So many music lovers have been giving this lady top ranking, that i had to put a great big shout out for her upcoming re-issues. THE DAME DAVIS IS BACK FOR ANOTHER ROUND! 2 of her controversial, afro-punk-adelic albums will be re-issued, officially on May 15th, but you can buy them direct from Light In The Attic records - now! Betty Davis had a big influence on Nina Hagen, who has a very similar style and continues to release hits and tour. If Betty were still here, she would be very popular. Even still, she is very well loved, and these reissues will be quite a treat to those who feel there wasn’t enough Betty in their collections.

Endorsements of this calibre don’t come easy :

Miles Davis - If Betty were singing today she would be something like Madonna, something like Prince only as a woman.

Herbie Hancock - She introduced Miles to Hendrix’s music and got him interested in the hardcore rock stuff.

Ice Cube - Betty was a G for real.

Rick James - When I first saw her album cover, I fell in love.

Betty Davis:

01 If I’m In Luck I Might Get Picked Up
02 Walkin’ Up the Road
03 Anti Love Song (listen!)
04 Your Man My Man
05 Ooh Yeah
06 Steppin In Her I. Miller Shoes
07 Game is My Middle Name
08 In the Meantime
09 Come Take Me
10 You Won’t See Me in the Morning
11 I Will Take That Ride

They Say I’m Different:

01 Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him
02 He Was a Big Freak
03 Your Mama Wants Ya Back
04 Don’t Call Her No Tramp
05 Git in There
06 They Say I’m Different
07 70’s Blues
08 Special People
09 He Was a Big Freak
10 Don’t Call Her No Tramp
11 Git in There
12 70’s Blues

Both releases come with deluxe goodies, new notes and interviews, and more…

Here is a special bonus track for you right now -
“45“ from The Saturday Knights.

also check out the mog reviews of her original pressings :

They Say I’m Different by Cody B
F.U.N.K. by Jonh Ingham
Nasty Gal
He Was A Big Freak by Michael Goldberg

Read more about this dynamic woman, and listen to audio from the albums on Light In The Attic’s Betty Davis page

Betty by Baron Wolman:

It’s been 10 years since the death of Nigerian superstar Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, and 200 turbulent years since human enslavement was officially abolished. These events continue to influence the talented Femi Kuti, biological heir to an aural empire of funk, jazz, and polyrhythmic afro-beats that his father first shared with the world. Femi is standing strong in Fela’s footsteps, fusing music and social activism and bringing it to the massive. Femi Kuti’s bio on his my$pace page elaborates : “The result honors his father’s work and extends its vision into the new century. It lays the groundwork for a new global pop vision, one that’s politically charged as well as danceable.”

The Definitive Collection: Femi Kuti weaves together individual threads taken from each of his previous 3 albums onto a 2CD set with extra goodness. Ready for release on May 22nd, this amazing album features collaborations with Mos Def, Common, and Macy Gray. Stunning songs such as, “Wonder Wonder,” “Survival,” and selections from his debut, Femi Kuti. The album also includes a haunting performance of “Ala Jalkoum” that features Femi singing a duet with Rachid Taha, “97″ a tribute to his father’s passing, and an inspired reworking of one of Fela’s favorites, the popular “Water No Get Enemy”.

Tracklisting

Disc: 1
1. Do Your Best - Kuti, Femi & Mos Def
2. Fight To Win
3. ‘97
4. Traitors Of Africa
5. Beng Beng Beng
6. Water No Get Enemy - Kuti, Femi & D’Angelo/Macy Gray
7. Wonder Wonder
8. Look Around
9. Survival
10. Truth Don Die

Disc: 2
1. Truth Don Die
2. Victim Of Life
3. Sorry Sorry
4. Beng Beng Beng
5. Do Your Best
6. Blackman Know Yourself
7. Eregele
8. What Will Tomorrow Bring
9. Scatta Head
10. Missing Link - Kuti, Femi & Common

This album is a treasure trove of afro-beat heritage on its own, but that didn’t stop the label from adding a limited edition bonus cd. This adds another 10 jewels of Femi Kuti mixes to the cache.

Femi Kuti Tour dates:

2-Jul Monday Summerfest MILWAUKEE
4-Jul Wednesday Comerica City Festival DETROIT
6-Jul Friday Ottawa Blues Festival OTTAWA
7-Jul Saturday Quebec Festival QUEBEC CITY
8-Jul Sunday Paradise BOSTON
11-Jul Wednesday Summerstage NYC
12-Jul Thursday Philadelphia Theater of the Living Arts PHILADELPHIA
13-Jul Friday 9:30 Club WASHINGTON DC
14-Jul Saturday Variety Playhouse ATLANTA
16-Jul Monday Stubb’s AUSTIN
18-Jul Wednesday ORPHEUM FLAGSTAFF
19-Jul Thursday HOB SAN DIEGO
20-Jul Friday HOB LOS ANGELES
21-Jul Saturday Fillmore SAN FRANCISCO
22-Jul Sunday Truckee Regional Park TRUCKEE
25-Jul Wednesday Showbox SEATTLE
26-Jul Thursday Commodore Ballroom VANCOUVER
27-Jul Friday Horning’s Hideout PORTLAND
29-Jul Sunday The Depot SALT LAKE CITY
30-Jul Monday Belly Up ASPEN
31-Jul Tuesday Boulder Theater BOULDER
2-Aug Thursday Minneapolis Zoo Amphitheater MINNEAPOLIS
3-Aug Friday Lollapalooza Festival CHICAGO

A new Beastie Boys album hits the streets in June! When i say roots, i’m talking pre-License To Ill punk rock days. They have revisited this sound for a few songs on a few albums, but this sounds like a full album of raw slam dancing! Mike D reports to NME that the music on The Mix Up is more rockin like what you hear on Check Your Head and Paul’s Boutique. All of the sounds and instruments on The Mix Up are played by the 3 of them. They put the sampler away for this album!

Tracklist

B for My Name
14th St Break
Suco de Tangerina
The Gala Event
Electric Worm
Freaky Hijiki
Off the Grid
The Rat Cage
The Melee
Dramastically Different
The Cousin of Death
The Kangaroo Rat

.

This might go quite nicely with the A Cappellas that they have available on their remix page…

The BBoys will be performing at the Virgin Festival, Live Earth Concert in London, Electric Picnic, and SONAR Festival in Barcelona.

When asked about what they would be playing at the London Live Earth Concert, Mike D replied -

“By that point we’ll already be playing new songs. But I dunno - you don’t wanna do ‘Jazz Odyssey’ in front of a crowd of 60,000.”

Sonar has added more music acts to their extensive bill of cutting-edge musicians (including Wolf Eyes!) For more info on what this festival is about, check out their website, and read my previous post that announced this year’s lineup. Here is the news, straight from their press release. i haven’t changed a thing, so all credit goes to Sonar writers :

Sunn O))) Romantica Infinite Livez Digitalism Calle 13

The most varied approaches to music are confirmed in the festival’s day and night-time line-ups. The dark ambient-rock of Sunn 0))), the best techno en masse supplied by Richie Hawtin, the rave-pop of Digitalism and Calle 13’s reggaeton are some of the last minute additions. The somber and heavy atmospheres of the duo Sunn 0))), consisting of Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson will fill the Sónar Hall. At a festival that is paying special attention to the most extreme and original variations of rock, the presence of this pioneering doom metal - or as they prefer to call it, power-ambient - group is especially timely. Also from the world of noise comes Blixa Bargeld, the vocalist from the legendary group Einstürzende Neubauten, who will be at Sonar by Day to perform with FM3, the inventors of the famous Buddha Machines and one of China’s most important electronic groups.

Hip-hop and the various facets of pop increase their presence at Sónar by Day with Infinite Livez vs. Stade feat. Joy Frempong and Hey Willpower. These two projects include highly unusual stage features in their own special musical universe (including puppets and dancers). Other highlights are the new showcases by Accidental (Matthew Herbert’s label), OndandOn Records & French Music Export Office and Rush Hour presenting Beat Dimensions. James Holden, one of the greats of dance electronica, will also provide a special set, which he has announced will differ from his usual sound.

Among the latest additions to the Night bill is the name of Calle 13, the group that has renewed Latin rhythms with an edge. Yes, it’s reggaeton, but at its most surprising and eclectic. Winners of two Grammy awards and a long way from fitting into any cliche, this Puerto Rican band are frequent collaborators with artists of the stature of La Mala Rodríguez (also on the bill of Sónar Night). Richie Hawtin returns for his traditional tumultuous session, and for the first time together with his friend Ali Demirel on visuals. And this will also be the year of Romantica at Sónar. This Japanese group combines music, performance and cabaret in an erotic-musical spectacle that has captivated audiences all over the world. The shows by Digitalism, cutting edge remixers and stars of the new-rave movement Modeselektor DJ-team and Damian Schwartz vs. Tadeo will also be essential viewing.

CONCERTS

Calle 13
Sonar by Night

Damian Schwartz vs Tadeo
Sonar by Night

Digitalism
Sonar by Night

Hey Willpower
Sonar by Day

Infinite Livez vs. Stade feat. Joy Frempong
Sonar by Day

James Holden
Sonar by Day

Modeselektor DJ-team
Sonar Night

Richie Hawtin
Sonar Night

Romantica
Sonar Night

Sunn 0)))
Sonar by Day

SHOWCASES

ACCIDENTAL presents
Setsubun Beat Unit (UK)
Mica & the Cluster (UK)
The Invisible (UK)
Sonar by Day

ONANDON RECORDS & FRENCH MUSIC EXPORT OFFICE present
C2C (FR)
Hocus Pocus (FR)
Sonar by Day

RUSH HOUR RECORDS presents BEAT DIMENSIONS
Hearin Aid (SE)
Jay Scarlett & Cinnaman (UK / NL)
Sonar by Day

m-nus presenta
JPLS
Tractile
Sonar by Night

Sónar Festival 2007

Sónar 2007: 14.15.16 June 2007

“This was about saying NO, a new freedom, a positive NO. Musically it was like a new beginning; everything was based on one beat, archaic rhythm and feedback. It was for the first time that a band seemed loose and free and oriented towards the future.”
Jochen Irmler, Faust

“A banjo with a microphone in it to make it electric, a fuzz bass en ’66, and an amazing singer, not to mention the drummer and organist, both out of this galaxy with what they were doing.
Their melodies were pop destructive and must be played to your younger brother.”
The White Stripes

monks Tribute Album Will Be Released In US - June 19 2007

silver monk time - features the following 29 international artists covering Monks songs :

The Fall
Faust
Fehlfarben
Doc Schoko
Gudrun Gut
Die Goldenen Zitronen / Chicks on Speed
PTB 3 (psychic tv)
Noise Conspiracy
The Havletones
Alexander Hacke
Michaela Melian
Barbara Manning and the Go-Luckys.
Floating Di Morel
S.Y.P.H.
Alex Empire/Gary Burger
Silver Apples/Alan Vega
Mouse on Mars
The Raincoats
Jason Forrest
Singapore Sling
27/11
Nista Nije Nista
Mense Reents
The 5.6.7.8’s (the band in Kill Bill 1)
Cycle
The Gossip
Jon Spencer/Solex
Charles Wilp / The Monks

liner notes to silver monk time - 29 international artists take on the legacy of the monks

in 1965 the monks were looking for a new zero point in pop music and created what later turned into the milestone record “black monk time”. “black monk time” accidentally or intentionally pre-dated several genres that were to come: kraut rock, electronic music, heavy metal, punk, industrial and techno.
when the monks in january 1966 launched their “living (pop) art project” at famous reeperbahn top ten club the largest german tabloid “bild-zeitung” wrote “noise, noise and no melody – robot music!”.
in july of the same year the monks presented their black record for the first time live on the teenage tv show “beat-club”. to the surprise of many they started the show with an improvised new song, which wasn’t even on the record. you could call it commercial suicide. the song itself was archaic, one repetitive beat, three monks beating on gigantic tambourines, an organ gone mad, a guitar on the floor that fed back and at one point was shyly touched by four band members. all typical macho rock attitudes were taken out. it was pure and swinging joyfulness and seemed to have more in common with avant garde art than with regular pop music. therefore maybe it was misunderstood. to some degree though it was the end of rock music as we knew it. the monks called the song “monk chant”. rumor has it that “monk chant” was supposed to be the one and only idea for their second long player. one primitive beat spread out on two lp sides. “the rolling stones are baroque, the beatles for old grannies, you, the monks are playing the music of the future, you are supposed to play the audience into ecstasy,” demanded their two german managers. this second (never released) record was to be called “silver monk time”.
play loud! is proud to announce 29 international pop bands who continue the musical journey initiated 40 years ago by the seven monks: gary burger, larry clark, dave day, roger johnston, walther niemann, karl-heinz remy and eddie shaw.

crank it up and enjoy this brand new ecstatic monks record.

it is (finally) silver monk time.

MASTERED AT Faust Studio BY HANS-JOACHIM IRMLER (FAUST).
buy the album from the Play Loud Shop

words about monks’ sound

excerpted from the original liner notes of BLACK MONK TIME

Gary Burger plays guitar and was born in Minnesota. Roger Johnston, a Texan, gives his drums the works. Chicago boy: That is Larry Clark - crazy-fingers at the organ, for his father was no gangster, but a priest. And Dave Day has more than one banjo and more than one microphone built into each of his banjos. He claims that he was born in Washington. And Eddie Shaw, who hails from California, uses his bass guitar as he sees fit!

as part of an introduction to the monks, Spazz Chandler described their music thus :

The backbone of the Monks’ music is in Roger’s drumming. The thudding of his omnipresent toms is constantly accenting and coloring his sharp snare work and sparse use of cymbals. He is always in control. It sometimes sounds as if he is directing the band, which is a rhythmic experiment in itself, from the rear. Dave, whose banjo is exclusively rhythmic, usually takes his cues from Roger’s snare, often playing at twice the drummer’s speed. The hollow, mad clacking sound of Dave’s banjo is at times evocative of a locomotive that has dropped its cars and cargo in favor of a faster pace. Playing somewhere in between the two is Eddie’s overdriven bass seeking to put everything into some kind of harmonic perspective. Gary and larry play what might be viewed as the “melody” of the song as well as the solos. Gary’s soloing technique is to rip sheets of feedback out of his guitar, which yammers and howls in protest, before slapping it back into the framework of the, er . . . “groove.” Larry usually skitters across the keyboard allowing occasional glimpses of fat cathedral-esque tone. His infrequent chords show the kind of caterwaul his organ would actually be capable of, if he slowed down long enough. The overall effect is maddening. It is without a doubt the most uncompromising stuff ever to call itself rock ‘n’ roll.

How Minnesota musicians revived ’60s rockers the Monks

the monks accomplished a lot during their time in Germany, but it is no small detail that each musician hailed from the USofA before being relocated by the Cold War. check out this article to read about their further adventures in Minnesota, and how the Twin Cities inspired the revival of the monks 40 years after the band had disappeared.

Living Like a Monk by Peter S. Scholtes

monks demo tapes 1965

previously unavailable material! CD Will Be Released May 1 2007

these early monks recordings were made seven months before Black Monk Time.
play loud! and Munster Records release them now for the first time in Europe
plus 3 additional tracks by The 5 Torquays and Jason Forrest.
inner sleeve with liner notes and never-before-seen photographs!

the cd will be ready for shipping on may 1st, 2007
the 12″ vinyl can be purchased now from the Play Loud Shop

play loud! productions presents - a documentary film by Dietmar Post & Lucía Palacios

monks – the transatlantic feedback a retrospect into the evolution and devolution of UBERBEAT

the original press release [warning - pdf format] from Play Loud describes the film, monks – the transatlantic feedback :

the film (short synopsis)

The monks were 5 American GIs in cold war Germany who billed themselves as the anti-Beatles; they
were heavy on feedback, nihilism and electrical banjo. They had strange haircuts, dressed in black,
mocked the military and rocked harder than any of their mid-sixties counterparts while managing to
basically invent industrial, heavy metal, punk and techno music.
The genre-overlapping documentary film not only illustrates the pop music phenomenon in its political,
social and cultural-historic contexts, but also reveals the monks project as the first marriage of art and
popular music and this months before Andy Warhol and the Velvet Underground.
The five protagonists of the film came to cold war Germany in 1961 as soldiers and left the country in 1967
as avant-garde monks. For more than thirty years they were not able to talk about their strange
experience. In the film the five original band members recount for the first time their adventure.

featuring
Gary Burger (vocals/guitar)
Larry Clark (organ)
Dave Day (banjo/guitar)
Roger Johnston (drums)
Eddie Shaw (bass)
Charles Wilp (fashion photographer, composer, Afri-Cola guru, ARTronaut and collaborator of the monks)
Jimmy Bowien (Polydor record producer of the monks)
Werner Henjes (Polydor sound engineer of the monks)
Wolfgang Gluszczewski (tour manager of the monks)
Joachim Irmler (Faust, 60’s eyewitness, fan, musician)
Jon Spencer (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, 90’s fan, musician)
Byron Coley (Spin Magazine staff writer)
Genesis P-Orridge (Psychic TV & Throbbing Gristle, 60’s fan, musician)
Peter Zaremba (Fleshtones, 90’s fan, musician)

credit list
production company : play loud! productions
produced and directed by : Dietmar Post & Lucía Palacios
edited by : Dieter Jaufmann
additional editing : Karl-W. Huelsenbeck
camera & sound by : Dietmar Post & Lucía Palacios
additional camera : Renato Falcao
script : Dietmar Post
music by : the monks

special dedication
in memory of monks drummer Roger Johnston (1939 – 2004)
monks collaborator Charles Wilp (1932 – 2005)

format DVCAM – DigiBeta | 4:3 | 100 minutes | USA, Germany, Spain 2006
original language English + German (with English subtitles)

quicktime movie trailer which you can also view on both the monks’ website as well as Play Loud’s site.

German Film Festival Showcases Monks Film In Australian Cities

Sydney
Chauvel Cinema

Palace Norton Street Cinemas
Sat 21.04. – 8.45 pm
Sun 22.04. – 1.30 pm
Mon 23.04. – 9.00 pm
Sat 21.04. – 3.30 pm

Melbourne
Palace Cinema Como

Palace Brighton Bay

Wed 25.04. – 8.45 pm
Sat 28.04. – 4.15 pm
Thu 26.04. – 7.00 pm

Brisbane
Palace Centro
Sat 28.04. – 4.15 pm

Perth
Cinema Paradiso
Sun 29.04. – 6.30 pm

SONAR, the avant-garde electronic music conference/concert/museum exhibition that takes place every year in Barcelona, has announced its lineup of djs and live bands. The 3 day event takes place June 14th-17th and includes individual showcases by representatives from many different aspects of the music industry.

Think daytime schmoozing with everyone from radio, labels, and bands, to designers, artists, and press. And it’s in Spain, where daytime means after the peak of the day. Imagine warm nights of sizzling concerts by Legends of pop/electronic/rock/funk. For an entire weekend!

This lineup is tugging at my passport. It’s tugging hard! Here is a tiny taste, but you’ll have to go to the Sonar website for the full list.

Beastie Boys - Still rockin the mic!
Devo! Mogwai! Mala Rodriguez! Clark! Dizzee Rascal! Wolf Eyes! Jeff Mills! NYPC! Simian Mobile Disco! oh I have to stop, you *must* go look!

This bare bones list with its tiny font would take up half the blogOsphere : Sonar 2007 Line-Up
once you have seen the entire lineup, you can scope the concert and showcase info here : Concerts & Dj’s

Also, many other artists and musicians will be playing via the individual showcases. Some of the highlights include :

BBC radio - Kode 9, Skream
Ed Banger Recs - Uffie feat. Feadz

oh, how i wish i could teleport. i need a TARDIS. maybe i’ll check ebay this week…..

Wrong Music updated their website (finallY)!!! Not only does it have news of the National Noise Day in Brighton on May 31 2007, but it also has a new release from DJ Scotch Egg!

This is what it says about the new release :

SCOTCHHAUSEN RELEASED (Without wrong music logo on it, how annoying)

13 March

adaaflap and wrong music present .. DJ SCOTCH EGG - Scotch Hausen WNG014/VINYL/10″ …
…SCOTCH HAUSEN is DJ SCOTCH EGG’s follow up to 2005’s must have gabba gameboy 7″ SCOTCH CHICKEN, in which he pays tribute to avant-garde pioneers like karlheinz stockhausen, terry riley, philip glass, johann sebastian bach and er moondog…

some may recall a previous post from mogger, Robotanist, which featured the black and white video of DJ Scotch Egg conducting the Gameboy Orchestra in a performance of “SCOTCHHAUSEN” from February 07’s full album release, “Scotch Bach”. If you missed it, click here to see the video…