Go Forward, Move Ahead, 2009

Jan 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Remix Editors

MADCHESTER CHAMELEON: THE WHIP

As electro-punk and other dance hybrids thereof reach critical mass on this side of the pond, the Mancunian (that means they're from Manchester, natch) aggro-synth band The Whip (www.thewhip.net) has been heating up the UK with a progressive take on the legacy of such stalwart geezers as the Happy Mondays and New Order. And although X Marks Destination hit the British bins last spring, with several songs circulating as singles even before that, frontman Bruce Carter is quick to point out that the long-awaited Stateside release of The Whip's debut will hold a few surprises.

“We recorded some new drum tracks for the older songs while we were finishing the rest of the album,” he says. “We always spend a lot of time cutting different versions of songs before we decide on the one we want. The writing part is easy — it's piecing the songs together that melts my head. Danny [Saville] has to stop me sometimes or I would just go on forever like a musical chameleon.”

From the jump, in fact, Carter and Saville (whose synth arsenal includes a Roland Juno-60, Korg MS-20 and Moog Little Phatty, among others) have embraced flux as inspiration, moving between dark goth-pop — shards of which still linger in the ruffneck club hit “Trash” — and gritty proto-techno (on the exquisite album closer “Dubsex”) with astonishing ease. Originally a duo and now a foursome with bassist Nathan Sudders and drummer Fiona Daniel, The Whip also tear it up live: The band's recent CMJ set in New York served notice it isn't just your average garage throwback.

“Most of our influence is more global than that,” Carter explains. “These days, you feel part of a community that doesn't have a geographic point. Things can be thrown together from different genres, and people are ready to take it anywhere. No rules is the way forward to more exciting music, and that's what really turns us on.” — Bill Murphy

GET LEAN: MAKING MUSIC ON THE CHEAP

Barring a government bailout package for the struggling music industry, our empty pockets and maxed-out credit cards are telling us we'll have to come up with creative ways to keep the music flowing in this economy. Without sacrificing the quality of our art, this could involve spending less on gear and sweating more to become efficient with what we have.

While buying used gear can be an exhilarating way to score some treasures, products without warranties can become your worst nightmare. If you shop new, go in educated and with a focus on what you need, not necessarily what you want. Read product reviews and ask pertinent questions so you get the most for your dollar. And whenever possible, buy expandable gear that you can grow into if your finances improve.

Do-it-yourself projects — such as learning to make small repairs to your gear, wiring your own cables or constructing acoustic room treatments (www.remixmag.com/mag/remix_diy_acoustics) — are also highly gratifying. Home-brew synths and circuit-bending projects can also be a lot of fun and give you highly personalized sounds. Search Google or YouTube to find tons of instructional videos, plans and kits for cool D.I.Y. electronic instruments, filters and effects. Some are fairly advanced (www.gyraf.dk), while others — not so much (www.edencompanies.com/bogdon). And, of course, explore freeware/shareware plug-ins. There's a ton of really great stuff that challenges the expensive commercial products; KVRaudio.com is a fantastic place to start.

Finally, consolidate! If you currently have a studio setup and a live rig, consider beefing up one and selling off the other. That cuts your upgrade/upkeep costs in half. You could team up with local DJ/bandmates or find a production partner and pool your gear. As many a famous remix duo will tell you, having two creative minds is better than one. — Jason Scott Alexander

PREDICTION NO. 6: THE NEWER, SMARTER ARTIST GROWS

Older artists like Guns N' Roses are suing leakers and making exclusive deals with Best Buy. The rest are playing a new game, one that puts less emphasis on the recording and more on other aspects of the business, including touring, licensing, advertising and publishing. That means less acrimony between artists and fans and a healthier marketplace. — Paul Resnikoff

ROCKIN' YOUR CASIO AND VIDEOGAME CONSOLE: 8-BIT MUSIC

Here's a New Year's project for you: Dig around in your closet or garage and dust off the old Casio keyboard that you got for your birthday when you were 12 years old. Got it? Good, 'cause it could be your ticket into the brave new world of 8-bit music, which is both a throwback to the sounds of your youth and an ear toward a simplified, striking new genre.

Musicians and collectives from 8bitpeoples (www.8bitpeoples.com) to Nullsleep (www.nullsleep.com), Thermostatic to Crystal Castles are picking up the 8-bit ball and running with it, using old 8-bit sounds to make their robot-danceable tunes, which revitalize synths, videogames and other bits of technology previously thought of as outdated into fresh, quirky sounds that are as diverse as the gear from which they originate.

Chiptune (www.chiptune.com) and bitpop are some of the many mini-genres that reside within 8-bit, through which sounds are snagged from computers such as the Commodore 64, toy instruments like the Speak & Spell and various videogame sound chips (primarily the Atari 2600 and the Game Boy). Chiptune artists like 8-Bit Weapon have already worked on projects for Kraftwerk and Information Society, and added the Apple II, an Intellivision synth and revamped Metroid game music into their own unique mix.

But the real indicator that 8-bit is set to stick around is the fact that “regular” musicians are also using 8-bit elements, digging into such vintage sampling keyboards as the Casio SK-1, which is hitting record prices on eBay due to its easy circuit bendability and mini-sampler capabilities. The SK-1 has been deconstructed and recorded by the likes of Blur, Portishead, Fatboy Slim and Beck — pretty glowing company for a wallet-friendly, polyphonic, 1.4-second vintage sampler from 1985. Casio itself even approves.

“We feel great about the renewed interest in the SK-1,” says Casio's Peter Brinkman, VP of Consumer Products. “But what's really great is that a whole new group of musicians are embracing the 8-bit format. With the renaissance of 8-bit, we are so pleased that Casio is helping to enable these wonderful classic sounds. Technology is truly an amazing elixir.” — Kristi Kates

LABEL ON THE RISE: BRAINFEEDER

With a best-selling, groundbreaking album in Los Angeles, what will hip-hop/electronic hybridist Flying Lotus do for an encore? Start a new label called Brainfeeder (www.myspace.com/brainfeeder).

“We're going to start putting out a bunch of beat records this year, more avant-garde left-field beat music that some friends of mine are working on,” FlyLo says. “It's a labor of love. I'm not trying to take any money from it. I just want to put [any profits] into the label, put it into the artists' pockets, and just try to build a nice little home for my extended family.” Brainfeeder officially launched last summer with the debut CD from Samiyam, an 8-bit specialist that Flying Lotus discovered via the Internet. (The two collaborate on beats as FlyAmSam.) Samiyam was already selling copies of Rap Beats Vol. 1 as a CD-R, but Flying Lotus made it available digitally via Brainfeeder and Alpha Pup Distribution.

Many details behind the Brainfeeder project are still unknown. FlyLo says, “We're just looking at digital right now,” but he isn't sure if he'll continue to use Alpha Pup for distribution. He believes the next release will be an album from L.A. record store owner and dubby beatmaker Ras G called Brother From Another Planet. He quickly clarifies, however, “The way that I want to work this is, like, I don't want to just do beat stuff.”

Other artists with Brainfeeder potential include Matthew David, an ambient-folk musician whom FlyLo sampled on Los Angeles; and Rebekah Raff, an L.A.-based harpist who performed with Kanye West on his 2005 Touch the Sky tour, and who has done session work for The Coup and Mavis Staples. “She makes ambient music. I want to release that,” he says of Raff.

For the moment, though, Brainfeeder's best product may be its ability to draw attention to a slew of new and exciting electronic artists. Three recent Brainfeeder showcases in London, Los Angeles and San Francisco drew sell-out crowds. The latter, held in a side room at the venerable 1015 Folsom club, found a teeming audience cheering on Kutmah, Samiyam, Ras G, the Gaslamp Killer, Hudson Mohawke, Kode 9, Daedelus and, of course, Flying Lotus. — Mosi Reeves

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