You Must Know Kraftwerk - Big Shot review

Album review: Kraftwerk / ‘The Catalogue’ (Kling Klang/Astralwerks/EMI/Mute)

Posted on October 8, 2009 by admin

An electro kid who hasn’t listened to Kraftwerk is like a guitarist unfamiliar with Hendrix. Or a porn star who doesn’t know who John Holmes is. Point is, you’ve gotta know your roots.

And these quirky German synth dudes—like a mix of Devo and the band in Revenge of the Nerds—were true pioneers, using primitive electronic gear to craft bleeps and blips, funky beats, and vocal snippets into songs that have influenced the likes of Jay-Z, Duran Duran, Coldplay, and Radiohead. It was their unique sound that helped Afrika Bambaataa launch American hip-hop when he famously sampled Kraftwerk’s classic “Trans Europe Express” for “Planet Rock.” The remastered version is a reminder of the original song’s undeniable allure. And much like Hendrix created some of rock’s greatest riffs, the main keyboard line in “Trans Europe Express” stands today as one of the best in the history of electronic music. From “The Man Machine” to 1981’s “Computer World” to the video game bounce of “Techno Pop” and “The Robots,” this comp should be a staple in any self-respecting minimalist or breaks DJ’s record bag. But more than that, these remasters serve as an analog and digital reminder that the group was light years ahead of its time.
Dave Wedge
File under: Brian Eno, New Order, Tangerine Dream

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The Penelopes - Big Shot feature!

The Penelopes: French Toast

Posted on October 28, 2009 by admin

Some may view The Penelopes’ chill room cover of The Beastie Boys’ rap-rock classic “Sabotage” as sacrilege. But the French dance-rock duo says their downtempo, atmospheric overhaul embodies their fearless approach to track making. And if you don’t buy that, just blame it on the weed.

“We like to be surprised and we like to surprise people too,” says Axel Basquiat from his home in southern France. “And we wanted to make something more stoney. We smoke a lot of joints. We wanted to do something very slow, very strange for us. We wanted a new interpretation of it.”

Basquiat and his electro-pop partner, Vincent T, are the latest to emerge from Paris’ digital renaissance—an inspiring movement that’s given the electronic music world Justice, Air, Daft Punk, and Sébastien Tellier, among others. The duo’s U.S. debut, Priceless Concrete Echoes, produced by Black Strobe’s Arnaud Rebotini, is a melodic mix of New Orderish dance rock, disco, pop, shoegaze and the sexy synth-wave purveyed by their fellow Francophiles.

“When we have an idea, we follow the idea to the end. It’s also the sophistication of the music. It’s not rock. French music is very sophisticated. We try to keep that in our minds to be demanding and to be strange and unique.”

Words: Dave Wedge

as featured in Issue 29

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Weekly Dig piece on Moderat

MODERAT
Plus 600 pounds of gear, equals one massive party
By DAVE WEDGE

Moderat didn't have a deadline to meet for their new record. But still, the notorious perfectionists nearly worked one member of their crew to death—literally.
"One guy was falling on the ground. He was so exhausted," Sebastian Szary says from his home in Germany. "They worked every day—20 hours per day. He forgot to eat."

Read the whole damn thing here . . .

The Crystal Method review - Big Shot magazine

The Crystal Method / Divided By Night (Tiny e)

Posted on May 15, 2009 by admin

One thing TCM has always been good at is seamlessly blending eclectic styles while maintaining their own distinct vibe. And that’s what they’ve done once again on their latest, which comes five years after their rocktronica classic Legion of Boom.

Their solid foundation of breakbeats, after-hours rocking big beats, rock, and old school hip-hop remains in place. But this time out, they incorporate elements of indie and electro, inviting in Joy Division’s Peter Hook on the somberly psychedelic “Dirty Thirty” and “Blunts and Robots, and She Wants Revenge’s Justin Warfield on the Britpop-ish “Kling to the Wreckage.” But lest anyone accuse them of chasing the indie/electro trend, the disc’s first single, “Drown in the Now,” is a trippy club banger featuring Hasidic hip-hop phenom Matisyahu. And “Smile” is a classic TCM synth-and-breakbeat slammer, with touches of trance and house. And therein lies the beauty of TCM: they’re too talented and experienced to let themselves put out a garbage dump of ripoff tracks. Instead, they’ve brought in a team of like-minded vocalists and musicians to add a fresh edge to their distinct thump. And whatever the style, their knack for addictive digital melodies and big hooks remains a potent drug.

Dave Wedge
File under: The Chemical Brothers, Steve Aoki, Junkie XL

Posted in Big Shot Magazine, Music Reviews | Comments (0)

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