HOTEL/MOTEL In Bushwick!

Hotel/Motel goes down this Tuesday, as in tomorrow night! DJ's include Lauren Flax, JD Samson (MEN/Le Tigre), Luiza Sa (CSS), and Kim Ann Foxman (Hercules & Love Affair). Wow! Get your booty on down to Tandem in Bushwick. L train to Jefferson or M to Central.

HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR


CSS


MEN

Wish I Lived in Australia

Modular Records, the home to luminaries such as Avalanches, The Presets, Cut Copy. New Young Pony Club, Klaxons, Van She, Ladyhawke and more, turns 10! This is going to be amazing. I kind of really do wish I lived in Australia. The event plays Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth in December. Tickets are almost sold out, so Australians get with it and get your tix now!

"NEVEREVERLAND is the musical wet dream Australia this December to celebrate Modular notching up double digits and turning ten. With The mighty, mighty Presets, the neo-awesome knights Klaxons, latte legends Cut Copy, DFA darlings Hercules And Love Affair and the rest of the completely bonkers line-up, NEVEREVERLAND will whisk you to a place beyond your brain’s limits, where the inescapable aural ecstasy is unimaginable."

ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS Set to Return with New Ep and LP

Antony and the Johnsons are prepping a pair of follow-ups to their Mercury Music Prize winning album I Am a Bird Now. The first release will be the 5-track ep Another World, which hits stores October 7th via Secretly Canadian. The same label will also release the new full-length The Crying Light, due January 2009.

In the meantime, you can still get your Antony fix on the Hercules & Love Affair album and on the new Bjork single "Dull Flame of Desire", which will also feature remixes by Modeselektor. A new video for the single is also on the way.

Antony will embark on a special symphonic tour in September, where he will be joined by a local symphony in each city. Due to the scattered nature of the dates, I expect more will be added. Here are the dates as of yet:

9/5 Portland, OR
9/10 Milan, Italy
9/12 Zaragoza, Spain
10/14 Los Angeles, CA
10/16 New York, NY
10/30 London, England
10/31 London, England

ReviewHERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR - s/t 91%

At its core, the debut effort from Hercules and Love Affair, the brainchild of NYC-based DJ Andy Butler, is a great dance album. But there are a number of elements at work here that elevate the record from “just great” to “awe-inspiring”. Co-produced by this decade’s go-to electronic guru Tim Goldsworthy (Cut Copy, The Rapture, LCD Soundsystem), the album is as much a sincerely personal piece of detailed work as it is a solid collaborative effort.

With its feet firmly cemented to the ground, Hercules and Love Affair references the many eras of dance music-disco, Chicago House, and synth-pop to name a few. But Butler’s love of these sounds doesn’t just skim the surface. This is a man with a vast knowledge of those 12-inch crates of yesterday. The sounds produced here recall the hyper art disco of influential artists ranging from Arthur Russell, Frankie Knuckles, and the Paradise Garage days of Larry Levan.

The top of the album gets started with “Time Will”, as Antony Hegarty (of Antony & the Johnsons) in his most sultry, Alison Moyet-esque breathiness, commands:“Don’t lie to me, Don’t give it up”. Antony’s voice is instantly captivating. It almost seems like it was birthed to produce emotive disco tracks (his appearance on My Robot Friend’s “One More Try” a few years back was a good hint at this). Slowly, Goldsworthy’s production trickles in, lifting the track into an oddly gorgeous gay-torch-synth-ballad.

With “Hercules Theme” the fun really gets started. The track introduces one of the most impressive elements at work here-the fantastic use of live trumpets and trombones. The horns swirl into a state of frenzy around lush strings and the eloquent vocals of transsexual diva Nomi, who carries over into another standout track “You Belong”. With its soulful vocals and its genre defining high-hats and syncopated beats, you are instantly transported into a Chicago House club circa 1981.

But without a doubt, the highlight of the album is the breakout hit “Blind”. Decorated with lively horns and sweeping strings, everything comes together here in a stunning way, largely propelled by the phenomenal arrangement and, most importantly, the chilling vocals of Antony. Not only is it an essential dance track, it will absolutely be remembered as one of the best overall tracks of the year.

Perhaps what should be highlighted most about Hercules and Love Affair would be the knowledge and passion behind the work, something that justifies the so-called dance renaissance of now. Dance music has always been at its best when done with a curious intelligence and an outsider’s passion. The minds and souls at work here are very much worth paying attention to.

Originally published at kevchino.com.

CELERY MOON - Good Morning Stardust V mix

I don't know who Celery Moon is or what his/her story is, but the new "Good Morning Stardust V" mix is off the hook! Celery Moon has something to do with Misshapes, as his/her blog is hosted on their site. He/She has incredible taste in dance music, as this mix features seamless transitions between great artists like Ladyhawke, Bjork, The Black Ghosts, Lykke Li, Simian Mobile Disco, Felix da Housecat, Kleerup, Cut Copy, Moby, and In Flagranti, with remixed efforts by talent such as Hercules & Love Affair, Calvin Harris, Holy Ghost, Alan Braxe, and (again) Cut Copy.

At press time, whilst in the pursuit of knowledge about Celery Moon, we were only told he/she was currently shooting on location in Hawaii. I have no idea. More info (or the lack of such) at Celery Moon's blog.

Now get the goods...

Celery Moon - Good Morning Stardust V (mp3)

00 Good Morning Stardust V

01 Raiders Of The Lost ARP - Summer 1986
02 Lykke Li - Im Good, Im Gone (Fred Falke Remix)
03 Alan Braxe & Fred Falke - Most Wanted
04 Trentemoller & Vonstroke - Want 2 Need 2 Whistle
05 Chas Jankel - Get Yourself Together (Hercules & Love Affair Remix)
06 Ladyhawke - Paris Is Burning (Cut Copy Remix)
07 John Dahlback - I Had A Feeling
08 Felix Da Housecat - Rude Allegiance
09 The Touch - Regain Control
10 Cut Copy - Hearts On Fire (Calvin Harris Remix)
11 Simian Mobile Disco - Wood (Danton Eeprom Remix)
12 Pink Skull - Drugs Will Keep Us Together (Trevor Loveys Remix)
13 33Hz - Crazy All The Time (Magik Johnson Remix)
14 Ian Pooley - It's You
15 The Whip - Blackout (Popular Computer Remix)
16 Professor Genius - Pegaso (Silver & Kane Remix)
17 The Black Ghosts - I want Nothing
18 8otto - 0zero (Herve Remix)
19 Moby - I Love To Move In Here (Holy Ghost Remix)
20 Jesse Rose & Trevor Loveys - Heavy What?
21 Daedelus - Make It So (XXXChange Remix)
22 Bjork - Alarm Call (Alan Braxe & Ben Diamond Edit)
23 Red Astaire - For The Time
24 Egyptian Lover - Egypt Ear Work
25 Richard Bartz - Voyager
26 In Flagranti - Nonchalant
27 Euro Johannes - Lipton Service Boy
28 Kleerup - Thank You For Nothing

HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR

The debut album from Hercules & Love Affair has been on a constant repeat around here for the last few weeks. It is a great throwback to disco and house music, but somehow sounds really fresh at the same time. I've been kicking myself for missing their performance at Studio B last month, but it happened to be my birthday and I had the most ferocious hangover from the night before. Damn! From what I've heard, the show was pretty much spectacular, as can be witnessed by this live video of the first single "Blind".

The next single will be "You Belong" and it has a brand new video. Check it out below.

Hercules & Love Affair - You Belong (music video)

New Video Friday

Shocking Pinks - Emily


The Raveonettes - You Want the Candy


Cut Copy - Lights and Music


Hercules and Love Affair ft. Antony - Blind