Trip-Hop International pt.2
Posted by tipkin
It's True Love Tuesday! Yay!!! It's been a while, I know, it's just Tuesdays have been pretty shitty days for True Love lately. Anyway, here we are with the second installment of Trip-Hop International. The first one was well received and I personally loved discovering new trip-hop acts, or finding out where the ones I already knew were from. I decided to just keep going farther down the list of visitors that is located in the right column of the blog. Some shifting happened there on our little 'hit-parade' - Mexico dropped out of the Top 10 yielding its spot to the Netherlands. But let's forget the numbers and ratings, they don't matter anyway. Only music matters. And here is some great beats from Arts The Beatdoctor (Netherlands) - strangely enough could not find any actual music videos. Help?
Arts The Beatdoctor - "Decreasing Daylight"
Brazil! Some talented musicians were born there but left the country, like Amon Tobin. Others moved to Brazil and stayed there, some of them until their dying day. Like Serbian musician Mitar Subotić (aka Suba) who died in a fire in his Sao Paulo studio in 1999 leaving behind some truly amazing music. Check out this fantastic video for "Sereia":
Suba - "Sereia"
I find it hard to believe that there is only one trip-hop band in the whole Belarus. But I couldn't find any evidence to the contrary. Thankfully, this only band is really good and can proudly represent their country on this list. Meet B_Side (formerly known as Rostra):
B_Side - "Нехта"
Botany Bay – No Excuse (video)
Posted by tipkin
See what I mean when I say that there's a whole different kind of darkness in Botany Bay's music now? Their new music video for "No Excuse" totally reflects that. A pretty bleak concept - Stephan and Stefanie are tied up in some scary-lookin' abandoned building waiting for presumably not very pleasant development of events. But here's the sunlight falling right on Stefanie's golden hair, and suddenly everything doesn't seem all that bad. There's a little twist at the end, too, so watch it! And check out their new EP No Excuse.
Botany Bay - "No Excuse"
AM444 (Shanghai, China)
Posted by tipkin
Suck on this, all ya'll who ever questioned my taste in music. A little chronology of events: April - yours truly is digging through Bandcamp searching for something good to play on the radio (not the easiest task) and finds this project from Shanghai called AM444. Later the same month - AM444 gives trippin' the rift an interview that sits in yours truly's inbox waiting to be edited due to the author going through all kinds of mini-crises. June - your truly gets an RSS update from the UK's Guardian Music Blog, where in the post 'June's best new music from across the MAP' he finds what? Yep, AM444, which is described as "a jazzy, funked up, dubbed out Chinese language sonic assault and some of the most exciting music to come out of Shanghai in a while"(C) and their debut album Eye Wonder is referred to as "a landmark release for Chinese underground music"(C). 'A landmark release' bitches! And trippin' the rift discovered them first. I should quit my job and go work as a talent scout for EMI. Nah, I'm not gonna do that, I know you'll miss this blog. But enough about myself (really), let's talk about (and with) Jay.Soul and ChaCha (aka AM444):
tipkin - Tell us a little bit about your project. How did you meet, how long ago, what does the name mean?
ChaCha - AM444 is producer Jay.Soul and myself on vocals. We met when Jay first dj-ed at Shelter in early '08. We liked each other's music so we planned to work together back then already.
Jay - Being both busy with a lot of other projects it took a while to actually happen. Last year ChaCha freestyled along with a dj set of my own productions. The vibe was so good, we decided to finally get the ball rolling. The name AM444 is derived from the time in the twilight of the night that ChaCha often noticed on her clock, for example after going out: 4:44am.
tipkin - Why did you choose electronica as your style? You call your music "Electronic Soul", but I couldn't help but see similarities with trip-hop. Do you agree? What is trip-hop to you? What are your music influences?
Jay - We didn't choose any style actually and we think there's quite a wide range of different sounding songs on the CD. We're just trying to create good music. Genres are not important. My background is mostly in hip-hop but also soul, funk, electronic, jazz, reggae, etc.
ChaCha - It's hard to label, but yes a lot of people think it sounds trip-hoppy. I really love trip-hop, but also am into pop, dubstep, reggae, etc. etc.
tipkin - You are the first trip-hop project from China that I've ever heard about. Do you think this certain exotic angle works in your advantage, or do you think it could work against you and that some people may see you just as "this Chinese trip-hop band"? What are your songs about?
ChaCha - We're not worried about that. There's not a lot of artists yet doing similar things so that can also be an advantage. My lyrics are in Mandarin and talk about - of course - emotions and feelings, but usually a bit different from average songs. For example "Eye Wonder" is about most of us having turned into digital zombies, always glued to our screens, iphones etc and spending more time online and less time meeting people face to face.
tipkin - What is electronic music scene like in China? Is it hard to find distribution? Do you play live shows?
Jay - Electronic scene is rapidly developing (as everything else in China...). We've only played a live show as AM444 once so far but are definitely gonna play more. Shanghai just hosted the big Midi Festival ... (previous 10 years in Beijing) and the electronic stage was a massive hit. CD distribution is pretty much non-existent as they're virtually no real cd/record shops. Everything is bootleg.
tipkin - Congratz on the "Eye Wonder" video! Looks great. Do you want to talk about it - what's it about, how was it made?
both - Thanks! See [answer to question] 3. 
We made it with a local film production company who were very interested to make a good music video. We mostly shared the costs and came up with a lot of creative solutions to keep it as affordable as possible. Due to some investor politics, for now we can't disclose their company name. Hopefully this will change soon, because they've put in incredibly long hours and delivered a great video.
tipkin - What are the plans for AM444?
ChaCha - Once we're both available (I just got married and Jay's becoming a father soon) AM444 will tour different cities in China and possibly other Asian countries.
Jay - Also, we'll start recording more material as we both see this as a long-term collaboration.
So, if you're in Asia, you might get lucky and catch AM444's show, if not, check out their trippy video here and their funky album Eye Wonder on Bandcamp.
AM444 - "Eye Wonder"
Chinese Man – Racing With The Sun
Posted by tipkin
There are albums that make you think, there are albums that make you cry, there are albums that make you wonder why the fuck are you listening to this, there are albums that remind you of someone or something. There are albums that are great for listening to while painting a kitchen table. There are albums that fuckin' awesome or just plain genius. And there are albums that are fun. I'm not extremely familiar with Chinese Man's work, but judging by Racing With The Sun he sure knows how to make fun records. I mean, as effortless as every track on the album sounds, I cannot even start realizing how much work it is has to take to throw together such a wild variety of elements with such colorful, entertaining yet coherent results. The record is like that infamous Forrest Gump's "box of chocolates" - you don't know what you're gonna get next, but whatever you do get is delicious. And neatly wrapped up in immaculate hip-hop beat. Chinese Man maintains this fun and unique Far-East-meets-Wild-West atmosphere throughout the entire album, combining traditional(-sounding, - I have no idea where those come from) Chinese melodies with tunes that would fit any spaghetti western. Add some Jamaican riddim and hardcore rap to the mix, plus tons of samples from all over the history of music and movies - and you would get a slight idea what Racing With The Sun is about. In fact, you can find all of these elements in just one track - "Miss Chang" (feat. Taiwan MC & Cyph4). But you really have to listen to the whole thing - every track has some kind of surprise - drums galore on "If You Please", dubstep bass on "Stand!" (feat. Plex Rock), Cypress Hill-like rap on top of Arabic flutes and strings somehow flowing into aggressive dub on "J.O.G.J.A." (feat. M2MX, Dubyouth, Kill The DJ) and bells and chanting on the trip-hoppy, mysterious "The King" - a very nice conclusion to the fascinating story that Racing With The Sun is telling. Sometimes the album gets a bit over the top - I could not get over the deliberate silliness of the main sample on "Get Up" (feat. ex-i, Lush One, Plex Rock), contributing to the cartoonish appeal of the record but kind of distracting from the great skills of the musicians involved. But there are such undeniable masterpieces as a very "noir" re-working of Nancy Sinatra's "In My Room" or the immersive title track, which probably reflects the album's atmosphere the best - Racing With The Sun is like a fun 2-D adventure game with unexpected twists and turns, hidden treasures, very hot female characters, the hero that is easy to identify yourself with, over-the-top villains with their goofy henchmen, and ability to travel around the world in matter of seconds. Yes, your character will bump into walls every now and then, but controls are in your hands and the overall experience will fill you with puppy-like happiness. And you will want to play this game a few more times, to discover all the hidden levels.
R.I.Y.L. Backini, Wax Tailor, 2-D adventure games
personal favs: "In My Room", "Racing With The Sun", "Miss Chang" (feat. Taiwan MC & Cyph4)
tipkin's rating
Chinese Man - "Miss Chang" (feat. Taiwan MC & Cyph4)
Red Snapper: “Our music is immediate, simple and dark”
Posted by tipkin
I wouldn't go out on a limb if I say that Red Snapper is one of the most under-appreciated bands in contemporary music. They have been delivering their intense, unique, always fresh but instantly recognizable sound since the early 1990's and have an amazingly dedicated fan base (which includes yours truly). And yet they seem to be almost ignored by glossy magazines and flashy entertainment news media. Probably because they care more about music itself than its promotion. I remember picking up Making Bones CD while going through "Trip-hop" section in a record store just because I liked the cover art and the name (had a "snap" to it 
). And I was hooked instantly and happily stay hooked until this day and try to get everyone I know hooked as well. This is how they gain their fans and isn't this the most honest and respectable way to get your music promoted? And something else - they absolutely despise the term "trip-hop" and don't want anything to do with it. Yet, here they are, on the pages of this blog, that humbly tries to change peoples perspective of what trip-hop really is. Hopefully, listening to such music phenomena as Red Snapper will help. Richard Thair answers some questions for trippin' the rift's readers.
tipkin - You have been around for almost two decades now. What are some of the favorite moments from the past years?
Richard Thair - When we released 3 EPs on my label Flaw Recordings and then in two months got signed to Warp Records/EMI Publishing and got to play Glastonbury Jazz stage. Supporting Björk, Massive Attack and The Prodigy. Writing music with my best friends. Koktebel Jazz Festival... hundreds of people on a beach going crazy to us. Funding our own album and not being dictated to by the music industry.
t. - When the first releases came out, your sound was so fresh, so different from everything else that was around that time. Is it easier for you now - since you are a known and respected project, or is it harder, since people expect the same level of freshness and since there are lots of bands out there (many of them influenced by you) that are playing in similar vein?
R.T. - Good question... As musicians, we are always aware that there is someone better, younger and more exciting than us... That makes the live show more passionate and exciting.
What is in our heads is still as fresh and bent as it was 15 years ago, it is about not caring and using technology to work for you. You are only as good as your last idea... What is in your head and heart is what matters, the blues and jazz musicians proved that years ago and musicians are still copying what they did.
t. - Your sound definitely doesn't fit in any particular genre boundaries, but you have been often associated with trip-hop. How do you feel about that and what is trip-hop to you?
R.T. - Trip-hop was a lazy category invented by a lazy journalist, our music has nothing to do with that kind of music. Think about what it means to you and then listen to our music!
t. - What made you want to re-form Red Snapper in 2007? What was the reaction from the fans and do you keep working on projects you had been working on during those years when you were apart?
R.T. - We missed each other, wanted to make film soundtrack music and realised there was still a 'band' sound there... We should never have stopped making music for those years. Fans were elated. I have a new Toob album out, David [Ayers] continues to work with the BBC and Ali [Friend] is still modeling underwear.
t. - Let's talk about the new album. I'm dying to find out what the Key opens! What should the fans expect?
R.T. - A step back to early Red Snapper... Rockabilly, surf music. Dark beats, real blues and sax... And of course twisted double bass. It's about what we hear in our heads... Nothing too clever, just soul, passion and the coming together of four very unique musicians. The vocals are an added extra... The listener is the judge.
t. - You just returned from touring Ukraine and Russia and are getting ready to the European tour in May. How do people react to new material so far? Are you playing old stuff as well (I know fans want to hear their favorites)? I feel like you have a huge and dedicated fan base in Eastern Europe, particularly in Ukraine and Russia. What do you think is the reason for that? What are some of the best experiences from the tour?
R.T. - We are constantly shocked by the amazing support we get in Russia/Ukraine/Eastern Europe. As always the crowds are so passionate and supportive. I think we play 6-7 new tracks so far and they are all going down well... Some are already becoming classics... to us! It is wonderful performing tracks like "Architechtronic" with Ali singing and the crowds really getting behind us, it means so much to us. We still play plenty of old tracks - "Suckerpunch", "Hotflush", "Lagos Creepers", "Get Some Sleep Tiger"... We love the way the crowd gets behind us with these tracks.
We have been really lucky to tour in Eastern Europe, I think we connect with the people in those countries because they are open, passionate and soulful, like our music. The Western approach is about over marketing and hype. All I can say is that our fans in Eastern Europe watch us and react to their hearts. Our music is immediate, simple and dark, maybe that appeals to peoples' experience. Finally I would say that playing to these people has changed our lives in a fantastic way. Moscow, Ekaterinburg, St. Petersburg, Koktebel, Kiev, Kharkiv, Donetsk... the list goes on. 
t. - Are there any plans for an American tour? It's weird but I feel like not that many music fans in the US are familiar with Red Snapper due to lack of promotion.
R.T. - No money but plenty of fans. ;(
Damn it, America! I demand Red Snapper!!!
When I asked to add whatever else they want to share (which basically my way of saying "Thank you for the interview, insert any promotional material here"), he said: "Just... Thank You to everyone that cares about us. We care about you!" I guess I'll take promotion in my own hands and post their new video for "Loveboat".
Red Snapper - "Loveboat"
You can preview the new album Key (I already did and it's as good as you think it is) here and buy it on iTunes. And don't forget to visit (and bookmark) their official website for more music, tour dates etc..
The Insane Warrior (RJD2) – “The Water Wheel” (video)
Posted by tipkin
I am yet to listen to the new RJD2... I mean, The Insane Warrior album We Are The Doorways, but if it is anything like this video for "The Water Wheel" than yeah, it is pretty insane. Sex, blood, guns, knives, lots of hands and then no hands. Go figure. Better yet - go listen and download here. Directed by Kyle Thrash.
The Insane Warrior (RJD2) - "The Water Wheel"
Hooverphonic – The Night Before
Posted by tipkin
Sic transit fucking gloria mundi. Kind of a release that makes you wonder if there was really ever anything behind that name or did they just manage to jump the right bandwagon at the right time. No, that's nonsense. Hooverphonic used to deliver and they do deserve that special place in the hearts of trip-hop fans. It's just the lack of progression leading to lack of excitement. Or something. Because I don't want to blame the overwhelming blandness of Hooverphonic's latest release on yet another change of the lead singer. Noémie Wolfs is pretty great, if you ask me, with her innocent and intense manner reminding me of French chanson or late 60's folk-rock. The problem is with whatever surrounds her voice. And that is not much. The trademark Hooverphonic strings and guitars try to do same thing as back in 1996, but fail pretty dramatically even when squeezing out the most symphonic arrangements. With the exception of the title track there isn't a single tune on the 12-song album that was able to evoke any kind of considerable emotion in me. Which means that, yes, I did not particularly hate any of them either. Heck, I am a 30-something couch potato, so this un-daring pleasant soundtrack to un-eventfulness is designed to be pretty satisfying to fill the need of listening to something while cooking a stew. This is good music for your first date, if you're not sure what your date's music preferences are and don't want to shock her/him with anything extreme but do want to put on something obscure enough to demonstrate your good taste. See, I already found two good purposes for it. I'm sure folks in Hooverphonic's native Belgium, who made The Night Before platinum, could come up with a few more. But my job is done here.
And here are two videos for "The Night Before". I personally like the first one better (is that self-irony?).
Hooverphonic - "The Night Before"
Hooverphonic - "The Night Before"
R.I.Y.L. poppy pop music
personal favs: "The Night Before"
tipkin's rating
Reddit? Now watchit!
Posted by tipkin
I apologize for my decreased posting activity. I've been working on something BIG, which will be revealed just in a few days. I don't wanna spoil the surprise (the BIG surprise), so this post has no relation to what's been happening whatsoever.
Trip-hop community on Reddit is disappointingly small but it does exist. It mostly consists of my repostings of this blog's articles and various Youtube videos, three of which I have semi-randomly selected for this post. They ended up being pretty interesting, so the idea of raiding Reddit turned out not as lame as it initially seemed
All of us found out about trip-hop differently. I already mentioned that my first encounter happened while watching a VHS tape with a bunch of random music videos on it, which happened to have Portishead's "Only You" on it. For this Reddit user it happened in a more natural way. With milk. Not mother's (that would be pretty unsettling), but with this European (French?) milk commercial. Amazing. The music used is E-Motion - "This Is How We Are".
Trip-Hop International
Posted by tipkin
Do you know what time it is?! Oh, yes, right, Christmas time, but that's not what I meant. It's True Love Tuesday!!! And today I embrace how borderless trip-hop is. Literally. Look on that flag thing on the right, - this blog is not even 7 months old and we already have visitors from all over the place, from Azerbaijan to Panama, from Georgia the country to Georgia the US state. Pretty amazing. What's even more amazing is that people not only listen to trip-hop in all those countries, they also play it. Well, I can't be 100% on "all" part, but at least in 10 countries that this blog had the most visitors from in the past 7 months, they certainly do. Here is the proof.
#1 USA
I can't say that trip-hop is the most popular genre back here. Not even close. In fact, if you ask people if they like trip-hop, in 9 out of 10 cases they would think that you're trying to offer them some kind of dope. And yet there are plenty of artists and bands that contribute to worldwide trip-hop movement. Ever heard of the little duo called Thievery Corporation? I bet you didn't know they were American. But instead of choosing them, or another musician you might have heard of - RJD2, or one of my year's favorites - Dutch, I've chosen a band that not many of you are familiar with. Why? Because if I'm starting with the US, I may as well start with my neighborhood and introduce a Chicago trip-hop act - The Atomica Project (whom I just contacted today about an interview). This is the closest I could find to a music video (they have a good quality live video, but it doesn't have vocals on it, so I picked this one):
The Atomica Project - "Jetstreams"
#2 Russia
Mother Russia! You may not be aware of it (if you're not reading this blog, in which case shame on you), but trip-hop (and variations of it) has been experiencing quite an explosion on this particular one-ninth of the Earth surface. Too bad that almost 100% of the genre is on no-budget underground status with virtually no support from media. This is one of the few "music videos" that I was able to find:
Der Nerv - "Field Theme"
#3 Germany
Makes sense, doesn't it? Germany has always been a place where important shit in electronic music happens. Trip-hop is not an exception. There are quite a few delicacies to choose from. The obvious choice would be my friends Botany Bay, but I don't want you to think that they are the sole representation of German trip-hop. Here's a name (and a tune) that might be familiar to some of you:
Terranova - "Midnight Melodic"
Bonobo & Andreya Triana Live Session on KCRW, Los Angeles
Posted by tipkin
A very interesting performance of a talented duo. Bonobo and Andreya Triana play songs from his album Black Sands and her debut Lost Where I Belong. Everything is acoustic for the most part, which really showcases Andreya's vocal skills. Includes cover to Donovan - "Get Thy Bearings".
Setlist:
The Keeper
Stay the Same
A Town Called Obsolete
[interview]
Nightlite
Get Thy Bearings
Lost Where I Belong
If You Stayed Over
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