EL-P
Interview by Alexandra Tillotson
Eliot Lipp’s album release party for Shark Wolf Rabbit Snake at Mercury Lounge on June 29th welcomed an amazingly eclectic audience that mirrored the artist’s dynamic sound.
Bekim, the opening artist, brought dubstep and d’n’b fans out to play, but it was obvious that Lipp was the main attraction when he stepped onto the stage. The artist commanded attention from everyone in the room - from the bro in a polo, loafers, and khakis to the very posh lady in a sexy backless blue dress.
MONDAY
EL-P + Despot
When: Monday, May 21st.
Where:Santos Party House
Come out and see Brooklyn’s own El-P who, although hasn’t released a rap album since 2007, has been hella busy with Das Racist and his own Definitive Jux Label. His new album, Cancer 4 Cure will come out this month, so come get a little taste.
Nicknamed the ‘Voice Belgique’ (the Voice of Belgium), Quentin Mosimann is making a name for himself internationally as one of the few existing DJ-singers. Known for his use of various instruments and his wild and unpredictable performances, Quentin sat down with Joonbug at the Perry Hotel in South Beach to talk about his favorite names in music, his beginnings as a jazz singer, and his current international tour.
You’re probably best known for your success in the French reality TV show, Star Academy France. What were you doing before the show?
May is looking good for all of you NYC concert goers out there. Not only are some big names coming through (M83, Norah Jones, Jack White), but a ton of awesome smaller bands. The end of May also marks THE BEGINNING OF SUMMERSTAGE, which should prove inspiration enough to get through this month at work. So, take a look at the list, pick some shows and start your summer off right! If we forgot anything, leave a comment and we'll put it up!
May 11
Japanther/Ritz Riot @ 929 XPO
Teen Daze/Supreme Cuts @ Glasslands
Active Child/Balam Acab @ Mercury Lounge
Lights has come a long way from being featured in Old Navy commercials, and her sophomore album "Siberia" is a testament to that.
While most artists are bogged down by the sophomore curse, Lights used this opportunity to tweak her sound into a more gritty, dub-step twist of what fans are used to. While "The Listening" was more of a light, galactic take on pop music, "Sibera" sounds more raw, hard and loud (most noticeably on tracks like “Flux and Flow” and “Fourth Demension.”)
Lights hasn't completely abandoned her original sound though; she still sings as sweet as she's known for and penned the quirky and fun lyrics. What makes "Sibera" so fresh is this exact combination of light vocals and deep beats.
Last year, when legendary film maker, meditational guru, and coffee bean brewer David Lynch signed onto Rob Da Bank's label Sunday Best to release his first musical single, fans of the artist didn't flinch. Known for his surrealist works such as Elephant Man, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive, this 13-time Academy-Award nominated producer is no stranger to sound. Along with composing the themes for many of his movies, Lynch debuted his singing talent, providing vocals for two tracks in his most recent film, Inland Empire.
With bluesy, guitar-scapes influenced by the likes of Elvis and Sparklehorse, Lynch's dreamy, strange and hauntingly beautiful musical productions parallel his surrealist vision as an artist. Such adjectives have proven to be excellently adaptable to electronic music. The two singles Lynch released early this year, "Good Day Today" and "I Know," were remixed by electronic music icons Sasha and Underworld and drawn the attention of Coldplay, Bassment Jaxx, and Boy Noize.
In 2009, Das Racist released a track called "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell (Wallpaper Remix)," that was pretty much a one-topic song about a couple of homeboys on their cells trying to meet up for lunch-- "I'm at the Pizza Hut," No, I'm at the Pizza Hut," and goes on like that for basically the rest of the song. The cut was received in both positive and negative lights, some thinking that the group was merely created to destroy everyone's interest in music, while others found their lyrics and beats to be refreshingly comedic, brainy, and appealing. For the most part, however, the group basically classified themselves as a joke-rap genre, which hurt their overall game and potential in the rap world.
The most wonderful quality about the artist Eiri is that both on and off stage, he is an unabashedly comically witty individual. He lives for the day, and even more for the nightlife. He understands eccentricity, yet magically doesn’t allow let it over-consume his pop cultural thoughts and moments of clarity about the world around him--especially as a born and bred New Yorker.
As an independent artist, he performs songs that he’s written and produced himself in small venues across lower Manhattan and occasionally Brooklyn. While watching his surrealistic performances, he often shields his face with a veil and speaks to the audience in a come hither but sanguine tone. In getting to know Eiri as an artist and person, it was clear that his multiple influences and outlook on life emanate a common belief: to be true to yourself and sometimes life is better articulated through kaleidoscopic glasses.
Cannibal Ox’s 2001 debut The Cold Vein landed in May of 2001, crashing onto the hip hop scene like Michael J. Fox's Delorean into a 1950s malt shop. If it sounds out of step with 21st century hip hop it's because it is 22nd century hip hop sent back to incinerate the past, educate the present, and consecrate the future. This May marks the tenth anniversary of this landmark release and it remains a sacred ark of the hip hop underground. The Harlem duo of Vordul Mega and Vast Aire stay over your head while ex-Company Flow member and founder of the Def Jux record label, El P produces an ambiance that is part hearing noises in the butcher shop and part being locked in the city morgue for the night.
Last week Ana Sia droped some knowledge on the dance-party animals at the Brooklyn Bowl along with friends Eliot Lipp and Alex B. Before throwing down beats Ana Sia was kind enough to talk to Joonbug about her new album, dance music and the worst q-tips ever.
Josh Gordon: How was it putting together your debut album, International Profile?
Ana Sia: It was pretty wild. I was pretty unattached to the outcome, but it was a goal I had set. It represents a typical DJ set for me like it is not just one style, and the collaborations are really great to be a part of. It is more of an expansion of what is going on inside my head because there is a bunch of different styles. Some of it is weird. Some of it isn’t even dance music.
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