Monthly Archives: January 2011

New From Fleet Foxes

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It’s about time that my favorite nu-Americana folk quintet Fleet Foxes released something new!  After wowing me with their Sun Giant EP and their landmark self-titled full-length, it’s been about 2 years since their last release. Their second album, Helplessness Blues is set to be released May 3rd of this year off Sub Pop Records.  This time around, rumor has it that former Blood Brothers and Past Lives member Morgan Henderson has joined the Fleet Foxes line-up and that the new album will strive to have a more raw and honest sound.  Frontman Robin Pecknold is quoted as saying about recording the new album:

“…I want the recording to be like two weeks. I want it to be really fast. I want to do all the vocal takes in one go, so even if there are fuck-ups, I want them to be on there. I want there to be guitar mistakes. I want there to be not totally flawless vocals. I want to record it and have that kind of cohesive sound.”

We’ll see if this hold true. Based on the title track below, I sense more Simon and Garfunkel than Neil Young, but I doubt the album will disappoint.

DOWNLOAD:

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Posted by Patrick

Little Dragon Interview

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We’re less than a week away from the much anticipated Little Dragon show at The Electric Pickle this Friday 1.28.11 here in Miami.  As you may have noticed, it’s an event we’ve been pushing hard since Little Dragon is one of our favorite contemporary bands.  Nightdrive and The Electric Pickle have been working together on this show for months now and can’t wait to see it all come to fruition.

This Swedish foursome brings a unique brand of electronic pop that doesn’t sound like it was inspired by a Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper.  Instead you’ll hear front woman Yukimi Nagano crooning jazzy riffs over structurally sophisticated R&B beats.  The diversity among their songs speaks to their ability to translate their “sound” into different tempos, beats, or genres.  Whether it be the slow and sweet ballad of Wink or the upbeat electro dance anthem like My Step, Little Dragon’s music has the artistic integrity to cut through the mass of short-lived buzz bands that we’re bombarded with on a daily basis.

So with the show fast approaching, we have a few treats for you here on the Nightdrive blog.  The first is an exclusive interview granted to us by Little Dragon for your reading pleasure.  The second is a ticket give-away for the show this coming Friday (see below interview).  Once again, all you have to do is email us the answer to the following question to info@nightdriveproductions.com.  The 20th correct email we get will be our winner!  Good luck and god speed…

INTERVIEW:

ND: Have you guys been to Miami before? If so what was your favorite part about it? If not what have you heard about it and what are you looking forward to?

LD: We have never been there. Always wanted to go, been to Florida a couple times though. What we’ve here’d about Miami… well I guess we learned everything we need to know from Miami Vice right?

ND: Word has it the next Little Dragon album is due out sometime this spring? Can you tell us about any new experiences or new interests that may end up influencing these future recordings?

LD: Yes spring is what we’re aiming for! Its going be different from Machine Dreams in some ways a little bit less electrontic but still experimental still pop songs sweet n sour but yummy

ND: Yukimi, you’ve been in other bands like ‘Koop’ where the sound and vocal stylings are obviously different, what other projects (if any) are you contributing to right now and what do these differences in sounds and genre represent to you?

LD: Koop was decades ago. Yea I used sing and the guys would play in different projects in the past but it was just to get by and pay the rent. Any collaborations that we do these days are all in the name of Little Dragon and it ha sto feel right. We have met so many great artist and love sharing ideas if the vibe is there. Loved working with Gorillaz that was a blast.

ND: (Rest of band) Are any of you guys contributing to other side projects? Do you guys collaborate with other musicians on a general basis?

LD: The guys are really productive with making beats n ideas so theres always open to give beats/songs that don’t fit LittleDragon to people.

ND: If you (all) could hypothetically pick any artist from any time and place (dead or alive) to work on a song with, who would you pick and why?

LD:  Prince, because we love him

ND: Working with Gorillaz is a pretty big deal, how did the collaboration come about and what are some of the things you took away from this amazing experience?

LD: Damon’s wife used to listen to our first album at home and thats how he learned about us. He invited us to his studio in London and we just jammed out came up with two songs and they ended up on the album.

ND: Off the top of your head, any memorable moments while on a “tour of the world” with those guys?

LD: So many Its all blurry…a lot great after parties with Maseo from DeLaSoul djing. Sharing the bus with Bobby Womack and listening to some of the most amazing stories about his life.

ND: What’s been the best environment for you to perform in overall? Favorite show, it’s setting, and why?

LD: We love all kinds of places If the sound is alright and people are up for dancing any hole in the wall can feel perfect.

TRACKS:

Little Dragon – My Step

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Little Dragon – Never Never

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Little Dragon – Blinking Pigs (1-O.A.K. ‘God Made Me Funky’ Remix)

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Little Dragon – Never Never (SBTRKT Remix)

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Little Dragon – Runabout (DJ Craze’s Carribean Refix)

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—-> Check out our previous post on Yukimi Nagano <—–

POSTED BY: Laura, Patrick, and Moshe

Team Rojas Remix Selebrities

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It’s no surprise that our friends, Selebrities, have gotten a lot of love and exposure from blogs to the UK’s Guardian, so we took the opportunity to record our very first remix of their newest single. Our love of boogie, classic house, and disco translated into our amalgamation. Recorded at (the very prolific) Kabuki Iron Kolors’ studio, we switched up a New Wave sound into a dance floor-appropriate dub.

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Posted by: Team Rojas

Soda Shop Interview

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Last month we introduced you guys to Soda Shop out of Brooklyn, NY. We’ve been fascinated with the 50s diner jukebox duo ever since so the obvious next step was to concoct a little blog interview. I’ve been listening to their track “Farewell” in the morning and it always seems to start my day out right (I also can’t get the line “…and we can have so much fun” outta my head).  If you want the band’s background info click here and for a more in-depth look check out the interview below:

ND:  Tell us about the Embassy show you guys met at in Brooklyn. Torbjörn (1/2 of the band) once described his shows as a bit of a spectacle. Was there anything that stood out about their performance that you would incorporate into your own shows?

DD: Well, I was actually playing with the Embassy on bass guitar, I’ve become good friends with them over the past two years, Torbjörn DJ’d our (Horse Shoes) set at Debaser Slussen in Stockholm. The show went well, by spectacle, I think Torbjörn means they are typically drunk prior to playing, so they dance and fumble around a bit. But at NYC, they were fairly sober and dead on.

MU: I had heard of their notorious craziness and was expecting a spectacle. Honestly they played and it was a perfect, fun and dancey set. Drew did a brilliant job with the bass.

ND: What is it about 1950s American culture that you find so captivating and influential?

DD: The simpleness of the song writing. Songs were to the point (under 3 minutes) and had a strong melody and catchy soulful lyrics.

MU: The simplicity of society back then as well. A more innocent time to be around, when necking at the drive-in was a thrill.

ND:  How do you guys balance being part of Soda Shop and your other respective projects (Horse Shoes & Selebrities) in terms of shows, marketing, and production?

DD: Soda Shop is still pretty fresh and in it’s construction phase as far as a live setup. With my other bandmate Jacob Graham being in the Drums, it leaves a chunk open for other projects. We only work on Horse Shoes together, so if he’s not around I turn my attention onto other ideas, I guess that’s where I fill the void with Soda Shop.

MU: I don’t sleep much. Jk! Somehow it has worked out really easy for me. Being good friends with Drew helps to schedule time to meet up and work on recording as well as watch a funny TV show.

ND: What other demographics does your music appeal to besides your typical young indie audience? What do people from your parents generation think?

DD: I think we’ve had a good reception all around, I know my mom (of course) and other family members had the music video to “Farewell” on repeat. I also have some friends who are in the goth/minimal wave scene who love it. I think the hooks, melody’s and melancholy vocals bring a little something for everyone. It’s simple and sparse, yet complete.

MU: My mom and dad love it. A lot of friends my age who listen to all kinds of music really enjoy it as well.

ND:  Who does what in the band? What instruments do each of you play? Who writes the lyrics and who composes the songs?

DD: I write and record all the instrumentation. I typically lay the ground work and send it to Maria who begins working on vocal melody’s and lyrics. I then record her and finish out the tracking to the songs.

ND:  Who is your favorite pop icon of the 1950s/60s and why?

DD: This is a toughie, I will have to say Colin Blunstone The Zombies were pure pop perfection and his voice, oh that voice!

MU: John Barry for creating that exceptional soundtrack to Beat Girl, amongst other films.

ND:  Coke or Pepsi?

DD: Coke! It’s an American staple. Of course nowadays you have to go out of the country to get the real stuff that doesn’t have corn syrup and all that junk in it.

MU: I would usually answer Coke. I tried Afri Cola in Berlin recently and it has become my favorite soda. I consume a lot of soda on a daily basis.

GRAB YOUR MP3s HERE

The Bruise Cruise

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So for all you garage/psych/lo-fi/raw-as-fuck rock n roll fans, the motherload is about to hit Miami in the form of the Bruise Cruise.  If you’re unaware, the Bruise Cruise is a 3 day boisterous and buoyant music festival held on a Carnival cruise ship that takes you from Miami to the Bahamas and back.  It kicks off on February 25th, but for those who can’t cough up the $600+ tickets (trust me, if I had it, I’d spend it), then the kick-off party at Grand Central will be right up your alley.  Pretty much all the featured bands will be giving the mainland a taste of what they’ll be missing.  So here’s our taste of that taste…

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Posted by Patrick Walsh

BAR | ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

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Tonight Los Angeles based duo NO AGE return to Miami for a live performance at Grand Central. Don’t be left out as this will be an awesome show! If you weren’t able to see them last time at Sweatstock you missed out. Don’t let it happen again. Joining them are special guests Rene Hell & Beings. But if you can’t make it don’t knee yourself too hard in the face as No Age will join Alex Caso for a special guest DJ Set at BAR for the venue’s ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY and official NO AGE after party. Girls, you’ll be so close you’ll actually be able to hand Dean and Randy your panties, or whatever it is you fans do at rock concerts!


Starfucker

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Starfucker is a completely underrated and overlooked band with an impressive upcoming release titled “Reptilians”. They’re from Portland and Joshua Hodges (vocals, keyboards, guitar, drums), Ryan Biornstad (guitar, keyboard, vocals, turntables), Shawn Glassford (bass, keyboards, drums), and Keil Corcoran (drums, keyboards, vocals) make up the fun-loving all boy crew. Their last 2 full length albums, Jupiter (2009) and Starfucker (2008), were definitely must-haves along with the few EPs in between- Reptilians is highly recommended as well.

All of the albums have been on WVUM 90.5 FM’s heavy rotation at some point or another causing DJs serious anxiety when having to say the band’s name live on air. We’ve called them everything from Star-effer to Star- F-word and it just keeps getting more entertaining with each new album. The station’s staff (especially Jona) seems really excited about this one so make sure to preview some tracks for yourself below.

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older tracks:

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P.S. They’ll be performing live alongside Casiokids on March 26th at BackBooth in Orlando.

Todd Terje

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I’ve been meaning to write about Norwegian “Cosmic Disco King” Todd Terje for a few months now. I know I always post about re-editors, remixers, and producers claiming they’re my favorite, but Todd Terje is really at the top of the list. He’s known for refurbishing unwanted disco tracks and for “clearing dance floors” at his gigs. The guy is quickly becoming a legend and has put out some fantastic 12″s and remix compilations.

In a recent interview Beat Portal asked Terje “As someone with a deep-rooted association with 21st century disco, what do you make of its resurgence (at least in the media) in the last year or so?”  I love Terje’s response….” On the one hand it’s great, because it’s introducing more people to disco, but on the other hand it means it’s time to move on. When the media catches on to something, it will surely die pretty soon, hehe. However, I don’t think “disco finally came back again”, it’s always been here, they just didn’t look in this direction.” This is how many of us are starting to feel. It’s kind of like when you see replicas of your favorite 80s band t-shirt sold at Urban Outfitters.

I’m curious as to what direction Terje will go in next,  keep in mind everything he touches turns to gold. We’ll make sure to keep you posted.

For now:

Todd Terje – Eurodans

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A’Studio – Life’s A Beach! (Todd Terje Beach House Mix)

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Afro Cuban Band -  Something’s Gotta Give (Todd Terje Rekutt)

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Grab another remix here

Happy Birthday Aaliyah

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Today, January 16th, 2011 would have been Aaliyah’s 32nd birthday. Unfortunately most of us remember hearing about Aaliyah Dana Haughton’s tragic plane crash 10 years ago on almost every news channel. Her and a production crew had traveled to the Bahamas to shoot the video for Rock The Boat. They arrived in a Cessna 404 and were scheduled to return to Opa-Locka August 25th 2001 on a Cessna 402, there seemed to be some confusion about the weight restrictions on the new aircraft which ultimately led to her death and that of 8 others.

However, today we celebrate her birth (not death).  By the time Aaliyah turned 22 she had completed 3 full length albums, released 2 blockbuster films (Queen of The Damned was released posthumously), and won over an international audience with her divine beauty and celestial voice. Her music lives on and has been sampled throughout so many genres. Aaliyah will always be cool and people will forever continue to freak out whenever they hear any of her jams on dance floors.

R.I.P.

Aaliyah – Rock The Boat (DJ Still Life Reggaeton In Helsinki Mix)

Soul Clap – Rock The Boat

Aaliyah – R U That Somebody? (Brenmar Windy City Mix)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5AAcgtMjUI]

Small Black

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Tonight Miami welcomes more Chill Wave visitors from Brooklyn. Small Black is scheduled to play at Bardot which has been stepping it up lately with cool indie bookings (How To Dress Well, Toro Y Moi, Matt & Kim, Edward Sharpe, etc). Small Black is “josh y ryan y juan y jeff”, they make “Acousmatic Tape music”, soothe you during rush hour traffic, and have really nifty album covers.  They’re currently on tour and we’re lucky enough to have made it on to their itinerary so make sure you put tonight’s show on yours.

Check yourself before you wreck yourself (tonight):

Small Black - Camouflage

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvAxnvtyC3o&feature=relmfu]