Fragment Magazine - Issue 1

Page 1

Music

Art & Design

Features

Reviews

The Invisible The Mercury Prize underdogs may have missed out on the top accolade but stand unfazed as they continue to break through with a forthcoming second album.

Plus: Count & Sinden, The Drums, Mount Kimbie, Gold Panda, Beth Jeans Houghton, Dan Swan, One in a Hundred, MARS! and much more...

Issue One | Free | Number


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Fragment | Issue One

Welcome Welcome to issue one of Fragment.

Div.

We’ve set out to deliver a quarterly creative arts and music newspaper with the aim of providing an informative guide to some of the best goings-on in current music, photography and art.

Our monthly clubnight down at The Horse & Groom in Shoreditch is set out to give everyone a good party. It’s our chance to invite friends and family down to spin their favourite records until the early hours with cheap entry and a fancy visual showcase.

We’re strong believers that in the current digital age there is still a place for the newspaper and plan on delivering on our believes through collaborating with great talent and the help of others. The paper is a showcase of our favourite material alongside features on a selection of both established and emerging artists. The plan being that over the next year we will bring you similar content displayed in this issue as well as including new sections on film, fashion and literature, shining the spotlight further on cultural affairs across Europe.

Look out for information on our next night by visiting our website, adding us on Facebook or following us on Twitter. www.fragmentmag.com www.facebook.com/fragmentvsdivision www.twitter.com/fragmentmag

How to get involved We are always looking to expand the variety of our content. If you would like to write for Fragment, propose an idea for a feature or submit artwork or music for review then please email: danny@fragmentvsdivision.co.uk

Contact

Team

Lovers

For general enquiries and submissions

Edited by Danny O’Kane

Mike Oman, Will Mawby, Daniel Crouch, Katie, Dan, Stuart Reed, Barry.

contact@fragmentvsdivision.co.uk

Designed by James Kirkup

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Contributors

For advertising in future editions

Jehan Harding, Felix Petty, Morgan Hewitt, Raymond Murphy, Robin Fielding, Katy Palmer, Lizzie Simner, Rachel Collins & Kenneth Moore

advertising@fragmentvsdivision.co.uk

Head London, Domino Records, Rough Trade, The Horse & Groom, 580 Ltd, Harmsworth Printing, Off Modern, Holy Ghost, Mad as Hell, The Slutty Fringe.

The views expressed in Fragment are those of the respective contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the paper or its staff.


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Fragment | Issue One

Harvey Hartley

Contents Music

Art & Design

Feature

Review Cover: Mads Perch

Count & Sinden

Mount Kimbie

MARS!

Gold Panda, One in a Hundred

In conversation with Dan Swan

Beth Jeans Houghton

The Drums, Crocodiles

Le Corps Mince de Franรงoise

The Invisible

Harvey Hartley, Three Trapped Tigers Tim Sanders, Aniela Murphy


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Count & Sinden Herve aka The Count talks to Ray Murphy about making a different type of dance album that just can’t be genre defined. Since releasing their first EP entitled Beeper The Count & Sinden have rapidly established themselves as a formidable force within in the UK electronic music scene. Their bass driven productions weave together a rich tapestry of Afrobeat, Baile Funk & Dancehall rhythms amongst other things. The Count took time out to chat to me about their latest album Mega Mega Mega released on Domino Records. How does it feel to produce a debut album under The Count & Sinden? Fantastic, we put a huge amount of work into the record & hopefully it’s been worth the wait. Would you say that one of your goals when making the album was to produce something that couldn’t be easily pigeonholed? The majority of the time, that’s exactly what we’re aiming to do. We’ve always tried to excite ourselves as much as the audience. It’s very easy to sit there as an artist and nonchalantly say ‘I make house music’. I would find it very frustrating and limiting to do that, it’s riskier not to define your style and to say that you’re trying something new. How do you think the album has been received? Generally we think it’s been well received. Saying that, there was one particular review from a slightly misguided online broadsheet that baffled us - it said that the record sounded like a ‘collection of the last 10 years of dance music’. We like to think that the music we make is not just dance music, but rather a mish-mash of world & club music. There are a lot of interesting collaborations on the album particularly with artists who weren’t that well known at the time of recording. Was this a deliberate way of working? Definitely. There’s nothing more exciting than the first time you record with someone like Rye Rye (Hardcore Girls) or Kid Sister (Beeper), they’ve got a sort of unique appeal because the majority of people hadn’t heard of them. The Katy B track (Hold Me) is over 18 months old. It’s been nice to see her own work starting to come through.

The lead single on the album After Dark sees a feature from neighbours of yours, the Mystery Jets. Do you think that collaborations with Indie artists increases the accessibility of the record? There’s been lot of horrible collaborations that are clearly driven by commercial decisions, whereas we just wanted some live vocals on the LP. Neither of us sing so we decided to team up with other acts because it adds a human element to the record. Kay & Will are good friends of mine so it was inevitable that we’d do something together. I’d helped them with their dance project ‘Assassins of Youth’ tweaking remixes etc. and in turn they wanted to work with us. It’s definitely not a cynical ploy to enter the Indie market!

‘We like to think that the music we make is not just dance music, but rather a mish-mash of world & club music’ Image: Ophelia Wynne Do you still go clubbing? Not really. I mean when you’re busy Dj’ing as much as we’ve been you get a little bit too much of the whole clubbing thing. Saying that it’s always good to go to Fabric and nights like FWD (Plastic People). It’s also a nice change of pace to go to gigs. We recently saw Anna Calvi; she’s got a fantastic voice. So what made you choose an Indie label like Domino? There were a few labels that were only interested in us releasing a single, but we knew that Domino would support us in making a critically acclaimed album. Is anything in the pipeline you can tell us about? There’s going to be some interesting collaborations for the forthcoming Hervé album but I can‘t say too much about that yet! Hopefully we’ll also be throwing some more of the Mega Mega Mega warehouse parties in the not too distant future.

Mega Mega Mega Count & Sinden Domino www.myspace.com/countandsinden


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MARS ! by Joe Bichard and Jack Cunningham Animated and directed by Joe Bichard and Jack Cunningham, this simple yet provocative film examining the human race and it’s surroundings is a must see. A lone spaceship heads out to colonise the red planet whilst it’s internal inhabitants coexist unaware of their impending doom. Beautifully animated and a subject handled with quiet ease. Expect great things from these guys.


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In conversation with

Dan Swan Felix Petty talks to the artist and film maker favoured by many in the music industry including M.I.A and Rye Rye about his debut film; Lux Laze. Dystopia is in the very essence of Daniel Swan’s debut short film, Lux Laze, which is an evocative homage to the visual codes of science fiction. A time traveller reaches an uninhabited single continent of alienating and looming cityscapes. Soundtracked by Jack Latham, who provides a guttural otherworldly feel; the film marks a visual high water mark for a young filmmaker who is making waves with his unique style. So how did the collaboration with Jack come about? Dan: Well, do you know the band Lightning Bolt? The drummer has his own project, called Black Pus, and they were originally going to score it, but because of touring they couldn’t. Then I had a week, and asked Jack to do it and he said yes. So did you just send him the film and get him to come up with something?

Images: Dan Swan

Well, no, it’s part of the reason I failed Camberwell [College] actually. I was late finishing the film so I ended up handing in the packaging I’d made with a VHS inside, except I hadn’t finished the film yet so I filled it with episodes of old American sitcoms. Loads of old Will and Grace episodes I think. Then one day I got a call from my tutor saying he’d managed to locate a VHS deck, and my heart just sank. Do you approach things the same way? Whether you’re doing a music video, or visuals, or a film? The first thing I did were these collages of Youtube videos, they were short films made out of clips I’d got off Youtube, I’d left the sound hard rigged in, so that it can create its own soundtrack. I don’t think my method of working has changed much since then, except now I’m making these things myself rather than re-appropriating them. I like to use the wrong tools for the job. I liken it to making collages, when you can’t change everything and you have to use what you can use.

You’ve already developed a really unique visual style I think. Especially in Lux Laze where it really seems to suit this sci-fi dystopia the characters explore. It was more about the visuals, and the style, than the plot. I knew what I wanted visually, and the hardest bit was trying to come up with a plot to match what I wanted to create. Did you shoot Lux Laze straight onto VHS? Yeah, which was a real hassle. I wish I had shot it straight onto DV and then moved it onto VHS, it would’ve been a lot easier. What I especially liked was that, you know how people say sci-fi and fantasy work is really about the present, but Lux Laze isn’t, its so self contained. People said that it needed some kind of social critique to it, but I don’t think you should approach making a film by saying ‘this needs to be an exploration of what’s wrong with society’, or ‘I need to be dealing with social issues’. I wanted to make Lux Laze because I watch a lot of sci-fi and wanted to reference certain things I love. What have you got planned next then? I’m actually starting work on a second sci-fi film, which is going to be a Fata Morgana (mirage) desert type film set in an uninhabited future. There’ll be a machine, the last machine on earth, which has to re-inhabit the earth through this creature, this mutated little thing. I want to get some sort of mutant reptile from a pet shop, but I don’t know how easy it’ll be to get one? It’s all resting on its star character really.

www.danielswan.co.uk


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player literally the same week Adam left us, so in a way we have been supporting each other. When your tour reaches the UK there will be a much bigger fan base waiting for you than your last tour. Has the scale of enthusiasm for your debut album come as a surprise and are you apprehensive in how to follow it up? Well, we have been touring literally non-stop for the last year and a half, so it is nice to see people coming out to our shows in bigger numbers. We’ve begun work on the new album already, and of course we want people to like it, but we have to like it first, ya know? Your album is influenced by life in Florida. Will your next album reflect your new home, New York? I think our new album will reflect our lives in a more tangible way. I would imagine New York will have a real part to play in that. It is my favourite place in the world, after all. Are there any aspects of living in Florida you particularly miss?

The Drums When disruption hits and a member leaves, how does a band on the rise cope? Quite well in fact.

Interview by Danny O’Kane New York’s hottest new band are exactly that, their raw style of guitar driven pop has caused audiences worldwide to sit up and take notice. I caught up with singer Johnny Pierce half way through the North American leg of their first major tour. The tour itself kicked off with the news that bassist Adam Kessler was to quit the band due to fatigue. From the off, it was clear that any previously stated sadness and regret had stagnated. I asked Johnny if he was prepared to talk about the issue: “It’s not that I don’t want to talk about [Kessler] him or that it’s a sore subject, he just isn’t worth talking about.” Moving on...

Having such a catastrophic event [Kessler’s Departure] happening to the band the eve of a major tour, was there ever a period you thought of postponing the live dates? Well there was a period of about 60 minutes where [we] weren’t sure what we would do, but we never once thought of moving the tour. There was a sense of sadness which quickly turned to anger, and that quickly turned to relief and inspiration. We called our friend, Tom and asked him to play guitar for the US tour and he already knew the songs and quickly learned the parts and we started the tour on time and with so much hope and excitement.

Did it feel that the performance and energy of the live shows were affected in any way? Everything clicks. It feels alive and real again. We are all peddling in the same direction now. How has your relationship developed with Surfer Blood during the tour? Have they been a support throughout the process? We have been good friends with those boys for years, so it was cool to see both of our bands sorta take off at the same time and to be able to tour together has been a cool thing. They went through the same thing, losing their bass

Crocodiles Two years down the line from their first single Neon Jesus and the Crocs, consisting of vocalist Brandon Welschez and guitarist Charles Rowland, have just released their second LP produced by James Ford (Klaxons, Artic Monkeys, Simian Mobile Disco). This alone should have enough hipsters wetting their pants and equally enough major labels scrambling for a third album deal with the boys from San Diego. Whereas, Summer of Hate (2009) was an arty, lo-fi affair filled with bratty songs of isolation and mistrust, Sleep Forever finds Crocodiles emerging from their grassrootspunk foundations to embrace a bigger, more swaggering sound. Clearly hooking up with

None at all. We love playing shows there, but I could not live there, if only for the fact that it would be revisiting my past. I like to move forward. Your sound and style has been cited as part of a general trend in a return to post-punk. Do you see yourselves as part of this, or part of a more progressive movement? I don’t really know what is going on in the music world really. I never have been one to follow current trends. I’d like to think we are part of something good, but I guess that’s for others to decide. We just record songs that we think need to be made. Finally, being on the road for so long can be demanding. What do you do to unwind? If we get a day off, we usually walk around aimlessly. We’ve been gone for so long, that we become chemically restless and can barely sit down. It’s a strange life. www.myspace.com/thedrumsforever

Review by Morgan Hewitt Ford at the helm has proven beneficial. The opening track, Mirrors provides swelling, droning guitars, a testament to Loveless-era My Bloody Valentine as well as vocals that cut through the noise not too dissimilar to Liam Gallagher. In Summer of Hate, Crocodiles have recognised the need for hook-laden singles, the fizz and excitement of songs like Soft Skull and Refuse Angels which made them so necessary has kind of waned here on Sleep Forever. Although the record itself sounds larger and more encompassing, easily sitting alongside its contemporaries such as The Horrors 2009’s Primary Colours, the listener flails in between the obvious singles, and after a while

you begin to wonder whether the album is going anywhere through all the drone. Whether or not this was a deliberate attempt to shake off the D.I.Y. shackles of their 2009 opus, Crocodiles have matured on this record. Welschez and Rowland are both very capable of writing and producing massive songs; you can hear them wanting to ooze out of the fuzz on Sleep Forever. There’s no doubt that a third record is likely to appear by mid-2011, and by then they’ll be on the up-and-up. How big, however, depends on their insistence on using a sound that has both found them and got them lost in the process on this second release. www.killkillkillcrocodiles.blogspot.com


Image: Mads Perch


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The Invisible The Mercury Prize underdogs may have missed out on the top accolade but stand unfazed as they continue to break through with a forthcoming second album.

Jehan Harding talks to Dave Okumu The Mercury Prize underdogs may have missed out on the top accolade but stand unfazed as they continue to break through with a forthcoming second album. Jehan Harding talks to singer Dave Okumu. The Invisible are delightfully difficult to place. The critical acclaim showered over their self titled debut album, nominated for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize in 2009, hasn’t changed them in the slightest. Soulful frontman, Dave Okumu was even asked to join the panel of judges this year, an honour surely bestowed only upon those with certain credentials. “It’s really made me appreciate even more the significance of being nominated. What it actually takes to make that shortlist, having been on both sides of the fence, which is really peculiar, a bit like going behind enemy lines in the most positive way.” “There’s something tokenistic about a winner, an overall winner. I think the most significant thing about the Mercury award is actually the shortlist. It provides an overview of what has happened in British music over 12 months. I think if anyone wanted to look back at a particular year or period in music, they could look at the Mercury award and whatever you think about that shortlist, it’s kind of there to promote discussion in a way. It’s never going to cover absolutely everything.” The trio, consisting of Okumu (vocals / guitars), Tom Herbert (bass / synthesizer) and Leo Taylor (drums), continue to immerse themselves in other projects. Hot Chip’s recent album, Made In The Dark, featured contributions from Taylor, whilst Herbert and Okumu are working with longtime Zero 7 collaborator, Tom Skinner, under the name of Crump. “I think space vs distraction is always a challenge, it’s the challenge of the modern age. It’s seems like so many people are so often in flux just trying to get things finished, get

The Invisible The Invisible Accidental www.myspace.com/theinvisiblethree

things done and it can be really difficult if you haven’t got a structure that automatically provides that. We’re always juggling various things, whether it’s live commitments or our involvement in other projects that are important to us. The Invisible feels quite significant and we’re really proud of ourselves for just creating our own structure.” Whilst sessions for their debut were overseen by avantgarde electronic pioneer, Matthew Herbert in secluded Whitstable, the follow-up has been more half and half. The foundations have been laid in London at The Pool, under the watchful eye of Ben Hillier, esteemed producer behind Blur’s Think Tank amongst other classics.

‘I think the most significant thing about the Mercury award is actually the shortlist.’ “I’d never been there before [The Pool], and I always wanted to record there. I’m a real fan of Ben’s and I love the studio, so it was great to do some tracking there.” The trio have now decamped to Brighton for overdubs and tweaks and good times all round with Rich File, formerly of UNKLE, calling the shots and keeping them sane. “It just feels like he’s exactly what we need. The role of a producer can mean so many things, it can be very ambiguous, some producers are glorified engineers, some producers are fascist sort of imposers of their vision which is kind of how I see Rich. Obviously we really need someone who can help us realize our ideas fully and bring that extra di-

mension and continually keep us focused and inspire us. Rich is doing all of the above, and he’s also just making it really really fun. So many people make records and it can be quite a miserable place, tortured and painful. There’s a lot of agonizing and insecurity and concern about what people are going to think, that’s just totally absent from this process and that has a lot to do with Rich. Just the energy that he brings to the table, the types of dance-moves he selects at certain points to express the meaning of the song. It could be in the way that he marinades the bacon with chilli sauce, at just the right moment when you really need that little pick-me-up. Or when he introduces Maynards Wine Gums to proceedings. Or through the way that he produces sound through an array of really quite highend equipment. It’s just a whole range of things really, it’s just a joy. I feel like I could just carry on doing this forever, I hope we’ll make lots of records together.” Their debut album remains a joy. Hushed pop vocals drift over a world of acoustic warmth, filtered through electronic meanderings tinged abrasively and tenderly. So many ideas dwelled upon, but never for too long. The melancholy zest of London Town’s no-no-no hook and the copcar siren solo at the end of Constant for example. The total effect is one of urgency and immediacy belied by a casual charm, that of a group totally on top of their aesthetic. Bolstered by touring and the ensuing reaffirmation of their identity, the follow-up is definitely a record to be excited about. More captured hearts and critical fanfare will head The Invisible’s way. I know this because they are on the right path. One of their own making. The Invisible play Fabric November 11th. New album released 2011


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Mount Kimbie Dom Maker & Kai Campos’s critically aclaimed debut album has earnt them recognition for producing progressive electronic music. Jehan Harding hears how their ode to London was formed. The debut album by Mount Kimbie, Crooks and Lovers, is an expansive yet understated record. Lump them in with post-dubstep contemporaries Joy Orbison and James Blake if you like, in reality their unassuming sound is a broken love-letter to the capital in all its ramshackle, hyperactive beauty. Jehan Harding caught up with Dom Maker and Kai Campos after their set at Field Day to find out more. How did you guys meet? Dom: We met at university, we were in the same halls together. That was in South London at Elephant and Castle. I was studying film and video. Kai: I was studying Artist Management. We used to walk to uni together sometimes, talk about music and stuff. How long have you been producing? D: Together about two and a half years. Prior to that, I’d done about five or six months. It’s easy to get into but it’s not easy to master. The amount of throwaway files we’ve got is unbe-

lievable. It’s really difficult to keep the quality up. I just produce a lot of shit..it’s difficult. How does the partnership work? Is it like one of you will start with something? D: We’ve always worked in that way. We wrote together [when] we were in London, and then I moved to Brighton and it’s become more sending things back and forwards. We don’t assign roles or anything like that. K: We both do similar things I guess, share ideas. Quite often if we’re practising for a live gig, we’ll end up writing a lot and developing things. I always think with music like Mount Kimbie’s, the environment is very important? Do you wanna get a more secluded studio? D: We’re trying to find a space at the moment. K: It doesn’t really need to be a studio, don’t need a 30k studio. Just need a space that isn’t my kitchen. We’ve moved around quite a lot, probably recorded in like I dunno, ten different places.

Like where? K: Dom had this shitty old fucking room in Peckham. Just so small, horribly small. D: Just taken up by the speakers, the monitors. K: We wrote most of the first EP in there. D: I think you can hear that. K: Second one was done at my house, mostly in my kitchen. The album was all over kitchens and garages bedrooms and stuff. What’s the story behind the album name, Crooks & Lovers?

a specific theme. This one was about Night in Hackney taking about taxi drivers driving around, dropping people off. How they are kind of, these people that are involved so much in the city and they really don’t know they connect everybody. There was a line about delivering lover to lover and crook to crook. I thought it really summed up my experience of London, in terms of, I love the place dearly and I hate it as well. This crook and a lover aspect to it, same with everybody you meet in London, they’re crooks and lovers.

K: I was listening to a podcast called the Hackney podcast. They usually centre around

Crooks & Lovers Mount Kimbie Hotflush Recordings www.myspace.com/mountkimbie


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Gold Panda Critically acclaimed left-field producer and man of the moment, Derwin Dicker aka Gold Panda, talks to Robin Fielding about nerves, sex shops and rapping. When meeting Derwin you are face to face with a contradiction. He is a successful musician in his own right, and remixed the likes of Bloc Party, Zero 7 and Little Boots. On the other hand, he is a shy character that is dreading going on stage in 15 minutes time. How does performing make you feel? I guess I’m a bit shy, it’s really stressful. You get the feeling you should cater to the audience, but at the same time you just want to do what you do, and not be bothered about what anybody wants. I mean the problem is the audience, they just don’t get it. It’s not their fault. I just feel uncomfortable on stage, like I’m there to perform like a monkey or something. When you are on stage in front of loads of people and you aren’t well known it’s difficult, when they are there to see you it’s great, but I think I could take it or leave it at the moment, the live thing. You used to lay lyrics over your tracks. Why did you get out of the rap game? Yeah well, I was never in it I think, that’s why. No, I used to do freestyling with this guy Infinite Livez on Big Dada, and I was making beats as well... We had an improvised noise rap group called Kiss Akabusi, It was good fun but I didn’t really feel comfortable doing it. I mean I loved to rap because I grew up listening to hip hop and stuff and I really wanted to be a rapper, but when I realised I was shit I gave up. I heard that you used to work in a sex shop?

You sold your entire record collection to pay for a Japanese diploma... Was that hard to do? Not really because I got to a point where I didn’t know what else I should do with my life, it was a real teenager kind of thing, even though I was 23. I kind of just sacrificed one thing for another. I love being able to speak, read and write another language. It’s not a language that a lot of people would take the time out to learn I don’t think. Which record do you miss the most? A few old Aphex Twin records from when he wasn’t called Aphex Twin, he was called something else... Also this track by Intelligent Hoodlum and Craig G – Live And Direct From The House Of Hits. My mate gave it to me on a 12”, and I fucking sold it. And I’m really annoyed that I sold it because it’s amazing. How did living in Japan for a year affect you? I get really inspired when I’m there, I like the way things look. It taught me to be more independent, and trust myself. Trust my own judgment, and just do what I’m doing. What are you listening to at the moment? I just bought the Mount Kimbie album, and an album by a guy called Forest Swords. And Jason Derulo I guess. Finally, do you have a joke for us? No.

It was probably one of the best jobs I ever had, it was easy. It was just long hours and a lot of weird customers. It was quite depressing; I’d get invited to weird orgies by 60 year old guys asking me to bang their wives. And I got a lot of questions about erectile dysfunction, and making your cock bigger, quite a lot of that. The most depressing thing was how many fake vaginas and blow up dolls I sold around Christmas... one guy bought a blow up doll on Christmas Eve and brought it back on Boxing Day because it didn’t work. So he’d had it over Christmas and thought “right, I’m gonna get a shag out of this blow up doll” and it didn’t blow up, so his Christmas was ruined. Grim.

Lucky Shiner Gold Panda Notown www.myspace.com/goldpanda

One in a Hundred 1ina100 provides a platform for young artists to gain exposure in the world of design. Their custom-made garments are batched in editions of 100, each numbered and signed by the artist. The shirts are silk screened by hand in the UK to create subtle variations from one print to the next, making each one a distinctive individual piece The brand has launched in London but the concept is international, promoting up-and-coming young artists in each city. Each sub-brand, whether it be in Tokyo or New York, will evolve its own feel and style, reflecting local environments and projecting the talents of its artists.

www.1ina100.com


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An insight into...

Beth Jeans Houghton Interview by Katy Palmer Beth is a singer songwriter who lives in Heaton, Newcastle with her mum. She’s what you’ve probably heard deemed as ‘the next best thing’, ‘up and coming’ and ‘individual’. She is also talented and under the age of 25, and so naturally deserves lazy comparisons to Laura Marling (she’s folky and even writes her own songs).

to take from my parents. I live with my mum but she’s my best mate. People should fucking love their parents. You always think they’re being horrible but they’re just doing it because they love you. If I could be anywhere else in the world?

I’d be an astronaut, but I’d have to not have any family to do that.

I’d be in Topanga Canyon, California. I’ve never been to America but since I’ve been little I’ve always felt like I was meant to be there, maybe in a previous life. I think I’d know my way around.

On my ‘My Space’?

My favourite piece of clothing?

I put a Nan Golding self portrait where she’s been beaten up by her boyfriend. My publisher went mad but I think it’s beautiful photo. The next album is going be a book with photography, art work and writing.

A silvery space man cape that my mum made my brother when he was four. It doesn’t really fit and it’s more like a bolero.

If I had any other job?

At my gigs we always ask for?

I’d be a kestrel.

Photography film and tobacco. Today we got a marrow for some reason. I think we’ll have to cook it or something.

If I had a shop?

I get bored with?

I’d sell donuts and music.

Journalists who haven’t even heard my music. Half of them repeat things to me I said when I was sixteen. That’s four years ago. But I’m a fickle musician, my influences change all the time. To be honest I feel like I’m in a boy band. The only time I spend is with guys. It’s just music, we’re just a band. People should take it for what it is.

If I was an animal?

The last album I brought was? ‘Be brave’ by The Strange Boys on vinyl. The singer is really fit, like Johnny Depp if he was a pixie. I was surprised to see he didn’t have a speech impediment; when he talked; he sings with such a strange voice.

Your life right now in four words?

I’m most proud of? Being self-sustainable. When I was fifteen I dropped out of school, I’m glad I don’t have

Can it be six? Exactly where I want to be.

Hot Toast Volume One Beth Jeans Houghton Static Caravan www.myspace.com/bethjeanshoughton


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Introducing

Le Corps Mince de Françoise The Finnish trio featuring sisters Emma & Mia Kemppainen (and a friend) are making waves across Europe with their fun style of pop. Think of a Scandinavian New Young Pony Club but much much better. Interview by Lizzie Simner Describe your sound? We make fresh edgy pop hooks. We experiment a lot with sounds and beats. We’ve been very inspired by the 90s lately (stuff like the Orb, Neneh Cherry, Happy Mondays), but also modern bands [like] Metronomy and Late of the Pier have played a part in our sound. For the uninitiated and non-French speakers, what does your name translate as? LCMDF stands for Le Corps Mince de Françoise, which stands for “The Skinny Body of Francoise” in English. There’s many stories moving around about that name, and we’d like to keep it that way. How does your relationship as sisters affect the way you work together? Who makes the decisions? We’re like in a symbiosis, we’ve grown up together, we hang out, we work together night and day. I think it’s the sisterhood that actually makes it possible, it’s such a unique relationship. We only have two years between us, so we have always been quite equal. Emma’s the older one, so obviously she runs ahead in the decision making, but it’s all built on trust and the similar taste in style. I always know she gets it right. What is it like in Finland for emerging bands? Is there a movement you feel a part of? The finnish music scene is very very small. There’s a lot of talent and creativity there, but not really that much ambition, which is a shame.

When we started out I [felt] we were doing something totally new and fresh, something totally unseen before in Finland. Therefore there wasn’t really any competition, but I have to say that the reception was anything than low key, people either hated us or loved us, and they weren’t holding back with their opinions. Now there’s a lot of new bands emerging from Helsinki, trying to push abroad without [a] label like we did in the beginning. A lot has happened in the past 4 years. I certainly feel that we started something. You’re now signed to Heavenly, played a sold out show in Helsinki, and have been picked up on by press worldwide. Have you been surprised by the early enthusiasm? I hadn’t even finished school yet, and suddenly I was on the cover of all the biggest Finnish music and lifestyle magazines. It totally went over our expectations back then. But it always took a lot of hard work, and you start to understand the consequences of your actions.. Success doesn’t happen on its own. What are you looking forward to this year, and what are your plans for the future? The Album “LOVE & NATURE” is out in february, so we’re very exited to just get it out there, share it with the world. We are also looking forward to taking the new [album] live on the road, play as much gigs as possible and reach as many people as possible with our music. So next year is hopefully gonna be a lot of travel, and also getting started on the second album…

Gandhi - Available November 29th Le Corps Mince de Françoise Heavenly Recordings www.myspace.com/lecorpsmincedefrancoise

Image: Megan Cullen & Matti Kenppainem


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Harvey Hartley After graduating in 2005 with a Degree in Illustration, Hartley has scince been working as a freelance Illustrator. Alongside all that, the man can also take some beautiful photographs as featured below. www.harveyssketchbook.blogspot.com

Live Review

Three Trapped Tigers Article by Rachel Collins London promoters Rockfeedback celebrated their momentous rise to the grand young age of ten with a riotous knees-up at Islington’s Electrowerks. Despite the last minute change of venue due to technical difficulties at the hotly anticipated (and then yet-to-open) XOYO, Rockfeedback demonstrated effortless organisational prowess and had the Electrowerks packed to the rafters. The former rave hotspot certainly suited the occasion. Its labyrinthine layout and intimate rooms accommodated a special extended lineup of British Sea Power, Future of the Left, Three Trapped Tigers, Anna Calvi, special secret guests Visions of Tress and Pulled Apart by Horses. With a close, buzzing atmosphere and trails of punters circling between rooms, this was one of Rockfeedback’s most dynamic nights yet. Most awe-inspiring were experimental-electronic-rock outfit Three Trapped Tigers who, quite honestly, kicked the shit out of their fellow stage performers. This is music which

just has to be seen live – even when it does sound so good on record. Performing tracks from the their numerically-titled EPs 1, 2 and 3, TTT (quite literally) drummed-up a sonic storm of industrial syncopated beats, spinetingling electronics and mesmerising vocals. This was a cathartic journey not least for the band itself but for the audience too. The whole sound bristled with a dynamic sense of urgency, reminiscent of Battles and Pivot. TTT are, without hesitation, a band to watch for the year ahead. With yet another sell-out show and their championship of the remarkable Three Trapped Tigers, Rockfeedback proved itself to be one of London’s hottest, of-the-moment promoters. Three Trapped Tigers finish their UK back with the Rockfeedback guys at the ICA, April 29th 2010.


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Tim Sanders

Microscopic Vinyl Record Grooves Sanders poster series see’s his love for vinyl and art intwined by shooting microscopic photographs of full groove rotations within three different genres of record. The results have then been increased in scale by 100. This allows the viewer to see how audio is translated when pressed into vinyl.

www.timsanders.co.uk

Jackl CD Album Artwork Sanders other work is a unique take on the album format. The set (above) includes each track with it’s own corresponding art work. The thirteen prints form the debut album by Jackl, due to be released 2011.

Aniela Murphy

Peacock Aniela Murphy is a freelance illustrator based in London. Her trademark style of symmetry inspired by Moroccan patterns run throughout her work. She is in demand at the moment and has designed posters for the likes of Caribou amongst others.

www.anielamurphy.co.uk

Fragment Commision


Issue 2 - Available March www.fragmentmag.com


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