audio Kultur issue 01 jan 2014 free
02 Word for the Herd
B
y the time you pretend to read this the holidays will have come and gone. It will be 2014 and we will still be no closer to all of the awesome things that were promised to us by the asshole who made Back To The Future. Everything that happened in 2013 is totally insignificant now because, as everyone knows, if it isn’t currently in your news feed then it might as well never have happened. This can be a good thing. It means that the time that you dragged home an electric radiator at 5am, pissed on mulled wine and using its cord as a lead, is long gone and forgotten. The totally arbitrary calendar date also provides the perfect opportunity to decide that shit needs to change. Gym memberships skyrocket, cigarette sales plummet and people make all kinds of promises to themselves that they have no real intention of ever keeping. Because of these things (and the fact that people who don’t buy into this bullshit are still strung out from a NYE binge that started somewhere around December 21st), January is traditionally seen as a slow month in the clubbing world.
Publisher:
überhaus SAL
Editor-In-Chief: Tres Colacion
Well don’t fret. The beauty of the printed word is that everything you’re about to read has pretty much already happened, and has happened in the moments leading up to the annual January comedown, making it suitably debauched. We’ve got some new contributors and stories, from a Lebanese rock band who think they’re modern day pirates to sex, drugs and bombs. So enjoy your fucking weird Gwyneth Paltrow diet, not smoking and being really smug. We’ll catch up in February and you can tell me how that worked out for you…
Managing Editor:
Until next month,
Original Photography:
Tres Colacion Editor-in-chief Got something to say? Write us at Junkmail@Uberhaus.me
Emma Gatten
Art Director: Alī El Sayed
Writers:
Gino Raidy, Andréane Williams, Nabih Esta, Ronald Hajjar, Jackson Allers
comic:
Panos Aprahamian Arin Aprahamian Valentina Lola Vera Charbel Saadé
PHOTOGRAPHY:
Raymond Gemayel, Cliff Makhoul, Nadim Kamel, Penko Stoitschev, AFP-Gino Raidy, Carl Halal
Table of Contents 03
04. Incoming:
Phonique
06. Flashbacks
10. Featured:
& Revelations
David August
12. feature:
16. Featured:
Ladies' Night
Mind Against
18. Feature:
20. Featured:
Lazzy Lung come in to port
Jimpster
24. Tuneage
26. Techno-logic 32. Year in Review
28. OPINION:
Party Non-Stop
34. das Komic
04 Incoming
Slow motion Germany’s Phonique on his steady rise and the ingredients of a perfect party By: Ronald Hajjar
Incoming 05
AK: Tell us how you made the move from party promoter to successful DJ/producer after moving to Berlin in the mid 90s. Everything happened slow and unplanned. I was already a bedroom DJ for years, but never had any ambitions to go public as I had the feeling there were already enough DJs out there. Then a friend who used to DJ at my parties heard my homemade mixtapes and told me I shouldn’t waste my talent and should at least do the warm up myself at my own parties. I quickly became a wanted warm-up DJ. From there it was just a logical step to play deeper into the night. At one point I decided to play my first prime time set and I found a perfect warm-up DJ for myself – Alex Barck – known back then as Barcoholic – one of the Jazzanova guys. At some point I had so many ideas in my head for own tracks, that I hired a studio technician to get my first tracks done.
AK: You have worked with so many labels and artists. Where do you consider ‘home’? Anyone you particularly like to get creative with? Of course Dessous Recordings from the Poker Flat family is my homebase and Ladies and Gentlemen is my own little playground in this family. But I have also had a few guest releases on other labels. From Systematic to Crosstown Rebels or Souvenir and Moodmusic or back in the days Brique Rouge and Seasons.
and such things help of course!
AK: If we were to travel to Berlin in the coming weeks what cool places would you recommend? Where are you playing the most at the moment? I play at many different places in Berlin and besides the above mentioned places I enjoy Watergate or smaller places like Salon Zur Wilden Renate. On Christmas Eve I played all night long at Cookies, a bar/club which has existed for almost 20 years and which has a very familiar atmosphere!
AK: Tell us a serious tune in your crate that is moving the dancefloors? Too many. Of course I am in love with the new remixes of my tracks with Erlend Øye, especially the Bruno Be Remixes "For the Time Being" and "Casualties"
AK: Where do you see yourself in a few years from
now?
I have no clue and I am living for the moment as long as I can do what I love to do. I am working on my new album and hopefully will have it done in 2014.
AK: What is the best club or party you have played so far, and what makes a perfect party for you? There are many great clubs and parties, too many to mention all of them. Just in Berlin I love playing Sunday afternoon/night at Panorama Bar or at Kater Holzig. In Brazil I love Warung; in Mexico, Bar Americas in Guadalajara is amazing.
D
eep house DJ and producer Phonique began his career as a bedroom DJ in Berlin in the mid-90s, where he made a name for himself organizing club nights and parties. Since branching into his own music he has gone on to release massive tunes on labels such as Dessous Recordings, Poker Flat and Moodmusic. Over an illustrious career he has collaborated with some of the best in the scene including Steve Bug, David Duriez, Martin Landsky and Phil Weeks. We caught up with him ahead of his gig at the ‘haus on Saturday January 18.
A perfect party is when all the people are feeling the vibe and are letting themselves go. A proper sound system
city:
Berlin, Germany
label:
Dessous Recordings, Poker Flat, Moodmusic
Website:
www.residentadvisor.net/dj/ phonique www.soundcloud.com/ phonique
essential listening:
Vincent Price (Original Mix) [Dessous Recordings] Feel What You Want feat. Rebecca [Defected] Phonique, Sharam Jey - Special! (Original Mix) [Bunny Tiger] Ornette - Crazy (Phonique Remix) [Get Physical Music] Our Time Our Chance feat. Ian Whitelaw (Andre Lodemann Remix) [Dessous Recordings]
06 Flashbacks & Revelations
Flashbacks & Revelations A barrage of photogoodness from 端berhaus. From the good to the bad, to the just plain bad ass, everything you don't remember from the holidays all in one place
Flashbacks & Revelations 07
08 Flashbacks & Revelations
Flashbacks & Revelations 09
10 Featured Artist
Top of the class David August is leading the way for a new generation of DJs By: Ronald Hajjar & Nabih Esta
Featured Artist 11
A
t only 23 years old David August has been touted as something of a techno wunderkind. And for good reason. By now an established DJ and producer on Germany’s Diynamic label August started DJing at Hamburg’s BKI club and producing tracks at home when he was just 17. A classically trained pianist and student of the prestigious Tonmeister program at Berlin University of the Arts, August’s technical expertise is what makes his music shine. We caught up with him after a mind-blowing live performance at überhaus in November.
AK: You recently moved to Berlin for the prestigious
Tonmeister program at Berlin University of the Arts. How's life in the German capital compared to Hamburg? Well, it was not recently actually. I moved to Berlin two and a half years ago. Life in Berlin is very exciting and inspiring. You have so many movements going on here and you can definitely feel the creativity. Even though Hamburg is more beautiful than Berlin, the capital suits me better for the moment. The heartbeat never stops here.
AK: We’re curious to know more about your electronic/ classical inspirations and influences.
Nord Stage [keyboard]. As for controllers I use the Livid CNTRL:R and the Launchpad. Ableton of course…
AK: Did you have a good night in Beirut? Yeah, definitely. It was very interesting coming to Lebanon and seeing at least a bit of the country and people. I appreciated the fact that the people were happy about international guests. It felt like an honor to make them happy with that visit and I would come again right away.
Classical music was the first music I came in touch with. I was 5 years old when I got into piano lessons, so this will always be a part of myself I can never hide. Beside classical inspirations – Bach the most – Radiohead has been a very important inspiration for me. (I actually did a mixtape as an homage to the band with only Radiohead tracks, which is available on Soundcloud). My older brother just listened to them so much when I was a kid, I couldn't escape his influence on me. For me [they are some of] the most significant musicians of the last 20 years.
city:
AK: What’s it like being part of the Diynamic camp?
label:
Berlin, Germany
What’s your relationship with the other artists on the label?
One Records, La Vie En Rose, Dame Music
Having such a familiar community gives you so much energy and [a real boost]. We are a collective and we [also work] in private. It's not only about the music, even though music is what holds us together, it's also about friendships. I really appreciate being around such lovely people.
www.facebook.com/ davidaugustmusic www.soundcloud.com/ davidaugust
AK: What’s some of the equipment you use in the studio, and for your live perfomances? I have Prophet-5 and Juno 60 [synthesizers] at home. I do a lot with them. Besides that I record a lot of [samples] on my own. I use the Juno for live as well, besides a
Website:
essential listening:
Moving Day (Original Mix) [Diynamic] Hamburg Is For Lovers (Original Mix) [Diynamic] To All The Ladies (Original Mix) [Diynamic] Blossom (Original Mix) [Diynamic] You Got To Love Me (Original Mix) [KNM]
12 feature
Ladies’ night Where are all the women in electronic music? By: Andreane Williams
feature 13
N
ina Kraviz is sitting on a beach in Bulgaria giving an interview. Lounging by the sea in a red bikini the Russian deep house producer discusses her music and her love for her job. So far, an average day for any internationally recognized DJ. But this scene, along with another from the same documentary showing Kraviz in a bubble bath while on tour, caused a storm of online controversy when it was released last April. Reactions ranged from accusations that she was selling herself to reflections on the objectification of women in the music industry and raised questions about the double standards applied to male and female DJs.
Despite its apparent accessibility and the democratizing nature of its technology, the electronic music industry is far from a level playing field when it comes to gender. The statistics speak for themselves. According to Forbes magazine the highest-paid DJs in the world in 2013 were all men. Top electronic music charts compiled by magazines also rarely feature female DJs. Only 12 female artists have made Resident Advisor’s top 100 list since 2009, and there are only seven in the UK’s DJ Mag rankings. “I think it’s a real shame that there are so few women in these polls considering the increasing number of female DJs and their success,” says Ben Murphy, editor of DJ Mag. “We don’t choose the results. The public does. The results reflect the taste of the voters, and it seems like they prefer popular male DJs.”
Sex sells Given its alternative nature, it might seem like the underground music scene would be a good place to reject the usual diktats of sexism in its marketing and culture. In reality, however, electronic music is a male-dominated industry where women are still fighting for recognition. For electronic music the battle perhaps began when the genre’s visibility grew, and so did the use of sexual imagery to lure clubbers in. The trend has made it difficult for many women to be taken seriously within the industry. “Female artists are represented in a very sexualized way and it’s obviously a very successful strategy to gain attention,” says Austrian DJ Electric Indigo. “Building an image is essential to a career and I think that women have fewer options for self-representation than men,” she adds. “Men can be cool and attractive even as nerds for example, while women are more restricted in their options. So they are tempted to choose this sexy image.” German electronic musician and producer Madeleine Bloom also thinks that women in the industry are subject to an aesthetic dictatorship: “Women who work with major labels are more sexualized than women who
don’t…We have to make sure we look good before our music. Looks come first and music is second”, she says. Meanwhile, many female DJs have been accused of exploiting the same tactics for their own benefit. The treatment of Nina Kraviz highlights this paradox. The internationally renowned DJ should be past having to prove her chops but the now infamous Resident Advisor documentary raised the hackles of many, including other artists and fans, who accused her of perpetuating the sexualisation of women in the industry. As a woman, Kraviz can’t escape discussion of her looks, regardless of her own intentions. Meanwhile, Seth Troxler, RA’s top DJ for 2012, can pose for a strikingly similar bathtub photo (and produce a video plug for a festival in the nude) to little comment. Kraviz responded to her critics via her Facebook page, saying “sexism and all similar bullshit must die. And the first step to it is to let artists be who they are regardless of their gender, skin color, sexual orientation.” Other artists including Canadian DJ and producer Grimes have also spoken out, saying they are fed up with the objectification and male chauvinism they are subject to as female musicians. “I’m tired of creeps on message boards discussing whether or not they’d ‘fuck’ me”, the 25-year-old artist posted on her blog. The focus on women’s looks rather than their talents has been felt in Lebanon’s own scene. “Many female DJs use sexuality because they know their function is sexualized,” says Lebanese DJ LadyBug. “Many DJs are known more for their look than for their music.” She believes this type of marketing reflects the attitude of patriarchal societies toward women in general.
14 feature
"I’m tired of men who aren’t professional or even accomplished musicians continually offering to ‘help me out’ (without being asked), as if I did this by accident and I’m gonna flounder without them, or as if the fact that I’m a woman makes me incapable of using technology. I have never seen this kind of thing happen to any of my male peers", Grimes vented in a manifesto against sexism on her blog in April.
Playing with the boys Compounding, and perhaps a result of, pressures to meet the beauty standards and macho fantasies ascribed to women across spheres of the media, female DJs often face discrimination and skepticism about their musical skills. “When I started DJing I didn’t do it with the consciousness of being a woman, but for the love of music. It is the pressure from the outside that forced me to address the issue,” says Electric Indigo. Are female DJs still trapped by the myth that women and technology don’t mix? If these female DJs are to be believed, it looks like the answer is a resounding ‘hell yes’. “The last time I played at a concert, a guy came up to me and said, after seeing all my equipment: So, you are going to do a lot of playback crap! He assumed I would do playback because I do electronic music”, says Bloom, an ex-Ableton technical support worker who maintains a blog that regularly criticizes the industry and sexism:“It definitely has to do with the whole idea that women and technology don’t go together,” she says.
Internationally renowned Portland-based singer and electronic producer Natasha Kmeto says the gender issue is raised in about 70 percent of the interviews that she gives. “The more centered around electronic music the publication is, the more it's brought up.” She also thinks that sexist attitudes are a reflection of sexism within society as a whole. “I've asked male musicians who perform in similar fashion if they get asked the same things and they all say that they never have. I really think it's just an assumption based on the fact that women (and in particular female singers) aren't usually the ones writing and producing their own music. I don't think it's maliciously sexist, it's just assumptive and based on those gender roles we're raised with.”
feature 15
Invisible women Despite the international success of DJs like Maya Jane Coles, Cassy Britton and Ellen Allien, female DJs are still not getting the same kind of exposure and visibility their male peers are. For DJs such as Electric Indigo and Alice Cornelus, the gender disparity in electronic music has inspired them to organize into networks. The most important question for them is how to make women visible to promoters and a larger audience. Electric Indigo, who has been djing since 1989, founded female:pressure in 1998. It has since become an international network of female dance music artists. “Fifteen years ago there were very few female DJs. I founded female:pressure because, as a DJ, I kept coming up against public reactions like, ‘oh, it’s amazing that you are doing this and you are woman!’ Or, ‘for a woman, you are not that bad’. I would always be asked why there aren’t more female DJs.” According to their research, over the past year, 10 percent of performers at music festivals around the world were female, and women comprised only 9.3 percent of artists listed on music label rosters. Alice Cornelus founded Women Multimedia Network (WMN!) as she felt the need for a similar collective in France. With the organization, the French DJ is working to help women gain more visibility in the electronic music industry and the field of digital arts. “Just because you have a couple of big names, it doesn’t mean that women are well represented in this industry. It doesn’t mean there is a real openness towards them. There is sexism and skepticism regarding women’s capacity to
make music with machines. Promoters also have to organize profitable events. So, they need well-known artists, who, most of the time, are men”, she explains. Changing these attitudes is no simple fix, given how deeply ingrained they are. “It starts pretty early with what is considered cool for boys and what is cool for girls. My experience showed that it was seen as uncool for girls to make music”, Bloom adds. More and more all-female events are cropping up, which have attracted their share of critics. Among other complaints, detractors have warned that such events could lead to gender segregation within the industry. But Bloom, who helped organize the all-woman Perspective Festival in Berlin last September, says young girls need more female role models, something that can only be accomplished by giving greater visibility to women and booking them in bigger venues and events. “These events help women gain more visibility for sure,” she says. While she acknowledges that they aren’t a long-term solution to gender disparities, she argues that they are a good first step towards offering female electronic musicians the kind of exposure they deserve. “These events can be very annoying or very cool. In general what we have to achieve is a high level of diversity between men, women, social classes, etc. It’s important to include people.” Hoping to help her fellow DJs, Lebanese event organizer Tatyana K. Majaroff recently decided to organize “Chicks on the Decks,” an all-woman line-up, in Beirut,
intended to offer more visibility to female Lebanese and international DJs. “Women are not taken as seriously as men in this industry, especially in the Middle East. They are paid less and are most often booked to do opening sets,” Majaroff says. The differences between how men and women are marketed in the electronic music industry is nothing new. While the electronic music industry is relatively nascent compared to other genres, it joins a long history of chauvinism in music from pop to rock and even classical music. “As a woman you have to have a special character to do this and deal with the skepticism. You have to be tough”, says DJ Electric Indigo.
16 Featured Artist
Family Fortunes Mind Against's Fognini brothers at the end of a breakout year By: Ronald Hajjar
Featured Artist 17
AK: How do your parents feel about what you do? Would they rather see you as bankers or engineers? Federico: For sure it is not easy to accept that your son leaves studies to be an "artist" but they've actually always respected our choice and have supported us from the very beginning.
AK: Flashback to a few years ago; how did it all start for
you?
A: We have a bunch of stuff in the studio and we always try to use the most of them. As we have said in several other interviews we could say that SH-101 and the Juno60 are present in almost all of our songs. F: We also have a Moog, some vintage drum machines and we recently bought one of the most interesting pieces of gear around in my opinion, which is the Jupiter 8. You will taste a bit of his potential in our next EP early next year.
AK: Your most memorable gig of 2013?
Alessandro: We didn't take it so seriously at the beginning to be honest. We just started mixing and producing electronic music for fun three or four years ago. Then things came and we are where we are.
A: I would say the Life and Death showcase at the Amsterdam Dance Event in October. F: Agreed! Well, it was pretty epic!
AK: Any major influence or inspiration you’d like to tell us about?
AK: What is scheduled on the Mind Against agenda in the near future?
A: I love to listen to different kinds of music, [and] traveling recently has had a big influence on our music. F: Yes, our gig schedule has been kinda busy lately, that's why when we get into the studio, we maybe need to know what we wanna do exactly and we just go there and realize some idea that is already well defined in our mind.
A: We just came back from our first US tour which was for sure one of the most incredible experiences in our career so far. We recently finished our second EP on Life and Death which is out in a couple of months, and some other remixes which are coming out in the coming days. And of course we will keep on playing internationally every weekend.
AK: You have remixed Art Department, My Favorite Robot, Avatism and so many other great artists. Which one of these remixes was particularly interesting to you? F: When we agree to work on a track it is always because we find something interesting and inspiring in it. A: We recently had the [opportunity] to remix one of our all-time favourite songs, which is Vaal's "Cine". It was for sure one of the most inspiring songs we have had the pleasure to work on.
AK: What equipment do you use the most to produce?
And what is the one ultimate piece of analog gear that you’d love to own?
B
erlin-based Italian brothers Alessandro and Federico Fognini, started working together as Mind Against in 2011, recording and releasing their first single on breakthrough label Life and Death the year after. Through the same label they released their debut EP Atlant in 2013, to critical acclaim.m. Audio Kultur chatted to them ahead of their set in Beirut on December 26 at Art Lounge for the One Night party series.
city:
Berlin, Germany
label:
Life and Death, Vakant, No. 19 Music
Website:
www.facebook.com/ mindagainst www.soundcloud.com/ mindagainst
essential listening:
Atlant (Original Mix) [Life and Death] Argo (Original Mix) [Cocoon Recordings] Avatism, Mind Against Planetario (Original Mix) [Vakant] Art Department - Sun Comes Up (Mind Against 909 Remix) [No. 19 Music] My Favorite Robot - The Waiting Rain (Mind Against Remix0 [Life and Death]
18 Feature
Coming in to port Lazzy Lung are hoping to awaken their fanbase with a new raw energy By: Jackson Allers
Featur 19
B
eirut-based indie rock act Lazzy Lung's official sophomore album launch for their LP, Sailor's Delight, is geared for the first quarter of 2014. It's been two years since the release of their debut album Strange Places and in that time a sizeable amount of urban myth has been built up in anticipation for round two. Internal struggles and the perils of being an indie rock act in the Middle East have tested the band’s durability but frontman Allan Chaaraoui tells Audio Kultur that he’s keen to show his loyal fanbase and a new generation of listeners just why his do-it-yourself punk ethos and veteran ear has culminated into one badass new album!
I won't mince words here: I've known Allan Chaaraoui since 2009. We met at a time of his life when his band's first LP Strange Places was nearing completion – when many of the ten tracks that ultimately made it on the album were in their final stages of production or were being considered for the cut. I've seen at least a dozen of their live shows under various circumstances – saw them turn out a raucous crowd of 500-plus at Beirut's Masrah al Madina/City Theater for their 2010 album release gig. I've seen the more sparsely attended shows in underground locations and a few live sets at Chaaraoui's infamous Rock-n-Roll Pizza Parties that were fertile grounds for trying out new material and tweaking old stuff. Over the last nearly six years Lazzy Lung – a selfdescribed hellish lovechild of Chaaraoui's – have shifted in personnel and in stature. They've replaced four drummers and three guitarists, ultimately arriving at a place where their brand of DIY rock-n-roll could finally reap the returns on their own artistic investments.
Until now I'd say they were unprepared for success despite Lazzy Lung's pedigree, which on paper looks mighty impressive: winners of the Rolling Stone Magazine ME's 'Battle of the Band' contest and of Esquire Middle East Magazine's top honour – Musicians of the Year – both in 2011; they won the Ray-Ban/triplew.me sponsored ‘Homegrown to Hollywood’ contest in 2012, which included a recording session at Capitol Records, Los Angeles in Studio A with legendary engineer Charlie Paakkari; then the boys orchestrated a much-touted Middle East tour with post-punk group The Black Lips in the late summer of 2012, which became the basis for the Bill Cody directed documentary Kids Like You & Me. While most of this is old news to Lazzy Lung, that last bit – the bit about the Bill Cody film – that's not, and as the band prepares for the "official" launch of Sailor's Delight, Chaaraoui is pretty livid about the film. "Dude – it misses the whole point!" he exclaims while dragging amply on his stoge near his home in Mar Mikhael last December. Kids Like You and Me hasn't been screened in the Arab world yet – but the film's producers are screening it
20 Feature
alongside the Lips' current US tour stops – continuing through the March release of The Black Lips' new album Underneath the Rainbow. Reading the press surrounding the film, it would appear as if The Black Lips had a direct pulse on the revolutions, portraying things in the Middle East, as the literature says, "the way they really are" with "shopkeepers and restaurant owners. Skaters, graffiti artists and musicians. Revolutionaries and dreamers. Kids like you and me"
for memory loss. Collectively the country suffers from bouts of amnesia that have deep-seeded roots in the Lebanese Civil War and for the youth that comes out in the form of collective 'forgetting' – especially if you're only semi-active on the scene.
It's the portrayal of Lazzy Lung that Chaaraoui is most concerned with these days. He's not happy about the film, but if anything is going to counter that misguided narrative about rockers in the Arab world it's the new album, he tells me.
Knowing the buzz surrounding Lazzy Lung in 2010 and 2011, it's been hard watching other bands fill the vacuum left by their creative departure from the scene. But Chaaraoui is resigned to doing things “right,” adding, that "it's how we tell our story musically that matters." But if you're a fan of Lazzy Lung, the existential questions they've had to ask themselves over the last two years – “Are we as artists happy with just posting shit on social networks and seeing how many hits we get? How much commitment are we as a band willing to give this?” – plus the lyrical subject matter based on a two-year honeymoon period of debauchery that followed the release of Strange Places, and the fact that they basically discarded two major free recording sessions – the Rolling Stone Magazine recordings in Dubai and the Ray-Ban Capitol Record session – all of it has led to a way more mature and edgy sound, making Sailor's Delight a real departure from even the early incarnations of the songs that made it on the new album.
However, it's been more than two years since the release of their debut Strange Days and in Beirut that's an eternity for a band to go without releasing new material. Lebanon's fickle audiences have a propensity
Bassist Imad Jawad and Chaaraoui spent countless hours and nights tracking and ghost tracking the music in the first five to six months of 2013 at a basement studio in east Beirut – sharing the space with the
An accurate portrayal? "You've got to be kidding me. No," is Chaaraoui's response. "I mean we're thankful for the opportunity to have played with a band the likes of The Black Lips. Touring was great for our band – overall it was awesome. But what I realised afterward – especially with the making of that film – was that the concerns I was having with the portrayal of Lazzy Lung and The Black Lips' experiences in the Middle East – the questions I wanted to ask – should've been asked – because the film gets at none of that," he says.
Feature 21
Banana Cognacs and Lebanon's indie music scion Zeid Hamdan. "We were so meticulous about every little thing; the tuning of the drums, or the mic positioning of the guitars. There was some serious chemistry-ass-shit going on. And finally I think three or four songs had a complete overhaul by the time we began recording the new album last May," Chaaraoui says. In terms of production, older songs like "Sex and Pirates" and "Smokes and Guns" have a completely new appeal. The opening title-track is a total departure for Lazzy Lung, with a string section that is, as Chaaraoui says, “a grandeur cinematic opening to touch upon the elegance of the city we live in – as a teaser to the decadence that also characterises the city” with the end being the musical transition into “Sex and Pirates.” The tracks "Whine and Dine" and the ending track "New Years End" keep Chaaraoui's vocals, recorded back in 2011 on what he says was his "little piece of shit mic set-up" in his apartment. He ultimately tried to duplicate this sound throughout the recording, and while he admits it wasn't totally up to his punk liking, Sailor's Delight has a gritty lo-fidelity sound with Chaaraoui's lead vocals buried in the mix, which was a major challenge for Karim Sinno, who mixed both albums. "I had it wanted this album to be edgy and raw and nasty. Our first record was super poppy. I wanted to return more to my punk roots with this album. More
of a steak and potatoes album – I told Karim that I wanted people to have to crank up the volume to hear the vocals!"
the delicious and rather exclusive artwork of Maria Kassab – who Chaaraoui credits with creating the proper aesthetic mystique around the entire project.
Chaaraoui jokes that the whole sound of Sailor's Delight is a play off the 'lazy lung' idea – invoking the mixing work of Steve Albini, the legendary American musician and sound engineer who produced Nirvana's In Utero and PJ Harvey's Rid of Me, among more than 1,500 albums he's credited as engineering.
In fact, nothing that's been released before the official launch contains Kassab's full artistic output for Sailor's Delight. And those are the cards that Chaaraoui is holding back because he wants to come strong with a sort of turnkey effect – tees, unique merchandise, videos, and of course Kassab's artwork attached in limited edition prints, and more. It's not very punk, but it is smart if you're going to break out of the confines of Lebanon's insular indie music market.
Lazzy Lung also spent some serious money to master the album with Emily Lazar, the Grammy-award winning studio engineer at The Lodge studio in New York. She's worked on more than 2,000 albums of the likes of David Bowie, The Shins, Lou Reed, Bjork, The Foo Fighters, and Sonic Youth, and with no hint of bullshit, Chaaraoui relays the message from Lazar that the album has some real potential. So it's easy to feel a sense of unbridled excitement when talking about release strategies with Chaaraoui for Sailor's Delight. "I think we're working at our own pace, and we're trying to do things as we can – to just be that – that sleeping giant that comes out and fucking feasts on the meek from time to time." In January Sailor's Delight was made available on iTunes – with singles on Soundcloud drawing a fewthousand listeners and wide praise on social networks. The group released a five-song EP teaser – The Hunger – which was made available in limited pressing during a pre-album launch party last November. It featured
Jackson Allers is a longtime music journalist and filmmaker based in Beirut. He hosts Red Bull Music Academy Radio's new online show Quarter Tone Frequency aimed at exposing the independent music coming out of the Middle East.
22 Featured Artist
Jazz hands Jamie Odell on his eclectic musical background By: Nabih Esta
Featured Artist 23
AK: You live in the hub of electronic music, could you tell us how you first got introduced to house music and who were your first heroes? I first discovered house music around 1989 when the rave scene started kicking off in London and Essex. I was about 16 at the time and we had a very good and influential club called The Barn in my local town. We went regularly and listened to US DJs such as Frankie Bones and Joey Beltram and this was also where The Prodigy did their very first live shows. My very first house heroes were more breakbeat and rave orientated, so bands like Meat Beat Manifesto, Renegade Soundwave and 808 State. I soon discovered the deeper side of things and labels like Nu Groove, Strictly Rhythm and Nervous were the labels I bought and started playing out at local parties.
AK: What are the artists and bands you listen to when you don’t feel like listening to house or electronic?
I
n touch with music from a tender age, Jamie Odell, aka Jimpster, is the son of Roger Odell, drummer of jazz-funk group Shakatak. It was thanks to his dad that he began, at just 10 years old, playing around with recording equipment. Now also a semiprofessional jazz musician, he co- runs Freerange Records. A highly regarded, and very busy, DJ (playing over 100 gigs around the world last year alone from Fabric to Panorama Bar, Cielo to D-Edge), he chatted with us a few days after he took control of the decks at überhaus in early December.
I listen to a lot of jazz and soul but also folk music. I love a band called The Foreign Fields who did an amazing LP called Anywhere But Where I Am a couple of years ago. It’s a similar sort of vibe to Bon Iver but a bit deeper and more electronic in places. If I’m exhausted and hungover on a flight home I always listen to this LP and it helps keep me sane. I also love jazz pianists Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett who I listen to a lot when I’m traveling.
The concept of The Bays was to create a band that was focused purely on live performance as opposed to studio recording or releasing records. Every gig would be completely improvised but unlike most ‘jam bands’ who might rely more on jazz and funk styles, we were completely electronic, taking in house, techno, drum and bass and ambient. It was my main project for about seven years and we gigged all over the world and even got to play live with such legends as Herbie Hancock and Richard Barbieri but we reached a natural course so decided to concentrate on our individual paths about 6 years ago.
AK: What is your studio setup? Do you find it hard keeping the balance between studio and family life? My studio is at home but in a converted garage so I’m lucky I don’t have to travel to work but also at least it’s separate from the main house. I have Logic running as my host and have a few nice bits of hardware such as a Juno106 synth, Fender Rhodes piano, a Korg Monopoly synth, Yamaha CS1 synth, Roland Space Echo [audio analog delay effects unit] and TR808 and 909 drum machines.
AK: We read somewhere that you studied jazz in college. What did you study exactly? It was actually a degree in popular music in Manchester but I chose to specialize in jazz piano, arranging and composition. It was a great course but more importantly Manchester was amazing around this time, in the mid90s. It was the tail end of the Hacienda days but there were still a lot of good parties, and also an explosion of interesting live acts such as Lamb came out of this period.
AK: You just got back from a gig at überhaus, how did it compare to your local parties? It was a very short trip to Beirut unfortunately so I didn’t get to see the city but I was really impressed with the club. Great soundsystem and good vibe. Would love to be able to stay a little longer next time!
AK: Why Jimpster? Is there any meaning behind the name? Jimpster is a nickname from school when I was around 10 or 11. Jamie often gets shortened to James which gets shortened to Jim and then one particular friend started calling me Jimpster and it stuck from there.
AK: Can you tell us more about your band, The Bays?
city:
Braintree, Essex, UK
label:
Freerange Records
Website:
www.facebook.com/jimpster. freerange www.soundcloud.com/jimpster
essential listening:
Can’t Stop Loving (Original Mix) [Freerange Records] Rollergirl (Original Mix) [Freerange Records] These Times (Dub) [Freerange Records] Sandy Rivera, Noir - Sotom (Jimpster Remix [Noir Music] Michel Cleis – Hey Lady Luck (Jimpster Remix) [Crecimiento]
24 Tuneage
Tuneage Various Artists
Bluebook
Steyoyoke In OP UM EP Ready Mix Records Brazil EP December 30, 2013 Steyoyoke December 23, 2013
3/5 Berlin based deep house label Steyoyoke has decided to opt out of a cold German winter season and has migrated to sunny Brazil. This brief relocation is reflected in the vibes of this special Steyoyoke In Brazil EP, which features five original tracks from roster members Florian Rietze, MPathy, Soul Button, Dahu and Sasch. A special bonus track will showcase the talents of the Steyoyoke in Brazil contest winner. Sasch’s track "Agora" takes the cake on this record with its funky blend of Berlin house vibes and bassy vocal harmony that could only be inspired by the sun drenched beaches of Rio.
3.5/5 The new EP OP UM from Ready Mix Records’ Bluebook – the UK based trio of Matt Pelling, Paul Willard and Andre Touhey – features an original single and four remixes. The productions weave between song based numbers and more repetitive electronica tunes, with remix duties handled by Serbian producer Pion, Canadian label boss BiG AL, Spain’s Felipe L and debutant Dan.K of the United States. Dan.K and BiG AL’s remixes seek to reinvent the outstanding original production, while the other two go for a more simple reworking. But it’s the original mix that remains the EP’s shining feature by far.
Acumen
Between The Lines EP Time Has Changed January 13, 2014
4/5 French producer Acumen turns up the heat with his latest release on Parisian house label Time Has Changed. Between the Lines sees the label boss return to his own imprint and offers a fascinating entry that emphatically showcases a sound that’s been fine tuned for his new live show. This is clearest on the title track, a swooning number complete with beguiling synths and a sound tuned for big systems. Mathias Meyer and Whomi each contribute their own interpretations with remixes that are strong enough to stand on their own.
Tuneage 25
Nick Olivetti Tripmastaz
Taped EP Gipsy Music January 18, 2014
4/5 Gipsy Music, a new electronic label offshoot of the famous Gipsy club in Moscow, has quickly become the home of all sorts, from Russia's big stars to great underground acts and even parties. The label debuts with Tripmastaz’ "House Gangster #1", a jacking number that will be right at home in dark, intimate hotspots. Leftroom label boss Matt Tolfrey and Paris-based house maestro Djebali get in on the remix action with solid supporting tunes. The EP does a great example of showcasing the depth of music that will be available on the young Russian label.
Looping Machine Dirty Bird January 7, 2014
2/5 Italian producer Nick Olivetti is back with another pair of tracks on Claude Von Stroke’s bass-centric imprint Dirty Bird. While Olivetti may be no stranger to Von Stroke or the Dirty Bird label, something seems to have gone astray with his latest release. The title track features a bubbly bass and synth line that seem a bit too cute for the San Francisco-based label. The second track, "Shake It", features a stale vocal sample and attempts to combine a far too straightforward 4/4 beat with an acid soaked 909. It all just ends up feeling a bit forced. Give it a miss.
Danny Daze
Silicon EP Ultramajic February 17, 2014
5/5 Danny Daze makes his debut on Jimmy Edgar’s upand-coming Ultramajic imprint. Danny Daze is at his best here, offering three tracks that were made for the dance floor. The American born, Berlin based producer has always said that his first love was classic electro and its influence can be seen throughout the EP. The opening track, "Silicon", is a fine example of Daze’s wealth of creativity. Containing almost a mechanical feel Daze builds up the track before injecting his signature punch at the break. The following two tracks, "When The Freaks Come Out" and "Beatdown ft. Translucent, "continue in similar fashion. A perfect addition to Edgar’s budding label, Silicon is a must have release.
26 techno-logic
Technologic
Zerodebug
TouchAble 2 iOS App $24.99 4/5
4/5 With the live set a growing tool in the DJ’s arsenal, the demand for reliable, cheap controllers is skyrocketing. The new TouchAble 2 app for Zerodebug turns your existing iPad into a full-on Ableton controller. The app features a totally rebuilt browser, flexible workflow and gives precise control over your clips, internal mixer, transport and all devices. Although the workspace may feel cramped at times, the upside is that the TouchAble 2 is a full-fledged Ableton touch controller and there are very few things it cannot do. TouchAble 2 is the perfect piece of software for any DJ or producer looking for a cheap controler for their live performance.
Flow 1.0
Mixed In Key $58 3/5 Mixed In Key has finally gone from a simple DJ tool to providing selectors with a full-on digital mixing platform. The software is, of course, centered around harmonic mixing, but it also looks to innovate in certain areas. Familiar cue and loop functions have been replaced with new track “segments.” This function allows users to crossfade from segment to segment even within the same track. This gives DJs yet another tool to create. However the software does, at times, feel very beta. The segment function would benefit from an increased amount of keyboard shortcuts and the layout still looks raw. Seasoned veterans won’t be switching from Traktor or Serato, but Flow does enough to give those users something to yearn for in their own digital mixing stations.
techno-logic 27
Numark Pioneer
DDJ-SP1 Sub Controller $499
3.5/5 In a game long dominated by Pioneer and Native Instruments, Numark has released a truly massive all-in-one controller. The NS7 II Serato controller weighs in at a hefty 16.24 kilograms and features just about everything one could ask for in a DJ set up. Each deck features a whopping 8 velocity-sensitive, multipurpose pads. The controller’s extensive list of features does make for some serious transport issues though. At times the NS7 II feels more like a permanent part of the booth or studio then a mobile tool. It’s hard to imagine that any DJ would complain if they showed up to this at a gig, but getting it to the club and setting up might put more than a few people off.
NS7 II $1,599
3/5 Designed with Serato users in mind, the DDJ-SP1 is essentially the performance pad section and special effects of the much-loved DDJ-SX. The controller is extremely well built and Pioneer users will feel right at home with its intuitive layout. It ships with a copy of Serato Video, but will not unlock Serato DJ on its own. For Serato users whose current mixers do not provide the necessary bells and whistle the DDJ-SPI is the perfect addition to their rig. However, the nearly $500 price tag makes it a very expensive secondary controller and these days DJs who don’t have access to a pro-grade mixer maybe be few and far inbetween.
Calvin Chu + Ashish Bidadi
The Palette Project $99 (4 modules) / $149 (6 modules) / $399 (16 modules) 4/5 The idea of a modular controller has always been a point of interest for DJs and producer alike. The Palette project by Calvin Chu and Ashish Bidadi looks to bring the concept to life. Funded using the popular crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, the Palette project looks to start shipping totally customizable modular controllers in June 2014. The modular controller can function as a single device or be combined with up to 32 different modules. The device is USB powered and sends either HID or MIDI signals. Currently four different types of modules are on offer: a fader, dial, button and a power module.
28 Opinion
Party Non-Stop Beirut’s club kids attempt to weather a storm of increased political instability, drug busts and security threats, one drink at a time By: Gino Raidy
Opinion 29
However, there are some that see the unquenchable thirst for nighttime revelry to be in bad taste, especially on those too-rare occasions when only hours earlier, the city experienced another tragic event. In many countries and societies, a security incident or terrorist attack would ground life to a halt for several days, if not for weeks. In Beirut, cleanup crews and glass façade reinstallation happens even before the crime scene has been properly secured. It is perhaps a sign that Lebanese people have come to terms with the idea of recurring senseless violence and terrorist attacks, and that despairing in the face of every incident, often less than a week apart, is futile. The phrase you often hear in between gulps of beer in Mar Mikhael for example, is “what can you do?” if not “life must go on.”
V
iolence and fun go hand-in-hand in Beirut, and it’s been that way since as long as most Lebanese can remember. The seemingly indomitable thirst for a good party despite the country’s frequent horrors has always been a proud medal worn by many Lebanese. That resilient spirit, coupled with a good reason to party and celebrate life, has made Beirut’s nightlife one of the world’s most renowned and sought after, both for its jet-setting, glitzy rooftops and its grungy underground basements. Lebanon’s odd and unexpected liberalism helps that scene flourish. With a thriving alcohol industry and a society that is significantly sexually liberated compared to other Arab countries, the average university student in Beirut is a party animal on many levels.
Such a reaction might also be a sign of an unhealthy desensitization to an event that should otherwise elicit a massive call to action, if not widespread caution. That idea has been gaining ground in light of the increasing rate of these security incidents and has even pushed some established clubs and party crews to postpone or even cancel their events out of respect for the victims who lost their lives simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yet, the show does go on, if not on a Friday then on Saturday, and it seems Lebanese clubbers and club owners have found just the right balance of respectful quiet and “c’est la vie” attitudes that allow the thriving scene to persist, while taking into consideration the sensitivities, and of course safety, of Lebanese partygoers. In other words, in an ever-deteriorating security situation coupled with a disastrous, ticking-time-bomb political and economic situation, the nightlife industry has managed to not only keep its foothold, and footfalls in their venues, but has also provided a space for the country’s younger generations to heal and reenergize and, more recently, has created a breeding ground for grassroots movements and initiatives that are an embodiment of the aspirations of a post-war generation
that is not as eager as its predecessors to go back to the fault lines of pre-1990 Beirut. Clubbers are often more open-minded and liberal than the average citizen. Their often carefree, and sometimes even careless, attitude can make divides such as those drawn up between genders, sects and even sexualities, blurred. On a really good night out, it doesn’t matter what sect or town you’re from, whether you’re a boy or a girl, or whether you like boys or girls or both. What matters is that you like the music, you like to dance and you like being in a happy place. It doesn’t matter who your father is or was or how much your day job pays. At Beirut’s genuine clubs and venues where the glitz and glam are eliminated from the equation, everyone pays the same entrance fee. Perhaps this somewhat shallow interaction between clubbers might seem too weak or transient to create a real impact or catalyze tangible change. However, Lebanon’s nightlife industry faces more than just bombs and bullets. Alcohol and lifestyle are generally taboo subjects in the country, as those with different views tiptoe around one another, not wanting to be seen to be encroaching on each others’ norms and morals. Although not ideal, this peculiar mix has created a vast enough space for Lebanon’s oftensecular liberals to operate and function with relative freedom. Unfortunately, with the rise of extremism on many opposing ends, this unwritten and unspoken agreement of letting the other do as they please is slowly eroding. Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad’s disdain for a Lebanon with “nightclubs” in a speech last year opened the floodgates to such rhetoric, with the party’s opponents utilizing it as a weapon to incite sectarian fears, by parties that are themselves ultra-conservative. However, the political maneuvering did not dilute the message to the people who dance and drink: some people in Lebanon aren’t happy with what they’re doing.
30 Opinion
Also increasingly in visibility in recent weeks have been incidents that have increased fears of a violent backlash to opposing ways of life (manifested in the burning of a bookshop, say, or a Christmas tree). Such threats have pushed some of the industry’s leading figures to try and unite in an effort to protect not only their interests, but ways of life. The traditionally nonchalant, “no-fucks-given” attitude has been coaxed into a desire for proaction, which is materializing online for the most part but has potential to create real change offline if momentum can be maintained. Away from the security threats and ideological dilemmas, there’s the bureaucracy and corruption that plagues most of Lebanon’s institutions, especially its law enforcement and judiciary. In a system of nearconstant political deadlock, the few laws that actually become updated never undergo the due process and that, coupled with their vague vocabulary, makes them open to interpretation that allows law enforcement to use them for ill-gotten gains. One example is the violent crackdown of Lebanese
authorities on the LGBT community. The brutal treatment of members of the LGBT community in Lebanon has been well documented by activists, journalists and human rights organisations. The public outrage, as well as the scathing criticism from academic and medical circles, has stayed the hand of police in that particular case. Another example is drug use among young adults. Lebanese law does not differentiate between illicit substances and legally cannabis use is as grave a felony as heroine or cocaine use. This makes a sizable chunk of Lebanon’s youth legally liable, and the police spare no method, no matter how illegal, to entrap users, often returning a hefty profit between illegal bribes and somewhat legal incentives from donor countries that fund projects to allegedly “stop the drug trade at its source.” In other words, an officer is paid handsomely, both over and under the table, for arresting a weed user. The problem is that the actual sources of the drugs are never tackled because of security concerns and the immense influence and power of major cartels in Lebanon. This means that the average recreational smoker, perhaps a student or fresh graduate, gets
Opinion 31
to serve jail time alongside terrorists, rapists and murderers in the subhuman conditions that Lebanon calls prisons. Regular police harassment has made many people reluctant to go out and about in Beirut on weekends. It has also helped resurrect the humble house party from just a couple of beers and a game of Monopoly, to a fullfledged party complete with DJ lineups and open bar. So, today, more than ever, the nightlife scene is in the crosshairs of several groups and interests that see it as fair game for personal, petty interests. But many refuse to succumb to the party animal stereotype including an apathetic outlook toward major issues, and are proactively working to make things better. Perhaps actual change will take a lot of time, but the first step is speaking out in hopes of winning people’s hearts and minds and de-learning age-old mentalities. This is starting to happen, whether against police brutality or the threats of violence and oppression. To convince a clubber to fight for their rights is already a victory in this writer’s humble opinion, and I have high hopes for every single face I see when I go out..
The nightlife industry has survived countless unfortunate events and tough times, and it will continue do so as long as there is a young generation eager to enjoy life, to celebrate surviving it in Lebanon and who hope for a better tomorrow, after the hangover of anger, pain and war subsides. It might not be the quintessential reason for people to rise up, but it is most definitely where relationships are made, where new things are sparked,, a place for a divided Lebanon to just come together and have some fun.
32 year in review
Beirut's biggest year A special thanks to all of the artists and promoters who helped make 2013 the biggest year on record
year in review 33
A
Francesca Lombardo
Jay West
Betoko
Gavin Herlihy
Kate Simko
cid Pauli Adam Port Adam Shelton Adriatique Agoria Alex Kid Amine Edge And.id Peak & Swift Andre Buljat Andy Anoraak Apollonia ATTAR! audiofly
Blende Blond:ish Booka Shade Butch
Catz N Dogz
Chopstick & Johnjon Chris Tietjen Christian Burkhardt Chus and Ceballos Claap Claptone Clockwork
D
an Ghenacia Daniel Bortz Danny Daze Darius David August Dj Food DJ HEAR DJ T. Doctor Dru Drop Out Orchestra Dyed Soundorom
Gigamesh Gorge Greg Boust Grum Gui Borrato Gunnar Stiller Guti
H
old Youth Horse Meat Disco hunter/game
I
n Flagranti Isaac Tichauer
Jennifer Cardini Jerry Bouthier Jimpster John Dimas Jordi Agulo Justin Faust
L
Nathan Coles
Naughty J Nickodemus Nicole Moudaber
O
Sasha
Xinobi
T
Zimmer
Sebo & Madmotormiquel Simon Baker Siopis Smash TV Stassy Stephan Bodzin Steve Lawler Subb An
blique Industries Omid 16B
eenage Mutants The Glimmers The Mekanism Thermalbear Thugfucker Tiefschwarz Tigerskin Tolga Fidan Tube & Berger
e Crayon Le French Lee Burridge Lee Foss Lopazz Luciano
TOILE Paul Loraine Peter Pan Pier Bucci Pillowtalk Pyramid
P.
Villa
M
Ralf Kollmann
Waze & Odyssey
.A.N.D.Y. Marco Morrgiea Marco Ressman Mario Basanov Martin Buttrich Martin Eyer Matt Tolfrey Matthias Meyer Mehdi MICKY Mike Shannon Mind Against Moonwalk My Favorite Robot
Reset Robot Robert Dietz Robin Drimalskit Robosonic Rodrigues Jr Ruede Hagelstein Russ Yallop
Clubs and Promoters: 6th Sense Productions Behind The Green Door Beirut in The Mix CUNXTSAT Decks on The Beach Electric Sundowns The Gärten JK58 Überhaus Stereo Club Night Sundaze
34 das komic
das komic 35
FEATURING: ÅME - LIVE (INNERVISIONS - DE) WITH ROMAX, TECHNOPHILE
31.01.14 30$ 1 DRINK
DOORS OPEN: 10:00PM
Leon Street, Hamra. if you're obliged to reserve call 76 363 662 uberhaus.me