Electronic Beats Magazine Issue 03/09

THE ELECTRONIC BEATS MAGAZINE ISSUE 03/2009

ISSUE 03/2009 THE ELECTRONIC BEATS MAGAZINE FOR MUSIC, LIFE AND STYLE

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Divas | The Performance Issue St a r r i n g l iv i n g l e ge n d s D o n n a Su m mer and Yello B r e a k t h r o u g h s t a rl ets M a r i n a a n d t h e D i a m o nds and G eo r ge Pr ing le P l u s J D Sa m s o n , J a m i e Jo n e s a n d Lop az z Discover why t he future of pop is female, our favour it e male diva s and t he gender-f luid per for mer s of t oday

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L E T T E R F RO M T H E E D I T O R

“DIVAS DO IT BETTER”

This issue we have thrown a good handful of sparkly glitter over everything – and let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a bit of glitter?

Between these pages you will find a celebration of outstanding performers and drop-dead gorgeous divas - because currently in the music and club scene that is exactly what we are seeing a return to. We’re talking about big personalities delivering knockout shows, stars who are in charge of their own image and music, who know they possess a mega-watt brightness and who aren’t afraid to be who they are whether that is male, female, fat, thin, straight, gay, lesbian or transgender.

Showbusiness has always been the spiritual home of divas, queens, rock stars and anyone who didn’t get quite the attention they needed at home; Liza Minnelli is the archetypal example of this and summed it up nicely when she once said “I don’t have a life if I’m not in front of an audience. I need to perform.” There is something very theatrical about this statement and yet also something very sad and no doubt true. Hey, she’s Judy Garland’s daughter after all. Perhaps that’s also what Donna Summer was singing about in her breakthrough disco classic “I Feel Love” – a performer’s relationship to the audience is very special and is what sets them apart from you or I. Today though we are seeing a return to razzle-dazzle performances that are also more true, raw, bold and daring than ever before – in this way we are in exciting new territory.

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Highlights in this issue include The Gender Performance by Viktoria Pelles, which considers the ascent of transgender artists in the current music scene – artists like Rufus Wainwright, Antony and the Johnsons and CocoRosie are a new breed of artists who are out and proud; vastly different from not so long ago when stars remained closeted for almost their whole careers. Paul Sullivan tells us why The Future of Pop is Female and as he calls it “a veritable tsunami of female talent” currently rocking the charts proves why: Fever Ray, Lady Gaga, Bat for Lashes, La Roux, Little Boots and Beth Ditto are just a few examples. Jobot’s chat with Le Tigre alum and riot-grrrl extraordinaire JD Samson is a must-read, as is Johannes Bonke’s interview with the ultimate disco diva, the legendary Donna Summer.

So without further ado, let’s get this show on the road. Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, I give you The Performance Issue!

Glitter-covered air-kisses, Liz McGrath

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CONTRIBUTORS

PEOPLE PUBLISHER PRODUCER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ART DIRECTOR FASHION & STYLE EDITOR FEATURES EDITOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER PROGRAM MANAGER EDITORIAL DIRECTOR ONLINE PROJECT DIRECTOR ONLINE ONLINE MUSIC EDITOR PRESS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS COVER ARTWORK Lisa Borges ARTWORK / PHOTOGRAPHY

WEBSITE

Toni Kappesz Commandante Berlin Gmbh, Schröderstr. 11, 10115 Berlin, Germany Liz McGrath (liz@electronicbeats.net) Lisa Borges (lisa@electronicbeats.net) Sandra Liermann (sandra@electronicbeats.net) Viktoria Pelles (viktoria@electronicbeats.net) Leona List (leona@electronicbeats.net) Claudia Jonas (claudia@electronicbeats.net) Rachel Doyle (rachel@electronicbeats.net) Carlos de Brito (carlos@electronicbeats.net) Gareth Owen (gareth@electronicbeats.net) Michelle Kramer (michelle@electronicbeats.net) Viktoria Pelles, Gareth Owen, Paul Sullivan, Emer Grant, Rachel Doyle, Johannes Bonke, Neale Lytollis, Jobot, Rainer Metz, Judith Busch, Jean- Robert Saintil, Lucy Arrowsmith, Ari Stein Lars Borges, Attila Hartwig, Leona List, Neil Krug & Joni Harbeck, Magnus Hastings, Ellis Scott, Lisa Borges, Holger Nassenstein, Göran Tällberg, Björn Bergenheim, Kathryn Yu, Petter Brandt, Katja Ruge, Bram Jacobs www.electronicbeats.net

Neale

Lucy

Theo

Paul

Lyt ollis

Ar rowsmit h

Va siliou

Sullivan

Neale is from Newcastle, UK and has been

Lucy Arrowsmith is a London based

Greek Theo lives (and loves) in Berlin.

Paul Sullivan is a Berlin-based author,

working as a music journalist in Berlin

writer, TV presenter and DJ. She inter-

His styling career took off only three

journalist and photographer whose

since 2005. His work features in Vice,

views music acts such as Amy Winehouse

years ago, and in that time he has racked

work spans the realms of music, travel

Electronic Beats, Time Out and Face.

and Juliette Lewis for Tiscali Music TV,

up an impressive list of jobs and clients.

and culture. His words and images have

He regularly hosts music programmes on

spends weekends DJing in clubs around

Apart from his work at Collezioni Sport

appeared in The Guardian, More Intelli-

Deutsche Welle and contributes reports

London and hosts radio shows called

& Street, Tendencias, Stern and Cosmo-

gent Life, Electronic Beats, The Quietus

to the Euranet broadcasters. Represent-

Rock da World on Virgin Radio France

politan he was fashion director at Front

and more. He likes penguins but hates

ing the UK, he was recently awarded Eu-

and Slut on lifted-radio.co.uk. For this

Magazine. Theo lends his expert touch to

beetroot.

ropean Young Journalist of the Year 2009

issue Lucy interviewed Jonny Woo, Lon-

this issue, styling model Roman in rockin’

by the EU Commission.

don’s most flamboyant drag artist.

togs with an undeniably romantic flair.

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W W W . PA U L- S U L L I V A N . C O M

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INDEX

THE PERFORMANCE ISSUE TUNE I N

FEATURES

F OCUS

MOST WANTED

06–15

16–21

22–51

52–53

CRAVING IT ........................................ 52

NEWS .................................................... 8

SWING OUT SISTER ........................... 16

SHOWTIME! ........................................ 24

CLAUDE DATGIRL ..................................... 10

POLAROID GIRL ................................. 18

THE FUTURE OF POP ......................... 34

BORIS BORAS ........................................... 11

MALE DIVAS ....................................... 38

MARINA & THE DIAMONDS ..................... 12

JONNY WOO ....................................... 42

GEORGE PRINGLE ................................... 13

JD SAMSON ........................................ 44

DONNA SUMMER ..................................... 14

THE GENDER PERFORMANCE ........... 46 ANARCHY IN THE UK ......................... 50

GET DRESSED

I N T E RV I E WS

JET SET TI NG

HEAR THIS

54–65

66–81

82–89

90–99

JAMIE JONES ...................................... 68

MYKONOS, SPLASH & SPLURGE ....... 82

THE COLLECTOR’S GUIDE ................. 92

PLAY FOR TODAY ............................... 54

MARC REEDER ................................... 70

MUSIC REVIEWS ................................. 93

LOPAZZ ............................................... 72

MY MUSIC MOMENT .......................... 98

DONNA SUMMER ............................... 74 YELLO ................................................. 78

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Elizabeth Taylor

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TUNE IN We have some delicious divas kicking things off for you! Greek/Welsh wonder Marina and the Diamonds is in our Ones To Watch section - (Rankin is already such a fan he directed her new video and covered her in sparkly paint). And George Pringle is another One To watch, a smart and sassy London lady who has ‘good thing’ written all over her. Plus Claude Datgirl from DAT Politics has some Wise-Words for fellow tomboys out there.

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SUPERSTRUDEL

Shopping Is A Piece Of Cake Keeping track of all the new must-have items is really a fulltime job. Here to save you from taking on a nightshift is SUPERSTRUDEL – a Berlin based and focused shoppingblog.

Brought to you by a dedicated – and highly discerning – crew of shopaholics, SUPERSTRUDEL tirelessly searches the net and shops across the globe to bring you their individualist selection of clothes and accessories, new technological must-haves, tasty treats and brilliant gimmicks that you unknowingly covet but just don’t have the resources to look for yourself. The site also features reports on new faces and places as well as interviews with many of the artists and makers behind these innovative products. Not a playground only for the exceedingly wealthy, SUPERSTRUDEL aspires to complement those with an original style and not only those with a fat wallet. That said, this is THE place to find the elusive gift for the guy who has everything!

WWW.SUPERSTRUDEL.COM TEXT

VIK TORIA PELLES

RAINER SPEHL

Just In Case How to dress one of our most beloved electronic companions in style? That is probably the question Rainer Spehl had in mind when he created this state of the art Laptop Case to protect all the current editions of Mac Books and Mac Book Pros.

Handcrafted from solid oak and oak veneered plywood, lined with soft, dark brown leather and magentic locks that hold your computer in place even if you tilt the case upside down.

Place the case beneath your computer while working and you have a nice and comfortable height preventing your neck from pain. All of this will surely make up for the bit of extra weight (approx. 1200g) you will be carrying around.

Orders can be made directly via his website: www.rainerspehl. com, prizes start from 240 Euros for the 13" and 15" models and 260 Euros for the 17".

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RAINER METZ

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»T H E P E R F O R M A NC E I S S U E «

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JAY HAZE

Humanitarian Haze Here is something you don’t hear of that often - DJs giving money to charity. Yes your eyes have not deceived you: DJ, producer, label head and all-round good guy Jay Haze has decided to put his money where his mouth with regarding a cause close to his heart. The war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is still in political and social turmoil and remains threatened by rebel fighting, sexual violence, starvation and disease. Jay has decided that 100 percent of his sales from his forthcoming mix CD for Fabric will go to Merlin, the charity managing relief efforts there and half of all his DJ fees from his forthcoming world tour from September to the end of the year will also be donated. Jay is now asking his fellow DJs to get involved, asking them to donate 50% of their fee from just one of their gigs this year. So far Tiga, Loco Dice and DJ Sneak have all got involved.

We take our cap off to Jay for this, it is truly a very rare thing to see such generosity and it should be applauded – and supported!

So look out for the Fabric CD – let’s make it one of the best-selling in the series! And any DJs out there reading this who want to get involved, you can email Jay directly at djs4drc@jayhaze.com WWW.MERLIN.ORG.UK | WWW.JAY HAZE.COM | WWW.FABRICLONDON.COM TEXT

WHAT KATIE DID

L I Z M C G R AT H

Where Laced-Up Is A Good Thing The days when not wearing a corset as a woman was practically obscene are thankfully long gone. Indeed the matter has practically been reversed with corsets and shapewear signalling the naughty streak in women rather than any form of buttoned-upness. Enduring breathlessness is not for everybody, but while punishing heels contort and thrash your feet, oodles of women sing their praises for the sense of power and sharpness they give them. In that same vein there’s nothing like a tightly laced corset to add eye-popping theatricality and an undeniable glamour to your ensemble. Original corsets that go beyond the PVC domina aesthetic are, however, sadly few and far between. Such was evidently also the sentiment of lingerie designer Katie Halford, who set up What Katie Did in 1999. Consistently expanding the range, Katie has gone from selling seamed stockings to launching her first corset range in 2006. Londoners may have the privilege of strolling the f lagship boutique in London’s Portobello Road, but overseas fans are also catered to with an easily navigable online shop complete with handy hints on what is the right corset for you.

WWW.WHATKAT IEDID.COM TEXT

VIK TORIA PELLES

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A Word from the Wise

CLAUDE DATGIRL A hyperactively happy re -def ined diva TEXT

Claude Datgirl came together with her fellow DAT Politics crew in the late nineties to form the band Tome Rec and the label and graphics design project, Skipp. Four albums later and the band became the DAT Politics that we know and love today. Claude and the other DAT Politics band members have gained for themselves a hugely positive reputation thanks to their hyperactive abilities both on and off stage as well as their massive productivity as a band. Leading to this, DAT Politics released their first two albums Villiger and Tracto Flirt succinctly (again on their own label, Skipp), before being sniffed out by international labels in the US (Tigerbeat6), Japan (Digital Narcis) and UK (Fat Cat), which resulted in their embarking on a tour that covered nearly every continent in the world. The band have even received countless honourable mentions at ARS Electronica (a highly prestigious festival established for art, technology and society based in Austria) in the European Electronic Music category for their album Villiger and their NWA remix which was released on Tigerbeat6. After a long period of absolute wonderment with their music in 2001, a very distinctive bunch of f luoroclad artiste post riot grrrls, known to the electroclash scene as Chicks On Speed, invited DAT Politics to join their label and have since enjoyed many releases as a part of the Chicks’ rosta including their latest offering, Mad Kit. Most recently, the band have appeared on an iTunes Essential compilation that was put together by Daft Punk, Ed Banger founder Busy P, and Justice.

DAT Politics always attract a young and forward-thinking audience who love to be rock-and–truly-rolled by the band’s distinctively insistent bleeps and blops, and Claude is proud to be a part of a group where her gender isn’t as important as the music she makes.

W W W . D AT P O L I T I C S . C O M

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JOBOT

I guess I’ve always been a tomboy. That probably had a lot to do with everything. / I was born in the countryside, but I am definitely a city girl. / I am the female member of Dat Politics. / I took a test in school when I was 10 years old, which said I was entrepreneurial – I think it’s true, but I also like to play as a part of a collective. / When I start a project, I make a point of finishing it so no one could say that I didn’t (and to help prove that anything boys can do, girls can do better)! / I am an autodidact. / My favourite alcoholic drinks are Bloody Mary and Cosmopolitan.

My favourite dessert is Fondant Au Chocolat (that’s quite like a typical girl, I suppose!) / I am a movies and TV series addict. / My favourite sentence is: “Je est un autre” - because I feel I truly am. / My bandmates are my oldest and best friends who don’t care if I am a girl, dog, cat or bird. / I would love to one day find a time machine. / I hate to procrastinate. / Even though I already said so in Index magazine in 2003, the first record I bought was Michael Jackson’s Thriller.

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Tough At The Top

BORIS BORAS Adriatiko Recordings TEXT

N E A L E LY T O L L I S

The Adriatic Sea separates the Italian peninsula from the Balkan coastline; a mere 160km stretch of water providing a natural border between Western Europe and former Yugoslavia.

The sea itself is a symbolic welcome mat to the Balkan region and provided the inspiration for DJ and producer Boris Boras to set up Adriatiko Recordings. Based in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, the label focuses exclusively on artists from the region.

the alias The Perverts, which combines disco house with warm basslines and porno textures.

Music production wa s more or less on hold dur ing t he year s S a r aj evo wa s u n d e r s i e ge. W h a t’s t h e i n f r a s t r u c t u r e l i ke t here now for labels and musicians?

D e s cr i b e a t y pi ca l we e ke nd f or you i n S a r aj evo.

Well, for a start the global recession makes no difference here... we’re pretty much below that! Local councils and state government are not really interested in building an infrastructure for music publishing, nor are there any laws in place to protect independent artists and copyright their music. We can only hope the situation will improve, but right now for us the Internet is an invaluable way to communicate and exchange information.

T h e ar tists f rom Ad r iatiko ar e all f rom t he B a l k a n r e g i on. S o wh ich nam e s should we be ke epin g an eye on i n t he f ut ur e ?

Two guys on the label from Slovenia are Boltzmann and Marquetz. Boltzman is a pro audio engineer and a valued contributor. He’s totally loyal to vinyl when he’s DJ’ing, and as a producer creates some really sharp electro techno. Marquetz I came across on Myspace actually, and the first time I heard this mix of electro house I got him onto the label right away! His name is definitely going to crop up on the international stage soon.

We also have Mr. Zarkoff; he’s one half of Croatian duo Florence Fostner Fun Club, and he has a darker vibe inf luenced by Front 242 and Gary Numan. Mezonom is a very important producer for the Adriatiko crew. His vision and dedication are second to none and his melancholic synth lines combined with funny electro moments are inspiring. He has a real dialogue with his machines!

Zlijay is totally old skool. Into big beat, breakbeat freak and the acid house scene of the eighties. We also work together under

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Adr i a t i ko only r e l e a s e s onl i ne. D on’t you m i s s h av i n g s o m e t hi ng t o hol d l i ke a s hi ny new vi nyl ?

I’ve always loved vinyl, but I think the future is with digital formats. It’s an easier and faster way to get music out to the people.

So far, we’ve released 18 online EPs plus one compilation.

The scene in Sarajevo is maybe not on the level it should be, but we do have some smaller, darker places where we host our nights, and there’s a dedicated crowd of underground supporters. So, Friday is our party night, Saturday is the perfect time for our radio show where we present all kinds of music that’s turning us on at the moment, and Sunday is for chilling!

But in general, are t here many female DJs/producer s wo rking in the Balkans?

Sure. Some of them I like very much because they’re making mixes with this female sensitivity which sometimes has a really strong impact on me. To name a handful, we have Miss Housewife, Rea, Elle.M. W ha t mus t cha nge t o e ncour a ge mor e women t o m a ke m u s i c ?

I really believe there is room for all of us. There are lots of stunning female producers and DJs out there who deserve big respect. Maybe we just all need to sit down and look up to them for a moment. I’m sure there’s no better encouragement for someone than to be convinced that they have something to say!

O K B or i s , now ’s your cha nce t o s e l l B os ni a t o t h e wo rl d . G o !

The countryside here; mountain ranges, spectacular lakes and rivers. Sarajevo is a perfect meeting point for Western and Eastern cultures. It’s always been like that. In one square mile you can come across places of worship from four different religions. That just about sums us up. That, and the fact that we have absolutely great food here and our natural mountain water... well, that’s better than anything you can buy in the supermarket!

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Ones to Watch

MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS Shining a little brighter than the others TEXT

EMER GRANT

With acts such as La Roux, Little Boots, and Florence and the Machine currently dominating the charts, it wasn’t hard to think of a number of possibilities for the One to Watch section of the EB Divas issue, but in this great glittering sea of edgy female singer/songwriters, there is a sparkle that is currently shining a little more than others.

Marina Diamandis a.k.a Marina and the Diamonds is a twentyone year old Greek-Welsh piano-playing, singer/songwriter solo act (the audience are the diamonds). Marina is satisfying the appetites of many looking for something both original and of high quality that exists in this overpopulated genre of music, yet she refuses to be categorised by the fact that she is female and writes her own songs.

“If 15 girls rise to the top this year and they’re all super-talented, then brilliant. But good music is good music; who cares if you are male or female?”

And this is exactly what Marina is: super-talented. When Marina’s around, she puts some of the less original acts to shame. It’s an exciting time for the female solo musician in 2009, they are all offering something individual and claiming ownership over their music. There seems to be an air of putting two fingers up to the demands of the industry, whilst simultaneously re-inventing a new soul-infiltrated world of pop. Singing, style and intellect will play a big part in determining the success of some of these acts, placing Marina - with her high-pitch tones, wide vocal range, killer style and cutting lyrics - ahead of many in her game.

Think of Tori Amos with a sense of humour, a gritty Kate Nash or a modern Kate Bush, she’s definitely got something special in her voice which tells a story all of its own. For Marina, it’s all about the lyrics or what she writes in general, which has promoted her persona in the virtual world as an honest, straightspeaking, uncensored pop star. Her blog posts have gotten her

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a following, while perhaps her attacks on Lily Allen and her commentary on the state of the music industry have given her as much notoriety as her songs.

The songs speak about Marina and her life as an aspiring songstress, dropping out of university four times, wanting to be famous and to start with having none of the tools that one would expect one to possess to reach this goal. All she had was her talent, her personality and the need to express herself more than anything else - all of which provided the winning formula.

She claims her life hasn’t been more / less exciting than anyone else’s, but having have had a lot of different experiences and the feeling that if she didn’t make music she would definitely end up “mentally ill” has lead her to where she is today.

Her determination was noticed by label of the moment, New York-based Neon Gold, home to Passion Pit and Little Boots, who picked her up and released her debut single ‘Obsessions’.

Her debut album Crown Jewels was released in June featuring the songs ‘I Am Not A Robot’, ‘Seventeen’ and ‘Simplify’. With the video for ‘I Am Not A Robot’ being directed by ultra-famous photographer to the stars, Rankin, and her multiple hot spots at all the summer festivals, you can definitely say that this is a girl on the up. In the era of the new Diva, this is what you’ve been looking for.

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Ones to Watch

GEORGE PRINGLE Sisters doing it for themselves TEXT

JEAN-ROBERT SAINTIL

Over the past four years, 24-year old London-born chanteuse George Pringle has been sticking to her guns.

Shunning labels and super producers, Ms Pringle has the DIY ethic – from releasing her debut LP Salon des Refusés on her own label Deth to Fals Metal Records to hand-wrapping each of her limited debut EP ‘Poor, Poor EP Without a Name’ complete with ballet ribbon. DIY is most definitely her M.O. Musically, Pringle touches on electronica whilst remaining accessible – her music oft uttered in the same sentence as Black Box Recorder, Jarvis Cocker and The Streets – managing to both be stripped back yet fully formed. Part spoken, part sung with no obvious musical affiliations, not to mention the fact that she doesn’t try to hide her boarding school and Oxford learning, it’s of no surprise her music splits opinion. Though it bothers her little. “After putting the album together, I’ve earnt a holiday, so I’m going to sit by a pool drinking Martini, and buy cheap hand bags in Sarzana Market. Then I’m going to put my head above the pulpit and give as good as I can get. Back into battle”.

There’s something of the warrior mindset in Ms Pringle. Refusing to compromise, George has cast aside the easier route to keep true to her art, both rejecting labels and attempting to work with well-known producers. “I tried to work with a well-known producer, who will remain nameless, but I came to realise that I’m a producer and if you put two producers in one room, it’s usually not such a great combination.” She continues: “This guy didn’t understand that sometimes imperfection is key to character, and I happen to like the fact that what I make is shambolic in nature. Most of my favourite singers aren’t much good at singing.

It’s that character that pushes songs. Sometimes you just want to shout and howl because there aren’t any words left.”

Indeed, it may be her fine-art background that has led her to view her album not as a stepping stone but as a project that

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shouldn’t be distilled. Thus sticking to producing her debut on GarageBand and recording most of the vocals through the mike on her laptop. “As a first album, I wanted the whole thing to be succinct, so that’s why I kept with GarageBand. It was a conceptual decision.” When asked about how her work sounds somewhat more polished, though still rather raw, compared to her earlier EPs, she adds: “I guess it was a learning curve over the three years the project took. It was a totally fascinating experience. I also get a major kick out of the fact that I’m releasing a record that was largely recorded on the inbuilt mike on my Mac. I think it’s a bit of a breakthrough in its own absurd way.”

With diverse references stemming from the likes of Chic and New York Noise comps through to ‘The Field’ and ‘Matthew Dear’, one can see popular culture in the broadest sense seems pretty far from her mind. “I don’t listen to much new music as I worry that it will infect my music-making. But at the end of the day, I just like something that makes me want to dance”.

L’art pour l’art. But if it makes you dance? Simply awesome.

P R I N G L E ’ S A L B U M S A L O N D E S R E F U S É S D R O P S E A R LY S E P T E M B E R W W W . M Y S PA C E . C O M / G E O R G E P R I N G L E

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Classics

EB TUNE IN

DONNA SUMMER

SUMMER IN THE CIT Y Legend is an overused phrase, but there was no doubt about it on July 30 at Berlin’s Tempodrom; the gathered crowds were about to see one of those concerts you only see once or twice in your life. Disco is the invogue sound right now with DJs, producers and promoters all ploughing a furrow deep into disco‘s vaults.

However whilst a new, younger generation has embraced the love of disco and everything connected with the period, the number of true disco legends that are still performing are few and far between. Certainly no one of the Donna Summer calibre has played Berlin in recent times, and the event was greatly anticipated by all of those lucky enough to get a ticket.

So, it was with great expectation that fans headed to Kreuzberg to see a true legend in action. Hundreds of people were milling around outside, waiting with an excitement that had begun to reach fever pitch by the time both old and new generations of fans were let into Berlin’s cavernous Tempodrom. With the titanic stage bathed in the Electronic Beats colours, the happy and the giddy streamed into the huge space more accustomed to orchestras and ballets than disco queens. By the time that Ms. Summer, dressed in a spectacular f loor-length sequin gown, belted out the first notes to opening track ‘The Queen Is Back’ in that clear and powerful voice, there was no question that the disco diva still merits every little bit of her legendary status, and the crowd showed their appreciation accordingly.

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In surprisingly accomplished German, Ms Summer guided her legions of fans through her timeless back catalogue, hits that have soundtracked a million nights out. “Hot Stuff ”, “On The Radio” and “Bad Girls“ were all delivered with gusto and were amply complimented by some astounding new material such as the rocking and self-assertive “Stamp Your Feet”. Accompanied on stage at various times by backing singers, majorettes, musicians and dancers the show was an exercise in arch-camp that was almost as spectacular as the disco diva’s amazing voice. The singer of some music’s finest moments showed that she is still the original queen of the dance-f loor.

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However, the undeniable highlight for almost everyone was seeing Donna Summer with her glittering eyelids closed, singing in mock-moan-sigh, “Ooh, it’s so good, it’s so good, it’s sooo goood” of the epic ‘I Feel Love’. At this moment, the mood among the highly excitable – and mostly young male – audience members clambering for space around the centre stage reached the crescendo, and the entire hall joined in on the chorus: “I Feel Love”. Hearing this pioneering dance track in Berlin, played by the original artist at her first major show in the country where she first got her break into showbusiness, was an unforgettable experience.

The event pre-party took place on the terrace of the Hotel de Rome, where Electronic Beats by T-Mobile welcomed press and music industry professionals, who rubbed shoulders with Peaches, Hell, Ellen Allien, Michi Beck and Neil Tennant. After enjoying the gorgeous view of Berlin during sundown, guests were shuttled via BMW limousine to the event at Tempodrom.

For the dedicated few, Neil Tennant among them, the party continued at the coolly elegant Bar Tausend.

If you missed the event, make sure to check out our photo gallery below and our compelling “Best of ” video, as well as the backstage interview with the evening’s shining star, Donna Summer.

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GARETH OWEN

EB ONLINE SHOP

ORDER NOW! You’ve gone to all the festivals, read our website daily, and wait patiently at your local retailers for the latest issues of Slices and Electronic Beats magazine to arrive. But now that our new online shop has relaunched, it’s definitely time for you to don our latest gear. Check out our new line of fashionable jackets, graphic textbased yellow, white and grey T-shirts for men and women, as well as our army green zippered sweater, saucy English prep school cardigan and tan blouson. Another enticing possibility offered by the online shop is a subscription to both Electronic Beats Magazine and Slices, whose latest issue features Cobblestone Jazz, Musique Risquee, Akufen, Somfay, Mossa, Moonstarr, Pheek, Jay Tripwire and Yello, and the opportunity to order our au courant city guides for Berlin, Vienna, London, Prague and Amsterdam.

W W W . E L E C T R O N I C B E AT S . N E T / E B S H O P

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ANITA MOSER

Swing out sister Fast cars are the inspiration for the latest women’s shoe collection from Swiss shoe designer Anita Moser. The high-tech lacquer of a Formula One racecar and the leather interior of a luxury limousine are found again in the clean folds of a kneehigh boot or the shiny ruching of a sandal or bootee. The collection, which is produced in Italy, has been expanded to include not only designs of the showstopping variety but also subtle reinterpretations of the classic pump or boot.

The Winter 2009/10 season also sees the inception of the very first men’s collection consisting of finely wrought, yet robust, lace-up shoes and ankle boots. The design feels nostalgic and even has a small touch of alpine boot. It’s the shoe destined to be a favourite that is getting only better with wear. As you might expect of a shoe with such fine breeding, it is wholly designed and produced in Switzerland and Italy.

I M AG E S

A N I TA M O S E R

TEXT

VIK TORIA PELLES

W W W . A N I TA M O S E R . C H

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31.08.09 10:50

PULPARTBOOK

Polaroid Girl

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27.08.09 11:04

I M AG E S

B Y N E I L K R U G & J O N I H A R B E C K , TA K E N F R O M P U L PA R T B O O K

»SHOW TIME!«

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For their joint project PULPARTBOOK photographer Neil Krug and model Joni Harbeck travelled across America enacting scenarios inspired by movie poster and record covers of the sixties and seventies. The use of expired Polaroid film, itself an item of nostalgia, gives the images a highly filmic quality and captures the aesthetic of the era.

You are bot h f rom Kansa s. How did you meet each ot her?

We actually met through a mutual friend on a job in Dallas, Texas. We were friends for a couple months, which eventually led to dating... and here we are. Actually, Neil says he has known of me from afar for 10 years, but technically we met last year.

Neil, h ow d id you get in t o phot og r aphy ?

I've always taken photos during video shoots, but usually as personal documentation that wasn't taken seriously. In the last few years I spent more time experimenting with Polaroid and other film types.

What are your favor it e objects d'ar t?

We both appreciate old vinyl covers, vintage movie posters, and vintage book covers...all of these along with older movies have inf luenced us with this project.

Joni, you are a super model. Who have you been wo rking for?

When I was 19 I headed to Milano for modeling and have since traveled around the world working through agencies for clients in places such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, New Zealand, Australia, and Germany. I have modeled in all mediums -- print, advertising, runway, TV and film -- over the years. During my 20s I took small breaks from my career to work on my anthropology/archaeology degree, as well. PULPARTBOOK has been a thrill because I can actually shoot my creative ideas and style it as I want. This project consists of shooting editorial pieces consistently, which is the kind of modeling I prefer.

W h e r e d i d t h e p h ot o s h o ot f o r t h e P U L PA RT BO O K t a ke plac e?

The shoots for this project have taken us from our home (shooting around Lawrence and Kansas City, Kansas) to a vintage hotel in Santa Monica, California to filming all over in Kauai, Hawaii.

We are shooting photographs and short films and sometimes music videos while on location, so we are very busy and try to take advantage of the area in every way possible.

What inspired you t o do t he book using expired Polaroid f ilm?

The vintage feel and taste of expired Polaroid and other expired film captures the feel of the PULP project almost perfectly.

We are using all kinds of photography mediums, from expired Polaroid to expired 35mm to 120 medium format to digital; which one we use depends on our mood during the shoot, the mood of the pictures we are trying to capture, and of course if we have that film at the time of the shoot. Often the expired film does not turn out, so even when we are shooting we are not sure what we have captured. We have often burned through an entire

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roll of expired Polaroid shooting great work and then all the Polaroid turn out white or black...it's a Russian roulette of sorts.

T h a t ' s a s m a r t way t o d o i t , I t h i n k , s i n c e t h ey ' ve s t opp e d manufactur ing Polaroid f ilm. Wa s t hat t he incentive ?

Perhaps a little...Polaroids themselves were never meant to be taken seriously. They were meant for quick pleasure in common and daily life. So to take Polaroids and make something beautiful and unique, to make fine art with casual film, that's part of the incentive.

Ne i l , wha t i s Joni 's b e s t f e a t ur e ?

One of my favorite things about Joni is her versatility. She always surprises me with her ability to become the character we're shooting. When we shot the Jackie Series in Los Angeles, the outfit, makeup, and wig completed transformed the way she looked.

Many times throughout the shoot it felt as if I was working with someone else. Moments like those made me aware of her talent and how lucky I am to have her as a subject and muse.

Jo n i , wh a t ´ s Ne i l ' s b i g ge s t t a l e n t ?

Neil’s greatest talent – professionally -- is his eye. He understands angles and space in photography. He sees what I want to capture. Personally, he is good man with a good mind. I am truly lucky to have such a man in my life.

T he phot os a r e q ui t e i nt i ma t e. How do yo u t h i n k b e i n g a couple helped or hindered t hat?

At the beginning it may have been harder to perform because we are intimately connected and it made us a bit shy. Part of what this industry insists on is a person's ability to be free in character, regardless of the strangers in the room, so suddenly when it's not a stranger but your lover, it can be a bit more vulnerable.

Because we are both professionals in our respective fields however, we are used to working and brainstorming with the people involved in a project, regardless of our relationship with them.

I think, for all intents and purposes, PULPARTBOOK would still be what it is today, even if we weren’t a couple.

What are your future projects?

We have short films, feature films, and music videos already slated during this next year. A short film, ORANGE MARMALADE, will be filmed next year and may or may not tie into the PULPARTBOOK short films we are shooting currently. Music videos for WHITE FLIGHT are currently in editing and will be released shortly; the MYSTIC SERIES in PULP ART BOOK & PRINTS is closely connected visually with the next video.

I N T ERV I EW

JUDITH BUSCH

27.08.09 11:04

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27.08.09 11:04

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27.08.09 11:04

Oscar Wilde

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27.08.09 11:06

FOCUS Satisfy your diva cravings with a feature celebrating male divas in Don’t You Know Who I Am? The mutability of gender in many of today’s brightest stars is discussed in The Gender Performance. There is an interview with f lamboyant performer Jonny Woo whose Gay Bingo nights are a storming success in London’s club-land. We also spoke to the revolutionary grrrrl/boy legend that is JD Samson. There’s much more too, so turn the ‘do not disturb’ sign over on your bedroom door and get reading, diva darlings.

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27.08.09 11:06

Show time!

We asked a group of photographers to contribute their best shots of some of the most inspiring live performers around right now. Welcome to the first row!

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27.08.09 11:06

PEACHES SYDNEY | 03.10.2008 PHOTO

D A N I E L B O U D ( W W W . B O U D I S T. C O M )

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DEICHKIND HAMBURG |16.08.2008 PHOTO

H O LG E R N A S S E N ST E I N ( W W W. N A S S E N ST E I N . N E T )

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PET SHOP BOYS GOTHENBURG | 30.06.2009 PHOTO

G Ö R A N TÄ L L B E R G ( W W W . E T E R I S K . O R G )

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EB FOCUS

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RÓISÍN MURPHY PERTH | 06.04.2008 PHOTO

ANTHONY TRAN (WWW.ANTZ.BUR.ST)

GRACE JONES STOCKHOLM | 28.03.2009 PHOTO

BJÖRN BERGENHEIM (WWW.ROCKFOTO.NU)

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FISCHERSPOONER NEW YORK | 28.04.2009 PHOTO

LIZZ KUEHL (WWW.LIZZKUEHL.COM)

JAMIE LIDELL NEW YORK | 08.06.2008 PHOTO

K AT H R Y N Y U ( W W W . K AT H R Y N Y U . C O M )

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F E V E R R AY UMEÅ | 27.03.2009 PHOTO

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P E T T E R B R A N DT

27.08.09 11:06

The future of pop is

Female!

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27.08.09 11:06

TEXT

PA U L S U L L I V A N

2009 has seen a total takeover of the pop world by women. Electronic Beats celebrates a new breed of stars that are stylish, savvy and sonically diverse, and looks at the reasons behind this female phenomenon.

Music, like civilisations, fashion and washing machines, tends to move in cycles. Generally 20-year cycles, interestingly enough.

The rock-a-billy fifties made a nifty comeback in the seventies.

The stonier soul and rock grooves of the sixties backslid effortlessly into the eighties. Seventies disco funked up the nineties no end. And the eighties – well, we know all about the eighties.

Which brings us neatly to our next subject: girls. Just as music moves in sequences and revolutions, so gender differences have formed their own trends within the history of pop. While there have always been men and women in the charts, different eras have shown preferences for, variously: solo female artists (eighties), girl groups (fifties, nineties), boy bands (nineties), duets (sixties, eighties), androgyny (eighties, noughties).

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But not even the cleverest cultural analyst could have prepared us for the current avalanche of female acts that have been descending like brightly coloured f lowers on a pop landscape rendered increasingly dreary by derivative indie rock bands.

The trickle that started with Amy and Lily in 2006/2007 and continued with Duffy, Rockferry, MIA and Adele last year, has in 2009 become a veritable tsunami of talent that includes names like Little Boots, Lisa Hannigan, Lady GaGa, LadyHawke, Lykke Li, Lissy Trullie and La Roux – and they’re just the ones beginning with L. We can add to the list Fever Ray, Florence Welch (of Florence & The Machine fame), Pixie Lott, Bat for Lashes, Speech Debelle, Beth Ditto (The Gossip), Paloma Faith … let’s just say it’s clear there’s something in the musical air that – for a change – doesn’t smell of male sweat and stale beer and sports skinny jeans and a Ramones T-shirt.

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EB FOCUS

There’s something in the musical air that – for a change – doesn’t smell of male sweat and stale beer.

For the moment at least, this fem-powered zeitgeist hasn’t produced the f lood of homogenous music that can occur (particularly in Britain) when one artist emulates another in order to achieve the same success. On the contrary, while there may be a preference for eighties-inspired electro pop, most of the artists mentioned have carved their own distinctive sounds.

It’d be a defective techno detective that couldn’t discern the differences between the music of, say, Little Boots and Lady GaGa, or La Roux and Lykke Li, for example. Then there’s Speech Debelle’s weightless, confessional hip hop; Bat For Lashes (Natasha Khan) and her towering, eldritch goth-pop; The Gossip’s foot-stomping post-punk; Florence & The Machine’s soul-inspired indie; and Fever Ray’s addictive, melancholic ’tronica.

“I think people and the media were getting bored of indie bands,” claims Guardian Online Music Editor, Tim Jonze. “Especially as they were becoming increasingly contrived like The Kooks or The Wombats. Another reason is cheaper technology and a generational shift in which everyone now uses computers rather than just nerdy guys. Most importantly, though, is the fact that these girls are writing great songs, which has nothing to do with gender really. You just can’t go wrong with a good tune.”

This year, the Brits managed to land a decent list of nominations for Best Female Act (Duffy, Adele, MIA) instead of the usual paucity of candidates. And more interestingly from a creative point of view, is this year’s Mercury Prize, which contains no less five female nominees – a record, pop pickers! – with La Roux, Bat for Lashes, Speech Debelle, Florence & The Machine and Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan all competing for an award famed for championing niche sounds.

Surveying the current popscape, it’s difficult to shake the impression that the more ‘trad pop’ of Lily Allen and the like has been brushed aside in favour of a more edgy, vibrant approach.

Not only are most of these current stars musically adventurous, they’re also seemingly more independently minded – a point dramatically underlined by La Roux signing her label contract

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wearing a You’re A Cunt T-shirt. And, it must be said, more styleconscious.

Whether it’s the androgynous look of Trullie, LadyHawke and La Roux, the outlandish couture of Natasha Khan and Florence Welch or the vivid hyper-glossed appeal of New York’s Lady GaGa (who is even inf luencing stalwarts like Christina Aguileira), a keen fashion sense seems to define these New Pop Fems as much as their music.

“The artists that matter most are the ones that are authentic with their look,” states La Roux’s stylist Nova Dando. “The artists that impact culture most are the ones that have their own image ideas and stay passionate to that, so they are memorable over generations. Prince, Madonna, Bowie… all of them have constantly evolved their look. Although refraining from any stylistic consistency, they’re consistently creating. Therefore, I think it is important for female musicians to be true individuals who didn’t just dress themselves up crazy for a stage show, but inhabit their look from morning until night.”

While it’s difficult to imagine La Roux rocking her colossal quiff at the kino or Khan popping out for a vindaloo on horseback, Dando has a point. Many of these ladies seem to ‘own’ their look.

Or at least they don’t come off as manufactured as many nineties or mid-noughties pop icons did (and still do). The personal touch seems vital. “Working with Nova is very easy,” reveals La Roux.

“We tend to like the same things and enjoy each other’s company.

We met through friends, so it has always just felt really relaxed.

After working with her, I really don’t think I’d trust anyone else to work with me on the look.”

Then there’s the fact that many of the current female artists are from the UK, Europe or New Zealand, thereby de-coupling the trend from the more homogenous, restrictive (and previously dominant) Stateside industry. “All of these girls still have an ‘indie’ feel to them even though almost all are on major labels,” points out Paul Tao of LA independent label IAMSOUND, home to Little Boots and Florence & The Machine in the States. “But in America that would never happen. Pop stars are put on pedestals

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“The music industry in Britain is ‘no blacks, no females’ in my opinion, and when I say that, I mean in positions of power, anything else is for the aesthetics. Things change – so maybe they’re changing.”

SPEECH DEBELLE

and are icons to an extent, but not so much in the UK. Who knows why? Maybe it’s because the market is smaller, and press, radio and TV is a smaller pool so everyone knows each other?”

“To me, it just adds to whatever they are doing with their sound when the visual is memorable,” comments Dando. “It’s a way to see into that star’s personality as well as their music when you see what they look like and how they like to dress and project their sound with their visual persona. But also on a more serious business side, there is so much that artists do now in such a consumer market with clothing ranges, products, the whole package as a lifestyle choice, that it’s important to have a definite and distinctive style of their own. The way the music industry has been going is that people buy less records, but will still spend money on going to see a live gig, and this live show is something that cannot be replicated. An artist would be foolish to miss the opportunity of putting on a show.”

The current vogue for alternative, sassy, female stars does appear to emphasise the changing nature of the music bizz. As Speech Debelle puts it: “The music industry in Britain is ‘no blacks, no females’ in my opinion, and when I say that, I mean in positions of power, anything else is for the aesthetics. Things change – so maybe they’re changing” At a time when major labels – and even music magazines – are becoming less important, artists are busy creating direct links with their audiences. The MySpace/DIY generation of musicians, far from being passé, seems to be only just beginning.

Simon Frith, chair of this year’s Mercury Prize judges, recently observed: “As genres [and infrastructures] break down, it means that women are not having to be pop stars of a certain sort.

Somebody like La Roux, who creates fun synth pop, is not being pushed in a cutesy way… the rules which dictate what a record should sound like have been broken, so people can sound like anything they want. It’s much easier for people to make records without going through a whole series of hoops to get there. That means the people who are holding the hoops are losing something of their power. ”

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“As an indie label, we definitely draw into the DIY/social media aspects of marketing,” comments Tao. “We are big believers in going ground-up when it comes to press and marketing – it all starts with fans who are just as passionate about the music. Lots of work with blogs, music websites, DJs and writers around the country that pay more attention to helping break new artists. I think another reason for this phenomenon is the fact that major labels are finally seeing that electro-pop, in the case of [Lady] GaGa, Little Boots and La Roux can actually make money, and isn’t just an underground trend. They are investing more money and signing more acts. With the success of Lady GaGa, as well as the fact that electronic music is one of the biggest driving forces in hip hop and urban music right now, people are just becoming more aware that this kind of music can sell records.”

There could, of course, be other factors too. Universal Music’s Hannah Neaves believes the recession could be a key inf luence on the contemporary fem pop movement. “I think the current economic climate means that people want more escapism from their music and art,” she says. “It’s been proven previously that Abba sales increase during UK recessions for example. People want escapism, beauty and fantasy to transport them, not something that the dour indie bands of the last few years provide in abundance. Girls do individual pop very well, and pop is in. And once one or two of them succeed, it means more will be signed and thus thrust into the limelight. It’s all cyclical though – it might be something else next year.”

But does this mean that pop girls are in and rock boys are out indefinitely? Probably not, according to The Guardian’s Tim Jonze. “People are always going to want to see great rock bands and there’s bound to be another four boys with guitars who come along at some point and change the face of the music scene.

These things come in cycles, which is a bit depressing when you think about it, but if someone is truly great they’ll break through whatever else is happening. And if they’re really great, they’ll bring something unique to the table like the Stone Roses, or Oasis, or Strokes or Franz did, to the extent that it won’t matter that they’re another four guys with guitars.“

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TEXT

L I Z M C G R AT H

I L L U S T R AT I O N

LEONA LIST

LIZ MCGRATH GETS TO GRIPS WITH THE MALE DIVA

Don’t you know who I am?

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It is typically the lot of successful women in showbusiness to be labeled as Divas. But it’s time we all wised up to this fact: men do ‘Diva’ just as well, if not better! Welcome to the world of tantrums and tiaras, starring Elton John, David Beckham, Kanye West, Axl Rose, Liam Gallagher and many more.

The ingredients of a male diva

We love it when celebrities act like divas

First off, to be a true diva you do actually need to be very talented, even better: a genius, otherwise you will find it very difficult to get away with diva behaviour. This fact goes back centuries; nobody would have put up with Mozart if it hadn’t been for the fact that he could compose music that was even more impressive than his hissy fits.

Being a diva is about knowing and believing unequivocally in the fact that you are a star. This means you understand that you are a superior being, a person blessed, some would say anointed by the Gods (you know the line, “God gave me this gift, I did not choose it, yada yada yada …”). As such, things need to be done in a way befitting to you. If things aren’t done your way, you have carte blanche (as a star) to scream, shout and throw your toys out of the pram as if you were a five-year old. If you are a man this can be confused with simply being camp/hysterical and therfore gay (blame the sexist nature of our tabloid press) and is usually simply written off as that, but this is definitely not the case; it is the man allowing himself to act as the star he believes he is. Just look at the example of John McEnroe (who is straight) on Centre Court at Wimbledon in 1981 throwing an almighty tantrum and repeatedly yelling at the umpire “You cannot be serious! You cannot be serious!” McEnroe couldn’t help himself acting like a rock star when actually he’s meant to be a tennis player. Why? Because he is a male diva and has the aforementioned cast-iron belief that he is a star and the umpire is clearly a cretin who is not worthy to judge his tennis!

Take the recent instance of David Beckham (an alpha male if ever there was one) f lipping out at an LA Galaxy fan who had been calling him out over his commitment to the club. At the end of the match a stroppy Beckham marched over to the stands and starting calling the fans to come down and say it to his face; the assumption being he then would have lamped them. It’s all part of football culture to jeer at players, and it shows what a diva Becks has become that these days he can’t take a bit of a ribbing.

(He later said he had just wanted to shake the fan’s hand. Yeah, sure David, we like, totally believe you.)

Then, of course, on the other hand there are the camp male divas who fit the ‘type’ most easily. Take the infamous story about Elton John calling his London agent in the middle of the night from a hotel room in Germany, and telling him to “do something” about the strong wind outside because he couldn’t sleep. Of course, this was back in the day and probably due in part to cocaine-psychosis but it does make for a hilarious insight into the curious mindset of a ‘star’. You’d better all bow down now!

Whenever the press hear of celebrities majorly acting up, they always report it as if they (the newspaper) are the headmaster and the celebrity is the naughty pupil who has shamed the school (the nation) – the press seem to expect all us normal folk (or ‘civilians’ as Liz Hurley so rightly calls us non-celebrities) to throw our hands up in the air and say, “Well that’s it, I’m just shocked and disgusted. Mick Jagger was womanising and taking drugs?

I’m never buying his records ever again.”

Of course, that doesn’t happen – the point is that actually we love it when our superstars misbehave and we lap up the details in the mock-horror reports about trashed hotel rooms and thousanddollar bar bills – in the end we want our celebrities to be naughty because a part of us enjoys living vicariously through them. Sadly, most us can’t afford to smash up hotel rooms, but it sure is interesting to read about it if Van Halen have. That is a celebrity doing his job as far as I’m concerned – a true celeb owes it to us in fact! These tales of celebrities acting like divas (i.e. little kids) give us all something to talk about at the water cooler. Anyhow, celebs today should take the advice of Andy Warhol – the first great male diva of popular culture, God rest his superficial soul – who once said: “Don’t pay any attention to what they write about you. Just measure it in inches.” Darlings, how right he was!

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The guys do it better The cliché of the diva is the female diva screaming at her assistants and throwing mobile phones (Naomi), demanding whole dressing room areas be painted white and covered in lilies (Mariah), and ordering extras on film sets not to make eye contact with her (J.Lo). While there is no denying that these women are divas, I can’t help but find the treatment of them somehow sexist. The reporting is so often done by male journalists, jealous of their success, eager to show them as selfish bitches who don’t deserve any kindness. Yes, they are rich and spoilt, but the men in showbusiness surely get off too lightly. Why is it that they are able to f ly under the radar without having the label diva thrown at them every which way they turn? And the fact is, between you and me, men are so much more amusing when it comes to diva behaviour! They’re more outrageous with it – perhaps precisely because they think they can get away with it. Frankly, my dears, they don’t give a damn.

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There’s only room for one diva in this band, and that’s me!

It’s my way or the high-way!

The male diva has the sort of ego that doesn’t take well to sharing the spotlight. That’s why male divas are usually solo artists, because there’s nobody to share all the fame and fortune with and that’s exactly how they like it. Look at the endless squabbling between the Oasis frontmen, brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher – both total prima donnas, famous for bitching about each other in the press. Noel is the songwriter (and has a suitably large ego thanks to that fact) but it’s Liam (the diva in the parka) that people come to see, they love his swagger and Manchester drawl, telling anyone and everyone to fuck off. You never know what might set him off, which of course is very interesting to observe (hopefully from a safe distance). As Noel himself once admitted “My main concern before going on stage is: what frame of mind is Our Kid going to be in? Will he get fucked off and walk off, which he is perfectly capable of doing."

Then, of course, there is the legendary rivalry between John Lennon and Paul McCartney which eventually split up The Beatles.

Two mega male divas neither of whom could back down, each hung up on wanting to be the crowned and recognised genius of the band – each wanted to take the lion’s share of the credit for their melody-making and the lyrics of songs they had made together. In the end, though, Lennon won and was seen by many as the superior Beatle. When he was shot dead, McCartney’s famously cold response to a reporter when asked about the killing was: “it’s a drag, isn’t it?”

Axl Rose and Slash of Guns’n’Roses took ‘in-fighting’ to a whole new level, and their rivalry is probably amongst the most bitter in rock history. One of my most favourite rumours was that towards the end of their time together, a paranoid Axl made a rule that Slash was not allowed to come forward to the edge of the stage during his guitar solos (LOL). After the split (which, when between two male divas, is really like the worst divorce you can imagine), Axl called Slash “a cancer” and said he would sooner die than ever reunite with him.

The hip hop world has taken over from the rock world in terms of male divas and the new male diva on the block is definitely Kanye West. He officially claimed his diva crown at the 2008 MTV music awards, when for the second year running, he didn’t win the best video award. He stormed the stage and started shouting to the audience: “I spent a million, I had Pam Anderson jumping over canyons and, shit! at the end of the day, the show will lose credibility because of this.” Consequently, Southpark did a ruthless episode featuring West, in which he was portrayed as The Most Egotistical Man In The World. The shocking news is that Kanye was actually took to his blog the next day to admit he was ‘murdered’ by them and that his ego needed def lating! Wow! An unheard of ‘first’ in male Divadom!

And, of course, the electronic music scene is teaming with record-bag wielding male divas. As the years have rolled on and the adulation has grown, the diva levels have only increased. Successful DJs these days can barely even tie up their own shoelaces without the help of their booker. And if they arrive in a foreign country and a car is not there to pick them up from the airport they go into total meltdown. I imagine what they are thinking goes something like “How do I, a superstar DJ, get in a taxi all on my? This is an outrageous affront to my superstar status and I shall now scream at whoever is nearest!” Yes yes, I have seen it many times or even more amusingly, I have been told such stories by the DJs themselves, who are still trembling from the traumatic experience. Bless their hearts. I feel like telling them that I, too, had to cross the road just today without someone holding my hand, but somehow I think they wouldn’t understand me.

So to all the male divas out there: Don’t ever change! You can be ridiculous, selfish and vain but you’re so entertaining with it. There’s nothing worse than a boring rock star, is there? I leave you with aquote from Karl Lagerfeld, who clearly mastered the art of being a particularly fierce male diva from a very early age: “My sisters were sent away because my mother thought they were boring. I was not boring.”

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JONNY WOO

Taming of the Shrew Jonny Woo is one of London’s most experimental and f lamboyant performers. Lucy Arrowsmith had the chance to talk to him about his colourful life and the phenomenon of Gay Bingo which has taken London’s club scene by storm.

TEXT

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LUCY ARROWSMITH

PHOTO

MAGNUS HASTINGS

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Hi Jonny, when did you feel you we re a bor n per for mer?

true calling. This is exactly what you want to do.

I was always performing with my grandparents and sister, dressing up in my gran’s clothes. But the first time that I realised I had an artistic bent was when I was about seven years old. I was doing a musical movement class at school and I remember doing a dance that was really alternative but the teacher asked this guy called Brian to demonstrate his dance. I thought what an awful interpretation of that dance, and why didn’t she ask me.

So I knew then that I had an artistic leaning as opposed to just showing off.

W hy di d you come b a ck t o t he U. K ?

S o f ro m t hat m om e nt on we r e your goals t o b e come a pe r f o r manc e a r tist?

No, I was obsessed with money! I was always asking my mum what jobs make you the most money, I was nine or ten. It was probably when I got into my early teens that I did stuff geared around doing shows and by the time I got to sixth form I had directed the school musical and cast myself as the lead.

Because I knew my time was up, I didn’t have a visa and I didn’t want to be ‘American’. I came back in 2003.

Wa s it hard f inding your feet back in London?

No, I came straight back with determination and a rush of American energy. I started a night called Radio Egypt at the George and Dragon in Shoreditch, which outgrew the pub quickly and moved to 291 Gallery on Hackney Road. That’s where I met Andy Butcher (Ma Butcher) and John Sizzle. I remember Andy wanting to be a part of the centre of attention, it was written all over his face so I got to know him then. We eventually stopped the parties as the police were called every week. There were drug dealers there and this disabled guy that used to come down and pretend to have epileptic fits and wet himself and I couldn’t deal with it anymore.

S o how di d Gay B i ngo come out of t ha t ?

Wh ere did you stu dy pe r for m ance ?

I went to Birmingham University and studied drama. I did quite a lot of dance but I hadn’t had enough formal training so I faffed around for ages. It was during my retail hell phase I decided to study contemporary dance for a year.

Yo u dec ided t o go t o New York af t e r t hat, why di d you f e e l yo u h ad t o m ove f rom Lon d on?

I decided to go to New York because I ran away from committing myself to becoming a dancer here. I was insecure about my ability. I went with a three month tourist visa, then you don’t come back and three years later you’re a tranny!

S o wa s New York t he bir t hing of Jonny Woo?

I was hanging out with friends, who were in some way involved with the downtown performance scene. I was going to alternative performance bars and burlesque was kicking off then. I was saying to myself that I wanted my own cabaret show as it ticks a lot of boxes aesthetically, it could fan my ego and I would be the centre of attention. With cabaret performance you can do what you want. I called myself Satanica Pandamonia!

Wa s dressing up a big par t of your cabaret show?

No, I started dressing up just to go out – a let’s go out and disco dance thing. The first time I went out dressed up, as it were, I went out in a little hair skirt, high heels with a thong underneath, nothing else at all, to the east village; there was a lot of thong action then. I also remember running around in a gold bikini and a mink hat in the snow. I used to hang out with Lavina Co-op and go to Jackie 60 which was the performance art, drag, tranny thing which they never had here in London. It was a place where anything goes, which I’m all for. A friend said you couldn’t do what you do here in N.Y back in London. You have found your

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Andy asked me if I wanted to do it. Our first gig was in Brixton.

I didn’t know what I was going to do so I just went down with a pack of drag and changed outfits every game. I didn’t know how to call numbers so I told them fast and made stories up as I was telling them. Gay Bingo is very experimental for me.

Are t here any special number s?

Of course! 69. Well (with a huge grin on his face), when the number comes up I grab someone from the audience and pretend to do a 69 with them. I did it on the first gig and it just stuck. It’s the apex of the gay bingo experience.

You ha d a ne a r de a t h expe r i e nce b a ck i n 2 0 0 6 , wh a t h a p pe ne d?

I had multiple organ failure due to excessive partying for the last twenty years. I was in hospital for five weeks in intensive care. I had three months convalescing, doing absolutely nothing. After that you are at ground zero, you just die and feel like nothing.

How l ong di d i t t a ke u t o get b a ck t o work ?

I was back working in five months which was too fast but I needed to as I felt like the rest of the world was running away without me and I was left behind, but when you actually get back to it, it obviously hasn’t. Some friends say it was my best career move.

A s t hi s i s t he D iva s i s s ue Jonny. A r e you o n e ? A n d wh o i s your favour it e diva ?

Yes! I have diva tendencies like not wanting to answer my phone and deal with emails (Yes Jonny, I noticed that!) Favorite Diva?

– Liza Minnelli of course!

F B – I L O V E G AY B I N G O W W W . M Y S PA C E . C O M / J O N N Y W O O U K

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JD SAMSON

Mr Lady TEXT

JOBOT

Riot grrrl is an underground DIY movement that has helped to kick start lives for young females who have wanted to rise above any reliance on men and truly show the world what they are made of. As soon as riot grrrl ethics hit the world in the early nineties, grrrls rallied together to communicate female empowerment on a global scale via photocopied zines (which have since graduated into the form of blogs), organised festivals dubbed as Ladyfest or Homo A Go Go in their local areas, and wholly created their own music scene. All in all, they have independently presented people with multimedia platforms in which they can openly express their opinions and most importantly, help those whom felt they were a minority to gain a voice. These include those who feel they don’t fit to the ideals presented to them in billboard advertisements and the celebrity ideal which gains popularity daily in the overground media circuit. Never before have people been marketed as products so aggressively, especially those of the beauty variety, which cleverly play on people’s emotions and worst of all, their self confidence (or lack thereof ).

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All of the grrrls involved with the movement have relentlessly challenged the world’s perception of what a woman’s role is in the world. In the early days, bands that worked on using the riot grrrl formula to get their music to the masses were SleaterKinney, Bis, Huggy Bear, Heavens To Betsy and Bikini Kill. One of the latest musical acts to emerge from the scene would have to be The Gossip, whose songstress, Beth Ditto, was one of the young grrrls in the audience empowered by being a part of the riot grrrl community to get up on stage and let the music she sang take her away from a world where your size is more important than your IQ. Back in the nineties though, one of the first commercially popular bands was Le Tigre. As young riot grrrls of that time, who have gone on to become an artist manager/ journalist with a distinct sense of feminism, it was fascinating to see their line-up - which included zine editor Johanna Fateman, riot grrrl godmother Kathleen Hanna, and last but certainly not least, JD Samson - come alive on stage. With her trademark homegrown moustache and attire, which most of society would deem masculine, it was clear that JD was a force to be reckoned with, and that she truly believed in herself and her fellow grrrls.

Unafraid to be scorned at by the music press or of the world’s perception of exactly which gender group she belonged to, JD (nee Jocelyn Samson) has since been onstage with Peaches as one of The Herms, played in and recorded for musical side project The New England Roses, formed her own conceptual dance group Dykes Can Dance, to prove that they can, began performing in her latest musical endeavour, MEN, became a much sought-after DJ, and made two calendars of herself - all of which has helped her to gain a positive reputation throughout, as she consistently questions society’s perception of genders.

With her distinctively androgynous appearance, JD has smashed through countless barriers and is hailed as both an icon above and underground. This grrrl truly has re-written the rules and defines what being a New Age Diva is all about.

Wh en yo u we r e in L e T ig re, what wa s t he mus i c i ndus t r y ’s reac tio n t o you at t hat tim e, an d ha s t hat cha nge d?

The music industry’s reaction to the band was pretty positive.

We basically had amazing press all the time and everyone supported us unconditionally as musicians and as feminists. We were praised for making a new crazy kind of music and building a new feminist queer scene.

Do yo u see any n ot able chan ge s in attitud e t owa r ds f e ma l e s in t h e music ind ustr y a s a r e sult of t he r iot g r r rl move me nt ?

Yes, I think riot grrrl had a lot of effect on females in the music industry. I think it gave female musicians the ability to make music that wasn’t folk or pop, and to build a scene that made it safe to be angry. I also think that it really opened the doors to an understanding of the future of women and music. Since riot grrrl there have been so many new movements of women coming together and creating, for example, Ladyfest or Homo A Go Go.

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As it is such a relatively new phenomenon (in the mainstream, that is!), can you please explain what gender redef inition means? Do you perceive yourself as being part of the movement?

Well, by gender redefinition I guess you mean transgender. I think there has been a trans revolution in the past 10 years, for sure. Defining it is hard these days because I think everyone is in a place of creating their own gender, whatever that may be.

People are building something between female and male, and something that defies the binary gender spectrum of female and male. Everyone is asking what is a man? What is a woman?

At wha t poi nt di d you f e e l mos t comf or t a b l e a d opt i n g yo u r androgynous look?

I guess when I left Ohio I just kind of let myself be and that’s when I let my moustache grow and let myself be how I was intended to be.

Wa s t he r e a t i me i n mus i c t ha t s hi f t e d t he wo rl d ’s m e n t a l i t y a n d wh e n s u d d e n ly t h e a r t i s t’s m u s i c a l a b i l i t y wa s n’t d i c t at e d by whet h e r t hey s t o o d u p o r s a t d ow n t o p e e ?

No, I think there is still a problem. I don’t think that this moment has occurred yet. Spike TV still has a ‘men fight back’ weekend.

How ha s t he world’s perception changed on t he gay and q u e e r s c e n e a n d t h o s e wh o s u r r o u n d i t ? Wo u l d yo u s ay t h a t a ny s p e c i f i c p e op l e h ave b e e n i n s t r u m e n t a l i n t h e s e cha nge s ?

I think that we are living in a time where hipsters love gays and hipsters are shaping the music industry. So gays are cool and queers are rad and we are lucky to have an opening in people’s brains so that we can make our art and feel safe and have an audience that appreciates us. We can be loved for our talent.

H ow d o yo u f e e l a b o u t ‘ d iva s ’ i n t h e m u s i c i n d u s t r y wh o put on extravagant shows? Do you feel t hat t h ey are letting ot he r f e ma l e s dow n or doi ng t he oppos i t e ?

I love divas. It is all about performance and building a show that is not only entertaining but inspiring for the mainstream and maintaining artistship. For example, Beyoncé has an all female band and her show is fucking amazing. I am so glad she has the show she does.

W hi ch f e ma l e s i n t he mus i c i ndus t r y a r e c u r r e n t ly h e l p i n g t o move t hings for ward?

Beyoncé, Beth Ditto, Amanda Blank, Peaches , Christina Aguilera W ha t woul d you l i ke t o ha ppe n next f or t ra n s ge n d e r p e op l e in the music industry?

I would love to have equal rights for everyone and to be paid equally and treated equally by promoters and sound guys.

W W W . M Y S PA C E . C O M / D J J D S A M S O N

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The Gender Performance TEXT

VIK TORIA PELLES

P H O T O S O F T H E O A DA M S

The latter half of this decade has witnessed a resurgence of artists enjoying mainstream success while defying gender categorisation. Although not an entirely new phenomenon, what is new this time around is that they are allowed, or warrant, an openness about who they are. Being ‘closeted’ was a big part of the music business in the eighties often leading to sad, troubled personal lives of artists like, for example, Dusty Springfield or gender bending Boy George, who was all right as long as he didn’t talk about it. In recent years a new generation of subtle subversives are making their mark on the arts and music scene.

Heralding a return to passion and vulnerability in their work, they may use costuming and make-up to dramatic effect, yet their performances are not about pretending, but rather about exposing themselves. In a world where gender distinctions are blurred, our idea of artifice is turned on its head and comes to equal a kind of honesty. Performers like Theo Adams, Antony Hegarty or Bianca Casady (one half of sister-duo CocoRosie) – open, free, and f luid of gender – challenge our conventional ideas about male and female, bringing a new understanding of identity and the beauty of being true.

Since leaving formal education at the tender age of 15, Theo Adams (also known as The-O) has been making waves of the tidal variety on the Performance Art scene. His productions are hard to sum up by the limited medium of type on paper, but characteristically include elements of the following (in no particular order): queer cabaret, eighties power ballads, con-

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ELLIS SCOTT

temporary dance, the philosophies of Judith Butler, Celine Dion, and about a ton of glitter. By his own admission, Theo started out with “no qualifications and began performing in dark gay sex clubs in Vauxhall at five in the morning.” A few years on, however, he now heads up the Theo Adams Company, consisting of a troupe of dancers, singers, musicians and other theatrical types, and has staged productions at the Tate Britain, Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, the finale of the NY Art Book Fair in New York, and URA! in Istanbul.

“I knew from an early age what my role in the world was and I wouldn’t let anyone get in the way,” he answers when questioned on his precocious determination. “I don’t believe in any limitations.” It is most likely this disregard for set definitions and boundaries, which are key to describing Theo’s performances and also lend the cathartic quality for which they have become known. In an interview with ponystep.com, writer Rachel Newsome likens Theo to Tiresias, the soothsayer character from Greek literature, who is fully man and fully woman.

“I truly believe gender is f luid,” the performer, who began with lipstick as a three-year old, explains “I am of the male sex but my gender is completely f luid. I don’t see myself as masculine or feminine and I don’t see those things as important. If I want to wear a pair of heels it’s because I like the way they look, not because I want to look like a ‘woman’.” That some people find the concept hard to get their heads around – let alone be enlightened by – is clear. A boy/man in feminine get-up must equal trans-

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vestism; transvestism is linked to camp culture, and ‘camp’ is, due to its “love of the unnatural: of artifices and exaggeration” (Susan Sontag: Notes On Camp, 1964) a sensibility not to be taken seriously. Theo couldn’t disagree more: “Camp for me is a way of describing the extreme. That’s why I find the idea of camp so attractive. Things with a camp sensibility have no boundaries, they take the spirit or idea and run wild with them; there are no half-measures.”

Autodidact Theo is frank on his reluctance to distinguish between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture, believing, for example, the emotionally manipulative quality of a power ballad to be a redeeming feature, and favouring a direct way of inf luencing an audience.

This eschewal of irony comes as an unbelievably refreshing arrival, particularly to a public weary of two decades of an irony-laden pop culture. He challenges our readiness to dismiss things as ‘cheesy’, urging people to be less concerned with taste (“I think the idea of taste is so boring”) and in so doing, opens us up to a true – albeit at times intense – emotionality.

A rare vulnerability and raw emotionality – aside, of course, from genius talent – is what has brought musical sensation and controversial Mercury Prize winner Antony Hegarty, described by friend and collaborator Rufus Wainwright as “a real underground downtown institution”, into the world of mainstream success. At the centre of all the excitement is his voice, an exceptional instrument capable of reducing its listeners to tears within a quivering couplet. His extraordinary singing voice, which he claims is the result of many years’ work and natural evolution, is entirely genderless and could just as well belong to a white man as a black woman. That Antony himself defies categorisation is no secret. All interviews and features make reference to his stature (both tall and broad) and how at odds it is with the shy, gentle, even vulnerable energy he projects.

Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci, who recently created a bespoke haute couture ensemble for Antony’s upcoming tour, describes him as not having a specific sexuality; “he’s beyond everything that people could think.” On the subject of a transgender body in an interview, Antony’s resolve is: “You could think God played a trick on you, or you could think that culture and society played a trick on you in thinking there isn’t room for you. Well, there is.”

The album I Am A Bird Now is unequivocally a very personal album, delving into areas of gender and sexuality that could leave the average listener feeling strangely uninformed. On the other hand, there is the undeniable yearning in his voice and sentiments relating to body-dysmorphic issues or fears of dying alone are relatable, if not universal. That Antony is able to furnish these themes with such a heightened emotional quality is likely testament to his experiences as transgender. And his wide appeal can, in turn, be seen to signal something positive about the psyche of the general public, which is somehow proven more

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open-minded than generally given credit for.

Although more established and from an entirely different generation, Antony mirrors Theo’s positivism about the present climate as well as the future, often citing younger musicians as Devendra Banhart or CocoRosie as examples of people with a new optimism on the world and the ability to change things.

“Those kids, people like Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, Bianca and Sierra, ushered in this revolution. They knew how to create a space for otherness in an aggressively homogenised landscape, and a garden within themselves. They knew how to block out the things that weren’t working and how to nurture those gardens and souls so they could survive.”

In a positive yet puzzling development, little or no fuss has been made of the queerness of avant-garde pop duo CocoRosie, despite the fact that Bianca (the older sister) is really an open book in this respect, very theatrical in her stage performance and drag costuming. In an interview, Bianca remarks she finds it “interesting that as a ‘female’ artist in this time, I can go in complete drag on a regular basis and no one really notices, whereas an artist like Antony was torn apart about his transsexuality in all of the first major articles written about him." Promising as the freedom that Bianca is afforded may be, it also highlights an enduring societal inequality, which is decidedly more accepting of women acting as men than vice-versa. Nevertheless, both musicians are distinctive in the way they take risks and make themselves vulnerable in their performances. Not being afraid of criticism allows for a beauty and honesty that is universal in meaning and has proved irresistible to fans and the industry critics alike. There are no two ways about Antony’s intentions: “When you put forth something you care about or feel sincere about, there is a risk involved. People can say all sorts of things about you, but there’s potential for a really rewarding dialogue with the world. And it’s in that spirit I do the work that I do.”

Performance has always provided a space in which the boundaries of sex, gender and sexuality become blurred. Successful performance is not acting but rather becoming a persona, and in this world of appropriation any image, whether male or female, is a character to replicate (as an example, see Cate Blanchett become Bob Dylan in I’m Not There). But just as art imitates life, so life also imitates art. Gender transgression and transformation in performances and art demonstrate to the rest of us that identity is not static, but rather, like a performance, it’s an evolving process of who we want to become.

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Anarchy in the UK THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF ARTIST MANAGEMENT

Brian Epstein, Malcolm McLaren, Simon Napier-Bell, Simon Fuller. Ring a bell? All these blokes were the management brains behind some bands called the Beatles, the Sex Pistols, Wham, and some ropey chicks called the Spice Girls. Notorious managers with equally notorious artists. Aside from these ancient industry daddies, our music industry is now awash with a new, contemporary breed of people with a knack for steering talent - and I happen to be one of them.

TEXT

ROSEBUD HANSEN

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I L L U S T R AT I O N

LEONA LIST

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Bands are multiplying quicker than Chlamydia, hence the need for (decent) managers are increasing. and FYI, continually more of them happen to be women. Not sure what a Manager does, exactly? Dull: we manage the artist’s diary, oversee accounting, drown in mounds of contracts, hassle the live agent, bug the PR, do the PR, act as Tour Manager as well as be Counsellor and Babysitter (it has been known). Exciting: we steer the artist’s career, drive the A&R process, bag recording and publishing deals, oversee album production and witness their career take off. And when it does, nothing touches the buzz of being in the wings when they are performing to an adoring, sweaty crowd.

But, as the manager, away from the paperwork and creative sway, there sure is some ungainly behaviour you have to deal with. So here are some truthful tales behind some of the artists I have worked with over the years, beyond the glamourous press shots, impressive stage shows, and seductive tunes.

You’ve Lost That Feeling

Freakbox

This chap was one the most quirky and talented of all the artists I have worked with, thus far. I've never witnessed a performer engage and thrill a crowd with such enviable aplomb. He could charm a python whilst on stage and has an ability to seduce a crowd resulting in people literally falling at his feet (and giving him items of clothing!). The off stage nitty gritty was not so arresting. Behind the gleaming white smile and ironic dance moves lay a bit of a back stabber, playing people in his team off against each other, two faced bitching, and he was more shrewd in business than he would ever dare admit to. There was a also a chilly apathetic streak that gave me the willies. And to top it all, he kept trying to set me up with dodgy blokes he knew which made me feel very uncomfortable!

I cut my teeth on this band, and I’m surprised I lived to tell the tale. The enigmatic female lead singer had more punch than Mohammed Ai, literally. The incredible aggressive energy she was able to channel on stage also reared its raw spiky Medusa head on a regular basis. There were regular fist fights with the drummer: brawling in a bar in Japan, and a punch up whilst on tour in Australia; smashing pint glasses in Brixton pubs and threatening bar staff. Her addiction to daytime weed and whiskey consumption also made her impossible to work with - checking emails were a rare and sporadic happening, which is, for a proactive manager, massively frustrating. Oh, and then there was the time she walked off stage during a NYE headline show, to have a dump (which she proudly announced on the mic before dropping it to the ground - the mic, that is). The boys in the band were also no angels. Classic moments include them buying crack at SXSW and being hours late for meetings (if they remembered at all).

Whatever It Takes I had never worked with a girl band before, and I haven’t since.

I met this electro-inspired trio whilst working in New York, and found them so captivating I brought them over to London for a three-week tour. It was like unleashing a sexually unhinged Bananarama meets Teen Wolf on the unexpecting streets - they tore up and ravaged everything in their path. The prettiest of the trio managed to screw any DJ with a pulse (in multiples, allegedly); the lesbian copped off with a famous female solo artist who was staying in the same hotel, only for us to get charged her mini bar bill the following day; and the most iconic member of the troop trashed her hotel room to such a degree the cleaners took photographs and they were threatened with expulsion.

Considering their stay at this beautiful hotel in East London was complimentary due to a sponsorship deal this, for a manager, was of course horrific.

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I’ve never worked with a band that moans so much. When you, the manager, is breaking your back trying to help them there's nothing more demotivating and tiring than being met with a continual bombardment of whining, on a daily basis. The lead singer of this particular dance outfit, alongside the keyboard player, were the worst. You get them a hefty paying gig somewhere sunny overseas - and they moan about train fares getting to the airport.

You get the singer a guest spot on an album featuring revered artists 20 times more well known than her - she moans about her bus fare to the studio. You bag some incredible outfits from a globally renowned designer, and they moan about them not fitting quite right - and refuse to wear them. Very draining and the reason why some artists only get to a certain level. So any bands reading this, shut the fuck up and stop griping!

Goin’ Out Of My Head

Oops, I Did It Again And finally, it's not just the artists who can fuck things up.

We, the management, have our moments too. During my early days learning on the job I once went AWOL at SXSW, my band unable to locate me for 36 hours. I have booked gigs in different countries on the same date - only discovering the mistake on the day - forgotten to arrange work visas for overseas artists which got them in the shit, and I used to have a terrible habit of getting my artists leathered before stage time. I am, ahem, now totally on it...

YOU WANT TO BE A MANAGER? THEN READ THESE! BL ACK VINYL, WHITE POWDER - SIMON NAPIER -BELL MUSIC, THE BUSINESS - ANN HARR ISON MUSIC MANAGER'S BIBLE - MMF

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AT T I L A H A R T W I G

PRODUCTION

SANDRA LIERMANN

PARFUM SONGES BY ANNICK GOUTAL | BRIGHTENING CORRECTING CREME ENBRIGHTENMENT BY AVEDA | BRIGHTENING CLEANSER ENBRIGHTENMENT BY AVEDA | TOPSLIM BY OENOBIOL | PERFUME N° 1 BY CLIVE CHRISTIAN

SERUM BY ORIGINS | HAIR & BODY SPORTSWASH ACTIVE CASSIA BY MOLTON BROWN | RE-CHARGE BLACK PEPPER SHAVE OIL BY MOLTON BROWN | RE-CHARGE BLACK PEPPER BODY SCRUB BAR BY MOLTON BROWN | EAU DE

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A n d y Wa r h o l

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INTERVIEWS There is some serious talent in this section!

Mark Reeder, Godfather of the Berlin music scene, who after years releasing other people, has finally made his own album and it’s a stunner! Then we talked one-on-one with the beautiful and ultimate disco-diva Donna Summer who recently performed for the Electronic Beats Classics series – a very memorable night!

Then we hear

from London-lad and Crosstown Rebels fave Jamie Jones whose album Don’t You Remember The Future? has got us überpumped, and Lopazz rounds things up, talking about the journey around the world which he undertook for his new album.

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JAMIE JONES

Hot by Nature The past few years have seen the afroed, 28-year old London-born producer, ‘DJ’s DJ’ and all-round nice guy Jamie Jones’ star rise into the ascendant. From dropping his first EP Amazon on Freak’n’Chic back in 2006, he’s gone on to release his own brand of warm groove-ridden house music on the likes of Tsuba, Damian Lazarus’ Crosstown Rebels and Bpitch CTRL, not to mention turning dancef loors out from Mexico to Paris, Berlin to Tokyo. With his awe inspiring debut album Don’t You Remember The Future, which plays, in his words, like ‘what I would be listening to if I stumbled upon an underground club on that Mars city in the movie Total Recall’, the first Prince-tinged single from the aforementioned LP Summertime still doing the rounds, and his own label Hot Natured shifting virtual units, saying he was busy would be a gross understatement. We catch up with Jamie whilst preparing to jump a f light, to talk LPs, drum and bass and geeking out.

I N T ERV I EW

JEAN-ROBERT SAINTIL

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Can yo u rem e m be r how you got int o m usic i ni t i a l ly ?

Whoa, that’s a very epic question. I guess first of all from my mother. She was into disco, soul and funk, and pop artists like Michael and Janet Jackson, Shalamar, Terence Trent D’Arby, etc.

I used to sing the words with her from the back of the car on the way to the city when I was really young. As for electronic music, that was mainly through my cousin, who would give me hardcore and drum ’n’ bass mixtapes from the raves she had been to. I used to play them until they were worn out on my first Walkman.

She kept giving me tapes of Stu Allen’s radio show on Key 103 Manchester. I used to spend hours trying to attach makeshift aerials onto the roof of my house to try and pick up the radio show myself. But I never did, I was about two hours away from Manchester, the other side of some very big mountains.

There’s a real wa r m and housey feel t o your album and relea ses of lat e. What inspired t his?

I guess I’m very into analogue sounds, old drum machines and synths. I also like using samples of disco and pop. I love this music, as it’s always evolving, but what I like about it is that we can use what has been done before, reshape it, and add a new dimension to it. For example, during the late seventies and early eighties, cheap keyboards and synthesisers became available to young, mainly black Americans. There was so much musical talent that before had no outlet, then all of a sudden they could buy a keyboard for $100. The music that got made in that era is very special to me, and I love taking it onboard for what I do now.

So, with that in mind, Don’t You Remember The Future is a play on words. It means to remember the past but not to forget to move into the future.

S o it’s a k ind of con cept albu m ?

Yes, kind of. I mean, I’m a massive science fiction fan, so I wanted my first album to have a running theme or concept, and so I tied it all in. I guess it’s what I would be listening to if I stumbled upon an underground club on that Mars city in the movie Total Recall. ‘ S u m m e r t i m e’ wa s a s p r i n g /s u m m e r a n t h e m ( a n d i s s t i l l do ing t h e rou nd s). Did you expe ct it t o be a s s ucce s s f ul a s it wa s?

When I first wrote the hook, no not at all. But as soon as Damian Lazarus, Clive Henry and I started playing it out, I knew it would be a biggie. We hammered it for about a year before it even got a vocal version, let alone released. I was a bit worried that by the time it actually got out, people would be sick of it. But it seems to still get the props.

H ow did you hook u p wit h Dam ian L azar u s ?

We met through a mutual friend, Rosanna Maldonado. She gave me my first real break as a DJ with a weekly residency in Manumission’s electro room The Music Box back in 2004.

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Damian was a guest a few times, and we started hanging out sometimes in London after that. I guess we were both part of the then more electro side of the East London dance scene for many years. Good times.

W ha t i s i t a b out C r os s t ow n Re b e l s et hos t h a t yo u’r e i n t o ?

You never know what you’re going to get. Far too many labels churn out pretty much the same record with every release. And once that particular sound is over, they are tagged with that sound. I, or anybody, may not like every Rebels release, but it’s always worth checking as you just don’t know what it will be, and they have put out some amazing records along the way.

It’s also a UK based label, and I’m a strong believer in creating a scene and community in your own city and country and keeping it thriving through contribution.

You’ve j u s t s t a r t e d t h e i mp r i n t H ot Na t u r e d . H ow d i d t h a t come a b out ?

Lee Foss and I have been friends for years and met in Ibiza back in 2001. He was living in Chicago until about a year ago, and has always brought me over to play and hang out before I started touring over there. He has very similar tastes to me, so it was natural to work together when I spent time in LA, where he now lives. I also needed another outlet for my productions, as I am doing so much at the moment.

And what’s next t o drop on t he label?

I’ve actually put the Hot Natured label on hold for a little while.

I will be releasing the disco-pop re-edits on Wolf + Lamb Black for now, as I love those guys, and they are more equipped to deal with it all. I’m just too busy, but I do plan to restart it very soon, as I have some great music from some young new talent that I really want to help cultivate.

I s i t a l oa d of f r i e nds t ha t you have on r e - r u b d u t i e s ?

Not really, it’s mainly just Lee Foss and me. I love redoing pop and disco tracks, it actually only takes about two hours to do a reedit if the f low’s good. So we can keep the output high.

Cool. Okay, which cities are your favour it es t o: 1. Play, 2.

C hi l l , 3 . Pa r t y ?

Ha! Another difficult one. Playing in London is always great, it’s my home city, but other than that probably Tokyo, the crowds there are great, and the energy of the people is fantastic. To chill… maybe Los Angeles, the weather’s great all year, there’s the beach, great food, and I have a solid group of friends there.

To party, I don’t think I can choose just one, I mean so many different times different places have been so much fun. I always enjoy Berlin, Mexico City is always great, and the people there are super cool. New York is off the hook at the moment, but also London and Leeds always remind me of how good the UK is.

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MARC REEDER

The Godfather TEXT

N E A L E LY T O L L I S

PHOTO

K AT J A R U G E

Trying to sum up Mark Reeder’s career is no mean feat, and listing his achievements almost sounds like you’re making it up. Born in Manchester, Mark moved to Berlin in 1978 and worked as the Germany rep for Factory Records. He went on to co-manage all-girl outfit Malaria!, toured with New Order in his band Shark Vegas, and started the first dance music label in former East Berlin. He even found time to produce the last ever pop record released in East Germany (Torture by Die Vision), show John Peel around Berlin for his Travels With My Camera documentary and discover superstar DJ Paul van Dyk. With such an enviable list of credentials it’s little wonder that a recent Smirnoff Wall of Sound film described him as the “Godfather of the Berlin music scene”. Yet despite his impressive CV, Mark has never released his own solo album... until now. Teaming up with German trance outfit Blank & Jones, Mark reimagined the vocal tracks from their LP, The Logic of Pleasure, in addition to a handful of others. But if you thought the results – an album entitled Reordered – was just another remix record then you’d be wrong, as the man himself recently told Electronic Beats.

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Reordered isn’t t e chnically a remix album is it?

Reordered could probably best be described as a re-works album, as I’ve taken each track and basically rewritten and reworked the music and added my own sound imprint. It was decided to make it in a style reminiscent of the eighties, and I produced it in exactly the same way as I had made music back then; using very few instruments, real synths and guitars. I wanted Reordered to have a different sound to anything Blank & Jones had done before and to touch territory they wouldn’t normally visit.

B l a n k & Jo n e s a r e b e s t k n ow n f o r wo rk i n g w i t h t r a n c e music, but you’ve been able t o creat e somet hing complet e ly dif ferent wit h Reordered. How wa s t his?

It was the fact that they had made tracks with vocals. Their original versions worked within the concept of their album, and although they have vocals, they’re not really songs in the traditional sense. I decided it would be a nice challenge to rewrite them and turn them into songs. They were heavily inspired by eighties music such as Joy Division, New Order, and The Cure, and that’s why some of these people featured on the album in the first place. I thought it would be nice to make their tracks in a traditional eighties style for all the people who miss the sound of those times. This style actually gave me much more scope to be creative as I was making songs again rather than DJ-friendly tracks. This retro approach was quite refreshing.

Which are your per sonal favour it es?

I’m happy with the way ‘A Forest’ turned out. It’s such an iconic track and I knew I would never be able to better the original. I knew it was going to be a very difficult one to do, so it was the last track I tackled. It was a fantastic feeling being able to work with Robert Smith’s enigmatic voice. My version has roughly the same arrangement as the original but I slowed it down to half speed, added a deep buzzing synth, chuggy bass guitar and a twangy fender, and tried to retain its dark, mysterious atmosphere. I had to replay absolutely everything you hear in the track, even down to creating the sound effects at the start, using real branches and local ambience.

B+J have a lot of guest ar tists on t his record; Anne Clark, Ber nard S um ne r and Robe r t Sm it h t o nam e a f ew. T ha t ca n of t en come across a s being more of an oppor tunity t o show o f f yo ur c ele b m at e s r at he r t han actually a ddi ng a ny t hi ng t o t h e music. What d o you t hink?

I think Blank & Jones liked the idea of recording tracks with their teenage idols and, in turn, bringing them to a new audience. Although there are a few really famous names on the album, there are also some fairly unknown ones too. It’s quite balanced.

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A s s ome one who ha s b e e n work i ng i n m u s i c l o n ge r t h a n m o s t , why ’s i t t a ke n yo u s o l o n g t o get yo u r f i r s t L P o u t ?

I got a bit sidetracked along the way! I made a couple of singles and EPs during the 1980s with my bands Die Unbekannten and Shark Vegas, and I produced an album in East Berlin just before the Wall came down. After that I started my label MFS and I put all my energy and creativity into that, launching artists such as Paul van Dyk, Cosmic Baby and Corvin Dalek. In reality, this also isn’t my own album either as it’s a collaboration between Blank & Jones, Micha Adam and myself.

S o, a ny mor e col l a b or a t i ons or new ma t e r i a l ex p e c t e d f ro m you s oon?

I’ve been working on a number of remixes including one of ‘I‘m in Love with a German Film Star’ by the Pet Shop Boys and Sam Taylor-Wood for Kompakt, plus mixes for Anne Clark, Noblesse Oblige and Die Toten Hosen. I’ve just started work on a new track together with Fidelity Kastrow and Manchester-based band Spartak, and recently co-wrote a track with Bernard Sumner for his Bad Lieutenant album.

C omme mor a t i ng 2 0 ye a r s s i nce t he f a l l of t h e Wa l l , 2 0 0 9 i s an impor t ant year for Berlin. You we re t here when t e chno b e ca me t he s oundt r a ck t o a uni t e d ci t y. W h a t wa s t h e s i g ni f i ca nce of t e chno dur i ng t he s e cha nge s ?

Techno was a f ledgling niche fuelled by a handful of fans in West Berlin. When the Wall came down, it became the sound the Eastie kids all wanted to dance to. It was futuristic and revolutionary. Techno wasn’t song-based. There were no difficult-tounderstand English lyrics and the music didn’t adhere to the conventional rules of blues and rock ’n’ roll. After years of being force-fed Party-approved music, the Eastie kids finally found the release they had always yearned for. They could let their creativity run amok and there were no rules to stop them.

D o yo u s t i l l f i n d B e rl i n a n i n s p i r i n g p l a c e t o wo rk a f t e r h av ing lived here for so long?

Absolutely! It’s obviously changed over the past 20 years, but that’s a good thing. The inf lux of new and creative people is quite exciting. I miss certain aspects of the Berlin of the past, but all things considered, I wouldn’t change it for anything. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to experience a desperate and isolated Berlin with a wall around it. Berlin today is a much more relaxed place to be. I’m addicted to its atmosphere.

It’s as close to paradise as I can get!

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LOPAZZ

Sound Odyssey Travelling the world, playing and making music surely has to be one of the best jobs going. It is a life led by many people I meet and interview, and is probably familiar, if only by association, to many readers of this magazine. The jet setting DJ or producer, travelling to Miami or London, a life of free drinks, endless parties and hanging out with the beautiful ones, all intersected with some tedious travelling and waiting around in airport lounges. On one hand Lopazz, real name Stefan Eichinger could fit nicely into that category. He mainly releases his music on the German mega label Get Physical, DJ’s round the globe and has had a gaggle of bona fide club hits to his name. On the other hand this thoughtful young musician could not be further away from the clichéd stereotype of international DJ producer. For one thing, he wanted to make it very clear that he ‘hates ethno house’!

TEXT

GARETH OWEN

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A dislike of ethno house aside, the main thing that sets Lopazz apart from the pack is his musical involvement with Unesco. For several years now, Unesco have worked with the German public TV station, SWR to create documentaries highlighting important sites around the globe that are under threat from either man or nature. “UNESCO chooses sites that should be protected, and some of them are perfect for a documentary. The films are done in 35mm format - typical Hollywood format, and the films will be archived to show how the sites looked like, because some of them are really changing due to climate problems, money and other issues in those countries”. And working for public television seems to fit into his way of thinking too “it’s a real old school, well-educated, non-commercial workf low” Providing the music for documentaries is something that Lopazz has been doing for over ten years now, but that doesn’t mean just sitting in edit suite providing music for images. For Lopazz it means getting on plane, boat, truck or camel to accompany the film crew and record the sounds he needs; “first of all I try to capture the atmosphere of the sites. It must fit to the idea of the film-script as it is a documentary, so nothing should be faked like in Hollywood films where everything is faked more or less. For example, if it is a windy place, I must have good wind sounds. I recorded singers and monks, but also different winds and various animals”.

Travelling to far f lung corners of the globe such as Mongolia, Brazil and China is not something that I can imagine many other people in the music business doing for such worthy reasons, though maybe Lopazz may have found the time to grab some local samples along the way to give his club productions a certain edge “f lute and strings samples…. I can also use these

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for my house tracks, sure!” But travelling to places such as Mongolia must have given some perspective to his ‘other’ life in clubs. I wonder how it made him feel. “Blessed”, he answers, “as for example in Mongolia where I had the chance to work with ‘pure’ people, like monks and native singers so different to the standard commercialized and industrialized techno and musicindustry thing. To be surrounded by nature and old buildings with a certain past like the Dschinghis Khan temple.”

Having experienced some of the worlds most amazing and beautiful sites, and experienced first hand the effects of man on the environment, it is perhaps unsurprising that Lopazz has little time for the majority of what happens in dance music’s mainstream: “Sometimes I really think techno and house is just a never ending carnival or kindergarten.” So what would make things better I wonder, “Well, that’s a tough question”, says Stefan, “but I think most of the people involved want to be famous, well-known, rich, mighty and use silly, sometimes ridiculous samples and methods to make people think that its hot shit. I miss the depth, the naive feeling of music that hasn’t been produced with the thought of making a hit.”

Making a hit was probably the last thing on the minds of the people he has met and performed music with on his travels. He is one of only a very small number of artists to have been allowed to perform on Brazil’s Pelorinhou Plaza, and alongside his Tenori, he has performed several shows on his travels – as he says, “of course you have to be prepared to sing or do a little show when you are invited to a Mongolian or Asian or African family.”

AMBIENT FILM SCORES VOLUME ONE IS OUT NOW ON GET PHYSICAL

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Classics

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DONNA SUMMER

Prima Donna TEXT

JOHANNES BONKE

Donna Summer is back on stage. After 14 number 1 hits, five Grammy Awards and 130 million records sold in the last four decades, the iconic Disco Queen decided to open the Electronic Beats Classics concert series with an exclusive gig in Berlin. We reached the 60-year old on the phone prior to her arrival.

Donna Summer picks up the phone.

Hallo, wie geht’s?

A h , yo u sp e ak Ge r m an?

A little, a little. I used to live in Munich, but I haven’t spoken any German for such a long time that I don’t know anymore how good I am. Maybe it’s better to speak English. I don’t know if I’ll say something I shouldn’t say. (laughs) I will hopefully have enough chances to speak German as soon as I arrive in Berlin.

H ow d o yo u f e e l a b o u t b e i n g t h e f ir s t a r t i s t t o l a u n ch t he Electronic Beats Cla ssic events ser ies?

Well, it’s special for me because it’s the first time I’ll be playing in Germany since I became famous.

Why did you choose Electronic Beats Cla ssics for t his premiere?

I always wanted to come to Germany, but it needed to be worth it for me to come. You know it’s very expensive with the weak dollar to go to Europe at the moment. So it’s an extreme expense for American artists to come there unless they are doing a very, very big show and a long, long tour. I don’t want to lose money if I play somewhere. I want to hopefully make money or at least

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a living. I have to pay the people that work for me, so even if I did it for free, I would still have to pay my expenses. Electronic Beats has been kind enough to offer me this gig and help me with everything to make it possible. I did not really hesitate: I wanted to come and do this show because I have been waiting for it for a long time.

You move d t o Muni ch i n 1 9 6 8 t o pe r f or m i n t h e m u s i c a l H a i r.

Fo u r ye a r s l a t e r, yo u m a r r i e d t h e Aus t r i a n H e l m u t h S o m m e r and gave bir t h t o your f i r s t child, Mimi. What is your relat i ons hi p w i t h Ge r ma ny t oday ?

I have a very loving relationship with Germany. A lot of the time, foreign people think of Germans as being a bit cold, but I always say “no, no, Germans are very warm and they have a very warm side. They just like to get things done right, and that’s their characteristic.” Sometimes the language seems a little harsh to the outside ear, they think that the people are just tough all the time and I’m like, “no, that’s not the case”. So I know a different Germany and I try to explain to people how Germans are and why I love this country. Germany is very good for my temperament and that is another reason why I wanted to come back again.

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EB INTERVIEWS

Do yo u see collabor atin g wit h Ele ctr onic B e a t s a l s o a s a way o f c o nnec tin g t o a n ew youn ge r ge n e r ation of f a ns ?

Well, I hope so! Maybe I’ll find some young writers and collaborators and we’ll make some new music. I heard Berlin is famous for its creative people.

Disc o and hou se m usic ar e having a huge come b a ck a t t he mo ment an d your sou nd is m or e in d e m an d t ha n eve r. How exciting are t hese times for you?

It’s extremely exciting, because it just shows you that music never dies, it finds its own life over and over again. For myself, I have had many incarnations and other people such as Beyoncé Knowles have used pieces of my music. It’s a huge, huge compliment for me to be carried into another generation.

Ot h er ar tis ts m ight say t hat t hey wou ld fe el r ob b e d i f younger ar tists r e le a se d cove r ve r sions of t he ir s ong s .

I feel very honoured because I feel that they must have really liked my music then. Do you know the TV show American Idol in Germany? Well, they use my songs a lot on that show because they are not so easy to sing. They use them because they feel that if you are going to be able to sing these songs, you’re going to have a good voice. So in every sense, to listen to somebody sing in a new way and to approach it differently with a new mindset is eye-opening to me. It even helps me.

H ow do yo u fe e l t he e le ctr onic m u sic sce ne ha s evolve d s i nce its beginnin gs?

I think electronic music is like a big circle: it goes around and then it comes back to another formation of the beginning. Then it goes again and somebody adds something else to it and spins it a new way. With all the devices and possibilities of mutating sound we have today, the electronic beat is going to be able to blossom even more and become an even different sound in an even different format.

T h e gig c o m e s at an exciting m om e nt in your l i f e. You have n’t relea sed an album for 17 year s, but now yo u’ve had a major c o m e b a ck w i t h yo u r l a t e s t a l b u m C r ayo n s . H ow wo u l d you descr ibe your relationship wit h fame and success?

You have to remember that I am married; I have children and grandchildren now. So for me to be able to go on the road and to be able to play in places without too much effort of getting people to come is an amazing experience. I am extremely honoured that people would even pay money to come and see me. It validates me and makes me think I can go on. If that didn’t happen I would probably quit and say “OK, my time is over”.

T h at’s wh a t a lot of pe ople or iginally t hought . 1 7 ye a r s i s a lo ng time.

But now with the Internet you don’t have to deal with that so much. So I think I could still find places to meet my audience and develop new relationships that way. I feel more empowered.

What we re t he problems dur ing your break?

My record company didn’t allow me to grow as an artist, so I told them to forget it. I am not going to redo ‘I Feel Love’ or re-sing ‘Bad Girls’ or any other song that I have already done. I’ve been there, done that, and I want to move on. I always was creative and wanted to keep creating and I was writing songs all those years. Even though they weren’t coming out, I have truckloads of songs. I want to still continue to write and to put those songs out there to let people hear them. The people need to hear them, not the record company.

What is your life like when you are not per for ming? I hear you a r e a pa s s i ona t e pa i nt e r a nd t ha t you l ive i n Na s hv i l l e, Te nne s s e e. S ounds l i ke you chos e a ve r y c a l m way o f l i fe a f t e r your cr a z y t i me s dur i ng t he s eve nt i es .

I haven’t painted in a long time, but I do paint and I have had a quite successful painting career. But I do a lot of creative things.

I write scripts for the theatre, I write songs and I write books.

I also travel a lot. I live in Nashville but I also live in Florida. I travel frequently between New York and Los Angeles. I am still all over the place and take a close look at what is happening around me.

Ha s t he pr e s s ur e i n t he i ndus t r y t o b e you n g a n d b e a u t i fu l g ot t e n wor s e s i n c e yo u s t a r t e d ?

No I don’t think it has gotten worse, I think that there are just more people out there because the world is growing. There are so many people trying to be successful that it raises the requirement to be successful. But at the same time as the young and the beautiful are successful, you have somebody like Queen Latifah: she is enormously successful and she’s not the norm. So at the same time people are still hungry for people that are not just beautiful. We want people who have substance - or let’s put it a bit differently: people who have substance want people who have substance.

H ow i mp o r t a n t i s i t f o r yo u t o s t ay i n g o o d s h a p e ?

Well I am not as thin as I used to be, but I try to stay in shape as much as I can. It’s always good to be healthy, right? (laughs) You just do what you can do. Obviously, you change and your body changes as you get older and you can do what you want but you can’t always help all of it. So you just have to live with what it is.

But when I am on stage I am pretty active and it’s a lot of work being on stage, it’s very stressful, but if you love it, you don’t notice the stress.

It’s true: I haven’t had an album out for many years, but that was just because I was tired of the record company situation.

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Yo u tur ned 6 0 r e ce n tly. Wou ld you say t h a t l i f e i s get t i ng bett er t h e old e r you get?

I think you are allowed to be young a lot longer. My mother at my age was already old.

No wo n d e r : yo u r s o n g s h a d s u ch a b i g i mp a c t o n t h e s eve n t i e s a n d e i g h t i e s t h a t yo u r m u s i c b e c a m e a l m o s t a n a c o u s t i c met aph o r of a cr azy, colour fu l life style. C a n mus i c r e a l ly ch ange t h e world ?

I think that music has the power to change the world, absolutely.

I think it changes the way you think. Sound therapy is a good example. When we play classical music by Beethoven or Brahms, our bodies actually feel more peaceful. If you want to get stimulated, you play some rock ‘n’ roll and go “Come on, let’s do it!”

Music changes the way you are, without a question.

“Pray always an d ke ep t he fait h” is wr itt e n on your we b s i t e.

H ow imp o r t an t is it t o be lieve in som et hing?

I think it’s totally important. I mean, you can live without it but when you come into a situation where something serious is happening, I don’t know what you have to fall back on. If you are the means to everything in your own life, what do you do if you feel weak? Who do you trust and what do you lean on? So I think faith is a powerful thing because it helps you to get above things without any other outside thing. For me, I can’t live without it, I have to have it in my life. Other people may be able to live without it, but I don’t know how to do it.

77

are really beautiful. I have one other daughter named Mimi who is also a composer but right now she is being more of a mother.

But the other two are actively involved in their careers right now. My husband, Bruce Sudano, has had a number one on the Adult Contemporary charts for seven weeks, which is very good for him. My daughter just got married and he wrote her wedding song. Everybody in my family is working really hard and they recognise that hard work is part of having a good life.

St ay out t here and be active ?

It’s important to do good things and to do charitable things and to donate your time to give to the poor. All the things we need to do make society whole.

C a n yo u s t i l l l i s t e n t o yo u r ow n s o n g s w i t h p l e a s u r e ?

Sometimes I don’t want to hear a certain song because I just get tired of it, but then others I can hear over and over again and when I get ready to perform them, I love them. I love them because of the response they get. Each listener in the audience has a totally different story about that song. That excites the heck out of me because I want to stimulate the memory of that for them.

Ta l k i ng a b out t hos e me mor i e s : we r e t he s i x t i e s a n d s eve n ties really t hat crazy?

Oh, yeah!

So how did you get t hrough it? How did you sur vive ?

Do you also t each t his fait h t o your children? Or how do yo u prepare t hem for t he ups and downs of life?

Well, they see the ups and downs in my life and in the lives of those around them. And they are experiencing them in their own lives. They have to know that there are some things that they can control and some things that they cannot control. And they have to believe that the things they cannot control are under the control of God. They have to believe that He will bring things into order. But if they fear or they don’t have that faith, then they are looking at life in a very grim way. I teach them to believe in themselves. They have to be able to look at something that happens and say, “You know what, it’s OK that it happened. Now I am looking for something good to happen in my life”. I teach them to change their outlook. The way you look at life is sometimes what you bring to yourself.

Because even though I was part of it from the musical end, I didn’t participate in the negative part of it to that extreme. I mean, I participated in it but not to an extreme. So I was able to pull myself out and to look at it and draw a line for myself and say “No, I am not going past this line”.

What is your concept for your concer t in Berlin? Will people hear a mixture of new and old songs, and where will you put t he focus?

On both. I think that it’s all part of who I am. What would be a good German song to sing? I want to find a good, historical German song that most people would know. When I was home in Munich I might have sung something like a Marlene Dietrich song. But at this stage of the game, I don’t know what this youthful group knows, so I would like to find something that is a song they would all kind of know. Maybe you guys can help me?

Did t h ey be com e m u sician s?

Of course! One of my daughters, Brooklyn Sudano, is a singer and my other daughter, Amanda Sudano, is in a band called Johnnyswim. This is new music and, by the way, my daughters are extremely beautiful. (laughs)

What’s your message t o Electronic Beats fans who are coming t o see you per for m?

I hope you like what you hear! I hope you get inspired! I hope that you keep the electronic beat going!

H ow c an t hey n ot be ?

No, no, no. They are way more beautiful than I ever was. They

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Classics

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79

YELLO

Rhythm Divine It has been six years since the cult-duo Yello came out with a new album. In October 2009, coinciding with the release of the CD Touch Yello, the pair will give an exclusive concert in a virtual context of as a part of the Electronic Beats Classics series. We spoke in advance with Boris Blank and Dieter Meier on the strategy behind the album and event, the endurance of Yello and the rise of electronic music.

TEXT

JOHANNES BONKE

Yo ur new albu m “Touch Ye llo” t ook six ye a r s t o come out .

Why is t h at?

I work more as a painter of sound, playing with colours for each piece. I sometimes leave pieces to the side and come back to them later. At a certain point, when enough has been accrued, I present them to the public. Therefore, I feel the release of a new CD is also more like an exhibition.

BOR IS BL A NK

W hy di d you choos e E l e ct r oni c B e a t s a s a p a r t n e r ?

You could say we are actually more of an art project. In addition, the new generations come after us again and again. I experience it is often that young DJs and musicians are often very familiar with Yello. We are like a bridge between our own era and today. Stylistically, we were not just a passing trend, but always had our very own sound. For Electronic Beats those were good basic conditions.

DIETER MEIER

H ow wo uld you d e scr ibe t he n ew albu m Touch Ye l l o?

The spectrum goes from extreme hard Funk / Jazz to typical Yello-tracks in the style of “Lost Again” to the trumpet sounds of Till Brönner and ballads from Swiss singer Heidi Happy, who are both heard as guest musicians on the album. Fans can expect to hear audiovisual worlds, which are very much what Yello has embodied for many years.

BB

Yo u w ill be appe ar in g in a vir tu al live -s how a t t he K i no I nt er natio nal in Be rlin – what can we expe ct ?

Illustrated sounds and an immersion in the crazy world of Yello. It is certainly very visually witty, charming and chaotic.

Very, very much like Yello.

BB

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Ye l l o wa s a n d i s s t i l l s e e n a s a b a n d t h a t c o n s t a n t ly r e i nve nt s i t s e l f . How di f f i cul t i s i t a f t e r t hr e e d e c a d e s t o f i n d new approaches?

I do not think we could necessarily always create something completely new. Once one has a certain persona, it’s hard to change. There are people who carefully calculate how to proceed – like Madonna, who every two months wears a new dress and adapts to the latest trends. But I do feel like the vibe of the band still offers several incentives and is up to date. have been touched before.

BB

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80

EB INTERVIEWS

“We have never been understood as a product of marketing, but as authentic music you can put in any drawer.”

DIETER MEIER

W h a t d o yo u f e e l a b o u t t o d ay ’s t ech n o m ove m e n t c o n t r a s t e d w it h yo ur own d eve lopm e n t?

There is a lot out there that’s really interesting, but unfortunately there’s also a lot of music where the technology plays with the musicians rather than the musicians playing with the technology. It’s now quite easy to become very good rather quickly, but many pieces are missing identity, uniqueness and boldness.

This new music no longer achieves what music is actually meant to accomplish: that it touches you somewhere where you never have been touched before.

DM

T h eo retic a lly, could som e on e bump in t o you out a t s ome Berlin electro club?

Sure, I always like to go out in Berlin. On the other hand, I have had so many projects going on now that I’m not really out on the scene as much as I used to be.

DM

Mr. Me i e r, wha t ca n b e s a i d of t he coope r a t i o n b et we e n yo u a nd B or i s B l a nk ? You me nt i one d t ha t i n t h e a c t u a l c o mp o s i tion of t he Yello pieces, you we re not t here. Are you still in constant contact?

In person sure, but musically, we are like two trains each taking charge. Boris creates these wonderful worlds of sound, then I invent mostly a text and a vocal melody. Together we can build a song from it. As I said, Boris works very long on his pieces, but for me, my work is more like a shot that succeeds or not.

DM

At t he b e gi nni ng of your ca r e e r, your a l b u m s s o l d o n ly m o d e r a t e ly. I n a d d i t i o n , a c c o r d i n g t o yo u r ow n s t a t e m e n t s , s u c ce s s wa s , t hr ough t he ye a r s , neve r s omet h i n g “ a c t ive ly p u r s ue d”. Why di d t he b a nd deve l op a cul t f oll owi n g a ny way?

Fo r many, Be rlin is a m e lting pot of e le ct r oni c mus i c. How impo r t ant d o you con sid e r t he city for t he s ce ne ?

Perhaps for that very reason. We have never been understood as a product of marketing, but as authentic music you can put in any drawer. Initially, this may have the disadvantage that the immediate success is much smaller, but the great advantage is that somehow it also remains timeless.

Berlin attracts artists from all over the world. I believe that this fusion of different inf luences is something new to the local scene, giving it a unique touch.

F rom t he ma rket i ng pe r s pe ct ive, one t a ke s a m o r e t h e b a ckg round role t han t he ot her, why is t hat?

DM

DM

That is the nature of our personalities. I was always better in the second row, which is why Dieter had to take over the role as the outward appearance. This makes it also very good.

BB

Mr. Blank, you once descr ibed your ways of wo rking a s ve r y undemocratic, because you are reluct ant t o have an audienc e dur in g composition .

I am like a hermit working in seclusion, a child who plays in the sand pile; it’s like meditation, during which I don’t want to be disturbed. I don’t like it if during the creation process of these soundscapes, people are staring over my shoulder.

BB

Why is Diet e r Me ie r actu ally so impor t an t f or Ye l l o?

Dieter Meier writes the texts, the vocal melodies, the videos, and has many ideas for the virtual show. Without his voice, Yello is not feasible; it exists only through the both of us. We are a team who complement each other very well. He is often away, and that gives me time to work on my music without being interrupted. If Dieter then is in the studio, he creates something like a film role and becomes the actor in my sound images.

BB

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W hy i s t he ext e r i or l ook of Ye l l o s o i mp o r t a n t ? Yo u a r e a l ways we a r i ng s ui t s a nd you a r e a l ways p e r fe c t ly s t yl e d .

It has trivial reasons: I just like jackets and suits and wearing ties and all this stuff. The style is not artificial, but part of my reality. I was never ‘dressed-up’ as a member of Yello, and I do not believe that our style was responsible for our success.

B B It is simply that we like to have an elegant appearance, so we’re always a bit ironic. Suits are also timeless. Even after twenty years, they look at least not quite as strange as if we were wearing hip-hop trousers.

DM

What role did your trademark facial hair play?

I have too much distance between upper lip and nose, which a small mustache can conceal. While Dieter is exactly the opposite: he has a narrow gap between the upper lip and nose, which he with a big mustache concealed. That is the whole truth.

BB

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81

“There’s also a lot of music where the technology plays with the musicians rather than the musicians playing with the technology.”

DIETER MEIER

Mr. Meier, usually three things are said about you: that you are cultivated, eccentric and visionary. How would you describe yourself ?

Still as an “individual anarchist” as you have said before?

No, this is such a stupid term that somehow leaked into the Internet. I see myself more as a producer, who somehow tries to find his identity through the child inside himself. That has to be excavated from one’s upbringing and schooling just in order to find what’s been God-given. I work on many different things, in my case a variety of products and establishments at various places in the world, from consoles on agricultural products, to pictures and music.

DM

So you are a businessman as well, but do you think it’s necessary that in order to be a true artist, one has to be poor in order to drive the creativity?

No, I don‘t like that idea. Why does an artist have to be poor in order to create great art? That is a very bourgeois concept, the alleged suffering of the artist. There are many poor artists who live a meagre life and leave no work of any significance, and others become rich very early and create major works. In my eyes where the danger lies is that with increasing success an artist is more inclined, in order to repeat that success, to produce work that will be well-liked by the masses. Once you earn a large sum of money, a musician often feels obliged to repeat that success.

It is quite a challenge, the fact that while the world’s filled with gold, so to speak - one must continue to breathe creativity and not die like the women in a James Bond film.

DM

You come f rom a Swiss banking family t hat t hrough t he year s ha s built up a sizeable amount of proper ty. What relationsh ip do yo u have wit h m oney ?

It sounds like a cliché, but it is the truth: Money for me is a working material. If I had to put it on a scale, I‘d make the analogy of a circus. Previously, it was a small circus with a donkey and a monkey, but now it’s a circus, with even a few elephants and daring trapeze numbers. But I think the quality is not given by the size. A lot can be done with very little and vice versa. If we plan a live show like the one planned for Electronic Beats, we enlarge our circus like, but if all this had not happened, I would probably use a pencil and a few sheets of paper just as happily.

We must not forget that with a large circus, the organizational commitments put a lot more weight on one‘s shoulders. The ease of doing something drops very quickly.

DM

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It seems you are never reduced t o a common denominat or.

I s t hi s a n a t t i t ude t ha t your k i ds a l s o convey? Th i s s e n s e o f n eve r b e i n g s a t i s f i e d w i t h t h e c u r r e n t s t a t e a n d c o n s t a n t ly tr ying t o improve?

Dissatisfaction has nothing to do with it, it is more of a discovery. What I try to pass on my to children, is sort of wonderment and self-exposure to things, and also no fear of failure. Our world is so scornful of those who tried something and failed. This is obviously what prevents many people from trying to find or invent something. The so-called failure should not be stigmatised as a defeat. It is just as much a part of the experience as the success, and the luck and chance usually associated with artists.

DM

What is your real luxur y?

This depends on the day. There are stupid luxuries and really good luxuries, but this is a broad field. But the largest luxury is in fact mental freedom. Not to live in a system where you are sealed off; the freedom to be a tiny piece of the world, to seek, and in this never-ending road, to be like a child.

DM

Mr. B l a nk , i f you t hi nk b a ck t o your ve r y b e g i n n i n g s , wh a t are t he biggest dif ferences between t he production of your f i r s t record and t he cur rent production of t his album?

I am now less hurried and impatient. Back then I embellished the pieces like a Christmas tree, there was never enough jewelry.

Today I feel that our music can be felt through a little more. It is less fidgety and nervous but the imagination and structure have remained the same. Till Brönner recently said to me that after only two listens, one can hear if it is a song by Yello. This is the nicest compliment that you can give me. Because it proves that our uniqueness, our face and our character can always be recognized.

BB

T H E A L B U M TO U C H Y E L LO I S R E L E A S E D O C TO B E R 2 , 2 0 0 9 V I S I T O U R W E B S I T E F O R : T H E TO U C H Y E L LO M OV I E P R E V I E W, A CHANCE TO WIN TICKETS TO THE LIVE EVENT IN BERLIN, AN INTERVIEW WITH KEVIN BL ANC THE SWISS MOVING IMAGE D E S I G N E R A N D A RT D I R E C TO R W I T H W H O M Y E L LO WO R K E D TO C R E AT E T H E V I S U A L S P E C TA C L E .

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28.08.09 13:17

MYKONOS SPLASH & SPLURGE! It takes about four hours by plane to get to Mykonos. Some people like us need a bit longer because they forget about the time difference and miss their connecting f light in Athens. On arrival, as you are greeted by warm (and strong) wind and glistening light, it is time to leave the daily grind and yet another disastrous summer in the homeland behind.

BY

SANDRA LIERMANN & LISA BORGES

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CRAFTED BY GIANTS

MORE THAN YOU CAN ASK FOR

Mykonos is one of the Cyclades islands and according to Greek mythology its rocky shape stems from several killed giants that turned into stone after messing with no one less than Hercules himself. The isle was named after the grandson of Apollo. Documented history goes back to 490 B.C. when Dates and Artaphernes arrived after a defeat in the Marathon on Asia Minor. Mykonians lived under every kind of rule, most notably the Turkish since 1537, until they were finally conquered in 1822 in the war of independence. In the first half of the 20th century the island became a popular spot with archaeologists working on nearby Delos and in the 1950s the first waves of tourists arrived. It then turned into one of Europe’s jet-set playgrounds, as well as the gay capital of the Mediterranean. Although the gay scene is less visible these days it remains a part of the island’s social mix. But enough of the history lesson – being on Mykonos means living it here and now.

The island has a bit of a chequered reputation: too much party, too crowded, too gay, too cliché... Arriving with very little expectation left us pleasantly surprised. In the last few years Mykonos has experienced a bit of a make-over and it turned out to be a sophisticated, up-market chill out zone a little like how you’d imagine it was back in the days of Jackie O. One of the first things you notice on Mykonos is what you actually don’t see. As with other European summer haunts there is a welcome absence of ugly 1970s/80s hotel bunkers lining the coast. Instead, due to very strict local building permissions, round edged, cubic shaped buildings make up the archetypal Cycladic scene and soften the often harsh, rocky texture of the island. With immaculately whitewashed walls and bold splashes of color on shutters and door frames, Mykonos vibrates in primary hues. Add sandy beaches with turquoise waters, some revamped venues, a chic, although quite young crowd and it makes the perfect summer hang-out, almost too good to be true.

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LUISA BEACH BOUTIQUE

ART KESSARIS

SCAL A GALLERY

D E L I O N T H E W AY T O P S A R O U B E A C H

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LITTLE VENICE

CHORA, CENTRE OF THE ACTION

WHERE TO SPEND IT

Adding to the dolce-vita feel of the island you see bikini-clad beachbabes and their beaus cruising around on scooters without wearing a helmet (dangerous kids!) For a bit more safety you opt for the four– wheeled version, a small car and of course the bus. We got our racing Fiat 600 at Delos (2289023484), which is up the road from the old port near the museum because 35 euro per day was not to beat. If you happen to stay outside of town and you want to hit the action especially at night the parking situation can get painful. You can either leave your vehicle in one of those valet parking courtyards that are lining the road or drive around town (Mykonos capital is car-free) on to the large free parking lot northbound out of the city. Mykonos town named Chora is a picturesque little harbour village with maze-like narrow winding streets where you can easily loose yourself, so don’t even try without the map.

In the eighteenth and early nineteenth century the island was plagued by pirates. The reason for this deliberately confusing layout was to foil the attackers, giving the villagers the chance to escape. These days reasons to f lee are strictly of a subjective nature. The best time to visit the Chora is the early afternoon when people lie at the beach, at night you’ll often find yourself in a human traffic jam. The architecture is the ubiquitous Cycladic cubist style though some of the buildings date back to medieval times with typical outside steps leading onto a small balcony. You see that especially in the Little Venice area, the oldest part of town where the buildings touch the sea. The whitewashed edifices against the backdrop of the bluest sky with bright shades of pink and orange from cascading bougainvilleas and clematis is simply picture perfect. The Venetian windmills atop the hill to the south, crown the scene.

But back to the important things in life: Shopping! Most of the shops in Chora close between 2pm and 6pm but they are all open until after midnight. The only time that the shops are open during the day is when a cruise ship docks and local souvenir dealers sell their mainly kitschy wares to the day-trippers. The Greeks have been known for the refinement of gold since Alexander the Great and Chora is full of jewellersy shops from exquisite to kinky and mostly overpriced. You can’t leave the island without an evil-eye charm though and a nice place to find it is The Workshop (22890-26455) with its charming owner Christos. If you plan on arriving with a half empty suitcase to stock up on summer gear here you might be disappointed. Prices are high and the selection is rather limited. There are only a few places to fulfil the urban traveller’s needs: Free Shop (2289029289) the Mykonian outpost of the shop of the same name in Athens hosts a collection that includes Balenciaga, Martin Margiela, Pierre Hardy, Humanoid and James Perse. There is also Soho Soho (22890/26760) for whimsical dresses and hip sandals by the likes of K.Jacques, Save the Queen, Juicy Collection and Antik Batik. Mykonos hosts quite a few art galleries and Scala (www.scalagallery.gr) was one our favourites. With mostly Greek artists as well as a fine selection of locally made jewellery it is definitely worth a visit. Another inspirational place is run by Anastasia Kessaris (her parents own the exclusive Jewelery store down the road). Art Kessaris (6945004500) shows young contemporary artists such as Stuart Semple, Yves Hayat, Peter Van Stralen, Tasos Chonias, Theofilos Katsipanos and Gregos Theopsy.

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AGIOS SOSTIS

L U I S A B E A C H B O U T I Q U E AT P S A R O U

L A K U Z I N A AT O R N O S B AY

PA R A N G A

F O KO S

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE The great benefit of being on an island that is comparatively small (86sqkm) is that you have the choice of over 20 different beaches, each to suit whatever mood you’re in. Mykonos beaches range from partyand-pose places to chill catered hang-outs or uncultivated quiet sand stretches. Generally spoken the beaches in the south are the most popular as they are sheltered from the wind and the water is calm and clear blue. Most of them can be reached by bus, the more secluded ones are only accessible by car or taxi which is worth the effort.

The most famous beaches of maybe all of Greece are Paradise and Super Paradise, two bacchanalian strands with the latter being the former traditional gay beach. Paradise as well as Paranga on the south coast are lined with camping sites. The crowd is young and wild and the blaring music turns the place into one big party.

Psarou’s sand is golden and so are the people, many of whom come ashore from the anchoring yachts in the bay. There are loungy sun beds, umbrellas, walk boards and famed restaurant Nammos (www.nammos. gr) catering to the see-and-be-seen crowd. Ostentatious is the name of the game in this whitewashed beach shack where Cristal and lobster are favourites on the menue. For those who leave their Louboutin wedges behind they are easily restocked at Luisa Beach boutique.

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The calm and relaxed beach of Agios Yannis on the west side of the island facing Delos hit fame by appearing in the Brit feature film Shirley Valentine. Elia is the longest sandy beach of the island and the last stop of the taxi boat ‘caique’ from the village of Platis Yialos. Everyone’s favourite, whether gay, straight, nudist or watersport-fan it is fully organized with taverns and the island’s only waterpark. It’s the happening restaurant Sol Y Mar which transformed the beautiful Kalo Livadi beach into a highly frequented place.

This season it’s introducing ‘Greek Sushi’ such as spinach rice with marinated codfish. Two places we enjoyed a lot are in the north of the island: Fokos beach is a nice pristine sand-stretch f lanked by an unpretentious tavern serving delicious Greek food. One of the best Mykonian experiences we had at Agios Sostis beach, another fairly undeveloped place without amenities visited by a cool hippyish crowd. Follow your nose up the hill to Kiki’s tavern a delightful little joint where you can have lunch on the terrace of a white cubed hut, shrouded by the snaggy branches of an old tree. There is no electricity so meat and fish are grilled on a charcoal barbecue accompanied by a tasty selection of salads. A bit of patience is needed, as people are queueing up for tables. But good things come to those who wait.

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M Y KO N O S G R AC E

ZORZIS

B E LV E D E R E

KIVOTOS CLUBHOTEL

REST YOUR HEAD With up to 800,000 annual visitors swamping the island Mykonos gets very busy in high season. If you’re planning to come in July or August make sure to book a place to rest your head well in advance. Although the island aims at the elite, there are accommodations to suit every gusto and wallet size. Locals have plenty of studio apartments and rooms for rent suited to budget travellers. The trend of smaller boutique-style hotels has reached the island and many of the older lodgings have had a makeover. They now boast an often minimalist white-on-white aesthetic, with colourful, artsy splashes, fusion gastronomy and impeccable service. Be prepared for some discrepany between reality and the website illusion, some of these design temples lack final touches in the detailing or feature ugly jewellery showcases in the middle of a streamlined lobby.

Here are a few of our choices: Mykonos Grace If you’re looking for a quiet sophisticated hangout, head for the Grace. Located beside Agios Stefanos Beach a five minute taxi ride from town, the hotel has 32 stylishly decked out rooms in every shade of pale. (www.mykonosgrace.com) Kivotos Clubhotel Built into a cliff all the way down to the little private beach, the Kivotos is the perfect hide-away from the buzz of the town.

The 40 spacious, modern and whimsically decorated rooms and suites with sprawled objects d’art all have balconies or little terraces overlooking Ornos Bay. The hotel's small spa offers treatments based on St. Barth products, a selection of massages and body treatments. We loved the sea-water pool, the light-filled breakfast salon, Hermès toiletries, as well as the great service.

Mykonos Theoxenia This 52 room retro pad boasts a prime position right next to the island’s famous windmills and close to all the action of Little Venice. Built in 1960 and once a beloved haunt of Jackie and Ari, it was reopened in 2005 to revive the glory of Mykonos’ golden era. (www. mykonostheoxenia.com)

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Belvedere Perched halfway up the hill with bella vistas to nearby Mykonos town you find the possibly hottest joint on the island. Designed by the Rockwell group, the rather small but sleek rooms of the Belvedere Hotel offer niceties such as hotel-wide Wi-Fi, cordless phones and Korres bath products. The Belvedere Hotel sports an outpost of famed sushieatery Nobu, the Matsuhisa Restaurant. For those who seek tranquillity the Belvedere is not the place to go as the poolside pose-and party scene is out to enjoy life loudly.

Elena The Belvedere, the Semeli and the Elena hotel built a triangle just above the bustle of Chora, and Elena is the most budget-friendly of the three. The location will save you sweat, as there is no car needed to hit town. The hotel is family run and has welcoming, simple rooms with balconies or terraces. The breakfast is memorable. No pool.

Cavo Tagoo Popular for its pool-area (you can roll yourself from the sunbed into the water) including prime sun set views, the hotel is located just a 10 minute walk out of town. Stylish, serene and incredibly cool with 80 slick white rooms and a great spa, the Cavo Tagoo remains one of Mykonos finest. (www.cavotagoo.gr) Zorzis This hotel is not a hotel but a residence, and as the owner insists an old one at that. Set in a 16th century building the Zorzis is boho heaven. With lots of wooden antique furniture, ceiling fans and art-deco details it’s a such a welcoming change from the ubiquitous white on white aesthetic. Lovin’it. (www.zorzishotel.com) Ostraco Suites Recently transformed into all-white designer dens with small, brilliant f lashes of colour – a hot pink rug, a bouquet of orange f lowers – and Olympian views of the Aegean. The Ostraco Suites offers affordable rates, which attract a young crowd that you’ll find congregated around the trendy bar. (www.ostraco.gr)

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PHILIPPI

NAUTILUS

ISLAND DINING Mykonos runs on its own clock. Long nights mean days at the beach start late and if you head for dinner before 10pm you’ll mostly find yourself alone in the dining room. The majority of good places are found in Mykonos town and they generally offer Mediterranean cuisine, some with fusion inf luences. Be sure to reserve well ahead and keep in mind that Mykonos is way more expensive than the average Greek island!

Since looking out for street names is mission impossible just ask your way around. Kalh Orex!

La Maison de Catherine The 70-year-old resolute Catherine is still in charge of this well-established institution (said to be a favourite of Aristotle Onassis) with a romantic, candlelit atmosphere, which offers traditional Greek and French fare. A rather pricey affair. (22890 22169) Nautilus In the middle of Chora with charmingly decorated tables this little eatery serves local specialties. (22890 / 27100) Aqua Taverna This stylish little trattoria boasts a prime location right by the sea in little Venice and serves great, fresh Italian dishes such as spaghetti with lemon-zest, and parmeggiano cheese and risotto with fennel and black truff le cream. (22890-26083) Interni This upscale restaurant hidden in a courtyard offers international cuisine to hip diners. Here the vibe picks up at midnight when the bar turns into a hot-spot for the Island’s high society youth. (22890-26333)

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Niko’s Taverna Another island institution offering fresh fish & seafood plus a large choice of typical traditional Greek cuisine and tasty vegetable dishes. Always busy. (22890-24320) Kuzina Hotel Ammos in Ornos Bay boasts a new venue, restaurant Kuzina, a fun place by the beach where you can indulge in creative dishes from chef Aris Tsanaklidis. (22600-22800) Sea Satin Market Below the windmills on the far tip of land, Sea Satin Market, sprawls out onto a large seaside terrace. The counters are beautifully set with fish and local vegetables like a street market. Everything on the menu is measured by the kilo, so be careful what you order. After midnight the romantic atmosphere vanishes and with increasing music the party gets going. (22890 / 24676) El Greco While looking for great authentic Greek food the unanimous recommendation was: El Greco. Located on the outskirts of town at Tourlos by the new harbour it offers many traditional dishes and a free view on sunset and cruise-boats. (22890-22074 ) Philippi Set in an historical, cosy garden right in centre town, this renowned restaurant offers classic Greek cuisine, as well French dishes and a selected wine list. The atmosphere is easy-chic. (22890-22295)

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CAPRICE BAR

S E A S AT I N M A R K E T

M AT S U H I S A

OUT AND ABOUT Mykonos has a very well earned reputation as a party island with a hedonistic heritage stretching back for more than 30 years. The evening session essentially begins at sunset in one of the many hangouts on and off the beach and continues after dinner in bars and lounges around town until you move to the clubs for the serious action, which lasts well into the sunrise hours. Little Venice aka sunset-central situates many little buzzing joints allowing you to prance or stumble from one to the next.

From Pierro’s the legendary gay mecca to Semeli, Galleraki, Scarpa and Veranda bar, just look for the one that suits you most.

Charming boho Caprice is still the best place for sundowners set right by edge of the sea in Little Venice. The bar opens its doors at 6.30pm and the chairs in prime position (high splashing potential) outside are quickly taken. Inside, meanwhile, an up-for-it crowd is getting in to the swing things.

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It’s a heady mix of people still in their beachwear and those sequinned up for a night on the town. After dinner head to Astra Bar where tunes come courtesy of hip Athenian DJs. As the night goes on it morphs from a casual lounge to a pumping hub jam packed with a cool crowd.

Supposedly it’s Keith Richards favourite but he wasn’t to be spotted. For serious partying head to Space, the largest dancing temple on Mykonos or even better to Cavo Paradiso the hottest nightspot on the isle. Set on a cliff overlooking Paradise Beach you get the whole shebang: poolside action, famed international DJs (Frankie Knuckles, David Morales, Richie, Ricardo etc.) and the most stunning sun-rise ever. To get there, grab one of the 31 taxis from taxi station at Manto square in Mykonos town at the old harbour. The line seems long at first but it moves rather quickly. These could also come in handy: Radio Taxi Tel. 30 22890 23700, 22890 22400

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Liza Minelli

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HEAR THIS There is the Collector’s Guide to Theatrical Music where you can rediscover gems by true divas such as Rufus Wainwright, Antony and the Johnsons and Kate Bush.

Then in My Music Moment you can hear it straight from the horse’s mouth: Jason Forest is the self-proclaimed diva and undisputed breakcore superstar who founded the Cock Rock Disco record label and Wasted festival. Here he tells us about his career-defining gig, playing Pukkelpop festival and learning how to move a crowd.

Then as usual our finest music selectors have picked out and reviewed the best new albums for your ears!

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’S

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THEATRICAL TRACKS

SONGS OF PATHOS AND JOY GUARANTEED TO RELEASE YOUR INNER DRAMA QUEEN

EPILEPSY IS DANCING

THE NOMI SONG

ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS (THE CRYING LIGHT, 2008) Delight in Hegarty’s unique pipes as they undulate over typically intense phrases (“I cry glitter, is lo-aa-aa-ve”) and reach a crescendo that will see you leap into a ‘grand jeté’ across the room.

KLAUS NOMI (KLAUS NOMI, 1981) Unlike many earthly ironists of his time or since, Nomi was so strangely honest and sincere in his otherworldly operatic song and performances that you are left at an absolute loss for words.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS

AI NO CORRIDA

KATE BUSH (THE KICK INSIDE, 1978) There are two videos to this timeless classic. I find the ‘red dress’ version is a finer showcase of Bush’s interpretive dancing, which takes place in an almost comically unspectacular natural backdrop on a cloudy day. This is the ultimate song for guilty pleasure solitary dance routines.

CHAZ JANKEL (CHAZ JANKEL,1980) The namesake of Jankel’s eternally uplifting dance anthem is sexually explicit Japanese film In The Realm Of The Senses (English title). The film’s themes of sexual obsession, insatiable lusts and erotic asphyxiation definitely add a curious edge to the already impassioned, but seemingly harmless track.

WALKING ON A DREAM

CORPORATE CANNIBAL

EMPIRE OF THE SUN (WALKING ON A DREAM, 2008) It doesn’t matter that Empire of the Sun have already disbanded, because their irresistible work of pop has been touched by music magic to ensure it can survive endless radio rotation. With Steele’s soaring falsetto and Littlemore’s saccharine samples, ‘Walking On A Dream’ treads dangerously close to being unbearably slick but remains absolutely dreamy.

GRACE JONES (HURRICANE, 2008) Facefillers, gruelling butt exercises and collaborations with Justin Timberlake are one way to stay relevant in pop music. Or you can take a leaf out of the Grace Jones book on Remaining Fresh And Freaky In Your Sixties, and make a jaw-dropping monochrome video where your face is morphed and distorted like a surrealist painting come to life.

I DON’T CARE

SITUATION

EARTHA KITT (EARTHA KITT HITS, 1986) Misunderstood and mistreated? Build up your spirits with Eartha Kitt and her wonderfully indignant lyrics: “I don't care what they tell me is new. It’s so square, monkey see, monkey do”.

YAZOO (UPSTAIRS AT ERIC’S, 1982) This potent synth pop is a great send off for a night out. Play while swigging the last of the bubbly, collecting your keys and ciggies – right level of attitude and excitement guaranteed!

VIBRATE

SHOOT YOUR SHOT

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT (WANT ONE, 2003) Can anyone tug at your heartstrings like Renaissance-man Wainwright? “My phone’s on vibrate for you, but I still never ever feel from you.” Poetic romance and the banality of modern communication technology are brought together by Wainwright’s languished tone and thin instrumentals producing a sentimentalism far too sweet to resist.

DIVINE (MY FIRST ALBUM, 1982) Mostly known as the fabulously outrageous muse of John Waters, Divine also had several disco club hits that are characterised by a galloping tempo and Divine’s charmingly off-key vocals that will plant themselves firmly in your mind and replay endlessly.

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TEXT

VIK TORIA PELLES

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MUSIC REVIEWS

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MUSIC REVIEWS REVIEWS

G A R E T H O W E N / N E A L E LY T O L L I S / A R I S T E I N

Get Physical 7th Anniversary Compilation (Get Physical)

Totems Flare

Animal

Peplum

(Warp)

(Kitsuné)

(City Slang)

After a barrage of EPs and five albums, Totems Flare could be seen as the closing of a chapter; Clark himself has referred to his next album as “a complete departure from this ‘trilogy’”. Totems Flare further develops the intricacies of the Englishman's music, balancing soft and abrasive sounds with complex and intense arrangements that fade away to soothing comedowns on songs such as on ‘Future Daniel’ or ‘Rainbow Voodoo’. Totems Flare is brutal in its confidence - an album from a seasoned producer who knows exactly which emotions he wants to convey with his music. Awesome. G O

autoKratz have rapidly become the darlings of Kitsuné, if the frequent appearances on the Maison comps and almost endless supply of 12” releases is anything to go by. It was inevitable that all that saturation was leading up to an LP release, and here it is in the form of Animal. Eleven of the finest scrunchy, glitchy electro-pop tunes with plenty of jagged licks and banging drum samples. Trademark autoKratz, in fact. ‘The Idiots are Winning’ is a stand-out. N L

Second LP from French songsters Toy Fight that almost never happened. The band split after their first album but City Slang unearthed their earlier material and offered them a recording deal. The rest, as they say, is history. Peplum (any ideas?) is a charming collection of lightweight, breezy pop; plenty of tinkling piano keys, soothing lyrics and toetapping registers to keep us all happy. France may have the world’s most embarrassing farmers but their musical credentials are often second to none. NL

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A seventh birthday seems a slightly odd one to celebrate with a dedicated mix and retrospective from the last three years, but seven is also a famed lucky number. From the Fuckpony opener with its message of ‘It’s Only Music Baby’, M.A.N.D.Y. happily skips between the robust and the gentle, taking in the full breadth of the Get Physical sound. Surprisingly diverse for a one-label mix, this is a very enjoyable diversion and a great snapshot of what the label has been up to. G O

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EB HEAR THIS

Market Garden

Faith

Ambient Film Scores Vol.1

(Nation Records)

(Get Physical)

Stellar debut album from Traxx, who has taken the best part of two decades to get to the point where Faith could be released. Not that he was being slack, mind you – the last three years have seen a plethora of tracks released by the Chicago native. Traxx’s trademark newjack sound is shown here in abundance, and though he never moves too far away from a road-tested formula, it’s one that continues to work extremely well. With a resurgence of acid-inspired music right now, this has potential for a limited shelf life. But right here and now, it sounds pretty timeless. GO

I have to admit that although I am a fan of Lopazzs, I wasn't particularly thrilled at the prospect of putting time into an album called Ambient Film Themes, Vol.1. However, ambient music is not a new diversion for this dance f loor-centric producer – it’s an old one -- and ambient is probably not the term I would use anyway.

Film Themes, Vol.1 is a collection of Lopazzs film scores from the last ten years, as part of his work with Casio Casino, with whom he has worked on over 40 film soundtracks. To describe the sonic architecture of Lopazzs film music would be to miss the point: this is not music that is meant for destruction and reconstruction and being put in the context a ‘scene’. It’s just meant to be enjoyed. And enjoy it I did. ‘Food Hunter Funk’ with its shades of Roy Budd, and ‘Orchon-Valley’ and its playful sense of humour are my picks, but this is really the kind of music that should just be. With a strong emphasis on the use of field recordings and the fusion of digital and analogue techniques, these disparate works give the impression of a complete piece, not the soundtracks of over 40 different films. G O

(WARP)

As a key component of Battles, Braxton is no stranger to complex music and fierce rhythms.

On his second solo album he further builds on a template of staccato grooves and oddly manipulated voices and introduces some decidedly humorous, youthful elements and what sound like a harpsichord or two. Market Garden is a modern 'classical' record, certainly in terms of arrangement and emotion, but underpinned by a contemporary approach to sound sources and production.

Put it this way; If Disney ever remade Fantasia, the soundtrack has already been created. Excellent. G O

SIRIUSMO

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The Uninvited Guests

Don’t you Remember the Future?

(Monkeytown Records)

(Crosstown Rebels)

Monkeytown is the all-new imprint from the mighty Modeselektor dudes, and the birth of the label begins in fine style with this EP by Siriusmo. Siriusmo himself is Moritz Friedrich, a veteran of several labels and compilations who modestly sums his work up thus: “On each record there is one song that I still like, the rest - unfortunately - is shit.” The Uninvited Guest certainly isn’t shit; a tight 6-track selection of funky beats, scratchy electronics and frankly disturbing vocal samples. Monkeytown is off to a great start. NL

A pertinent title from someone who just released a debut that includes a collaboration with Egyptian Lover. There is a strong electro thread running through Jones’ first album, as well as plenty of futuristic sonic f lourishes, all within the remit of a collection of club tracks. While the rest of his contemporaries seem keen to show their dubstep connections, Jones is trying to please no one but himself. In the context of the DJ/producer album, this is a strong debut offering.

A few more diversions from the functionality of club music would make it work better as an album for me, but ‘Turning Tables’ and ‘Half Human’ really f lipped my switch. G O

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MUSIC REVIEWS

PATRICK COWLEY & JORGE SOCARRAS

Shivers (Eat Your Heart Out)

Catholic (Macro Recordings)

An unearthed treasure trove of disco legend Patrick Cowley’s music, recorded with his friend Jorge Socarras under the name Catholic, recently found its way into the hands of Macro label boss Stefan Goldmann.

Genuinely ‘unheard’ music is a rarity nowadays, and so it was with excitement that I approached what I was told was a much darker, new wave excursion for Cowley. The utilisation of many punk and postpunk inf luences makes this mid-seventies album a difficult one to view in its original context, as it was made at a time when wanton experimentalism and

just another exercise in retro futurism. Energetic, interesting and musical, this should interest even the most jaded dance music fan. An oddity for sure, but one that stands on its own musical merits, too. G O

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Temporary Pleasure (Cooperative Music)

Following on from last year’s Golden Foretaste of Heaven, Berlin hardcore icon Alec Empire has gone right back to his aggressive noise roots on this mini-album which harks back to his early Atari Teenage Riot days. It’s short and to the point and tracks like Control Drug are likely to have your stereo checking in for rehab.

Robbie Furze from The Big Pink guests. N L

Highly-anticipated and ultimately disappointing, SMD have seemingly fallen into the age-old trap of kicking up a fuss with their first LP and then using their second album merely as a platform to show off their new circle of celeb mates. Everyone’s on here from Beth Ditto to Telepathe to Gruff Rhys; collaborations which do little to perk up the bland tracks. Appropriately titled, the pleasure is indeed temporary. N L

Metal Machine (Shitkatapult)

Live at the Pyramid Marquee UK band Motor might very well graduate from the University of Noise with first class honours in Headache Music if they handed in their LP Metal Machine as their final coursework. Imagine every kind of electronic noise available cranked up to 11, whizzing its tits off and with some extra reverb thrown in for good measure and you’re pretty much there. It’s a loud, smackin-the-face kind of record.

Check out Jonty Skrufff ’s remix of the mighty ‘Death Rave’; fully deserving of the tag ‘Masterpiece’. N L

(Sputnik Records)

Live albums tend to be hit-andmiss affairs. Belgian techno outfit Shameboy’s latest album is a CD/DVD combi featuring their live performance on the Pyramid Marquee stage of the Rock Werchter festival. It’s a crackling, bombastic effort; hard, fuzzy techno that makes you wanna dance as though your life depended on it and join in with the cheers of the crowd after each track. N L

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Bugged Out Presents Suck My Deck (Mixed By Brodinski) (New State Music)

Nine Days Wonder (Catune)

Cosmic jazz funk from Japan, released via the Wax Poetics label. Similar to Atmosfear, but with more focus on the beats, there’s enough jazz in Saturday Night Special to keep jazz-funk fans happy for the whole weekend. In fact, this is the jazziest piece of music I have enjoyed in a long time, full of squeaky little f lourishes and warm bass sounds, and truly the most fun one can have with ‘grown up’ music. G O

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Young Frenchman Brodinski continues with the next instalment of Suck My Deck from Bugged Out!, and the resulting sleazy, hysterical and melodic mix does not let us down.

Brodinski nails this mix with a huge amount of precision, joining the dots between noisy techno, bass heavy house and melodic minimal, and featuring artists varying from UK popsters Late of The Pier, fellow countrymen Yuksek and electro king Tiga. Deep, compact and tight at every corner, it sways from the dirty Roland D. Mill cut up of Lucio Aquilima to the downright scandalous Rhythm Code. A killer mix up, containing some of the dirtiest and freshest sounds I’ve heard all year. A S

Hard Islands

Hintergarten

(Border Community)

(Kesh)

Since Nathan Fake released his debut album Drowning in a Sea of Love in 2006, it’s been nothing but praise for this young lad. But two years of silence has brought a change of direction. Sophomore effort Hard Islands sees a newer, punchier Fake emerging from the underground - for better or for worse, depending on whether or not you were a fan of his prior ambient tendencies. Less introverted and withdrawn, this is Fake helming the decks at 3am with a more direct and beat-driven approach. It seems two years too late, and the frayed edges don’t do Fake any justice. Characterised by his affection for the Warp label, tracks like ‘Castle Rising’ and ‘Narrier’ are cheap imitations of Aphex Twin or Mr. Projectile. A solid album, but it doesn’t display much of Fake’s prowess. A S

Finnish music remains quite unknown to the rest of the world. Apart from Kemialliset Ystävät and Pan Sonic, not much else is recognized musically from this obscure part of the world. Hopefully, that will change soon, thanks to the magnificent album Hintergarten by Finnish artist Hannu. Like folktronica artists Colleen, Susumu Yukota, Tunng and Keiren Hebden, Hannu combines a heavy mix of lo-fi production and distinctive melodies with his own imaginative jumble of twinkles and stars. Standout track Valtameri sends me right out into the stratosphere every time I hear it. A S

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MUSIC REVIEWS

We Hear You

Rewild

(Planet Mu)

(Cooperative Music)

Luke - We Hear You. Loud and clear. And it sounds great. As difficult to pin down as a bag of ferrets Luke Vilbert's latest; ‘We Hear You’ , on his semi permanent home, Planet Mu, is a sonic barrage that liberally takes it's inspiration from anywhere and everywhere and ends up sounding the way only a Luke Vilbert record can. I thought that things were getting really good just now with ‘electronica’ but after three consecutive listens to this album today, I must concur that everything else seems shit again. I love this record. G O

New York seems to be on a bit of a roll these days as far as throwing up hot new artists is concerned. Hot on the heels of The Virgins, Crystal Stilts and Telepathe comes Amazing Baby. Will, Simon, Doc, Matt and Don hail from Brooklyn and have compiled a fuckable selection of pop-rock tracks dripping with summer sun and all polished off with a sprinkling of reverb and vocal echoes. Dig out your I s NY T-shirt and wear it with pride. N L

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Shadow Of The Bloodstained Kiss (Seed Records)

Kingdom of Welcome Addiction (61 Seconds)

Everyone’s favourite decadent elf Chris Corner is back for more dark, sexually-charged electronica on the new IAMX LP, Kingdom of Welcome Addiction. The record doesn’t deviate all that much from the alternately melancholy and aggressive sound established on the previous two LPs… and that’s a good thing. Chris et al have hit on a winning formula here, which has seen them sell out shows across Europe and North America. N L

Second album from the English producer in thrall to vintage synthesised sounds. Where his debut offering Electro Muscle Cult was a clear Italo homage, Shadow Of The Bloodstained Kiss is a more conceptual affair, sound-tracking an imaginary horror movie. In this context, Maiovvi really shows his mettle, balancing out the atmospheric elements with a more electro-inf luenced sound, sometimes even on the same track, such as on ‘Witchcraft’.

For someone operating in a fairly limited genre, Maiovvi is squeezing every last drop of creativity from his machines.

GO

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MY IC MUS T EN MOM

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Jason Forrest I N T E RVI E W

EMER GRANT

PHOTO

BRAM JACOBS

Berlin-based breakcore superstar and founder of label Cock Rock Disco and Wasted Festival, Jason Forrest (who also plays under the DJ name of Donna Summer), takes the Diva element to new levels.

The self-proclaimed ‘Head Cheerleader’ of all parties has had all the crazy kids filling the f loor across clubs internationally for the last ten years. Here he talks about the defining moment of playing Pukkelpop at the start of his career, and how great parties have happened from moments like this.

One of the most important things I feel that makes being a Diva is having power over a crowd. If you’re able to do this, stepping up and taking control, you’re standing up and setting yourself apart. Years ago, about a year after I started making music, I was approached by the Netherlands festival Pukkelpop to play.

This was one of the best gigs of my entire career, I learnt so much about what you can do with a crowd from this.

I f lew over from the States to get to the festival and it was a total hassle for me to get into the country as I didn’t have any of the right paper work. I was a complete novice and really didn’t have any idea about what I was doing. So, after a great amount of stress with customs, I eventually get to the festival and one of the organisers takes me to the stage where I was due to play, and that turned out to be at 4.30 p.m. on the first Thursday the festival opened - not exactly an ideal slot.

So I get to this tent which has a capacity for two thousand people, I wasn't expecting much. Luckily, Studio Brussels had interviewed me and been hyping up my set and there had been a little bit of press, and what happened was that it was the second set of the whole festival, so all of the youngest kids who were coming in for the whole festival showed up. It was the smallest tent, but also the first tent closest to the entrance. So when I went out to play, I had about 4,000 eighteen-year olds already starting to get drunk and getting ready to go absolutely crazy.

So I start my set, shocked as hell at the sheer amount of people in the crowd, and I’m walking along the stage. I have a microphone that I start yelling into, the noise that came back to me from these kids was so much bigger than anything I had ever heard in my whole life, it was louder than a plane! It was so loud, I recall even thinking that I couldn’t actually hear myself think.

I had to keep this crowd going - it was unbelievable, I’ve never felt such a buzz. My sets at the time were a lot more rock and sample based, and so there was a lot of variety, some disco and breakcore. I ended with this epic song that had a lot of samples from The Who in it, with this giant culmination of this noise that keeps building and building and then it cuts f lat. I remember the noise when it cut f lat like no other, it was tremendous. I had some friends who taped it and played it on a radio station the next day where all they could talk about was how incredible this moment was, it really was indescribable, I couldn’t have asked for it to go better.

When I go to see other people, it’s true that I’m kind of an eccentricity junkie and I’m always looking for that thrill of being at a good party or having the kind of performer that is able to take it to the next level by taking control of the situation. It was a real eye-opener for me in terms of directing my live sets, I thought that my music or that my audience were really only [for] people in their late twenties. To see this type of music go down so well with the younger generation gave me a lot of faith in what I was doing. That’s what I’ve done for most of my career, i.e. be the ultimate party cheerleader, that’s the definition of the Diva Presence for me. I’ve found over the years that there are certain things that you can do that literally take the situation from being boring to being really fun, to me that’s what being a diva’s about, I can start a party off within a minute.

Since then, I’ve done a lot bigger crowds, I’ve been playing for 10 years now and have had some really amazing shows, but there is always one that you will remember, and that was probably one that I am the most proud of in my life.

W W W . P U K K E L P O P. B E | H T T P : / / D R O P. I O / L 6 T W E I 0

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24.08.09 15:06

THE ELECTRONIC BEATS MAGAZINE ISSUE 03/2009

ISSUE 03/2009 THE ELECTRONIC BEATS MAGAZINE FOR MUSIC, LIFE AND STYLE

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Divas | The Performance Issue St a r r i n g l iv i n g l e ge n d s D o n n a Su m mer and Yello B r e a k t h r o u g h s t a rl ets M a r i n a a n d t h e D i a m o nds and G eo r ge Pr ing le P l u s J D Sa m s o n , J a m i e Jo n e s a n d Lop az z Discover why t he future of pop is female, our favour it e male diva s and t he gender-f luid per for mer s of t oday

24.08.09 15:06