The Brooklyn Vegans (uncovered): tammikuuta 2010

perjantai 29. tammikuuta 2010

The Brooklyn Vegans at club Telemark 28.1.2010

I have write all this down as long as I remember what happened yesterday, and the truth to be told, a bunch of details remain as mysteries to me so I´m glad my dj-partner Antti "soijanakki" A wrote a shortlist of the things that happened.

The night of our lifetime started superbly. People came to watch really early. There was a bunch of people waiting to get in at 9PM. We started with a pacey indie rock set and the tempo remained quite high as we two ejoyed our asses off, we danced there like hamsters on ecstasy and took advantage of the good buzz of playing together after a little break.

The Casbah http://www.myspace.com/thecasbahband had evolved a lot from the last time I had seen them. their setlist had gotten a lot better and transitions were smoother. And the new songs rocked the boat. Yes please! http://www.myspace.com/yespleaseband must have played the best song of the evening in my opinion. A discorock song and I can't remember what's it called. Maybe you can help me. One thing that surprised me was that they functioned well without a drummer. It brought neww depths and elements to the music. Interesting. And Leaders Of The Republic http://www.myspace.com/leadersofficial were as religious as ever when they played as headliners. They get a sound like no other band in Finland I was proud as hell to be a Finn when I see them play. Their biggest problem is that they can't do warming up no more this this big of a sound. They are ment to be headliners from here to eternity.

I also like to thank the girls and boys requesting good songs and especially the exchange student from Munich. You gave us a confidence boost really. And Samu from Bra's and Undies Club, I can't wait to see the photos and I would be glad to post the here. And I will be attending your club if I'm at Finland then. Definetly. Good stuff from all of you people. I had the time of my life and hope you people did too.

Here's a little recap on what we played yesterday. Something to you people with spotify again.
http://open.spotify.com/user/linkkakuski/playlist/3SqpBmFeSjiLFfCf6Lquvj

To you people who don't have it. Here's a top 10 of stuff that rocked the boat yesterday

The Magic Numbers - Runnin Out
Local Natives - Sun Hands
Radio 4 - State Of Alert
The Strokes - Last Nite
Tiger Lou - Sell Out
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Higher Than The Stars
The Raveonettes - Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed)
Miike Snow - Song For No One
Friska Viljor - We Are Happy Now (lalala)
Phoenix - 1901
Jesus And Mary Chain - Head On

sunnuntai 24. tammikuuta 2010

torstai 21. tammikuuta 2010

music videos are a love of my life

This blog won't be a purist music blog or a endorsement to our ambitions as dj's. It will be a surprising channel to all kind of purposes. I've been thinking about all knds of stuff to write about and there will be things about new bands of course but also different kind of honorary writings towards people that inspire me and like now a list of music videos that inpire me right now. It will be a handy catalogue for me at the same so when I'm going to direct my next videos, these videos are here in a good entity for viewing. I personally have bought a few super 8 cameras and got a HD-handheld camera as a present and I'm figuring out what to use those on. There are some good plans on great videos but I won't force the stuff out. You just wait and behold the new Michel Gondry. But you'd have to wait for a few years.

I belong to the great MTV generation, which needs a good video to go with a good song. Of course those times are long gone that you could watch good videos on MTV but evidence of good new videos linking together a song and an image still exist. Let me demonstate it to you.

Anssi 8000 & Maria Stereo - Zombie

Anssi 8000 is a great artist with a variety of stuff he likes to do, from video art to scrap sculptures. Everthing I've seen from him is easy to relate. He doesn't have the urge to perfectionism and leaves some rew edges there. This band is him and his wife that live on a farm away from the city life playing tohether and the video is shot on 8mm or 16mm, you tell me. All I can say is that I love the smooth image and the mystic video.

Helsinki 78-82 - Cruising
Unlike the previous song this one is clearly made on HD and has a tighter vibe on it. This video is practically an advertisement to Pelago Bikes, which is a bicycle brand here in Helsinki but it doesn't zer out the great vibe on this video. The video in itself acts out like a plan for what I'm going to do in Helsinki next summer. Buy a new bike and cruise around Kallio with it. Enjoy life. I also want to point out that this video has got essential tips on how to make a grande-style video with a low budget.

HELSINKI 78-82 - CRUISING from Top Billin on Vimeo.

The Drums - I want to go surfing
This has been a powerplay song for me for a month now. I just love the simple idea on the song. Also a quite low-budget performance but still succeeds to make a great point and present a band in a good light. And the lightning text on it makes me happy. It reminds me of the 90's refused videos.

Fujiya and Miyagi - Ankle Injuries
This one is something I just found. Reminds me of the legovideo on White Stripe's Fell In Love With a Girl Michel Gondry made years ago but this one's took it up a notch with wices. Inspirational video I reckon.

torstai 7. tammikuuta 2010

The Battleship Potemkin

"In April 2003, Philip Dodd, director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, approached Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe and suggested that they might write a new score for the film (Battleship Potemkin) and perform it as a free concert in Trafalgar Square as part of a series of events organised by the Mayor Of London" - information from wikipedia.

This was the starting point to something extraordinady in 21th Century recording. There is a few records as concentrated made in the "Noughties" and this one was even rudely ovelooked in the common media eventhough the public event gathered 26.000 people just to watch the greatness.

The record itself has been named as a Lowe/Tennant/Dresden Sinfoniker-record but for me and many others it is one of the essential Pet Shop Boys records. More ambitious than anything they've done before and maybe that might the reason they scored it in their own name. Anyhow it is a superb combination of ambitious electronic pop and symhony orchestra arrangement unlike anything other I know in its class. I suits perfectly as some kind of background music to everything you are doing or what's best, it can also be put in pieces and be played in combination with something else at a dj-gig or whatever. Just a perfect progressive multi-purpose album.

I hope you find yourself listening to it. I haven't tried it with the Eisenstein film yet, but will do it anytime soon and I will comment on how good it fits with the film material as soon as I'm done.

Listen to the album here:Pet Shop Boys – Battleship Potemkin

Burning Hearts

I was browsing through a swedish music magazine called Sonic and it's not the first time I stumble across a finnish band there. Swedes tend to love a certain niche of minimalistic, elegant and gloomy pop only we finns are able to produce. This band Burning Hearts in particular is something I'm glad to read about. It is a shame I've never seen them live but I will surely correct that any time soon. The band consists of two members of Cats On Fire, one of my favourite bands but it doesn't sound just like something extra, something unreleased from Cats On Fire. This is something entirely independent from all of that.

I read that the members Henry Ojala (Cats On Fire drummer) and Jessica Rapo (Cats On Fire additional female vocals, flute, organs, you name it...) first met in Turku at a youngsters school music event 20 years ago. That's a long time I tell you. Since that they've made their individual careers in forementioned Cats On Fire and Jessica at the super Le Futur Pompiste. In some way Burning Hearts is a logical continuum to those two and sounds like a it has been recorded at a cozy living room somewhere in sleepy Turku.

Their magnificent material hasn't come unnoticed to the public worldwide. They've already been signed to Portland/San Francisco-based Shelflife Records ( http://shelflife.com/ ) and have been added to several compilation records and indie playlists out there. Their etheric pop music reminds me of Stereolab and maybe bands like The Radio Dept. and I wouldn't be surprised to find them scoring a warm-hearted independent film any time soon. I could picture their music being played on a cute first date on a movie where everything goes just right for the two main characters.

Their brand new Night Animal 7" single can be ordered from the website aswell as their Aboa Sleeping LP can be found at well equipped record stores. I know I will go and find mine any time soon.

Take a closer look to their music on their myspace page. I know you're going to love it...
http://www.myspace.com/burningheartsmusic

Godspeed.
-anttiwalker-

BEST OF 2009

I'm quite bored and all there is to do is to compile the best of 2009 lists.

top 5 Finnish records. (hard to be unbiased here, I depend a lot of my admiration toward the personalities behind the music aswell)

1) Omsk - s/t (omakustanne) This craftmanship towards melodies baffles me. Everything blends into a etheric and balanced perfection. I've listened to this record more than anything this year. First time I saw them, they were drun shit faced but succeeded to capture my honest interest. And there is a lump of unreleased songs that I've heard which are strong contenders to become my favourite songs next year. Hope that the new record label treats them good. To listen to this record go tohttp://open.spotify.com/album/2bnitSLwdUhplWFiTJm3Ql and enjoy.

2) Manna - Songs About Hope and Desire (Suomen Musiikki KHY) Manna is adorable! She sings like an angel and looks like one also. Listening to the first record I could've never imagined that it all could evolve to this blend of distorted guitars and gloomy rhytms. Kaukolampi's version of Some Boys / Some Girls wasn't at all what I was hoping from the album and I was really glad to hear that it was changed. This stylish and unique album must be the biggest surprise of 2009. And I can't get enough of it. Listen to the album here:http://open.spotify.com/album/2EwbAp1KBQBmEN4HlF6inJ

3) Regina - Puutarhatrilogia (Johanna Kustannus) I've loved Regina since beginning and I think that the turn towards more mature expression was what they needed this year. A shame I couldn't put them higher up. The album is still a 5 star album in my books. And when I play it on dj-sets people always come and ask for it. In that way Regina is a landmark band in Finland. Someone who have been doing their original thing for years and getting really aknowledged of it. There's no other finnish band with as broad fanbase as them in Finland that I know of. Here's a super video of the by Sam Shingler http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XKZT37U_h0

4) Lady Escape - Unsung Land (Kaakao Records) This perfect combination of art rock and high-energy nineties indie-rock made a huge affection on me. It was a real love in first sight at Helatorstaiklubi. They really got me gobsmacked with their straight-to-your-face energy and excellent dynamics put into songs. Great surprise number three this year. I've otherwise got bored to this kind of music but they retained my believe to this stuff. Listen to them at: http://www.myspace.com/ladyescape

5) Joose Keskitalo - Tule Minun Luokseni, Kulta (Helmi-levyt) I was long ashamed that I didn't own a single Joose Keskitalo record but one pay day in Spring I bought every one I could find and that was no misjudgement. His fragile and sentiment expression amazes me time after time. And songs like "Kuuletko Kun Hautausmaa Vetää Käteen(can you hear the graveyard jerking off) can't be ignored. His dark and gloomy yet romantic take on the world is in some ways quite similar to mine. You can listen to Joose at http://www.myspace.com/joosekeskitalo

bubbling under:

Today's Special - 'The Ship Has Gone. (omakustanne) This is just an maxi-ep with 7 tracks but I can easily say that this is a band you should keep your eyes on. They are called Leaders of Republic now. Their live performances could be described as cult movements without a blush on the cheeks. Couple of months ago they played with about 9 man orchestra on Korjaamo stage and baffled me big-time! They forces me to dance like an idiot with numb legs for an hour and scream like a little girl. I'm eagarly waiting for the first LP.

Sister Flo - AU (Fullsteam Records) I've only heard this once on the radio and can't really put words on it. I know that I like it. Sister Flo is a band I admire in the highest degree. And Jori Hulkkonen. That creepy guy from Turku really makes one hell of a producer. I wouldn't resist if someone offered him to produce my stuff.

Top 10 foreign records.

1) Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (Rough Trade) This is the single record that has been playing on my stereos maybe the most this year. I remember the adverts on all music magazines that caught my eye and the stories of them playing with Brooklyn Philharmonics. This band has a perfect amount of mystery glaced on them that makes me look up to them. They are in my eyes an exotic novelty I'm never going to see live. Like Radiohead and Arcade Fire... Hard to explain.

2) Florence Valentin - Spring Ricco (Startracks) I wouln't have guessed that my number two album would be sung in Swedish a year ago. I could have guessed that it was made in sweden. This band came to me like an avalanche and I have been playing it on high volume for these last few weeks and driven my roommate crazy. This band represents everything great that Swedish music is for me. In a way it is a stereotype but a fucking succesful one. The opening track Spring Ricco is how every record should start. A head-first anthem that forces your fists in the air and makes you yell like a retard on speed. Listen to the album here:http://open.spotify.com/album/1qn3MlCp18hxShQAn8N0pw

3) The Raveonettes - In And Out Of Control (Fierce Panda/Vice) I could write a doctorate about how great my favourite band The Raveonettes is but you wouldn't wat to read it quite frankly. It would consist of some emotional and embarrasing confessions of how I would like to invent a ray which would turn me into Sune Rose Wagner and so forth... This is not the best album they've done but a weaker Raveonettes album easily beats about 99 percent of records made on this planet. Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destroyed) is a magical anthem. They stick to the thing they know best. Making perfect album and that's great. Listen to the album here:http://open.spotify.com/album/3UXVTefPnXVligMzMFjYT7

4) The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - s/t (slumberland) I like this more than The Xx and that means a lot. The biggest subject of debate I could think of in my world. Pains Of Being Pure at Heart doesn't really come up with anything new. It is a shoegazepop act like many other but it is controlled and honed to perfection. Every squeek sah it meaning and they are on their right place. This debut album is a end product in many ways. And a reason why they had to move towards a new direction instantly with their latest EP being quite different. There aren't any better songs to play at my club that Everything With You or Come Saturday. They represent utter perfection to me. Listen to the record here:http://open.spotify.com/album/5uWuwlHON5texRWxdgtiS2

5) Loney Dear - Dear John (Polyvinyl Records) A brainchild of a Swedish genious Emil Svanängen was all I listened to this spring. I connect it to all my great and crappy memories of a time of my life. Last moments in my hometown Vaasa. All the home parties and heartbreaks. I even got to play with Loney Dear in Helsinki and remained gob-smacked when I saw them live. The orchestration was clearly a work of a genious. Listen to the record here: http://open.spotify.com/album/4vURCpWl7MDH9OrihML0c9

6) The Xx - s/t (XL) MGMT of 2009. It is impossible not to love it. But I think I need a little distance from all the hype before I can take it seriously. I love every aspect of the record but I don't know what I could play on my dj-set and which song's my favourite. And is it trendy or just so great that it melts everyone's heart? Or is it a product of a hysteria? The same goes to the Wild Beasts record. Those two are the one that shame my opinions the most this year. The most exciting records of the year. Listen to the record here: http://open.spotify.com/album/2nXJkqkS1tIKIyhBcFMmwz

7) Atlas Sound - Logos (Rough Trade) This side project of Deerhunter member Bradford Cox is one of the most interesting things to hit the shelves on 2009. Cox's method of creating music is stream-of-consciousness, and he does not write lyrics in advance and that really shows on the material. People call it post-psychedelia or kraut-pop. I just call it soundscapes and listen to it just before I go to sleep and it really makes my dreams exciting. The record has to great guest stars; Noah Lennox aka Panda Bear and Laetitia Sadier from Stereolab and they do a great job on this album. A definitive challenging grower of the year. Listen to the album here: http://open.spotify.com/album/3HgDMNVn29uuHrfYFhMqFp

8) Bat For Lashes - Two Suns (Parlophone) It would an abomination to exlude Natasha Khan from the top 10. It has been a great year and I would have hoped to fit her higher up but what can you do when you have all these great contenders? The opening track Glass is pure magic. The sounds of it should be taught to every producer in the branch of doing challenging pop. And Daniel is really a super track. The record still lacks of evennes in my opinion. Listen to the record here:http://open.spotify.com/album/7cj1dERc5yhFBqtxlRYGSe

9) Animal Collective - Merriwather Post Pavilion (Domino) It feels odd to place this magnificent album this low on the list. But the fact is that it has lost to Grizzly Bear and Atlas Sound and it affects in a way that its hard to make a clean opinion of this. Should listen to it more. Listen to the record here:http://open.spotify.com/album/3Ew40olMfd5X4BvqfuFoqF

10) Desire - II (Italians Do It Better) Despite the low placing on lsit this is maybe the one single surprise of the year and the record I could recommend to everyone everywhere. This smooth pop album melts everyones heart easily! It's controlled and subtle balance makes me gasp and they were fantastic live at Redrum. A real 5 star album in my books. Can't place it higher because the short amount of time I have been able to listen to it. Listen to the pearl of the year here: http://open.spotify.com/album/5JcUZTD39iFzt0TVhYTGWF

keskiviikko 6. tammikuuta 2010

Fill your spotify with some quality playlists from The Brooklyn Vegans

I hope you people start to find the greatness of spotify. I've surely had my days wasted with it for the last few months. I gathered a great pile of playlists there and I could compile them here for your enjoyment.

BEDROOM CONFIDENTIAL

This must be the first entity done in consideration of being a public playlist put on the open. It doesn't wors as good as it did first because a great deal of the songs have been deleted from spotify. Some of you still might find it entertaining

bedroom confidencial

KILL SURF CITY!

This one is filled with some rawer material from punk rock to shoegaze with the purpose to immitate my autumny feelings during the late 2009. There's a lot of material from my favourite artists I can't really play that well at The Brooklyn Vegans dj-nights because of the excess rawness of the songs. Maybe they'll be played at some special events somewhere, someday...

KILL SURF CITY!

ANTTI WALKER'S OCTOBER 2009

I love to keep on track with the fresh stuff out there. I'm a real music mag-o-phile and that leads to a great amount of listening to really small bands from around the world. It's impossible to remember a deal of those so I list some of them in my audio archives. Here's audio-archive no.1 october 2009. I can promise you, there's stuff you've never heard before but you're going to love it.

Antti Walker's October 09

NEO-PSYCHEDELIAC HIT PARADE

There's a great amount of psychedelia include in the art rock and mellow electronics The Brooklyn Vegans want to give to the world and a great deal of the best stuff can be found here. Again a great deald of band you haven't heard of before. I promise you that. Light it up and take a chill pill. Here's all you need with it.

neo-psychedeliac hit parade

MEET FINLAND

I am really proud of the things we Finns can produce in pop music. I am privileged to know a fraction of these beautiful artists and I wouldn't trade it to anything on this planet. I would like you people to know these great acts aswell.

Meet Finland

THE BROOKLYN VEGANS

The most quintessential playlist here. It gives a good picture of how all of this sounds at our club. There's the best of two upcoming dj's. It's me dj anttiwalker and the dj/bandmate Antti Alanen who've compiled this one for your pleasure

The Brooklyn Vegans

DISCO FROM HELL

A collection of songs purposed to play in order as it has been put on the playlist and played before going out or when in need of instant boost of positive energy.

disco from hell

ANTTI WALKER'S JANUARY 2010

Audio archive no.2 with the insight on the year 2010. A lot of new good acts popping out this year and the future in music is going to be bright. I promise you that you will love this year in music. ENJOY!

anttiwalker's january 2010

This is all I can give to you now. Hope ypu like it. Let us know what you think. This blog will keep you posted on Brooklyn Vegans, concerts, new good stuff and other stuff...

I don't know what that subscribing is about but I can imagine this is something you could do that to...

godspeed.

-anttiwalker-

Intruducin' The Brooklyn Vegans

these two upcoming dj:s from western Finland met a several years ago at an athletics camp and became intant soulmates but it took until fall 2009 since they finally took initiative to play a dj-gig together and it was an instant success. Their songs fitted together perfectly as pieces of a complex yet aestetically intriguing puzzle. The Brooklyn Vegans combines art rock to etheric electronic music and fits a little bit of everything in between. You can get a better picture by listening to their preference playlist at: The Brooklyn Vegans

The Brooklyn Vegans (uncovered)