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Friday, 04 July, 2008

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Metric

Canadian band Broken Social Scene gave rise to some exceptional talent namely Leslie Feist, Jimmy Shaw and Emily Haines. The latter two being the guitarist and frontwoman of indie new wavers Metric. "I fought the war but the war won," Emily relents on 'Monster Hospital'. Notion lived out some quality time on a crackly phone line with Jimmy. "Hey is that Jimmy?" "Hey yeah, I'm kinda driving at the moment... can you hold on just a sec...?" "..." "Sorry about that, how's it going?" "No worries. It's good, how are y..." "Fuck you!" "..." "Fuck you! Sorry, can you hold on for a second?" "..." "Will you get some papers? I'm busy right now... sorry about that man, my friend's being an asshole. I'm good to go, shoot." Jimmy Shaw seems a little distracted. Not only has he possibly broken the law by answering my call in the first place (there was no indication of a hands-free kit being used), the fleeting summer serenity he was enjoying is soon to be disturbed by a yammering hack in one ear and a vocal background disagreement about cigarette papers. It's fair enough really as the Metric, and Broken Social Scene, guitarist is probably a little frayed after a year that's seen Metric open for The Rolling Stones at Madison Square Garden, a grueling transatlantic tour and the belated release of the 'Live it Out' album in Europe. Oblivious to the fact he's soon to be left by the highway in the general Seattle area and disregarding the odd 18-wheel interruption and subsequent time lapses spent establishing whether Jimmy's roadkill or not, he's happy to talk about the Canadian music scene, Sheffield on a Friday night and the prospect of Metric's coolness. Actually he's just happy the sun's out. "Things are really good. We've been touring for three and a half months, finished up in the UK and now we've all kind of split up and gone our own ways for a while; four corners of the globe kind of thing. I'm in Seattle at the moment mixing a record in this wonderful 400-year-old barn studio called Bearcreek for a side project and the sun’s out and it’s summer." For anyone unfamiliar with the band, Metric are reinforcements for the current Canadian invasion. Formed in a Brooklyn basement, Metric's sultry, refined pop sound might be slightly removed from their raggedy cousins but the maple leaf seal of approval remains much the same even if the band recruitment process isn't as stringent. "Emily and I have known each other for about 10 years but the band actually formed in an apartment in Brooklyn. Emily and I were doing some shows where I was drumming and I'm a terrible drummer, and this guy came up to me after one of the shows and said he really liked what we did. I said he should join us in an offbeat way and it turned out he played drums and we call him Joules now. He's our drummer. He had a great haircut and a nice girlfriend so it all worked out." A MSTRKRFT remix of the already sublime 'Monster Hospital' gradually worked its way onto playlists and dancefloors across the country and despite Jimmy's insistence that, "the original is better," it didn’t do too much harm to their street cred as witnesses to any of their UK shows would testify. "The tour was great. We've always been really hesitant to come over to England but it was intriguing. We'd done a huge tour of North America and didn't really know what to expect coming here. I think we successfully stayed drunk the whole time and had a load of fun and everyone else had a good time. I expected arms crossed and serious faces because we were told some crowds can be quite tough but the Barfly was a total moshpit and kids were stage diving and throwing themselves everywhere. Everyone was moving. It was chaos." "Hang on... (Jimmy shouts to gas station attendant) did the guy who just bought coffee split... the guy in the green convertible?" "Oh yeah, he left." "Fuck! He left me on the side of the highway. Ah well it's a nice day and I don't mind walking... where were we?" Playing Madison Square Garden is, a big deal. Supporting the Stones at Madison Square Garden is like, huge, isn't it? "It's the fucking Stones. We could headline Madison Square Garden or whatever but because it's the Stones it's a big show. There's a lot of shitty shows there as well but I don't look at it as "the next big step" or anything. We could have been paid £3 million to open for the Stones or played eight sold out nights in the Coliseum in Rome and it wouldn't make any difference." So you're in Brighton and people are speaking French and pouring syrup on everything (doubtful) it's at that point you realise it's The Great Escape and there's a silly amount of Canadian bands on the bill. Lucky for us, they're all friends... "There's a lot of amazing bands and a lot of camaraderie between us all. I've lived in a lot of places and hung out with musicians in different scenes but everyone is really friendly and supportive in the Canadian one. You don't walk into a room and someone ignores you so there’s no rock n' roll pretension or anything and half the time you just have to kind of know someone and you're friends straight away and that's fucking great." With Arcade Fire soaring to mainstream acclaim, Canada's music scene has continually been put under the spotlight and acts like The New Pornographers, DFA 1979 and Wolf Parade have all made the indie grade over the past year whilst solo acts like Neko Case have also risen to prominence through their bands. With a wealth of talent, a revolving door band policy and an eagerness to help each other out, it might just be lazy but it's what friends are for. "We all help each other out as producers, musicians, friends, whatever. It's easy because there's just this endless pool of talent where everyone's using each other and having a great time doing it. It's nice not to have to leave your circle of friends to go to work. You know? Me and Emily can play with Broken Social Scene and go straight to playing with Metric without really thinking about it. Metric and BSC couldn't sound more different but couldn’t be closer in terms of the people involved." "It's surprising to be cool all of a sudden," he mulls. "The scene is dictated by the fact the bands are so good and there’s no doctrine or ideal that we all abide by or anything. It's because we're all such good musicians that we can play with each other and there be no problems." With the festival circuit beckoning, 'Live it Out' now released in the UK and a secondary influx of Canadian bands, Jimmy’s relaxed to the point of blasé about any frenzy. "I'm not worried by major exposure because it's not going to affect my greater cause or major career plan or anything. I have no desire to enter the NME sweepstakes or anything because I feel although they cover a lot of good bands they choose some for the wrong reasons. It's all fickle enough as it is but if people pick up on us and like what they hear then it's all good." Having spent 20 minutes walking in baking sunshine, minus both a convertible and the elusive cigarette papers it seems as good a time as any to ask him about something he hated. "Sheffield. I was there on a Friday and I wanted to go out and get something to eat. There were too many people walking down the street with little clothes." You mean like mini skirts, crop tops, that kind of thing? "Yeah, exactly. Know your size people." Luckily, only Leeds and Reading beckon for Metric this time round and with aspirations, "to be the shining highlight of the Carling Weekend," Metric may just be made to measure. THE ALBUM 'LIVE IT OUT' AND SINGLE 'MONSTER HOSPITAL' ARE BOTH AVAILABLE NOW THROUGH DROWNED IN SOUND RECORDINGS. WORDS: REEF YOUNIS

tags: | metric | music | band | canada | broken social scene | leslie feist | jimmy shaw | more...

Basement Jaxx

Taking a break from acting duties on their latest, burlesque revue-themed video shoot, Felix Buxton and his production, DJ and writing partner Simon Ratcliffe are sitting in the kitchen of the defunct Titanic bar in West London. The duo discuss their forthcoming new album, being asked to tour with Robbie Williams and morning sickness. Dressed in fake moustaches, sharp suits and spats, the pair resemble rakish extras from Gene Kelly’s exuberant 1969 musical 'Hello, Dolly!' Buxton appears mildly irritated that people struggle to remember the name of the Brixton-based house music stalwarts' biggest hit to date. And it's certainly not due to any weakness on the part of the song. "Whenever people talk about 'Where's Your Head At', it's always referred to as the one with the monkeys in. I suppose it shows the strength of the video at least." Indeed, Swedish production team Traktor's striking and unforgettable imagery of humanised primates prompted it to be singled out as "the best dance music video ever." And the tune wasn’t bad either. Based around an ingenious employment of a Gary Numan hook, the song became a huge international hit in 2002. 'Where's Your Head At' can currently be viewed as an impressive fulcrum for a career that first took off in 1999. Following years of working on the fringes of the music scene and making a word of mouth success of their now legendary club nights in South London, 'Remedy', their warmly received debut, spawned crossover club classics 'Red Alert' and 'Rendez Vu'. A genre-hopping yet typically energetic and joyous second effort, 2001’s 'Rooty', was followed by the darker yet arguably more cohesive 'Kish Kash' two years later. In between, they've won both Brit and Grammy awards and collaborated with a stellar and eclectic array of talent, from Dizzee Rascal to punk icon Siouxsie Sioux. Despite working within the confines of an electronic genre that often pressurises its leading practitioners to make perfunctory gestures towards being vital and challenging, the pair seem genuinely at ease with their work, and, for a dance act, surprisingly unconcerned about what's happening elsewhere. "Our new album isn't a statement about what's going on now," explains Buxton, "we're only making the sounds that we want to hear. At the same time, the record probably does offer something different to what’s going on in dance music at the moment. "With 'Kish Kash', we were pushing in a lot of different directions. Dance music was in a very boring state. We were doing a lot of live shows alongside rock bands, and ended up pushing for a sound inspired by that. Now, dance music feels very minimalist. Despite what the media might suggest, it is in a very healthy state, with plenty of good underground music coming out of places like Brazil and Baltimore. It seems to be alive again. It's just that we're not making minimal music. We decided to go back to being maximal rather than minimal and forget about what everyone else is doing." 'Crazy Itch Radio', their fourth studio album, follows the double platinum success of last year's singles collection, which featured the almost irritatingly infectious 'Oh My Gosh'. It's a glossy, blissful and wonderfully varied record that bravely attempts to combine the euphoric, scattergun approach of their first two albums with the coherence of 'Kish Kash'. Ratcliffe feels that of all their albums to date, their latest makes for the smoothest listen. "We definitely wanted to get the warmth back, and more than anything, iron out some of the jagged edges we've left before." "Even though I feel like it all sits together comfortably, this is probably our most eclectic album," agrees Buxton. "Our music isn’t necessarily that challenging now. But it is very diverse. That probably just reflects the way that people are living now. We’re open to so much more than we used to be. Take the internet. If you get into punk, you can look into its history within weeks, you can really get into the depths of it. Years ago it would have taken ages just to hear about names and words." Buxton believes that the evidence of the culture's information free for all is everywhere, not least in music. "Kids now are switched onto so much more. If you're doing a DJ set in a club they don't really worry if you play drum n' bass, house, hip hop, they just love it anyway. That really speaks to me. "Even in cinema, good art films wouldn't be seen in the mainstream very much. Now the mainstream enjoys what is considered art to a greater extent. The concept of the mainstream encompasses more than it used to." At this point, Ratcliffe quickly interjects, pricking any possible accusations of pretension by dryly pointing out that Buxton has made this rather serious point whilst sporting a frankly ludicrous false handlebar moustache. Buxton's laugh is infectious. It's not difficult to see why he's usually portrayed as the more enthusiastic and animated of the pair, balancing Ratcliffe's more reserved nature with toothy grins and a tendency to dominate the direction of the conversation. This dynamic clearly hasn't done Basement Jaxx any harm. While they have been paid the back-handed compliment of being labelled a "party band", there is a healthy tension in their identity that pulls them away from what could otherwise be criticised as a one-dimensional approach. "A lot of dance music is just music that lives to be dance music, it's almost coldly functional at the expense of being emotive at times," argues Ratcliffe. "I like to think of our songs as little movies in a way, with the dance music element being almost secondary to telling a story, creating a picture and building the song. Perhaps the production is the dance element because we come from that background." Buxton agrees, alluding to the range of disparate influences evident on 'Crazy Itch Radio'. "Like any other pop group, punk band, rave act... this album is just a collection of songs. "It's certainly not one-dimensional. There are some more melancholy ones on there. But ultimately it is a very 'up' album." If things had panned out differently, however, the two sides to Basement Jaxx could have been far more explicit on their new record; 'Crazy Itch Radio' was originally formulated as a double album. "We recorded about 40 tracks," explains Ratcliffe. "Originally we wanted a double with one side of radio-friendly party tracks and one album where we just go off. "That would have contained stuff that would be far more liberated, with less structured soundscapes. Some if it might be dark, atmospheric or instrumental. "In a way that kind of music is easier to create but it's just as enjoyable for us as our more accessible side. In fact, it's probably more enjoyable because there's no expectations associated with it." "And you wouldn’t need any songs at all," agrees Buxton. "But I think a lot of people who are really into Basement Jaxx would be very confused by an hour's worth of that material." Concerns about the reception of an album that would have been rooted in the dreaded concept tradition were not to blame for putting the kibosh on their grand plan, however. Robbie Williams was. When they were invited to support Williams on his European tour, both Ratcliffe and Buxton had reservations, yet one factor swayed their decision. "We only agreed to do it because it involved five nights at Wembley Stadium at the end of the tour. And now that's become five nights at Milton Keynes Bowl," laughs Buxton. "It doesn't quite have the same ring does it?" Ratcliffe was initially adamant that he wanted no part in the tour. "My first answer was a definite no," he says. "I was extremely reluctant. Then I thought maybe it would be cool to do the second half of the tour so we could do the Wembley dates, which was the chance of a lifetime." Having agreed to do the last few weeks, the pair ended up bowing to pressure from their management and record company to do the entire European leg of the 40-date tour. This made for a manic and rather rushed last few weeks of work on the album and created a deadline that destroyed any notions of a double album. "We've always done things that don't fit in with our straightforward party image," says Ratcliffe, "and we really wanted to have an album of our more alternative music this time, but the new deadline wouldn’t allow for it. "In a way it was good though because it gave us an unexpected deadline to get things done by. The tour has been alright, it has given us a break after working so intensely on the album. "We're only playing for 45 minutes a night, we're done by half eight. The rest of the time we're relaxing with drinks and good food." If this seems like a lukewarm response to touring with a genuine superstar, it's probably because it is. "It's not something we'd rush to do again," confirms Ratcliffe. I sense he's being diplomatic. Top electronic acts are often criticised for the lack of animation in their live performances, with the sight of static technophiles standing behind walls of equipment lacking in visual impact. Fortunately for Basement Jaxx, this is a censure that's rarely applied to them. Staging live shows that encompass the obligatory big-screen displaying custom-made images, live musicians, singers and dancers, they also display an enthusiasm that some of their contemporaries lack. The duo always put the emphasis on fun over chinstroking abstraction. Perhaps this is why they are as comfortable playing to a small audience of house aficionados in a sweaty club as they are with tens of thousands of Robbie Williams fans. "We're at ease with all kinds of audiences now," confirms Buxton. "On one hand we have people in a club being a little snobby, concerned with what is fresh and vital, and on the other, thousands of middle-of-the-road people who are there for Robbie Williams. It's our job to entertain all of them." He acknowledges that electronic acts do face a conundrum when it comes to playing live. "It can be difficult, because with dance acts, it's often just two guys behind a synthesizer and it can be deadly dull," he says. "Some bands have tried to acoustically replay what they've done in the studio but it sounds very bland, like lounge music." "They've got the notes there, but the whole excitement is lost," continues Ratcliffe. "The point was that it had been done irreverently in the studio. It's like hip hop, it's often just rubbish live. Kanye West and The Streets have tried to make live shows more interesting. But I suppose Mike Skinner is an interesting guy whereas a lot of people in dance acts just aren't interesting." Of course, this is a problem that is not only associated with electronic music. "Bands in all genres of music are often boring live," says Buxton. "When we do festivals with rock bands, unless I know the songs really well, I’m completely bored, I don't care. I end up feeling like I’d rather watch a good film, something that's exciting and inspiring. That's probably true of a lot of the music that’s around at the moment though. I like Arctic Monkeys because of their sheer energy. Out of the other bands that are popular in the UK at the moment I can’t name any others that offer that. Most of them just pretend they're '64eep when actually they're pretty shallow." Sheer energy is something that Basement Jaxx have managed to maintain, despite the fact that it is now 12 years since they first teamed up to hold club nights in the back room of an Irish pub in Camberwell. "I felt as much passion doing this album as I did when we first started," says Ratcliffe. "This was my hobby when I was a teenager, and I can't believe that I'm still doing it. Of course, the world around us has changed dramatically. "In terms of playing and going to clubs I am tired, and it will be good to have a break from it. But production-wise, I’m as enthusiastic as ever. Finding new white labels, generating ideas, keeping up with what sounds are about, that still gives me a buzz." While their hunger to create is undiminished, the realities of getting older and the demands of their private lives do increasingly encroach on the pair's professional existence. "I get more tired than I used to," says Buxton. "We used to work until six or seven in the morning like hip hop producers. But now we have to finish in the evenings and keep weekends free to fit in with everyone else that we know. It just ends up making you ill otherwise. Relationships take more of a preference as you get older. When you're young you don't care, but you have to start explaining yourself as you get older, which is a bummer." When Ratcliffe discovered his girlfriend was pregnant in February, he wasn't prepared for the severity of the morning sickness that followed. "I never realised it could be that bad. It was like she had really bad food poisoning for six weeks solid. It was awful. I felt guilty about leaving her ill at home to come in and finish an album. I'm glad that period is over." In the light of these external pressures, Basement Jaxx feel that they want to concentrate on work that is solely intended for their albums. "We haven't remixed at all in the last year," says Buxton. "We're lots of things really. We have been remixers, we're producers of our own work, for the live show we become a band. Working with collaborators does keep things fresh though, everyone's got a different angle on things." With contributions from regular live collaborator Vula (last heard on 'Oh My Gosh'), Swedish pop sensation Robyn, veteran composer Wil Malone and even a Russian accordionist called Serge, 'Crazy Itch Radio' confirms that even if they're having to rein themselves in a little more these days, they've still got enough pop nous to create the kind of kaleidoscopic, dizzy and ecstatic music that made their name. We'll just have to wait a little longer for the soundscapes. THE SINGLE 'HUSH BOY' WILL BE AVAILABLE THROUGH XL RECORDINGS ON AUGUST 28 TH FOLLOWED BY THE ALBUM 'CRAZY ITCH RADIO' ON SEPTEMBER 4TH. WORDS: JAMES HURLEY PHOTOGRAPHY: JAMIE BEEDEN

tags: | basement jaxx | felix buxton | dj | music | dance | club | simon ratcliffe titanic | more...

15 Years at Ministry of Sound

15 Years at Ministry of Sound

In a world where punters are fickle and new bars and clubs come and go like never before, it's nice to know that this year sees Ministry of Sound celebrating their 15th (yes 15th) birthday. House music may not be as big as it once was, but Ministry have managed to survive - how? Why? And what does a superclub do for their birthday? Back in 1991, Ministry of Sound opened their doors, not knowing what to expect. The raving scene had made its way through the underground and had become part of the mainstream, and alongside this, the culture of clubbing had also developed - a more refined way of raving some might say. Revellers in London now had somewhere to go to enjoy the music they wanted to hear, without having to wait for a phone call or spend hours driving from service station to service station on the M25, looking for news on where the next rave would be. And who do they have to thank for all this? His name is James Palumbo, son of property developer Lord Peter Palumbo. James was inspired by the house music movement in the US, and opted for an unused bus depot in South London as the place to start his vision of a London superclub. James was focused on introducing music from DJs known worldwide in order to give the people of the UK access to music from those they adored. House music had its golden years in the UK during the 90s, and James knew that there was a market out there looking for just what he was offering. Big names such as Trevor Nelson, Erick Morillo, Masters At Work, Derrick May, Josh Wink, Basement Jaxx, Groove Armada and Pete Tong, and many many more have graced the decks of the club, playing their mixes on a Friday and Saturday night on one of the most impressive sound systems around. Weekly residencies have also been introduced with some of the most sought after DJs setting up camp at the London superclub for months at a time and playing for the masses. Ministry soon began expanding, and looking at their portfolio as a company it is obvious that they are no longer simply a club. The club grew internationally, with franchise clubs opened in Asia (MoS Taipei opening in 2004, and MoS Singapore opening in 2005) as well as MoS related venues opening in Egypt, and in some great contrast, Harrogate. The company has also developed its own record label, producing several compilations (as well as singles) annually featuring a whole host of legends from the house and dance music industries. Back in January of this year, Ministry ventured even further with their label work when they purchased record label Hed Kandi from the Guardian Media Group, with the intention of maintaining the already established brand. In addition, they also have their own clothing line, radio station (available originally on DAB but now available online and on satellite) as well as their own branded electronic equipment. Ministry is no longer simply about the club. With its ever increasing popularity extending to a global audience, catering for their other tastes became a priority for the club and their ever expanding mini-empire is evidence of this. With the expanding company, came expanding profits reflected by owner Jamie Palumbo making the Sunday Times Music Rich List this year, ahead of the likes of Eric Clapton, Robbie Williams and the Beckhams. On to the serious business - celebrations. Their 15th birthday will go down a storm no doubt and the club has really pushed the boat out to make sure it's a birthday to remember. The celebrations begin in Ibiza, with a one off event called The Birthday Warm Up Party taking place on Saturday 19th August at Space, before the birthday weekender takes place at Ministry of Sound's flagship venue in London on September 8th and 9th. Friday's festivities will be hosted by Soul Heaven, representing the grass roots of the club due to its US premise, with the most renowned Ministry resident Tony Humphries headlining. Saturday sees the club pushing the boat well and truly out, with a 15-hour party hosted by Deep Dish playing a seven hour set alongside more DJs to be confirmed. In the bar on Saturday, resident Marc Hughes will provide a musical retrospective of the past 15 years at Ministry. But the celebrations don't end there. A 15 date UK tour (see what they did there?) will take place, covering major cities. In addition, there will be an international tour taking place across South America, Singapore, Australia, Europe, Russia and China with a birthday album of tracks from the club's journey released Monday 11 th September following the massive birthday weekend. With all that going on, it's hard to imagine what more London's most globally known superclub could do to celebrate. I wonder what they'll do on their 21st? WWW.MINISTRYOFSOUND.COM WORDS: MATTHEW WHITE

tags: | ministry of sound | anniversary | birthday | bar | club | superclub | rave | underground | more...

Peaches

Canadian-born, sometime Berlin resident Merril Beth Nisker, aka Peaches, has fans obsessed with her crotch, has had a song featured in 'Lost in Translation', recorded a duet with Iggy Pop and even introduced a new word to the English language. New album 'Impeach my Bush' is here to challenge, educate and encourage. It even features a song that can be played on the radio... The 'Trash Companion Volume One' features a live performance of 'Rock Star' by Peaches at London's "premiere alternative clubnight" in 2001. And I was there. Genuinely I was. Being a fan of Chilly Gonzales at the time I had to check out his compadre and label-mate. It was completely insane. A Jewish lady in her mid-30s thrusting in pink PVC hotpants with, shall we say, a 70s-style bikini line and people fighting to take shots of this momentous occasion. In the words of the lady herself: "It was so goddamn packed that the makeshift stage was the size of a coffee table, bouncers stood in front of the stage at seven feet tall and Mignon and I had to climb on them throughout the show so that we could get up close and personal on the crowd's ass." Her first album, entitled 'The Teaches of Peaches', sounds like it cost about a dollar to produce and is total, utter filth. The opener 'Fuck the Pain Away' was, for obvious reasons, never played on the radio but hear it in a club and it would get people thrusting like their lives depended on it. It was featured in 'Lost in Translation' as the soundtrack to Bill Murray's bemusement at watching a lady pole-dancing inches from his face. "The (audience) doesn't want to have sex with me, necessarily, they just want to have sex ...I see myself more as a conduit for sex. In the middle of one show, my sound guy grabbed his girlfriend and went to the bathroom to fuck." In the words of Miss Hilton, now that's hot. "When I opened for Bjork and played 'Fuck the Pain Away'", she recalls, "there were 17, 000 people there and I couldn't believe how many knew the lyrics and sang along! People have told me, "you'll never get that song on the radio, or TV," but it's amazing how many know it. If people want the music, they're gonna get it." Her second album not only features her bearded visage on the front but is entitled 'Fatherfucker'. That particular title could have scared people away but Peaches isn't in it for the shock factor. "In the "Peaches" way," she explains, "I'm not one to shy away from controversial words, I just turn them around to my liking. It really was the best title; all the machismo versus libido versus femininity ...it just seemed to fit and take it to a new level." And the story behind that particular title? "Why do we call our mothers motherfuckers? Why do we stub our toe and say "Aww, motherfucker?" What is motherfucker? ...We use it in our everyday language and it's such an insanely intense word. I'm not one to shy away from these obscene terms that we actually have in our mainstream. Motherfucker is a very mainstream word. But if we're going to use motherfucker, why don't we use fatherfucker? I'm just trying to be even." Interesting theory, shame it doesn't seem to have been inducted into popular use since the album's release. Single, and standout track 'Kick It' is a collaboration with the snake-hipped one - Iggy Pop. What was it like to work with the man himself? "Iggy and I had just met at one of his surprise performances at the Short List Awards in LA. I played the night before and I just happened to be there and I was like "oh, can I come tomorrow night?" So I did, and then I told him to come and see me play in Miami after his performance was, again, blowing me away like always. He actually did show up at my show and had my album and said it was great and was waiting for the live show and loved the live show. I really, really enjoyed meeting him. Later he called me and told me that he took 'Rock Show' and sang over it and said, "I want to put it on my album," so I said, "OK, then you have to be on mine," and he said, "OK, write us something." So I actually wrote the whole thing. I got to basically direct his parts and say, "hey Iggy, sing it like this." I wanted to debunk the myths that I'm only about sex, which I'm sure most people get already, because it's really about the big blanket of sex in terms of gender and all kinds of things, not just sucking and fucking. In the Iggy track, I wasn't like, "hey Iggy, you got a big one, wanna fuck me?" It was more like going back and forth and really just rock n' roll. I also got to be the guitar player, which was really exciting." And he returned the favour? "Yeah, I was also featured on his album. I have a band with Chilly Gonzales and Taylor Savvy - a backing band. We only do rock riffs. That rock band is older than Peaches, but it still goes on. When we play it's really quite intense and fun. Iggy asked me, "do you have any more songs for my album?" I sent him a few tracks and he used one of those too." Now that you are in the same league with these superstars, do you find yourself at all starstruck? "With Iggy Pop and definitely (director) John Waters. Oh my god, meeting him I was like so nervous. He was so nice. He was just like, "oh get out of your dressing room and come meet my friends." With Matthew Barney, I was pretty starstruck too; he was on the Bjork tour. I was like "rraaooawoa," but he's totally cool. You meet people in the right context and then it’s fine." How did the collaboration with (former Notion cover star) Pink come about? "(After getting an initial offer from Britney) I thought, "what can I write for her that they're not gonna water down?" But when Pink approached her to contribute an intro rap to 'Oh My God', she jumped at the chance. "She said, "this needs you on it!" I was psyched. So I wrote some raps and we did a little thing together and I'm really happy about it. She's not afraid to be sexy and raw; she's not a puppet like some people think." You've opened for possibly the widest variety of singers and bands ever. How do you deal with harsh reactions and heckling from audiences? "It's cool. I mean, I really feel like Lenny Bruce in those situations. You really find out where people are at when you're putting your way out there. I actually feel really good heckling my audiences. It usually doesn't happen in my audiences; it happens when I open for other people. Like when I opened for Queens of the Stone Age, someone shouted, "get off the stage, gay man," or "you suck!" and I'm like, "yeah, and I swallow," and they're like, "oh, she just got you at your own game buddy." I turn them round right there. So, it's important for me to do that. But I must say I didn't get blazingly high or drunk before I opened for them because I really wanted to be able to come back, because I knew it wasn't my audience. I had to be doubly on top of things. When I opened for Bjork, it was because she wanted me to, not because some agency said, "oh, it's good for Peaches' career," or whatever. So I did and then her audiences were really tough, too - they wanted their little angel, and rightly so. She's amazing, you know? I was upsetting them; they were screaming at me, "shut up!" Of course there is always the half that is totally into it, giving signs like "I love you." So, it's not all negative, and that's the point, that it's positive and negative. People are actually having a reaction, that's important." Is the name Peaches taken from the song 'Four Women' by Nina Simone? "I don't think that I'm a black slave or something like that, but it was just because at the end of the song, she sings, "what do they call her, they call her Peaches!" and the way she said it was just so raw and so pure and energetic; I was like sing it to me. So I changed my name so she'd be singing it to me." 'Impeach my Bush' is Ms Nisker's third album. Some of the people who make appearances on this album include Joan Jett, Josh Homme, the Gossip's Beth Ditto, Samantha Maloney (formerly drummer with Hole) and her one-time roommate, Leslie Feist. The title leads you to think Peaches has cleaned up her act and gone all political on our asses but that couldn't be further from the truth. 'Two Guys For Every Girl' is her reaction to hearing approximately a zillion songs about guys and their fantasy of two women. Peaches, aided and abetted by Beth Ditto on chorus vocals, turns that on its head, "I wanna see you do your little nasty brother." 'Boys Wanna Be Her' is an electro AC/DC track about a girl rocker that everyone wants. Samantha Maloney is onboard to play drums as one quarter of Peaches' new live band. The line-up is completed by ex-Courtney Love guitarist Radio Sloan and JD Samson from Le Tigre on keytar and sequencing. This will be the first band she has ever toured with and means the Peaches live experience will be even more of a sheer rock n' roll free for all. The first single to be released from the album is 'Downtown'. Lauren Laverne played it on her breakfast show on XFM and a handful of listeners called into ask why she was playing the kind of pop tripe on her show that belongs on Capital FM. Oh, if only they knew. 'IMPEACH MY BUSH' IS AVAILABLE NOW THROUGH XL RECORDINGS. SEE PEACHES LIVE AT THE CARLING WEEKENDER. WORDS: LYNSEY HOSKINS PHOTOGRAPHY: TYLER SHIELDS

tags: | peaches | canada | berlin | merril beth nisker | lost in translation | iggy pop | more...

Nouvelle Vague

Journeyman producer/composer Marc Collin has worked on various musical projects since the 80s, including underground electronic act Volga Select (with superstar DJ Ivan Smagghe), and various film and television scores. In 2003, he conceived the idea of reworking his favourite new-wave punk hits into lo-fi lounge covers, and his good friend and longtime collaborator, Olivier Libaux, was invited along for the ride. Guest vocalists, including Camille and Sir Alice, were the sweet and seductive cherries on the top, and Nouvelle Vague were ready to conquer the world, peacefully. Paris-based Nouvelle Vague crept up on an unsuspecting public in 2004 with an eponymously titled, kitsch selection of classic post-punk songs remade as down-tempo bossa-nova numbers. Well-known tracks such as 'Just Can't Get Enough' by Depeche Mode, and even 'Teenage Kicks' by The Undertones were stripped of their punk credentials, and reconstructed into lilting and, occasionally, sinister lounge numbers. The two extraordinary guest chanteuses were chosen not only on the basis of their incredible vocal talents, but also with the proviso that they were too young to be familiar with the original versions of the songs. As if the music itself wasn't post-modern enough, the album cover art was also lovingly crafted by hip designer, Giles Deacon as an exercise in lo-fi, noir-ish cool. Even their name was too good to be true, translating as "bossa-nova" in Portuguese, to match their sound, and "new-wave" in English, in line with their inspiration. Before long, it seemed every chi-chi bistro and coffee shop in the land was placating their customers with the soothing pastiches, and album sales soon topped a staggering 200,000 worldwide. Nobody anticipated the overwhelming success of what was essentially a quirky concept album, least of all the band themselves. This left the group with a new challenge. How could they please an adoring public that demanded another piece of the band, while still remaining true to their original concept? Marc Collin: "After the unanticipated worldwide success of Nouvelle Vague's eponymous debut album, it seemed obvious that we had to continue the project. Keeping to the original concept - re-arranging the greatest, but rarely covered early 80s post-punk numbers in an original and personal way - we tried to once again re-evaluate music that was seldom considered in terms of real songs." Named after an esteemed Jean-Luc Godard new-wave movie, forthcoming album, 'Bande à Part' once again draws inspiration from snapshots of an exotic, romanticised past, but draws on a range of new influences and sounds to achieve a different vision. Where the debut album was drenched in 'Girl From Ipanema' era Rio chic, 'Bande à Part' looks to an earlier period, and to different climes, for inspiration. In Marc's words: "I had the idea to set these songs in a very different dimension, namely the Caribbean between 1940 and 1970. Just as on the first album I'd imagined a young Brazilian girl singing 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' on a Rio beach in the 60s, this time I envisaged a young Jamaican with his acoustic guitar singing 'Heart Of Glass' in his Kingston township suburb." While retaining the laidback, summery vibe of the last album, this time elements of reggae, ska, calypso, salsa and even Haitian voodoo can be detected if you listen hard enough. Once again, the group have enlisted the services of several talented guest vocalists including several new voices. Gerald Toto is the first male to enter the fold, although his gender isn't immediately discernible from the sound of his voice, as his beguiling vocals are is inflected with masculine and feminine tinges. A definite highlight of the album, his beautiful rendition of 'Heart Of Glass' recalls 'The Tide Is High', Blondie's own stab at a reggae cover. Villeneuve lead-singer and M83 collaborator, Melanie Pain once again participates in several tracks on the new album, as do Marina Celeste, Silja, and the Australian, Phoebe Killdeer, who recently superceded Camille as tour vocalist. All are accomplished solo recording artists in their own right, and it is the subtlety and range of their vocals that separate Nouvelle Vague from the ten-a-penny competition found in the "chill-out" section of record stores. When it came to track selection, the group were hard pushed to come up with a more intriguing line-up than last time. The formula that worked so well on the last album has not been deviated from, with mouthwatering hits such as New Order's 'Blue Monday' rubbing shoulders with more unlikely numbers, like Billy Idol's shameless ode to masturbation, 'Dancing With Myself'. One of the most fascinating inclusions on the album is the ambitious reworking of Visage's gothic synth-pop standard, 'Fade To Grey'. Marc Collin: "I had a particular scene in my mind: a young blind girl singing 'Fade To Grey' in the corridors of the Parisian Metro, alone with her accordion, ignored by everyone." A real stand-out on the album, the haunting track serves as an effective testament to the craft of Nouvelle Vague, as the original is used as a mere canvas upon which their own vision is painted. Fans of the original artwork won't be disappointed either. The Guardian named 'Nouvelle Vague' as one of their 10 most beautiful album covers of 2004, and the latest installment is sure to garner similar accolades. Renowned fashion illustrator Julie Verhoeven was sought out for her edgy style of illustration that has previously been seen gracing the pages of The Face and Dazed And Confused, as well as the cover of Primal Scream and Kate Moss's 'Some Velvet Morning' single. While in keeping with the lo-fi, cinematic image of the first album she has managed to introduce a hint of the avant-garde this time around, with her hand-painted rendering of a shadowy female figure. Whether you like it or not, Nouvelle Vague are set to be the soundtrack of your summer once again, and you'll be hard pressed to find a more pleasant wave to ride. NOUVELLE VAGUE’S SECOND ALBUM, ‘BANDE À PART’ IS AVAILABLE NOW, ON PEACEFROG RECORDINGS AND PIAS. LIVE DATES INCLUDE: BIG CHILL, SUMMER SUNDAE, JAZZ CAFÉ PICNIC, SECRET GARDEN IN CAMBRIDGE AND THE CARLING WEEKENDER. JAZZ CAFÉ PICNIC FEATURING: ZERO 7, FEMI KUTI & POSITIVE FORCE, NOUVELLE VAGUE, BREAKESTRA, KOOP AND SNOWBOY & THE LATIN SECTION TAKES PLACE AT MARBLE HILL, TWICKENHAM ON SUNDAY AUGUST 13TH. WORDS: CASPER CLARK

tags: | nouvelle vague | marc collin | volga select | dj | music | dance | ivan smagghe | more...

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