By Sofia Ciechowska Illustration bi Basje Boer
Unruly Music Magazine April 2012
What’s Cooking
Food The Uncomfortable Issue
Xiu Xiu, Laraaji, Black Dice, Teen DazePage 1
The Uncomfortable Issue
This is Jamie Stewart from Xiu Xiu, sticking his rubber-gloved fingers into a pot of SHAFT lubricant - a fitting image for the opening page of the Uncomfortable Issue, we figured. Jamie took the photo himself and it is part of a series that he offered to shoot especially for Subbacultcha! magazine. The series portrays Jamie in all kinds of uncomfortable situations... or are they? He explains it all in the very honest and open-hearted interview, which you can read on page 18. Enjoy... or not. Page 5
Content
The Uncomfortable Issue
Xiu Xiu
Laraaji
Page 18
Page 24
Black Dice
Agenda
Page 34
Page 55
Top 5 New Music We Saw You xiu Xiu Laraaji Teen daze Black Dice Featured Artist reviews Film
10 12 16 18 24 30 34 38 42 47
Fashion Food Books horoscope Agenda subbacultcha shows other shows Free Stuff after midnight overview
48 49 50 52 55 57 64 76 77 78
We sure have been enjoying our wonderful little counter-culture comfort zone recently. Sipping cheap drinks at those fashionable underground venues, checking the bands and flirting around. But before it all becomes too gezellig, let’s get a little transgressive. You know, push those boundaries and collectively slip into something a little more uncomfortable. ’Cause isn’t that what progressive art and music are all about? So we’ve made the Uncomfortable Issue. Enjoy it nonetheless. And be sure to check out Laraaji’s laughing exercises (page 24), they will help you ease the pain. Page 6
IJpromenade 1 Gratis pont vanaf Amsterdam CS
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Colophon
Who we are and what we do
Subbacultcha! Magazine is made at our office in Amsterdam Da Costakade 150, 1053 XC Amsterdam, the Netherlands www.subbacultcha.nl. magazine@subbacultcha.nl We are Editors: Leon Caren and Bas Morsch Editorial Assistant: Sarah Gehrke Design: Bas Morsch and Marina Henao Intern: Freek van Heerikhuize Good Girl: Loes Verputten Good Guys: Christopher Schreck and Bauke Karel Printing: Drukkerij Slinger, Alkmaar Contributors: Carly Blair, Basje Boer, Brenda Bosma, Leon Caren, Zofia Ciechowska, Sander van Dalsum, Sarah Gehrke, Viktor Hachmang, Marc van der Holst, Dimitri Karakostas, Kathrin Klingner, Steven McCarron, Landon Metz, Bas Morsch, Jussi Puikkonen, Christopher Schreck, Jamie Stewart, Johanna Valdés, Gert Verbeek, Karin Wolters, Isolde Woudstra and David Zilber. Distribution: Amsterdam: Tessel Dekker, Bauke Karel, Sandrine Mary, Ana Milheiro, Fedor Oduber, Ansuya Spreksel, Stefan Stasko, Patrick van der Klugt, Dineke Tuinhof, Agata Bar Utrecht: Freyja van den Boom, Janna Smeets Groningen: Wout Merbis, Hedwig Plomp Den Haag: Leroy Verbeet Rotterdam: Nahry Dougarem, Lukas Dikker, Ilse van der Spoel Leeuwarden: Jan Pier Brands Leiden: Milou Laan Almere: Remco Brinkhuis Haarlem: Yannick Tinbergen, Bert Zaremba Nijmegen Arno de Vreng Tilburg/Eindhoven: Kevin Jansen Deventer: Marjolein de Vliegher Delft: Daniel Enciso Breda: Christopher Freudberg Belgium: Kasper-Jan Raeman Pick up Subbacultcha! Magazine here (among 500 other places): Amsterdam: Kriterion, Canvas, American Apparel, Episode, CREA, De Balie, Melkweg, Paradiso, OT301, De Nieuwe Anita, Restored, Zipper, Concerto Utrecht: Ekko, ’t Hoogt, Tivoli, The Village, Revenge, Plato, dB’s Rotterdam: Worm, Rotown, Lantaren Venster, De Witte Aap, Willem de Kooning Academie If you want your bar, venue, store or business to be on the distribution list, please send us an email. Advertising To advertise in Subbacultcha! Magazine send an email to magazine@subbacultcha.nl. Memberships Become a member of Subbacultcha!. For only €7 a month you get free access to all Subbacultcha! shows and the monthly magazine sent to your house. Plus, you get a fresh Subbacultcha! bag. Check the website to sign up. Cover: Drawing by Robin van Maaren Page 8
Top 5
1
Last month at our office
Song: Chad vanGaalen - Willow Tree
‘Willow Tree’ had already been one of our favourite Chad vanGaalen songs but seeing - and hearing - him play it live at OT301 really did the job. Bumps and lumps everywhere.
2
Concert: Future Islands
Future Islands really killed it at OT301 last month. Soldout show, everyone dancing. Certainly one of the (many) Subbacultcha! highlights of 2012.
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Book: Portnoy’s Complaint - Philip Roth
Talk about uncomfortable situations: Alexander Portnoy jacking off in the bathroom while his mom and dad are banging on the door, frantically screaming: ‘What the hell are you doing in there?’ Classic stuff. Witty, hilarious, provoking and at times very moving.
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Community: The Blood of the Young
The Blood of the Young are an independent publishing house/art community based in Toronto, Canada. They publish books and zines by both established and emerging photographers. Great stuff. Good raw and sexy blog too. bloodoftheyoungzine.com
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Nature/fermented fruit: Moonshine
Remember the holiday? It was cold in the twilight when we took to the snowy woods. The guide was not carrying a torch or anything that could produce light in the quickly falling darkness. And then there was the moon... reflecting on the snow... and the darker it got, the lighter it got. In a light resembling daylight we climbed the mountain to a deserted chalet and got terribly drunk on French moonshine.
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Subbacultcha! Membership
Bertien van Manen - Let’s Sit Down before We Go - Until 24 June at Foam, Amsterdam
Subbacultcha! members get free entry to Foam photography museum. Sign up for â‚Ź7 per month and get into foam and lots of other concerts, movies and exhibitions for free. See page 57 for a full list of shows. Sign up at www.subbacultcha.nl.
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New Music
This month’s recommendations
By Zofia Ciechowska
Birchess
www.birchess.com
To put it quite simply, Sandra and Sonja of Birchess are into Italo disco and hummus. So they put the two together and made the super pixelated video ‘Hummus Guinness’, which is a tribute to and celebration of the awesome chickpea mezze. And if that wasn’t enough, the Estonian duo are also known for doing shoulder stands in clubs. I don’t know if this means that they DJ with their feet, but if they do, then these chicks rule the disco. The troublesome twosome can be found bouncing around the Baltic countries, but I’m sure they’d play at your house party if you sent them a nice email and promised them lots of hummus snacks.
Treasure Teeth
soundcloud.com/treasure-teeth When I discovered US-UK husband-and-wife duo Treasure Teeth, I felt like a pirate who had unearthed a chest of golden coins. Pretty fucking ecstatic. Barbara has the voice of a mermaid (I imagine mermaids as having better voices than angels) and James twists together these fantastic aquatic labyrinths of sound that make me roll around with glee like a furry otter in a kelp forest; an otter with a penchant for hip hop/r&b bits and bobs no less. Go check out their Soundcloud and their fresh new single ‘Island Eye/Teasha’. And their shiny new EP is due to come out this summer. Page 12
New Music
Doldrums
endlessdoldrums.tumblr.com Doldrums got his name from that cool kids’ Phantom Tollbooth book and he used to live in a Toronto DIY art colony crust warehouse venue called The House of Everlasting Superjoy. Seriously though, Airick Woodhead spells his first name funny and makes funny-sounding music that he describes as a rhinoceros repeatedly banging its head into an aluminium shed. Many of you may have never heard a mammal of that calibre colliding with a metal hut, so allow me to elaborate by describing Doldrums’ sound as dizzy pop with fuzzy frantic vocals and swelling waves of percussion. Portishead put his remix of their track on their ‘Chase the Tear’ single, that got the ball rolling and now you should totally get hold of his Empire Sound EP released on No Pain in Pop.
Loulye
loulye.bandcamp.com
Loulye is the ghost of pop music past being channelled through a variety of laptop and sampler talismans and forged into shiny new chunks of noisy, ambient pop music. Chop, loop, speed-up, slow-down, delay, delay, reverb, chop, delay, loop, repeat. This is noise music for Beach Boys lovers, electronic music for people who don’t like minimal techno and pop music for the next millennium’s coolest space bars. File under Maximal Sound Art, Lo-Fi Collage and The Latest Shit from South London in your big hipster filing cabinet. Page 13
New Music
continued
Hélicoptère Sanglante
www.myspace.com/superkasher This mysterious Frenchman has cleverly dodged the Google bots, which makes him super über hypeable because we know practically nothing about him, i.e. we can create loads of cool lies about him that will rocket him into the blogosphere. Hendrik Hegray is most probably his baptismal name, although he goes under many others; Hélicoptère Sanglante (translation: Bleeding Helicopter) is probably his most prolific alter ego. Described as Beavis and Butthead with a French tongue, Hegray is a visual artist who likes to muck about with his laptop and create brief, quaintly sloppy but really good musical whizzbangers.
Nâ Hawa Doumbia www.awesometapes.com
This Malian singer totally blows Beyoncé outta the water in terms of singing for and about independent women. Nâ Hawa Doumbia comes from the Wassoulou region of Mali and began her career just when people from her tribe were allowed to become musicians, and being the ballsy teenager she was, she won some song contests and her bright voice shone across the land. Awesome Tapes from Africa has re-released her 1982 album La Grande Cantatrice Malienne Vol. 3, 50% of the proceeds of which will go to the artist. Let this honey make some money and buy this absolutely brilliant paradise of a record. And keep your eyes peeled for ATFA’s next album re-release in April. Page 14
We Saw You
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Spotted at Subbacultcha
Photo by Jussi Puikkonen
What was the last thing that made you feel really uncomfortable? I saw an ad on Craigslist for a dishwasher position. The employer wanted someone with two years experience and a reference. It was then that I realised that I’m not even qualified to be a dishwasher.
Katharina Olsen, spotted at the Chad vanGaalen rooftop session at the Subbacultcha HQ in Amsterdam on 8 March 2012
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The Uncomfortable Issue
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Xiu Xiu
Xiu Xiu are hitting Amsterdam on the back of the release of their new album Always. When we approached Jamie Stewart (Mr Xiu Xiu himself ) about doing an uncomfortable interview and ditto photos, he got very excited. In fact, he got so excited that he offered us to take some ‘Terry Richardson-style’ self-portraits. We took him up on the offer. Turns out Mr Jamie Stewart is very comfortable being uncomfortable. Skype interview by Johanna Valdés.
Photos shot by Jamie Stewart himself at his home in Durham, North Carolina.
Congrats on the European release of Always. Oh, thank you very much. Are you excited about it? Oh, I’m nervous. A lot of my selfrespect is riding on it, I suppose. Talking about self-respect... You offered to take some ‘uncomfortable’ self portraits. What do we have here? That silver toy — how does that tie into the
context of the uncomfortable? Well, ’cause it’s real big. So, you know, it’s just literally uncomfortable. Is that still fun? No... it’s metal. Occasionally, it’s incredibly cold but not if you hold it next to the space heater for a minute, which I do. It’s a little humiliating putting a giant fucking metal dildo next to the space heater. But you Page 19
Features
Xiu Xiu
‘It’s a little humiliating putting a giant fucking metal dildo next to the space heater. But you gotta do what you gotta do.’ gotta do what you gotta do. Maybe try running it under hot water? That might get dangerously hot. That requires getting up though. Probably a good idea though, slightly less humiliating. And what are these suction things? Do they give off electricity? It’s actually a medical device. It’s based on the same principle as acupuncture. But if you leave it on slightly too long, it starts to create a really intense tingling sensation and it leaves really huge bruises. After you’ve taken them off, it kind of feels like you’ve been fucked in the arm. The sensation comes on very, very, very slowly. It’s a really curious one. And the interesting thing is, you can do it yourself. And where did you get this acu-suction device? I think I bought it at the mall. There was a kiosk selling different Asian medical accoutrements. I’d seen it in the sex store but it was like $300 or something because it was in the context of a sex toy store and they could charge that much for it. But at Page 20
this kiosk, it was like 40 bucks and it’s the exact same thing! And it seemed dirtier buying it at the mall too. And on this other photo [next page], are you holding a Wii remote? A Wii remote? Yeah [laughs] Just for that, I will have to lie and say ‘yes, it is a Wii remote.’ It’s actually a medical stapler. It’s not so bad. I guess it’s used in lieu of stitches. But it doesn’t go that deep really. Just a little pinch. It’s mostly psychological and visual. After, like, a minute, you don’t even feel it. Having this piece of metal in your skin, it makes you feel a little unsettled. But from now on, I’m going to use a Wii remote control. It’s not that big, I’m sure I could fit that in. I’m flattered! Do you still have the staples in? No, no. I took them out after a little while. Pretty intense. What draws you to all this discomfort? More than anything else, being excessively familiar with it. As a
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The The Uncomfortable Issue
Xiu Xiu
child, I was overly exposed to things I should not have been exposed to, so it feels normal. I don’t feel ‘damaged’ but my boundaries are probably wider than they should be. It’s a big part of my internal life and it would be dishonest to not address it. I mean, it’s an unusual topic in the context of underground music now, but it certainly wasn’t in the industrial scene in the ’70s and ’80s, and that’s what a lot of punks were about. That’s music that’s always been interesting to me and continues to interest me. So that aesthetic is really embedded into Xiu Xiu I assume? Yeah, for sure. Sexual politics, gender identity and rotten sex are things we’ve been doing songs about since we started. That must wear off on your audience. I have been told that some people react with discomfort and some people feel at home. It is not our business how people react. I would only want someone listening to our records to feel what is individually true for them. Musically, Xiu Xiu never tries to make people uncomfortable, but we just try to be as honest as we can with what has happened. Speaking about your audience: you’ve created a free place for them with the Over-18 Only section on the Xiu Xiu
Features
website [a place where people can submit photos to be placed under headings like ‘tits’, ‘ass’, ‘feet’, etc.] Initially, we had been on a label that really wasn’t paying too much attention to us and we used all kinds of really hardcore pornography on our website. It had everything that we thought was interesting, no matter how dirty it was. Then we changed labels and the new guys were actually paying attention to us and were like, ‘what the fuck?’. As it’s our official website, they didn’t want there to be 20 pictures of people fistfucking each other. Now with the new 18+section we’ve toned it down a bit. Between 15 and 40 people have sent in things for each different heading. Some of them are very innocent and cute, others are very explicit. It’s fascinating. All in all, you’re a guy who likes to push boundaries and is actually quite comfortable in the uncomfortable? It feels fascinating. Just in terms of attempting to have an intense and unusual sensation. Just like if somebody slaps you in the face in one context, it feels terrible and in another, it’s really hot. Xiu Xiu play on 16 April in OT301 in Amsterdam. The show is free for Subbacultcha! members. Page 23
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The Uncomfortable Issue
Laraaji
After working with Brian Eno in the 1980s and releasing a cosmic amount of new age albums, laugh-master, meditator and cosmic zitherist Laraaji Venus Nadabrahmananda (born Edward Larry Gordon) teamed up with psychedelic noisemakers Blues Control to release the amazing album FRKWYS Vol. 8 on the hip and happening label RVNG Intl., home of artists such as Julia Holter and Blondes. Interesting developments. And given the theme of this issue, we could not pass on the occasion to consult the cosmicly connected and enlightened soul of Mr Laraaji. We talked about dissolving through sound and laughter into bliss. Get your chakras aligned and read about how you can laugh yourself into a state of happiness. Interview by Brenda Bosma. Photos shot by Christopher Schreck in Laraaji’s home in Brooklyn, NY.
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The Uncomfortable Issue
Laraaji
That’s a funny name. What does it all mean? Thank you. Laraaji is a celebration of the sun. It´s holding the sun as a very divine being and using the Egyptian sound ´Rah´ and the Indian ‘Ji’, which is a generic spontaneous term people put after the name of someone they hold very dear. It came to me when I was homeless for a couple of days. I decided to experiment with being in that zone and lived on the subway. One day I was resting on this comfortable bench in Central Park and I looked up and there was the beautiful sun shining on me. It felt as if it was the closest friend I had. A friend that was honouring me, nurturing me. Luckily it wasn’t raining. Yes, or I would have had a name for the rain too. I felt love that day. That’s the Venus part explained. Nadabrahmananda roughly stands for the bliss of the ultimate sound vibration. It is the joy one feels when experiencing the eternal and infinite presence. Back in 1974, there was a moment where I had the sense of being immersed in an eternal, infinite universe. I was listening to an internal orchestra while I was meditating, and actually felt the unity of an eternal infinite universe right there.
Features
That’s amazing, but also pretty hard to understand. [chuckles] I appreciate to be reminded, actually. I would not have understood it had I not had the experience myself. Although it’s real for me, I know it cannot be properly explained and transmitted into words. That’s where the sounds come in. Can you explain what the sound of one hand clapping sounds like? It’s a startling feeling. You have this belief about yourself and it’s real to you. When I hear the sound of one hand clapping it’s changing the whole ball game. Then I’m hearing oneness. The sound of nothing - no thing. All the frameworks are gone. My personal self dissolves and cannot be housed in a building. I´m eternal. Would be nice if that sound would be a tune so we could hum it on our way to work or in line at the supermarket. Well, I have some good news, and some slightly less good news. The good news is that that tune is everywhere all the time. The less good news is that it requires discipline and focus to get to it. It’s so near that we have to practice listening to it. About your Laughter Meditation Workshops. Usually, when I need some laughter in my life, I turn to Leslie Nielsen. Do you tell jokes? Page 27
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Laraaji
‘I was listening to an internal orchestra while I was meditating, and actually felt the unity of an eternal, infinite universe right there. ’ I used to, when I was a standup comedian. Nowadays, what I do is getting people in touch with their playful inner-child spirit by doing laughing exercises. To keep building up the laughter I get into playful, humorous interactions with them. What do you mean by humorous interactions? Is it like someone yawning in a public space? I get people to use their voice to vibrate their heart. I get them to say their name followed by the exclamation: ‘My little [your name] is sooo beautiful!’. Then I ask them to move around while repeating that phrase. The other replies: ‘You suuure are!’ How do you get yourself in the mood for a session? Everyone has their fair amount of ‘slightly less’ days. There are times when I’m more challenged than others. Once I got a call from my girlfriend, who told me she was madly involved with a friend of ours. I didn’t feel like laughing, but within five minutes, I got into the mood. I proved my own theory that if you laugh and smile in a certain way, Page 28
you can trigger happiness. Mindful laughing is very effective. It’s like medicine. Do you have some last advice to comfort us with? Smile! But it has to be a smile that gives you little wrinkles next to your eyes. Your mood will shift to a happier state. Also, watch your breathing, play with it and honour it as a vehicle to deeper relaxation. Laughter is the shortest distance between two people, but it’s also the shortest distance between you and yourself. Let´s try it! [laughs an intentional laugh] – ‘My little Laraaji is soooo beautiful!’ ‘He suuuure is!’ – [laughing intentionally together]. Laraaji is playing with Blues Control on 22 April at WORM in Rotterdam. The show is free for Subbacultcha! members. The concert is part of the Motel Mozaique festival, that takes place from 19 April until 22 April in various locations across Rotterdam. Other highlights include Light Asylum, Bowerbirds, Django Django, Cold Specks, AU, Emika, 2:54 and many others. More info at www.motelmozaique.nl
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Teen Daze
According to ‘postmodern collage wave’ producer Teen Daze, discomfort is a powerful creative tool. ‘When I get comfortable in a workspace, then it becomes a place to watch movies, or sit on Reddit. When I’m in a place that’s new, and I have given myself the task of writing, then I know I won’t be distracted by those comforts.’ His songs and sounds have been on heavy rotation at the Subbacultcha! office, so it’s needless to say we are thrilled that he found time in his busy recording schedule to talk to us and to shoot some photos in the woods surrounding his home in a mountainside town outside of Vancouver. You can read the interview online and you can preview a few of the stunning shots on the next few pages. There’s more where that came from. Photos shot by David Zilber in Abbotsford, Canada.
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Teen Daze
Teen Daze plays on 13 April in De Nieuwe Anita in Amsterdam. The show is free for Subbacultcha! members.
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Black Dice
The new Black Dice album is thoroughly amazing. It’s raw, it’s itchy, it’s weird, it’s unsettling and it’s extremely cool. So, we kind of prank-called Aaron Warren... well, kind of. He made us feel a little silly too, so it’s all fair and square. Fortunately, we managed to avoid making uncomfortable racist jokes, we had our flies zipped and no one even burped. Pretty decent for two strangers hugging telephones to their cheeks, separated by the Atlantic Ocean. ‘We just make stuff that is interesting to us and we want people to like it, understand it and to really rock out.’ Phone interview by Zofia Ciechowska. Photos shot by Landon Metz in Brooklyn, NY. Page 34
Black Dice
Zofia calls Aaron. No answer. [One week later] Zofia calls Aaron. Hi Aaron, I’m calling to interview you for Subbacultcha! magazine. Hi, I thought the interview was next week... This is awkward... [One week later] Zofia calls Aaron. Hi Aaron, I’m calling to interview you for Subbacultcha! magazine. I think I got the dates right this time. Yeah, but actually the clocks have changed in the USA, so it’s an hour later here and I only have 20 minutes. [laughs awkwardly] What are you wearing? Erm... jeans and a short-sleeve button-down shirt. By the way, how do you know this is not a prank call? I don’t actually know... I won’t reassure you. Let’s play the ‘would you rather’ game: Would you rather have a firecracker blow up into your mouth or drill a small hole in your own forehead? Firecracker, I think. Less internal damage. Would you rather French kiss a dog or have a baby spit up drool into your open mouth?
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I’d probably go with the baby if it was my baby. If it wasn’t my baby and it was my dog, I’d probably go with the dog. If it was a stranger’s dog and a stranger’s baby, I’d go with the stranger’s baby. Would you consider your music as a type of ‘would you rather’ game, in terms of making people expand their concept of music, perhaps sometimes by putting them in uncomfortable situations in order to show them something totally new and exciting? That isn’t the aim of our music, but it’s great if it happens to our listeners. I guess I felt like that when I was a teenager growing up in Colorado, going to my first crazy gigs. That was when I first experienced a feeling of revelatory discomfort. When I saw Black Dice for the first time and then joined them in 1999, I felt like that, too. It’s a feeling I try to hold on to and it’s something that’s interesting to me in the way that we approach music. I don’t get that feeling very often, it really depends on the place I’m at in my life, I guess. I don’t experience bands the same way I used to, but we recently played a show with Dog Leather and they were really cool, that gave me a kick, they were fun and outrageous and really doing it. Page 35
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What’s the most uncomfortable sound you have ever made in the studio or live, or put on an album? The thing that makes me most uncomfortable as a person, as a musician, is the challenge of dealing with my own voice. We often disguise vocals with effects, but when you’re recording and just yelling by yourself, that’s extremely uncomfortable. That being said, that’s from an emotional standpoint, not about the quality of the sound. We totally dig the sounds we make. But generally, the point of the band is not to make people uncomfortable or showing people something that they’ve never heard before. We just make stuff that is interesting to us and we want people to like it, understand it and to really rock out. How does your music translate visually in your videos? What’s the story behind those crazy collages? For a number of years, we had other people make our videos; Ara Peterson made our first one, Danny Perez made our second video. In 2007, we decided to do our own videos, although we had no skills or gear to make them. So we made ‘Kokomo’ out of VHS tapes and internet clips and some software, and that took super long ’cause we didn’t know what we wanted to do! And that has a lot Page 36
to do with our music, because we were processing an image until it became an image and processing a sound until it became a sound. Last year, we’ve started to do a lot more video stuff. Animal Collective asked us to do videos for their Coachella show, so we spent five to six weeks solid on making video stuff. So we set up the video studio in a totally different way and instead of just having three dudes sit around one computer, we really got into messing with hardware, cameras and mixers, playing with feedback and generating shapes from it together. It was more like a jam session where we would all work together and make videos live. It’s really fun; it’s a new dimension for the band. As an agony aunt, what would you tell our readers to do if someone put them in an awkward situation, like spilling coffee on their Ugg boots or laughing at their chihuahua? Would you tell them to totally fuck up the offender or just play it cool and walk away? [Laughs] Play it cool, absolutely. The new Black Dice album Mr. Impossible will be released on 9 April by Ribbon Music/ Domino Recordings. They will be touring in Europe in autumn.
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Art
Featured Artist
Robin van Maaren
Robin van Maaren (1976) is an artist working and living in Enschede. He makes drawings, collages and paintings. In his work van Maaren focuses on group dynamics and human behaviour in a social (sub)cultural context. Within the boundaries of themes such as rockstars, male pornstars, prisoners and people in gated communities, he generates complex and vibrant images using colours, symbols and texts defining each specific group. Robin’s work will be on display at the Subbacultcha HQ from 5 April until 26 April. Da Costakade 150, Amsterdam. Open Mondays to Thursdays, 11.00 17.00. Feel free to drop by.
youngartistsmilitia.net
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Featured Artist
Robin van Maaren
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Music Reviews
New releases worth your while
By Carly Blair
Bear in Heaven I Love You, It’s Cool
AU Both Lights
Back in December, Brooklyn’s Bear in Heaven made an interesting announcement: in advance of the release of their third album on 3 April, they would start streaming the album on their website, but slowed down about 400,000%, such that from the day they started streaming it to the day of its official release the entire album would play just once. A blatant PR stunt, no doubt, but also perhaps a small act of defiance against all the hype that followed their breakthrough album, 2009’s Beast Forth Rest Mouth. While BFRM was a tad too proggy for my taste, the shimmering, futuristic pop jampacked into these songs is charismatic enough to have me saying: I love you, I Love You, It’s Cool, it’s cool.
Portland experimental pop outfit AU (pronounced ‘ay-you’) centres on multi-instrumentalist Luke Wyland. While Wyland and drummer Dana Valatka (also of Jackie-O-Motherfucker) are now the sole permanent members, the band’s line-up has swelled to double digits at times and has featured a rotating cast of characters since its 2005 inception (collaborators this time include sax virtuoso Colin Stetson). Valatka joined the band in 2008, and his wild energy has helped up AU’s forcefulness considerably, but not completely. In fact, the moods and intensity presented here span the full breadth of the human experience. While the dramatic tonal shifts take away from the album’s cohesiveness, the earnestness of AU’s delivery makes the contrast all the more vibrant and cathartic.
(Dead Oceans / Hometapes)
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(Hometapes)
Music Reviews
Mirroring Foreign Body
La Sera Sees the Light
The combination seems obvious now, but whoever had the epiphany that two ground-up, bean-like foods paired with sugar is better than one and combined chocolate and peanut butter for the first time must have felt like a genius. The combination of the electro-acoustic minimal folk by Jesy Fortino (as Tiny Vipers) with the electro-acoustic ambient/noise by Liz Harris (as Grouper) seems similarly natural, and we listeners can now enjoy it in the form of Mirroring (and not just at breakfast). Foreign Body is their first collaboration, and the result is a seamless fusion of their respective styles - a dreamlike and diaphanous recording suitable as beautiful background music, but dense enough to lend itself to closer and repeated listens.
‘Kickball’ Katy Goodman, bassist and harmonist of retro pop supergroup Vivian Girls, hereby presents her second solo fulllength as La Sera. Goodman comes off very girl-next-doorlike. When it comes to her looks, that means wholesome and pretty, but not exactly glamorous or intriguing; more like the girl you’d come back home to after having given up on your dream to live an exciting life overseas than the one you’d chased across the ocean in the first place. When it comes to the lofi punk pop she delivers on Sees the Light, that means pleasant and tuneful but not exactly original or memorable; more like an album you’ll encounter in shuffle mode and not fast forward through than one you’ll spend sleepless nights over-analysing. But hey, there’s something to be said for simple pleasures!
(Kranky)
(Hardly Art)
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Music Reviews
continued
Black Dice Mr. Impossible
Tanlines Mixed Emotion
Brooklyn’s Black Dice originally hail from the same Providence, Rhode Island School of Design noise punk scene that birthed Lightning Bolt and key noise label Load Records. Their sixth full-length is billed as a ‘soundtrack to a substance-fuelled teen basement show on Mars.’ To my ears, this translates to a sort of extraterrestrial electronic jazz punk I could imagine playing at a druggy afterparty of the Mos Eisley Cantina scene in Star Wars. Fifteen years of damaging ear drums and the need to balance music with real-life shit thankfully haven’t dampened these veterans’ innate enthusiasm for fucking around with weird noises, and on Mr. Impossible they sound as uncompromising and vital as ever.
This Brooklyn duo of Eric Emm (ex-Don Cabellero) and Jesse Cohen (ex-Professor Murder) got their start as a production project, releasing a well-curated slew of remixes of groups like The Tough Alliance, Telepathe and El Guincho. Though none were particularly remarkable, they did provide a medium for Tanlines to cultivate their sound, and getting evicted from their studio inspired Emm to evolve as a songwriter. These developments finally bear fruit on Mixed Emotions, the duo’s long-awaited debut - mixed fruit, that is. Most songs forge a link between house music and ’80s worldbeat to delicious and danceable results, but a handful of bad apples feel stylistically out of place and kind of kill the album’s momentum. Given the title, perhaps that was the point?
(Ribbon Music)
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(True Panther Sounds)
Music Reviews
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LP/CD/DL 10.04.12 ribbonmusic.com blackdice.net
lowerdens.com ribbonmusic.com
LP/CD/DL 01.05.12
By Gert Verbeek and Basje Boer
Film
New Films and DVDs
Alps
Miss Bala
Yorgos Lanthimos, 2012
Gerardo Naranjo, 2011
It’s been two years since Yorgos Lanthimos’s Dogtooth chased a chill up our spine and put a smile on our face. A smile that got even bigger when this absurdist tragicomedy, chock-full of awkward sex and unexpected violence, got nominated for an Oscar. In Lanthimos’s latest, Alps, we are introduced to a universe that is equally strange, but even grimmer, more uncomfortable and just plain sad. A group of people calling themselves The Alps - led by bossy Mont Blanc - are for hire. For a small fee they will stand in for your deceased loved ones. When one of the Alps starts to prefer her fake identity over her own, things get... well, even weirder. (BB) In cinemas from 19 April.
Mexico and drug trafficking are synonymous nowadays. No wonder that one of the best recent Mexican films is about drugs wars. Young Laura (Stephanie Sigman) is the innocent bystander, caught up in the heat of the action. All she wanted was to win the regional beauty contest, but after witnessing an execution she becomes a defenceless pawn in the bloody scheme of a wounded drug lord. From the first scene until the last, the camera permanently keeps track of Laura’s steep descent, following her like a stalker. The beauty contest is a façade fronting an ugly world. Torn between organised crime and a corrupt government, she’s not able to find the emergency exit. This movie is no Dardenne realism but a highly-stylised representation of a brutal reality. (GV) Out now on DVD. Page 47
Fashion
Worn Out
By Karin Wolters
These items of clothing were worn by several people on 23 February at the Gauntlet Hair show in OT301, Amsterdam. Page 48
By Zofia Ciechowska Photo by Basje Boer
What’s Cooking?
Food
Pancakes Du Prince 90g porridge oats 150g plain flour 90g brown sugar 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon 180ml sour cream 180ml milk
• In a bowl, mix the porridge oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and cinnamon. In another bowl, mash the bananas, cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, raisins and butter and stir until nice and smooth. Next, add the banana mash to the bowl with flour etc and stir like crazy. Lick the spoon.
2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 ripe bananas 175g raisins 50g melted butter strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, whatever you fancy honey
a bit of butter or oil in it. Pour approx. 10cm diameter pancakes onto the pan. Once they start bubbling, get a spatula and flip. Sans spatula for the daredevils. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side.
• Make a huge stack of these babies, top with strawberries (or whatever kind of fruit you fancy) • Get a good non-stick frying and drizzle with honey. Best eatpan with a thick base and heat en in bed naked. Page 49
Books
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Illustration by Viktor Hachmang
By Marc van der Holst
How to read...
Books
Contemporary American Poetry by my main man James Tate. Check out his stuff, too. These are very accessible, lightly surreal prose poems that are like little stories or jokes. There’s an enlightening interview with him in The Paris Review, by Charles Simic, whose prose poetry collection The World Doesn’t End is also very nice. Russell Edson. Billy Collin’s all right. Raymond But I’ll just go ahead and give Carver’s poems, of course, and you some humble, well intended Charles Bukowski’s. suggestions anyway, if that’s all right with you. There are quite a Lately I’ve been very much into lot of poets out there across the Jack Gilbert’s stuff. Emotional, ocean (about 37,543 last time beautiful poems about life, love, I counted) and the question of sex and death. He came recomwhere to start, who to read and mended by my pen pal Sandra what to pick can seem daunting. Beasley, whose I Was the Jukebox I like so much I have gotSo allow me. ten a bit evangelistic about and I got into poetry via Silver Jews usually carry a copy around of to singer David Berman, who give away. has published a book of poetry called Actual Air. It’s beautiful, But other than that, you’re on funny and a great gateway drug your own. You’ll be fine, though. if you’re into lyrics and stuff. On You’ll be reading contemporary the back of it you’ll find a blurb American poetry. Sweet. Look, I don’t know either, I’m sorry. I’m no expert on this, just a casual, enthusiastic reader of rhymin’ and freeversin’ yanks. Sit your ass down with a fairly recent book of poetry by any American poet, and read, I guess. Try to concentrate. It’s good to concentrate. Other than that, you’re on your own.
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Horoscope
By Brenda Bosma
Taurus
VIRGO
In your social life, you feel the pressure to perform at a level that seems to be rising above your head. Quite often you find yourself in a weary mood where you wish a simple ‘like’ would be sufficient rather than a carefully constructed comment drenched in postmodern cross-cultural references.
Religion bores you. Your universe is within the walls of your work and home. The rest can non-exist for all you care. But what’s that stain doing on your sleeve right before your big presentation? Could that be God, or Something, punishing you?
21 April – 21 May
GEMINI
22 May – 21 June
Your milkshake brings all the boys/girls to the yard. You’re worried about your lactose intolerance, but as long as all this shaking doesn’t give you genital intolerance, we think you’re safe to indulge.
CANCER
22 June – 22 July
You are increasingly acting like a Sagittarius. Is your sign Air? We don’t think so: it’s Water. You will fall like Icarus, sweetie pie. Don’t you think otherwise.
LEO
23 July – 22 Aug
Yes, of course you are the most beautiful and unique snowflake of the world. We say: act like it and make us all proud. They and we will follow. Now, look what you’ve made us do! Paraphrase U2. May spring melt you. Page 52
23 Aug – 22 Sept
LIBRA
23 Sept – 22 Oct
It’s either this way or that way. It’s plain and simple. One and one is never three, so just pick a colour of Crocs already!
SCORPIO
23 Oct – 21 Nov
You can shove it under the bed, but you know it’ll just attract dust and other garbage and pretty soon you’ll have created a monster that dictates your every move. Be careful with the Untruth this month.
Sagittarius
22 Nov – 21 Dec
I’m just gonna take the direct approach with you. You need to stop what you’re doing immediately, or else you will be hit by an anvil. Life can be a Road Runner sometimes. Let’s hope coyotes can think with their brain for a change.
Illustrations by Kathrin Klingner
CAPRICORN
22 Dec – 20 Jan
That’s a serious outbreak of the grumpies. It’s evacuating time this month. We still love you, but come back to planet Smiley Face soon please.
Horoscope
ARIES
21 March-20 April
Aquarius
21 January-19 February
Lately Heather Locklear seems to be dominating your thoughts. You wonder if she was so thin because of that curious garlic diet or because of the competition with all the skinny models that acted in Melrose Place. Either way, you’ll start eating lots of garlic.
pisces
20 February-20 March
Damn you hikikomori! Go bother someone else with your whining about BMI and pressure to come up with quirky animated gifs of drowsy looking sloths in a human context. What-e-vah!
You’re not the kind to wait around for something to fall out of the sky. You are actiondriven and if you wanted thousands of frogs falling from heaven, you would personally throw buckets of them with a decisive stare in your eyes. You’ll squeeze those little bodies with your firm hands like real men crush empty beer cans. This month you are in charge of your own course. We know you would want to manoeuvre a little to close to the ledge, to pump up that adrenaline level, but just know that although broken bones always heal, broken hearts are a bit more fickle in that regard. Page 53
Hermes Ensemble play La Chute de la Maison Usher Friday 20 April, 20:15, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ The Fall of the House of Usher — Edgar Allan Poe’s short novel of a haunted castle full of fear, doom and troubled minds — was translated to film by avant-garde cinematographer Jean Epstein in 1928. The film proved to be a masterpiece of impressionist silent film and has inspired many writers, artists and film makers since. In 1995, Italian composer Ivan Fedele wrote a radical and stunning score to this classic. Tonight the Hermes Ensemble will perform Fedele’s score while the dark piece of avant-garde cinema that is Epstein’s La Chute de la Maison Usher is projected. Experience it for only €10 with an Early Bird Ticket. See a great concert, check out the marvellous building and get a free drink on the side.
Call Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ or buy tickets at the register 020-788 20 00 | www.muziekgebouw.nl
Agenda On the following pages:
Subbacultcha! concerts and films totally free for members Page 57
Other shows Page 64 Free tickets Page 76
These people are Dean Blunt and Inga Copeland also known as Hype Williams. They will play a show at the Bimhuis in Amsterdam on 14 April.
ZA 7 APR MINNY POPS / THE TAPES ULTRA2012-EINDE
ZO 8 APR SKIP+DIE / FELLOW / BOMB DIGGY CREW BASSBRAAI -CLUBNIGHT-
WO 11 APR KILLING JOKE DO 12 APR LA BOUTIQUE FANTASTIQUE ZA 14 APR DENVIS & THE REAL DEAL CD-PRESENTATIE CORAZON DO 19 APR APPARAT BAND VR 20 APR SLAGSMÅLSKLUBBEN ZA 21 APR MOVITS! LIVE @ CTRL+ALT+DANCE MA 23 APR THE BOSSHOSS WO 25 APR THE DANDY WARHOLS DO 26 APR THE OLD FIRM CASUALS FT. LARS FREDERIKSEN (RANCID) VR 27 APR MAJOR LAZER VR 27 APR MR SCRUFF @ KLINCH ZA 28 APR PHILIP GLASS ZA 28 APR PATRICK WATSON ZO 29 APR JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION MELKWEG AMSTERDAM - LIJNBAANSGRACHT 234A LET OP: DIT IS EEN SELECTIE VAN HET PROGRAMMA. HET VOLLEDIGE PROGRAMMA VIND JE OP WWW.MELKWEG.NL
See all these shows for free. Sign up at www.subbacultcha.nl.
Jacuzzi Boys
04 April - Rotown, Rotterdam 21.00 | €8 | Free for Subbacultcha! members 06 April - Area 51, Eindhoven 20.30 | €10 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
When asked if they’d ever consider relocating from their hometown to a place with a more vibrant music scene, Jacuzzi Boys answer with an emphatic ‘No!’ Why’s that, you ask? Probably because they’re from Miami, and their practice space is located in a trailer in a state park on a tropical island. Guess that explains their surfy garage pop and sunshiney disposition too. Word on the street is they kick ass live.
Those Darlins + Apneu
06 April - OCCII, Amsterdam 20.30 | €7 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
Those Darlins recently lost founding female Kelley Anderson to other projects. The former quartet met at the Southern Girls Rock ’n’ Roll Camp in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where their lone male member was a counsellor. Accordingly, their sound is very Southern, though it’s shifted away from the purer country of their roots towards rock ’n’ roll in an effort to appeal to a broader audience. Hopefully, making more citified music hasn’t tamed the booze-filled lustiness their live shows are known for. Garage popping the evening’s cherry is Amsterdam’s Apneu, featuring members of Katadreuffe, Eva Braun and Boutros Bubba. Page 57
See all these shows for free. Sign up at www.subbacultcha.nl.
New Order #4 and #5
#4 - 06-15 April - Mediamatic Fabriek, Amsterdam #5 - 20-29 April - Mediamatic Fabriek, Amsterdam Opening 06 April and 20 April, 17.00 (free) | Saturdays and Sundays 13.00-18.00 | €5 | Free for Subbacultcha! members Mediamatic’s New Order project is a series of short installational exhibitions focusing on the concept of energy in a ‘post-carbon’ era. They take place in the huge and amazing Van Gendthallen, Mediamatic’s new playground in the city. Instalments #4 and #5 of the New Order series feature DUS Architects, who will create instant architecture with two giant ‘breathing’ hot air balloons (#4) and artists Liam Young / Sascha Pohflepp (#5).
Odonis Odonis
12 April - OT301, Amsterdam 20.30 | €7 | Free for Subbacultcha! members 23 April - dB’s, Utrecht 20.30 | €7 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
The name of Odonis Odonis’ debut album, Hollandaze, might conjure up images of stoner kids fresh off an Erasmus stint in Amsterdam, and lead one to expect them to make something shamelessly weed-inspired and possibly goofy. However, the furious surf-gaze this Toronto band unleash sounds like Big Black shagged The Jesus and Mary Chain in the alley behind a bar, and they’ve given birth to a baby with a hungover scowl and a cigarette dangling out of its mouth. Page 58
As a member you will also receive this magazine every month plus a stylish tote bag
Teen Daze + Brothertiger
13 April - De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam 20.00 | €7 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
Teen Daze is Jamison, a relentlessly positive producer who hails from a small mountainside town outside Vancouver. When he’s not making what he describes as ‘postmodern collage wave’ or remixing others’ tracks as Teen Daze, he’s busy with his ambient-folk-postrock side project called Two Bicycles. His debut full-length drops in May and represents the most unified blend of dance and ambient music he’s released yet. Ohio’s Brothertiger offers up a prototypically chillwavey take on ’80s synth pop.
Xiu Xiu
16 April - OT301, Amsterdam 20.30 | €9 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
The line-up of Xiu Xiu has changed frequently since the project’s inception in 2002. All the implied interpersonal drama suggests that frontman and sole permanent member Jamie Stewart might be a pretty uncompromising dude. Stewart & co have released a steady stream of full-lengths, splits and collaborations comprised of an evolving mix of experimental art rock, post-punk and synth pop. Sounds pretty tame, till you factor in Stewart’s sometimes almost violently confrontational singing style and subject matter, which focuses on despair, politics and his personal life. Page 59
See all these shows for free. Sign up at www.subbacultcha.nl.
Jesus Camp
19 April - 16CC, Amsterdam 21.30 | €7.50 | Free for Subbacultcha! members Tonight, the sweet and small cinema (only 20 seats, so come early) at this a fresh new film-art-drink hotspot screens Jesus Camp; a documentary following several young children attending the conservative evangelical summer camp Kids on Fire. A revealing and sometimes shocking peek into an extremely religious (and somewhat scary) culture.
The Oscillation
20 April - dB’s, Utrecht
This groovy psychedelic group centres on Demian Castellanos. He writes the lyrics and most instrumental parts himself before allowing his bandmates to flesh out his ideas, which draw inspiration from big shots like Can, Pink Floyd, Death in Vegas and Echo and the Bunnymen without sounding pretentious or derivative. Also playing tonight: psychedelic garage trash rockers Roy and His Devil’s Motorcycle.
Blues Control & Laraaji + AU 22 April - WORM, Rotterdam 20.30 | €8 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
After Lea Cho and Russ Waterhouse had played new-age music together for some time under the name Watersports, they formed Blues Control back in 2006 to try their hand at experimental psychedelia. Laraaji Nadabrahmananda studied composition and tried out various instruments before making his greatest impact with the electronic zither. In December 2010, RVNG Intl. brought them together for their FRKWYS series, resulting in an album that’s surprisingly organic and effortless-sounding, especially given that it was entirely improvised and recorded in a single day. Portland’s AU (pronounced ‘ay-you’) serve up eclectic and experimental pop and a live show that’s rumoured to be wild but well-executed. Page 60
Shows in September
Agenda
As a member you will also receive this magazine every month plus a stylish tote bag
Magazine Party ft Vakantie
26 April - Roodkapje, Rotterdam 22.00 | €5 | Free for mailing list members who send an RSVP Our infamous magazine parties are back! The tried-and-approved recipe includes live music, DJs, cheap drinks and fresh new magazines along with free entrance for all mailing list members.
Foam Photography Museum
Open daily 10.00-18.00, Thursday & Friday 10.00-21.00 | €8 Free for Subbacultcha! members
Subbacultcha members get free entry to Foam Photography Museum. Hot diggity! And April offers a fine selection of exhibits. Music&Foam - Opening 19 April - &Foam is a giant new exhibition space slash book store on Vijzelstraat. From 19 April a new exhibition will open and the good news is the exhibition is entirely focussed on music and music photography. Also there’ll be plenty of wonderful books and magazines for sale and Subbacultcha! members get a 10% discount on all music books. The New York Times Magazine Photographs - Until 30 May Intelligently designed exhibition focusing on the prominent and high quality photography of the New York Times Magazine. Bertien van Manen - Let’s Sit Down before We Go - Until 24 June 60 portraits shot between 1991 and 2009 during van Manen’s numerous travels through Russia offer an endearing and respectful view on everyday Russian life. Page 61
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Opening: 24 maart, 3-8u. Tentoonstelling t/m 7 april.
+31 (0)20 4275770 info@meneermalasch.nl www.meneermalasch.nl
MENEER MALASCH MAAKT KUNST BEREIKBAAR
Meneer Malasch Postjesweg 2 1057 EA Amsterdam
MEANWHILE AT MALASCH
The Storage is meer dan alleen een tentoonstelling. Het is een manier van denken over kunst. Niet alleen schilderijen of sculpturen zijn kunst vormen, maar er zijn vele uitingen van creatief talent. The Storage laat zien dat topstukken niet bestaan zonder bijproducten zoals boeken, tijdschriften, multiples en dergelijke. Een ander belangrijk uitgangspunt is dat autonome en toegepaste kunsten hand in hand kunnen gaan, en dat werk van gevestigde namen niet apart gehouden hoeft te worden van het werk van jong talent.
AMSTERDAM MAART 2012 -
PS. BRING YOUR WALLET
1 GRATIS CONSUMPTIE
JONGE KUNSTENAARS
WOUTER VAN DEN BRINK X NICOLAS FRANCISCUS
DJ JEANPAUL PAULA (KNUCKLE DUSTER AGENCY)
POP-UPS SPRMRKT ATHENAEUM BOEKHANDEL BAS VAN BEEK
COLLECTIE MALASCH
24 MAART - 3 TOT 8U.
OPENING THE STORAGE
M M
MORE TO COME AT MENEER MALASCH...
THE STORAGE MENEER MALASCH 24 MAART VAN 3 TOT 8 POP-UP T/M 7 APRIL
Het bijeenbrengen van een brede selectie kunstvormen en –uitingen heeft als belangrijkste doel om kunst, en dan met name hedendaagse kunst bereikbaar, toegankelijk en betaalbaar te maken. The Storage wil graag dat iedereen ‘de trotse eigenaar kan worden van een kunstwerk’. The Storage is een concept en samenstelling door Ricardo Dijkhuizen.
Agenda
Focus
Eye Film Institute Opening 05-11 April It is done! On 5 April, the brand-new-and-improved EYE Film Institute opens the doors of its spectacular new building on the banks of the IJ in Amsterdam Noord. The prestigious and metropolitan design of the new building houses no less than four cinemas to screen a selection of the best, most challenging and most acclaimed classics and contemporary films.
To celebrate the grand opening, EYE kicks off with a one-week festival with a large and varied offering of films, premieres, talks and exhibitions. Found Footage: Cinema Exposed Found Footage is the first exhibition in the new 1,200 square-metre exhibition space of the EYE Film Institute. The exhibition focuses on the way archival film footage is used in art and experimental films. Film stills have always been a huge inspiration for artists. In the past but, more importantly, in our contemporary media-oriented easy-access-to-everything world, visual recycling and sampling have become a common part of artistic expression. Artists find film footage in every dark corner imaginable, mash it up, spit it out and create fresh pieces shaping a new context for old images. The exhibition is accompanied by lectures, debates and screenings. Page 64
Martin Scorsese - Cinematic Genius Until 16 May 2012, EYE presents a major retrospective of the work of Martin Scorsese, who celebrates his 70th birthday this year. Scorsese is not only the director of numerous American classics (Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Mean Streets and on and on and on), but also a passionate film authority and mentor, who sees himself as the guardian of international film heritage. EYE figured it was time to shine a light on Mr Scorsese himself and honour him with full focus and undivided attention. And... Head down to see no less then 11 pre-premieres in one week. Our tip: Alps. Furthermore, De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig show Terminator II: Judgment Day and there’ll be an extensive children’s programme, debates, workshops and more. See www.eyefilm.nl for the programme.
Focus
Agenda
Filming Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese - Cinematic Genius)
Girardet Mueller - Kristall Bozar (Found Footage: Cinema Exposed)
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Agenda
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Shows in April
Agenda
Shows in April
Light Asylum play Motel Mozaique in Rotterdam
Jacuzzi Boys 01 April - Vera, Groningen 04 April - Rotown, Rotterdam 05 April - Paradiso, Amsterdam 06 April - Area 51, Eindhoven Miami’s Jacuzzi Boys make appropriately surfy garage pop with a sunshiney disposition to match. Word on the street is they kick ass live. Read more on page 57.
Disappears 01 April - Paradiso, Amsterdam Last year this krauty, repetition-loving Chicago group lost their drummer, producer and co-founding member Graeme Gibson to Gibson’s other project, The Fruit Bats. Fortunately, they struck gold in terms of replacement: Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley joined their ranks and is now fully integrated into the band. Their third full-length album Pre-Language is out on Kranky and features some of their slickest work yet.
Drum Eyes 05 April - OCCII, Amsterdam DJ Scotch Egg’s Drum Eyes project fea-
tures E-Da (of Boredoms) and a network of musicians from Brighton’s experimental underground scene with a penchant for putting genres like sludge rock, doom metal and weird electronics through the sonic equivalent of a woodchipper. Expect an energetic take on material drawn from their 2010 debut as well as their nearly complete sophomore album.
Los Campensinos! 04 April - Paradiso, Amsterdam This indie pop band formed at Cardiff University back in 2006 and have been making a sardonic but joyously cathartic racket ever since. Their latest album, Hello Sadness, features their darkest and most mature material yet.
The Strange Boys 04 April - Vera, Groningen 05 April - Paradox, Tilburg (Incubated 16) 06 April - Paradiso, Amsterdam The Strange Boys are a young group from Austin, Texas whose musical garage features not only rock, but also bits and bobs Page 67
APRIL / MEI 2012 APRIL / DI
LOCATIE: KARGADOOR
03 LAURA GIBSON DARK DARK DARK 06 CULTFARM 06 12 THE TWILIGHT SAD 20 MIDDLEMAN POKEY LAFARGE & THE 22 SOUTH CITY THREE 09 RICHARD BUCKNER 19 BASS DRUM OF DEATH APRIL / VR
+ LOVE LIKE BIRDS
APRIL / VR
MAGIC MOUNTIAN HIGH (MOVE D + JUJU & JORDASH)
APRIL / DO
KICKING THE HABIT <3
APRIL / VR
GOLD DIGGERS PRESENTS: + FLASH FIKTION
APRIL / ZO
MEI / WO
LOCATIE: KARGADOOR
MEI / ZA
SUBBACULTCHA! PRESENTS: + RAPE BLOSSOMS
Shows in April
of country, punk, doo-wop, r&b and blues. Their newest material finds them occasionally exploring more low-key territory, but they’re at their best when they pick up the tempo.
65daysofstatic 05 April - Muziekgieterij, Maastricht 06 April - Peron55, Venlo 07 April - Tivoli de Helling, Utrecht 09 April - Mezz, Breda Sheffield’s 65daysofstatic take their name from the 1954 CIA-backed coup d’etat in Guatemala. The name’s connection to their lyric-less, experimental post-rock is dubious, but it does lend itself to various snappy nicknames (65dos, etc). Most recently, they re-scored the 1972 sci-fi film Silent Running live at a festival, and the performances were so well-received they subsequently decided to capture it on record.
Agenda
ists and bands who are upholding the Ultra spirit in their own unique ways. This night features the first live performances in three decades of Ultra standard bearers Minny Pops and The Tapes.
Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner & Nico Muhly 07 April - Muziekgebouw, Eindhoven 08 April - Muziektheater, Amsterdam For any fan of contemporary classical music ever tempted by the forbidden fruit of indie rock, this performance should make for a wet dream come true: orchestral indie superstar Sufjan Stevens; Bryce Dessner of newly coronated kings of indie rock The National; and under-recognized contemporary classical whiz Nico Muhly team up to present a unique song cycle for seven trombones and string quartet featuring vocals by Stevens.
Those Darlins
Neptune + Stare Case
06 April - OCCII, Amsterdam 07 April - Merleyn, Nijmegen This Tennessee quartet-turned-trio’s sound is shifting from country towards rock ’n’ roll in an effort to reach a broader audience, but should remain as lusty and booze-filled as ever. Read more on page 57.
08 April - WORM, Rotterdam Boston-based noise makers Neptune are back in Holland for one last show on their extensive European tour. This time they are bringing their brutal-looking custom-made instruments to WORM for a show with ambient noise duo Stare Case featuring members of Wolf Eyes.
ULTRA2012-EINDE: Minny Pops + The Tapes
Michael Gira (Swans)
07 April - Melkweg, Amsterdam Ultra - short for ‘Ultra Modernen’ - refers to a movement of Dutch bands and artists, which coalesced from 1979 to 1983, and the weird and wild mix of DIY-infused punk, jazz and contemporary classical music that emerged from it was considered some of the greatest experimental pop in Europe of that era. ULTRA2012 features events designed to bring together the catalysts of the original movement with contemporary art-
10 April - Paradiso, Amsterdam Michael Gira’s experimental post-punk band Swans sneered and bludgeoned their way from the ’80s through to 1997, when he killed the project. After dedicating some years to the gentler Angels of Light and tending to the Young Gods record label he founded, Gira revived Swans in 2010. On this tour, he’ll play solo, though his Swans bandmate Kristof Hahn will open the evening with his own solo performance. Page 69
Agenda
T 31 MR R P 06 A 20 APR 26 APR 10 MEI 18 MEI 19 MEI 25 MEI 07 JUN
Shows in April
WSON CK VIE LA EEUWIS I A T D R : E D L E DE INVLO ATHIJS ONDER FONZ III + M EE SHOW) OPLE LUCKY ODONIS (FR P PARTY PE S E O D O N I O I Z U + S L E O M BS T N U E K H T N I P FROM ASK T E K GONS ROC & HIS FL O DRA W Y T R R E LA TH W) E SHO T AND EWER MAGIC (FRE YOUNG K A I AM O
DIT IS MIJN
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Agenda
Shows in April
Daniel Johnston 11 April - Amstelkerk, Amsterdam This outsider art legend has built an impressive cult following over the last three decades with his awkwardly childlike, direct and occasionally ingenious songwriting. This spring he’s touring in support of his debut graphic novel and interactive comic book experience SPACE DUCKS: AN INFINITE COMIC BOOK OF MUSICAL GREATNESS, which features Johnston’s first new album since 2009.
Child Abuse 11 April - Poortgebouw, Rotterdam 12 April - OCCII, Amsterdam When it comes to writing about this NYC trio, puns are half the fun. Child Abuse is great! I hereby heartily recommend Child Abuse! And so on. Presumably on purpose, the fusion of noise, death metal, grindcore, and free jazz these degenerates generate is every bit as reprehensible as the societal ill after which they’re named. Don’t be a namby pamby, let Child Abuse change your life for the better. You’ll thank us.
Odonis Odonis 12 April - OT301, Amsterdam 20 April - 013, Tilburg 21 April - Patronaat, Haarlem 23 April - dB’s, Utrecht The furious surf-gaze this Toronto band unleashes sounds like the illegitimate love child of Big Black and The Jesus and Mary Chain. Read more on page 58.
Teen Daze + Brothertiger 13 April - De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam Producer Teen Daze blends dance and ambient music while Ohio’s Brothertiger offers up a prototypically chillwavey take on ’80s synth pop. Read more on page 59.
NON Records Night ft Palmbomen + Hyper Hyper 13 April - Merleyn, Nijmegen 20 April - 013, Tilburg 29 April - Paard van Troje, Den Haag NON Records is label with an eye for graphic design and an ear for futuristic pop. This spring, NON continues its quest for Dutch dance domination, storming the walls of one disco castle after another. They won’t hit up their hometown Amsterdam this time around, but I guess we can afford to pass that chronic(what?)cles of NON, yeah!
Kap Bambino 12 April - Rotown, Rotterdam 13 April - Doornroosje, Nijmegen 14 April - Bitterzoet, Amsterdam Bordeaux’s Kap Bambino are kindred spirits to the Crystal Castles of yore, in that they’re a male-female duo comprised of a crazy/hot chick and a dude who looks like an asshole. They make dark and aggressive chiptuney electronica, and they’re known for their wild and uncompromising live performances.
Hype Williams 14 April - Bimhuis, Amsterdam This London-born, Berlin-based duo is named after the American film maker best known for directing rap music videos, though given their extremely lo-fi home recordings and penchant for irony-laden hiphop and ’80s references they may have been more inspired by his ’98 feature film debut Belly, a nihilistic and sloppy mess of a film starring rappers Nas and DMX.
Xiu Xiu 16 April - OT301, Amsterdam Xiu Xiu frontman Jamie Stewart and his roPage 71
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Shows in April
tating cast of misanthropes back uncompromising and confrontational lyrics with a mix of experimental art rock, postpunk and synth pop. Read more on page 59.
Slagsmålsklubben 13 April - Podium Victorie, Alkmaar 17 April - Doornroosje, Nijmegen 18 April - Mezz, Breda 20 April - Melkweg, Amsterdam (klinch) “Slagsmålsklubben” is the Swedish translation of the title of the movie Fight Club. While the appearance of these nerdy goofballs makes it easy to imagine them getting bullied badly enough to want to found a secret fight club, they’re certainly not taking out any aggression via their cheerful 8-bit synth pop.
Stedelijk @ Trouw Contemporary Art Club 19 April -Trouw de Verdieping, Amsterdam This art-, multimedia-, lecture- and musicfilled event is the first of four nights aimed at bringing contemporary art from museum pedestals back to the underground culture it’s so often inspired by. DJs such as Joost van Bellen, Tom Trago and Strange Boutique will provide a soundtrack you can feel equally comfortable pontificating or partying to.
Motel Mozaïque ft Light Asylum, Emika, 2:54 and more 19-22 April - Various locations, Rotterdam The 12th edition of this music and arts festival will feature performances at extraordinary locations around Rotterdam, and befitting the city’s lively creative vibe, guests even have the option of staying in unusual accommodations, such as works of art especially designed for the festival. Should be awesome as long as you don’t end up anywhere near that gnome and his butt plug.
The Oscillation 20 April - dB’s, Utrecht 21 April - Patronaat, Haarlem The Oscillation play groovy psychedelic dance music inspired by big shots like Can, Pink Floyd, Death in Vegas and Echo and the Bunnymen without sounding pretentious or derivative. Read more on page 60.
Klub 407 ft PTTRNS 21 April - Goethe-Institut, Amsterdam It’s not often that you get to see a band play at the wonderful Goethe-Institut on the Herengracht in Amsterdam. Trust us, the location alone is worth the bike ride. Tonight Cologne-based groovy post-punkers PTTRNS will be performing in a baroque setting that includes chandeliers, a grand piano and vintage wallpaper.
Pinkunoizu 21 April - Paradiso, Amsterdam 26 April - 013, Tilburg 28 April - Into the Great Wide Open, Vlieland The name of this Copenhagen quartet means ‘pink noise’ in Japanese, which is a pretty OK way to describe their music, if by ‘pink’ you mean ‘comes in many shades, warm and welcoming, and a bit cuddly around the edges’, and by ‘noise’ you mean, well, ‘noise’. ‘Delightful avant-folk’ works pretty well, too.
Blues Control & Laraaji + AU 22 April - WORM, Rotterdam Experimental psychedelia duo Blues Control and zither maestro Laraaji complement one another nicely, while Portland’s AU serve up a wild and well executed take on eclectic and experimental pop. Read more on page 60. And read an interview with Laraaji on page 24. Page 73
Agenda
Shows in April
06 APR
JACUZZI BOYS
11 APR
MOTORPSYCHO
22 APR
BEN CAPLAN + THE CASUAL SMOKERS
17 MEI
FACTORY FLOOR
27 MEI
CLOUD NOTHINGS
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Agenda
Shows in April
Maps & Atlases 23 April - Paradiso, Amsterdam These Chicagoans joined forces in search of a sound that was both technical and organic, like that of heroes such as Don Caballero and Hella. While these guys are also renowned for their virtuosic skills, they manage to wow in a more accessible way than their forebears. The title of their new album, Beware and Be Grateful, hopefully hints at the experience of seeing them live.
Films: Future Shorts 24 April - OT301, Amsterdam Future Shorts bills itself as the world’s biggest pop-up film festival, featuring some of the best classic, cult and award-winning short films from around the world. Since November 2011, screenings have been viewed by over 25,000 people in 144 cities in 55 countries. Not a bad start!
Oneothrix Point Never 26 April - Doornroosje, Nijmegen Daniel Lopatin makes ambient/drone music that sometimes sounds like a chillwave sample, except actually fleshed out and explored. It makes you feel like the past is gone forever and whatever memories you have of it will only warp over time and then fade away. Sad and beautiful stuff.
Sleep Party People 26 April - 013, Tilburg (+ Pinkunoizu) 28 April - Bitterzoet, Amsterdam This Danish quintet have just released their second album, We Were Drifting on a Sad Song. As if Donnie Darko wasn’t reason enough to link bunny masks with almostcreepy, dreamlike scenarios, Sleep Party People are here to cement the association with their otherworldly electro dream pop and, yes, bunny masks.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion 27 April - Doornroosje, Nijmegen 29 April - Melkweg, Amsterdam Blues Explosion burst onto the scene in 1991 following the demise of Spencer’s seminal ‘hatefuck’ band, Pussy Galore, shaking listeners to the core with their combo of punk blues and garage rock. Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel recently tipped them for this year’s ATP festival they’ve still got it!
Major Lazer 27 April - Melkweg, Amsterdam In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years: Major Lazer is the dancehall/electro collaboration between DJs Switch and Diplo responsible for such huge (and admittedly awesome) singles as ‘Hold the Line’. Tonight you can shake your ass in a Pitchfork-approved sort of way.
Geen Daden Maar Woorden Festival 28 April - Melkweg, Amsterdam After a couple of succesful editions over the past years in cities such as Den Bosch, Utrecht and Rotterdam, this off-beat literary festival hits Amsterdam for the first time. And it hits with a little bang. Behold a nice line-up of pundits from various disciplines: this is your chance to get dirty with Belgian enfants terribles Herman Brusselmans and Gummbah. Promising.
Phillip Glass 28 April - Melkweg, Amsterdam (Rabozaal) Phillip Glass is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. This evening will feature a variety of works esspecially selected by Glass, with accompaniment by violinist Tim Fain. Page 75
Free Stuff
Free tickets and goodies
To win, sign up to our mailing list on www.subbacultcha.nl. 2x2 tickets KAP BAMBINO
2x2 Tickets Motel Mozaïque
2x2 Tickets Oneothrix Point Never
12 April Rotown, Rotterdam
19 April Various locations, Rotterdam
26 April Doornroosje, Nijmegen
2x2 tickets Hype williams
3X2 Tickets Klub 407
3x2 TICKETS geen daden maar woorden FESTIVAL
14 April Bimhuis, Amsterdam
21 April Goethe-Institut, Amsterdam
28 April Melkweg, Amsterdam
We’re also giving away free tickets to Drum Eyes, Neptune + Stare Case, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, 65daysofstatic, Child Abuse and La Chute de Maison Usher. Page 76
Submitted photos
AFTER MIDNIGHT
Send photos that were taken after midnight to aftermidnight@subbacultcha.nl If your photo gets published, you win a good goodie This month’s photo was submitted by Hervé Dieudonné Page 77
Overview of all Subbacultcha shows in April
04 April
20 April
Jacuzzi Boys
Rotown, Rotterdam 21.00 | €8 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
06 April
The Oscillation
dB’s, Utrecht 21.00 | €8 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
22 April
Those Darlins + Apneu
OCCII, Amsterdam 20.30 | €7 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
06 April
Blues Control & Laraaji + Au WORM, Rotterdam 20.30 | €8 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
Jacuzzi Boys
Area 51, Eindhoven 20.30 | €10 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
12 April
Odonis Odonis
OT301, Amsterdam 20.30 | €7 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
13 April
Teen Daze + Brothertiger
23 April
Odonis Odonis
dB’s, Utrecht 20.30 | €7 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
24 April
Magazine Party ft. Vakantie Roodkapje, Rotterdam 20.30 | Free if you are on the mailing list and RSVP
De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam 20.00 | €7 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
All Month
16 April
Foam
Xiu Xiu
Open daily 10.00-18.00, Thursday and Friday 10.00-21.00 | €8 Free for Subbacultcha! members
OT301, Amsterdam 20.30 | €9 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
19 April
Jesus Camp
Mediamatic
16CC, Amsterdam 21.30 | €7,50 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
New Order #4 - 06-15 April / New Order #5 20-29 April - Mediamatic Fabriek, Amsterdam Ignite - 25 April, Mediamatic Bank
Coming up:
Dustin Wong, Basketbal, Hunx And His Punx, Keep Shelly in Athens, U.S Girls, Bass Drum of Death, Young Magic, Death Grips, 100% Silk Label Night, Com Truise, Moon Duo and Frankie Rose
See all these shows for free. Join at www.subbacultcha.nl Page 78