MOG - triff's Posts

FreeBass, Peter Hook interview on Pitchfork

triff — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 02:30:17 GMT

Missed this completely! From a Peter Hook interview on Pitchfork: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/51437-peter-hook-talks-new-order-split-dvd-joy-division

In short, Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order), Mani (Stone Roses, Primal Scream) and Andy Rourke (The Smiths) have formed, err, a band with three bassists. Interesting. Might break my speakers tho...

He also talks about the New Order split.

Right, I'm off on safari to hunt down anything that might already be floating around out there in the intra-webnet-o-sphere... Intrigued, to say the least.

PH: Freebass is coming along quite well, really. If I didn't have to work for a living as a DJ, it'd be done a lot quicker because DJing can be quite arduous. I enjoy it a great deal, all of us do-- Mani, Andy Rourke, and I DJ professionally, and we do it a lot. And we're trying desperately to fit Freebass in between, which is proving to be a little bit annoying now, because as it's sounding better and better, we're more desperate to finish it. So it's coming along quite well.

We now have a vocalist, Gary Briggs from a band called Haven from Manchester. He's done great. We've done four tracks already with him. And we've got three, four guests probably. I'm one of the guest vocalists. We've got eight tracks finished, and hopefully in the next couple of months we'll have another eight finished and then we'll be ready then. Thank the Lord!

Pitchfork: So you think you'll have a record out by next year, hopefully?

PH: You know what? If we haven't got a record out by next year, I'm hanging my fucking boots up. I'm desperate to get it finished. I want to get it finished for February or March in the hope that we can do the festivals next year, because to be honest with you, while I enjoy DJing immensely, there's nothing like strapping on the old bass and hobbling around the stage!

Pitchfork: Ah, so it's definitely going to be a live outfit as well, then?

PH: Oh God, yeah. I mean the whole reason that Mani and I started the band was to play live. We're looking at the song as a hurdle that is stopping us from playing live, so the idea is to get the songs done so we can play live.

Pitchfork: I've also heard that you were trying to get Billy Corgan to sing?

PH: Yeah, Billy offered his services, and was provided with a couple of tracks. I'm still waiting, so if he's listening out there: Billy, get on with it!

We actually have a few guests. It was quite easy, really. Both Mani and I have a lot of friends in this business, obviously, and when we're working together I think a lot of people are really very interested in what we're doing. So people like-- [Charlatans frontman] Tim Burgess has done a great vocal. [Wah! guy] Pete Wylie's done one, [celebrity ex-drug dealer] Howard Marks has done one, and at the moment we're waiting for Billy Corgan. The guy from Bloc Party's doing one, Kele [Okereke]. And Ian Brown [ex-Stone Roses]. And Mani keeps saying to me that Liam's going to do one, Liam Gallagher [of Oasis], but he's proving very difficult to track down.

Pitchfork: Ha, I can imagine. So that's pretty much a who's who of British music over the last 20-odd years, apart from Billy Corgan.

PH: It's just a compliment to us, really, that people are willing to help, which I can't thank them enough for. I mean I also think that, groupwise, it's very important to have your own identity. So while having eight fantastic singers is a real luxury, you need to have your own core and your own heart. I'm pushing Gary very much to form the backbone of Freebass.

Pitchfork: Speaking of backbones, do you all play bass?

PH: Yeah, on four tracks, actually, all three of us play bass. Which is quite funny because when we originally plotted this project, everybody was laughing so hard at the fact that three bass players were together. I'm delighted to have proved them wrong, to be honest.

Pitchfork: And your playing style has certainly always been a lot more melodic than most...

PH: It works really well. Mani and I work together very well. Andy Rourke brings a different dimension. He and Mani work together very well and form a really interesting backbone. Andy's very funky. Mani's quite rocky, quite Northern soul-y. And obviously I sort of float up there, I float above it with the melody and the high bass. So it does, amazingly, work.

Pitchfork: Are there drums and guitars and other instruments?

PH: Yes, oh yes. It's a normal format. Andy Rourke plays a lot of guitar, and the tracks-- as I said, there are three or four tracks where we all play the bass. There's quite a lot of reggae in it, which I said to Mani, "Where did that come from?"

Pitchfork: How soon will we get to hear some of it?

PH: We're just putting up a Freebass MySpace page at the moment with the finished tracks and the demos. I don't see any reason not to put the demos up so people can hear the music before the vocals; then when you get the vocals, you can hear a big difference.

Pitchfork: Are you producing your own stuff as well?

PH: Yeah. I mean I don't see any reason to give all our money away, the way we did with New Order, so I'm going to produce the bulk of it. We need someone to mix it. The interesting thing about DJing is that I hear so much music mixed by so many people these days, you can get someone who you think is really interesting to do a mix.

Good enough to tempt me back?

triff — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:26:36 GMT

OK, so I've neglected MOG. Not Forgotten (extra points for spotting the reference there) but definitely on the back burner, wherever that is. But what are these mystical new features???

I have no idea. I got the mail, I scanned it, didn't make sense so I'll read it tomorrow.

It'd be nice to come back, I left some warm and some furry things lying around somewhere, just need to find 'em..............

Killing In The Name Of SebastiAn

triff — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 20:41:31 GMT

Well, this is pretty storming - sounds sorta like a bunch of robots having an impromptu riot in a bucket of combs. Enjoy, you crazy kids!

Get it here: http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=57910

Glastonbury...

triff — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 01:07:42 GMT

7h43m... :]

Piracy...or: "On leaked copies of foley room"

triff — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 15:06:24 GMT

thoughts? mine are on his blog here: http://www.myspace.com/tobinamon

"Here is a note from Amon's Logbook at www.amontobin.com

=====

march 5, 2007 on leaked copies of foley room:

well the debate about illegal downloads has obviously been raging for some time. some blame it for the crisis the music industry is currently facing, others herald this as a new utopian era for the consumer. contrary to the oversimplified views sighted by both ends of the spectrum I believe this to be a fairly complex issue with radically different implications for different artists and labels.

with this in mind I see no point in entering into debate on the general issue here. nor would I consider it my place to tell people what they should or shouldn't do. all I can comment on with any certainty is how all this has affected me personally and in light of my nearing release this might be of interest to those of you who've expressed an interest in my music.

over the last few months I've received a surprising amount of mail from people who'd downloaded 'foley room'. the comments are very positive and many encourage me to "keep on doing what you're doing" for which I am thankful.

today, the release date for my album, it's unlikely that you will see it in most high street shops and after the initial run it's unlikely that you will be able to order a copy even from online stores. this is because in-spite of more people having access to and apparently listening to my music than ever before, the predicted sales of the record were so low that it didn't justify the manufacture or distribution to any significant level. strange? not when you consider how hard it might be to convince any retail outlet, physical or digital, that they should try and sell something everybody could already get for free months beforehand.

so what does this mean in the wider context? who the fuck knows. like I say I won't speculate on the wider picture and you can draw your own conclusions as to what this means with regards to my own future output. again I stress that I'm not talking about what should happen here. I'm not saying I should be able to 'keep on doing what I'm doing' or even that my record deserves to be bought. all I'm saying, mainly for the benefit of those who might otherwise have been unaware, is that if you personally like what I do and wish to continue hearing more then the only way that will happen is if you support it."

Foley Room

triff — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 15:45:22 GMT

Foley Room, genius, that's all, go listen... :)

"There's nothing new about field recordings of course. It's obviously been the traditional source material in sampling since the early days, so I'm really going "back to school" on this one. On the other hand, I always saw a divide between music that was based purely on sound design and tunes that were written to physically move people. A challenge for me has been to try and make 'tunes' using aspects of sound design normally associated with highbrow academic studies in this area. I don't know how successful I've been but that was a goal anyway." - Amon Tobin

triff — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 17:16:05 GMT

You are now one of The Nicoles's Trusted MOGs.

Status: Below the Radar Last Songs Played: No items in this list. My Digital Music Collection. Sorted by tracks per artist: The Nicoles Posts: The Nicoles – now being played on radio 1

Dunno about the other 67 (so far) of you but i'd rather drop a MOG than bother listening to their shameless self-promotion... :)

What is this, MySpace?

triff — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 17:08:56 GMT

You are now one of The Nicoles's Trusted MOGs.

Status: Below the Radar Last Songs Played: No items in this list. My Digital Music Collection. Sorted by tracks per artist: The Nicoles Posts: The Nicoles – now being played on radio 1

Dunno about the other 67 (so far) of you but i'd rather make this post than listen to 'em...

CSS video comp

triff — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 11:52:50 GMT

Time to warm up AE... :) From MySpace:

"(Please read this with Padma's from Top Chef voice)

In this challenge you have 5 diferent footages of us in a green background singing/ playing/dancing Alcohol. You can download them and make a video with a twist.

You'll have to give the best of yourself. Because in the end six judges will choose one winning video.

The winning video will win 2000 euros and the title of "TOP CSS video"

This is the link to the Green Screen Video Contest or just a Fun Green CSS video to watch if you don't have After Effects.

http://it.qoob.tv/users/comp.asp

Have fun!!

XXX CSS"

triff — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 17:46:08 GMT

Here's a few photos taken at JB's, Dudley, UK, 01.02.07. Seems they're a band with a few entries so apologies if you bump into these twice or whatnot. Ace night, last gig of my 20's in a venue I spent most of my teens drinking illegally in, usually reeking of some plant matter or other too. Ah, bless...

Gratuitous Simonon Rock Pose(tm)

triff — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 20:44:42 GMT

Posting this here just to knock the heretic nay-sayer off the top slot ;)

JB's, Dudley, 01.2.07 - lots more where this came from...

Freebie Erol Alkan mix on the front of (shudder...) Mixmag

triff — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 22:08:51 GMT

Just one for the UK'ites i think.

Just picked up Mixmag from the local newsagent for the first time in about ten years. Needless to say I immediately binned the mag, washed my hands with bleach and jammed the disc into my PC. Rather good, and definitely worth the embarrassment + £4. Caught him a few weeks back in Manchester, totally storming set, day-glo warpaint and poppers everywhere, what a mess...

Track list here...

CD copy protection, DRM etc... [/rant]

triff — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 20:10:07 GMT

So what's this all about? I buy a CD, using money, like all the rest, and have to give it a first listen on my PC 'cos my flatmate's using my amp/speakers to watch some daft TV nonsense next-door. But... I can't just play it as an audio CD. I can wade through then accept thousands of words of End User License Agreement I can't be arsed to read, then listen via some autorun interface or rip it as crappy 192Kbps DRM'd .wma files. At least I can playlist it then, but will my phone play that as it would if i could've ripped it to 320Kbps mp3? Can I only listen to this on devices that support DRM? What's this 'you can burn 3 backup copies' all about, will those CD's fit in my mp3 player? I think not...

I appreciate artists need to protect their work - but I'll seriously consider not buying an album in future because I can't choose how I want to listen to it. I'm legally allowed to listen to music I own a copy of however I choose to, but in this day of electronic gadgetry I really feel this is just putting excessive limitations on that - and could (should?) end up having the opposite effect to what was intended and making me not bother in future.

Not sure why i like them...

triff — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 21:24:18 GMT

Recently tripped over Bonde Do Role via Diplo and Cansei De Ser Sexy, not entirely sure why but i'm really liking what little stuff they've released, especially the Melo Do Tobaco EP. Never thought I'd hear Henry Mancini, The Darkness, Manfred Mann, bits of the Grease soundtrack, Aphex Twin and Alice In Chains spewing from the same record... Mash-ups and shouty MC'ing are fine (FFFIIIINNNE!!!) but it seems hard to tell who's hiding behind it all sometimes, hoping their debut album will fix that whenever it makes an appearance.

http://myspace.com/bondedorole

CSS at Manchester Academy, 11.12.06

triff — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 20:23:22 GMT

My first mog... blush S'pose I'll see what this is all about then...

Been looking forward to this one for ages. I remember the first time I heard CSS after a nod towards their myspace page back in September, loving the infectious, jangly melodies, daft lyrics and 'f*ck you' attitude but not really knowing why. Well, the album has barely left my CD player or Walkman since, so expectations were pretty high, particularly after the postponement from November after they took an opening slot on a certain Basement Jaxx tour the same night...

The support band 1990s were watchable but the singer clearly needs to realise he's not Bobby Gillespie (clap, clap, yeah! woo! etc) - but nothing was really going to prepare us for the explosion of CSS onstage and the intense set that followed. Lovefoxx is incredibly cute (which is never a bad thing...) and on the whole they seem to project an aura of just being there to have a good time, and if a packed crowd of other folk like what they're doing and want to join the party, then the more the merrier.

They lack the polish of better established bands but more than make up for that with pure old-school in-yer-face raw energy, exactly what you'd expect from a band that formed to get drunk and meet people. It seemed like throughtout the gig, the whole crowd was shuffling en-masse towards the stage with Lovefoxx continually chatting away between tracks in that quirky pigeon-portugese-brazillian-english mash-up with all it's extended r's whilst Carolina, Adriano and Luiza fought over who'd get the drums this time round. Ira and Ana were the only two who seemed content with their (possibly random) choice of instrument and happy just to get on with it.

I won't pretend to rember the setlist (far too much alcohol had been disposed of before they even came on) but about every track from their album was covered, the crowd going mad for more with each and getting it, we even got a post encore apology of not having any more material. Hey, there's always next time - roll on February!

A great night all in and everything I'd hoped it would be. Definitely up there in my top 3 gigs of 2006 and well recommended. www.csshurts.com