By Sofia Ciechowska Illustration bi Basje Boer
Unruly Music Magazine May 2012
What’s Cooking
Food The Guilty Pleasures Issue
Lower Dens, LA Vampires, Young MagicPage 1
just add color the chuck taylor all star spring color collection
The Guilty Pleasures Issue
The image above portrays Dave Weckl. Born in 1960 in the USA, Weckl grew up to be a famous jazz/fusion drummer renowned for his sublime technique and his mad improvisation skills. The drum virtuoso made it on to this page - wonderfully illustrated by Geoff Kim - because Adriaan van de Velde, aka Pomrad, from Antwerp told us that Mr Dave Weckl is his guilty pleasure. Sweet. We asked more people the same question and answers are scattered throughout this magazine. Pomrad will play on 11 May in Trix, Antwerp. The show is free for Subbacultcha! members.
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Content
The Guilty Pleasures Issue
LA Vampires
Lower Dens
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Page 25
Young Magic
Agenda
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Page 47
Top 5 New Music We Saw You LA Vampires Quilty pleasures lower dens young magic art
10 12 16 18 24 25 32 36
reviews horoscope Agenda subbacultcha shows other shows Free Stuff after midnight Overview
40 44 47 48 53 60 61 62
Guilty pleasures... haven’t we all got them? Besides all the serious and ‘real’ things in life which require your utmost and utter resposibility, guilty pleasures are actually the things that really make your life worthwhile: Miami Vice, that one song by Clouseau, Elton John, midnight snacking, peeing in the shower, not brushing your teeth before going to bed, Hello Magazine, James Taylor, watching golf on TV, sleeping until four in the afternoon, not answering the door, Barry White, Gordon Ramsey, extra sauce on everything, etc. etc. etc. Yes! time to come clean and indulge. Enjoy! Page 6
Colophon
Who we are and what we do Subbacultcha! Magazine is published by Subbacultcha! Ghent Office Karperstraat 26, 9000 Ghent, Belgium www.subbacultcha.be. magazine@subbacultcha.be Amsterdam Office Da Costakade 150, 1053 XC Amsterdam, the Netherlands www.subbacultcha.nl. magazine@subbacultcha.nl We are Editors: Leon Caren, Bas Morsch and Kasper-Jan Raeman Editorial Assistant: Megan Roberts Design: Bas Morsch and Marina Henao
Interns: Freek van Heerikhuize, Eden van den Bogaard and Ruud van Moorleghem Good Girl: Loes Verputten Good Guys: Christopher Schreck and Bauke Karel Printing: Drukkerij Gewa, Arendonk Contributors: Carly Blair, Basje Boer, Brenda Bosma, Leon Caren, Zofia Ciechowska, Danny Gonzalez, Nicholas Haggard, Geoff Kim, Kathrin Klingner, Steven McCarron, Bas Morsch, Herlinde Raeman, Stine Sampers. Distribution: Brussels: Jesse Van Pée, Gertjan Rasschaert, Melika Ngombe Ghent: Bart Bruneel Antwerpen: Antonio Marques. Bruges: Pieter Devriese Leuven: Elmo Lê Van Kortrijk Hasselt: Sofie Marguillier Luik: Collectif Jaune Orange Namen: Eliot Opdenbosch Pick up Subbacultcha! Magazine here (among 200 other places): Brussel: AB, Buzz On Your Lips, VK* Concerts, BOZAR Gent: Democrazy, Vooruit, SMAK, DOK, Music Mania Antwerpen: Scheld’apen, Trix, Kavka, American Apparel, Think Twice Brugge: Cactus, De Werf, Snuffel Kortrijk: De Kreun, The Pits Leuven: STUK, Depot, De Werf Hasselt: Muziekodroom, Popacademie Luik: Jaune & Orange 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.be 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: Marina Ann Hantzis (aka Sasha Grey) by Nathan de Corte Page 8
Top 5
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Last month at our office
Music: Hype Williams
We were blown away by the Hype Williams performance at De Kreun last month. They sure took it to another level with their blend of R&B, noise loops and cut ’n’ paste UK garage beats. Definitely check out the new album The Attitude Era.
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Fashion: Balaclava
We’re no house-breakers but for some reason we’re attracted to burglar fashion. We’ve already talked about bomber jackets, combats and so on, but our new obsession is the balaclava, our hot fashion tip for Fall 2012. So chop chop... off to the shop (to steal one obviously).
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Movie: Big Fun in The Big Town
Back in the Eighties when Marcel Vanthilt was still into cutting-edge music, he went to New York to interview hip hop legends LL Cool J and Grandmaster Flash for Bram van Splunteren’s Big Fun in The Big Town. On 18 May Ladda is presenting this documentary on big screen at DOK in Ghent and we’re watching it ’cause hell, we like it old school. It’s free for everybody, so you should come too.
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Dance: Twerk
‘Face down, ass up! That’s the way we like to twerk!’ Twerking is a sexy hip hop dance move incorporating shaking, jerking and twitching your buttocks.
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Drink: GingerLove
Stop drinking alcohol and just fill your body with GingerLove. This lovely mix of citrus fruits, ginger and herbs keeps you going and going... and going.
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A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS @ DE KREUN 05.05 ERRORS @ DE KREUN 15.05
KISS THE ANUS OF A BLACK CAT
BAND OF SKULLS @ LE GRAND MIX 18/05 THE CYNICS @ 4AD 18.05 TWIN TWISTERS
JAIRUS @ 4AD 19.05 HADRON HIGHWAY
WE WILL FOLK YOU #2 @ 4ECLUSES 19.05
KANDLE · GREENSHAPE · PROMISE AND THE MONSTER
NILS FRAHM @ 4AD 22.05 GREG HAINES
DUB TRIO @ 4ECLUSES 26.05 DRUMS ARE FOR PARADES
SINXEN FREE FESTIVAL @ DE KREUN 26 · 27 · 28.05
BEAR IN HEAVEN · ICEAGE · FOREST SWORDS · THE SOFT MOON · …
GIRLS @ LE GRAND MIX 29.05 GRAVENHURST @ LE GRAND MIX SLEEPY SUN · SISKIYOU
30.05
Union européenne - Fonds Européen de Développement Régional
Europese Unie - Europees Fonds voor Regionale Ontwikkeling Union européenne - Fonds Européen de Développement Régional
Europese Unie - Europees Fonds voor Regionale Ontwikkeling
New Music
This month’s recommendations
By Zofia Ciechowska
Pseudo Nippon pseudonippon.com
If this band doesn’t make you ROFL, I don’t really know what will. Okay, maybe a YouTube lolcat might edge marginally ahead of these guys, but it would have to be one of those lolcat classics... Sorry, I digress. Pseudo Nippon hail from their London Temple of Shed bringing forth a kaleidoscope of neon bento-inspired weirdness projected through drums, guitars, pianos, clarinets and dancing in space kimonos. They also like ham and eggs (organic, don’t sweat), so you could probably have them over for omelettes, egg sandwiches, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, hard-boiled eggs, soft-boiled eggs or just ham, and then have a dance-off on your dinner table.
Zebra Baby
zebrababymusic.tumblr.com Artists’ collective/foul-mouthed all-girl hip hop trio Zebra Baby are galloping across the Internet savannah waving their middle fingers (hooves?) at the cheetah music media that has unsuccessfully tried to eat them for breakfast. Happy rapping in Bushwick, these ladies produce pretty awesome tracks about badass shit like not paying rent on time, doing stuff to their vaginas or being better at rapping about Gucci than that shit other female rapper with that shit misspelled name. These girls could easily hijack the hell out of M.I.A.’s rusty old BMW from that new video of hers, just you wait. Page 12
New Music
Dive
facebook.com/divebk Zachary Cole Smith has some kind of link with Beach Fossils, and obviously when you put a big recognisable name in a new music column, it’ll attract attention. So there, I did it. You can stone me later. So, Smith got a bunch of his mates together from a few different bands of differing degrees of fame and they formed Dive. Their music is of that shimmery dreamy hazy genre that always pops up before the summer, perfect for lounging about on rooftops at dusk and casually spilling beer on strangers’ new trainers. Their debut LP Oshin is coming out on 26 June on Captured Tracks, so start saving your pennies.
House of John Player houseofjohnplayer.bandcamp.com
Dean Spencer is from a little place in England called Bletchley. Sources say that he apparently has a bedroom in the aforementioned Bletchley?! And as a musician, he obviously makes music in this bedroom and nowhere else because who would be silly enough to make music in their kitchen, living room or garage, right? So, Dean Spencer makes his own music somewhere in his house and it is a delicious concoction of guitar loops, drum beats, muffled vocals, pops and claps that float around and make your eardrums squeal with glee. This dude is totally feeling the stride. Check out his Bandcamp for some treats. Page 13
New Music
continued
Mutual Benefit
mutualbenefit.bandcamp.com Jordan Lee of Mutual Benefit is a well-travelled tinker who stumbles upon forgotten sounds and polishes them into shiny melodies that rock you like a hammock on a hot summer day. And without sounding too nauseatingly saccharine, I really have to hand it to this dude: his music is subtle and graceful, perhaps even sublime. Mutual Benefit also revealed that he wants to release a hologram album within the next few years or perhaps start a new dance craze where song lyrics correspond to particular dance moves. We totally buy that. Check out his latest post-lunar Buddha turds on his Bandcamp site.
Female Band
soundcloud.com/femaleband
Is it a band if it’s just you? Do you need more than one person to be in a band? I once put an elastic band around my body. I was in a band back then, so I guess not. Although your circulation might get cut off if you stay in that kind of band for longer than five minutes. Female Band is a one-girl band that makes music of that shy, heavy, noisy, haunted genre that takes it time to roll on to its back, rub its sleepy eyes and drag its body out of its bed, but it (thankfully) will not cut off your circulation. For now you’ll have to make do with the two tracks this excellently named project has released and rub your hands in anticipation for more. Page 14
PRINTING PRINTING PRINTING PRINTING PRINTING WITH WITH WITH WITH PASSION PASSION PASSION PASSION PASSION
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We Saw You
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Spotted at Subbacultcha!
Photo by Stine Sampers
What is your guilty pleasure? I don’t think I have any guilty pleasures ’cause I never feel guilty. Sorry.
Molly Nilsson, spotted at the Molly Nilsson + GIana Factory show on 25 March in DOKkantine, Ghent
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Features
The Guilty Pleasures Issue
Besides playing hazy night club dance music with her musical alter ego LA Vampires, Amanda Brown also writes books and runs no less then two record labels. One of those labels happens to be prolific dance imprint 100% Silk, home of artists Chat interview by Basje Boer.
LA
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The Guilty Pleasures Issue
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such as Ital and Maria Minerva. In May she’s taking both the label and her live act on tour across Europe, so we decided to give her a call and talk about her new book, feminism, guilty pleasures and online shopping. Photos shot by Nicholas Haggard in Los Angeles.
Vampires
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LA Vampires
First off, do you have any guilty pleasures? I don’t feel guilty about anything I take pleasure in. I hate it when people say: ‘Oh, Britney Spears is my guilty pleasure.’ I say, own it. It’s stupid, but own it. Do you ever experience shame? Whoa, that’s heavy. I feel ashamed when I think about when I was a teenager. I didn’t start loving myself until my mid-twenties, for sure. I wish I’d pushed myself harder to do anything other than watch movies and read books. I never went outside or played an instrument. I was a dork. When did you start making music, then? Britt [husband and co-label owner of Not Not Fun] sort of forced me. He still forces me actually, because he knows I’ll give up. Maybe I’m guilty of quitting. Ha ha, maybe quitting is a guilty pleasure.What would be the pleasure in quitting? I could focus more on my writing. I like to do what I’m best at. I like to be the best. And music is not me at my best, it’s me trying insanely hard, ha ha. What are you writing? I just signed a two-book deal. The first one’s coming out in July. Whoa, I didn’t know that. Page 20
No one does. It’s a good little secret. If music is something you have to try hard at, then is writing something that comes naturally? Writing is hard in a different way. If it’s a cliché to say something is ‘what you were born to do’, then I’m that cliché when it comes to writing. Music is a non-stop struggle; writing has more highs. And it’s a solo sport. Do you enjoy working by yourself ? I don’t! That’s why I’ll never be a true solo artist. I don’t know why people navel gaze so intensely. It’s the rise of the solo artist now, bands are a thing of the past. It’s ego-striking mania. What do you write about? Being a teenager. Ah, that era of shame. Yeah, I’m working through that shame. The novel is about young feminism. About embracing being a girl and turning your back on the idea of what girls say and do. I didn’t care what anyone said when I was fifteen. Do you think that’s different for young girls nowadays? I think everything’s different for everyone these days. Thank God I grew up in the ’80s. Literally I thank God every day I didn’t grow up with the Internet.
The Guilty Pleasures Issue
Is your novel set in the ’80s as well? It’s loosely set in the ’90s. Is there any music in it? Some grunge maybe? Yeah, grunge for sure. And heyday rap. ’94 had the best rap. When I hear ‘Motownphilly’, that’s got to be like when my mother hears Carole King or some shit. My mother only likes the early Beatles. I think it’s so tasteless and weird, but it reminds her of her childhood, so who cares? I was just thinking, here in Holland feminism has turned into something to feel guilty about. I should hope Dutch women claim feminism, they’re wonderful. I lived near Nijmegen for half a year, back in 2000. All I could say was ‘dankuwel’. I sounded like an ass, but a polite ass. Is the way you look and dress part of being a feminist? For sure. 100 per cent. I believe in sexiness. I have to project what I think is sexy and that is something a bit androgynous, something that is stern and modern. What is feminism going to be like in the future? It’ll be more about an inner strength than a movement, which is wonderful and sad. So once again, it’s about going solo.
Features
Solo is the future, I’m afraid. We’re all separating. But isn’t the Internet bringing us together? No no no no. Should we all get rid of our computers? No! How else will we do our online shopping? What are your earliest memories of guilt and pleasure? I was always talking back to my mother, always getting in snips and last words. My father is dead, and she meant the world to me. So when I was cruel to her, it would feel awful. I know every once in a while my mother thinks: I gave birth to an asshole. Does your mother have any guilty pleasures? Salty foods, gossip, conservative news programmes, shoe shopping. Sounds like a very normal woman. Yes, that’s feminism at work. Embrace your inner shoe shopper. I just wish women were more unapologetic about it. Thank you for your time. Of course, thanks for yours. Dankuwel!
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LA Vampires
LA Vampires play during the 100% Silk Label Night at Ancienne Belgique in Brussels on 30 May. Page 22
The The Guilty Guilty Pleasures Pleasures Issue Issue
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A random selection of guilty pleasures
‘Love.’
‘First off, Jews feel guilty about everything. It’s fair to say I feel guilty for having pleasure at all. That being said: U2.’
‘Playing beach volleyball with handsome black men.’
Max Henry, SUUNS
Alex Zhang Hungtai, Dirty Beaches
Laraaji
‘Watching Gordon Ramsey, Instagram, eating a pack of tofurky sausage!’ Randy Randall, No Age
‘Getting stoned and eating a whole pizza while watching TV, drinking an ice-cold beer while taking a long hot shower with the lights off (it’s like a vacation!), Red Bull and peanut butter Twix.’
‘I’m not sure if it’s something I feel guilty about, but, I’ve been reading the obituaries every day in the local paper and trying to find more information about people’s deaths.’
Jeans Wilder
Chris Laufman, Wise Blood
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The Guilty Pleasures Issue
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Lower Dens
Drony and dizzying dream-pop outfit Lower Dens just released their sophomore album Nootropics on Ribbon Music. Jana Hunter and her men delivered a minimal masterpiece that addresses our relationship with technology. We Skype-called Geoff Graham, who’s responsible for the throbbing bass sounds on the album, and we got to know a bit about the concept behind the record - though pretty soon we were talking about guns, HP Lovecraft and ‘sex, broccoli and rock ’n’ roll’. The guilty pleasures of life... ‘I think Jana knows all of your secrets, so you should treat her well.’ Phone interview by Brenda Bosma. Photos by Shawn Brackbill.
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The Guilty Pleasures Issue
Lower Dens
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Lower Dens
In the video for ‘Brains’ Jana stares into the camera with a resigned look on her face, making her seem sort of omniscient. She kind of reminded me of Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey. As a spectator it gave me an awkward feeling, as if she knew all of my secrets. Does that say anything about her, or does that say something about me? I think Jana knows all of your secrets, so you should treat her well. There’s this interesting thing that happens when you let somebody look into the camera: all of a sudden you feel like you’re being watched, like the video is watching you. That’s one of the ideas we wanted to create, not just with that video, but also with the album. We want people to be conscious of their relationship with technology; we want them to have a question on their minds about technology, machinery and themselves. Maybe it’s not just us using machines, maybe machines are using us a little bit. Do you all have Twitter and/or Facebook accounts? Not individually, but as a band we do. I don’t like how it can suck you in, so I don’t have any. So personally I’m not being used. [Laughs] Did anybody throw their TV set out of the window after seeing the video, thinking it was broken? Page 28
Actually, we heard a rumour that in England they banned it from a channel that plays music videos. We weren’t expecting that at all, but it’s downright funny. TV companies should thank us for it, we almost increased the sale of TVs! Nootropics are smart drugs that improve mental functions such as memory and intelligence. A guilty pleasure? We named the album that not in the sense that you should use or not use them; it’s more like the album explores the question of what it means to be a conscious human being in this age where all of a sudden technology and science are dealing with a lot of questions like ‘What is consciousness and what can we do with it?’ and ‘How can we improve ourselves and our environment and maybe repair some of the damage that we’ve done?’ So that title is more of a question than an answer. Any innocent or guilty pleasures you want to share with us? We have this thing we like to do when we’re on tour and we stay at a hotel where breakfast is included. We’ll wake up at 06.00 to eat breakfast and then go to bed again. Then at 09.00 when they’re almost cleaning up we’ll go for a second round. Less innocent, perhaps, is that some
The Guilty Pleasures Issue
Features
‘I really enjoy reading HP Lovecraft. I can feel really guilty about that, because he’s a total racist sometimes.’ of us like to shoot guns at the shooting range. I don’t like guns, but I fall into that thing where it’s fun to shoot some rounds. Also I really enjoy reading HP Lovecraft. I can feel really guilty about that, because he’s a total racist sometimes. I’m also curious about your ‘unguilty’ pleasures. How do you stay upright with so many tour dates? We try to eat a lot of fresh vegetables and do exercises. I really try to take as good care of myself physically as possible. We also try not to drink too much alcohol on tour. That sounds like you’re the healthiest band in the world. Sex, broccoli and rock ’n’ roll! [Laughs] It’s not what’s expected, but we found that you can’t finish a tour otherwise. It’s great to cut loose and have some fun, like on the last night of tour or on some nights in the middle, but we try to keep it under control. At least we won’t fall out of coconut trees. What other guilty pleasures have you heard about?
Stealing groceries out of baskets that are left unattended in the aisle; a secret stash of Anne Geddes cards; tattoos of dolphins; watching As The World Turns, eating a whole bag of mini KitKats... I could go on. And do you have one? Um, peeing in the shower. Now you know my secret. Don’t tell Jana. She already knows, because you watched the video. She basically saw it happening! Lower Dens play on 10 May at La Chocolaterie in Brussels and on 12 May at DOKarena in Ghent. Both shows are free for Subbacultcha! members.
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The Guilty Pleasures Issue
Young Magic
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The Brooklyn trio Young Magic hops among floating melodies, ethno-rhythmic percussion and sparkly and uplifting feels. Debut album Melt was made after extensive travelling around the globe and takes the environment as its main influence. The souls of strangers, the smells of cities, the heat of the sidewalk, the obesity of the misled. It’s all in there. Singer/guitarist Melati Malay talks guilty pleasures. Chat interview by Brenda Bosma. Photos by Stephanie Chiu.
When was the last time you felt guilty? I was meant to go to yoga this morning, but instead I got carried away dreaming. Now I’m drinking iced coffee and smoking cigarettes. The polar opposite! I think I feel guilty every time I smoke cigarettes. You’re not a happy smoker? Well, actually I get a lot of pleasure from it. I’ve noticed the reminders here in America aren’t so extreme as in Australia, where the packages have horrifying images with dying smokers on them. What kind of images do you think they
should put on those packages? They should put a shaman smoking, showing his connection to the spirits. What kind do you smoke? I’m rolling Champion Ruby or Port Royal tobacco from Australia. Apparently the Native American tribes viewed tobacco as a sacred substance that has healing properties. Any guilty pleasures that were being consumed during the recording of Melt? Well, when we were all living in a warehouse above a secret cabaret venue, we bought big cans of kerPage 31
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Young Magic
osene and sat around the fire inside our house. Of course it was illegal and dangerous, but the pleasure of that fire in the middle of a New York winter was so good. I can imagine if smoking is prohibited an indoor campfire certainly is. About your band name. Don’t you think magic is an old trick? Magic is certainly an old concept, but the band name comes more from the idea that anyone can harness magic, should they choose to believe. As a believer, do you know any tricks? I wouldn’t call them tricks, because the intent is never to fool or mislead someone. It’s quite the opposite really; the use of magic to connect or reconnect. The album has a few interesting song titles, like ‘Jam Karet’. What does it mean? It’s an Indonesian saying that my mother always uses. She’s constantly running late. It stands for a relaxed way of living life and understanding that only humans have a problem with time, because we chose to try and measure it. Do you wear a watch? Nope. I also have caught her disease of running late. There’s another song on the album that sounds foreign, called ‘ Yalam’. Does it Page 32
have anything to do with Facebook? Why? According to the Internet, a Yalam is someone who creates a fake Facebook account of a celebrity and lists himself as the boy/girlfriend. WTF, that’s so crazy! Really, it’s just my last name spelled backwards! But you know that is satanic, right? Shit yeah, I think we should change the meaning of the song to be about misleading Facebook accounts. Much more relevant! I was wondering what the little inspirations were for Melt? I think the biggest inspiration is environment, letting the souls of strangers, the smells of cities, the heat of the sidewalk, the obesity of the misled all creep into the work. We were all travelling during the writing process, so it’s such a messy pile of influence. Wow, ‘the obesity of the misled’? Yeah, that was a good one, huh? Having lived in Crown Heights in Brooklyn, it was pretty hard to come by healthy food. When you’re intertwined in a violent, fear-based system that safeguards the established interests of those in power, it’s easy to understand how this situation has occurred. So you also have succumbed to the obesi-
The Guilty Pleasures Issue
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Young Magic
‘I love/hate Charles Bukowski. He’s such an eloquent asshole. But if there’s one lesson he’s taught so well, it’s that you should never feel guilty.’ ty-inducing power of McDonald’s? Oh how difficult it is to readjust the equilibrium that is completely out of whack. But you have to keep believing. Plus, leave some of the guilt behind you. I’m not sure I believe in guilt. It’s associated with fear and fear is a mechanism for control. Okay, but who can control oneself when you open up the fridge and there’s only one beer left and you’re oh-so-very thirsty? It may sound strange, but we are all quite considerate of each other and share everything. If there’s only one beer left then there’s a third for each of us. Then there indeed is no need for guilt. What kind of music makes you secretly dance in front of the mirror with a hairbrush in your hand? Mariah Carey’s early stuff. A lot of diva moves, hair flippin’ and booty shakin’ included. Do you ever cram food in your mouth Page 34
that leaves you with a guilty feeling? Plain cheese pizza from New York Pizza. No basil? I do feel less guilty if basil is involved. Which writer do you admire, but would embarrass the hell out of you if, for instance, you would be friends on Facebook? I love/hate Charles Bukowski. He’s such an eloquent asshole. But if there’s one lesson he’s taught so well, it’s that you should never feel guilty. Young Magic plays on 22 May in Vooruit, Ghent. The show is free for Subbacultcha! members.
The Guilty Pleasures Issue
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Siskiyou’s Guilty Pleasure
‘Watching the TV show Murder She Wrote while eating vegetarian Poutine (Canadian dish made up of French fries, gravy, and cheese curds, all lumped together in one bowl).’ Siskyou play on 19 May at Botanique in Brussels. The show is free for Subbacultcha! members. Other live dates: 26 May - Cactus Club, Bruges. Page 35
Art
Featured Artist
Nathan De Corte
Nathan de Corte is a young artist living and working in Ghent. Over the past four years he’s had primarily one subject: Sasha Grey, a young porn star with - let’s say - a very extreme and specfic action palate. Nathan started ‘following’ Sasha (in his own words, it is a ‘healthy obsession’) four years ago and has watched her become one of the biggest stars in the industry. Nathan combines images of Miss Grey with footage found on the Internet and cuts, pastes, draws and Photoshops them into raw and confrontational lithos in which the subject and its actual appearance are in constant conflict: innocent and experienced; raw and sweet; dark and light. nathandecorte.be
Artist selected, liked and approved by Ladda & Topo Copy. Page 36
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Nathan de Corte
Featured Artist
Art
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Music Reviews
New releases worth your while
Lower Dens Nootropics (Ribbon Music)
By Carly Blair
Ty Segall and White Fence Hair (Drag City)
Jana Hunter and her band of dark nerds often remind me of fellow Baltimore outfit Beach House, but whereas their pop evokes the kind of sweet dreams your mother bid you, Lower Dens’ somnambulant explorations are more ambiguous, and therefore more fascinating. Nootropics is the second of a four-album cycle the band has planned since its inception. Pronounced no-eh-tro-pics, the title refers to a type of drug intended to enhance cognitive functions such as memory, intelligence, motivation, attention and concentration. Indulging in a few may assist in appreciating the music here, which is thematically complex, but more to the point, extremely subtly delivered. Play it loud and listen closely, lest it slip past you, its many nuances underappreciated. Page 40
Ty Segall is like the rock ’n’ roll equivalent of the goose that laid the golden egg, putting out a steady stream of consistently solid neo-psychedelia. White Fence is the similarly psychedelic solo project of Tim Presley. The pair are joined by Tim’s brother Sean and garage-rock hot shot Mikal Cronin, making this album’s personnel one fearsome foursome. Tim’s penchant for meandering guitar solos gives Hair more of a noodly vibe than Segall’s solo work, but raw power and catchy melodies lend these songs enough dynamism to whisk you away to a psychotropical island. If you’ve got a craving for meat and potatoes rock ’n’ roll, there’s plenty here to stick to your ribs.
Music Reviews
Light Asylum Light Asylum
Here We Go Magic A Different Ship
This Brooklyn duo of Shannon Funchess and Bruno Coviello worked separately for years on other projects (Funchess has contributed vocals to acts like Telepathe, TV on the Radio, and !!!) before bonding over a shared love of the obscure dark-wave band Clan of Xymox. Funchess is without question the focal point here, an androgynous and imposing contralto who sounds like Sisters of Mercy’s Andrew Eldritch inhabiting the body of a punk rock Grace Jones. Their long-awaited debut full length is heavy on the dark ’80s influences, and though it occasionally strays into gothic melodrama, Funchess’ s singular and undeniably powerful delivery consistently captivates.
This Brooklyn band has come a long way since its narcotic, dazzling self-titled debut. Back then Luke Temple worked solo, but for HWGM’s sophomore release he brought a full band on board. Though it had high points, growing pains were in evidence all over the resulting <I>Pigeons<$>. Fortunately, the new band clicked on stage well enough to draw the attention of Nigel Godrich, who offered to help them translate their hypnotic live vibe to tape. Godrich’s guidance lends a heretofore unprecedented restraint and spaciousness to A Different Ship. The new approach serves their sound well, capitalising on both Temple’s mastery of somnolent atmospherics and the liveliness the band added to the mix. Afloat on an ocean of Pacific vibes, this ship is their most seaworthy yet.
(Mexican Summer)
(Secretly Canadian)
Page 41
Music Reviews
continued
Moonface with Siinai Heartbreaking Bravery
Ed Schrader’s Music Beat Jazz Mind
Moonface is Spencer Krug (also of Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown), while Siinai is a Finnish kraut rock band featuring members of now-on-hiatus Joensuu 1685. They met when Joensuu toured with Wolf Parade, and Krug invited Siinai to collaborate after hearing their triumphant 2011 debut, Olympic Games. Excellent call on his part, as Siinai’s affinity for repetition and gradual evolution helps create a spellbinding backdrop that throws Krug’s unique gifts into sharp relief, whether he’s indulging his love of pop melodies, delivering heartbreaking tales with his characteristic expressive delivery, or joining Siinai on a detour down a psych rabbit hole. The result is a multifaceted and moving addition to the oeuvres of all involved.
A ‘paranoid pop’ duo hailing from that new promised land of interesting and idiosyncratic pop music, Baltimore, is tough to not get excited about. Vocalist/drummer Ed Schrader recorded for a while on his own before joining forces with his roommate, Devlin Rice, who also plays bass in the awesomely named Nuclear Power Pants. They’ve toured with fellow Baltimore stalwarts Dan Deacon and Future Islands, but what they have on offer is totally distinct. Schrader alternately croons, barks and chants shaman-esque proclamations like some kind of manic street preacher atop punk taken to a minimalist extreme, and the sonic shrapnel they fire at listeners tears holes in the air, cool oozing across the silence between explosions.
( Jagjaguwar)
Page 42
(Upset the Rhythm)
concerts
10 -21.05.12
the ting tings (10.05) • bombay bicycLe cLub (10.05) • the rapture(11.05) • chiLLy gonzaLes (11.05) • u.s. girLs(12.05) • amadou & mariam(13.05) • django django (13.05) • prinzhorn dance schooL (15.05) • pLanningtorock(15.05)•yacht(15.05)•friends(15.05) • high pLaces (15.05) • ghostpoet (16.05) • perfume genius (16.05) • cate Le bon (16.05) • mariee sioux (16.05) • maïa vidaL (16.05) • grimes (17.05) • woodkid (17.05) • oberhofer (17.05) • king kruLe (18.05) • mireL wagner (18.05) • charLotte gainsbourg «Stage Whisper» with connan mockasin (19.05) • mouse on mars (19.05) • siskiyou (19.05) • bLood red shoes (20.05) • wiLLis earL beaL (20.05) …
Les nuits
more @ botanique.be
Horoscope GEMINI
22 May – 21 June
Two desperate souls can never be together. Even though you’re sitting next to one in a café with free Wi-Fi. Even if your netbook chords are intertwined together. And even if you both reach for the contact box at the same time to unplug the adapter.
CANCER
22 June – 22 July
Sometimes you just want to smoke and drink and feel enlightened without a care in the world. Without getting upset about this guy’s shirt or that girl’s skirt. Or Nickelback coming from the speakers. It’s all good. You’re a dude.
LEO
23 July – 22 Aug
By Brenda Bosma
skin off the roof of your mouth. Yes, where are your principles now?
LIBRA
23 Sept – 22 Oct
You’re not really into external beauty, you’re searching for something within, something more absolute. You’re still figuring out if it lies in the realm of breasts or bottom.
SCORPIO
23 Oct – 21 Nov
You’re preoccupied with a jigsaw puzzle of about 250 pieces. There’s a lot of sky, but isn’t there a lot of sky anyhow? You may never finish, but everyone keeps hammering on about the journey being the destination. Yes, that counts way more.
Sagittarius
22 Nov – 21 Dec
Even if worst comes to worst, you still won’t be needing a toupée. You won’t ever have to wonder about the pitiful concept of toupées. You are gifted with toupée-free genes. But that doesn’t mean you can act like a person wearing one. It’s time to visit a hairdresser. Pronto.
You see Mrs Doubtfire in the urine puddle while taking a leak. Immediately you start thinking of your father and his quirky ways. Who is that man really? As you flush you notice you peed all over the seat.
VIRGO
Your long-dormant impulsiveness has finally awoken. We knew you had it in you. Prance and goof around. After all, spring is in the air. You are God’s little lamb this month.
23 Aug – 22 Sept
A friend heats a Snickers bar in the microwave. You watch in disgust, but can’t resist taking a bite. The nougat will take a layer of Page 44
CAPRICORN
22 Dec – 20 Jan
Illustrations by Kathrin Klingner
Aquarius
21 Jan-19 Feb
‘Life’s like Sanskrit read to a pony.’ Lou Reed’s lyrics are beyond meaning. Like-life, perhaps. You wish you could be this profound in your remarks. You start leaving meaningful pauses between every word that leaves your mouth.
Horoscope
Taurus
21 April - 21 May
pisces
20 Feb-20 March
We don’t think they are really ready for Pisces around here. Get the fuck out of that joint before they grill your ass. Go home where your laptop awaits you, your special friend that is happy to convert your files for you, its hardware contently rattling.
Aries
21 March - 20 April
You’re staring at your phone waiting for it to shine, but you know it only shines when the battery is dying. Who will call you when your inner radiance is nothing but a weak moth-like grey? Throw that pitch-black devil out of the window along with your Facebook account. Go get a tan in the Dolomites.
For some funny reason you start thinking very deeply about the definition of ‘Hipsterism’. You come up with young kids who collectively ride malfunctioning bikes, use overpriced computers, listen to music that’s been done before and wear way too expensive clothes that have been worn before. Everything has been done before and will be done again. Over and over and over again. And you will end up an old person with wrinkles everywhere. Yes, everywhere. Wrinkles have been done before. Your thoughts have been thought before. Your brain feels saggy this month. Page 45
ST THE FINER E G SIN ER SONGWRIT FEST
MUZIEKGEBOUW EINDHOVEN
HOWE GELB (GIANT SAND) ABIGAIL WASHBURN MARCUS FOSTER THE HACKENSAW BOYS * BERTOLF MORGAN O’KANE * DOUG MACLEOD MELANIE HORSNELL MAN FROM THE SOUTH AND MORE TO COME...
KAARTVERKOOP VIA MUZIEKGEBOUWEINDHOVEN.NL & EFFENAAR.NL EN TICKETSERVICE NEDERLAND MEER INFORMATIE OP WWW.NAKEDSONG.NL
Agenda
Shows in May
Agenda On the following pages:
Subbacultcha! concerts, totally free for members Page 48
Other shows Page 53 Free tickets Page 60
This is Claire Boucher (aka Grimes) photographed in a hotel room by Isolde Woudstra. Grimes plays on 17 May at Botanique in Brussels. Page 47
See all these shows for free. Sign up at www.subbacultcha.be.
Jack Playmobil Release Night ft. Stellar OM Source + Hungry Soul + Rude 66 And More 05 May - Scheld’apen, Antwerp 22.00 | TBA | Free for members
Get ready for an all-night party in Antwerp. With live sets by Hungry Soul, Redray and dystopian lo-fi acid artist Rudy 66, and DJ sets by the likes of house diva Stellar OM Source, this promises to be a dirty, sweaty evening of electronic beats.
Movie: Vivre Sa Vie
08 May - Film-Plateau, Ghent 20.30 | €5 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
This classic 1962 Godard film follows a beautiful young Parisian as she descends into prostitution. The story is told in 12 ‘tableaux’, loosely connected chapters preceded by a written introduction. Godard uses brilliant visual design to tell this tragic tale. Page 48
Shows in May
Agenda
As a member you will also receive this magazine every month plus a stylish tote bag
Lower Dens
10 May - La Chocolaterie (Vk* Concerts), Brussels 20.00 | €12 | Free for Subbacultcha! members 12 May 2012 DOKarena, Ghent 19.30 | €10 | Free for Subbacultcha! members Texas-born but Baltimore-based Jana Hunter is a star in the making. She’s been an experimentalist around the indie scene for a while, but Lower Dens is the best example of her songwriting starting to crystalise. Here it combines the spacious dark ambience of Grouper with the melancholic pop instincts of Wye Oak.
Pomrad
11 May - Trix, Antwerp 20.00 | €7 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
Sounding like some of his wonkier cousins across in London, Antwerp producer Pomrad deals in jittery beats, an array of samples collected from computer games, children’s TV and other bizarre soundtracks, smashing them all together in an eclectic melange of danceability. Look out for his new EP, Vlotjes, released this month on OohWee Records. Page 49
Page 49
Agenda
Shows in May
See all these shows for free. Sign up at www.subbacultcha.be.
Group Bombino
16 May - Cactus, Bruges 20.00 | €8 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
The latest vanguard of the Tuareg revolution, Group Bombino are yet another discovery that Sublime Frequencies have offered up to the world. Cut off from the rest of Niger, this is authentic protest music from the desert, its dry riffs and grooves carrying messages of hope, justice and desire for validation. Even if you’ve never heard their songs before, we can guarantee that this bunch are a crushing live act.
Porcelain Raft + Tg Gondard
16 May - Dok (Ladda), Ghent 20.00 | €8 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
Porcelain Raft is the bedroom electro pop project of Mauro Remiddi, freshly signed to Secretly Canadian. Naturally, he won’t be performing in a bedroom tonight, but this lush yet lo-fi dream pop will have you swaying on your heels. Support comes from the glitchy electro/psychedelic/ambient project Tg Gondard, playing and improvising on tracks from his Avontuur album. Page 50
Page 50
Shows in May
Agenda
As a member you will also receive this magazine every month plus a stylish tote bag
Siskiyou
19 May - Botanique, Brussels 20.00 | €13 | Free for Subbacultcha! members Siskiyou’s spacious indie folk sounds like it was recorded in a log cabin out in the woods. They’re an offshoot of Great Lake Swimmers, who linger closer to truer Americana. As such, Siskiyou can play as quietly and calmly as their buddies, but also love to erupt into upbeat harmonies and indie bopping, captured beautifully on their wonderful sophomore album Keep Away the Dead.
Young Magic
22 May - Vooruit, Ghent 20.00 | €12 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
This indie psych trio met in Brooklyn back in 2007. Like typical Aussies, Isaac Emmanuel spent 2010 travelling across Europe and then down to Mexico, while Michael Italia set off on his own trip across Europe and South America, both bringing along portable recording equipment and making music along the way. In the meantime, Indonesia-born Melati Melay held down the fort in NYC. In 2011 they found themselves reunited in the same zip code, and raring to record together. Given their globetrotting tendencies, it makes sense that the resulting debut, Melt, sounds like a melting pot of influences from around the world, ranging from shoegaze to trip hop and world music. Page 51
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Agenda
Shows in May
Luis Vasques (Soft Moon) plays during Sinxen (26 - 28 May - De Kreun, Kortrijk). Also on the bill: Forest Swords, Iceage and much more. Photo by Isolde Woudstra.
Matthew Dear 01 May - AB, Brussels American electro pop producer Matthew Dear has enjoyed a pretty successful period following the release of his fourth album Black City. Coming as a musician who’s tied ribbons between Detroit house and Talking Heads, and as an artist who’s made glitch electronica cleaner and poppier than ever before, he’s kept audiences guessing with his dance-floor fillers. And although his ’80s synth pop is certainly derivative at times, there’s no denying how catchy his dance tunes can be. Onstage exuberance helps too, so everyone’s ready for new album Beams.
Lil B 03 May - Petrol, Antwerp It’s rap night, featuring Lil B, formerly of The Pack. Support from Stalley and Die Hard 3 Pac.
Black To Comm 04 May - Netwerk, Aalst If you’ve always assumed that ambient and drone artists lack ambition, you’ve proba-
bly not come across Marc Richter’s Black to Comm project. His spacious loop-based works contain a great deal of emotive noise (and quiet). Alphabet 1968 proved to be his crossover breakthrough in 2009, but his most monumental work to date is probably Earth, a soundtrack to Ho Tzu Nyen’s film of the same name, branching into superb drone-folk territory.
Jack Playmobil Release Night ft. Stellar Om Source + more 05 May - Scheld’apen, Antwerp Acid-drenched electronics featuring Rude 66, Hungry Soul, Redray and a DJ set from Stellar OM Source. Read more on page 48.
Sic Alps 04 May - De Zwerver, Leffinge 05 May - Trix, Antwerp 06 May - Le Palais, Arlon Sic Alps is yet another San Francisco band rage, rage, raging against the dying of the ’60s psychedelia light. Their lo-fi garage pop calls to mind the music of kindred spirit and occasional guest player Ty Segall, although they take a more understated approach than Segall (at least on record). Page 53
05/05 SOUNDBITS ft. 10/05
HOUSES
LOWER DENS support: CARTER TANTON
CLOUD NOTHINGS support: VI.BE CONTEST WINNER 23/05 RIZZLE KICKS support: tbc 05/06 FUTURE OF THE LEFT support: tbc 09/06 SOUNDBITS ft. HONG KONG DONG / CIVIL CIVIC 10/06 AUSTRA support: tbc 21/06 THEE OH SEES support: tbc 22/05
INFO & TICKETS:
WWW.VKCONCERTS.BE
Agenda
Shows in May
A Place To Bury Strangers 04 May - Trix, Antwerp 05 May - De Kreun, Kortrijk Though ‘New York’s loudest band’ isn’t necessarily the highest of accolades, being forerunners of the shoegaze revival is something APTBS can be proud of. Their upcoming and entirely self-produced album, Worship, promises to deliver more of the shoedelicrockgazia they’ve used to shatter ears for years.
Kap Bambino 05 May - Mr Wong, Brussels 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.
Lower Dens 10 May - La Chocolaterie (Vk* Concerts), Brussels 12 May - DOKarena, Ghent Beautiful songs that combine the space and dark ambiance of Grouper with the melancholic pop instincts of Wye Oak. Read more on page 49.
Pomrad 11 May - Trix, Antwerp 15 May - Bonnefooi, Brussels Pomrad deals in jittery beats and wonky samples. Read more on page 49.
Awesome Tapes From Africa + Basketball 11 May - Schel’apen, Antwerp Brian Shimkovitz, aka Awesome Tapes from
Africa, has made a name for himself writing about and playing, well, awesome tapes from Africa. Digging up countless unheard classics from across the continent, he then takes them to the nearest dancefloor. Kicking up the live side is Basketball, a ritualistic four piece driven by live electronics, spirited vocals, massive percussion, Slavic alcohol and hyper Middle Eastern riffage.
Royal Baths 12 May - Rockerill, Charleroi To escape the whole litany of lazy comparisons to fellow members of San Francisco’s psych scene, Royal Baths relocated to New York in advance of releasing their new album, Better Luck Next Life, which is filled with appropriately sardonic and sludgy garage blues.
U.S. Girls 12 May - Botanique, Brussels Though U.S. Girls’ Meghan Remy has declared her love for pop music and her desire to make some, in the past her ability to do so has been held back somewhat by both shoddy recording equipment and a disconnect between her definition of pop and that of the outside world. She signed to FatCat in late 2011, so another step towards polished pop may be in the works.
Dfa Label Night 15 May - Botanique, Brussels DFA Records don’t really need much in the way of an introduction and tonight’s special is gonna be a particularly fiery dance affair. YACHT and are set to headline, and if ever there’s a crew that’s climbed the evolutionary path from multimedia experimentalists to full-on dancefloor saviours, it’s them. In support there’s the off-kilter bass grooves of art punks Prinzhorn Dance School, and dance noise artist Planningtorock. Page 55
12 MEI 17 MEI 23 MEI 27 MEI 12 JUN 14 JUN
SINE: MALA FACTORY FLOOR FIELD MUSIC CLOUD NOTHINGS MIKAL CRONIN MOON DUO
Membership Become a Subbacultcha! member in May and get a chance to win: Think Twice Clothing : 5 x surprise packages Summer of Photography at BOZAR : 5 x 2 passes 100% Silk Night + Peaking Lights : 5 x 2 tickets
Agenda
Shows in May
Friends + High Places 15 May - Botanique, Brussels If looks can kill they probably will. And if Peter Gabriel was younger he’d have snapped up this colourful Brooklyn act long ago, as they repurpose a frisky ’80s R&B sound and dress it in tropical cool. They’re joined by High Places and their wonderful bassheavy beat pop.
Errors 15 May - De Kreun, Kortrijk Glasgow’s Errors have long been an amazing live act, even before signing to Mogwai’s Rock Action Records. On record they’ve been good, but never quite great, their (mainly) instrumental synth rock only fully coming to life on stage. Yet new album Have Some Faith in Magic may be one of the surprises of 2012, taking on everything from hazy Animal Collective harmonies to heavy-hitting Trans Am-esque grooves. We’re particularly excited to see them take this one to the people.
Group Bombino 16 May - Cactus, Bruges 27 May - AB, Brussels The latest vanguard of the Tuareg revolution, Group Bombino are yet another Sublime Frequencies treat. Read more on page 50.
Perfume Genius 16 May - Botanique, Brussels The alter-ego of Seattle-based solo artist Mike Hadreas, Perfume Genius may be one of the quietest and most intimate indie performers to make a 2012 breakthrough. He’s recently released his second album Put Your Back N 2 It, which captures masses of lyrical vulnerability and sparse orchestration, driven by melancholic piano melo-
dies. Suffering at the hands of YouTube’s homophobia certainly didn’t harm his PR efforts, but fact of the matter is that his raw songs sound remarkably fresh.
Porcelain Raft 16 May - DOK Ghent Porcelain Raft is the bedroom electro pop project of Mauro Remiddi, freshly signed to Secretly Canadian. His lush-yet-lo-fi dream pop will have you swaying on your heels. Read more on page 50.
Grimes 17 May - Botanique, Brussels Sharp and concise electro pop that sounds ultimately about 2012 instead of simply harking back to the ’80s. The young Canadian is still relatively new and playful. Her first two records received limited Canadian releases in 2012 before reissue last year. Now signed to 4AD, she’s really sharpened her drum programming and punched out any vocal weaknesses.
King Krule 18 May - Botanique, Brussels This baby-faced 17-year-old has already proven to be something of a sensation in England before he’s even delivered a debut album. Also known as Archy Marshall, he creates spacious urban singer-songwriter music that fits alongside peers like The xx. In the process he embraces influences such as jazz, hip hop and electronics.
Buzz On Your Lips Presents Blackbird Blackbird 19 May - Mr Wong, Brussels Sonic synthetics from Blackbird Blackbird, Boxcutter, DMX Krew, Fostercare and Yip Deceiver, veering from chilled sound collages to full-on bass tunes. Page 57
Agenda
Shows in May
Siskiyou 19 May - Botanique, Brussels 26 May - Cactus Club, Brugge Siskiyou is an offshoot of Great Lake Swimmers, who linger closer to truer Americana. As such, they can play as quietly and calmly as their buddies, but also love to erupt into upbeat harmonies and indie bopping. Read more on page 51.
Bass Drum Of Death 20 May - Ancienne Belgique , Brussels 26 May - De Kreun, Kortrijk These two young pros mix up a mean, blues-stained batch of garage punk. Apart from their obviously deadly bass drum, the rest of their gear is pretty lethal as well. The constant fuzzed-out sonic assault they deliver will definitely bend your ears
Willis Earl Beal 20 May - Botanique, Brussels 29 May - DOK, ghent When is lo-fi a way of life and when is lo-fi for show? Does it matter? That’s the debate currently floating around the work of Willis Earl Beal, who’s just released his debut album. Well, the story goes that his crackly, raw blues loops and howls were recorded while he was homeless. These demos are precisely what’s on his album, coming across the ether like a futuristic beacon from the 1930s.
Cloud Nothings 22 May - La Chocolaterie, Brussels 23 May - Charlatan, Ghent Dylan Baldi’s band attacked your memory of his solo bedroom pop project with a dramatically reinvented sound on their latest album. This rebirth isn’t so much due to Steve Albini’s production as to a conscious effort by Baldi to emphasise musiPage 58
cianship and make a cohesive album rather than a collection of pop songs. Their new grungy stylings pack a bigger emotional and visceral punch than anything they’ve done thus far.
Young Magic 22 May - Vooruit, Ghent This indie psych trio met in Brooklyn back in 2007. After a couple of years travelling, 2011 found them reunited and raring to record together. Given their globetrotting tendencies, it makes sense that the resulting debut, Melt, sounds like a melting pot of influences from around the world, ranging from shoegaze to trip hop and world music. Read more on page 51.
Beach House 25 May - De Kreun, Kortrijk Make-out mixtapes abound, and this Baltimore’s duo’s beguiling brand of dream pop is a natural choice. Victoria Legrand’s enchantingly husky vocals invite you up for coffee, then the music takes over, building up to the kind of beautiful climaxes babies should be conceived to.
Sinxen ft. Bear In Heaven, Iceage, The Soft Moon, Forest Swords and more 26 - 28 May - De Kreun, Kortrijk This three-day fest came close to not going ahead this year but thankfully it’s pulled through. The result is a thriving line-up of indie talents and Subbacultcha! faves. Belgium’s own Warriorz crew will host an electrified dance line-up on the Saturday. Danish punks Iceage and the lusher Bear in Heaven are the centre of attention on Sunday. Then the final day includes some mighty drum machines and dark compositions from The Soft Moon, Forest Swords and Liturgy.
Agenda
Shows in May
White Denim 26 May - AB, Brussels While wearing the titular clothing item is a debatable choice, tuning into this freewheeling Austin quartet is most certainly not. They don’t hit the nail on the head EVERY time, but when they do the fusion of garage rock, psychedelia and jazz that results is often moving and always refreshingly unpredictable.
Sleepy Sun 28 May - Trix, Antwerp 29 May - Het Depot, Leuven While Sleepy Sun are a psychedelic rock band from San Francisco, I’d hesitate to lump them in with the area’s other neopsych upstarts (e.g. Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall) since their sound resides not so much in the garage as in the nexus between black metal and classic rock.
is now touring Another Day in America - a hybrid show featuring pieces for solo violin alternated with spoken-word passages and electronic soundscapes. Via stories about everyday life in the US, Anderson takes a look at the state of US culture ten years after 9/11.
100% SILK Label Tour ft. LA Vampires, Ital, Peaking Lights and more 30 May - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels The prolific new label of hyper-enthusiastic, hyper-articulate Amanda Brown, 100% SILK has risen meteorically since its inception in early 2011. Though Ital and Maria Minerva have already wowed Subbacultcha! audiences with their genre-defying, retrogazing dance music, tonight makes for the most thorough and thoroughly enjoyable experience this hotbed of creativity has to offer. It’s like sleeping in lotion!
Julia Holter
Peaking Lights + Tennis
28 May - AB, Brussels Though this LA-based sound artist studied classical piano and can cite various brainy influences, she channels the implied thoughtfulness into music that works on many levels: it’s not just experimental and it’s not just pretty, it also has a singular way of sounding simultaneously surprising and utterly organic. If you’ve worshiped at the altar of Julianna Barwick, but find her music bit too angelic (or orthodox), give Holter’s otherworldly wonders a try.
30 May - Ancienne Belgique, Brussels 31 May - DOKarena, Ghent A night of married bliss... kinda. The contemporary dub-twisted grooves of Peaking Lights are driven by couple Aaron Coyes and Indra Dunis (and a wicked bath filled with psychedelia). Then there’s Denver husband-and-wife Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley, responsible for the sunny beach pop of Tennis.
Laurie Anderson 29 May - Bozar, Brussels She’s married to Lou Reed, but never underestimate this American experimentalist and her performance art. Since the 1980s she’s been operating on the frontiers where music, theatre and the visual arts meet, and
Extra Life 31 May - Les Atelier Claus, Brussels Avant-rock from the Northeastern United States. Singer Charlie Looker was previously in noise freakout crew Zs, and even Dirty Projectors (somewhat briefly). That gives you a sense of the complexity and playfulness you can expect from their dramatic, progressive pop. Page 59
Free Stuff
Free Tickets and Goodies
To win, sign up to our mailing list on www.subbacultcha.be 2x2 tickets Matthew Dear
2x2 Tickets Lil B
2X2 Tickets Awsome Tapes from Africa
01 May Ancienne Belgique, Brussels
03 May Petrol, Antwerp
11 May Scheld’Apen, Antwerp
2X2 TICKETS U.S Girls
2X2 Tickets White Denim
2X2 Tickets Julia holter
12 May Botanique, Brussels
26 May Ancienne Belgique, Brussels
28 May Art Brussels Afterparty
We’re also giving away free tickets to Black to Comm, A Place To Bury Strangers, DFA Label Night, Errors and Extra Life. Page 60
Submitted photos
AFTER MIDNIGHT
Send photos that were taken after midnight to aftermidnight@subbacultcha.be If your photo gets published, you win a good goodie This monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photo was submitted by Kiki Post Page 61
Overview of all Subbacultcha shows in May/June
05 May
Jack Playmobil Release Night ft. Stellar OM Source, Rude 66 and more Scheld’apen, Antwerp 22.00 | tbs | Free for members
16 May
Porcelain Raft + Tg Gondard
Dok (Ladda), Ghent 20.00 | €8 | Free for members
19 May
Siskiyou
08 May
Movie: Vivre Sa Vie
Botanique, Brussels 20.00 | €13 | Free for members
Film-Plateau, Ghent 20.30 | €5 | Free for members
22 May
Young Magic
10 May
Lower Dens
Vooruit, Ghent 20.00 | €12 | Free for members
La Chocolaterie (Vk* Concerts), Brussels 20.00 | €12 | Free for members
5 June
Death Grips
11 May
Pomrad
Charlatan, Ghent 20.00 | €11 | Free for members
Trix, Antwerp 20.00 | €7 | Free for members
20 June
Thee Oh Sees
12 May
De Kreun, Kortrijk 20.00 | €12 | Free for members
Lower Dens
DOKarena, Ghent 19.30 | €10 | Free for members
16 May
Group Bombino
Cactus, Bruges 20.00 | €8 | Free for members
See all these shows for free. Join at www.subbacultcha.be Page 62
MuziekgebouwEindhoven.nl THE MUSIC OF JONNY GREENWOOD
&
BRYCE DESSNER
Amsterdam Sinfonietta feat.
Bryce Aaron Dessner
Dessner - New work for string orchestra Greenwood - There Will Be Blood Suite Greenwood - Popcorn Superhet Receiver Dessner - Raphael Dessner - St. Carolyn by the Sea
zo 17 jun