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SÓNAR 2010 | GALICIA / A CORUÑA | REVIEW

henry — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:47:13 +0000

Text : Chinua D. Green // July 16th, 2010

Yes, I know, Sónar was a month ago, but a 10-day Euro trip (you try hand-writing a review when you’re in a train that passes through the most picturesque German landscape you’ve ever seen) and a Transatlantic move (if you’re in New York holler at me) seriously got in the way. Yikes, P has already written the Sundae review, which took place a whole week after Sónar… this is awkward. Annnnnyways—

My Jamaican punctuality aside, This year’s Sónar once again put Spain right up to date on the gamut of European electronic music festivals. This year, for the first time, Sónar held a smaller, simultaneous festival in another Spanish city that corresponded to the base event in Barcelona. Sónar chose earnest yet beautiful coastal A Coruña in the region of Galicia. The next time you check out a map of Europe, look for that block of Spain that sits snugly on top of Portugal – yeah, that’s Galicia.

Cool, but why A Coruña? Xacobeo, that’s why. Any year in which July 25th falls on a Sunday is called an Ano Santo Xacobeo, or ‘St. James Year,’ in recognition of the region’s patron saint. For the Galician people, this is a time to be extra proud of their regional culture, and for the rest of us (esp. Catholics) it’s a time to feel extra guilty if you don’t make the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. So, in case you were wondering, that’s what the two ghosts are doing in this year’s Sónar theme movie — an epic pilgrimage of sorts.

Whether Sónar Galicia was Catalonia’s cultural salute to Galicia, a profit-fueled perversion of one of Spain’s most significant religious rites via its official affiliation with the Xacobeo tourism campaign, or a great shindig in a petite city is for you to decide, but all-in-all, Sónar delivered. The Thursday and Friday tickets sold out days in advance, and by Friday I was told there were no tickets left. As for the event production itself, well, that’s to be discussed later, but overall there were no major flaws.

Cora Novoa

Let’s be clear- Sónar Galicia is no Barcelona party mayhem. A Coruña saw only a couple of ‘off-Sónars’, and the ‘Sónar by Day’ concept, an annual attraction in Barcelona, was not elaborate enough to be it’s own event. That being said, there were some perks. Aside from the much smaller price tag (50€/weekend, 25€/Saturday), you could also squeeze in some unique coastal sight-seeing— the greener, northern coast of Spain is quite different from the rest of the country. Just be sure not to party too hard at night.

I can’t comment on Thursday night, which I didn’t attend, but in general the atmosphere doesn’t become genuinely ‘festive’ until around midnight— six hours after the venue opened. But Sónar always was about more than the party, and SonarComplex was usually a good pre-rave option. SonarComplex, the room dedicated to experimental musicians, staged the most interesting acts of the festival. My biggest regret of the weekend was that O.M.E.G.A. was the only act I saw in SonarComplex, effectively missing U.K.’s Broadcast, Labrador + P.M.A. from Portugal, and anbb (Alva Noto + Blixa Bargeld), the latter I couldn’t experience as the room was beyond full. Nevertheless, if you arrived between 8 and 9 PM, you didn’t miss much.

Laurent Garnier – Live

20-person experimental collective O.M.E.G.A. was definitely a personal weekend favorite, though they weren’t very well attended. Laurent Garnier’s live show was also a festival highlight, especially during the brief improvisational sections the musicians were allowed between the big basslines. Local DJs Ino and Viktor Flores proved that you can still enjoy a set based solely off of mixing merit. 2ManyDJs’ live set ran on a gimmicky yet effective visual concept, which is worth seeing (even if for 5 minutes for those of you who think you are above bloghouse). And, out of the 33 musical performances, 5 mixed some concoction of dubstep and bass music, with the only non-Spanish set coming from the Portuguese duo Octa Push (‘Wegue Wegue’ remix included). It’s safe to say that dubstep has landed in the peninsula.

My main complaint would concern the unfortunate-yet-inevitable sound-clashing that occurred in an enclosed venue that hosted such a variety of events. The O.M.E.G.A performance was perforated by F**k Buttons’ grinding screeches each and every time someone opened the door, and the SonarCinema movie-watching audience was constantly treated to a muffled-yet-still-very-audible stage noise coming from the SonarVillage stage on the other side of the walls.

At the end of the day, in the midst of big festivals, the details are what make them memorable. Take for example during the screening of ‘Sónar Around the World,’ a documentary on the history of Sónar, in which the projector abruptly cut off just as Sónar’s co-director Ricard Robles was going on about the festivals high production standards. Then there was the obligatory mindless dance among a batch of improvised friends with Garnier & co as the soundtrack. On another occasion I ran into Pablo, a native Galician and one of the conductors from O.M.E.G.A, where we talked about the festival and his one year stint in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. Before we both got distracted, I asked him whether he feels at odds about the Galician government including events like Sónar as apart of the Ano Xacobeo celebration. He shrugged and said that St. James never visited A Coruña.

LEONEL CASTILLO ON RESIDENT ADVISOR PODCAST

paulo — Tue, 25 May 2010 16:54:59 +0000

This week on Resident Advisor’s elemental podcast are featured 90 minutes of one of Airdrop’s top favourites, el señor Leonel Castillo! Offering here a stellar representation of all the subtle genres the wiseman likes to oscillate between, this mix is a rare and pure treat for all ears. Enjoy this precious treasure… with absolutely no restraints!

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE & DOWNLOAD ON RA

ELECTRONICA EN ABRIL FESTIVAL | MADRID

paulo — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 06:42:19 +0000

Text : Chinua Green | April 25, 2010

The Electrónica en Abril (Electronic in April) Festival is an annual electronic multimedia exhibition that assaults the Spanish metropolis of Madrid for one weekend in the first full month of spring (this year it was the 16-18 April). Electrónica en Abril takes place in La Casa Encendida (literally, ‘The Lighted House’), a bank-financed, community-oriented contemporary arts centre. Here, madrileños and visitors with an appetite for the avant-garde can run across anything from a modern art exhibit to a painting workshop for the physically disabled.

That being said, it comes as no surprise that the minds behind EeA are building a reputation for cherry-picking international artists who try to push the electronic envelope, so to speak. The festival, having just completed its eighth year, has in past editions invited the likes of Kode9 and the Spaceape, Non Standard Institute (Max Loderbauer & Tobias Freund), Ghislain Poirier, Shakleton, The Field, and The Bug.

Now before you get too excited, I will be upfront and mention that this year’s festival was one of the many victims of Eyjafjöll’s threatening volcanic ash clouds. Approximately half of the original line-up was unable to make it to Spain. I never intended on attending Friday’s show in any event, but Saturday night suffered. Berlin’s improv-meister Guido Möbius and the micro-rhythmic Aoki Takamasa (based in Paris) weren’t even able to snag a train down south in time for their performances. Lyricist Sensational was not present to accompany his partner, Spectre, onstage, which left the DJ/producer to improvise with no MC to liven up a confused-enough audience. Someone, be it the A/V crew or Spectre himself, was witty enough to unearth some footage of ice-capped volcanic peaks spewing huge clouds to project onto the oversize backdrop during Spectre’s half-show— a silver screen-sized white flag.

Spectre

However, replacements Debilorithmicos had a stellar one-hour set. The Barcelonan duo dexterously drifted through gritty hip-hop, 80’s reggae cuts, dancehall a cappellas and good helpings of dubstep wobble as if they had been booked for the show weeks in advance instead of what was surely hours. I was pleasantly surprised by their selection as well as by LCE’s ability to partially make up for the gaping Dubstep / Hip-Hop / Urban void that was ripped open by the Icelandic glacial volcano, as I feel it would have been far easier for them to conjure up a 4×4 DJ.

Nevertheless, I must point out the sound system chronically malfunctioned throughout the entire weekend, particularly the microphones. I also believe that the event organizers could have been clearer about informing the public of the schedule changes, as they announced Sunday’s changes on Saturday night at the venue but didn’t act accordingly on their Twitter account or website.

Christian Vogel

On Sunday night I caught techno veteran Cristian Vogel’s 10 o’clock set, a clear highlight in a topsy-turvy festival. Like Debilorithmicos, Vogel was schlepped in at the last moment from Barcelona. The Chilean-born DJ oozed lush, organic, looming sounds from his time-coded vinyl setup. To the disappointment of some, the 4×4 kick drum sections of his set were few, fleeting, and ended abruptly. About one-fifth of the crowd had left at least fifteen minutes early. An Austrian art major with whom I was chatting stormed out of the room, muttering that she can DJ better than Vogel. They were expecting a party, but Vogel was not even entertaining the idea. Instead, eyes trained on his computer and turntables, he tried to create an hour of tension, with sounds that swelled and dissipated like the prohibited clouds of smoke in the performance room. I won’t be as naïve as to say that Vogel was a master of his own abstractions at all times, but perhaps a keener audience would have made his moments of clarity more apparent. In this case, it seems, Madrid’s avant-garde crowd seemed more complacent with last-minute schedule changes than with an experimental performance.

WMC 2010 | Soul Clap @ Get Lost & Sunday School

henry — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:56:01 +0000

Strong from their March gig at London’s Fabric, Airdrop’s Boston duo SOUL CLAP will be showing Miami’s WMC 2010 edition what it’s all about with two top appearances: Saturday morning @ Crosstown Rebel’s legendary annual Get Lost bash and Sunday morning at WMC’s best closing party Sunday School for Degenerates… Don’t miss out on this!

SUOL VOGUES ON HIGH SEA

paulo — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:00:19 +0000

We don’t usually write about other labels and artists than ours, but something serious is profiling on the horizon Airdroppers!

Suol, the new Berlin cruise ship / label just arrived at port, with its crazy crew of captains and pirates such as Chopstick, Johnjon, Trickski and Fritz Kalkbrenner on board…
Yes, this is so terrific that we can’t do nuttin else than underline it thickly!

The name might sound fresh to you, but Suol’s haul is actually no new vessel. It is the natural evolution of its predecessor, Baalsaal Music, also steered by Cap’ Chop’. After a string of incredible records including the works of Till Von Sein, Tigerskin or Kollektiv Turmstrasse, Cap’ Chop’ and his mates are moving on to even greater things by applying an even narrower focus… on themselves!

With two records already out since the beginning of the year : Chopstick and Johnjon’s Friday Night Lights EP in January, and Fritz Kalkbrenner’s Dead End EP last week, lady Suol’s canons seem to be packed with big-time explosive… we even heard some Soul Clappings coming far away at the distance…

Also, watch out for their one page in De:Bug this month, as well as their label showcase at Watergate on March 17th!

More info on:
www.suol.hk
www.myspace.com/chopstickmusic
www.myspace.com/fritzkalkbrenner
www.myspace.com/johnjon79

Soul Clap on XLR8R Podcast

paulo — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:17:33 +0000

“Late last year, XLR8R commissioned a number of city-themed podcasts to celebrate the launch the City Guide mobile application [...] For this installment, we check in with Boston, one of the oldest cities in the US, albeit not one necessarily known as a hotbed of electronic music. Yet folks like Soul Clap are looking to change that, as DJ veterans Eli Goldstein and Charles Levine not only oversee some of the city’s finest parties, they’ve also been busy taking their soulful, disco-infused brand of techno around the globe, producing all sorts of remixes and re-edits, and dropping the extremely well-received RnB FreE.P (click here to download). On this mix, they’ve employed a number of their own concoctions, along with a few of their Beantown favorites, and cooked up a smooth, slow-burning musical journey that does Boston proud.” Words : Shawn Reynaldo for XLR8R – Check for playlist below

DOWNLOAD HERE | READ MORE HERE

01 Soul Clap’s Boston, Massachusetts Intro
02 Soul Clap “Dreams Of Tomorrow (Mo Money)” (Wolf + Lamb Black)
03 SECT “Hi-Fi All Around” (Culprit)
04 Soul Clap “Extravaganza” (Wolf + Lamb Black)
05 Tanner Ross & Sergio Santos “Excuse Me While I Hit This” (Airdrop)
06 SECT “Man Of Wisdom” (Culprit)
07 Clapz II Dogz “Dogz” (Glass Table)
08 Mystery Roar “Mayhem (Soul Clap Edit)” (Dopamine)

09 Axel Bartsch “Daight (Soul Clap’s E-Funk Remix)” (Suol)
10 Gadi Mizrahi & Soul Clap “Yer Body (Kills Me)” Double Standard)
11 Bad Rabbits “She’s Bad (Gadi Mizrahi & Soul Clap Remix)” (Karmaloop)
12 Bon Johnson ft. Dana D “From the Heart” (white)
13 Armand Van Helden “Spin The Bottle (Axis Mix)” (AV8)
14 Darryl Douglas “Holding On (Kon‘s Edit)” (white)
15 Soul Clap “Baker Man” (AUX)
16 Soul Clap “Ghosts Edit” (white)

KASPER’s DEBUT NORTH AMERICAN TOUR – DEBRIEF

paulo — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:43:12 +0000

We interrupt this program for a communiqué from Esperanza Land to the World, President Kasper on the air: “Thank’s Americans and non-Americans for all the great times I’ve spent the last 11 days! I’ve enjoyed every city I’ve been to and it has been a super super great and inspiring experience. I will be back really soon!!!”

That’s right, we were so happy and honoured to receive our Spanish friend Kasper during two weeks and take care of his first US tour! With gigs in Chicago, Boston, San Francisco and of course New York City (thanks to everyone who made it out to our Late Night Supper!), Kasper left the US of A with a big smile on his face, lots of ravin’ memories and great new friends all over the continent!

A certain highlight of this first tour was the Souvenir party in Chicago, which also featured the performance of Airdrop’s own Soul Clap boys, as you can judge by the pics below Thanks to Noe, Fred and the whole crew for the best moment. Airdrop’s Late Night Supper at the Market Hotel in Brooklyn hosted Kasper and Fred P. aka Black Jazz Consortium in addition to Airdrop ambassadors Crazy Larry and Soul Clap.

We look forward to seeing Kasper back in town very soon!

Kasper & Soul Clap @ Souvenir 004 – Chicago

TANNER ROSS aka VOODEUX @ FABRIC LONDON

paulo — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:18:06 +0000

How amazing is it when one of your buddy is scheduled to play the main room of the world’s most impressive club aka Fabric London? Well Saturday 5th of December Tanner Ross (aka Voodeux / Marcel Wave) will be showcasing his Voodeux live, along with his Dirtybird-mates Claude VonStroke and Justin Martin, in Fabric’s Room 1!

Read it all on the Fabric blog and download the Voodeux 2009 hit, Just A Spoonful!

GREENER RECORDS BACK ON BEATPORT!

paulo — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:14:27 +0000

After many adventures and tribulations, the catalogue of Andrés Zacco’s Greener Records is back on Beatport. On this special occasion, rediscover its first two releases:

GRNR 001 – Lineas de Nazca & Kai-Maan – Pulsee EP (w/ Franco Cinelli Remix)
GRNR 002 – Lucas Mari – Paisaje Urbano EP (w/ Andres Zacco Remix)

More info on : www.greener.com.ar

AIRDROP SHOWCASE ON AWDIO

paulo — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:15:43 +0000

We are super happy to appear on our buddy ROMAN AZZARO‘s AWDIO channel and weekly show. Broadcasting straight from Roman’s studio will be LE LOUP and Airdrop’s own PAULO playing their favourite wax back to back. Don’t miss out on this, come experience Awdio and preview some new Airdrop exclusivezzz!