Continuing with our REWIND! of 2007, here are the Top 10 Electronic Musings on ([HearingTest]) in 2007… All but “Lion” were released this year, and most of them can be found on BLEEP.com or Boomkat.com. 2007 was also a great year for watching the magic of electronic synthesis and we enjoyed watching loads of wonderful videos. I consider myself very lucky to have attended some of the Bay Area’s hottest live electronic music performances and somewhat capture them on video. It’s all here as we REWIND! 2007’s Greatest Hits! ([More →])

The innovative electronica experimentalist, Jean Michel Jarre, is infamous for his immersive audio environments. His major label album was Oxygene on Polydor in 1976. The album (which sold some millions of copies) is considered by some to be the “most important and influential electronic music album ever.” He used a range of analog synthesizers, echo, phaser, and an early Korg drummachine to create the lush melodies, unique rhythms and spacey atmospheres that characterize the album. ([More →])

I just listened to the archive of the Mary Anne Hobbs show on BBC Radio 1 from last Thursday. It features a beautiful mix of exclusive tunes by Murcof. If you enjoy beautiful atmospheric electronica, definitely give this mix a listen. It will be available as streaming audio until the new show goes up late Thursday night/early Friday morning this week.

Mary Anne Hobbs page on BBC Radio 1

The show also includes plenty of other killer tunes by Terror Danjah & Durrty Goodz, Headhunter, Bola, Bob Marley and more. Tracklist for the entire show is also on that page.

This is a concert review of Murcof and .pig at the 2007 San Francisco Music Festival.

Last weekend featured an accidental theme of deep relaxation. Maybe it was cosmic alignment, or reaching an omega point of stress and fatigue, but everyone around me was discussing how to relax and feel creative. On Wednesday I reached a state of zen relaxation while sitting in the Artaud Theater at the San Francisco Electronic Music Festival listening to Murcof play ambient atmospheric music over a wonderfully rich soundsystem. I have a sample for you, so that you can try to create a place of zen for yourself with the beautiful song “Cielo” off of Murcof’s new album Cosmos. But first, a review of the band who started off the evening and the entire Festival: .pig an electronic noise band from Mexico City. ([More →])

I love found-sounds. Especially whole albums of music that were thought to be lost forever, and then one day found again. Even better is when they are found just-in-time for music that was ahead-of-its-time when it was created, before it was lost. Have I lost you? Case in point: Sun Electric began releasing music in 1990 and continued until 2004, but their last full-length album was Via Nostra in 1999. Their music was at the forefront of technology and soundsystem parties at the time, along with contemporaries Orb, Orbital and Future Sounds of London. Sun Electric were pioneers of what would later be called IDM, perfecting the sound with singles and remixes until 2004. Lost + Found (1998-2000) is a collection of ambient electronica that was created by Sun Electric in the late 90’s, during the recording of their Via Nostra album and shortly after. As for the songs that the 2 men produced in those 3 years: they were lost, collecting studio dust. Tom Thiel, half of Sun Electric, says they recently rediscovered the songs, and to their surprise, the music sounds fresh again, not outdated:

The tracks sound different in the context of today’s music. … There isn’t much music like this now, which makes the songs special, in our opinion.

([More →])

Maybe it was the eclipse last week, or a special alignment of the cosmos when I stated here that I would fly to London to see Murcof play a planetarium show. I haven’t hit the lotto or become a jetsetter yet, but part of my wish will come true nonetheless: I will be relaxing and enjoying a live performance by Murcof tonight at the Artaud Gallery Theater in San Francisco! I’m so excited to go and become so relaxed by his soothing layers of ambient electronica. ([More →])

It’s been awhile since we’ve heard anything new from the french ambient artist, M83, but that’s about to change. Next month he will digitally release an album of songs that he recorded in 2006 and he is currently in the studio working on a full length studio album that will be released some time next year. The studio album is being recorded with Ken Thomas (Sigur Ros, Sugar Cubes, Cocteau Twins, Suede) and Ewan Pearson (Tracey Thorn, The Rapture, Ladytron) and has not been named yet. Meanwhile, we have the chance to listen to Digital Shades Vol. 1 which begins a series of “textured richness” which will weave a “lunar and dream-like path.” ([More →])

Environmental campaigns seem to go hand-in-hand with music events. Live Earth is a fine example. Many bands are using their tours as platforms for environmental education and recycling programs, like Linkin Park, Cheryl Crow and the Beastie Boys. But nothing sings about environmental doom and destruction like a carefully chosen documentary soundtrack. Finally, someone has matched planetary doom with the perfect soundtrack of doom metal and dark ambient electronica! I feel I have finally found a single category of music to describe many of my favorite bands – a class of music that I haven’t been able to summarize with a single name until today – Music For Environmental Doom! It’s perfect! What other category could so perfectly link Khanate with Gas, Brian Eno with Arve Henriksen, and Mogwai with Sigur Ros or Lamb? I’d love to own a soundtrack with this music, especially if it were on gatefold double vinyl! ([More →])

Enjoy some gas. Not the globally warming CO2 gas that is already in excess, but pure oxygen! The microscopics label has re-mastered and re-released gas 0095 as the premiere release on their “new” label. ([More →])

Icelandic water does it again. The septet known as Mum is finally coming out with their first new album in 3 years, go go smear the poison ivy, due out Sept-ember 24th on Fat Cat Records. Someone else already reported about the album awhile back in mog news, but I am unable to find that post to link to it here. In more recent news, the single “they made frogs smoke ’til they exploded” will be released on August 27th. The band describes it as a “chirpy song about animal cruelty, it’s backed with ‘the amateur show’” and as a “wonky insect-circus instrumental.” And they have added dates to their tour, see below.

Tracklist for go go smear the poison ivy

01 Blessed Brambles
02 A Little Bit Sometimes
03 They Made Frogs Smoke ‘Til They Exploded
04 These Eyes Are Berries
05 Moon Pulls
06 Marmalade Fires
07 Rhuubarbidoo
08 Dancing Behind My Eyelids
09 School Song Misfortune
10 I Was Her Horse
11 Guilty Rocks
12 Winter (What We Never Were After All)

Tour Dates

02 Jun – ATP stage – Primavera Festival, Barcelona, Spain
09 Jun – Villette Sonique Festival, Paris, France
17 Jul – La Mer De Musicas Festival, Murcia, Spain
24 Jul – Sync Festival, Athens, Greece
28 Jul – Afisha Festival, Moscow, Russia
19 Aug Helsinki, Finland – Loop Festival
24 Oct Los Angeles, CA – Orpheum Theatre
01 Nov Chicago, IL – Logan Square Auditorium
09 Nov New York, NY – St. Paul the Apostle (Wordless Music Series)
10 Nov New York, NY – Society for Ethical Culture (Wordless Music Series)

Links

MumSpace
Fat Cat Records youTube Channel
Mum on BLEEP – listen/download

Mum – “Summer Make Good”:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/M_89wjka81c]

I did it! I finally headed over to youtube and created a channel for HearingTest! Now i will be able to post videos here immediately!

On that note, let’s get to the Sonic Boom show review!

The digs – Hemlock Tavern, San Francisco, April 8th, 2007.

An absolutely lovely night in SF, already starting to hint at the warmth of summer, with the soothing moisture in the air that is ever-present from the nearby beaches. My mates and i filled our bellies at the late-night diner just up the hill from Hemlock Tavern, because you can’t get fries and root beer floats at the bars here.

There were 2 bands that played before Sonic Boom :
Stevenson Ranch Davidians
LSD and the Search for God

Even when I was at the show I couldn’t figure out which was which, so we’ll skip that part. They were both fun to listen to live, and both were at the mercy of the person doing sound who seemed to have no idea how one was supposed to run sound. When one singer asked through the mic for the monitors to be turned up, they got no response, and no action. So, they had to wonder if it sounded right. In front of the stage, where the audience was, it sounded great. To the side of the stage and on stage, it sounded weird. Luckily, the crowd thought it sounded great. Note to sound tech people – take your earplugs out once in awhile to gauge how it sounds, especially when changing the volume on different things! This person did not, and consequently kept turning up the volume on a microphone that was picking up the cymbals. To the audience, it was way too loud and shrill, yet they kept turning it up….

OK! On to the good stuff! Mr. Sonic Boom played an absolutely wonderful set! He had crazy old digital electronic instruments, like a Yamaha synthesizer, a Dr. BOSS Sampler (which he never used the sequencer of, he triggered each sample by hand as he needed it!), an Electribe (i think it was the sampler version, I don’t think he used the sequencer on this one either!) and some strange little box marked Casio that made drum rhythms akin to old organ percussion beats! You know, samba, foxtrot, rock…. For some reason, i expect this type of gear to make crazy techno or noise or dub or similar. SB made gorgeous ethereal music that was delicate even as it expanded to fill the room. The one man show consisted of songs that he has played in the bands he has been part of previously, mostly Spectrum music. You can hear little bits of the songs in the videos.

As much as I love Hemlock Tavern, and will keep going there because they host many of my favorite musicians, they really need to work on their ventilation. Every show I have ever seen there, I ended up out in the alley trying to cool off and get fresh air. Even with the big door open in the back of the room, it is impossible to stay in the throng of people pressing as close to the stage as possible because it just gets too sweaty hot. And it’s only April now. In July, it is much worse. Some people theorize that this is part of the rock and roll experience, but that’s dumb. I have never enjoyed a show less just because it was comfortable. Just read my review of ISIS at Bimbo’s 365 Club for proof. But don’t get me wrong, Hemlock is still one of the best venues to see music – the stage is only a little bit elevated from the floor, so you can get in real close (which is how i can read itty bitty type on plastic boxes of obscure electronic devices), the sound is usually good, the drinks are proper, and the staff is so dang nice.

Here are the videos, with the slideshow from last week repeated at the end of this post :

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ_WbJ8YPzU]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35AWEpHjShA]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mINTesKP4sY]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8Ymp4SzAyA]

Sonic Boom is also the purveyor of a fantastic website, so make sure you check it out : http://www.sonic-boom.info/

So, this is actually just another tease…. I was lucky enough to see the wonderful performance by Sonic Boom in SF this month. Sonic Boom is the genius behind the aural experimentations known as E.A.R. and he is also the voice and half the music of Spectrum AND he is one of the Spacemen3. Busy Boy. Well, he is touring the US and has shows in the UK as i earlier posted about. The show at the Hemlock Tavern was fantastic! i will do my best to write a proper report about it this week. i will definitely have a series of 1-2 minute videos with sound to post up here very soon. i haven’t posted movies yet, so i might have to figure out how to do that within wordpress. Maybe it’s time to start a youtubular account…. ([More →])

Hurray!!! Finally, EAR, Experimental Audio Research, is touring!! Not too many chances to catch his far out experimentalism, only a handful of US dates spanning April, and only 2 in London, but better than nothing which is all we have heard from EAR lately!
EAR was created by an experimental electronic scientist, Peter Kember, aka Sonic Boom, who may be more well known for his participation in surf guitar rock band, Spaceman 3, and psychedelic spaced out guitar rock band, Spectrum. There seems to be no limit to the scope and direction of the experimentations. he is notorious for his use of mulitple speak and spells as instruments and found sound recordings. i own an album which consists of nothing but recordings and simulations of daily noises, starting with the time of dinosaurs, and progressing to the modern experience. For further and deeper descriptions of this project, please read the bio on Sonic Boom’s website.

It gets better, the April 15th London performance will have EAR opening for Cluster! The April 30th London performance will also present a performance by Bert Jansch! Cluster, formed in the 70’s, is one of Germany’s pioneer experimental electronica bands. Cluster has collaborated with experimental krautrock band, Neu! and Brian Eno. These days, Cluster play mostly ambient electronic krautrock, and as far as i know, they have not toured since 1997. Bert Jansch is the founding member of Pentangle and won the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001 for his work in folk music. The Scotsman has worked with Neil Young, Johnny Marr, and Jimmy Page, among others.

According to Sonic Boom’s website, here are the dates and places :

1 APRIL 2007, NYC, NY

E.A.R., REBEL NYC
2 APRIL 2007, PHILADELPHIA, PA

E.A.R., JOHNNY BRENDA’S
3 APRIL 2007, CLEVELAND, OH

E.A.R., BEACHLAND TAVERN
4 APRIL 2007, CHICAGO, IL

E.A.R., LAKESHORE THEATRE
5 APRIL 2007, AUSTIN, TX

E.A.R., EMO’S
8 APRIL 2007, SAN FRANCISCO, CA

E.A.R., HEMLOCK TAVERN
9 APRIL 2007, HOLLYWOOD, CA

E.A.R., SAFARI SAM’S
10 APRIL 2007, SACRAMENTO, CA

E.A.R., BLUE LAMP
12 APRIL 2007, NYC, NY

SPACELINES DJ SET, TRIBECA GRAND
15 APRIL 2007, LONDON, UK

E.A.R. SUPPORTING CLUSTER, CAMDEN UNDERWORLD
30 APRIL 2007, LONDON, UK

E.A.R., ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL. as part of St.Etienne’s launch of the refurbished room. Bert Jansch also playing.

Spectrum is also planning to tour the Pacific Rim in the late summer and fall of this year. Spectrum will release an EP and LP before the year is over.