Featured on BBC’s well-known Sound Of 2010 Poll, Ireland’s Two Door Cinema Club are the freshest look in uber-catchy indie pop. Their highly anticipated debut album Tourist History comes out in the UK on March 1st through Kitsuné Music and is already garnering comparisons to both early Bloc Party and Phoenix.
Two Door Cinema Club – I Can Talk (Radio Intro Version) (mp3)
Two Door Cinema Club – Something Good Can Work (mp3)
Two Door Cinema Club – Costume Party (mp3)
Dear friends,
Whoa! Many thanks to everyone who packed out an all-time attendance record setting BLISS last month, and to the legion of revelers who threw down with us at a sold out 9:30 Club last Friday for No Scrubs Dance Party. DC, we love you!
We’re back this Saturday and can’t think of anyone better to help us throw down than our good friend, Outputmessage. This month at BLISS we’re excited to celebrate the release of Outputmessage’s 2nd album, “Autonomous.” Bernard (aka Outputmessage) will join us for a special guest DJ set and we’ll give away 20 CDs of Autonomous to the first lucky peeps through the door. Each CD will have a download code for getting remixes from the album’s 3 singles. Our dude Pete Glow also joins us on the decks, starting the night out right.
See you there!
BLISS dance party
Saturday February 27
Black Cat back stage
1811 14th Street (@ S Street)
9:30 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.
18+ $8
Live visuals by Kylos
Outputmessage (Output Noise Recordings)
While still a student at Virginia Tech studying mathematics, Bernard Farley, aka, Outputmessage released the tracks “Bernard’s Song” and “Sommeil” on Ghostly International’s Idol Tryouts 1 & 2 compilations. 2004 saw the release of the Oneiros EP (Echelon Productions). Ranging from Autechre-like productions in unusual time signatures to ambient string arrangements, this release is what ultimately got the attention of David Cooper, head of Melodic Records who, in 2006, released Farley’s proper debut LP, Nebulae. It managed to get praise from URB (who also named Outputmessage a member of URB’s Next 100 that year), XLR8R, and Pitchfork.
In 2009, Farley started his own DC-based imprint, Output Noise Records, and released a series of digital-only singles that served as a preview to his new vocal-pop sound. Now in 2010, his second full-length, Autonomous, is a highly-anticipated release from the emerging DIY scene in DC and has already received play from DC DJ/Producer heavyweights such as Dave Nada (of Nadastrom) and Will Eastman (Plant Music/Blisspop.) The album signifies a turning point for Farley’s music. His earlier compositions, although dense, had always been heralded as catchy and poppy for an IDM producer. His songs have now become even poppier, but most importantly, he has started incorporating his own voice. With Autonomous, Farley manages to present bittersweet reflections into catchy and uplifting pop songs, much like the melancholic sentiments expressed in a Pet Shop Boys or a New Order song.
Download Outputmessage’s “Get Away” (mp3)
Pete Glow
Things to know about Pete Glow: He loves the many flavors of house music more than anyone has ever loved anything, and maybe even more than that. He misses the reign of come-as-you-are warehouse clubs. He embraces new genre mutations but fundamentally remains a student of house music history. He was making weekly record store pilgrimages to stock up on the latest vinyl coming out of New York when he was 12 years old, and remains pretty much the same nerd today. He loves to make people dance (references available upon request).
Download Pete’s “The Audacity of Pete Glow Vol. 1” mix
RSVP and invite friends on Facebook
BLISS is a monthly dance party in Washington, DC hosted by resident DJ Will Eastman and friends. Our agenda is no attitude, just fun, and insane dancing. Our mission is to get you 1) in trouble 2) intoxicated 3) in love.
DJs spin house, electropop, club, techno, indie, punk, Britpop, Hip-Hop, 80s, Dancehall, Bmore Club, alternative, Bass, pop, rock, 90s, 00s and everything that makes you move.
Continuing to dominate the ani-band scene, Gorillaz are set to release their third album Plastic Beach this March through Virgin. They leaked their single “Stylo” (featuring Mos Def and Bobby Womack) on Twitter last week (tweaked?) and are currently preparing for a heavy summer tour. While no one will argue that Gorillaz have an uncanny ability to write a chart topping single, it was not until I heard the Alex Metric remix of “Stylo” that I was absolutely blown away.
Gorillaz – Stylo (Alex Metric Remix) (mp3)
NO SCRUBS: 90’s Dance Party began in 2004 as a one-off concept party by friends and DJ partners Will Eastman and Brian Billion. The idea was simple: play both guilty pleasures and underground classics you listened to growing up in the 90’s: Salt N Pepa and Nirvana. Ace of Base and Happy Mondays. The Prodigy and Biggie. By its third edition, the party quickly began to sell out the Black Cat back stage and, later, fill the Cat’s mainstage. Rather than host No Scrubs weekly or monthly, Eastman and Billion insist on keeping the party occasional and as guilty a pleasure as they want it to be.
After another 6-month hiatus, NO SCRUBS is back February 19. We’re exercising our pleasure groove to Bell Biv Devoe, TLC, C&C Music Factory, Oasis and 2Pac at the spacious 9:30 Club whose sound and light systems are simply incredible. Back in August, the night nearly sold out, so be sure to get there at doors for this special event. RSVP Here
Tickets: http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/4367
Download Brian Billion’s No Scrubs preview mix #4:
http://blisspop.com/noscrubs/NO_SCRUBS_preview_mix_4.mp3
Breakbot, the newest member of the reliable Ed Banger team, is taking over the new decade at an unprecedented rate. His latest track, “Baby I’m Yours” Feat. Irfane is a funk induced adventure that truly exhibits his seemingly unlimited potential. Oh, and his remixes are pretty good too…
Breakbot – Baby I’m Yours Feat. Irfane (mp3)
Air – So Light Is Her Footfall (Breakbot Remix) (mp3)
This track has been rocking my winter playlist for a good minute now, distancing itself from the slew of “Doubt” remixes currently overwhelming the blogosphere. Please take your time on the dance floor with this bonafied jam.
Delphic – Doubt (Cryptonites Remix (mp3)
In an era of computer generated beats and synth based hooks, Scottish stomp rockers The Law are a band that actually play real instruments. So 2003, right? All I can say is that this epic snowstorm got me in the mood for some straight rawk and The Law are the exact fix I was looking for (think Queens of The Stone Age meet The Clash). Download their single “Don’t Stop, Believe” below, and stay tuned for their debut full-lengh album A Measure of Wealth this May.
The Law – Don’t Stop, Believe (mp3)
Where and how did The Caribbean initially meet?
Michael and I were in a band throughout the 90s called Townies; when that collapsed, we hooked up with Tony Dennison of Smart Went Crazy. It evolved from there — other members, a rotation through various tour iterations — and now it’s mostly Michael Kentoff, me, and Dave Jones, with recorded contributions from Mr. Dennison and also Donald Campbell.
Your last release Populations came out in 2007 and received stellar reviews across the board; can we expect a new release any time soon?
Why thank you, and yes, tentatively scheduled for a mid-June release is Discontinued Perfume, also on the fabulous Hometapes label. It’s currently being mixed by Chad Clark. We’re sure it’s our best work to date. Very sure.
What was it like working with Chad Clark on both the William of Orange EP and Plastic Explosives?
We’ve known Chad for a long time. Townies toured with Smart Went Crazy in the mid 90s, and we’ve been friends since then. Over time, he’s started to play a role similar to the one he played with the Dismemberment Plan, which is to be a pretty active collaborative voice, not just the guy who makes everything louder. He’s as close to a band member as you can be without being onstage with us, as well as one of the most interesting people I know.
Can you briefly describe your writing process and how it has evolved over the years?
It’s almost always been that Michael writes something, records it, and then the rest of us come in and make our contributions, or make suggestions for overhaul. I’ve also frequently played the role of Michael’s initial sounding board, vetting the songs first before we pursue them full-on.
Where do you find your inspiration?
Eno, architecture, half-broken electronics, weird noises that weren’t supposed to happen, Mike Leigh, the Buddha Machine, Wales, discontinued perfume, and any number of cumbersome and impractical things.
How would you describe your position in the Washington, DC music scene?
Starting to feel like elder statesmen. Yet there are many who don’t know who we are. So it’s hard to say. I’d love to hear someone else’s view of it.
In what direction do you see the DC music scene heading in the next 5 years?
Like everywhere else, I suppose: fragmented, busy, eclectic, and prolific. This is a much more interesting time than when we initially started and everyone just wanted to sound like Jawbox. (Please note that I love Jawbox, just not all of its thousands of imitators from the 90s).
To what extent do you believe social media outlets define a bands image?
Good question. Seeing as those outlets have become pretty much everyone’s window on the world, I would say they play a huge role in a band’s image. I think we’re all pretty used to making a decision on a band based on 15 seconds of looking at a MySpace page, for better or worse.
Top 5 eats DC?
Two Amy’s, Chadwick’s (based on proximity to Michael’s house solely), the Italia Deli in Silver Spring, Rajaji, and that old Carolina Kitchen on Colesville Rd. that burned down like eight years ago.
Favorite venue in DC?
The Black Cat has always been great to us, and they have a fantastic staff that’s super band-friendly. I really think they created a culture in DC in which clubs needed to treat bands with respect rather than as an inconvenience, or with outright disdain. Velvet Lounge is up and coming, getting more and more interesting national acts, and I dig its intimacy. Galaxy Hut is an old standby, too, and it’s pretty much impossible to have a bad show there. Just nice that there are so many options now, as at a point about five or six years ago, the city had dwindled down to about one or two.
Favorite albums of 2009?
I usually amend this type of question to “Favorite Albums That I Listened to in 2009 Even Though They Might Have Come Out Two, Ten, or Thirty Years Ago.” So here goes:
Kings of Convenience, Declaration of Dependence (Astralwerks)
Burial, Untrue (Hyperdub)
Four Tet, Rounds (Domino)
Sparklehorse & Fennesz, In the Fishtank 15 (In the Fishtank)
Chris Bell, I Am the Cosmos (Rykodisc)
Roofwalkers, self-titled (self-released)
Sankt Otten, Morgen wieder lustig (Hidden Shoal)
Jawbox, For Your Own Special Sweetheart reissue (Dischord/Desoto)
All Tiny Creatures, Segni (Hometapes)
Thanks, guys! Look for The Caribbean’s Discontinued Perfume out this coming June
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