Preparing to port

I'm planning on using this blogger account to resurrect my seemingly dead (although really just sleeping) blog on Livejournal. I use my blog to write about inspiring music, post samples, promote my own musical endeavors and share DJ sets. I encourage everyone interested in similar sounds to get in touch, link up and become part of the journey.

Where am I?

I'm still here, and just haven't been writing much.

I have receded from view as far as Portland DJing (if "in view" ever really applied, that is) and have been listening to loads of new music, but not writing about it lately.

I am hoping to get back on it soon enough. The more thoughtful, longer album reviews that I've been writing in the last year take quite a bit of time, and my audience is small. I'm thinking of shifting platforms to Blogger instead. What do you guys think, all... 3 of you? :-)

New DJ set, 4-29-09

Here's a DJ set I recorded recently using Ableton Live... this was approximately what I played at the Eagle last Saturday for Big Trouble.

http://www.mattmercer.com/djsets/djset_4-29-09.mp3

Animal Collective "My Girls"
Remute "Bounce"
Grace Jones "Pull Up To The Bumper"
Apparat "Funk Is Something Else"
Fever Ray "When I Grow Up"
Dntel "This is the Dream of Evan and Chan (Superpitcher Rmx)"
Kaliber "16 B1"
Secondo "It's OK"
Chicks on Speed "Wordy Rappinghood"
Grace "Not Over Yet"
Klaxons "Not Over Yet"
Yello "Bostisch"
Visage "Pleasure Boys"
Ruffneck "Everybody Be Somebody"
Nine Inch Nails "Only (Richard X Mix)"
Health "Triceratops (Acid Girls Mix A)"
The Lady Tigra "Bass on the Bottom"
Janet Jackson "Rhythm Nation"
Front 242/Gwen Stefani "Hollaback Headhunter"
Nitzer Ebb "Join In The Chant (Metal Mix)"
New Order "Confusion"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Zero (N.A.S.A. Remix)"
Simian Mobile Disco "Hustler"
Peaches "I Feel Cream"
Prince "Erotic City"
Green Velvet "Answering Machine"
Chris & Cosey "Voodoo"
Losoul "Slightly"
DJ Ayres "Tell Me When To Go"
Royksöpp "The Girl and the Robot"
Kraftwerk "Numbers"
Girls on Top "I Wanna Dance With Numbers"

Stimming: <i>Reflections</i> (Diynamic Music CD/2xLP/digital)

Stimming is the shortened artist name of minimal techno producer Martin Stimming. He's released material under both his full and last name as well as being involved with projects such as Gebrüder Ton (with Alexander Kübler) and Orli & Martie (a collaboration with Oliver Brusch).

I was heretofore unfamiliar with Stimming's work, but Reflections turned my head after finding it randomly on a blog. His combination of polyrhythms, minimal techno standard devices, weird house flourishes and attention to detail is superb and only further enhanced by his ear for melody and musicality. The track "Silver Surfer" would be just another nice chunky tech house track, acoustic percussion details and all, if it weren't for the strangely spry and angular melodic lead that takes hold halfway through. It's this incredibly odd but sensitive knack for melody that takes it to the next level. Opener "Sunday Morning" would also channel the same head-bobbing, academic deepness that characterizes much of the material coming out of a label such as M_nus, but then there is an insistent, gloomy melodic phrase that bubbles to the surface, eventually blooming into a rather grand, swooning string section that serves as the first big dramatic splash of the album. This heightened sense of drama comes back later in "The Beauty," with a whispered vocal that borders on cloying, but somehow it all works together. "Song for Isabelle" is a more typical tech-house sounding track, but its chunky delayed chords hit the spot just right; on the more terse end of things "Tel Aviv Calling" is an oddly insistent number full of bending overtones, chunky snares and a buoyant bassline. "Sleep On" brings back that keen sense of melody and melancholy over another track that equally compelling as a DJ tool and as a listening experience. The only track that falls flat for me is the vocal number, "The Loneliness," which includes a croony male vocal and a harmonica, two of my least favorite sounds combined! I applaud his willingness to break out of the formula, but this one was not my personal cup of tea.

Martin Stimming hasn't reinvented the genres from which he draws clear affinity and inspiration, but he does put his own personal touch of grace and style on each and every track on Reflections. It's a pretty outstanding collection of tracks, with a meticulous sense of detail, a clear narrative arc and ability to infuse these highly functional dancefloor tracks with a painfully inspiring human touch. Highly recommended!

more info: Myspace | Diynamic Music site
buy it: Amazon
mp3s: Sunday Morning | Silver Surfer

Long overdue best of 2008

OK, I started writing this list in December, and then heavily in January, a little in February, even less in March, and just decided to post it where I left off. Hope to revive the more regular smaller entries soon. Still listening to loads of new music, just not writing about it as often as I'd like. :-)


Twine: Violets (Ghostly) (read original post)


Jacaszek: Treny (Miasmah) (read original post)


David Holmes: The Holy Pictures
I hadn't really heard David Holmes' music in a long time, not since the years following his trip-hop entry Let's Get Killed in the late 90s. Ten years later, I'm turned onto The Holy Pictures, which could be a different artist altogether. The similarities between the off-kilter downtempo of that debut album and this one are minimal (if any at all), with most of the music of The Holy Pictures falling more in line with hazy krautrock and shoegazer rock. There are suggestions of Jesus & Mary Chain, Primal Scream, Ride, Neu and Can by various turns here, though it doesn't sound like a nod to any one of these acts in particular. These likenings are perhaps a bit lazy, though I suspect Holmes himself would be hard-pressed to fully deny any of these names being dropped. Opener "I Heard Wonders" is straight-up Primal Scream motorik rock (think the more sublime, gliding moments of XTRMNTR), while "Love Reign Over Me" is an odd electronic pop track. The most satisfying moments of the album are when the cinematic tendencies are given some space to roam, such as "The Ballad Of Sarah & Jack" or the awesomely wide "The Story of the Ink." Some of the vocal tracks are almost too straight-forward for their own good (such as the obvious Neu-meets-vintage-Stereolab krautrock of "Melanie"), but given how much I really do like this record, these are minor criticisms. There is just something so damn likeable about it all, confounding the notion that homage or appropriation of genres, pre-existing sounds or aesthetics is somehow inherently bad. It's a major success in my opinion, one of the best albums of its kind that I can recall in recent past.
buy it: Amazon


Booka Shade: The Sun & The Neon Light (Get Physical) (read original post)


Hatchback: Colors Of The Sun (Lo Recordings)
slumberjack turned me onto this one in his 2008 wrap-up. I'm glad he did, because otherwise I'd have completely overlooked this gem, one that would've really struck a chord with me prior to the onset of winter. Hatchback is a San Francisco-based producer who makes quality electronic tracks, all instrumental. They're equally relaxed, sunny and functional, warming the heart as much as they cause a listener's head to bob (or occasionally, their ass to shake). Upbeat tracks like "Jetlag" and "Carefree Highway" would work just as well on a late-night floor as they would with the top down in the sun, but my favorites are some of the chunky midtempo grooves to be heard here. "Comets" has a fat bass and thick snare tempered by shimmering tones that help it go down smoothly. Likewise, "White Diamond" sways and swells with a warmth that tingles. The vague krautrock suggestions of "The Lotus and the Robot," one of the broader-reaching tracks on Colors of the Sun, eventually give way to a sweet dancefloor anthem. Elsewhere, those krautrock leanings are expanded on via the more obvious nod of "Everything Is Neu," with its more acoustic-sounding motorik kit, hazy electric chords and soaring piano patterns.
buy it: Amazon


Hot Chip: Made In The Dark (DFA)
The UK pop act cements its reputation as an outlet for quality dance music, weird genre-fuck combos and genuinely surprising left turns with this, its third album. It draws from the considerable progress of their second album and factors in how much they've solidified as a touring band, with tracks that will obviously move a dancefloor but would probably sound especially good in a crowded live show. "Shake a Fist" sets the tone as a single, with a completely bizarre breakdown in the middle that defies most typical conventions, not to mention a chorus that is considerably more jerky and erratic than one might ordinarily be accustomed to. Even "Ready for the Floor," the most obvious pop song on the record, is a bit "off" from the usual fare, with a strangely buoyant and light chorus that complements its spry, almost cheap (in a good way!) arrangements. "Out at the Pictures" and "Bendable Poseable" again subvert expectations with unusual time signature changes, rackety atypical rhythm sections and odd juxtapositions of genre. They aren't afraid to slow down for the odd R&B-tinged ballad or two, either; the last portion of the record falls a bit limp with the double-whammy epilogue of "Whistle For Will" and "In The Privacy Of Our Love," but the two are so sweet on their own accord that it feels not like an afterthought but rather a pleasant denouement. There are a couple straight-up dancefloor shakers, like "Hold On" and "One Pure Thought," showcasing the party atmosphere they're so good at live, but they aren't afraid to get a bit silly with "Wrestlers" (which really needs to just be heard rather than read about). All in all, consider it another success for Hot Chip, who seem able to straddle many different audiences, genres and paradigms with relative ease.
buy it: Amazon


Bersarin Quartett: Bersarin Quartett (Lidar) (read original post)


Andy Stott: Unknown Exception (Modern Love) (read original post)


Alias: Resurgam (Anticon) (read original post)


Lindstrøm: Where You Go I Go Too (Smalltown Supersound)
This highly epic journey through a smokey disco otherworld is perhaps Hans-Peter Lindstrøm's crowning achievement thus far. Lindstrøm has gotten the lion's share of the hype when it comes to the faux-genre of space disco, though it's not without good reason; he's been at it for some time now, and generally speaking, the quality control is pretty high throughout his releases. He has a keen ear for both vintage disco flavor and sounds as well as melodic and story arc... many of his tracks are far-reaching and evolve with an ease that is beguiling at times. So it's no small feat that Where You Go I Go Too tops all of his past material, a sort of disco critical mass in the form of 3 tracks totalling almost an hour. If that seems excessive, well, it kind of is -- it's only kept in check by just how good a storyteller Lindstrøm is. Despite the title track being 25 minutes long, it never feels tedious or even very repetitive, even as it's built almost entirely around a consistent tempo and persistent, undulating arpeggios.Lindstrøm is a master of his craft, and instead of veering into self-indulgence, instead we're privy to a magnum opus of seductive beats and melodies.
buy it: Amazon


Portishead: Third (Island) (read original post)


Jóhann Jóhannsson: Fordlândia (4AD)
Composer Jóhann Jóhannsson has always had a flair for the cinematic. His earlier records for the esteemed Touch label suggested this, even at his most stark moments... so it's not surprising that his latest for the 4AD label is quite grand and epic. The two bookends that comprise the majority of this record, "Fordlândia" and "How We Left Fordlândia," are full of broad, sweeping gestures courtesy of a full string section, with electronic flourishes over top. Some of these more aspirational moments are reminiscent of the most dramatic backing arrangements for a group like Sigur Rós (minus the rock band and vocalist...!). There is a grace and patience throughout this release that is a curious counterpoint to its namesake; Fordlândia was the failed rubber plantation of Henry Ford, located in South America in the early 20th century. So in a strange way, Jóhannsson has chosen this topic as the backdrop for his score, the soundtrack to a failed utopia. He explains this to a reasonable length on his official artist site, and listeners would be advised to check it out for more information. Musically, it's a gorgeous album. It sweeps and swoons, with several more subtle interludes sprinkled within the more dramatic pieces, with ample points of contrast to help express Jóhannsson's ideas with a distinct beginning, middle, and end.
buy it: Amazon


Benoît Pioulard: Temper (Kranky) (read original post)


Kelley Polar: I Need You To Hang Onto While The Sky Is Falling (Environ) (read original post)


Grouper: Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill (Type) (read original post)


Max Richter: 24 Postcards In Full Colour (Fatcat) (read original post)


Growing: All The Way (Kranky) (read original post)


Morgan Geist: Double Night Time (Environ)
Morgan Geist will be eventually known (and is already considered by some) as a hero of American dance music. His repertoire reaches far and broad through a long list of impressive solo releases, in addition to heading up the Environ record label and having unleashed perhaps my favorite disco homage, Metro Area, a few years ago. Double Night Time is an odd pop release that reunites Geist with Kelley Polar (who handled many of the string arrangements for Metro Area) and also finds him collaborating extensively with Jeremy Greenspan of Junior Boys. The prominence of vocals here may be a turn-off for some of his more dedicated techno audience, but I think it's a pretty great pop album of its own accord. "The Shore" actually sounds like the perfect marriage of Geist's Detroit nods and the jerky R&B of Junior Boys' debut album, but there are a few moments of dancefloor bliss here that combine throwback 80s pop, disco, new wave and current tech house flirtations. "Detroit" is the most unsubtle frame of reference here, a really slick pop track with Greenspan's vocal leading the way, but "Most of All" is undeniable with its 80s swagger.
buy it: Amazon


Cloudland Canyon: Lie In Light (Kranky) (read original post)


honorable mentions:
Autechre: Quaristice (Warp) (read original post)
Byetone: Death Of A Typographer (Raster)
Squarepusher: Just A Souvenir (Warp) (read original post)
Raveonettes: Lust Lust Lust
Ellen Allien: SooL (BPitch Control)
Fuck Buttons: Street Horrrsing (ATP) (read original post)
Notwist: The Devil, You + Me (Domino)

New DJ set online

Here's a new digital mix of minimal techno, pop, indie rock, rave, electro and more. A few special delights thrown in for good measure. Those who've downloaded my past sets might notice some repeats, although largely in new contexts.

Anyone in the Portland, OR vicinity should come out and check out my set at Big Trouble at the Eagle PDX Underground, this Saturday, March 28, 2009, 10pm-2am, FREE!

Click here to listen (right-click and "Save As..." to download)

James Din A4 "Er Hatte Ihr Keinen Trip Gegeben, Ihr Aber Bedeutet, Dass Er" (Pingipung)
Microfilm "(Am I Ever Gonna Fall Apart In) NYC? (Soultek's Falling Apart Mix)" (Fiche)
Tracey Thorn "Falling Off A Log" (Virgin)
Antonelli Electr. "Bohannon" (Italic)
T La Rock "It's Yours" (Def Jam)
LCD Soundsystem "Beat Connection" (DFA)
2 Unlimited "No Limit" (ZYX)
Hot Chip "Ready For The Floor" (DFA)
Soulphiction "Her (JMS Dub)" (Perlon)
Mr. Projectile "Impregnator" (Toytronic)
Mr. Pauli "Lo Mas" (Viewlexx)
Depeche Mode "World In My Eyes" (Sire)
Unit 4 "Bodydub" (Clone)
Sally Shapiro "Jackie Junior (Junior Boys Remix)" (Paper Bag)
Kraftwerk "Numbers" (EMI)
Sleater-Kinney "One Beat" (KillRockStars)
Janet Jackson "Nasty" (A&M)
Toni Basil "Shoppin' From A To Z" (Chrysalis)
J.J. Fad "Supersonic" (Dream Team)
Kevin Blectum/Missy Elliott "She's a Bitchhole" (Violent Turd)
Bit_Meddler "Shitmix 2000" (Planet µ)
Telefon Tel Aviv "The Birds" (BPitch Control)
Apparat "Can't Computerize It" (BPitch Control)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Heads Will Roll" (Interscope)
Drexciya "The Plankton Organization" (Tresor)
Pet Shop Boys "The Way It Used To Be" (EMI)
Microesfera "Negativ" (Static Discos)
Madonna "Paradise" (Maverick)
Burial "Archangel" (Hyperdub)
Robert Babicz "Don't Look Back" (Kompakt)
Martinez "Tool 1.3" (Re:connected)
Rafale "Rock It Don't Stop" (Rise)
Björk "Bachelorette" (Elektra)
Size Queen "Walk!" (Tribal)

Electro/pop DJ set online

I recorded another test-run DJ set. This time the focus was on electro and italo-disco, with some pop sprinkled in. The last pair-up of Rother and Information Society is the same as the ending of the last set I posted... I never got a chance to work it into my Eagle set and so I kept them in again to ensure that I could play them on the big PA this week.

$tinkworx "Fuckwhut (Orig)" (Bunker)
Martin Matiske "80s" (Gigolo)
Fancy Robots "Fancy Theme (Jörg Mager Edit)" (Keys of Life)
Ectomorph "Dada" (Interdimensional Transmissions)
Mr. Pauli "Lo Mas" (Viewlexx)
Miss Kittin & The Hacker "Sweet Dreams" (Gigolo)
Hong Kong Counterfeit "Obscure Desire" (Emperor Norton)
Parallax Corporation "Crocodiles In The Sky (Fred Ventura & Colombo Remix)" (Viewlexx)
Annie "The Wedding" (Studio K!7)
Ellen Allien "Trashscapes (Anthony Rother Remix)" (BPitch Control)
Legowelt "Chokolectrick" (Stilleben)
Giorgio Moroder "The Chase" (Casablanca)
Cervo Boys "Boyz" (Cervo Boys)
George Michael "Monkey (Bonus Beats)" (Columbia)
O.K."Okay! (Re-Mixed Media Edit)" (SPV)
Anthony Rother "Biomechanik" (Psi49net)
Information Society "Running" (Tommy Boy)

Click here to listen (right click to download)

New techno DJ set available to download

I recorded a practice run of the techno set I played at the Eagle PDX Underground last night, and have posted it online. The set was back to basics, just 2 turntables and vinyl.

Ricardo Villalobos "What You Say Is More Than I Can Say" (Klang)
Gui Boratto "Beautiful Life (Gui Boratto Remix)" (Kompakt)
Justus Köhncke "Was Ist Musik (Wassermann Acid Mix 1)" (Kompakt)
Kate Simko "Strumm (Unai Remiks)" (Kupai Musik)
The Rapture "Sister Saviour (Blackstrobe Remix)" (DFA)
Antonelli Electr. "The Strings" (Italic)
A Guy Called Gerald "In Ya Head" (Perlon)
The MFA "The Difference It Makes (Superpitcher Remix)" (Kompakt)
Ellen Allien "Elphine (Troy Pierce Remix)" (BPitch Control)
Burger/Voigt "Bring Trance Back To Reality" (Kompakt)
Audion "Tittyfuck" (Spectral)
Geoff White "He Said" (Apnea)
Hug "The Happy Monster" (K2)
Secondo "Breathe To The Rhythm" (Dreck)
Sutekh "Mouth Party" (Soul Jazz)
Anthony Rother "Biomechanik" (Psi49net)
Information Society "Running" (Tommy Boy)

click here to listen (right-click and "Save As" to download)

New minimal techno DJ set

Here's another DJ set I recorded the other day. It's much more techno/tech house, full tracks, more straightforward but stuff I've really been enjoying here in the studio. Enjoy!

Click here to listen (right-click or ctrl-click to download)

tracklist:
Antonelli "Soulkiller" (Italic)
Sascha Funke "We Are Facing The Sun" (BPitch Control)
Byetone "Plastic Star (Session)" (Raster-Noton)
Robert Babicz "Dark Flower" (Audiomatique)
Martinez "Tool 1.4" (Re:connected)
Pan/Tone "Clean Getaway" (Cereal/Killers)
Hug "My Dinosaur" (K2)
Kate Simko "Osci" (Spectral)
Bruno Pronsato "Same Faces, Different Names" (Hello? Repeat)
Carsten Franke "Ramba Samba" (Ostwind)
Morgan Geist "Detroit" (Environ)
Booka Shade "City Tales (Neon Dub)" (Get Physical)
Audion "Billy Says Go" (Spectral)
Ellen Allien "Elphine" (BPitch Control)
Basic Channel "Phylyps Trak II/II" (Basic Channel)
Burial "Raver" (Hyperdub)
Claro Intelecto "Operation" (Modern Love)
Echospace "Obmx (Original Remastered)" (Echospace)
Various Artists "Melted" (Chain Reaction)
Sistol "Hac" (Phthalo)
James Din A4 "The Coming Out" (Pingipung)
Delon & Dalcan "248 Km" (Boxer)


I have a best of 2008 wrap-up reviews entry well under way, but it's taking a lot more time than I anticipated. slumberjack threw a wrench into things with his list where I discovered some new gems I hadn't heard yet. :-)

DJ set, 1-11-09

Happy new year!

Fear not, I'm not dead. Yet. I have a best of 2008 list in the works, although I feel like I've really missed out on a lot of the year-end releases. I'm trying to make it through some downloads and new releases to see if there are any uncovered gems that should be included. Rest assured, though, many of the releases to grace these computer pages over the last many months are likely to find their way on the list.

In the meantime, I recorded yet another hack DJ set. The levels are a bit in the red on here, but in the event that I am too lazy to re-record this set (which is entirely likely), you can enjoy it in all its redlined glory.

Click here to listen (right-click or ctrl-click to download)

Nitzer Ebb "Control I'm Here" (Mute)
Janet Jackson "Control" (A&M)
Ricardo Villalobos "Logo Hitz" (Frisbee)
Mel Merio "Domino Dancing" (Klein)
Pet Shop Boys "Domino Dancing" (EMI)
Expose "Point of No Return" (Arista)
Daft Punk "Around the World" (Virgin)
Microfilm "Young Adult Fiction (Brothers Grime Mix)" (Fiche)
M.I.A. "Hombre" (XL)
Oaktown's 3-5-7 "Juicy Gotcha Krazy" (Capitol)
Optical "To Shape The Future" (Metalheadz)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs "10x10" (Interscope)
Michael Fakesch "Escalate" (K!7)
Mouse on Mars "Actionist Respoke" (Sonig)
Matthew Mercer "Secrets" (Forte)
Lady Sovereign "Hoodie" (Universal)
Kate Simko "Osci" (Spectral)
Spank Rock "Backyard Betty" (Big Dada)
Speedy J Vs.MaTH "Leave No Evidence" (Musik Aus Strom)
Westend Ghetto "Krümelsuppe" (Punkt)
Warmdesk "Guero (Disco)" (A Posteriori)
PTP "Rubber Glove Seduction" (Wax Trax!)
Yuksek "Break Ya"
Tepr "Minuit Jacuzzi (DatA Remix)" (Wall of Sound)
Fukkk Offf "Rave is King (Le Castle Vania Remix)"
Metallica "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (Elektra)
Robert Babicz "Mr. Head" (Kompakt)
Yoko Ono "Kiss Kiss Kiss" (Geffen)
Private "My Secret Lover" (Universal Denmark)
ABC "How to Be a Zillionaire" (Mercury)
Front 242 "W.Y.H.I.W.Y.G." (Wax Trax!)
Radiohead "Nude (Microfilm Remix)" (unreleased)
Pylon "Weather Report" (DFA)
Saint Etienne "B92" (Mantra)
Ladyhawke "From Dusk Til Dawn" (Modular)