24. November 2008

live is live

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After just two months Lykke Li is back in Berlin. She will perform at Maria next Monday (1.12.).
This video was taken at the American mtvU woodie awards, at the end of the show she does a short duett with Q-Tip.

Also Vampire Weekend played The Kids Don't Stand The Chance together with Chromeo (be sure to check the Chromeo Remix in my infinite Mixtape, too!)


Plus: In case you have missed MGMT on saturday, here's a live recording french/german tv channel arte did at the festival des inrocks in Paris two weeks ago. They also taped performances with Fleet Foxes and Alela Diane.

22. November 2008

berlin, staring at the sun


People - including myself sometimes - try too hard to see what happens overseas from time to time and miss keeping an eye on the local music scene. In the case of Berlin it's actually hard to say 'local', because since decades people come from all over the world to live and record music in this truly inspiring city. A recent example is Brandon Bethancourt aka Alaska In Winter from New Mexico who describes the process of producing his newest album Holiday as followed:

After spending half a year in an east Berlin flat, Brandon Bethancourt (AKA Alaska in Winter) awoke one afternoon after a 16 hour-straight dance party from the previous weekend only to discover that there on his computer, was a fully finished, and totally rad new album.
Yes indeed... Brandon has no recollection of how that music got there on his laptop other than vague fragmented late night memories that involve synthesizers, lasers, berliner pils, haus musik, and possibly some singing... but regardless, Brandon pretty much had so much fun, and miraculously, an album came out if it some how... and Brandon's pumped about it... and you should be too!








Alaska In Winter - Berlin (mp3)

The next song is from his last album Dance Party In The Balkans.








Alaska In Winter - Staring At The Sun (mp3)

Can you guess who helped producing this album? Okay I give you a hint. He wrote songs called Brandenburg (no, it's not Rainald Grebe!) and Prenzlauerberg. Sooo...? Come on!

Okay, you might figure it out when you watch this interview.



ps. check out futurecoder 1/2

11. November 2008

5. November 2008

ho ho hobama

A friend of mine threw an election party yesterday (He is half american so it's okay). Although CNN made the election look like a football game/ game show I became tired and went home before the final result. This actually made the whole thing feel a bit like christmas, go to bed and when you wake up there will be a new president of the USA.

Originally I decided to post These Few Presidents by Why? but finally chose A Sky For Sheoing Horses Under because I like the song's "dawn of a new era feeling".







Why? - A Sky For Shoeing Horses Under (mp3)

11.11.08 Why? @ Maria

3. November 2008

fade to grey

Yep, that's what it looks like outside these days. It's the time of the year when it does not make a difference if you look up to the sky or down on the sidewalk. Most of the people choose to do the latter anyway. The way to work, school, friends, or supermarkets becomes a strength-sapping, mood gruelling challenge.
City Slang Records, who have their HQ here in Berlin, seem to sign the soundrack to this kind of weather. Their newest discovery are Dear Reader from Johannesburg. Dear Heart is the perfect song to get swept away by stormy november rain.







Dear Reader - Dear Heart (mp3)

In case you don't manage to peel off your bed sheets in the morning, Port O'Brien's I Woke Up Today is a good starter.







Port O'Brien - I Woke Up Today (mp3)

(both via City Slang)

2. November 2008

It's fun ignoring the D-M-C-A, it's fun ignoring the D-M-C-A-A

I keep asking myself who is reading my blog. I know some of my friends do. They sometimes comment on my blog... okay, I mean.... in real life... you know? ... where people use fascial muscles instead of emoticons or <'s and 3's to express feelings. Sometimes I think some people actually follow my mediocre advertising on myspace and fairtilizer, take a quick look and read like every seventh to ninth word of the first three sentences on the front page. But that's okay. I don't blog to get the world's attention. But a few days ago I think I caught a big fish! I got a message from Blogger, saying my last post infringed copyright so they had to erase it. I mean, WOW in the endless spheres of the world wide web I got some recognition by some big important company! WOW! Hey, if you read this: "I am sorry. Hire me!" Anyway in the future I will be more careful, starting today. Below you will find a) a picture I took MYSELF with my crappy mobile in some subway station when I was drunk and b) a short song I sung MYSELF a million years ago (Do I still sound like that?), in German inspired by an interview with some German band, dedicated to Charlotte Roche's armpit hair.


100% copyright infringment free! Enjoy!


a)


















b)