric, who were nominated for both the Juno Award and the Polaris Music Prize for their latest album “Live it Out” released the record almost a year ago. Their music speaks for itself, very real- something that offers no apologies, bordering on new wave and a pre grunge era familar to Sonic Youth in the way they combine guitar riffs, powerful lyrics and a driving synthesizer. They are a band all their own.

Metric - Dead Disco

Metric - Combat Baby

Metric - Hustle Rose

Metric - Rock Me Now

Metric - The Twist

Crystal Castles. Photo by Zombie Eater.

And on to Crystal Castles, I’ve been waiting to write this post for a while now, hinting at it the last few days. Sorry, I gotta repost a song or two, but there’s some new stuff to look at as well. These guys kick 8-bit ass with atari sound chips, ready to remix and reshape any tune into electronic insanity. Sofar they have several EP’s entitled “Alice Practice”, “Crimewave 7″” & “Untrust us”, and have done remixes of mostly electro clash bands/friends including Liars, The Whip& Health. Honestly, I’m much more excited to witness what these guys are about to bring than Metric. There’s something so innovative, raw and dirty to their production, but on the surface of the video game generated noises it appears to be so polished. Such a strange contrast, yet they are able to reach so deep with tracks like “Leni”, way beyond the original grasp of the song. Such cool stuff.

Bloc Party - Hunting for Witches (Crystal Castles Remix)

Liars - It Fit When I Was Young (Crystal Castles Remix)

Crystal Castles - Air War

The Goodbooks - Leni (Crystal Castles Remix)

The Whip - Divebomb (Crystal Castles Remix)

Uffie - Make it Hott (Crystal Castles Remix)

Crystal Castles - No Skin

Metric & Crystal Castles Tour Dates

09/25 - Chicago, IL - The Metro
09/25 - Chicago, IL - Crystal Castles Afterparty: Funky Buddha Lounge
09/26 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
09/28 - Denver, CO - Bluebird
10/01 - Phoenix, AZ - Martini Ranch
10/01 - Phoenix, AZ - Afterparty: Burn Nightclub
10/02 - Pamona, CA - Glass House
10/03 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues
10/05 - Los Angeles, CA - Fonda
10/06 - San Fransisco, CA - Download Festival
10/08 - Portland, OR - Wonder
10/09 - Seattle, WA - Showbox

Theekip, on Youtube, created this video below. I think it’s pretty sweet. When asked about it’s authenticity, this is what he had to say:

“To answer the questions, no technically this is not official.i have created it, not CC, BUT they did email me regarding it and they asked for a full version, which they suggested they were perhaps going to use. However they have been in contact to let me know they have recently made a proper video, which is in the pipeline.Until then, enjoy this.”