subbacultcha-march2010

u n r u ly m u s i c M a g a z i n e

march 2010

T h e b oy / g i r l i s s u e :

three girls meet liars plus: D D / MM / YYYY a n e w fa s h i o n c o l u m n p u s s y fa c e a rt

win tickets to a.o.yeasayer and sonic connections.

Plus, we give away 25 fresh headsets

w w w. s u b b ac u ltc h a. nl continue 1

NEW MUSIC

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NEW MUSIC

continue 3 Meet Louis the artist @ converse.nl

lcd soundsystem

After the lights go out

By Daniëlle van Ark Photographer Daniëlle van Ark takes photos of musicians right after they’ve come off stage.

Every month we publish one of her photos.

James Murphy Melkweg, Amsterdam.

THIS MONTH So, what’s up with the pussy face darling? Something wrong? I’ll tell you what, it’s the new Subbacultcha! staring back at you, and we’ve cooked up a real nice one for you this time. It’s all about boys and girls.

After all, boys and girls are the future. And the future is now. So what are you waiting for? Go eat pancakes with Liars, dance to Max Tundra, buy the new DD/MM/YYYY tape, download Tanlines, watch Dogtooth... you know, that sort of fun stuff. Then after, bathe in milk and read the rest of the magazine. Enjoy.

on the cover Pussy Face by Simon WaldLasowski

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CONTENT This month in Subbacultcha! magazine Yes, we are all about unruly, independent, relentless, alternative, loud, beautiful, silent, disturbing, soothing and uncompromising music. ...but we all love a bit of boy girl action, right?

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The boy/girl issue

Yes boys and girls, dudes and dudettes, guys and dolls, chicos and chicas, hippos and hippas. This issue is about you.

liars speak the truth

gaming with DD/MM/YYYY

While making pancakes page 19

The Nintendo kids vs Zofia page 25

fashion

Agenda

Behold a fresh fashion column page 38

This month’s must sees page 47

pussy face

free STUFF

Featured artist Simon Wald-Lasowski page 31

Tickets to Los Campesinos!, Sonic Connections and Yeasayer, page 48

top 5/inbox we saw you subbacultcha! shows off the record new music liars DD/MM/YYYY new releases featured artist

9 10 12 14 16 19 25 28 31

fashion Top 5 film 99 problems spekkie big agenda free stuff after midnight Agenda overview

36 40 42 44 46 47 58 59 63

JOIN Subbacultcha!

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ZITA SWOON DANCING WITH THE SOUND HOBBYIST JON ALLEN @ SUGAR FACTORY AUTECHRE (LIVE)+ ROB HALL, RUSSELL HASWELL & DIDJIT SIVERT HOYEM (EX-MADRUGADA) TUNNG WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS AMANDA PALMER & JASON WEBLEY PRESENT: EVELYN EVELYN

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Music: Liars - Sisterworld Is this the Liars issue or what? Well, in a way it is. All those other noisy hipster bands have one thing in common: they’ve never made a record as good as Drum’s Not Dead. And even though Sisterworld doesn’t necessarily change our lives, it’s about time these boys get the credit they deserve.

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Top 5 Last month at our office These are 5 things that thrilled, chilled and excited us last month.

People: Roel, Patrick, Guus, Marijn, Steve and Russell Busting their collective ass to help deconstruct and reconstruct our beautiful new office space.

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Film: Dogtooth This astonishingly dark debut by Greek youngster Yorgos Lanthimos shows us the life of three infinitely grounded teenage siblings living by the perverse rules of their parents. It knocks you off your seat and makes you instantly grab your phone, call your mom and dad and tell them you love them very, very much.

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Food: Toko Restu (Kinkerstraat 374, A’dam) Nasi Rames Vegetarisch Extra Pittig. But don’t tell anyone, as it’s our little secret.

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Lifestyle: Pampers The ‘New Baby’ ones even come with a yellow stripe that turns blue when the job is done... and you thought we were hipsters Name Tag Dear Subbacultcha, Is it possible to remove my name tag (gabey tjon) from the online oktober 2009 subbacultcha issue, that my name won’t pop up anymore if you would google me. since i will have a future as an visual artist i think this will not be very practical. Still I love your magazine, keep it up!

Thank you Greetings, Gabey

INBOX The stuff we get in our mailbox... day in day out.

It never stops.

Luckily.

Submit: magazine@subbacultcha.nl

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we saw you Spotted at Subbacultcha!

We chat up someone at a Subbacultcha! party just because we are curious to know who is drinking the cocktails and buying the tickets.

Text and photo by Mila van de Wall.

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“I fancied Any guy with long hair and a tormented look on his face” What’s your favourite album/ artist, now? David Bowie lately, and White Lies What’s your favourite album/ artist ever? Swordfishtrombones by Tom Waits Best record store? Concerto Which music did you listen to when you were young? I was a huge Roxette fan when I was around 11 years old What was the first record that you bought? A cassette of the Dolly Dots Guilty pleasures? I love the Eurovision Song Contest Which album is still on your ‘to buy’ list? Fuck Buttons’ Tarot Sport Best movie soundtrack? Apocalypse Now Which famous artist did you fancy when you were young?

Any guy with long hair and a tormented look on his face Which famous artist do you fancy right now? A bit old but still pretty hot: Jon Spencer Best concert ever? Years ago a friend of mine won tickets to a very small and intimate show

by PJ Harvey and John Parish at Studio Amstel. Fever Ray last year at Paradiso was great too Worst concert ever? I caught a glimpse of the Offspring at last year’s Sziget festival, which, for obvious reasons, was horrible.

And what was the loudest?

Aux Raus Which music makes you vomit? Björk Which music makes you fall asleep? I find Devendra Banhart incredibly boring What makes you dance? ‘Huddle Formation’ by The Go! Team Which music makes you cry?

John Frusciante What do you listen to when you are doing the dishes? ‘Die Slow’ by HEALTH And when you have sex? Preferably nothing What’s your favourite album cover? Things to Make and Do

by Moloko Which record do you regret buying? No regrets (in music that is) Which music do you say you like (for hipsters sake), but actually, you don’t? I never lie

Name & age: Karin Wolters, 30 Daytime job/study: Fashion designer Other interests: Music, literature, going out, biking, art, shopping Place of birth: Zaandam Spotted at: Subbacultcha! Deacon concert at Trouw Amsterdam, 19 January end 11

Coming up at subbacultcha!

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DD/MM/YYYY + The Wooden Constructions

10 March Studio 80, Amsterdam (In collaboration with Katapult) Starts 22.00 | Cover €6

Toronto-based DD/MM/YYYY have more things going for them than just their über-hip moniker.

They love non-stop touring, they perform with two drummers, they are friends with bands like Women and Crystal Castles, and they make an impressive, chaotic racket that can’t help but inspire you into motion. Last year they released the discordant and jagged Black Square on CD, but looking forward in 2010, this innocent little show in the heart of Amsterdam marks the release of an exclusive new cassette release of an exclusive new cassette on Subbacultcha! Analoguelicious.

The Wooden Constructions Supporting our rambunctious Canadian guests is this welloiled noise machine. No matter where or when, you can count on their disco-danceable post rock and solid bass grooves.

Why?

13 March Ekko, Utrecht Starts 20.30 | Cover €10 With their long-lasting connection to the Anticon roster, Yoni Wolf and friends are still typically tagged as hiphop. In reality, the ever evolving Oakland outfit has become increasingly experimental with melody and songcraft, culminating in the recent ‘songbased’ collection Eskimo Snow.

Blending folk and indie rock, you can even detect traces of Yo La Tengo and Eels in the Why? sound these days.

Support by I Might Be Wrong and Josiah Wolf

FILM: Dogtooth

06 March Kriterion, Amsterdam Starts 23:30 | Cover €6,50 Isolation, sex, rebellion: it may list like a typical teenager, but the kids in Giorgos Lanthimos’s Dogtooth have a far-from-ordinary existence. Rather, the three teens are confined to their family’s perfectly manicured country estate, causing them to create their own personally imagined realities.

Only Dad ever leaves to earn his crust, and the only outsider to enter the kids’ world is Christina. She’s paid to relieve the male urges of the son, but before long, the girls become embroiled too.

Dogtooth is released nationwide on 11 March, but Subbacultcha! readers can take in this special Amsterdam preview. [In Greek with Dutch subtitles]

Max Tundra

19 March Smart Project Space, Amsterdam Starts 20.00 | Cover €7.50

ties were never too close to the deadline. But every now and then you need to stretch yourself, just to get your edge back. So we’re celebrating the release of the April issue on March 26! And we assure you there will be magazines! As well as cocktails and DJ’s. And a show by Acadians who tossed away their guitars and started fiddling with electronics. Good for them. Good for us. membership special

KLUB RADAR

Mind-mashing electronics are a staple of Max Tundra albums, but this British songwriter is no harsh drum machine tyrant.

Amidst the hyperactive overclocked laptop and flickering mixer lights, there’s plenty of fun to be had. Whether it’s his 8-bit breakdowns or glimpses of actual pop songs, the musicality is diverse and infectious. Course, those moments where the music turns into the aural equivalent of a strobe light have their own chaotic charm.

Support by Klaus & Bird On The Wire.

Magazine Party

26 March De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam Starts 20.00 | Cover €6 Remember our very first magazine party? Way back in September 2008? Here’s a hint: There were NO magazines. I repeat: NO magazines. Since then, we made sure the par-

Coming up at subbacultcha!

You can get access to these shows for free if you become a Subbacultcha! member.

Subscribe now and get a set of AiAiAi Headphones See page 7 for details.

20 March Tivoli de Helling, Utrecht.

We are expanding our Subbacultcha! membership freebies. From now on we offer our members free entrance to one show a month at Tivoli in Utrecht. This month, Free entrance to Klub Radar in Tivoli de Helling featuring Nosaj Thing, Max Tundra and TOKiMONSTA. See Music Agenda.

Coming up in april / May

3 April 10 April 12 April 10 May 16 May

TV Buddhas EKKO, Utrecht KAnipchen Fit De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam Times New Viking OCCII, Amsterdam High Places Club Up, Amsterdam BEST COAST EKKO, Utrecht

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off the record: blood red shoes

Every month, Martine Stig or Suzanne de Bruin take their videocameras out on the streets and shoot a band or artist we think is worth filling a spread of this magazine with.

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By Suzanne de Bruin

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NEWNE W MUSIC M U S IC We make it our job to endlessly roam the beautiful internet and find the stuff that really matters. Behold the needles from the haystack.

Tanlines

myspace.com/tanlinestheband

Growing

myspace.com/growingsoundnyc

By Leon Caren

Tanlines have been on the Subba! radar ever since we featured the track ‘New Flowers’ on last year’s ‘Summer Babe Mixtape’.

Recently they offered up a split 7” with Salem and are now about to release a 12” on True Panther (Girls, Teengirl Fantasy). They’ve got a nice and catchy tropical dance vibe going on and are heading to Europe this spring. If the words ‘tropical’ and ‘spring’ evoke the same kind of longing in you as they do in me right now, then head to the True Panther site and download the single ‘Real Life’ for free.

The Tallest Man On Earth myspace.com/thetallestmanonearth

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label but he still managed to sell out Paradiso’s upstairs room. Musically he sounds a lot like Dylan.

Fair enough, I happen to like Dylan. And as this guy knows how to make the young girls swoon, and as young girls hold the key to the future...

The Tallest Man On Earth has just signed with Dead Oceans —not bad going for a guy from Sweden, though he’s been making a name for himself for a while now. His home-recorded debut album may only have been released by a small Scandinavian

Our man on the scene came back from New York the other day and told us that Growing will be the new Fuck Buttons. Usually I’m not into ‘something being the new something’, but I can hear where he’s coming from. It’s those repetitive electronic drones with melodies that tend to nestle deeply into the sub-conscience.

They’ve already gathered credibility with their debut album on Social Registry and have a great new record coming out on Vice in early April.

WORD UP FROM THE LOWLANDS

Eklin

By Leon Caren

Photo: Nick Helderman

enough about all these brooklyn hip kids with casios and chequered shirts pumping out songs in brick-walled basements like there’s no tomorrow. let’s cut to the cheese

NEW MUSIC

What’s up with the Dutch bands these days? We rarely talk about them.

Maybe it’s because we’re too damned preoccupied with the ongoing North American wave of hipster bands. Whatever the reason, we feel it’s our duty to go on a quest to find the most exciting and adventurous bands in the Netherlands.

Eklin – www.myspace.com/eklin Eklin have played many a Subbacultcha! night and hopefully they’ll play many more, as they’re truly one of the most unique bands in the country. They combine noise, soundscapes and (pop) melodies to perfection, and we’re eagerly awaiting their debut album.

Eva Braun – www.myspace.com/musicevabraun No wave noise punk trio Eva Braun have just made a brand new tape and guitarist Ruben has promised us that it’s ‘louder then Aids Wolf’.

I wonder if that’s even physically possible. Last time I saw Aids Wolf, they practically skull-fucked the audience with their volume. But anyway, the sheer ambition to make something thoroughly extreme is noteworthy in itself.

ET Explore Me – www.myspace.com/organfuzz The aggressive mid-range production of ET Explore Me’s new 7” makes the Haarlem-based garage trio sound like a bunch of psychos on a rampage in a 1980s horror movie. What’s more, their explosive live shows make them one of the most entertaining bands around.

Eklin, Et Explore Me and Eva Braun will all perform at Sonic Connections, 1-3 April at De Brakke Grond, Amsterdam.

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NEWNE W MUSIC M U S IC

WU LYF

concretegold.tumblr.com

while now, but we were never inspired to click and save target as.

Luckily True Panther have signed them, so we were like, ‘well maybe we should check them out.’

And then we did. The next thing you know, we were dancing and singing ‘Hey boy, where’s your girlfriend?’. They’ve obviously taken inspiration from ’60s girl groups and Phil Spector, but we love that shit.

Active Child

myspace.com/activechild In terms of promoting your band, your best bet these days is to make incredibly good music, put it online and wait. Yes, wait for the blogs to find you. Besides, we’re all hunters out there, patrolling the periphery of the musical net. We crave that new thing, that new sound. And if there’s one thing we particularly don’t like, it’s press releases and band pics and promotional emails. WU LYF understand the strategy well.

All we know is they have a bunch of great songs, they’re from Manchester, they’ve recently self-released a demo tape (14 handmade copies at £50 each!) and they have a lovely arty website.

Magic Kids

myspace.com/themagickids

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Yes, sometimes even we are a little late in catching on. We totally missed out on Magic Kids first time round. Their tremendous single ‘Hey Boy’ has been roaming around the internet for a

Bring on the Chillwave. Man, this thing is turning into a Chill-tsunami (Chillwave is a ‘genre’ in case you missed out). It seems like every US hipster got themselves a vintage keyboard and installed Logic Pro with a bunch of decent delay plug-ins. But in all fairness, most of these band are pretty awesome. Take Active Child, LAbased Pat Grossi’s bedroom solo project. He’s got loads of songs and remixes floating around the world wide web—all quality stuff.

Interview: liars

Truth is in the pudding

We hooked up liars with three girls for an interview. How sweet is that?! So here it is; we talk Sisterworld, female musicians and horror films over sweet, sweet pancakes.

By Carly Blair. Photos by Isolde Woudstra

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C

interview: liars. continued

haracterised by dramatic stylistic shifts between their albums, relocating for inspiration, and stubbornly refusing to give demanding fans what they want, you could dare to call Liars the embodiment of the unruly and uncompromising music that we here at Subbacultcha! love. Liars either really don’t care what you think about them, or are savvy enough to realise it’s more intriguing to act like you don’t. Either way, they are much less scary in person than expected, and were even nice enough to prepare traditional Dutch pancakes for the ladies of Subbacultcha! Smakelijk lezen.

[Carly Blair:] You all lived in Berlin for a while. Now you’ve all returned to LA, whence Julian and Aaron came.

Why did you decide to leave Europe and head back to the States? Did you miss it, or was it a visa issue?

[Julian Gross:] No, I missed it. I was ready to go back to the sun, having a yard, a garden, I really wanted that again. And my family was there and our friends were there so it was a pretty easy decision for me after being in a cold, dark land.

[CB:] So even though Berlin is cool, it wears out its welcome eventually.

[JG:] Yeah, and you know, we weren’t really too big on the social scene there.

We just used it to work.

[JG:] (as he’s pouring stroop into the pancake batter) How much caramel sauce do you put in this stuff?

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[CB:] Oh! You just put it on top in the end. But you could put it in there as well if you wanted to.

[JG:] Oh, I thought that’s what you meant.

[CB:] No, no, we use it like pancake syrup.

[JG:] That makes sense.

[CB:] You’ve said that Sisterworld is inspired by ‘fringe characters lured to LA’, that you’re ‘interested in the alternate spaces people create in order to maintain identity in a city like LA’. And also that ‘Sisterworld is (your) own space... remote from the false promises and discarded dreams amassed in LA’. These sound like a harsh critique of life there. Do you like the tension that living in a place that you have conflicted feelings about creates? Is it easier to be inspired?

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interview: liars. continued

“I can cry watching a really stupid TV show, but when you see somebody getting beat up you don’t want to cry.”

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[Aaron Hemphill:] I think some of it is a biting critique and another part of it is an acknowledgement that some of the pursuits that misfits can carry out when they recognise themselves and that they don’t fit in... can be very respectable and deserving of attention and acknowledgement. That it’s an achievement, regardless of how materialistic or silly an outsider might think it is. I actually think that. It just depends on where your heart is and what you’ve found out about yourself.

There’s so many different perspectives on it. I don’t think that as residents we teeter in such a dramatic fashion as to all these different things and how we feel about it. But for the sake of the record and making something with a potent sort of mood for other people to relate to other places, I think we have to.

watching a really stupid TV show, but when you see somebody getting beat up you don’t want to cry.

[CB:] The theme of this issue is ‘Boys and Girls’. I’ve heard the Björk tribute album, where you guys did that cover of ‘Army of Me’. What other female musicians do you admire?

[Angus Andrew:] Beth Ditto, Cat Power, the chick from Portishead....

[AA:] Afri Rampo. Do you know Afri Rampo?

[CB:] I’ve seen them live before. They opened for Lightning Bolt.

[AA:] PJ Harvey...

[JG:] Royal Trucks, L7...

[CB:] I read that the song ‘Scarecrows on a Killer Slant’ was inspired by a [AH:] CCCC - Cosmic Coincidence murder – what’s the story behind that? Control Center—it’s a Japanese noise duo, and the girl in it was a Japanese [JG:] We’ve all witnessed some pret- bondage star. Amazing. ty bad things while being there, unfortunately. The weirdest part when [AA:] I like Carole King, even more you’re a witness to something like that contemporary stuff... is your reaction to it. Is it one of fear?

Is it one of excitement? That’s where [JG:] Emily Sassy Lime... things become very weird in how you’re relating to something that... [AH:] Betty Davis... should be shocking, but you look at it like a video game. Or... it’s the same [JG:] Any of, like, The Shirelles, or reaction you have to a movie, or some- The Crystals, Diana Ross and The Sutimes even less than a movie. I can cry premes...

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interview: liars. continued

[CB:] You guys listen to more female artists than I do.

(They nod.) What’s a favourite?

[JG:] I still use ’em.

[All:] Thank you.

[AH:] Criminally Insane. It’s about [AA:] Maybe that’s how it works, you an obese woman with an eating disknow? More males listen to females order, whose boyfriend forces her to and more females listen to males. go on a diet and she turns to cannibalism. There’s also bigger budget clas[CB:] I do like to imagine they’re all sics like The Shining, which I think we whispering in my ear, so maybe that’s all like. why I like guy singers better. I don’t want to spoil your ‘game’, but a clas- [AA:] We watched a horror film tosic thing when you’re growing up is gether the other day. the mixtape for the crush. Did you ever have a classic song that you’d put [CB:] Really? Which one? on a mixtape for someone you were trying to impress with your musical [AH:] Wolf Creek. It’s shot in Austrataste? Any go-to jams? lia, which is where Angus grew up.

There’s a lot of new horror films that [JG:] Besides Pearl Jam? are these low budget phenomenons, but I like the older ones, you know?

[CB:] That’s a good one. That Like Dawn of the Dead. would’ve worked on me in 1997.

[JG:] I’m afraid that has to be the last [JG:] When I was in high school, I’d one, I just got called back. put Jane’s Addiction on I think. Maybe ‘Three Days’ or ‘Then She Did’.

[CB:] Okay. I’ll escort you back, so you can continue on your whirlwind [CB:] Nice. Like I said, you don’t have interview tour of Europe. Thanks for to reveal the best, because I know you being down for a little pancake advenguys might need these down the line... ture.

[CB:] Okay, that’s cool. I noticed that you have some macabre or dark, violent elements in your videos and song Liars play TROUW, Amsterdam on 25 lyrics. Are you guys into horror films? May. 24 end

interview: DD/MM/YYYY

NINTENDO KIDS

DD/MM/YYYY (pronounced: Day Month Year) are five musicians from Toronto with a thing for Pacman and steering conversations into oblivion. They’re back in Amsterdam on 10 March at Studio 80 for the Subbacultcha! cassette release of Black Square.

B

By Zofia Ciechowska. Illustration by Gijs Deddens

lack Square is going to be distributed by Subbacultcha! Is there a particular reason for choosing a cassette format?

Mike Claxton: Well it’s not very convenient (chuckles). I still listen to tapes a lot. I like analogue stuff. You buy an album on tape because it’s cheap, but you can still download stuff too.

[Tomas Del Baso:] Different cities have different preferences. There’s this tiny town in Illinois called Moline and it feels like its stuck 50 years back in the past. They only buy tapes. Plus, I like the sound of tapes; it definitely wins over CDs any day.

What is the structure behind your (good) lack of musical structure?

[T:] If it feels good, we’ll do it, but we won’t just do it to confuse people. Okay, sometimes we will, but some songs are just about high energy, which is easier for people to understand. We constantly try to do things that we wouldn’t have thought of doing. It’s all about how you can get better without sounding cheesy.

Syncopation and polyrhythms are very important to us. When we have a rotating rhythm with a straight time going through it, it sounds a bit off. Then with time, it seems as if there’s actually nothing strange about it. continue 25

interview: DD/MM/YYYY. continued

If you were in a video game what would your video game soundtrack be?

[T:] Dooo-dooodooo-da-da-da-DADA-DA-DUM-dooo-doo-diiiii-da-daIs there a difference in how you are duuuum-dooooo... It would constantly received by North American and Eu- be changing and it would go on forever. ropean audiences?

[T:] We get a variety of responses within America and Canada. It’s city What superpower would you have by city. When we were last in Europe as video game characters? we mainly received positive reviews. [M:] I would be able to talk to fish.

We generally do really well in cosmo- [J:] Telekinesis. politan cities and rural areas. But the [T:] I’d probably want a bit of everything. I’d be jumping around like Masuburbs hate us. rio. I’d be Mega Man with a mousYou’ve named video games as a tache, maybe. Video games represent this nostalgia for our childhood. As we source of inspiration. Why is this? stopped being kids, video games be[M:] Because we’re Nintendo kids.

[T:] We’ve spent a lot of hours gaming. came lamer. Suddenly there was this And now there are games where you great progression of technology and music. We missed the bandwagon. But can be a band. (laughs) [J:] All the old video game songs made that’s okay because our music is retro in that way. with 8-bit sounds stayed with us.

[T:] With 8-bit or 16-bit, the music will have certain limitations that one must What would the ‘ DD/MM/YYYY work with. Our limitations may be the video game’ be like? traditional rock band format, with our [T:] It would be a crazy puzzle game vocals, drums, keyboards, bass, gui- where you go into a system and it’s tar and saxophone. But we try and es- like Grand Theft Auto, and then you cape these limitations with the vid- go into your house and you turn on eo game music. We once played with your computer and you play a game, Crystal Castles, before they were fa- and in that game you go into your mous, when we put our music through house and play a game, and it would sequencers and made video game ver- be like looking into mirrors facing each other in a lift. sions of our songs.

[Jordan Holmes:] The seeming lack of structure is intentional, but when we’re writing songs we’re very meticulous.

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“I’d probably want a bit of everything. I’d be jumping around like Mario. I’d be Mega Man with a moustache”

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MUSIC new releases These are the new releases that you can’t afford to miss

By Carly Blair

Toro y Moi

Causers of This (Carpark)

A former side project of South Carolinian Chaz Bundick, Toro y Moi has now evolved into Bundick’s primary focus following graduation from college and a presumably influential friendship with fellow chillwave disciple Ernest Greene of Washed Out. Sonically, Causers of This is a pastiche of elements ranging from folk to R&B to keyboard-driven ’80s nostalgia; samples abound and punctuate the stuttering beats. If there’s a weak point, it’s Bundick’s vocals, which wander outside of his comfortable range at times. As a whole, it’s pretty but a bit insubstantial, not unlike the kind of mirages his summery tunes evoke. Especially given the stir chillwave caused in summer 2009, the February release date makes the melted cassette vibe of CoT feel a bit anachronistic, better suited to sweltering days at the beach. Nevertheless, it’s a promising debut and the coming months will tell if it’s solid enough to compel until 2010’s heat waves come rolling in.

jj

jj no 3 (Secretly Canadian)

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Not much is known about Gothenburg group jj, other than that they make R&B-referencing Balearic pop, they’re on The Tough Alliance’s Sincerely Yours label, and their name is a reference to Jules et Jim. Since historically only the greatest of bands have French pop culture references in their name, these guys are not to be taken lightly (though doing so with lots of water is probably a good idea). Those finally coming down from summer 2009’s lauded recreational substance homage jj no 2, rejoice. With the arrival of jj no 3, they now provide seasonally appropriate soundtracks to your drug trips

all year round. Here, the crystalline instrumentals blanketing each track are melted by drops of warm female vocals, like the blood-spattered snow the cover evokes. The more jj flirt with hiphop, the more I like them, but jj no 3 sorely misses the likes of the bassline thump of 2009 single sensation ‘Ecstasy’ or sassiness of Lil Wayne-sampling non-album freebie ‘My Way’. All the relentless prettiness can get cloying after an extended listen, but these guys are pros and more greatness is forthcoming.

MUSIC new releases

Titus Andronicus The Monitor (XL Recordings)

The bombastic Pogues- and Springsteen-channeling New Jersey punks follow up their acclaimed 2008 debut with a ‘sort of’ concept album about the unresolved conflicts which spawned the American Civil War. Calling them ambitious would be an understatement—the average track length is over six minutes, and the album features a handful of spokenword interludes in which indie hotshots such as Craig Finn (The Hold Steady) portray Civil War-era historical figures.

Sounds pompous, should be boring, but damn it if these guys don’t keep things varied enough to pull it off. Their relentless energy, great melodies and stellar live reputation are starting to make me wonder: am I really too old to listen to punk anymore?

The Besnard Lakes The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night (Jagjaguwar)

For those of you that missed out on the majestic moments on Montreal’s The Besnard Lakes’ 2007 Jagjaguwar debut, here’s your shot at redemption. The album

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MUSIC new releases continueD

title’s still a telling autobiographical declaration, the cover still looks like something you’d see on the wall at grandma’s house, the harmonies are still soaring and Beach Boys-inspired, and they’re still making epic psychedelia.

What’s remarkable is that this time around they manage to maintain the awesomeness for an entire album. Roaring Night represents a huge step up, and will surely awaken some from their Teen Dream-induced trances.

Liars

Sisterworld (Mute)

30 end

Liars’ first since all members of the post rock trio reunited in LA. Sisterworld is a safe haven forged by outcasts and weirdos scurrying about LA’s underground, providing refuge from the ‘false promises and discarded dreams’ of LA. In fact, a fitting sense of paranoid unease and alienation pervades the entire album. If you had any plans to dress up like the cast of Mad Max and drive a tank down Rodeo Drive, now you know what to blast out of your loudspeaker. After a series of dramatic stylistic shifts between previous albums, Sisterworld sounds surprisingly like... Liars. You’ve heard these vicious guitars, experimental soundscapes, and alternately snarling and ominous vocals. You’ve probably even felt this oppressive sense of doom before. This sense of déjà vu isn’t quite boring, but not always compelling either; the album definitely lacks cohesion. Blame the mild let-down to some extent on the overly auspicious beginning: album opener ‘Scissor’ is fantastic, and perfectly embodies the discographic cherry-picking which characterises the album as a whole. Since they so adore thwarting expectations, it seems reasonable to hope they turn their collective gaze forward next time around. A companion disc featuring remixes and reinterpretations by the likes of Bradford Cox, Thom Yorke and Blonde Redhead may very well outshine the original in this case.

simon waldlasowski

ART Featured artist Every month we select an artist we think is worth your while This month it is Simon WaldLasowski

N

ame, Age, City of residence? Simon Wald-Lasowski, 29, Amsterdam.

Are you an artist? Not yet.

Are you building a career? I guess so.

At what time do you generally get up? Too late.

What’s your favourite time of day to work? When the city sleeps.

What brand of coffee do you drink? I don’t drink coffee.

Preferred type of alcohol? Wine for dinner. Gin and tonic for parties. Whiskey by myself.

Do you smoke? ...

Do you take yourself seriously? Myself no, my work yes.

But only a few things in life are really worth taking seriously. I like this quote from Sacha Guitry : ‘You can pretend to be serious; but you can’t pretend to be witty.’

Are you critical? Who came up with these questions?

Do you deal well with criticism? Getting only positive feedback is not very constructive, give me some!

Can art be criticised? My father is a literature critic. If it is done well it is a creative act.

Are you cynical? No, I’m too optimistic for that.

Do you have any idea what you are doing? Hopefully putting a smile on people’s faces...

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featured artist: simon wald-lasowski. continued

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featured artist: simon wald-lasowski. continued

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strange fashion: Episode one

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A fashion tale in ten episodes brought to you by Strange Boutique

Credits PHOTOGRAPHER: Nadine Stijns. www.nadineshows.com Control freak Nadine loves to grasp beyond the boundaries of her own photographic discipline: photography. She effortlessly expands her territory to include fashion, design and styling. She injects each project with a ‘total concept’, resulting in clear and coherent solutions. Her latest work, ‘Found moments, everyday life, and common objects as subject matter’, is concentrated on the events and situations in her direct environment. Next to her work as a photographer, she’s also part of the DJ collective FNNNN and singer of the all-girl organ-punk band After the Flöte.

DESIGNER: LEW (Leemans & Wicker). www.l-e-w.nl Kim Leemans and Merel Wicker met in 2001 at the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. They’ve been co-operating ever since. Concept and wearability is always at the core of the LEW collections. Eye-catching techniques like weaving with fabric and patchwork, combined with fresh, mature colours and graphic shapes create a refreshing and powerful image. The designers’ studio is housed in a former gay bar, right in the middle of Amsterdam’s Red Light District. This space, where the plaster peels off the walls and where you can find century-old murals between the moisture stains, was the inspiration for their latest winter 2010 collection.

STRANGE BOUTIQUE Strange Boutique is the joint venture of graphic designer Nicole Martens and cultural engineer Femke Dekker. Founded in 2009, Strange Boutique became the multidisciplinary playground for two, very opinionated kindred spirits. Although mainly known as their nom-du-stage while DJing, Strange Boutique would also like to be known for their expertise in fashion, journalism, art, cupcakes and fine embroidery.

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strange fashion: Episode one

music oscars top 5 Door Oscar Smit Iedere maand stelt Oscar Smit een Top 5 samen van volstrekt overbodige muziektrivia

Boy/girl talk

W

e kennen allemaal wel de Ting Tings, Blood Red Shoes of White Stripes. Vroeger had je Abba, The Carpenters en The Mamas and The Papas.

Hier een top 5 met 7 inch singles van vergeten m/v duo’s en bands.

1

The Janet And Johns - I Was A Young Man (Vindaloo, 1980) Enige single van een Engelse band die genoemd is naar een kinderboekenreeks die in de jaren 50 en 60 in Engeland populair was. De muziek klinkt folky maar met een punk attitude (het was 1980), en een eigenzinnige ‘twist’ à la Wire. Over de mysterieuze groep is niets bekend.

40

2

Jeff And Jane - Special World (J&J Records, 1983) Electrofunkpunk avant la lettre! Jeff en Jane Hudson, uit Boston, zaten eerst samen in de punkband The

Rentals. Begin jaren 80 formeerden ze Jeff And Jane, een band met vooral synthesizers en een, voor die tijd kenmerkende, drummachine. Na een lange stilte maakten ze in 2002 ineens weer een albuM: Burn.

music oscars top 5

3

The Other Two - Tasty Fish (Factory, 1991) Verreweg de bekendste leden van New Order waren Bernard Sumner en Peter Hook. En de andere twee dan? Dat waren toetseniste Gillian Gilbert en drummer Stephen Morris, ofwel The Other Two. ‘Tasty Fish’ was hun eerste single, een lekkere synthipopsong, gemixt door de toen hippe producer Pascal Gabriel (onder meer Bomb The Bass, S’Express en later Kylie Minogue). The Other Two bracht het tot twee albums, de laatste uit 1999.

4

Frederik Saroea & Annie - I Will Always Remember You (Tellé, 2002) De Noorse plaats Bergen was hot, zo rond de millenniumwisseling. Dit vanwege het label Tellé, bron van acts als Röyksopp en Kings Of Convenience. In dezelfde scene bewogen zich Frederik Saroea en Annie. Saroea zit tegenwoordig in electropunk outfit Datarock en Annie is de electrodiscozangeres Annie die net haar tweede album, Don’t Stop uit heeft. Op deze obscure synthipopsingle zingt Saroea als een crooner en Annie als een discodiva.

5

Diff’rent Stripes - A Tribute To The White Stripes (Guided Missile Recordings, 2002) In Engeland was een groepje studio-/sessiemuzikanten actief (waaronder trompettist Terry Edwards) die graag vreemde versies van bekende nummers maakten. Kort nadat in 2001 White Blood Cells van de White Stripes uitkwam, brachten die grappige Britten een plaatje uit met drie van de tracks, omgevormd tot instrumentals. Zo maakten ze een feestelijke hoempaversie van ‘Hotel Yorba’, klinkt hun ‘I Think I Smell Like A Rat’ als dubreggae en is ‘Fell In Love With A Girl’ een analoge synthesizertune geworden, boordevol space effecten.

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FILM column Door Gert Verbeek

voor alle leeftijden

“W

42

erk nooit met kinderen en dieren,” waarschuwde W.C. Fields ooit. Ze zijn wispelturig en daardoor lastig te regisseren.

Zo hebben baby’s de onbedwingbare neiging alles te grijpen wat voor hun neus bungelt. Ze zijn ontroostbaar als het hen niet lukt de dop van de microfoon af te draaien. Baby’s en film gaan heel slecht samen. Toegegeven, de babyjacht in Raising Arizona is grappige moderne slapstick en het gedoe rondom het kindje in L’Enfant levert een aangrijpend drama op, maar er bestaan geen meesterwerken waarin een baby de hoofdrol speelt. Zo hebben 3 Men And A Baby en Look Who’s Talking nooit een plaats verworven in de eregalerij van de filmgeschiedenis, is Ricky een van de mindere films van François Ozon en gaat Rosemary’s Baby voornamelijk over Rosemary.

Mijn meest recente cinematografische babyervaring was tijdens Up In The Air. Het duurde even voordat de kleine lastpost van zich liet horen. Enige tijd na de openingstitels zag ik vanuit mijn rechterooghoek een verlaat echtpaar een bioscoopstoel vinden in Tuschinski 2. Enigszins afgeleid probeerde ik de vliegavonturen van ontslagspecialist George Clooney te volgen. Een pruttelend geluid, klinkend als de mismaakte zuigeling in Eraserhead, nam in volume toe vanuit de eerste rij, vanaf de stoel waar de vrouw en de man (laten we ze Jut en Jul noemen) achter waren gaan zitten.

Jut boog zich voorover en pakte uit de binnengesmokkelde draagwieg een koter met spartelbeentjes. In een poging het schepseltje tot bedaren te schudden, stond ze op en bleef ze wiebelend langs het zijpad staan. Dat leek een minuut of vijf afdoende, totdat een onverwachts kuchje uit de kleine longetjes een volgende treurbui teweegbracht. Jut haastte zich naar de uitgang, de deur met een doffe bonk achter zich dichtgooiend. Jul deed ondertussen alsof zijn neus bloedde en bleef onbewogen op zijn stoel zitten. Vrouwlief mocht het vuile werk opknappen. Even had ik de illusie dat ik eindelijk kon opgaan in Up In The Air, een film waar de recensies zo hoog van hadden opgegeven. Helaas keerde Jut tien minuten later terug in haar stoel, het tere mormeltje in slaap gesust in haar armen. Dat ging vijf minuten goed, waarna het ritueel van huilen, opstaan, wiebelen, weglopen en terugkeren tot aan de aftiteling werd herhaald. Jul stak geen vinger uit en liet Jut aan haar lot over, met als gevolg dat Jut nog geen vijftig procent van de film kon zien. Up In The Air is officieel geschikt voor alle leeftijden, maar dit ging wel heel erg ver. Het nadeel van een vrouw met een baby is dat je er niet kwaad op mag worden. Daarom durfde niemand in de zaal te protesteren. Een volgende keer zal ik echter geen genade kennen. Bereid je dan voor op een tafereel waarbij een man (ondergetekende) en een vrouw in de bioscoopfoyer aan de ledematen van een krijsende baby staan te trekken, overzien door een suppoost die zich nerveus beraadt op een salomonsoordeel. Dat zou wel eens de beste YouTube-film met een baby in de hoofdrol kunnen opleveren.

FILM column

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99 problems and the bitch... ...knows the answer

Door Brenda Bosma. Illustratie Martyn F Overweel

44

Beste Bitch, Mijn moeder zit sinds kort op Facebook en heeft me onlangs een friendrequest gestuurd.

Nu kun je het natuurlijk toejuichen dat een moeder van ruim in de 50 zo bij de tijd is dat ze actief deelneemt aan het digitale tijdperk. Maar ik wil m’n moeder helemaal niet als vriend?! Ik bedoel: ze is wel m’n moe-der! Straks ziet ze wie ik allemaal poke en dat zijn er niet slechts een paar!

Bedankt, Konijntje86@hotmail.com Beste Konijntje86, Die moeder van jou gaat wel met de tijd mee. Waar eindigt dit vooruitstrevende gedrag?

Laten we hopen dat ze niet bij cyberseks is beland, of er al mee begonnen! Ai, het besef begint nu in te dalen. Zeg je moeder dat het contact via het multimediale web veel te artificieel voor je is en begin een briefcorrespondentie met ‘r. Ikzelf had vroeger als kind geparfumeerd briefpapier en heb me wat af gepenpald. Heerlijk was dat. Ik ben sterk van mening dat dit mijn bedwelmende liefde voor de schrijveralij heeft aangewakkerd. Groetjes, B. Beste Bitch, Wat is dat voor instrument dat de zanger van The Moi

Non Plus bespeelt?

Okeedoei, Klaas.

Beste Klaas, Dat is een Springtime gebouwd door Yuri ‘Professor Barabas’ Landman, vooral bekend om zijn Moodswinger-gitaar.

Yuri geeft workshops hoe zo’n ding in mekaar te zetten. Nu kun je een paar keer voor 120 euro met een soldeerbout heen en weer zwiepen, je kan ook gewoon een keer bij mij langskomen. Dan zal ik je eens een mooi prototype van een Moodswinger laten zien. Groet, B. Beste Bitch, Ik heb een vriendin die haar verkalkte teennagels het liefst op onze velours bank knipt, de mokken in het keukenkastje op kleur sorteert, en ten minste drie keer in de week burrito’s eet die ze vervolgens rijkelijk bestrooid met jongbelegen kaas. Waar is de tijd gebleven dat het licht op miraculeuze wijze een perfecte combinatie vormde met haar gezicht en we allebei met Rufus Wainwright meezongen?

Beste vriend, Als een en ander gepaard gaat met vleeskleurige fleecetruien en een ‘pittig’ kapsel, zou ik aansturen op een goed gesprek.

Succes, B.

99 problems and the bitch... ...knows the answer Stuur al je vragen, problemen en prangende kwesties naar 99problems@ subbacultcha.nl als jouw vraag een antwoord verdient verdien jij een good goodie.

Send your problems to 99 problems@ subbacultcha.nl

“Waar is de tijd gebleven dat het licht op miraculeuze wijze een perfecte combinatie vormde met haar gezicht en we allebei met Rufus Wainwright meezongen?�

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spekkie big

46

Door Marc van der Holst

AGENDA

Image: Rnul

spend your month in style

5 Days Off, 3-7 March, Various locations, Amsterdam.

5 Days Off hosts a special art programme featuring installations by Jan van Nuenen, Rnul (image) and Mike Rijnierse.

Highlights in March Girls, Yeasayer, Fabriq Festival, Sonic Connections Festival, The Soft Pack and The Tallest Man On Earth continue 47 Win tickets to Los Campesinos!, Yeasayer, Lucky Dragons and more

Freefr ee st uff STUFF

25 pairs of AiAiAI Headphones

aiaiai SWIRL earphones or TRACKS HEADsets Eye-catching packaging and retro ’80s Walkman-style headsets or contemporary ‘earbuds’-style design for your modern MP3 players never sounded so good.

Subbacultcha! lets 25 lucky subscribers have their cake and eat it too. Again.

2x2 Tickets

Admiral Freebee 10 Mar - Melkweg, Amsterdam Blues, funk, classic rock and guitar pop are just parts of the Admiral Freebee sonic spectrum. The Belgian singer-songwriter is simply in love with the sound of six strings and interlacing harmonies, producing a rich American sound in the process.

Here he’ll be showcasing new album The Honey and The Knife, which is as honestsounding as it comes.

3x2 Tickets

Double Points: + 11 Mar - Muziekgebouw, Amsterdam A collaborative project from Swiss composer Hanspeter Kyburz and choreographers Emio Greco and Pieter C Scholten, where the performed score is matched by a technological dance performance — sensors capturing each movement of the dancer triggers electronic accompaniment.

Photo: Jon Bergman

2x2 Tickets

Los Campesinos!

14 Mar - Melkweg, Amsterdam Seven-piece Welsh tribe, who’ll be on the scene to promote their new album Romance is Boring. They’re no longer singing about Live Journal, but they’re as wordy and winding as ever, and coiled ready to explode like a pop punk firework.

3x2 Tickets

48

Lucky Dragons 16 Mar - WORM, Rotterdam Mental experimental sounds from the minds of Luke Fischbeck and Sarah Rara.

Together they transform the everyday acoustic into something utterly abstract and unusual.

3x2 Tickets

Yeasayer 20 Mar - Paradiso, Amsterdam So the sun has risen on Yeasayer’s new disc, Odd Blood, and they may well be channelling the spirit of Big Country — all be it with a delightful post-apocalyptic harmony method and a Brooklyn twist.

These guys also put on a loose-flowing live show, where chaos meets control.

Somehow it just makes sense.

3x2 Tickets

Owen Pallett (ex-Final Fantasy) 22 Mar - Paradiso, Amsterdam As Final Fantasy, violinist, composer, and yes, singer-songwriter, Pallett always had the indie kids on side thanks to his collaborations with Arcade Fire, but most of his subsequent success has been in the background, arranging string orchestrations. Well, having ditched the moniker, and with a focus back on pop songwriting, Pallett has wormed his way back into the violin looping limelight.

Free STUFF Free tickets and goodies for you from us Every month we give away loads of tickets and good goodies.

Don’t you just love us for that?

To win subscribe to the mailinglist at www.subbacultcha.nl.

To become a full Subbacultcha! member go to www.subbacultcha.nl and click join.

3x2 Tickets

Sonic Connections Festival 01-03 Apr - De Brakke Grond, Amsterdam This second celebration of Dutch and Belgian sounds welcomes input from Subbacultcha! faves such as Eklin, The Wooden Constructions, Eva Braun, The Go Find, plus much more. As set in motion last year, there’s an emphasis on youth, experimentalism and a multidisciplinary approach to sound and visual art.

3x2 tickets

Until the light takes us 13 and14 Mar - Energiehuis, Noordkaap, Dordrecht As part of the art project Schwarzwald in Dordrecht there will be a screening of the wonderful documentary ‘Until The Light Takes Us’ portraying the Norwegian Black Metal scene. Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell set up in Norway, living with the musicians, allowing them to derive a surprisingly intimate portrait of the black scene and its (misunderstood) characters.

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agenda Subbacultcha shows in september

DE KEUZE VAN SUBBACULTCHA! Lichaam met sensoren stuurt live elektronica

Do. 11/03 EMIO GRECO|PC & NIEUW ENSEMBLE Double Points: + Charismatische danser Emio Greco maakt muziek met zijn lichaam

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agenda shows in march

The Soft Pack play Paradiso

The Soft Pack 02 Mar - Paradiso, Amsterdam At the forefront of the 2010 guitar pop wave, these San Diego kids first caused a small stir as The Muslims before opting for a ‘safer’ name. Their self-titled debut album is pumped full of pushy bass and drums, rapid strumming and energetic melodies. Despite the required sunny California vibe, it’s thankfully a little rough around the edges, aided by the dirty production work of former Girls Against Boys bassist Eli Janney.

5 Days Off 03 - 07 Mar - Various locations, Amsterdam It’s no longer news that this steamy summer dance parade has switched allegiances to early spring, promising sets from Doom, Nosaj Thing and Memory Tapes in the process. What you shouldn’t forget is that the fest also supplies a sweet contemporary art programme, with three artists using venues as starting point for their multimedia experiments: Jan van Nuenen (Paradiso), Rnul (Melkweg) and Mike Rijnierse (NIMk). Additionally, the festival will provide a steady stream of film and theatrical events at Melkweg, which is handy if blisters make sitting more appealing than dancing.

Radio Moscow 04 Mar - Vera, Groningen 05 Mar - 013, Tilburg 06 Mar - Elektra, Sliedrecht 07 Mar - dB’s, Utrecht If psych blues rock is your thing, there’s undeniably a glut of fresh bands on the scene currently, many connecting back to The Black Keys on some level. Well, ’70s-inspired guitar rocker Parker Griggs is no different, leading this riff heavy trio with big stoner licks and raw vocals. Their debut album in 2007 even boasted production cues from Dan Auerbach himself. They followed it up last spring with the album Brain Cycles.

Get Well Soon 05 Mar - Vera, Groningen 06 Mar - Tivoli, Utrecht Iron your shirt and straighten your tie, for German singer-songwriter Konstantin Gropper is on the way.

His music as Get Well Soon certainly isn’t creased or dishevelled, rather it’s a lush orchestral rock affair, flooded with strings, piano and horns. His newest album, Vexations, was released back in January, immediately denting the German chart.

Karl Blau 06 Mar - Vera, Groningen 07 Mar - fabrIQ Festival, Den Bosch Eclectic but reliably entertaining,

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52

this Pacific North-West indie pop singer-songwriter has been producing varied slices of music since the mid-’90s. These days it’s hard not to peg him as indie folk but his multiinstrumental tangents certainly pull him away from bland Fleet Foxes territory. He’s also tied to the K Records family, which is still a suitable sign of quality to our ears. fabrIQ Festival 07 Mar - W2, Den Bosch This is no average Sunday picnic in Den Bosch. Rather, from midafternoon through to late evening, around 12 hip artists will take to the stage to provide a diverse mix of pop, folk and indie experimentalism.

These include Megafaun, The Tallest Man On Earth, DD/MM/YYYY, Tiny Vipers and Thus:Owls. All in all, it’s well worth a day trip.

Girls 07 Mar - Paradiso, Amsterdam First it was blog exposure and then a storming Pitchfork review that launched this San Francisco outfit as one of the key indie rock newcomers of autumn 2009. Mainstream media has since followed, so the hazy ’60s sound of their album Album surely isn’t new to you. If you’re willing to buy into the sound, close your eyes and fall back through the decades.

The Tallest Man On Earth 07 Mar - fabrIQ Festival, W2, Den Bosch 08 Mar - Bitterzoet, Amsterdam At 9’7”, Swedish folk singer-songwriter Kristian Matsson is legally only allowed to appear in venues with low stages or high ceilings due to health and safety worries. His freakish height has ensured crowds flocking to see the Dylan-esque singer, somewhat like a travelling circus, first selling out Paradiso’s small room last year, and now Bitterzoet in Amsterdam.

Megafaun 07 Mar - fabrIQ Festival, W2, Den Bosch 08 Mar - Merleyn, Nijmegen Pretty and plucky American folk, which really does have the haunting harmonies and spiritual feel that saw Fleet Foxes garner such success in 2008. We do favour Megafaun though, not just as the underdog, but because there’s a slightly rawer edge and experimental tendencies under their hypnotic acoustic works. And with music so solid, there’s no need to read about their Bon Iver connections.

agenda shows in march

Portmanteau 11 Mar - Ekko, Utrecht German indie-tronica flitting between ambient laptop electronics and more pulsating post rock.

The Album Leaf 13 Mar - Rotown, Rotterdam Rotterdam’s nabbed an exclusive from this Sub Pop post rock outfit, known for its ambient electronic meanderings. Latest release A Chorus of Storytellers admittedly boasts more of a ‘band’ sound than some previous offerings, although it’s still a very atmospheric affair with mixing input from core member Jimmy LaValle and Jónsi Birgisson of Sigur Rós.

Until the Light Takes Us 13, 14 Mar - Noordkaap, Dordrecht FREE TICKETS, see page 48

Burning churches, suicides, murder... the Norwegian black metal scene was more interesting than regular old football violence back in the ’90s. But what was it really about?

For this documentary, Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell set up in Norway, living with the musicians, allowing them to derive a surprisingly intimate portrait of the black scene and its (misunderstood) characters.

The screening is part of Schwarzwald, a collaborative, multi-disciplin-

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ary artwork in the form of a dark forest representing primal human urges (at Noordkaap, Dordrecht until 14 Mar).

Los Campesinos!

14 Mar - Melkweg, Amsterdam FREE TICKETS, see page 48

This seven-piece Welsh tribe have just released their third album, Romance is Boring, which is as wordy and winding as ever. To say none of it reaches the heights of 2007 single ‘You! Me! Dancing!’ is possibly unfair given the instant nature of that track. But what does rankle is the 30 second song samples on MySpace. Fortunately, those wondering whether romance is really boring were able to research it on Rapidshare late last year.

Lucky Dragons 16 Mar - WORM, Rotterdam

Slagsmålsklubben 18 Mar - Doornroosje, Nijmegen 19 Mar - Mezz, Breda Swedish fight clubbers and electro poppers. Equal parts Scando silliness and icy Berlin cool, the synthpop sextet are now entering their tenth year.

shows in march

Klub Radar Free For Subbacultcha! Members

20 Mar - Tivoli De Helling Utrecht’s fave party for underground sounds and top notch live sets. Tonight’s guest list includes the killer instrumental hiphop of Nosaj Thing, the electronic brain mash of Max Tundra, Belgian guitar rock from Madensuyu, and the avant-garde beats and rhymes of TOKiMONSTA. Yeasayer 20 Mar - Paradiso, Amsterdam

FREE TICKETS, see page 48

FREE TICKETS, see page 48

Geek chic experimentalism from LA-based duo Luke Fischbeck and Sarah Rara. Easy listening has never been part of their plan. The project is more about transforming the acoustically normal into the aurally abnormal. It’s quirky and they’re not afraid to miss as well as hit. And as a reward for taking a journey with them, they’ll occasionally even strike a pretty groove. Support from Carlos Giffoni and the trippy arpeggio cosmonaut experiments of the fascinating Oneohtrix Point Never.

Brooklyn hipsters or hippies — take your pick. Either way, these psychpop experimentalists need little introduction. All Hour Cymbals may have arrived as a pleasant surprise back in 2007, with its uplifting sunrise anthems, but new disc Odd Blood is all about public expectations and the sonic opportunities to skirt them.

Blood Red Shoes 16 Mar - Effenaar, Eindhoven 17 Mar - Paradiso, Amsterdam 18 Mar - Oosterpoort, Groningen With London Calling appearances and numerous sell-out Dutch performances in the past couple of years, this Brighton duo have been riding a noisy wave without falling into traditional bluesy territory. This month they release second album, Fire Like This, hoping to maintain their momentum.

agenda

Hans Teeuwen Zingt 21 Mar - Paradiso, Amsterdam Jazzy excerpts from the Dutch cabaret singer, performing with a classy cast of local jazzists: Jesse van Ruller (guitar), Benjamin Herman (sax), Ruben Hein (piano), Kasper Kalf (bass) and Joost Kroon (drums).

Mono 21 Mar - Doornroosje, Nijmegen You should never accuse this Japanese instrumental post rock crew of lacking ambition. They may have made their name performing louder-than-loud anthems that would switch to a soft caress with the click

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agenda shows in march

The Wooden Constructions at Sonic Connections

of a footswitch. But over the past decade they’ve twisted and turned, toying with their sonic formula. Last year’s Hymn to the Immortal Wind even saw the band working with a 28-piece chamber orchestra. Now that’s sonic intensity.

Owen Pallett 22 Mar - Paradiso, Amsterdam

sters have always come across as unassuming but entertaining ever since their debut record United back at the beginning of the decade. Their fourth album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix has seen them enter a different league, however, not just selling out bigger venues, but recently picking up a Grammy (eek!).

FREE TICKETS, see page 48

With his Arcade Fire connections, Owen Pallet (formerly Final Fantasy) has always had the cool kids onside since his original demos.

But despite his cunning violin play and looping mastery, there was some magic spark missing from those early recordings. Perhaps just songwriting maturity to match the quirks? Whatever it was, Pallett has found it with his new solo album, Heartland.

The Bony King Of Nowhere 23 Mar - Paradiso, Amsterdam A hypnotic folk pop show from Belgian singer-songwriter Bram Vanparys. Promising layers of acoustic melody and exploratory international percussion, he’s been popping up in venues across the nation of late.

Phoenix 26 Mar - Paradiso, Amsterdam These French dance/guitar pop-

The Magnetic Fields 31 Mar - De Duif, Amsterdam Back in January, Stephin Merritt returned with Realism, the final part of his no-synth album trilogy, marking a more folky approach to his typically quirky indie pop. He certainly inspires loyal reverence from his fanbase, making this church performance in De Duif all the more special.

Sonic Connections Festival 01 - 03 Apr - De Brakke Grond, Amsterdam FREE TICKETS, see page 48

This second celebration of Dutch and Belgian sounds welcomes input from Subbacultcha! faves such as Eklin, The Wooden Constructions, Eva Braun, The Go Find, plus much more. As set in motion last year, there’s an emphasis on youth, experimentalism and a multidisciplinary approach to sound and visual art.

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MRT/APR ‘10 CONCERTEN, CLUBAVONDEN, ETEN & MEER MRT / DON

PORTMANTEAU + THE WOODEN CONSTRUCTIONS + ITHAK

11 13 WHY? UNDER BYEN 18 MARIA TIMM 26 TV BUDDHAS 03 KONG (UK) 04 EF 11 CUSTOMS 24 MRT / ZAT

SUBBACULTCHA PRESENTS

MRT / DON

MRT / VRIJ

+ THE SECRET LOVE PARADE

APR / ZAT

APR / ZON

+ TOMAN

APR / ZON

+ HOOGHWATER

APR / ZAT

POPPODIUM EKKO BEMUURDE WEERD WZ 3 | 3513 BH UTRECHT | T +31 30 231 74 57 | WWW.EKKO.NL

AFTER MIDNIGHT

Send photos to aftermidnight@ subbacultcha.nl Feel very free to involve romance, stupidity, sex, beauty, banality poetry and debauchery... or hack! you can even get arty. As long as the photos are shot after midnight.

This months photos were submitted by Sely Friday Thanks to everybody who sent in their photos.

We cannot publish them all. Go to our blog to see all the photos that were sent in.

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06/03 10/03 11/03 18/03 28/03 01/04 03/04 09/04 16/04

HAM RADIO 2 JAAR O.A. WE VS DEATH // CEDARWELL KATZENJAMMER // LA GAITE COSMIC PSYCHOS GOMER PYLE // ASTROSONIQ ROMPEPROP BESNARD LAKES CHURCH OF MISERY MOUNT EERIE // NO KIDS YACHT

Info & tickets: www.vera-groningen.nl

(nl) (se) vr 12 / The Skull Defekts +(nl)Eklin Ding + za 13 / NULLZEIT: Das (be) Twilight Ritual + Xeno And more Oaklander (us) + (us) di 16 / Lucky Dragons (us) + Carlos Giffoni t Never (us) + Oneohtrix Poin(jp) wo 17 /Ningengoukaku + more (uk) vr 26 / LOWRIDERS: Ghost Mutt + more (it) Corgan (it) za 27 / DJ Balli + Bally(it) + Venta Protesix + more

60

illustratie: Bert Scholten

(pl) vr 16 / Baaba za 17 / LES PETITES DIFFERENCES MARGINALES IV (jp) za 24 /Zeni Geva with(jp) Tatsuya Yoshida

WORM is a Rotterdam based artists collective,a venue and workspace for music, film and new media.

The output of WORM is film, radio, concerts, performances,web-projects, installations,an array of tactile media and a 24/7 webstation.

Âť WORM / Achterhaven 148 / Rotterdam www.wormweb.nl / www.wormstation.nl

Subbacultcha! Magazine is lovingly and swiftly 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 A-lister: Steven McCarron Editorial Assistants: Russell Joyce, Steven McCarron, Sarah Gehrke and Marie-Claire Melzer Design: Bas Morsch Design Companion: Russell Joyce Good Girls: Zofia Ciechowska and Brenda Bosma Good Guys: Patrick van der Klugt and Roel de Jong Interns: Tibor Bijl and Marijn Westerlaken Contributors: DaniĂŤlle van Ark, Carly Blair, Brenda Bosma, Leon Caren, Zofia Ciechowska, Gijs Deddens, Sarah Gehrke, Marc van der Holst, Russell Joyce, Steven McCarron, Bas Morsch, Martyn F Overweel, Oscar Smit, Suzanne de Bruin, Gert Verbeek, Mila van de Wall and Isolde Woudstra.

Distribution: Artun Arasli, Carly Blair, Luuk Breukelman, Alice Driesen, Thom van Hoek, Patrick van der Klugt, Sandra Maat, Ernest Mistiaen, Ruben Rietveld, Hedwig Plomp, Rodrigo Sobarzo and Neza Susman Printing: Drukkerij Slinger, Alkmaar

Subbacultcha! in your store Subbacultcha! Magazine is distributed in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Groningen, Den Haag, and Haarlem. If you want your bar, venue, store or business to be on the distribution list, please send us an email.

colophon Who we are and what we do

Advertising To advertise in Subbacultcha!

Magazine send an email to magazine@subbacultcha.nl.

Memberships Become a member of Subbacultcha!. For only â‚Ź6 a month you get free access to all Subbacultcha! shows and the monthly magazine sent to your house. Plus, you get a fresh Subbacultcha! t-shirt. Check the website to sign up.

Free Tickets If you are subscribed to the mailinglist it is possible to get into our great Magazine Parties for free.

Also you can win lots of free tickets every month.

Get Involved Please feel free to email us, call us, drop by and send letters, drawings and photos.

After midnight. Send us photos taken after midnight (see p.59)

end 61

This magazine is carefully and skillfully printed By drukkerij slinger, Alkmaar

Highly recommended for all your printed matter

62

www.drukkerijslinger.nl

Saturday 06 March Kriterion Starts 23.30 | Cover 6.50 Euro Free for mailing list members

Wednesday 10 March Studio 80 Starts 22.00 | Cover 6 Euro

Saturday 13 March Ekko Starts 20.00 | Cover 10 Euro

Movie: Dogtooth (exclusive preview) Presented in collaboration with Nachtkino and De Filmfreak Tape Release Party DD/MM/YYYY (CAN) + Wooden Constructions Presented in collaboration with Katapult

Overview of all subbacultcha! shows

Why? (USA) + I Might Be Wrong & Josiah Wolf

Starts 21.00 | Cover 7.50 Euro

Max Tundra (UK) + Klaus + Bird On The Wire + DJs Gung HO & Pirate Karaoke

Friday 26 March De Nieuwe Anita

Magazine Party Ft. Acadians

Friday 19 March Smart Project Space

agenda

Starts 20.00 | Cover 6 Euro Free for mailing list members Subbacultcha members get into all these shows for â‚Ź6,- per month. sign up at www.subbacultcha.nl

Get the new subbacultcha release:

DD/MM/YYYY black square 12 songs brought to you on a wonderful cassette. plus new art work and a bonus track exclusive to the dutch release buy it at shop.subbacultcha.nl. or become a member and download it for free.

vanaf 11 maart in de filmtheaters een film van yorgos lanthimos

DOGTOOTH

CHRISTOS STERGIOGLOU MICHELE VALLEY AGGELIKI PAPULIA CHRISTOS PASSALIS MARY TSONI ANNA KALAITZIDOU associate producer ATHINA TSANGARI executive producer IRAKLIS MAVROIDIS producer YORGOS TSOURGIANNIS art direction ELLI PAPAGEORGAKOPOULOU director of photography THIMIOS BAKATAKIS editing YORGOS MAVROPSARIDIS sound LEANDROS NTOUNIS written by YORGOS LANTHIMOS and EFTHIMIS FILIPPOU directed by YORGOS LANTHIMOS co-produced by GREEK FILM CENTER YORGOS LANTHIMOS HORSEFLY PRODUCTIONS

FESTIVAL DE CANNES PRIX UN CERTAIN REGARD

www.filmfreaks.nl