By Sofia Ciechowska Illustration bi Basje Boer
Unruly Music Magazine June 2012
What’s Cooking
Food The All Work and No Play Issue
Peaking Lights, Moon Duo, Bleached Page 1
just add color the chuck taylor all star spring color collection
6 & 7 JULI 2012 CULTUURPARK WESTERGASFABRIEK AMSTERDAM
THE WEEKND SBTRKT THE GASLAMP KILLER NOSAJ THING MOUNT KIMBIE GOLD PANDA BLONDES VONDELPARK and many more
PITCHFESTIVAL.NL KAARTVERKOOP VIA TICKETMASTER.NL
The All Work and No Play Issue
This is R Stevie Moore, ‘the godfather of home-recording’, ‘veteran progressive popster’ or ‘Pope of lo-fi’, to name but a few of his many monikers. Buddy Ariel Pink simply calls him his ‘hero’. Whatever you call him Mr R Stevie is probably the hardest working man in the business. Since the early ’70s he’s continuously produced and selfdistributed more than 400 recordings, mostly through his Cassette Club. That’s how it’s done kids! According to R Stevie ‘play is hard work.’ hence the body refreshment products(?). Mr Moore is coming to the Netherlands. He’ll play a show at WORM in Rotterdam on 14 June. It is free for Subbacultcha! members. Don’t miss. You can read the interview with R Stevie Moore at subbacultcha.nl
Page 5
Content
The All Work and No Play Issue
Sun Araw
Peaking Lights
Page 18
Page 29
Moon Duo
Agenda
Page 24
Page 55
TOP 5 NEW MUSIC WE SAW YOU SUN ARAW MOON DUO PEAKING LIGHTS BLEACHED FEATURED ARTIST REVIEWS
10 13 16 18 24 29 34 38 42
FILM FOOD BOOKS HOROSCOPE AGENDA SUBBACULTCHA SHOWS OTHER SHOWS FREE STUFF AFTER MIDNIGHT
47 48 50 52 55 57 67 76 77
We couldn’t have chosen a more fitting theme for this issue; the whole international music scene is on tour at the moment, working hard (man is it difficult to make interview arrangements!). But bless them! They’re out there, doing what they believe in. Going for it. Giving everything up, soaking themselves in music, cause that’s how it’s done, you know, no mercy. All work AND all play. And what about ourselves? We hosted about 40 bands in May, made a Belgian and a Dutch magazine as well as photo publication, curated an exhibition at &foam, and then some. It’s been crazy but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Relax and enjoy. Page 6
in juni o.a.
Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition Vanaf 21 juni tentoonstelling en alle films
Moonrise Kingdom - Wes Anderson
Met o.a. Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Bruce Willis
City Lights - Charlie Chaplin
Live muziek: Martin Fondse, Wolfert Brederode
Cinema Egzotik: Night of the Hitcher Presentatie Martin Koolhoven en Ronald Simons
Cremaster Cycle – Matthey Barney Marathon op 16 juni
Info & tickets: www.eyeďŹ lm.nl
Colophon
Who we are and what we do
Subbacultcha! Magazine is made at our office in Amsterdam Da Costakade 150, 1053 XC Amsterdam, the Netherlands www.subbacultcha.nl. magazine@subbacultcha.nl We are Editors: Leon Caren and Bas Morsch Editorial Assistant: Megan Roberts Design: Bas Morsch and Marina Henao Interns: Freek van Heerikhuize and Eden van den Bogaard Good Girl: Loes Verputten Good Guys: Christopher Schreck and Bauke Karel Printing: Drukkerij Gewa, Arendonk Contributors: Desiré van den Berg, Carly Blair, Basje Boer, Brenda Bosma, Leon Caren, Zofia Ciechowska, Viktor Hachmang, Nicholas Haggard, Gerlin Heestermans, Marc van der Holst, Kathrin Klingner, -max- of nyc, Miranda Lehman, Steven McCarron, Ye Rin Mok, Bas Morsch, Pedro Quintans, Marinus de Ruiter, Johanna Valdés, Gert Verbeek and Isolde Woudstra Distribution: Amsterdam: Tessel Dekker, Elizabeth Prins, Bauke Karel, Sandrine Mary, Ana Milheiro, Fedor Oduber, Ansuya Spreksel, Stefan Stasko, Patrick van der Klugt, Dineke Tuinhof, Agata Bar, Charlotte van Brakel Utrecht: Freyja van den Boom, Janna Smeets, Jitske de Vries Groningen: Wout Merbis, Hedwig Plomp Den Haag: Leroy Verbeet Rotterdam: Nahry Dougarem, Lukas Dikker, Ilse van der Spoel Leeuwarden: Jan Pier Brands Leiden: Milou Laan Haarlem: Yannick Tinbergen, Bert Zaremba Nijmegen Arno de Vreng Tilburg/Eindhoven: Kevin Jansen Deventer: Marjolein de Vliegher Delft: Daniel Enciso Breda: Christopher Freudberg Pick up Subbacultcha! Magazine here (among 500 other places): Amsterdam: Kriterion, EYE, Canvas, American Apparel, Episode, CREA, De Balie, Melkweg, Paradiso, OT301, De Nieuwe Anita, Restored, Zipper, Concerto Utrecht: Ekko, ’t Hoogt, Tivoli, The Village, Revenge, Plato, dB’s Rotterdam: Worm, Rotown, Lantaren Venster, De Witte Aap, Willem de Kooning Academie If you want your bar, venue, store or business to be on the distribution list, please send us an email. Advertising To advertise in Subbacultcha! Magazine send an email to magazine@subbacultcha.nl. Memberships Become a member of Subbacultcha!. For only €7 a month you get free access to all Subbacultcha! shows and the monthly magazine sent to your house. Plus, you get a fresh Subbacultcha! bag. Check the website to sign up. Cover: by Strawdogs Page 8
e otw r th N s fo e s k a oo st se pric
B
be sible he s et t s t p o g o e t l ow
12 days of inspiring dance performances throughout Amsterdam July 3 - 14 2012 www.julidans.nl
A Subbacultcha! Selection: Luc Depreitere
Lisbeth Gruwez / Voetvolk vzw
It’s going to get worse and worse and worse, my friend Point of departure for this solo is a fire-and-brimstone sermon by the ultra-conservative televangelist Jimmy Swaggart. His Hell and Damnation comes through in a fantastic soundscape. Lisbeth Gruwez draws out her inner male to engage in a power struggle and touches the dark heart of every oration: violence.
Sylvie-Ann Paré
Theater Bellevue | July 4-5 | 20h30 | from € 12,5
Compagnie Marie Chouinard
Henri Michaux: Mouvements & Etude no 1 Ten dancers form the visual echo on the book Mouvements (1952) by Belgian surrealist Henri Michaux: a 64 page long ‘mescaline trip’ of human dingbats drawn with Indian ink, plus a poem. Marie Chouinard ranks amongst the world’s finest choreographers.
Fernando Belfiore
Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam | July 7 | 20h30 | from € 10
I Like To Watch Too Paradiso brings you the state of the art in the field of international innovative dance and performance art. With more than fourteen short performances through the entire building, ILTWT brings you in contact with dance, sometimes physically.
Paradiso | July 13-14 | 21h | from € 9
Top 5
1
Last month at our office
Concert: Fenster @ Goethe-Institut
Now for something completely different. ’Cause that’s what it’s all about, right? So we went and saw this great band play a wonderful set in the living room of a monumental canal-side house on the Herengracht. As you do.
2
Guitar Wizard: Dustin Wong
According to our review editor Carly Blair, Dustin Wong has magic fingers. Well, we don’t know about that, but he sure does know how to play the guitar. His concert at De Nieuwe Anita was truly mesmerising.
3
Song: DIIV - Douse
This is the perfect song to dance to in your living room with your one-year-old son. Also perfect for driving too fast without purpose. Or working hard at the office. Anything that requires some sort of rush of adrenalin. Especially love the way the drums kick in after the groovy bass intro.
4
TV: Mad Men Season 5
Wait a minute, this isn’t out yet, right? Only on TV in the US? Well, we have our ways, as we’re sure you have your ways too. And this season is really one of the best so far. You can tell they took some time off to write this. Eagerly awaiting the next episode.
5
Magazine: The Plant Journal
Plants are great and they know it. The Plant Journal from Spain is a beautiful new magazine about anything botanical, with great articles and amazing pictures by high-profile photographers. With spring in the air, there’s only one thing you should do: get your green hands on a copy.
Page 10
HOLLAND FESTIVAL
INTErNATIONALE pODIumkuNSTEN AmSTErDAm 1 – 28 juNI 2012 THE muSIc OF jONNy grEENwOOD & BrycE DESSNEr AmSTErDAm SINFONIETTA BrycE & AArON DESSNEr
Indie-classical music van de gitaristen van Radiohead en The National. 16 juni, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ
rEquIEm 3
Stormachtige, macabere komedie over manipulatie, macht, liefde, familie en rivaliteit waarbij twee spindoctors onbedoeld twee broers in het ongeluk storten. 4-5 juni, Westergasfabriek Zuiveringshal West
© Ketih Klenowski
VINcENT mAcAIgNE
VOLLEDIg prOgrAmmA
www.hollandfestival.nl
25 JUNI 2012
Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam Kaartverkoop via www.livenation.nl Entree e 38,- (excl. servicekosten).
by arrangement with WME
By Zofia Ciechowska
This Months recommendations
New Music
Ami Dang
www.amidang.com
Forget ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’, ‘Ami Dang’ is the perfect thing to say when you’re totally amazed. For instance, what do you say if a friend tells you stroopwafel pudding is on bonus this week? ‘Ami Dang!’ Or, what would you say if you saw a unicorn paddling down a canal? ‘AMI DANG, if that ain’t a unicorn in a canal!’ See? It totally works. Anyway, this project, started by cool chick Amrita Kaur Dang, who likes to sing and play sitar, became a bigger thing when Kate Levitt (Teeth Mountain/Dan Deacon Ensemble) and producer Schwarz joined in and made a new album called Hukam. Buckle up for an intergalactic Bollywood trance.
Boneyards
boneyaards.bandcamp.com The boisterous Boneyards come from that famed Brighton/London scene that spawned the likes of Male Bonding, Fair Ohs and Mazes. These garage-punk rock ruffians strum their guitars till their fingers bleed as they thrash out a sweaty mess of riffs and beer-breath vocals. So yeah, they have a bandcamp, some demos and a cassette release under their belt, but nothing, NOTHING beats their video for their song ‘Passed Out’, which features a really crappy Batman dancing and surfing at the same time. Page 13
New Music
continued
Ghibli
ghibli.bandcamp.com
Thomas Michael lives in Edmonton and likes to call himself Ghibli, maybe because it references some Japanese animation studio or maybe because he likes giggling a lot; you choose. Ghibli’s newest release Rare Pleasures is as slick as John Travolta’s Saturday Night Fever hair and I love it to death. It’s a bouncing concoction of quirky, dancey beats, stuttering soul samples and generally a lot of pep. Download it all for free from his bandcamp before this shit becomes the new indie dancefloor summer anthem.
Kohwi
kohwi.bandcamp.com Cory Levinson is not into all that triangle-shaped, pixilated gif bullshit that tends to mask mediocrity. Sonic artist and young mathematician, this dude has pretty much dabbled in all fields of artistic expression. He’s even managed to build a ‘tangible electrophonic drumstick’! What’s that, you ask? No clue, but it sounds like a crispy chicken leg that sure knows how to dance, har-har! His latest album, Hidden Trees, released on Black Tent Press, is a bewildering concoction of warbling vocals, distorted strums, slot-machine samples and chilling hums, to be listened to in one go as you cycle upwind with no particular place to go. Page 14
New Music
Le Pécheur
lepecheur.bandcamp.com Once a one-man project, Le Pécheur has unfurled its dragon wings to reveal that it has five heads and it’s breathing a gasoline-fuelled inferno of psychedelic garage-sounding squawks your way. Coursing somewhere between France, the UK and Hades, this bunch have released Medieval Dreams in the meantime, which is bound to make you want to whip out that moth-eaten Dracula cape and fake teeth from under the bed and play vampires with your little sister. For optimum fake blood results, we recommend ketchup and a bit of raspberry syrup.
Myths
realmyths.bandcamp.com
Canadian super-sinister electro performance artists Myths are Quinn Rogers and Leif Hall. Covered in high-end Halloween costumes and crazy face paint, this feisty duo doesn’t skimp on synth or the odd dark, harsh lyric or two. The music pounds your ears to a pulp as the girls chant and rant and writhe and wriggle to create a pop-noir earthquake. Their videos will make your browser crash and a listen to their eponymous debut might make you wanna call your mummy. Be brave and give these two a go. Page 15
We Saw You
Page 16
Spotted at Subbacultcha
Photo by DesirĂŠ van den Berg
How do you put play in your work? I put on something shiny and dance and sing along with Cher’s ‘Believe’. Great for study breaks or doing the dishes.
Sarah van Binsbergen, spotted at the Keep Shelly in Athens show in De Nieuwe Anita in Amsterdam on 12 May 2012
Page 17
Features
The All Work and No Play Issue
Sun Araw
The universe of LA resident Cameron Stallones is a weird but wonderful one. The astral feedbacker and free-floater of Sun Araw, who recently got back from a musical trip to Jamaica, has a pretty wild outlook on life. We spoke to him about putting your pants on, enlightenment and licking the monolith. Interview by Brenda Bosma Photos shot by Nicholas Haggard in Los Angeles, USA
I read Sun Araw means ‘Sacred Rest’. How do you find rest being as busy as you are? I’m not sure that I do, but it’s definitely something I aspire to. We have a lot of levels we operate on, so there’s something about not letting the left hand know what the right hand is doing, you know? There are parts of yourself that need to be walled off from other parts of yourself. You gotta be undercover a little bit. And can you also relax on a couch while Page 18
being undercover? I’m having a hard time at that. I’m a real active person. There’s a big part of me that wants to lie on the couch and listen to beautiful sounds, but halfway through I’m back up and trying to do something. I just want to put my pants on and let that be the last decision I make during the day. I’m not trying to move, I’m trying to be moved. Dalí had this working method where he tried to get into a state between wake-
Features
Page 19
Features
Page 20
Sun Araw
Sun Araw
Features
‘I just want to put my pants on and let that be the last decision I make during the day.’
fulness and sleep by falling asleep on a chair while holding a spoon. The moment the spoon fell to the ground he’d wake from the sound and have the images he dreamt of right there in his mind. How do you allow yourself to be flooded by ideas and bask in the glow, so to speak? What moves you? It’s funny, I used to have this job at a film archive where we had a nap room. I spent a lot of time in that weird space. I didn’t have a spoon, I’d just put a pillow over my head. I wasn’t trying to wake up for anything. I was happy though. About a method: I don’t have one. I just start jamming. It tends to be a bad idea to have too many ideas beforehand. You want it to be in the moment? Yeah, I’m a completely present man. I’m without any thought of what I want it to sound like, without any attempt to direct it. Obviously I have those thoughts and feelings, but they’re coming out in a more direct way. They don’t need to pass through the brain-pan first, they can come out through the fingers.
So the gifts are in the present, not in the past or future? Definitely, dude! But what about the future? The point is to not even try to know and also to realise that you already know. It’s just about remembering that you know. What are you gonna do next? I have no idea. I love that. I’m happiest when I’m not in control. I think too much to be in control. Putting my pants on is the last decision I make. I’m wearing blue shorts, by the way. You’ve recently recorded with the Jamaican band The Congos. I can imagine life there is pretty different than the one we’re familiar with. What lesson did you take with you from working with Rasta monks? Everything was a lesson. The way people think and act is different. Their relationship with the Earth is different. You’re out of your water completely and are bound to do their thing. But I got it the second I got off the plane. I was like: ‘Take my thing Page 21
Features
Sun Araw
away from me, man! Zip the garbage bag and throw it away, please!’ It makes you step outside of the boxes that you’re familiar with. It was truly wild. Did you find some sort of enlightenment?
would you do? I would probably look at it, touch it, I’d even rub up against it. Then I would lick it. What would it taste like? It would taste bitter, ’cause things taste bitter when we haven’t formed
Of course... not! It’s a process, a ladder. I think maybe I got like the tip of my fingers on the bottom rung. That’s the beginning of wisdom, you know, knowing you’re not getting it at all. What if after this you were confronted with a strange floating monolith, what
an opinion on them yet. In our minds it will taste great, because that’s just a decision. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like you have one, but deep down you do.
Page 22
Sun Araw plays on 27 June at WORM in Rotterdam. The show is free for Subbacultcha! members.
The All Work and No Play Issue
Features
Page 23
Features
The All Work and No Play Issue
Moon Duo
Before starting on their European tour, psychedelic drone-rock duo Ripley Johnson and Sanae Yamada went down to Berlin to mix their third album. Ripley took some time off from their busy schedule to talk to us about work time, playtime, Annie Hall and crystal pyramids. ‘For me, writing and recording music doesn’t feel like work at all.’ Interview by Gerlin Heestermans Photos shot by Miranda Lehman in Portland, USA
Last year you both quit your day jobs, to fully focus on Moon Duo. How does that feel? At first there was a bit of anxiety but we’ve relaxed into it by now. Part of that was having to move out of San Francisco because we could no longer afford our apartment, so we’ve been a bit nomadic since. We’ve decided to move to Portland actually, so we’re looking forward to putting Page 24
down some roots. But it doesn’t affect the music at all. We travel so much that when we get home it’s fairly easy to settle into a work routine there. Does music feel like work to you? For, me the writing and recording doesn’t feel like work at all. Once an album is done and we have to tour to promote it, then that feels like the work part. Not that I don’t like tour-
Features
Page 25
Features
Page 26
The All Work and No Play Issue
Moon Duo
Features
‘as long as I’m playing around with music, or even visual art, it counts as work.’ ing, but it feels more like a required part of the job. I understand. Sorry that I’m a required part of your job right now! I was wondering… how do you put the play into your work? And how do you put the work into your play? It’s a bit hard to separate the two because we now live this job almost all the time. So in that sense, the things that I consider more like work (interviews, photo shoots etc) have more to do with selling a product, and
that’s not very interesting to me. So a lot of times I try to do different kinds of promo, like mix tapes or video mixes. That’s fun for me. As far as the work in the play, as long as I’m playing around with music, or even visual art, it counts as work. Everything eventually finds its way into a song or album cover in some way. That’s the really great thing about this ‘job’. I like that idea. I guess being a full-time musician you’ve got to be pretty (self-) Page 27
Features
Moon Duo
disciplined. Do you have certain rules you work with? When we started we wanted to be as self-contained, mobile and flexible as possible. We wanted to be able to play shows anywhere in the world, and not have money be the limiting factor. We can fit everything in two checked bags on a flight, and in our car with amps in the US. We plan to evolve the sound and setup over time but it will be natural, based on opportunities. In combining your repetitive music with powerful visuals you’ve created quite a strong format for Moon Duo. Would I be going too far by calling you control freaks? Ha! I’m a bit of a control freak when it comes to the music but Sanae is totally in charge of all of the visual stuff, so there’s a nice balance.
What film did you see most recently? Do you have a favourite you like to go back to? Whenever I wanna relax and get cheered up I always watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Never fails me! Ah, well most recently it was The Avengers, which is kind of embarrassing. I do really enjoy a good summer blockbuster. But my go-to favorite is Annie Hall. I think it’s a perfect film. I like a lot ’70s stuff, Elliott Gould movies, Altman, Monte Hellman, etc.
Live it’s just you two on stage. If you had all the money in the world for whatever stage props, what would you go for? We’re so focused on being compact and thrifty (we have to carry everything with us on an airplane) that we’ve never even discussed anything like that! So I’m sure Sanae would have a completely different anTalking about balance, I imagine being swer, but I’d say something with gipart of Moon Duo can be very absorb- ant prisms and crystal pyramids and ing – especially ’cause you two also share also dancers. a personal relationship. How do you let off steam and relax? That sounds rad! We’re big film fans. We read a lot and listen to a lot of music – believe it or not. But to escape a bit I really like Moon Duo play on 14 June at De Effenaar Eindhoven and on 15 June at De Nieugoing to the cinema. That’s one of the in we Anita in Amsterdam. Both shows are free first things I looked into when we got for Subbacultcha! members. Other live dates: 16 June at Merleyn, Nijmegen. to Berlin the other day. Page 28
The All Work and No Play Issue
Features
Peaking Lights
Husband and wife Aaron Coyes and Indra Dunis, aka Peaking lights made a new album called Lucifer. They also made a new baby called Mikko.
Photographer Ye Rin Mok visited the family at their home in Los Angeles and photographed them in their domestic environment. Combining rock ’n’ roll with family life: all work and no play or simply the American Dream? Photos shot by Ye Rin Mok in Los Angeles, USA Page 29
Features
Page 30
Peaking Lights
The All Work and No Play Issue
Features
Page 31
Features
Peaking Lights
The new Peaking Lights album Lucifer will be released on 18 June by Weird World/Domino Recordings. Catch them live on 10 June at Paradiso in Amsterdam. Read the accompanying interview by Brenda Bosma at www.subbacultcha.nl.
Page 32
The All Work and No Play Issue
Features
Page 33
Features
The All Work and No Play Issue
Bleached
Page 34
Bleached
Features
LA-based sisters Jessica and Jennifer Clavin, aka Bleached and formerly of Mika Miko, bring their unique brand of dark, girly ’60s pop to Europe this month. We caught up with them to chat about their influences, the darker side of things and how partying hard helps them work even harder. Interview by Johanna Valdés Photos shot by Ye Rin Mok in Los Angeles, USA
Who do you admire who works hard and plays harder? Jennifer: I watched a documentary on the making of Rumors, the Fleetwood Mac album, and it’s crazy how they wrote such an amazing record but partied so hard and did so much coke. How in the world did they do it? I get tired just going on tour. Jessica: Sometimes I feel like I have to keep partying so I can keep up. Like, if I take a break, I’ll want to just sleep for days. So you guys are influenced by Fleetwood Mac? Didn’t see that coming. What else inspires you? Jessica: Well, initially we were influenced by punk bands like Ramones, Germs and The Misfits. After that we started opening up to stuff
like Fleetwood Mac. Jennifer: We got into ’60s girl groups, too. And Jess and I were really into Velvet Underground, their whole look and the music they would write. Also, the other day I was watching these two old Brigitte Bardot movies, and they were just super dark. I’m inspired by dark things. As musicians, what’s work and what’s play? Jessica: It’s fun when you first start writing a song, because you get to sit down and have a glass of wine. It becomes work when you have to go to the studio to record it. Especially if the producer is like, ‘Nobody can come in hung-over.’ Jennifer: When we’re playing a show or I’m writing a song that’s acPage 35
Features
Bleached
tually going well, I feel like I’m having fun. But when I’m trying to force something out or feel like I don’t know what I’m doing, it’ll feel like work. Jessica: It’s work to unload my equipment for a show or go practice but once we actually start playing, it’s complete fun. How does being in Bleached compare to when you were starting out with Mika Miko? Jessica: When we first started playing in Mika Miko, we were in a garage – we didn’t even know how to play our instruments. Jennifer: It was definitely just play. We went to shows every weekend and we wanted to see if we could start a band like the ones we loved. Page 36
But then it got more popular than any of us ever thought it would. I think that was a major part of coming into Bleached – wanting to start a band that we are serious about. Speaking of taking Bleached seriously, how was playing SXSW? Jennifer: We played 14 shows in four days. Like, that was work. Jessica: But we all had a lot of fun too. Jennifer: During the last three shows I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m dying.’ But I had to act like I wasn’t. Bleached play on 06 June at OT301 in Amsterdam. The show is free for Subbacultcha! members.
The All Work and No Play Issue
Features
Page 37
Art
Featured Artist
Strawdogs
Strawdogs is the print and graphic design studio of Groningen natives Robert Minnaard and Paul van de Werf. They cut and paste images into abstract-realistic gems of shape and colour. A big part of their production is the limited-edition silkscreened prints they create for the infamous Vera Club in Groningen. The posters betray a great sense for aesthetics and are true works of art. Strawdogs also publishes silkscreen printed books and prints and they exhibit their work in the Netherlands as well as abroad. The work of Strawdogs will be on display at the Subbacultcha! HQ from 11 June until 29 June. Da Costakade 150, Amsterdam. Open Mondays to Fridays, 11.0017.00. Feel free to drop by. Opening Friday 08 June at 17.30. RSVP only. If you want to come please send an email to rsvp@subbacultcha.nl. You will be notified.
www.strawdogs.nl
Page 38
Page 39
Art
Page 40
Featured Artist
Strawdogs
Art
Page 41
Music Reviews
New releases worth your while
By Carly Blair
Peaking Lights Lucifer
Liars WIXIW
This husband-and-wife duo caused quite a stir with the exciting mix of dreamy pop and bass-heavy dub grooves on their breakout second album, 936. Following the tumult of a new baby, a new label and moving cross-country, they recorded (and self-produced) their new album, Lucifer. While ‘Lucifer’ most immediately evokes Satan, I feel certain the only fire and brimstone that went into the making of this record did so in the form of matches, since its hazy soundscapes and mellow vibes lend themselves quite nicely to stoned head bobbing. While their elevated profile has allowed for cleaner production this time around, fans of their old work shouldn’t be disappointed: Lucifer follows a carbon fibre-brushed version of the 936 groove to heavenly effect.
This LA-based trio is characterised by dramatic stylistic shifts between albums and relocating for inspiration. On their latest album, they’ve changed things up once again, this time taking a more collaborative approach than in the past, and an almost entirely computer-based one at that. While the process of making the album was apparently one of the greatest challenges the band has faced, this struggle doesn’t manifest itself in the music in the way you might expect: rather than confrontationally aggressive or experimental as with much of their previous work, here Liars sound full of uncertainty, almost vulnerable. It’s a change that suits them. WIXIW is remarkably subtle, a dark mystery that reveals itself to be ever vaster and more labyrinthine with each successive listen.
(Mexican Summer / Weird World)
Page 42
(Mute)
Music Reviews
MV & EE Space Homestead
CFCF Exercises EP
Musical partners and multiinstrumentalists Matt Valentine and Erika Elder have apparently cranked out no less than 33 albums over the past decade, some as a duo, some with larger ensembles. Seeing as they hail from Vermont and trade in a noodly, psychedelic sort of folk, I envision them as a pair with a penchant for pot and back-porch jam sessions. The unassuming, meandering folk on offer here isn’t for everyone. Whether or not this album will appeal to you seems to me to be a question of whether or not you subscribe to the attitude that ‘life is a journey, not a destination’ in sonic form: Space Homestead is pretty unconcerned with where it ends up, but the journey towards that ‘wherever’ is certainly free of unpleasantness, and at times quite beautiful.
CFCF is the alias of Montrealbased electronic musician/producer Michael Silver. His latest EP represents a departure from his more dance-oriented earlier work. Inspired by Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto and neoclassical classic Philip Glass, Exercises is a series of synth- and piano-based meditations. All of the tracks are instrumental, save for ‘Exercise 5 (September)’, a reinterpretation of a David Sylvian song (arranged by Sakamoto), which in a way reminds me of James Blake’s recent forays into minimalist pop. Although this EP is as subdued and unassuming as the modest title might suggest, it’s never boring and pretty uniformly beautiful.
(Woodsist)
(Paper Bag / Dummy)
Page 43
Music Reviews
continued
Laurel Halo Quarantine
Led Er Est The Diver
Brooklyn-based Ina Cube was trained in classical piano, worked as a freeform collegeradio DJ, tellingly dated Daniel Lopatin and has released experimental electronic music as Laurel Halo for the past couple of years. On her full-length debut, she sets aside the dark dance beats of her 2011 Hour Logic EP in favour of more abstract, ambient exploration. Her mostly spoken, affected vocals are brought to the foreground for the first time, and to be honest I think they can be grating at times. Fortunately, the space around them is filled with otherworldly atmosphere and fleeting hints at melody that make me think of listening to the radio with the dial just slightly off the correct frequency, in a good way.
Every time we listen to this album here at the office, someone asks, ‘What band is this?’ – initially as an honest inquiry; later as a running gag. But these guys ain’t no joke. The bottom line is, The Diver really stands out from the plethora of new music that’s been blasting through our speakers lately. With pulsating rhythms, noisy guitar riffs and wavy synths, this Brooklyn-based trio might not start a sonic revolution, but their songs and sounds are all thoroughly entertaining. It’s the kind of stuff you want to hear live in a crammed underground venue, swaying your hips while drops of sweat drip from your forehead on to the broken-glasscovered floor.
(Hyperdub)
Page 44
(Sacred Bones)
Music Reviews
Page 45
VICE.COM
OVERAL FESTIVALS, DE HELE TIJD
FOTO: BOUDEWIJN BOLLMANN
OP ONZE SITE VIND JE DE HELE ZOMER LANG VERSLAGEN VAN DE LEUKSTE FESTIVALS, INTERVIEWS MET ARTIESTEN, FOTO’S, VIDEO’S – EN JE KUNT ER ELKE DAG KAARTEN WINNEN VOOR HEEL, HÉÉL VEEL FESTIVALS IN EUROPA. OM TOT JE OKSELS IN DE FESTIVALS TE STAAN, GA JE DUS NU NAAR VICE.COM.
By Gert Verbeek and Basje Boer
Film
New Films and DVDs
Somewhere Tonight
Black Pond
Michael Di Jiacomo, 2011
Tom Kingsley & Will Sharpe, 2011
First off, I have a confession to make. The fact of the matter is, I have quite the crush on John Turturro. Since it’s not that common a crush, I was surprised – but delighted – to see this middle-aged everyman play the part of love interest in Somewhere Tonight. In this cute little movie Turturro plays Leroy, a lonely and socially awkward bachelor with anger issues. Leroy meets Patti, the woman at the other end of a phonesex line. This culture-loving lady may be the complete opposite of Leroy, but she’s just as lost as he is. Somewhere Tonight was loosely based on Theo van Gogh’s Dutch cult classic 06. Though not too subtle, its American counterpart is perfectly pitched and very romantic. Especially for those who have the hots for John Turturro. Or just old Italian-Americans in general. (BB) In theatres 21 June
The Thomsons have dumped the body of a man called Blake (Colin Hurley) in a dark pond in the forest. Black Pond is a reconstruction of the events leading up to that deed. At first the appearance of the mysterious stranger has a positive effect on the chilly marriage of Tom (Chris Langham) and Sophie (Amanda Hadingue). After the accidental death of their dog and the arrival of the Thomson daughters, Blake’s ramblings and behaviour become disturbingly incoherent. This may sound like a horror movie, but Black Pond is a light-hearted, independent black comedy. The actors deliver their improvised dialogue with dry wit, except for Simon Amstell who’s too broad as the psychiatrist. The dream sequence would have made Luis Buñuel proud. (GV) Out now on DVD Page 47
Food
Cooking with...
By Zofia Ciechowska
Las Kellies
Hey Las Kellies! Did I wake you from your post-lunch siesta? In Buenos Aires no one has siestas! We run a lot around the city and try to eat light. Today we ate lentil burgers with salad and vegetable croquetas. Everyone eats a lot of meat in Argentina, but we’re vegetarian. Would you wear a bikini made out of veggies to your concert? Veggie bikinis! We would make them out of potatoes, tomatoes, rocket, broccoli and avocado! Two avocado halves would make a good bikini bra, their pits are so huge, ha ha! So, you sing in Spanish, English, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Page 48
Catalan and French. Is the food you make just as multicultural? We try. We love falafel and cous cous. We even have a song called Couscous. We should write a song about falafel and rap it in Arabic. We’ll put the lyrics through Google Translate and make the computer sing it for us. ‘I love falafel, me encanta el falafel, ’!لفالفلا بحا اناThe music video would feature us and our gang getting really drunk, going to a falafel place and rapping with our Arabic bros. So if you could have a food fight with anyone who would you target and with what foodstuff ? We’re very peaceful; we
Food
Photo by Pedro Quintans
wouldn’t want to hurt anyone. We’d throw something soft like banana pudding. Some teenagers threw an egg at Ceci, so for revenge she would throw a six pack of bananas. Bananas are soft but they also look like guns, scary! Have you ever jumped out of a birthday cake? No! But we love sweets! Have you tried dulce de leche?
It’s fucking amazing! An Argentinian eats dulce de leche about twice a day, which is still not enough if you ask us. We will teach you how to make pastelitos, little pastries with quince. Read the full interview online.
Las Kellies play at Roodkaptje in Rotterdam on 28 June. The show is free for Subbacultcha! members
Las Kellies’
Pastelitos de dulce de membrillo 500g plain flour 300g butter 100g sugar • Make a mound of flour with a pinch of salt and put 150g of butter in the centre. Mix well. Add a cup of water little by little until the dough is smooth. Leave for 20 minutes. • Roll the dough into a 2.5cm thick layer. Spread 50g of melted butter on top, sprinkle some more flour and fold over three times. Repeat. • Put the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. • Roll out the dough into a 3mm thick layer and cut into 8x8cm squares. • Spread some quince jelly on half the pastry squares. Dab some
200g quince jelly ginger Pinch of salt Vegetable oil for frying water around the quince on the pastry edges. Place another square on top. Press lightly around the quince and then seal around the edges. Take the two diagonal corners of each square and pull them towards the centre and pinch them together. Do the same with the other two corners to make a little boat. • Fry the pastelitos until golden in a lot of oil over medium-high heat. • In a saucepan, boil the sugar and half a cup of water. This is called almibar. Let it thicken slightly, remove from heat and then drizzle over the pastelitos! Page 49
Books
Page 50
Illustration by Viktor Hachmang
By Marc van der Holst
How to read...
Books
House of Leaves Mark Z Danielewski’s House of Leaves is a postmodern masterpiece of metafiction for the masses. It’s one of the finest pieces of bullshit ever written. Sure, it’s perfectly hateable – for all its clever-clever stuff, its motionsickness inducing lay-out experiments (some of them for good, functional reason, we concede), its appendices, the cute little fact that every time the word ‘house’ appears it’s printed in blue – but I loved, loved, loved it. House of Leaves is a horror story – or, according to some (including the author) a love story – a book about a book about a film, a labyrinth inside a labyrinth... There’s this guy, Johnny Truant, who finds this manuscript by this other guy, Zampano, about a documentary about a house by yet another guy, Will Navidson. The book consists of Zampano’s manuscript, Johnny’s autobiographical interjections, a transcript of the film by Navidson’s brother, transcipts of interviews about the
film by Navidson’s wife, occasional notes by unidentified authors and lots and lots of footnotes. Oh, and then there’s the companion piece: letters written to Johnny by his mother while she was in a madhouse. Still with me? I hope you are, because this is by no means a difficult book. It’s like getting lost in the funhouse. Once Navidson finds out his house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside (sometimes inches, sometimes miles), you’ll be hooked. I mean, how cool and creepy is that? Then there’s the exploration of mysterious hallways appearing and disappearing and changing position and dimension, all the fun meta stuff, plus a damn good story underneath it all. It’ll scare the shit out of you, though. It might be a love story, but a genuinely disturbing one at that. Be sure to bring a rope and a flashlight.
Page 51
Horoscope CANCER
22 June–22 July
You look at her from the doorstep while she is fast asleep. You gaze your gaze with a detached sweetness. There are silences especially made for us. Your phone rings. Oh why did you choose that ‘La Cucaracha’ ringtone?
LEO
23 July–22 Aug
Pacing up and down your bedroom you find that the best thing about living alone is that the house seems bigger. Sure, but that armchair means nothing if there’s nobody to sit down in it with her pretty lips pursed.
VIRGO
23 Aug–22 Sept
In the yard you are surrounded by plants, colourful flower beds and climbing vines that tickle your nose. Inside there are overdue bills, TV static, and what’s that weird smell? You wish there could be rhododendrons with housekeeping qualities.
LIBRA
23 Sept–22 Oct
In a clothing store you take a pair of shoes and look at them with delight. Your boyfriend calmly says: ‘Question: when are you going to wear them?’ A bystander with Page 52
By Brenda Bosma
a broken heart, probably a Pisces, sobs in a corner next to the discount long-sleeve sweaters.
SCORPIO
23 Oct–21 Nov
When she says: ‘I’m tired, there’s an avocado wrap in the fridge’, you register her words, but can’t help but feel rejected, even though you know that an avocado wrap is really a miracle within a miracle.
SAGITTARIUS
22 Nov–21 Dec
You are so drunk you start to see double. This person standing in your hallway looks a lot like the twins from The Shining. You perceive a third person. Wait, is that an axe? You fall to the floor. A part of your brain dies.
CAPRICORN
22 Dec–20 Jan
Unhealthy relationships tend to test the depths of your strength and make you stronger. So in that sense, be glad you’re in one! The summer will burn a hole in your sorrow.
AQUARIUS
21 Jan-19 Feb
You wish you could forget last night when you danced to Sisqo wearing nothing but a tanktop
Illustrations by Kathrin Klingner
made into a thong. You even ended up with the DJ who kept whistling the tune of ‘La Cucaracha’ while groping your buns. Luckily the peep in your ear drowns out that infectious melody.
Horoscope
GEMINI 22 May–21 June
PISCES
20 Feb–20 March
You crave tea and oranges but it’s just not the season nor the time. Wait some more and you will touch a perfect body with your mind real soon.
ARIES
21 March–20 April
Could this month be trashed like an email that went to your spam folder? Well, if you compare it with a shriveled penis in dire need of some enlarging, by all means delete that nuisance. Then again: why not try pumping up that pickle?
TAURUS
21 April–21 May
Look at this picture taken of you both on an all-inclusive holiday somewhere in the Mediterranean. There’s a scrap of sea, a dog running out of the frame and your names written in the sand. Pretty soon the waves will come.
Snooping around in your roommate’s closet you find a beanie. You stand in front of the mirror holding it in your hands, looking at it, soaking up its essence. You put it on. ‘Hi, I’m Fred, I’m a whole new person with a whole new life ahead of me, will you join me? We could be happy together.’ You immediately pull it off, it frightens you, you want to be free and unattached, or at least you like to play hard to get. Then you catch a glimpse of a black bandana with luscious-looking strawberries on it. Oh, how you would like to be smothered by that thing. ‘Hi, I’m Samantha.’ Page 53
Genk - Limburg - Belgium The Deep of the Modern
June 2 – September 30, 2012
The European Biennial of Contemporary Art · De Europese Biënnale voor Hedendaagse Kunst La Biennale Européenne d’Art Contemporain · Die Europäische Biennale für Zeitgenössische Kunst
www.manifesta9.org Initiators:
Supported by:
Maarten Vanden Eynde, Plastic Reef (detail), 2008–2012, copyright en foto: Maarten Vanden Eynde, supported by Mondriaan Fonds, Manifesta9, Vlaamse Gemeenschap
Agenda On the following pages:
Subbacultcha! concerts and films totally free for members Page 57
Other shows Page 67 Free tickets Page 76
This is an image of Seth Haley, also know as Com Truise. He will be playing alongside Molly Nilsson on 07 June at EKKO in Utrecht. Photo taken by Isolde Woudstra.
Earlybirds Iedereen jonger dan 30 jaar voor €10 naar alle concerten in het Muziekgebouw. Koop nú, want op=op!
Ruim 230 concerten in seizoen 12/13, met o.a. ZA 17 NOV
JOHN CAGE door RALPH VAN RAAT VR 14 DEC
BEN FROST Music for 6 Guitars ZA 1 DEC
RADIOHEAD door
ZAPP 4 VR 8 MRT
COLIN STETSON + SLAGWERK DEN HAAG
KAARTVERKOOP SEIZOEN 12/13 GESTART
3 T/M 7 APR
WORLD MINIMAL MUSIC FESTIVAL MUZIEKGEBOUW.NL 020 788 2000
See all these shows for free. Sign up at www.subbacultcha.nl.
Bleached + Molly Nilsson
06 June - OT301, Amsterdam 20.30 | €8 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
Bleached’s Jennifer and Jessica Clavin cut their teeth in LA’s Mika Miko, a fixture of the scene revolving around legendary venue The Smell (along with No Age, Abe Vigoda and many others), and with Bleached they make messy and melodic punk à la the Ramones and Blondie. Meanwhile, Sweden’s Molly Nilsson famously penned the excellent ‘Hey Moon!’, which John Maus awkwardly (charmingly?) sang over last year, but that’s only skimming the surface of what her bittersweet, hypnotic and deceptively simple pop has to offer.
Com Truise + Molly Nilsson
07 June - EKKO, Utrecht 20.00 | €9 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
With a spoonerism of Tom Cruise for a stage name, track titles like ‘VHS Sex’ and ‘Futureworld’ plus ’80s-inspired album art, it should come as no surprise that New Jersey’s Seth Haley is a chillwaver by trade. Though his music is as nostalgia-inducing and waterlogged as one might expect, his self-dubbed ‘mid-fi synth-wave, slow-motion funk’ is varied, well-executed and demented enough to stand out from the hypnagogic hordes. Sweden’s Molly Nilsson, a fellow synth obsessive, should offer a delicate counterpoint to Haley with her bittersweet, hypnotic and deceptively simple pop. Page 57
See all these shows for free. Sign up at www.subbacultcha.nl.
Liars + Mikal Cronin
08 June - Tivoli de Helling, Utrecht 19.30 | €14 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
This LA trio is characterised by dramatic stylistic shifts between albums, relocating for inspiration, and stubbornly refusing to give demanding fans what they want. They use vicious guitars, ambient and experimental soundscapes, and alternately snarling and ominous vocals to create an unsettling, oppressive sense of doom. Their upcoming album WIXIW is their subtlest yet, more cohesive than 2010’s Sisterworld and more delicately creepy than 2006’s Drum’s Not Dead.
R Stevie Moore
14 June - WORM, Rotterdam 19.30 | €8 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
Nashville’s Robert Steven Moore is a lo-fi legend, having self-released literally thousands of home-recorded songs through The R Stevie Moore Cassette Club, an ongoing mail-order operation that has hundreds of individually dubbed cassettes and CD-Rs in its catalogue. Moore’s fiercely independent DIY approach and one-of-a-kind mix of classic pop influences, arty experimentalism, idiosyncratic lyrics, wild stylistic left turns and homemade rough edges have influenced generations of DIY artists, ranging from Guided by Voices to Ariel Pink and John Maus. Page 58
As a member you will also receive this magazine every month plus a stylish tote bag
Moon Duo
14 June - Effenaar, Eindhoven 20.30 | €10 | Free for Subbacultcha! members 15 June - De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam 20.00 | €8 | Free for Subbacultcha! members Minimal psych twosome Moon Duo’s Ripley Johnson and Sanae Yamada are partners on and off stage who’ve recently relocated from the bustling psych scene of San Francisco to Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. Originally started as a side project of Ripley’s main band, Wooden Shjips, the duo earned its fair share of praise with songs built on a hypnotically repetitive foundation of organ, fuzzy guitar and simple percussion. 2011 debut fulllength Mazes featured subtle variations that were definitely worth navigating, and they recently released a collection of Mazes remixes.
Light Asylum
20 June - OT301, Amsterdam 20.30 | €8 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
Brooklyn duo Shannon Funchess and Bruno Coviello worked separately for years on other projects (Funchess has contributed vocals to acts including 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 new debut full-length is heavy on the dark ’80s influences, and Funchess’s undeniably powerful delivery should be captivating live. Page 59
See all these shows for free. Sign up at www.subbacultcha.nl.
Movienight at 16CC: Caché + The American
25 June - 16CC, Amsterdam 16.30 / 19.00 / 21.30 | €7.50 per film | Free for Subbacultcha! members
Tonight the entire night at 16CC is yours. The sympathetic café/cinema screens Caché (16:30 and 21:30) and The American (19.00). Up for a marathon? Caché by Michael Haneke is an amazing multi-layered, thriller in which a bourgeois European family spirals downward into paranoia and regret when a series of menacing video tapes reveal that someone is watching them. The American is Anton Corbijn’s subdued masterpeice set in a beautiful - but in the context quite claustophobic - small town in Italy where an assasin (George Clooney) faces his own demons on his last assignment.
Sun Araw Band + Mike Koldin 27 June - WORM, Rotterdam 20.30 | €8 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
SoCal seeker Cameron Stallones is a founder of the experimental psychedelic rock collective Magic Lantern, but his work as Sun Araw goes beyond the galaxy of psychedelia to a cosmos whose planets drip with a primordial ooze of dub, desert rock, raga, Afrobeat and free jazz. He most recently headed down to Jamaica to record a sort of psychedelic gospel album with roots reggae legends The Congos, but his solo work, perhaps buoyed by a puff of doobage, should elevate you to that ‘higher ground’ you’ve heard so much about. Page 60
Shows in September
Agenda
As a member you will also receive this magazine every month plus a stylish tote bag
Las Kellies + Wooden Constructions 28 June - Roodkapje, Rotterdam 22.00 | €7 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
Las Kellies started in 2005 when three girls met at a gig in Buenos Aires, decided to form a band together, borrowed their friend’s amps and instruments and started cooking up a tasty racket. Perhaps as an homage to their cosmopolitan, European ancestry-packed home country of Argentina, the Kellies sing in Spanish, English, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Catalan and French. Their dub- and post-punk-inflected garage rock songs are as tightly packed with eclectic fillings as an empanada, as salty sweet as dulce de leche and as hot and spicy as mate, so bring your appetite! Support by Dutch post punkers Wooden Constructions, who’ve just released their debut album on Subroutine records.
Art In Prison #5
30 June - Gijs Deddens Book Launch, Extrapool, Nijmegen 20.30 | €3 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
In 2011 Knust/Nijmeegse Universele, Extrapool’s stencil print workshop, started ART IN PRISON, a series of work holidays for creative types, where the artists are ‘imprisoned’ in the workshop for 10-14 days, during which time they produce a publication. The fifth edition features work by Gijs Deddens, a previous Subbacultcha! artist of the month. The launch of the publication will feature live performances by Vakantie and Earth Control. Page 61
Page 61
See all these shows for free. Sign up at www.subbacultcha.nl.
Page 62
Shows in September
Agenda
As a member you will also receive this magazine every month plus a stylish tote bag
La Sera
30 June - De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam 20.00 | €7 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
‘Kickball’ Katy Goodman, bassist and harmonist of retro pop supergroup Vivian Girls, just put out her second solo full-length, the radiantly rad Sees the Light, as La Sera. Her lo-fi punk pop is perfectly pleasant and totally tuneful, comforting in its familiarity and utterly catchy.
Subbacultcha! at &foam
Open daily 10.00-18.00, Thur & Fri until 21.00 | Free for all
&Foam is the new gallery store of Foam Photography Museum. Currently the amazing space is themed ‘music&foam’ and Subbacultcha! was invited. On display is our exhibition with a selection of all the photography published in Subbacultcha! magazine over the past year. Come check it out.
All month: Foam Photography Museum Open daily 10.00-18.00, Thur & Fri until 21.00 €8 | Free for Subbacultcha! members
Subbacultcha! members get free entry to Foam Photography Museum. Sweet! Opening in June are exhibitions of Onorato & Krebs, Erik Kessels and Petra Noordkamp. Check the foam website for more info and keep an eye on our mailing list. Page 63
Page 63
Agenda
Focus
Holland Festival 2012 Autobiography is the main theme of this year’s Holland Festival, which means the annual feast of cutting-edge music, theatre, dance and art will be chockablock with powerful personae hungry for attention. Big egos draw big crowds, so if you’ve managed to grab tickets for the highly anticipated The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic, ´ featuring performance-art legend Abramovi´c plus vocal diva Antony and acting hero Willem Dafoe: good for you, but there’s so much more self-absorption to submerge in… The Music of Jonny Greenwood & Bryce Dessner, 16 June, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, world premiere Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood goes beyond song structures into more cinematic territories as a composer. Like Bryce Dessner of The National, he represents what newspapers refer to as ‘indie classical’: orchestral music unafraid of noise textures, electronic effects and the holy trinity of guitar, bass and drums. Their compositions will be performed by Amsterdam Sinfonietta plus Aaron and Bryce Dessner on guitar. My Brightest Diamond & Ensemble – All Things Will Unwind, 17 June, Bimhuis Antony might have sold out his Holland Festival solo show at Carré, but those into wavery, opera-trained vocals and flamboyant stage presence should definitely check out Shara Worden, aka My Brightest Diamond. After cutting her teeth singing and playing electric guitar in the Brooklyn scene she moved to Detroit, from where she travels the world with a suitcase full of small instruments and big costumes. She’ll perform her latest album with strings.
Marina Abramovic´ - The Artist is Present, 19 June, EYE Film Institute Complementing the above-mentioned (and sold-out) theatrical autobiography The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic,´ the EYE Film Institute hosts the premiere of the film documentary about the legendary artist who has exceeded the limits of her physical endurance in many of her iconic performances. Extra shortcuts to Holland Festival 2012: Song Books, 9 June, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, world premiere Alarm Will Sound, the ensemble that brought you orchestral versions of Aphex Twin’s electronica, celebrates composer John Cage (1912-1992). Sekten - Table Music, 15 June, Bimhuis Erratic Swedish indie band featuring Qarin Wikström of Efterklang on vocals. Accordion Wrestling, 18 & 19 June, Bimhuis, Dutch premiere Do Finnish people really think wrestling and accordion music belong together? If accordion spacehead Kimmo Pohjonen says so, we’re willing to believe.
The Holland Festival is taking place from 01-28 June in various locations across Amsterdam. More info at www.hollandfestival.nl Page 64
Focus
Agenda
My Brightest Diamond
Marina Abramovi c´
Page 65
Agenda
Shows in June
BINNENKORT O.A. MA/4/JUN
FATHER J O H N M I S T Y ( MET J. T I L L M A N )
DO/5/JUL EXCLUSIEVE NL CLUBSHOW
NICK WATERHOUSE
+ TINY RUINS
ZA/7/JUL
DISAPPEARS
DI/05/JUN
+ KLEININDUSTRIE
GONJAS U F I
+ DJ COLDSWEAT
DO/19/JUL
DO/7/JUN
SUBBACU LT C H A ! P R E S E NTS: COM TRU I S E + MOLLY N I L S S O N
SUBBACULTCHA! PRESENTS: NITE JEWEL
WO/22/AUG
DEER TICK VR/8/JUN
MIKAL C R O N I N + WOLVON
VOLLEDIG PROGRAMMA & TIJDEN:
POPPODIUM EKKO | BEMUURDE WEERD WZ 3 | 3513 BH UTRECHT | WWW.EKKO.NL
Page 66
Agenda
Shows in June
Purity Ring
Tu Fawning 01 June - Paradiso, Amsterdam Portland’s Tu Fawning, a four-piece featuring Joe Haege (31Knots, now also of Menomena) and Corrina Repp, makes a sort of tribal freak folk that’s totally distinct from their main projects and will likely appeal to fans of Yeasayer’s early work.
Klub 470 ft. The OhOhOhs 01 June - Goethe-Institut, Amsterdam So besides wanting to make you feel like you’ve been transformed, Cinderella-style, into a German aristocrat for an evening, Klub 470’s other objective is to provide a podium for exciting upcoming German bands. This time around, Frankfurt electro duo The OhOhOhs will play a danceable acoustic set featuring the Klub’s own Steinway piano.
Indie Indie #3 ft. Holograms 02 June - Meneer Malasch, Amsterdam It’s time for another night of cheap beer and cheap music. Hailing from the frozen
industrial wastes of Sweden, Holograms play driving, shout-along post-punk. They’ve been described as “Iceage with synths” and their debut is coming out for the acclaimed Captured Tracks label. Relevant local support and DJ’s will be included in the price.
AraabMUZIK 02 June - De Nieuwe Oogst, Rotterdam 02 June - Paradiso, Amsterdam Producer Abraham Orellana started out as a lowly beatmaker before YouTube videos of his mad drum-machine skills and the resulting live gigs sent him solo. Dude specialises in hip hop-inflected club music that’s perfect for listening to while doing drugs, having sex or preferably both. Seriously ecstatic shit.
Purity Ring 05 June - Vondelkerk, Amsterdam This Canadian duo makes the kind of dreamy, seductive dance tracks lonely music nerds probably only imagine having sex to. Their long-awaited debut, Shrines, should conjure up plenty of unholy feelings when it drops this July. Page 67
DI 5 JUN ATLAS SOUND (BRADFORD COX OF DEERHUNTER)
DI 5 JUN ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS VR 8 JUN AWOLNATION DO 14 JUN SUNN 0))) / ALUK TODOLO ZA 16 JUN COCK SPARRER DI 19 JUN EGO TROOPERS / TWR72 @RARA AVES MA 25 JUN MASTODON VR 29 JUN JAMES VINCENT MCMORROW WO 4 JUL METRIC LET OP: DIT IS SLECHTS EEN SELECTIE VAN HET PROGRAMMA. HET VOLLEDIGE PROGRAMMA IS TE VINDEN OP WWW.MELKWEG.NL MELKWEG AMSTERDAM - LIJNBAANSGRACHT 234A
Agenda
Shows in June
Atlas Sound 05 June - Melkweg, Amsterdam Atlas Sound, the sort-of-solo project of the ridiculously prolific bedroom-pop maestro Bradford Cox (also of Deerhunter), is an outlet for Cox’s self-expression and a proving ground for his many sonic experiments. The sense of loneliness and determination that pervades his music hints that Cox feels fundamentally disconnected from other people, but also proves his ability to connect with the awkward, lonely nerd in every listener.
Gonjasufi 05 June - EKKO, Utrecht San Diego’s Sumach Ecks, aka Gonjasufi, is a former drug addict-cum-yoga teacher and a staple of the San Diego hip hop scene since the early ’90s. The patchwork of genres he pieces together – ranging from hip hop to funk, folk and vintage psychedelia – make a dazzling backdrop for Ecks’ croaky-voiced and compelling protagonist.
Bleached + Molly Nilsson 06 June - OT301, Amsterdam Californian girls Jennifer and Jessica Clavin make messy and melodic punk à la the Ramones and Blondie. Read more on page 57.
Mikal Cronin 06 June - Vera, Groningen 07 June - Paradiso, Amsterdam 08 June - Tivoli de Helling, Utrecht 12 June - Café Altstadt, Eindhoven If you were to hear San Francisco’s Mikal Cronin for the first time, you’d probably think to yourself, ‘Gosh, this guy’s so young and precocious and psychedelic, I bet he’s totally BFFs with Ty Segall!’ And you know what? You’d be right. Except that Cronin’s take on neo-psych is a bit more wistful and
poppy, the sweet jam to Segall’s crunchy and perpetually top-billed peanut butter.
Com Truise + Molly Nilsson 07 June - EKKO, Utrecht With track titles like ‘VHS Sex’ and ‘Futureworld’ plus ’80s-inspired album art, it should come as no surprise that New Jersey’s Seth Haley is a chillwaver by trade. Read more on page 57.
Harvey Milk 07 June - Paradox, Tilburg (Incubated 18) 08 June - WORM, Rotterdam Named after the famously gay, assassinated politician, this experimental noise rock band from Athens, Georgia is known for slow, heavy Melvins-esque riffs as well as for riffs of the humorous sort: they once played the REM album Reckoning in its entirety while fellow Athens resident Michael Stipe was in attendance.
Robodock 07-09 June - ADM, Amsterdam During this year’s ‘000 from Dusk till Dawn’ edition of the legendary Robodock festival, visitors will be guided through a contemporary version of the afterlife where robots and orchestras perform alongside glowing scenes, atmospheres, installations, projections and kinetic sculptures. Probably the closest you’ll get to your childhood Transformers/Terminator 2 fantasies (nightmares?) coming true... until they actually do.
Liars 08 June - Tivoli de Helling, Utrecht This LA trio is characterised by dramatic stylistic shifts between albums, relocating for inspiration, and stubbornly refusing to give demanding fans what they want. Read more on page 58. Page 69
Agenda
Shows in June
OFF! + TRASH TALK 12 JUN MIKAL CRONIN + MOZES AND THE FIRSTBORN 14 JUN MOON DUO 30 JUN CEREBRAL BALLZY 08 JUL DISAPPEARS 07 JUN
kijk voor ons volledige programma op www.effenaar.nl
Page 70
Agenda
Shows in June
THEESatisfaction 09 June - Bird, Rotterdam 10 June - Sugar Factory, Amsterdam Groovy neo-soul/avant-rap duo THEESatisfaction are touring in support of their wonderful debut album awE naturalE that came out on Subpop recently. Their show in Sugar Factory is free for Subbacultcha! members, do not miss.
Peaking Lights 10 June - Paradiso, Amsterdam Husband-and-wife dub-noise psych pop duo Peaking Lights caused quite a stir with the exciting mix of dreamy pop music and bass-heavy dub grooves featured on their album 936. Following the tumult of a new baby, a new label and moving, they recorded their new album, Lucifer, which follows a carbon fibre-brushed version of the 936 groove to heavenly effect.
Wooden Constructions 12 June - Melkweg, Amsterdam These four young-yet-clean Amsterdam gentlemen dropped off the face of the Earth for a couple of years to record their debut full-length, People Now People. Now that it’s out they’ve re-emerged, all grown up and more terrifying than ever, ready to make your girlfriends dance with their maniacal jungle disco beats.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre 12 June - Vera, Groningen 28 June - Bitterzoet, Amsterdam 29 June - Doornroosje, Nijmegen Many know The Brian Jonestown Massacre from the documentary Dig!, which profiled the friendship and eventual rivalry between TBJM mastermind Anton Newcombe and the Dandy Warhols’ Courtney TaylorTaylor. The film accurately depicted both the
band’s revolving-door personnel changes and their eclectic and occasionally masterful take on eclectic rock ’n’ roll.
Guitar Wolf 12 June - Paradiso, Amsterdam 14 June - dB’s, Utrecht 15 June - Sleazefest, Wijk aan Zee Founded in Nagasaki back in 1987, the Wolves tip Joan Jett as well as the Ramones with their extremely loud, energetic and heavily distorted garage punk.
Sun O))) 14 June - Melkweg, Amsterdam I used to have a boyfriend who was into this here American doom metal/drone/noise band, and this experience taught me two things: 1) this is metal for stoners, not aggro douchebags, 2) there are actually some pretty hot metal heads out there. Need I list other reasons to attend?
Stedelijk @ Trouw 14 June - Trouw, Amsterdam This art-, multimedia-, lecture- and musicfilled event is the first of four nights aimed at bringing contemporary art from museum pedestals back to the underground culture it’s so often inspired by. DJs such as Joost van Bellen, Tom Trago and Strange Boutique will provide a soundtrack you can feel equally comfortable pontificating or partying to.
Moon Duo 14 June - Effenaar, Eindhoven 15 June - De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam 16 June - Merleyn, Nijmegen Minimal psych twosome Moon Duo’s Ripley Johnson and Sanae Yamada are partners on and off stage. They have earned their fair share of praise with songs built on a Page 71
do 14 juni R. Stevie Moore Zoon van de bassist van Elvis en schepper van 2000 liedjes van ongekende diversiteit. De paus van de Do-It-Yourself pop!
wo 27 juni
Subbacultcha!:
Sun Araw Band
Epische psychedelische dub / pop. Bracht onlangs een schijf met de legendarische Jamaicaanse roots reggae vocalisten The Congos uit. Dikke aanrader!
vr 29 juni Cicha Libre Mix van aanstekelijke Latin ritmes, surf en pop geĂŻnspireerd door - en geĂŤvolueerd vanuit - de Peruaanse Chicha Cumbia. Niet te versmaden zomerse dansmuziek.
live at Boomgaardsstraat 71 Rotterdam
www.worm.org
Page 72
Agenda
Shows in June
hypnotically repetitive foundation of organ, fuzzy guitar and simple percussion. Read more on page 59.
R Stevie Moore 14 June - WORM, Rotterdam 16 June - Bitterzoet, Amsterdam Nashville’s Robert Steven Moore is a lo-fi legend who has influenced generations of DIY artists, ranging from Guided by Voices to Ariel Pink and John Maus. Read more on page 58.
Sleazefest ft. Guitar Wolf, Traumahelikopter + Adolf Butler 15 June - Timboektoe, Wijk aan Zee Organised by Amsterdam organ punk duo zZz, Sleazefest offers up a once-a-year chance to spend 24 hours fully immersed in sex, drugs, rock ’n’ roll (and punk, garage and surf), and maybe even a little bit more sex if you’re lucky. The remote location should allow for plenty of mayhem, so be sure to pack your wet wipes – it’s gonna get sleazy up in there.
A$AP Rocky + Star Slinger 15 June - Paradiso, Amsterdam A$AP Rocky, born Rakim Mayers, is living a specific version of the American dream: his rough childhood in Harlem, NYC inspired him to become a rapper at age eight, and now at just 23 this underground hip hop darling’s swag stylings and sick production team have him on the verge of hitting the big time. The complementary aesthetic of UK hip hop producer Star Slinger should get the party started right.
Naked Song Festival ft. Tindersticks + Howe Gelb + The Hackensaw Boys 16 June - Muziekgebouw, Eindhoven
Hold your horses, randy listener: rather than an XXX showcase of premier singer-songwriters, the Naked Song Festival offers up a programme of Americana, blues and folk music so raw and stripped-down, you’ll feel liberated in a different way. Just stay away from any hot chicks that offer you an apple.
Beyond the Realms of Doom 2 ft. ▲ngst + Fifth Era 16 June - OCCII, Amsterdam This release party for ▲ngst & Fifth Era’s new Beyond the Realms of Doom 2 split CD-R provides the perfect excuse for a showcase of doomcore, industrial, witch, noise and hardcore in the best venue for dipping your toes into the pool of doom without falling over the edge.
Amsterdam Sinfonietta ft. Bryce and Aaron Dessner 16 June - Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ (Holland Festival) 17 June - Muziekgebouw Eindhoven The compositions of Bryce Dessner (The National) and Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead) will be performed by Amsterdam Sinfonietta together with Aaron and Bryce Dessner on guitar. Read more on page 64.
Thee Oh Sees 18 June - Merleyn, Nijmegen 19 June - Paradiso, Amsterdam 01 July - Metropolis Festival, Rotterdam This extremely prolific name- and line-upchanging San Franciscan garage/psych/ punk band never stays put for long. Come check out mastermind John Dwyer & co trot out their latest batch of entertaining shapeshifting and swampy jams before they go changing things up once again. NB: the almost telepathic onstage chemistry between the five of them makes for some purportedly wild (and sweaty) live moments. Page 73
Agenda
Page 74
Shows in June
Agenda
Shows in June
Light Asylum 20 June - OT301, Amsterdam This New York-based duo is coming over to our capital city to smash the dance floor to pieces with their elegant-but-rough mix of Italo disco and synth pop. Read more on page 59.
M83 21 June - Paradiso, Amsterdam Surely you’ve heard this band’s exhilarating 2011 instant classic single ‘Midnight City’, but did you know that M83 is named after a spiral galaxy, Messier 83? No? Glad to be of help. Anthony Gonzalez’s shoegaze-inspired electronica act has morphed considerably over its ten-year existence, but his sharpening songwriting abilities and soaring ambition are propelling his output closer and closer to the heights of his astronomical namesake.
Knekelhuisdisco ft. Innergaze 22 June - CANVAS, Amsterdam If the whole world was going to end, you could sit there and cry about it or you could say, ‘Fuck it!’ and just dance. If you happened to face Armageddon while at a nightclub, you could do worse than this night’s roster in terms of post-apocalyptic synth-wave jams perfectly suited for dancing like tomorrow is irrelevant.
Art Rocks: Final 23 June - Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam Art Rocks is a competition conceived by the Boijmans van Beuningen wherein artists of all genres make music inspired by a work of art from their collection. During this final showdown, ten competitors will vie for the crowd’s and jury’s favour and a prize of
€1,000. The museum’s fabulous collection should provide plenty of worthy inspiration.
Las Kellies 24 June - OCCII, Amsterdam 28 June - Roodkapje, Rotterdam Perhaps as an homage to their cosmopolitan, European ancestry-packed home country of Argentina, the girls from Las Kellies sing in Spanish, English, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Catalan and French. Read more on page 61.
Sun Araw Band 27 June - WORM Rotterdam SoCal seeker Cameron Stallones’ work as Sun Araw goes beyond the galaxy of psychedelia to a cosmos whose planets drip with a primordial ooze of dub, desert rock, raga, Afrobeat and free jazz. Read more on page 60.
Kurt Vile & The Violators 29 June - Vera, Groningen Philadelphia’s resident childish prodigy and his band of constant hitmakers churn out guitar-focused, um, ‘new’ classic rock. On his new material, Vile has stripped away most of the effects and production grime that muddied his earlier work, revealing songs that are more spacious and cogent than ever, yet still capable of transporting you back to listening to music with your dad as a kid.
La Sera 30 June - De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam ‘Kickball’ Katy Goodman, bassist and harmonist of retro pop supergroup Vivian Girls, just put out her second solo full-length, the radiantly rad Sees the Light, as La Sera. Her lo-fi punk pop is perfectly pleasant and totally tuneful. Read more on page 62. Page 75
Free Stuff
Free tickets and goodies
To win, sign up to our mailing list on www.subbacultcha.nl. 3X2 TICKETS ATLAS SOUND
2X2 TICKETS SONG BOOKS (HOLLAND FESTIVAL)
3X2 TICKETS NAKED SONG FESTIVAL
05 June Melkweg, Amsterdam
09 June Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, Amsterdam
16 June Muziekgebouw EIndhoven, Eindhoven
5X2 TICKETS GONJASUFI
3X2 TICKETS SUNN O)))
3X2 TICKETS THEE OH SEES
05 June EKKO, Utrecht
14 June Melkweg, Amsterdam
18 June Merleyn, Nijmegen
We’re also giving away free tickets to Klub 470, Art Rocks, Robodock, Sleazefest, Innergaze, Nuit Blanche and Mikal Cronin Page 76
Submitted photos
AFTER MIDNIGHT
Send photos that were taken after midnight to aftermidnight@subbacultcha.nl If your photo gets published, you win a good goodie This month’s photos were submitted by Tim Ditzel (top) and Vibeke Mascini Page 77
Overview of all Subbacultcha! shows in June
06 June
25 June
Bleached + Molly Nilsson
Film: Caché + The American
07 June
Sun Araw Band
16CC, Amsterdam 16.30/19.00/21.30 | €7,50 | Free for members
OT301, Amsterdam 20.30 | €8 | Free for members
27 June
Com Truise + Molly Nilsson
WORM, Rotterdam 20.30 | €8 | Free for members
08 June
Las Kellies
EKKO, Utrecht 20.00 | €9 | Free for members
28 June
Liars + Mikal Cronin
Roodkapje, Rotterdam 22.00 | €7 | Free for members
10 June
Art In Prison #5
Tivoli de Helling, Utrecht 19.30 | €14 | Free for members
30 June
THEESatisfaction
Gijs Deddens Book Launch Extrapool, Nijmegen 20.30 | €3 | Free for members
Sugar Factory, Amsterdam 20.00 | €15 | Free for members
30 June
14 June
R Stevie Moore
La Sera + DJ Dance, Floor
14 + 15 June
All Month
De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam 20.00 | €7 | Free for members
WORM, Rotterdam 19.30 | €8 | Free for members
Moon Duo
Subbacultcha at &foam
14 June - Effenaar, Eindhoven 20.00 | €10 | Free for members 15 June - De Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam 20.00 | €8 | Free for members
Open Wed-Sun 10.00-18.00, Thur until 21.00 | Free for all
Foam
Open daily 10.00-18.00, Thur and Fri until 21.00 | €8 | Free for members
20 June
Light Asylum
Mediamatic
OT301, Amsterdam 20.30 | €8 | Free for members
see website for info
See all these shows for free. Join at www.subbacultcha.nl Page 78
musicians Charlie Hilton (Blouse) photographed by Miranda Lehman in Portland, USA, January 2012.
by Subbacultcha! Magazine
Visit the exhibition at &foam, Vijzelstraat 78, Amsterdam. Until 15 July Buy the publication at shop.subbacultcha.nl
LP CD DL — 09.07.12
DOMINOreCOrDCO.COM
LP CD DL 18.06.12 weirDworLDreCorDCo.Com