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Interview: MIDNIGHT MOVIES

Interview: MIDNIGHT MOVIES

LR: What was the big difference or plan in this album than the last? What were you trying to get across that you maybe couldn’t on the last record?

Larry: We were able to stretch out and definitely get a more expansive sound. I think on the first record with the 3-piece we had limitations and it worked really well for that phase of the band. After we toured for that Gena and I were on one wavelength as far as moving her up front and adding new members in the band. The purpose was to make it more dynamic and showcase Gena’s vocals, and to also get some people in the band who challenged us and were really talented so we could push are sound.  

We didn’t want to sit back and make the same record again, we wanted to take it to the next level. I think it’s a more exciting record and the live shows reflect that.

Gena: There was more room in the studio because on the last record we went into the studio and played it exactly how we had rehearsed and played it live.

Larry: The whole thing was done in two weeks.

LR: That’s really fast.

Gena: Yeah, this record we had learned and changed so much with me going up front, getting new members, a new manager, and Jason not being in the band. We didn’t finish a song until we were completely happy with every part of it. Steve Fisk came in to produce and really made it feel more open. He brought a lot of his own gear and had lots of great ideas. We actually wrote some parts to songs in the studio so perhaps you can pick up on some of the spontaneity.

LR: So you didn’t just get more members you got a whole new crew. Was the intention to “clean house” after getting new band members?

Gena: No, those things just happened.

Ryan: It was a long process and things just kept on changing. Emperor Norton went down and then things just kept changing.

LR: They became RYKO?

Gena: Well, it’s funny because RYKO and Emperor Norton were both courting us for the deal and then RYKO bought Emperor Norton and ended up claiming the purchase of Emperor’s mistake. So they were really inspired by our newfound outlook for the next record.

Larry and I were just so clear about getting another drummer. The style of having minimal drumming and vocals was part of the sound but really limited. We just had all these new things to work with. So it was just all about the sound needing to get there.

LR: So when you talk about limitations on the first album did you feel those even before you went into the studio?

Gena: We felt them but it wasn’t at all like a negative thing. We embraced the minimal drumming and bass organ as seminal parts to the sound. And we really liked and felt like we touched upon this thing that we were protective of. I ended up staying as the drummer temporarily to write songs. But when we decided to play I couldn’t really play drums.

As we went along and discovered this sound we were scared of it being altered so we stayed with it and made ourselves do it and just got the hang of it. And once we started writing the record we started to realize that we were going to end up writing the same record again if we didn’t make some changes. You can only get so much out of that limited set-up. Ryan and Sandra added so much to the style and they’re both so musical and capable with the positions they’re filling.

Ryan: I think of it this way, the first album is like a yellow-mustard color and the second is like a reddish-orange.

LR: What exactly do you mean by that?

Ryan: I have no idea…actually yellow has its purpose. The new record is stronger.

Sandra: It’s more mature in a way and I like that.

LR: So it’s more mature like the band is actually finding itself.

Gena: I really feel like musically we’re much stronger and more capable now. I feel like we can do anything we want. Before we would run into obstacles and I would think to myself I can’t really take this further because I was so limited as a drummer. Or because we would have this constant volume of an organ sound that really just didn’t have any humanity to it. But now with a bass guitar and this incredible drummer we’ve been so inspired and want each record to grow and have its own signature sound.

Larry: What we did was lay the groundwork for different avenues. Now we can write an acoustic type song with drums, guitar and vocals or write an electronic song and people will hear both and think yeah that sounds like Midnight Movies. We’re hoping that type of sound is showing that we’re not just a rock band or an electronic band.

Gena: We just have so many interests musically. Part of the reason we decided to get a drummer in the first place for me was because when we toured with Luna I observed the drummer Lee and he was so incredible and took every song and change as far as it could go. I was just like “that’s a real drummer right there, that’s what we need.” So I would talk to Larry and we were always on the same page about that. This one has more rock to it.

LR: I’ve noticed in the live shows it’s definitely more immediate, like right out of the gates.

Larry: Yeah, on the last record we would kind of go there sometimes, and then withdraw. There are a couple of songs on the new record that are just full-on the whole time.

LR: It sounds harder for sure but doesn’t sound too “hard,” does that make sense? It’s got a good level of aggression to it that wasn’t on the last album.
For Ryan and Sandra, what’s it been like touring since the album has been finished?

Sandra: It was my first tour, the Alexi Murdoch was physically demanding I thought. But it was really fun. The Alexi crowd is a little different but it was sold-out and the shows were good.

Larry: We also did a mini-tour with Serena-Maneesh and that was the first time our band started playing live with the new members. There were probably more people actually there to watch us. The Alexi tour was different and definitely a new challenge because the crowd is kind of different.

LR: Serena-Maneesh fans seem to me like your kind of crowd anyway.

Ryan: The Alexi tour came together really quick and was so compact. We were playing a lot of dates and we were also backing him up on stage. We’d have like six dates, a day off, then six more with another day off. So going through that cycle was pretty intense.

LR: When you’re playing back-to-back every night what do you do to relax and wind down?

Gena: Ryan and Sandra pick on each other, like brother and sister.

Sandra: I sleep a lot.

LR: Yeah, you got to rest up.

Sandra: We got to be on Alexi’s tour bus and sleep.

Gena: She would sleep until sound check the next day. It was cool to be driving and then wake up in another city. Although it seemed like we hadn’t left and you’d get off the bus in another big city.

Larry: We would just be on the bus in such an isolated place, watch DVDs, Nacho Libre….

Gena: Which is a classic.

Larry: Just watch a lot of movies. It’s an interesting way to travel to be on a bus instead of a van and have bunk beds.

Gena: All the windows are blacked out and you just end up in another town.

Larry: There’s something to be said for traveling in a van and really getting to experience the places you’re going to. You get to stop where and when you want to to see landmarks or buy souveniers.

Gena: Being on a bus you don’t have to drive, you can just crash and watch a movie. But when you get to a city you don’t have a car to go the places you want.

Ryan: Our driver was very cool. Walter.

Gena And our bus was called the “Black Pearl.”

LR: Sounds regal.

Gena: It was. Walter was the coolest guy ever, he’s from Austin. He was such a pirate.

Ryan: Yeah, I could do some impersonations….”GOD DAMN MOTHEFUCKER!” Driving down the road he’s always yelling at other cars….”GOD…FUCK!”

Gena: He would be screaming at every car. He had such a temper and then just turn around and be so polite.

LR: When you get back to L.A. what’s your favorite place to eat for under ten dollars?

Gena: Under ten dollars? My kitchen. I don’t know. Everything is so friggin’ expensive.

Sandra: I have some places; I’m kind of a foodie. El Atacor. Potato tacos---they're so bad for you but taste so good.
Ryan: There’s a place in Burbank called Lily’s Café. It’s this really tiny crack in the wall that can only fit a couple of people in it. It’s all really fresh, organic stuff and the lady there will only serve you what goes best with your food….she doesn’t serve yellow mustard, only the sweet mustard. It’s really good, but never open when you guys (Midnight Movies) are there.

Gena: I cannot think of a place that you can eat for under ten dollars. We like to go to House of Pies and diners but it’s always over ten dollars. I cook so much, and I love to cook.

LR: What’s the most bizarre, weird road story you’ve had?

Gena: Everyone always asks “bizarre,” how about “boring.”

LR: Let’s hear the most “boring.”

Ryan: Well pretty much it was the bus falling apart. That’s not good when you have a trailer and when you’re driving things are falling off like the side mirror. How do you park a huge bus without a side mirror?

Larry: The constant smell of the exhaust pipe. And the toilet’s septic tank was in the same cabin as the rest of the bus. There was a big flat screen TV in the back room that was always swinging and barely attached.

LR: Isn’t Walter in charge of that stuff?

Larry: We’d be sleeping and wake up in the middle of the night and Walter would be on the side of the freeway fixing the bus and the radiator. Then we found some random guy in the next town to fix the air conditioning. It was a constant battle between the bus and the band so it wouldn’t fall apart.

Sandra: The one thing that really stuck out in my mind was in Hoboken, NJ when three people passed out.

Larry: Yeah here was a lot of passing out.

Gena: There was this strong smell of gas leaking form somewhere. Nobody that worked there could tell and they thought it was the heat so they turned up the air conditioning. So we’re all up on stage in jackets and the lights re usually really hot.

When we were backing Alexi he uses all these vintage acoustic guitars and it kept going out of tune and he was so pissed. It was not a good night, but yeah three people passed out, and one girl was having convulsions on the floor. Where did other people pass out?

Larry: Alexi’s tour manager Angus would say this “always happens at Alexi’s shows people pass out for some reason.”

LR: Older ladies who are excited to see Alexi? Like that DVD "Depeche Mode: 101" where all the girls are falling over because they’re excited. That just doesn’t happen anymore.

Any last words?

Gena: Our record Lion the Girl comes out April 24th.

Larry: Thank you Little Radio.

Fri Mar 30 2007 · Posted in Interviews on littleradio.com

Interview: THE MOVIES

LR: What is happening right now in the world of The Movies? Any plans for a release this year?

Brian: Just finished building a recording studio, Chermak Studios in Burbank.

Stevie: Writing, Recording, barbequing while writing and recording, the occasional show as well.

LR: Everyone I talk to about the band “loves The Movies” and your shows are consistently packed. But it seems like record labels are hesitant or just clueless about your music? Why do you think this is?

Stevie: It’s almost impossible to pinpoint why this is. None of us were marketing majors in college, those of us who were even on campus at one time or another. We’ve never had a manager who looked out for our best interests and helped find a decent label for our music.

LR: How is it different playing in Los Angeles than say when you toured in Spain? Are the crowds more appreciative?

Tim: In LA I have to sneak 40oz into the club. In Spain, there is a 40oz waiting for me.

Brian: Not more appreciative, there just seems to be more of them. Spaniards love the rock and roll, period. When they go to a show, they go to see the bands. When they come up and talk afterwards, they talk about music. In L.A. it seems people have various agendas.

LR: What does the band do outside of The Movies? Any careers or interesting jobs that you could tell us about?

Tim: Rock Consultant.

Brian: I work as a copywriter in advertising.

Stevie: I work in the valley as a fluffer…it’s mostly under the table.

LR: Who does the principal songwriting? The vocals? Were you guys in any other bands before The Movies?

Stevie: Tim does the majority of the songwriting but Brian has songs and Jess even has the occasional riff that will emerge as a song.

Brian: We all contribute to the development/arrangements – Stevie helps a lot with structure and of course, each member contributes their parts usually. It gets pretty collaborative after someone brings in the idea.

Tim: I was in the Vehicle Berth until I was kicked out for peeing on our drummer’s girlfriend’s car. Trust me I was doing her a favor.

Brian: I was in a new wave/surf band in the early 80s in Florida called “Locals Only.”

Stevie: I tried out for Dismemberment Plan once.

LR: What is your earliest memory of wanting to play music or be in a band? Any specific events or musicians that have inspired you?

Stevie: Listening to jazz music at home as a kid. My Pop has a sweet record collection.

Tim: When I was a babe, my father took me to RFK stadium to watch the Redskins comeback and beat the Raiders.  On exiting the stadium I noticed a street musician blowing on an instrument. The music sounded good, but was abruptly stopped by two drunken jocks who kicked his ass and mocked him. That always stuck with me.

Brian: Since as long as I can remember. Started banging on the piano at 4. Put a recital on at 8 before having any lessons. Played Beatles covers and originals.

LR: What’s your fondest memory of playing in Los Angeles? Any crazy or exciting moments that took place at one of your gigs?

Tim: Tom Cruise showed up at a gig along with Blaire from Facts of Life.

Stevie: Budfest. We threw a party on the roof of an apartment building on Sanborn & Sunset. Keg stands, gorgeous sunset, and nitrous tanks.

LR:  Timothy, how in the hell do you channel such a passionate performance at every show? What conjures up this excitement?

Stevie: Tighty whities.

Tim: See answer to question 6.

LR: What music are you listening to right now? Any bands or artists that have recently inspired you and your music?

Stevie: I’m listening to Thin Lizzy, Stranglers, Steely Dan, Oneida, and Publicist.

Tim:  New Years gang, Nate Moore, Meet Me at the Pub.

Brian:  Lately, Robert Rental, Eric Random & Annette Peacock a lot. And I just made a killer Zombies mix. I fall asleep to Rapoon or Slowdive.

LR: Any last shout-outs?

Tim, Brian and Stevie: The Chermak Studios jingle of course, Chermak studios. We’ve got pro tools for your digital needs. 2 inch tape for you analog geeks, mics, stands, baffles too, OUTBOARD GEAR OUT THE WAZOO. Chermak studios, we’re in Burbank so come down.”

Wed Mar 28 2007 · Posted in Interviews on littleradio.com

The Besnard Lakes: The Besnard lakes Are The Dark Horse

The Besnard Lakes
The Besnard lakes Are The Dark Horse
2007 | Jagjaguwar

Another outstanding band from Montreal fronted by husband and wife duo Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas. Principal songwriter Lasek (who has produced Sunset Rubdown and Wolf Parade) brought in members of the Dears and Godspeed You Black Emperor!, but you would’ve never guessed thanks to the album’s originality and grand scope. Their sound is clearly defined with uplifting and epic sweeps of reverberated guitar, arching falsettos, rich vocal harmonies, and 70’s-inspired rock choruses (think My Morning Jacket). Vocally the band is right on target channeling the sensual yet desperate feel of Low. And musically you’ll hear moments of Pink Floyd and Slowdive. Still, “The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse” is an original and vital rock album that creates intriguing combinations of texture and emotion.

The Album kicks off with “Disaster,” a track that starts with bittersweet harmonies and delicate strings. By the time the song is finished it has become a completely different beast chugging along like a powerful locomotive in slow motion. “For Agent 13” is even more impressive and sounds like Brian Wilson covering Explosions in the Sky. “And You Lied To Me” kills it with an ornate and blistering guitar solo over a dubby bassline. “Devastation” recalls Spiritualized swallowing their best medication and features some proggy synths and filtered vocals. The drums build and flicker with more percussion during the chorus as the band continues to push you over the edge.

Things get a little mellow on “Because Tonight” but springboard back into “Rides the Rails” and the happy, almost shoegazey “On Bedford and Grand.” Piano and guitars bleed together with spooky vocals that even Mama Cass would be proud of. The final track “Cedric’s War” hops along like a summertime walk in the woods, carefree with speckles of dirt on the edges. The album never holds back at any given moment.

Trying to capture the best moments of your influences while sounding completely original and distinct is nearly impossible these days. Most albums I come across sound like smaller versions of artists I already like or album styles that have been replicated to death. The Besnard Lakes have somehow magically generated a masterpiece fusing sound, imagination, and skilled musicianship like no rock band has done in years.

Mon Mar 26 2007 · Posted in Reviews on littleradio.com

The Ponys: Turn The Lights Out

The Ponys
Turn The Lights Out
2007 | Matador

The Ponys are the band Matador needed. Artists like Cat Power, Dead Meadow, Yo La Tengo and Stephen Malkmus are the heavyweights and veterans of that label with their loyal following of fans and highly anticipated albums. The Ponys however bring swagger, noise, and soul wrapped up into a precise wall of youthful rock ‘n roll like no one at that label can. Most of the record is reminiscent to Sister-era Sonic Youth, surf guitar melodies, and even the garage punk of classic X.

The album begins with the smooth vocal melodies of guitarist/vocalist Jered Gummere, he even sounds like Thurston most of the time when he’s not shouting. He’s pushed by deep, echoed guitar strums on “Double Vision.” Moments later you get smacked on the ass with a barrage of intense guitars and thundering bass on “Everyday Weapon,” that song fucking rules. The drums hop along and purr on “Small Talk” probably their prettiest and only pop number on the record. More variations work well with the surf guitar vibe on “1209 Seminary,” the pulsating keyboard and dueling solo on album closer “Pickpocket Song” and the Daydream Nation throwback that ensues on “Poser Psychotic.”

Why should you believe in The Ponys? It’s simple. No song is gimmicky or pretentious, just a heavy dose of big guitars and the right amount of reverberated feedback to keep you drawn into their sound. “Turn the Lights Out” is a statement of where rock should be going. A dirty blend of great bands and evidence of how getting back to the basics works. These are the kind of records that get me excited about the future of music.

Thu Mar 22 2007 · Posted in Reviews on littleradio.com

Panda Bear: Person Pitch

Panda Bear
Person Pitch
2007 | Paw Tracks

When “Comfy in Nautica” hit the internet I was sold immediately. The surging keys that dominate the song bring a weightless feel to the dense production and head-bobbing rhythm, with no drums in sight. The vocal melodies have such a strong stench of “Pet Sounds” yet it doesn’t sound cheesy or intentionally indulgent. With “Person Pitch” the songs seem to keep going on that same path but lead us nowhere special, I felt like I missed the punchline. I guess the listener is supposed to reap the benefits from the beginning seconds of each track?

The intriguing numbers that Panda Bear should spend more time exploring are “Good Girl/Carrots” and the ambient brilliance of “Search For Delicious.” These best represent a path of uncertainty and risk without the all too obvious Brian Wilson treading, it’s a lot of the same for the majority of the album. I would much rather see a band as interesting as Panda Bear take that road with mixed results without relying on the biggest trend in Indie music.

Sun Mar 18 2007 · Posted in Reviews on littleradio.com

!!!: Myth Takes

!!!
Myth Takes
2007 | Warp

What else can you say about this band? When they started up their set at All Tomorrow’s Parties in Long Beach, CA. a few years back I couldn’t take them seriously. It was too sloppy and I got tired of hearing the guys asking the audience about scoring weed. But this is 2007 and !!!’s best recorded material to date is a re-education in dance-rock.

The mania is all over the place, only this sounds like a finely-tuned ghetto-blaster. The focus is equally tied into party anthems and brilliant instrumentation (smart guitar passages and rich sounds that fade in and out). “Break in Case of Everything” utilizes so much musical juice with a deep-echoed guitar bridge, and then the horns come in as you anticipate another lift-off. Every component to the album is geared towards making the songs smart and timeless, not just a catchy mind-fuck.

The opening track “Must Be The Moon” starts off with a pulsating House rhythm, I think I’m in store for a rave album. But, like the rest of “Myth Takes,” the song slaps me in the face and gets funky and loose. !!! continue to score left and right with other dance anthems; “A New Name,” the jazzy breeze of “Yadnus,” and the thick guitar wash of “Bend Over Beethoven” rules. For a rock-centered guy like me this is better than I could have ever hoped for from the genre of indie dance bands that are typically dry and lifeless after two songs. !!! make music you can party to and still spend hours enjoying arrangements most bands could never come up with.

Sat Mar 17 2007 · Posted in Reviews on littleradio.com

The High Llamas: Can Cladders

The High Llamas
Can Cladders
2007 | Drag City

Sean O’ Hagan and Co. recreate smooth elevator music mixed with a pinch of Belle & Sebastian twee on their latest album “Can Cladders” (Drag City). The vibe is very similar to 2003’s Beat, Maize and Corn only it reminds me more like walking through Newberry’s department store as a kid with space-age bubbles of hammond organ, harp, and layers of see-saw strings filling up the speakers. The High Llamas are kitchy and nostalgic, especially on “Sailing Bells” and “Bacaroo,” but that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile. With all the 70s-inspired rock and folk bombarding us these days this album is a healthy dose of sunny, chill-out music. Well done lads.

Wed Mar 14 2007 · Posted in Reviews on littleradio.com

Ben Curtis leaves the Secret Machines, joins “School of Seven Bells”

Guitarist Benjamin Curtis has left the Secret Machines:

"After 7 and 1/2 years of playing music together," writes Brandon Curtis on the Machines' message board, "Benjamin has decided to no longer be a part of the band. It is a sad day but also an exciting one as he prepares to focus full time on his new creative venture, School of Seven Bells…Of course Josh [Garza, drummer] and I wish him all the best." School of Seven Bells includes sisters Claudia and Alejandra Deheza, formerly of OnLibrary!. The group "expects to be finished with a new record very soon," wrote Brandon, and "there [are] plans in the works to play some shows here in New York debuting the band."

Bummer.

Mon Mar 5 2007 · Posted in Daily on littleradio.com

FCC & Radio Industry Come to Terms On Payola, aka Bribery

Radio corporations Clear Channel, CBS Radio, Entercom and Citadel have tentatively settled their payola problem with the FCC. The four mega-millionaires have agreed to pay the government $12.5 million and provide 8,400 half-hour segments of free airtime for independent record labels and local artists.

The free airtime would be given to companies not owned or controlled by Sony BMG, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group or EMI.

Of course the radio firms will not be required to admit any wrong-doing under the three-year settlement. They’ll go ahead as scheduled and simply fire more employees. Great strategy guys!

Read More

Mon Mar 5 2007 · Posted in Daily on littleradio.com

Interview: DIPLO

Interview: DIPLO

Wesley Pentz, affectionately known as Diplo, has made a name for himself by mashing-up eclectic mixes of crunk, baile funk, and hip-hop, producing the stellar Arular LP (M.I.A.), and recently forming his own Mad Decent label. Currently on tour in South Africa, we caught up with Diplo while he was in Australia. Several topics come up with mixed, and sometimes brash, reactions about the influence of hip-hop culture on music and discovering that Cat Power does indeed have a universal appeal. Brace yourself.

LR: So you’re about to head off on a tour soon. Do you ever have a concrete idea about what you’re trying to get across to fans in a live setting? Does that ever change?

Diplo: I'm on tour now, in the middle of Australia. I did the Big Day Out and some side shows, and most importantly, I started some workshops up in the frontier for aboriginal kids… teaching kids how to use computer software to produce the basics of hip-hop and just trying to instill some self confidence. In the parties and shows…I'm just showing what Mad Decent and our scene is all about. I did shows with Spankrock and I'm just promoting all the sounds from our scene in Philly/Baltimore. Like I think we got a solid subculture out here and kids know what's up. The tour around SXSW is just to get kids to know about Mad Decent and it's out there now I think.

LR: What style of music do you get the most positive reaction from? Are there certain cities where you know everyone’s going to have a good time no matter what you choose to play?

Diplo: For me there's like the places that are solid like S.F., Stockholm, London, Philly, Sydney, Vancouver, Canada in general knows how to get open and jam. Our sound has got staples now its kinda weird. Like the Hollertronix stuff I'm out there promoting, and its got a sound…but what's good about our style is that it’s the all inclusive maddening fuck-up and we get to play it all and people know that’s how we do…Mad Decent DJs – Paul Devereux, Blaqstarr, Gorky, and Grandmaster Flash all hold it down.

LR: What’s next after this tour?

Diplo: I gotta get an office and look like I really run a label…Brazil…finishing the film I started there. It's nearly done and its gonna be major. Even if no one sees it I think its gonna make an impact and wake people up to see that hip-hop has bastardized the world and the kids are gonna come home and beat up their parents.

LR: What has it been like collaborating with Switch on the new M.I.A.? How do you feel about your work with this album compared to Arular?

Diplo: Well I'm saying…it's was crazy cause that dude is serious. He pretty much shits on anyone else doing electronic music, just don’t be out at a club with him when it's closing. And Maya's gone wild. Like she definitely gone some place crazy with the record. It's proper punk in my eyes, I'm just glad to be able to throw her some music and show her ideas.

LR: With all the focus now towards Mad Decent do you still have time to catch up with Hollertronix? Do you ever feel too detatched from that?

Diplo: Hollertronix is a movement…fuck what you heard. Everyone coming out that scene still is part of it. And all the new DJs seem to me like they are still part of the movement, plus they still play our bootlegs. We still keep 'em running. We should be up to 8 by the time SXSW gets down. It's in the wind, cant stop it. It's like DDT, keeps the chickens from laying proper eggs and makes vegetables grow rounder.

LR: It seems like you’re extremely focused on getting kids to hear different kinds of music than say putting efforts towards your own name. What kind of music would you say has the most influence on your remixing/producing?

Diplo: Man…old school DJs like Afrika Islam and Bambaata, Steinski…those paradise garage dudes, and even the mad Italian dudes screwing disco back in the 70s. I mean hip-hop is a beautiful mess and I'm just trying to keep that aesthetic. Bring the new to the old and turning parties out and adding something to the fabric of creativity that wasn't there before! But, really, I listen to a lot of Tribe Called Quest and NWA still, plus garage rock from the 60s. I wish I was in the Black Lips actually.

LR: Do you ever find yourself becoming politically attached to the regions that influence your music?

Diplo: I don’t .. but asshole journalists that wish they could ride in my suitcase do. In the end I think that I'm stuck in Brazil and I definitely am part of that new scene, not just a dickhead outsider. That's pretty cool, not what I expected, but I'm definitely part of the city these days.

LR: When you originally set out to make music who were your local and international influences? Do they still influence you today?

Diplo: Like the dudes and old school DJs I just shouted out. But also Philly and the kids that really gave birth to Hollertronix, Cosmo Baker, Cashmoney and Jazzy Jeff, Major Taylor, Brendan and Joey Blanco, Dirty South Joe, Low-Bee, Questlove, Soulman, Rich Medina, Dave Pianka, and making time white people parties in Philly. Yeah man, the Hi-Scores Crew, Lily and Josh. But that’s just back when I quit my job and said "fuck it." I had to make some money somehow. Those were the ones I bit shit from. These days I'm lucky to see kids that just fuck my white head up like the DJs in Rio that only play with CD100s and Minidisk that make a seasoned DJ look like a chump.

LR: Are there any DJs/musicians that would make you freak-out if you ever got to meet/work with them?

Diplo: I used to think so, but they are all assholes. I'm just glad that I got peers that are cool, like the ones I said. Flosstradamus, Tommy Sunshine, Switch and Dubsided dudes, Institubes and Ed Banger dudes…Aoki and AM, Stretch, the TTlab dudes…man it's good time for DJs right now.
But artist-wise…shit, I wanna work with Cat Power and Joanna Newsom, actually I want to have a threesome with them two, and Stevie Nicks too.

LR: What would a Diplo mix-tape sound like for someone who had been frozen in time?

Diplo: Something that came out in 2006.

-Scott McDonald

Sun Mar 4 2007 · Posted in Interviews on littleradio.com

Wolf and Cub

I'll admit that I'm pretty exhausted with band names involving 4-legged animals. It obviously turned into a trend and says very little about the music. Australia's Wolf and Cub, however, rock. The name sounds innocent, like they need to be protected at all times. But the music is ferocious and heavy as demonstrated by "Steal Their Gold," ending in a finale of over-driven riffage. Their 4AD debut, Vessels, drops on March 6th in the US with performances at SXSW and a North American tour. 

Track listing:

1. Vessels
2. This Mess
3. Rozalla Bizarre
4. Hammond
5. March Of Clouds
6. Kingdom
7. Seeds Of Doubt
8. Conumdrum
9. Steal Their Gold
10. Vultures, Part 2, Section 2

Thu Mar 1 2007 · Posted in Daily on littleradio.com

Can gets digital

By now most people who are Can fans have all the music they need on cd and/or vinyl. For the youngsters out there who are just way ahead of their time this will appeal to you and your iPod. The Grey Area of Mute/Spoon Records will digitally release the entire Can catalogue on March 13th. This marks the first time the 13 Can studio albums, which were recently remastered and restored to their original quality – as well as the I Want More EP, will be made available digitally. So kids…when you're making your iPod mixes for that special someone forget Fall-Out Boy, throw on Tago Mago and watch the sparks fly.

Thu Mar 1 2007 · Posted in Daily on littleradio.com