North of Antarctica

The Knife To Release Opera

2010-01-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

Apparently Swedish alt synth pop techno electro legends The Knife performed their own opera last year. As a bit of a fan myself I'm gutted I didn't hear about it but yay for bumper CD packs because a studio version of the Opera 'Tomorrow, In A Year' will be released on 1st March 2010.

'Tomorrow, In A Year' was a collaboration between the siblings, Mt Sims and Planningtorock (good name) commissioned by Danish performance group Hotel Pro Forma to write the music for an opera based on Charles Darwin's book 'On The Origin Of The Species'. Sound like the sort of Knifery that will turn out another contemporary masterpiece although no doubt on a different slant to the highly pluadited solo project 'Fever Ray' by sister Karen.

"At first it was very difficult as we really didn’t know anything about opera," explains brother Olof. "We'd never been to one. I didn't even know what the word libretto meant. But after some studying, and just getting used to opera's essence of pretentious and dramatic gestures, I found that there is a lot to learn and play with. In fact, our ignorance gave us a positive respectless approach to making opera." Olof continues. "I really like the basic theatrical values of opera and the easy way it brings forward a narrative. We’ve approached this before in The Knife but never in such a clear way." If you have seen The Knife live before you'll notice these theatrical undertones in their music and live performance but their music set to an opera is something I'll kick myself for missing well past the studio version's release date.

For a taste of whats coming a free download of 'Colouring Of Pigeons' is available from Sound Cloud or from the player below.

http://theknife.net

Colouring of Pigeons by The Knife

Ghostly's 110 favourite albums of the decade

2010-01-04T19:19:00.000-08:00

So it's that time of year when everyone runs down their favourite tracks and albums of the year (yes we know a NoA list hasn't appeared yet).

However, this year is special because it's the end of a decade and the brave, knowledgeable and those with bags of spare time have been producing lists that cover the past decade.

So far a few have surfaced online and in print but so far none have surpassed the top 110 albums stretching from 2000 to 2009 as chosen by the luminaries over at Ghostly International.

As you'd expect it's an incredible selection of albums you'll have, some you missed but are now going to get and no doubt few that leave a raised, inquisitive eyebrow.

Check the full list over at ghostly.com/media/top110 and for those that haven't heard of the label before make sure you get yourself acquainted while on their site.

NoA Manoeuvres

2009-11-18T20:28:00.000-08:00

Melbourne is heating up this weekend. Hottest day so far? Not sure but the nights are getting there.

This weekend sees a fine selection of artists living under the world radar just waiting to burst through. So get out there and see something before the next time they hit the village and you're shelling out $40.

First up Holy Ghost!, who are members of that exclusive roster of artists on DFA, will be taking Sorry Grandma! for ransom on Friday. Think NYC meets The Rex Club in Paris and you might have a handle on the ultra groove disco coming from these boys' bedrooms. Check out this vid of the boys chatting history and production from their studio.

Saturday night you have two options amigos. If you can rock a guesty why not do both?

D'Julz, the Parisian house legend and the Rex club's oldest resident (what is it about the Rex today?) hits Sorry Grandma! this Saturday. This boy is a heavyweight in Europe and the Sorry Grandma! crew are bringing him on his first trip to Melbourne village. Well done we say. Get your ears round this set live from the Rex in Paris this summer.

D'julz @ Bass Culture - Rex Club, Paris - Jul 09 by audioFAMILIES

Recloose hits the Croft Institute with his own brand of electro funk musings. Definitely check out his addition to the Bodytonic podcast series. Download here or check out his blog for tracklist and more.

Friday

Holy Ghost! (DFA)
Knightlife
Ooh-Ee
Andee Frost
Sorry Grandma
$20 +bf

Saturday

D'Julz
Sorry Grandma
$20 +bf

Recloose
Julien Dyne
The Croft Institute

$15

* Img by Mez Tiza

NoA Manoeuvres

2009-11-10T17:40:00.000-08:00

Another weekend has arrived in Melbourne and once again you're gonna be busy.

Friday

A bunch of Germans, Âme, Move D & Benjamin Fröhlich, are playing the Beck's Berlin Sessions at Prince Bandroom. Check out our interview with Âme for all the info.

Âme, Move D & Benjamin Fröhlich

Beck's Berlin Sessions

Prince Bandroom

$30 + bf

Saturday

Finland's dubstep pioneer Tes La Rock graces Melbourne's Too Much! at the Night Owl with the UK's Cotti this Saturday.

Tes La Rock is a regular with the likes of DMZ and Dub Police so expect big things. To get a taste of what to expect check out his radio show on Basso Radio or get the download links from his MySpace.

Cotti on the other hand has been releasing some quality dancehall infused numbers like Sensi Dub, I Don't Give A Dub and Calm Down.

Tes La Rok, Cotti
Too Much!
Night Owl
Sat 11th Nov

$24 +bf

NoA Manoeuvres

2009-10-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

Dust off your face paint and look out those wigs cause this weekend its Halloween!

It's also the cup weekend in Melbourne meaning you'll need to skip through the Toorak socialites lining the streets but don't be fazed because it's all worth once you see the 5 days of epic fun that are lined up.

See you on the dance floor!

Thursday

New Guernica
Opening Thursday 28th Oct
Guests forthcoming in '09..
DT T (Get Physical)
Damian Lazarus (Cross Town Rebels)
Chris Clark (Warp)

Friday

Limited Express (Jpn),

Beaches Ni Hao (Jpn)

The East Brunswick Club
280 Lygon Street
$15 + bf

Chali 2Na (Jurassic 5)

The Espy
St Kilda
$42 + bf

Saturday

Bass Clef

The Lounge @ The Espy
St Kilda
9pm till late
$Free

Monday

QBert

Supernatural
The Espy
St. Kilda
$44 + bf

Feadz

Boy 8-Bit
Billboard
$30 + bf

Tuesday

Steve Bug

Will Saul
Alumbra
Shed 9
Docklands
$40 + bf

NoA Communications: Âme in Melbourne

2009-10-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

Âme are deep house and techno duo Frank Wiedemann and Kristian Beyer who hail from the German town of Karlsruhe near the French border. They've been releasing records since 2003 and joined the ranks of the German legends with their 2005 release Rej that managed to somehow cross the house/techno/minimal divides. Since then they've been remixing and producing pretty damn prolifically as well as managing their label Innervisions with fellow producer/DJ Dixon.

So lucky us, Âme will be in Melbourne for the Beck's Berlin Sessions that are being held at various clubs around the country. We checked in with Frank of Âme to find out just where their producing is at right now and what we can expect from an Âme set in Melbourne.

What has Âme been up to in the studio lately?

Frank: Within the last months we worked on some remixes which should see the light of day 'til the end of the year. We just finished a remix for Delia Gonzales on DFA records. One for Newworldaquarium on Delsin is just been released. Another one for Brooklyn Club Jam on Rekids might be out soon. Not to forget our rework on Machine's (formerly known as Radioslave) The Fuse coming this month on our own imprint Innervisions. But that's not all ... After the A Critical Mass tour with Dixon and Henrik Schwarz we work together with them both in the studio again, producing a new version of Henriks 2003 classic Chicago which is more or less a result of our live experiences. Plus we are working on a live scoring for a silent movie happening on next years Time Warp Festival here in Germany.

Besides some intense deep house, what can we expect from the Âme show in Melbourne?

Frank: Some techno, good music, new stuff, some classics and hopefully a lot of fun!

Awesome. Âme will be playing at Prince Bandroom in St Kilda on Friday November 13th. Oh, and lastly and probably most importantly you need to know that it's French, means 'soul', is pronounced 'Ahm' and sounds like this.

NoA Communications: Jagat Skad

2009-10-04T18:21:00.000-07:00

Jagat Skad are a massively prolific Berlin-based indie band who have been getting a fair bit of attention at all coordinates north of Antarctica. They're working on their new album Bloomsday at the moment so we thought we'd ask them a couple of questions about the new album and solidarity in the German capital.

How is the new album coming along? What has the progress been like and what can we expect?

Andi: What's left to do is primarily the mixing. The recording was awesome - we spent two weeks in Tata, Hungary for an intensive recording session. You can expect the unexpected - we did some crazy shit... but also some very beautiful songs.
Jens: We have been working on Bloomsday for one and a half years now. If everything goes according to plan, it should be out in January. I think 'ambitious' is the best word to describe the writing/recording, as we've probably never spent that much time and effort on the arrangements and recordings since I joined the band in 2005. And even though this word is terribly overused (and misused) in press-releases of new albums, I think "Bloomsday" will be best described as an 'eclectic' album.
Marcel: I would say that Bloomsday is the most "band-ish" record we've made so far.
Sebastian: The album could be too much for some. Did you see Mars Attacks? I'm afraid heads will explode during the final track.
Merlin: I think it’s safe to say that it’ll have the quality of 64 Jagat Skads.

Berlin has a reputation of being the centre of innovative music and art of all types in Europe (some might say it's the Melbourne of Europe!). How supportive has the collective force of the Berlin scene been for you?

Jens: There's only Sebastian and me here in Berlin and we work pretty isolated. We don't go out to see other local bands play and I don't think we know any other musicians or artists around here.

Marcel: But that is not to say that we will avoid the scene!

Sebastian: My Berlin scene is Jens' kitchen.

Their new album Bloomsday will be out in 2010, but the guys were kind enough to release a couple of tracks to keep us occupied in the meantime.

Jagat Skad - Speaker (mp3)

Jagat Skad - Wallpaper (mp3)

If you like these tracks then check out their impressive back catalogue that is available free to download here. Thanks to Kentt for first bringing them to our attention earlier this year. Right, let's get these guys over for some Melbourne shows.

Inspirational On 2 Levels

2009-10-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

So I've just come from the XLR8R site and found a nice wee visual treat that features two of the 'Must Do Eventually' tasks on my ever extending To Do list. Making Sushi and making Dubstep.

Falty DL has really grabbed my attention recently. After hearing 'To New York' I pretty much went "Wow". It doesn't happen often but he's up there on the current Wow List allongside the likes of Joy Orbison (another story) and Mount Kimbie.

In this video FaltyDL takes us through making those sushi rolls with the rice on the outside and how none other than Boxcutter inspired him to go from dodgy jungle to producing complex and imaginative sub-dubstep. Particularly good in this video is his chat about Quantised sushi and his Past Response Production theory.

Watch the video and you'll be inspired you to pick up a knife, Ableton or possibly both. Personally I'm going for the third option, nigri-step.

Also worth checking on the XLR8R site is Scuba's mix from the mag's superb podcast series.

Lightning Bolt

2009-09-29T00:55:00.000-07:00

The last time i saw Lightning Bolt live was the 14th of May 2006, in a run down old dance hall on the south side of Glasgow. I'd barely heard any of thieir music but bought a ticket on the fervored recommendations and enthusiastic recollections from the few of my buddies who'd caught them live in various dives and festivals over time. I can honestly say that that gig stands out in my mind as one of the most intense and fun I've ever been to.

Lightning Bolt sound like a hurricane in a scrap yard but are one of these awesomely fucked up bands that have the ability to present a dirty great cacophony of noise that draws you right in and smacks you about whilst maintaining complete control over their insane arrangements. Think one bass guitar (Brian Gibson) and a drum kit (Brian Chippendale) plus a healthy dose of distortion, reverb, delay, a bizarro microphone mask setup and an uncomprimising attitude.

Seriously, if you've never heard of them then that's perfect, just go! If you have then you know the score; it's not one to miss. This is music to be seen live!

They are scheduled for 2 shows in Melbourne, one on the 20th of November and the other on the 28th. It's all organised by Melbourne's very own Heathen Skulls, so check the link for venues and tickets.

Also check out their new album "Earthly Delights" which is out on the mighty Load Records on October 13th.

NoA Communications: Casiotone for the Painfully Alone

2009-09-28T21:46:00.000-07:00

PHOTO CREDIT: HANNAH PERSSON

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone is Owen Ashworth of Chicago and he's dropping by Melbourne soon. Ashworth is well known for his melancholic narratives and stripped-back keyboard and drum-machine pop. Ashworth writes pretty damn moving music in this this little sound niche, so we thought we'd ask him about self-limiting songwriting and breakfast.

We're interested in the creative impact of setting limitations in equipment and production in music. How do you limit yourself in the songwriting process without barricading yourself?

Owen: My first three albums were made with a pretty strict set of guidelines, and I think it was a good place to start as a songwriter. Having a defined set of parameters let me focus on the actual songwriting part. I really had to make sure that I was making the most of variables that weren't pre-defined, like, you know, lyrics and melody. The last few albums have been more open in terms of including more instruments, people, styles, etc, but starting out with rules really helped me define my tastes, and recognise my strengths and weaknesses as a dude who makes music.

Do you like baked eggs and coffee? That's pretty much all we do in Melbourne.

Owen: In Chicago, there is a very fancy Austrian coffee shop called Julius Meinl, and they have the kinds of expensive breakfasts that visiting mums tend to really enjoy. They have a super delicious salmon and cheese and eggs baked in a ramekin breakfast thing on the menu, and it's my only experience with baked eggs. Unless you count quiche. I liked the salmon thing a lot and I'd like to try baked eggs again for sure. Coffee is wonderful and I drink it every day.

We don't count quiche. We'll take him to Min Lokal. Owen is playing at the Northcote Social Club on November 5th. He'll be supported by Otouto. His fifth album VS the Children is largely about remorseful criminals and is out now on Tomlab.

Grain Factory Mix

2009-09-26T21:58:00.000-07:00

This NoA mix fits the North Antarctican all-encompassing ethos. It's a strange string of minimal Berlin, Balearic Scandinavia, eclectic Japan and a couple of tracks from people who are landing/have landed at Tullamarine recently.

Here's the track listing:
01 Matryoshka (Aus remix) - Anaesthetic
02 Moderat - Rusty Nails
03 Mum - A River Don't Stop To Breathe
04 Apparat - Arcadia
05 Modeselektor - The Death Medley
06 World's End Girlfriend - Magical Romantic Freestyle
07 Ellen Allien - Turbo Dreams
08 Burial and Four Tet - Moth
09 Kharkov - Crustacean
10 Coco Rosie - Japan
11 Moderat - Sea Monkey
12 Daedelus - Bonjour
13 World's End Girlfriend - Twinkle Twinkle
14 Autechre - Fwze
15 Air France - Collapsing at Your Doostep
16 El Perro Del Mar - God Knows (You Gotta Give to Get)

Oh bonjour baby

Mudro Bleeps - NoA Treaty Series 0001

2009-09-19T07:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a first and rather wicked mix from brand new NoA recruit Mudro Bleeps, kicking off NoA's Treaty Series of high quality guest mixes from our many and varied pals north of 66° 33′ 39″ S. It definitely won't be his last.

Under many guises Mudro Bleeps, aka J-mo aka Jamps aka James Moreton has quietly stormed dancefloors and rattled door panels in equal measure across the UK for the last few years. Previously a founding member of the sloppiest radio show on earth, an initiating father of Glasgow club night Noodle and prolific dj/producer as well as collector, his style always encompasses a meandering blend of genres and grooves with deceptively easy ease. The 5.45 Routine is a studio mix done on Ableton and a mighty fine one to kick start the series with.

Mudro Bleeps is currently finalising a small aussie tour for mid 2010, once he can be coaxed from his cosy Northern Irish den. NoA will Keep you posted.

Here's the tracklist:

At The End Of The Day - Amon Tobin
Coke and Wet - Spank Rock
We Keep On - Wiseguys
G.U.O.M.D. Hieroglyphics
Big Furry Head - Amon Tobin
Alarm Call - Bjork
Painkiller (DJ Shadow RMX) - Depeche Mode
Stomp - Breakage
Terminus - Photek
Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors - Radiohead
Dark Lady (Skint Mix) - DJ Food
85 Space - Rekid
Crispy Bacon (Bitten By The Black Dog RMX) - Laurent Garnier
Arp - Rekid
Spiders - Rekid
Dream On (Dave Clarke RMX) - Depeche Mode
Caramel Cognac - Milanese
Fix Up, Look Sharp - Dizzee Rascal
Vengeance Drools - Clark
Metic - HP.Stonji
Nylon - Rubin Steiner
Persona - Alex Smoke
6am - Alex Smoke
Breathe Me (Four Tet rmx) - SIA
The Future Intro - Rodney P
Nightmarez - Hijak Beats
Weigh Down - Distance
Temptation - Distance
Blue Eyez - Skream
Move Ya Loin - Roots Manuva
Check-It (Featuring Warrior Queen) - Skream
Sortie Des Ombres (Dub Version) - RPM
Tim Exile & Brittany Spears - Toxic Mashup (Mudro Interpretation)
Ravers Suck Our Sound (N.O.W. Mix) - LA Funk Mob
Chin High - Roots Manuva
Ska - Distance
Iron Man - Armour
Stop Dat - Dizzee Rascal
Oh Yeah... - Roots Manuva
Once In A Lifetime - Talking Heads
Outro - The Savage Weegie Scumbag Choir

Download your very own copy here.

The snazzy artwork is that of Louis Wain.

El Perro Del Mar Toff it too

2009-09-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

Another quick post to spread the word about another brilliant sounding show at The Toff in Town. Swedish sea dog Sarah Assbring of El Perro Del Mar is dropping into Curtin House in Melbourne on the 5th of October to deliver her melancholic folk pop. Tickets are about $35 (including booking fee) through moshtix. She is also supporting Sarah Blasko at the Forum Theatre on October 2nd. Catch Assbring at one of these gigs before she jets over to the U.S. to support Swedish pop superstars Peter Bjorn and John on their North American tour.

Her new album Love is Not Pop was released in Scandinavia in April on The Concretes' label Licking Fingers but only just made it to Australia on September 12th thanks to Rogue Records/Inertia.

Maximum Flau Japanese explosion

2009-09-10T02:01:00.000-07:00

This coming Tuesday September 15, The Toff is hosting a Maximum Arousal Japanese explosion that is Flau label artists Aus , Cokiyu and Cuushe .

Aus is Yasuhiko Fukuzono, who heads the Flau label. He began as a teenager messing around with a keyboard and a tape recorder but is now more in the business of blending electronic melodies into the soundscape that is Tokyo. On top of his already-massive discography of albums, soundtracks, remixes and arrangements Aus' new album Light In August is set to be released later this month.

Cokiyu, who hails from Shikoku island, uses guitars, toy pianos, music boxes and vocals to craft her shoegaze pop. She released her Boomkat album of the week Mirror Flake in '07. Amongst her impressive credentials, including holding a masters degree in musicology, she is Shugo Tokumaru 's toy pianist.

Cuushe, who released her debut album Red Rocket Telepathy in July this year, is all about dream pop melodies of field recordings, samples and electronica.

NoA will be there on Tuesday and so will you.

Roll Your Sleeves Up Mix (aka. Live in a Fish Tank/aka. Geology Cuts; '08's finest)

2009-09-09T06:56:00.000-07:00

Right-o, here's another mix of music done on turntables. A testament to the priceless lessons one learns in life on a daily basis, and to a tiny portion of wicked music released in 2008.
Lesson 1: Roll your sleeves up whilst dj-ing or you might just have to live with the consequences for the rest of your life.

Dis be the tracklist:

1. Natural Selection – Martyn
2. Kameleon – 2562
3. You & I – Pangaea
4. Diver – Various Production
5. Township Funk (...Radioclit Remix) – Mujava
6. Bad People Get Laid – Genuine Guy
7. Fuckingham Palace (Nerk & Derk Leyers Remix) – Alter Ego
8. Beatless – Syncom Data
9. Human Rescources – Unknown/Hate
10. Where were you in ’92 – Zomby
11. Suburbia – Martyn
12. Africa Emerge – Radioclit
13. Butan Freaks (Origional Mix) – Marco Remus
14. Die Rakete – Matt French
15. Piano Song (Metronomy Mix) – Charlie Alex March

Downloadski: http://www.divshare.com/download/6466786-96d

P.S. Check out GLOBAL SOUNDTRACKS; it's a massively great podcast for listening to: http://www.globalsoundtracks.com/

Electroclash revival in Melbourne for a twenty

2009-09-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to make sure that everyone knows that the electroclash legends Fischerspooner are playing at the Beck's Rumpus Room on October 16 as part of the Melbourne International Arts Festival.

If you weren't aware, Fischerspooner are Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner, who started Fischerspooner as a performance art piece about entertainment and turned into one of the most successful of maybe ten successful electroclash groups. They released their new album, Entertainment, in May this year. Tickets are only twenty bucks because the organisers are bourgeois socialists so take advantage! You can get tix from Polyester Records.

Peaches also released her new album I Feel Cream in May this year and is going to be doing a DJ set at Roxanne on 19 September. Unfortunately this one is sold out so you'll only be able to get tix from opportunistic capitalists here.

少年ナイフ

2009-08-31T22:13:00.000-07:00

Write Shonen Knife at Corner Thursday 24th September on whatever you use to remember things in your life that will happen in the future when you know you might forget them because the thing you need to remember is not for a while.

Formed in 1981, with 15 albums under their belt Shonen Knife (少年ナイフ) are Japanese twee pop punk icons. They have survived this long eating only banana chips. In case it's another decade before they return to Australia you should head to the Corner Hotel in Richmond on the 24th. They're doing this tour to promote their new album Supergroup.

Apparently and unsurprisingly tickets are selling fast. See you there unless you live in Belfast or Glasgow, in which case you should move to Melbourne.

Hoodrat Omlette Mixxx

2009-08-29T03:26:00.000-07:00

Also got two links of this shizz (dunno why there's two):

It's a dj mix i just did of some of the cool stuff I've been listening to to of late. A bit of a dogs dinner of a flow i must admit, but bite me, as they say in stupid hollywood films.

Tracklisting:

1. The 2 Live Crew : Hoochie Mama
2. Various Production: Chief
3. Pearson Sound: PLSN
4. Pearson Sound: WAD
5. Aardvarck: 4our
6. Pangaea: Bear Witness
7. Shackleton: I want to eat you
8. Unknown-Hate: Human Rescources
9. Zomby: Fuck Mixing, Lets Dance
10. F: The untitled Dub
11. Luke Hess: Self Control
12. The Tower: Compos Mentis
13. Martyn: Yet
14. Pangaea: You and I
15. Gold Panda: Back Home
16. Modeselektor: Turn Deaf
17. Le Le: Breakfast (Aardvarck Remix)
18. City to city: Pancake radio
19. Dorian Concept: Trilingual Dance Sexperience
20. DJ C: Since you've been in this club (Kelly Clarkson Vocal Mix)

Download the fucker here: http://www.divshare.com/download/8319015-890

By the way, the art work is by a cool dude called Nigel Evan Dennis. I have no idea who he is, but i like him. Check him here: http://www.nigelevandennis.com/

Melbourne Ghetto Ass Kicking

2009-08-29T02:32:00.000-07:00

Right, i just went record shopping and came across this badboy: Bass Mixx Party, Club Classics. A Miami Bass record that lives up to it's name.

Tons of bass, several remixes of songs that shouldn't work but really, really do and many many references to ghetto bitches. A personal highlight for me is Hoochie Mama, a misogynists ode to the tarts of the world, with a right catchy chorus.

These sort of records are like hens teeth and the guy in the store told me it had been there for ages. Goes to show the temperamental nature of 'collectors items'. Quality!

Here's a quick mix of some of the highlights:

And here's the tracklist:
http://www.discogs.com/Various-Bass-Mixx-Party-Club-Classics/release/521067
Actually this isnt a tracklist of the mix, i dont know what that is. Basically I didnt use the slow ones.

or download it here:
http://www.divshare.com/download/8318921-d01

Margaret Leng Tan in Melbourne

2009-08-23T01:52:00.000-07:00

To kick start this blog I thought I'd review some inventive music that I went to see in South Melbourne last week. This wasn't dubstep.

It was a toy pianist.

Margaret Leng Tan worked with John Cage for the 11 years before he died and made a name for herself performing Cage's music. Her gear is a prepared grand piano, a 37-key Schoenhut toy grand piano and bicycle horn

The toy pianos took centre stage for the first half of the evening but the main event was Tan's rendition of George Crumb's (a composer who pours glass marbles into open pianos) Makrokosmos. She shouted loads and during the piece and put all sorts of things into the open grand piano.

It was pretty different music and it's probably worth seeing a professional toy pianist at least once in your life right?

Margaret Leng Tan was here as part of Piano!, a keyboard festival held at the Australian National Academy of Music in South Melbourne last week.