Justice - A Cross The Universe - Trailer from industreate on Vimeo.

I saw the New York premiere of “Justice’ A Cross the Universe” last week. It’s a documentary of the band shot & produced by award winning directors Romain Gavras (”Stress”), and So Me (”D.A.N.C.E.”, “DVNO”) during the last 3 weeks of their Myspace sponsored tour in North America.

The screening was supposed to start at 7, I got there 20 minutes late, I thought I was going to miss it, but it was just starting. Members of the Ed Banger gang were in attendance, Busy P, So Me, SebastiAN, Amandine, of course Justice - Xavier and Gaspard.

I really thought one of best “characters” was the enduring, Christian bus driver. 100% Americana, 55 - 60 years old, reminiscing about singing in the church choir, practicing his vocal exercises, snapping shots of mountains with his camera phone, dealing with blown tires, and “crap” . . . literally.

Now throw the bus driver in with Justice, and their tour manager, “Bouchon“, English translation = bottleneck, stopper, plug. Bouchon has an obsession with guns, (I swear on one occasion he was in a Walmart shopping for one.) I think he is the most “gangster” French person i’ve come across in awhile, if ever. He’s definitely over the top.

And last but not least, Justice. Some of my personal favorite moments - Xavier & Gaspard kissing - Gaspard having sex with an Asian girl that allegedly looked like Xavier. The duo shopping for 8 mil homes. (Can they really afford that?)

Lots of drunk girls freaking out, singing “We Are Your Friends” at the top of their lungs, lots of “OMG I love you guys!”, puking, fights, blood, and hotel room pillow fights. I learned that Xavier can play the piano, and quite well, he is also caught on film serenading Anthony Keidis from Red Hot Chili Peppers with his band’s own song “Under the Bridge“. The look on Keidis’ face is priceless. There are also cameo appearances by Diplo (using the bathroom), the Ed Banger clan, and various other “scensters”.

It was an entertaining movie, certainly one for the fans, and it gives you more or less accurate inside look at what it’s like on tour in the land of Justice. It’s well done, considering the time restrictions it took to film, produce, and release the documentary by December 9, 08. The tour they were shooting ended in April of 08. Gavras and So Me do a great job of capturing the intensity of Justice‘ live performances. Quick cuts from revving up back stage to being right in the middle of a live dynamic sonic assault.

After the premiere, everyone headed over to hear Justice DJ at Webster Hall with SebastiAn and Busy P, who rounded out the night with old school Chicago House. Fun was had by all, and I felt like I was living a scene right out of “A Cross The Universe“.

If you live in Chicago, there is a screening of “A Cross The Universe” at The Metro on Nov. 14th, there are other screenings to coincide with their DJ gigs around North America, for more info visit UR CHICAGO.

As we speak, there is a contest running “Justice for All” - win a trip to Chicago on New Year’s Eve to hang out with Justice and So Me and party at Revolution Number 9, or take home cash. All you have to do is create a video, and get the most votes. The final winner will be chosen by Justice, So Me, Busy P, and other special folks. Maybe they will like your work so much you’ll shoot their next documentary?

Sign up and get full info at www.industreate.com/contest, create a video of what you did that was “Great in 2008“, then upload your video to www.Vimeo.com and tag it with “JST4ALL” and “TRASHMENAGERIE“.

As Big Stereo points out - “This is a contest for us too! We wanna hang out with you in Chicago so this is important, ha!*”

* Trash Menagerie note to Big Stereo and the rest of ya’ll, may the best blog win!

www.revolution-nye.com

www.industreate.com/contest

www.vimeo.com/justiceforall

This is what Trash Menagerie was throwing down during the month of September. Features, interviews, parties, and plenty’a mix and MP3 download. We’re snuggling in for the busy month of October. Have you started thinking about your Halloween costume yet? We’re looking for ideas, so please hit us up and let us know if you’ve got any. Last year we gave you a heads up on how to MAKE YOUR OWN DAFT PUNK COSTUME. Hipster Runoff offered up a bit of inspiration, “WTF SHOULD I B 4 ALL HALLOW’S EVE”, But is it “ok” to be a Justice this year, if you were a Daft last year?

A truly scary option, the United States Vice Presidential Republican
Candidate and current Governor of Alaska - Sarah Palin.

Hmm, I guess she didn’t get understand the memo regarding last year’s Halloween Party. It was a Nordic theme. Looks like she still won anyway, even though she didn’t really come close to qualifying.

Sarah Palin 7 Months Preggers “I can hide my belly in a sexy, yet sophisticated, little black business suit.”

Goodness, her belly is HUGE, she looks like she’s going to pop any day now, right?

This is what Demi Moore looked like when she was seven months preggers . . .

Photo: Vanity Fair

Sarah Palin’s Witch Doctor . . .

Other potential options - “Sarah Palin Mayor of Meth”, “Sarah Palin Miss Alaska”, “Sarah Palin Soccer Mom”. Wow, and to think, the election isn’t even over yet, we’ve still got a few weeks to go . . . goodness, i’m sure we’ll have so many more choices to choose from. Maybe i’ll pull off one of those “couple costumes,” and we can go together as “Foreign Palin Policy“. One of us will be Russia, and the other Alaska, and we’ll stand on opposite sides of the room and say “I can see ya over there, behave yourself!”

“Sarah Palin Miss Alaska”

Anyway, Sarah, this song is dedicated to you . . .

Disco Villains - Move Bitch
Get more Disco Villains

TRASH MENAGERIE SEPTEMBER FEATURES

NEW MIX - TALIESIN “VIRTUAL LIGHT”
2008 End of “Summery”
Division Kent - Gravity in Your Face
Dskotek Emerges From the Rabble of LA
Why Republicans Should Go Down!!!
Bloggers Beware!
Bass Welterweight Kanji Kinetic
Revolver Disco
On A Mission
ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWAH
London Airwaves Festival Line-up Announced!
The BOX is ON
This Juan’s for You
Sarah Palin Beauty Queen
Diesel 30th Anniversary Parties!
Mystery Jets - Half in Love with Elizabeth - Delorean Remix
The Presets & The Aria Awards - They are like . . . GRAMMY’s, YO!
Midnight Juggernauts - Into the Galaxy - DANGER Remix
Charlie Ash
Miss OddKidd - Don’t Be Afraid To Sweat - Remixes - Drop The Lime & Goldielocks
Salem - Dirt Video
Rewind Chicago 1990’s Rave - Hardcore Jungle
Uproot Andy-The Great Migration
Spitzer’s - Rainy winter in Sydney
New Madlib Album & J Rocc Podcast on Stones Throw
Death Set Live at Studio 1087 pt 1 of 2
FOOLS Remixed GOLD
The Rapture !K7 Mix - Unmasterd
Crying Blood Ties in VV Brown, Holland, Weatherall, Death In Vegas, !!!
Little Boots - Meddle - Designer Drugs Remix
Yo Majesty Makes it Clap
Hold On! Hot Chip Touch Too Much
PLAYBACK - Episode 1 - Andy Butler - Hercules and Love Affair
Krudmart-Steve Kream’s Autumn Love Mixtape
Hey! Hey! Its Hey Champ!
MSTRKRFT - Fist of (oh my) God Tour
Micachu live at DURRR
A Black Hole is Opening
Bang! Bang! Eche!

TRASH MENAGERIE SEPTEMBER MIXES

Bite This! Robotic Mix From Montreal’s DJ Spaz
Little Boots - Computer Fairyland Mixtape
A Very Vanilla Mix from London’s Lesser Panda
4AM Jess vs. Proper Villians
Ruffneck DJ Set @ Brockout! Chicago, 1995
DJ Trace w GQ & 5-0 @ Psychosis - Chicago, 1995
Uproot Andy - Guacharaca Migration
The Toxic Avenger Live at Piknik Electronik - Montreal
Jon Hillcock Xfm Mixes

TRASH MENAGERIE SEPTEMBER LISTINGS

NY’s New Favorite Place to be on Friday’s
N.A.M.E. festival 2008 - Edition n° 4 - France
NewPop + Dj Mehdi, Local Hero - Chicago!
MSTRKRFT Fist of God Tour
Somewhere In The Universe There Must Be Something Better Than Man’ 2nd Birthday - Brighton
Sinden at LOVE 9/20/08!
POP MONTREAL 2008 FINAL LINEUP ANNOUNCED
Atmosphere on Tour & on Kimmel
2008 DECIBEL FESTIVAL : FULL LINEUP & PROGRAM ANNOUNCED
Italian Invasion - LA

GET IN TOUCH WITH THE TRASH MENAGERIE CREW - CONTACT@TRASHMENAGERIE.COM

Spitzer at Webster Hall, NYC 6/21/08

”Rainy winter in Sydney” evokes a journey through spatial imagery; driving yet gentle, lighthearted and emotional, this beautiful track by Spitzer is sure to take you to some other place or time. I absolutely love it. Written during Spitzer’s rainy Australian trip, “Rainy winter in Sydney” is just a taste of what is to come from their debut EP, ‘Roller Coaster‘, which is currently under way.

The Spitzer lads are dealing with some interesting techno labels to release ‘Roller Coaster‘ in 2009, sometime in March; we’ll find out soon enough. Meantime, they’ve finished some stateside touring along with Danger and are headed back to France for some shows. Check the gig dates below. Of their shows, they’ve had this to say, “All the shows were amazing even if our techno music may sound really new for all these kids who are used to listening to Edbanger-like bands.” We can’t wait to hear Spitzer’s upcoming remixes, tracks and the EP! For now, I leave you with “Rainy winter in Sydney,’ which beckons to be played over and over.

For more Spitzer on Trash Menagerie, type in Spitzer in our search bar!

Oct 2 2008 / 8:00P / Musée des Beaux Arts, Lyon, Rhône-Alpes
Oct 8 2008 / 8:00P / Loco Tsugi Anniversaire, Paris, Ile-de-France
Dec 19 2008 / 8:00P /Plateforme w/ Agoria (écho sonore 64), Lyon, Rhône-Alpes

Spitzer - Rainy winter in Sydney

Who doesn’t enjoy a good Bordeaux, especially when it comes to music? Boxon Records is Julien Minet’s dirty sexy record label out of Bordeaux, France that features prominent music artists (Tom Deluxx, Eclier, Toxic Avenger, Philipe de Boyer, Pro7, etc), and the incredible graphic designer Anem.

If you like teeth grinding, head banging, body shaking electro-trash music then this next one is for you. Coming out in late September, I had a sneak peak at the new Boxon album and it is fanfreakintastic. There are two separate and distinctive mixes of Tom Deluxx’s “Mushion Heroes” on here and they are both pure goodness. Who are the faces behind them?

First is Philipe de Boyar, the Suisse DJ/Producer who does a mixture of House/Electro/Breaks. He’s not a newbie to the scene, having already had tracks popping up in MIXMAG and is set to have releases on Erase Records, Hammarskjoeld Records or his own digital imprint Rockville Music as well as other labels. His version of “Mushion Hereos” is slap-in-your-face hard and reminiscent of the same energy you get with the Toxic Avenger.

The other version is by Pro7, an international party player who has already tricked with the likes of Sebastian, Teenage Bad Girl, TTC, and more. His version is very slightly lighter than the de Boyar one, with a little funky feel. Caution: these two tracks are not at all to be confused with each other, even if they stem from the same original! They are completely different takes and both quite enjoyable. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear them both pounding in clubs in the next 2-3 months.

Also from Boxon as of late, the latest video from Paris production company Born To Film of the Toxic Avenger’s “Bad Girls Need Love, Too”. It captures perfectly the style of Toxic — edgy electro with a rock feel. Tattooed ladies and Lolita like nymphs are in the video rocking out in this beautifully shot video clip with amazing color saturation. C’est tellement sexy et j’adore!

In other news, Boxon veteran Tom Deluxx has a new EP coming out this October, and I’m on the edge of my seat to hear it, especially if it sounds anything like the remix he sent us, “Fake” by GRS Club, who also have an EP arriving this October!

Putain c’est la classe! Anem is doing the artwork for the album. Including the fresh preview up top Boxon sent us!

Grs Club - Fake (Tom Deluxx Remix)

Tom Deluxx - Drama Queen (Eclier Grinded Version)

Tom Deluxx - Mushion Heroe (Pro7 Remix)

Time to play catch up with all the tracks that have flooded our inbox over the past few weeks that we’ve not had a chance to mention! We last heard about our Swiss friends Cryptonites back in June when they had an overwhelming response to their remix competition for “Can’t Give You Up“. Prior to that, their first EP, “Hands Of God” was released on their label, Destruction Music.

With no delays, Cryptonites have been in the studio preparing their 2nd EP, due for a November release. As a warm up to that, they’ve had some fun creating “Revolver Disco“, a gnashing number you’re sure to get into. “We always wanted to do something down tempo, something dark with disco influences,” say the boys. “Revolver Disco” has a certain weight about it – heavy and pulverizing with a disco feel and a Justice-esque sound. You’ll find it the perfect start to your Dj affairs, as you set the pace for an intense filled evening, or a sure-fire way to close out your set.

And before the 2nd EP arrives, you’ll get another dose of Cryptonite remixes coming out in October. Sydney, Australia band Grafton Primary get the remix treatment as well as the successful German rock band Jennifer Rostock, which will come out on Warner music.

Cryptonites - Revolver Disco

Catch Cryptonites in September and October as they travel around Norway, Switzerland, France and Germany!

Sep 13 2008 8:00P @ NG2, Bergen, Norway
Sep 19 2008 8:00P @ Kaserne, Basel, Switzerland with Punks Jump Up
Sep 26 2008 8:00P @ Disco Distortion, Landau, Germany
Oct 3 2008 8:00P @ The Mash Up Party @ Kugl, St. Gallen, Switzerland
Oct 4 2008 8:00P @ Cryptonites @ Nuit Blanche, Amiens, France
Oct 11 2008 8:00P @ Popkomm @ Club Maria, Berlin, Germany

If you saw Division Kent’s new album, Gravity, walking down the street it would be the most darkly sensual woman with a cigarette hanging out of her parted lips asking you for a light. Somehow this group manages to pull off breathy female vocals and slithering sounds without sounding like a couple of depressed emo kids.

To give some background, Division Kent is based out of Zurich, Switzerland and currently signed to Sony BMG. Made up of Andrea B. and Sky Antinori, this duo is officially seducing the US in October when Gravity is expected to be released. Listening to the tracks takes you on a musical trip, with ethereal music and vocals that could probably bring tears to your eyes and a smile to your face at the same time. I will say that my particular favorites are “L’heure bleue”, “No Kryptonite” and “In the headlights”.

So in order to show our love for them and you, we’re posting a few tracks illustrating the style and variations that encompass Division Kent and some of the killer remixes that have come out of this album already. Want a literary preview of our remixers?

The Phantom’s Revenge out of Nîmes, France is a disco tap! Listening to their remix makes me wanna boogie nights, sleep never, and bust out the glitter.

From the Netherlands, expect to get Shook‘d up with… some Jane Fonda spandex. This remix is a dream complete with 80s fadeouts, leggings, and a Pretty in Pink attitude.

The intro on this version by L.A.’s Keenhouse, sounds like something you’d hear as the background music on a Discovery Channel show about spiders, when they show the spiders building a web in like 10X speed. Then it quickly gets into the sexy French lyrics.

Not in the US? Well, it’s already been released in Switzerland if you’re over there. In early 2009 it will be released in Germany, Austria, Benelux, and the UK. The Euro edition comes with a bonus CD of nothin’ but remixes. All in all not a bad little package here. Enjoy!!

Division Kent - Offshore (The Phantom’s Revenge)

Division Kent - L’Heure Blue (Shook remix)

Division Kent - L’Heure Bleue (Keenhouse Remix)

French artist extraordinaire Franck Rivoire, producing under the moniker Danger, has become notorious amongst many and recognized for his exceptional synth heavy production, that he describes as ‘French Touch new electro’. His music evokes complexity and a sense of darkness, stirring the emotions of his devotees, causing an insatiable desire for more. I’ve often envisioned Danger’s music playing in the background to an Osamu Tezuka anime, which seems quite fitting given his childhood influences.

Just five years back, Danger was a self-proclaimed chiptune geek, creating game music. His direction changed and his music has flourished since the days of past and in recent months, Danger has remixed tracks for Midnight Juggernauts, ‘Into the Galaxy‘ and Sébastien Tellier, ‘Divine‘. But it was his first few brilliant productions, ‘11h30‘, ‘14H54‘, ‘19H11‘, that paved the way for what was to come. Signed to the Parisian label Ekler’o’shock, Danger continues to push the limits of his craft, taking us into the future. As a long time favorite of mine, I wanted to know what is behind the mind of Danger, so a few months back, I exchanged a bit of Q&A with him. After a long delay and the responses properly translated, here you have his answers in French and English.

Lovestar: Who is Danger? Please give some background history

Danger: Je suis illustrateur et graphiste, je suis très imaginatif et j’aime raconter des histoires, et communiquer des sensations. J’ai passé une certaine partie de ma jeunesse devant des écrans d’ordinateur , des livres, et des consoles de jeux, je fais des bandes dessinées, j’adore le cinéma, l’art, les jeux vidéos et les synthétiseurs.

I’m an illustrator and graphic designer, I’m very imaginative and I love to tell stories, and convey sensations. I passed part of my youth in front of computer screens, in books, and game consoles. I do comic books, I love cinema, art, video games and synthesizers.

Lovestar: Tell us about the music that you are producing

Danger: J’imagine mes musiques comme des émotions simples. Mon avenir c’est de continuer à suivre simplement ce que j’ai envie de faire ressentir. Beaucoup d’entres nous parlent à “l’enfance” en faisant ce genre de musique, je m’en rends compte et j’ai d’autant plus envie de donner une vision de l’enfance qui est la plus fidèle à ce que je suis et à ce que j’ai été.

J’essaye de ne pas penser qu’à la musique quand je compose mais aussi à des images et à des sensations, d’ailleurs le fait que je sois graphiste et illustrateur m’aide à m’écarter du seul chemin musical, qui n’est pas le mien.

Je vais faire pas mal de lives dans un futur proche dans lequels j’utiliserai la vidéo et l’animation plus d’autres surprises mystèrieuses.

I picture my music like simple emotions. My path is to continue to follow that which I have the desire to experience again. A lot of other people talk to us about “childhood” in making this kind of music. I realize this and I really want to give a vision of a childhood that is the most faithful to that which I am and that which I have been.

I try not to think about just the music when I’m composing, but also the feelings and images. Otherwise, the fact that I’m a graphic artist and illustrator helps separate me from a single musical path that’s not mine.

I’m going to do a few live shows in the near future in which I will utilize video, animation, and other mysterious suprises.

Lovestar: Your tracks are all named with numbers and letters. Are these random or do they have meaning?

Danger: Disons que je pense qu’une heure est aussi évocatrice d’un sentiment qu’un titre littéraire. Je passe ma vie à faire attention à l’heure et je trouve sincèrement qu’un 20h45 ou un 14h porte déjà en lui tout un tas de sentiments, alors imaginez 14h54, c’est un truc de fou.

Let’s say that I think that an hour is just as evocative of a feeling as the title of a piece of literature. I go through life paying attention to the hour and I really find that no other time than an 8:45 PM or a 2 pm already brings a whole barrel of feelings… so imagine 2:54 PM, it’s something crazy.

Lovestar: Are you still working as a graphic designer and do you create your own artwork?

Danger: Yes still drawing :) It’s important for me to be sure to create what I want to communicate.

Lovestar: What went into creating your latest EP, 09.14.2007?

Danger: A first step for me…:)

Lovestar: Your music has a lot of expression to it, I could see it being played in a Japanimation movie or a Speed Racer scene – Do you know of Speed Racer? Have you ever thought of scoring your music in a film?

Danger: It would be great, that’s a long time dream.

Lovestar: What was it about the label Ekler’o’shock that made you want them to represent you?

Danger: I really liked the Ekler’o’shock artists.

Lovestar: A comment left by a fan on the Ekler’o’shock My Space said that “if Daft Punk and Justice had sex, their lovechild would be Danger”. What do you make of this?

Danger: Je pense qu’on a raison de comparer les artistes entre eux et de leur trouver des ressemblances mais généralement ces ressemblances viennent plus de références communes plus anciennes mes references viennent des jeux videos de ma vie, des films que j’ai vu et je pense pouvoir raconter d’autres choses que Justice et Daft Punk, des artistes que j’aime beaucoup pourtant.

I think that we’re right to compare artists between themselves and find their resemblances but generally these similarities come more from common references that are older. My references come from the video games of my life, the films that I’ve seen, and I think the ability to relate about things other than Justice and Daft Punk, artists that nevertheless I like a lot.

Sébastien Tellier - Divine (Danger Remix)
on Record Makers

Midnight Juggernauts - Into the Galaxy (Danger Remix)

We Are Scientists - Chick Lit (Danger TV Remix Edit)

Danger - 11h30

Danger - North America Tour Dates
Sept 11 2008 8PM / Abby Pub / CHICAGO, Illinois
Sept 12 2008 8PM / The Estate / BOSTON, Massachusetts
Sept 13 2008 8PM / The Social / TORONTO, Ontario
Sept 14 2008 8PM / LAX / LOS ANGELES, California
Sept 16 2008 8PM / Cinespace / LOS ANGELES, California
Sept 18 2008 8PM / Julliards / CALGARY, Alberta
Sept 19 2008 8PM / Mezzanine / SAN FRANCISCO, California
Sept 20 2008 8PM / Pasaje / MEXICO CITY, México

This Sunday marked the first ever Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival, hosted by Street Attack, Famous Friends, and Impose Magazine. Covering local Brooklyn artists for some time now, Impose Magazine has come to be an important fixture in the Brooklyn community, and a trustworthy source for pithy coverage of the musical oasis that can be the Brooklyn neighborhood. Street Attack and Famous Friends, the primary hosts for this year’s BEMF, are an innovative and resourceful duo that pull all stops. So when the poster went up for BEMF recently, it should be no surprise that the list of sponsors ranged from Miller Lite to the Izze Beverage Co. Even less of a surprise though was the quality of electronic artists and DJs they culled to headline their very first electronic music festival.

Located in The Yard, the notorious outdoor music space in Park Slope, the festival ran from 12PM to 9PM in an epic day of diverse beats and rippling bass. Headlining the event was Brooklyn-by-Venezuela group Todosantos, already featured here on Trash, and Treasure Fingers(see his recent Trash write-up here, and of course the beloved duo, Purple Crush. Throughout the afternoon, though, there was a strong collection of up and coming acts like Lismore, The Glass, Finger On the Pulse, Neon Coyote, and Cobra Krames.

Arriving in the late afternoon, just as the sun was letting up on a crowd of Sparks ignited Brooklynites, I felt what was a strong community of music supporters, friends artists, and the usual blog-league members making sure Ableton mixtapes sounded just as good live. Luckily for those drunk enough by the time Cobra Krames went on, it didn’t matter, as his blend of Blatimore Club and party mash-ups were perfectly crowd pleasing and genre-bending. Stringing together Top 40 Rap and Pop hits with his flavor of B-more stomp, I was surprised not to hear a Journey mash-up amongst his arsenal.

Following Cobra was The Glass, one of the live acts present that day. With their blend of slightly sweet electro-pop, they sung the kind of late-night drunken ballads you might associate with a group of Daft Punk loyalists, suffering from a night of blissed out synths. Unfortunately for The Glass, they spent too much time at the Sparks tent and not enough time at the Izze tent, and relied too heavily on their friends to hype their boozed-down set. Luckily Finger on the Pulse, DJ and producer of The Glass supplied a quick-set of Armand Van Helden remixes to give us a good taste in our mouths beforehand.

For BEMF attendees that day, Purple Crush was clearly a significant draw, and I too was excited to see fellow Islander (Bainbridge Island, Washington) Isla Cheadle and her beatman Jared Selter get freaky on stage in Neon and Nikes. Definitely a highlight of the evening, Isla brought the party, bar none, and got little girls to shake their money makers in feminine glory. Pairing slightly maligned synth-pop and chugging Madonna-disco, Isla rapped, sang, and hyped with a natural frontman femininity that won over the headier skeptics like myself. With tunes like “Fuck the DJ” and “Marry Me,” Purple Crush’s first album “Blog Party” is a must-grab in a sea of uninspired Justice-fallout.

After Purple Crush and after a French-house heavy set from Treasure Fingers, who by virtue of market forces or purely bass-blown ear drums, has been invited to join the ranks of the Fools Gold family, a tour de force in dance music’s finest. One third of Evol Intent, perhaps the State’s best and last contribution to Drum n’ Bass, Treasure Fingers had the presence of your classic UK DJ/producer: techy, cerebral, and an invisible hand on the feet of the crowd. And Treasure Fingers could have just pressed play and returned to the beer garden because his flawless set of ethereal electro had some long-time fans and a drunk-happy crowd brought to their knees that Summer evening at The Yard.

Best and last for me was Todosantos, the Venezuelan trio of young hearts, making the only progressive music that was played that day. Drawing on their love for the music of their hometown (Cumbia, Soca, Reggaeton), as well as the reverberations from abroad (Speed Garage, Baile Funk, Miami Bass, Bassline), Todosantos represents what M.I.A. could only start, and what people like Pharaoh (Todosantos producer), Mariana (Todosantos video editor), and their lead singer (?) are calling “Tukky Bass.” On the wave of their hit song and EP “Acid Girlzzz,” Todosantos brought on the warm-darkness of the night with a rip roaring set of colorful video editing from Mariana and a fiery collection of bass heaviness from Pharaoh. A part from their sing-along set of quick one-liners and hollers, they actually seemed in love with what they were doing.

With a diverse collection of musicians and extremely-well hosted party in a beautiful space, Impose’s first Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival has no doubt set the tone for an upcoming year of exciting music from the electronic sounds of the world. More than ever we’re seeing the synthesis of all things musical, and Impose, much like other music-forward artists and critics, see this synthesis as the great calling to unite under Summer sun, fueled by warm, thick beats and the nutrients of corporate money, an increasingly smart trick to support the arts. And stay posted with Impose Magazine as they post pictures of buckwild hipsters gettin’ down in the sun.

Purple Crush - Physical Attraction (Madonna Cover)

Treasure Fingers - Cross The Dancefloor (Lifelike Remix)

The Glass - Come Alive

Todosantos - Acid Boys Acid Girls (Leif’s Acid Blowing In the Wind Remix)

Britney Spears Vs. Justice - I Just Wanna D.A.N.C.E. With You (Neon Coyote Mix)

Cobra Krames - Players Choose You

One of the catchiest songs you’ll hear this summer is “Cross the Dancefloor“, a really fresh track with a bit of funk and elements of filter house. It’s so infectious and feel good, that the dance floor is immediately filled whenever the song is played. The producer behind the track is Treasure Fingers, a former Atlantan that recently moved to Brooklyn.

While some may know Treasure Fingers through hard step/drum & bass act, Evol Intent, most people are completely unaware of his history. And even though there is a huge trend of drum & bass producers turned electro blog house producers, Treasure Fingers is completely different. Offering music that is more fresh and feel good and roller rink ready then pump your fist, stage dive, and wear neon.

“Cross the Dancefloor” and other productions were so ear-catching that Fools Gold scooped up Treasure Fingers for a 12″. Updating and remastering the track to be even better than before and getting superstar producers Laidback Luke, Lifelike, and Curses! to lend remixes to the release. Then they packaged it up and made it beautiful and ready to purchase through beatport, turntable lab, and itunes.

To celebrate the release, I met up with Treasure Fingers and we did an interview and he also provided us with one of the remixes of the 12″ single.

sirhan: so, you are in evol intent, why did you decide to start treasure fingers?

treasure fingers: i had always done some house/funk style production stuff on the side and just never pushed it. i played some of it for jordan (of Snowden) one day and he really pushed me to get it out there. The first treasure fingers remix I did was for Snowden’s “Anti Anti”.

sirhan: how do you feel about the way its going now?

treasure fingers: I love it, it just took off and everything started falling into place.

sirhan: you still tour with evol intent?

treasure fingers: yeah, it’s a little sparse with bookings right now because we are all working on other projects at the moment but we’ll have a couple new releases out later this year though and we just released a full length album in march.

sirhan: so you just released, “cross the dance floor” tell me a little bit about it and how did you get such awesome remixes?

treasure fingers: That track actually started out as just a funky instrumental house type tune, then one night I decided to put some vocals on it, then got the idea to have my girlfriend sing a part to play off mine. I meant to write out full verses and put into a pop song structure, but after I showed the rough draft version to Preston/Kiss Atlanta, he wanted to blog it as is, so I mixed it down and let it go as more of a club track. Fool’s Gold sorted out all of the remixes. Once I signed it to them, they hit me up one day and was like.. ‘hey what do you think about these guys to do remixes?’
I’m a fan of all those guys so I was pretty excited. Chromeo also did an amazing remix. It’s going to be featured on a Fool’s Gold CD.

sirhan: so whats the next thing you’re doing?

treasure fingers: I’ve done a bunch of remixes over the past couple months that should all be getting released soon. I’ve got 2 more that I’m wrapping up over the next week, then I’ve got an australian tour. When I get back from that, I plan on working on some original material again.

sirhan: so this is a typical question but who are some of your influences and who should kids go diggin for?

treasure fingers: lots of the 80s funk/disco era stuff. midnight star, shalamar, zapp & roger, dazz, carl carlton. I was really influenced by the 90s french house stuff as well.

sirhan: any particular records by those producers?

treasure fingers: carl carlton - swing that sexy thing / dance with you, most people just know ’she’s a bad mama jama’ by him, but he’s got so much dope stuff!

sirhan: what about new stuff?

treasure fingers: love a lot of the new lifelike stuff, symbolone, that really synthy euro sound, and miami horror also.

sirhan: so you’ve been to tons of places whats you best place so far?

treasure fingers: i think the best / craziest parties ive played have been in ATL or LA. I love traveling though, every city has it’s own charm. I think sometimes, the small towns that you don’t expect much from turn out to be amazing.

sirhan: so, any good stories from your travels?

treasure fingers: i’ve never had anything super crazy. there’s always something going wrong though. last time I was in LA, my door lock had broke after I had left for the gig and no one could fix it and I had an early flight the next morning. they ended up giving me another room, then breaking the door down at the last minute the next morning so I could get my stuff out… I’m not a heavy drinker so I don’t have any crazy club stories.

sirhan: music obiviously takes a lot of time whats your other passions?

treasure fingers: I used to paint/draw a lot. I’d like to get back to that when I get the time. that’s probably the closest thing to a passion, other stuff I do in free time is just for relaxation/fun. xbox360, movies, friends, whatever.

sirhan: so lets close off here any advice to budding producers or closing words?

treasure fingers: It’s kind of contradicting, but find a really good producer and copy them until you can get your engineering and mixdowns really tight, then switch it up and try to do something completely original and different. Most producers lack in one or the other, so I think the key is having something that sounds really fresh and original, that also sounds great sonically.
Closing words: go buy “Cross the Dancefloor” & bug your local promoter until they book me.

Treasure Fingers - Cross the Dancefloor (lifelike remix)

links to purchase:

http://www.turntablelab.com/vinyl/217/1614/52231.html

https://www.beatport.com/en-US/html/content/release/detail/128149/cross_the_dancefloor

And for good measure here’s an Evol Intent track.

Evol Intent - Dead on Arrival

and upcoming tour schedule.

Photo by Rennie Ellis, Sharpies, Melbourne 1973

I drove into not-so-sexy Culver City, CA recently to check out the photo exhibition sponsored by Scion for the infamous magazine VICE. Those of you who are familiar with the publication know the types of photos they showcase – the avant garde, the party, the graphic, basically everything fun in the world.

Because VICE is globally distributed and present, the exhibition really had a lot to offer from around the world. Australian Rennie Ellis (1940-2003) was the cover for the show, with his photo Sharpies (Aussi for gangs of punk loving 70’s dudes that favored cardigans in group colors), set in Melbourne in 1973, as the face of the posters and ads.

From Japan:
One of the noted Japanese photographers whose work is present is Yoshiki Saitoh. He utilizes a style of “borderless”, gender bending photography. His subjects are people in the scene of Japanese underground and the most notable part of this is the blindfolded series in which sexuality is obscured.

Photo by Yoshiki Saitoh

Then there is Jin Ohashi, a young man whose interest in photography was spurred on by his father’s attempted suicide.

Photo by Jin Ohashi

Last, but not least is Kawori Inbe, who incorporates cultural elements into her work (including school girl uniforms, yum).

Photo by Kawori Inbe

The nice and wholesome part of this show is not only the free posters they have of Inbe’s and Ellis’ work, but the fact that all proceeds go directly to the artist. It’s consumerism for a great cause (keeping artists alive) and makes me say ‘kudos’ to VICE and Scion for not being money grubbing by taking commission.

Coolest thing there in my opinion: the one non-photographic piece of stencil art by Blek le Rat. Full scale human size, this dude came around before Banksy in 1981 in France with guerilla art.

Design by Blek le Rat

If you happen to be in LA and wanna check it out the address is:
3521 Helms Ave., Culver City, CA 90232.
Hours: Wed-Sat 11am-6pm
310 815 8840
It ends this Saturday, July 26th so hurry the fuck up if you wanna check it.

If you are in the Brooklyn area, lucky for you! The 2008 Photo Show runs from August 1st-31st at their gallery:
99 N 10th St, between Berry and Wythe, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Metro: Bedford (L)
Hours: Tue-Fri 3-7pm, Sat 12-6pm (Closed Sundays and Mondays)

Coucou y’all. It’s bisouK here, the newest contributer at Trash. For my first post I wanted to combine my two loves: music and France. I’m a Texas native, bilingual in French and currently living in sunny LA. I hope you guys enjoy what I do. Bon, des gros bisous du Texas et de la Californie pour l’instant. CIAO

There’s nothing like the French collective Valerie and its members who play tribute to the 80’s with trip taking tunes and fabulous synth. With it growing so quickly and consistently tantalizing us, we had to hunt down Valerie founder David Grellier to fill us in more about the collective and what it has next in store.

bisouK: How do you feel that the concept and execution of a West Coast collective has helped the artists in it?

David Grellier: Our collective is composed of friends, above all else. Passionate people I reunited around the blog and our myspace. Our blog is not only a support, but also a source and inspiration for our music. It permits us to exchange, to test our universe and our projects. We genuinely help each other find parties, perfect our sounds, and advance Valerie. I think today the act of being a collective allows us to have a stronger identity and the best representation.

bisouK: Are there any 80’s movies in particular that have been a major influence for the music that you all produce and play?

DG: (Laughs) Yes, but there are way too many of them to make a complete list! We can mention, though, films like “Ghostbusters”, “Back to the Future”, “Indiana Jones”, “Risky Business”, “The Keep”, “Terminator”, Halloween”, “Blade Runner”…

bisouK: How does the West Coast spirit infuse into the style of Valerie as compared to your Parisian counterparts?

DG: I think that the style of Valerie can be defined as being nostalgic music. The Outrunners use instruments that are 20 years old. We revisit just one period in time in one big synthesis blow. We don’t make a new style.

bisouK: Where was the best Valerie party to date and when will there be another one?

DG: Right now the best memory I have is from the first Valerie party last year in Nantes, France. We had invited Russ Chimes, and English artist who has become a part of the Valerie team and who has, outside the collective, become a really good friend. And so we really had the whole team present, and today that’s the most difficult thing to accomplish…but we’re definitely going to have another one before the end of the year!

bisouK: Minitel Rose came out with their CD recently throughout France and we see that Anoraak has his release planned as well in September. Who else in the collective has CD/EP’s coming out?

DG: For my part, I’m finishing the next College EP that will be coming out also in September. With the Outrunners we’re coming out with a superb limited edition 7”. Maethelvin and the Outrunners are also going to come out with many singles on a small Dutch label.

bisouK: Are there plans to come out with a Valerie compilation?

DG: It’s a project thats coming along little by little. When it’s ready you’ll be the first to know (wink wink).

bisouK: Tell us about working with The Zonders. Are they your exclusive go to guys or do you use other people artists for the albums, etc.?

DG: I met The Zonders thanks to Discodust, for whom they do the posts’ graphics. So they did some as well for Teenage Color and I immediately fell under their spell of their work. The Zonders do kind of the same thing as Valerie, but for graphics. It’s very 80’s inspired in style and codes, and in addition to being so amazingly talents, they’re also super cool. They’re passionate guys with whom it is incredible to work with.

bisouK: Are there difficulties ever in keeping the collective cohesive?

DG: Not really, everyone inside Valerie is free. That’s to say that we don’t have a contract with each other. It gives each group the opportunity to have fun and find what they wish. I see, for my part, the blog like an artistic work in and of itself that I work on just like my other groups (College and Sexy Sushi).

bisouK: What would Valerie say if she came to us in a dream?

DG: I think she would be really happy to see her name in bright colors on the T-shirts!

bisouK: So where can people find those dope t-shirts you make?

DG: To acquire a handsome Valerie T-shirt the only address you need is:
Valerie.merchandising@gmail.com Get yours today!

To ice this cake we have a smooth listen called D.A.I.S.Y. by College. We advise you to take this premiere track like the virgin it is…and enjoy it like a $20 whore.

College - D.A.I.S.Y

Sortez vos Walkman étanches! French blog Streetkiss asked Trash Menagerie to pick a track that represented the summer along with 12 other blogs. We were happy to participate and chose Barcelona’s Sidechains - “Waiting So Long” as our summer tune! Local Hero of TM featured Sidechains back in February and again in April with “Waiting So Long.” We felt it was only natural that is was our summer pick. To view the rest of the results and to listen to the individual tracks, head to the Streetkiss blog!!!! Enjoy!!

Streetkiss – “The rule is simple: 12 Blogs, 12 Tracks to plunge into the summer with music! Put out your waterproof players. For this third issue of the World Blogs Best Playlist, as usual, we have contacted 12 music blogs that we appreciate. We asked them to select their best track to listen during the summer. After a first successful experience with “The Early 2008 World Blogs Best Playlist”, and a second with “The Love Spring 2008 World Blogs Best Playlist”, let’s make a way for this third issue, quite simply called “The Summertime and the Living is Easy 2008 World Blogs Best Playlist“.

“Le principe est simple: 12 Blogs, 12 morceaux pour plonger dans l’été en musique! Sortez vos Walkman étanches. Pour cette troisième édition des World Blogs Best Playlist nous avons, comme à l’accoutumée, contacté 13 blogs musicaux que nous apprécions. Nous leur avons demandé de sélectionner leur meilleur morceau à écouter pendant l’été. Après une première expérience concluante avec “The Early 2008 World Blogs Best Playlist”, et une seconde avec the “The Love Spring 2008 World Blogs Best Playlist”, place à cette troisième sélection que nous avons tout simplement appelée “The Summertime and the Living is Easy 2008 World Blogs Best Playlist“.

Local Hero of Trash Menagerie on Sidechains “Waiting So Long” – “It’s been a mainstay closer for many of my sets lately. It conveys a warm and soothing feeling while still being full of energy and bounce, very similar to that feeling you get when summer swings into place. In reference to summer, I interpret the lyrics addressing the warmth of summer that we in Chicago and New York always end up “Waiting So Long” for through our horrible winters, not to mention that this tune is very representative of the new revival housey sound that will be dominating the clubs all summer. It’s one part feel-good tune, one part banger, and all about being outside, warm again and rocking out.”