Wed 30 Jun – Bonobo & Brasstronaut at Coastaljazz
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Read The Bastard!

Bonobo / Brasstronaut
Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver BC June 30
By Alan Ranta

It was obvious from the get-go that the sound guy had big job bringing the mix for Brasstronaut's set into balance, with the vocals overbearing in the opening seconds and feedback creeping in here and there. As such, the Vancouver collective started a little slow, but by the end of the first song, they fell into a groove. Lead singer/pianist Edo Van Breemen felt comfortable enough by the third song to dedicate a track to…

Read entire article at PopMatters…

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"There are things that you find by chance on vinyl that you never imagined, and vice versa when you go out with mics. A lot of emphasis is put on the origins of sound in sample-based music, and I really think it's important, but it's even more important what you do with these sounds: how they're put together, manipulated and arranged. If you think about it, lots of people have said that I have a particular sound, which is odd when you consider that all my material comes from other places. " – Amon…

Read entire article at PopMatters…

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“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, in his MySpace blog.

A Picture Worth a Thousand Beats: The Early Years
The roots of electronic music are planted in the theoretical and experimental camps of early 20th…

Read my review at TinyMixTapes: Sasquatch! 2010: YEAH, MEH, BLEH
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Upon reflection of my second Sasquatch experience, I can now say that this is officially my all-time favorite music festival. Despite facing an astounding amount of cigarette smoke (sadly watching the butts subsequently rival the amount of grass at the stunning Gorge Amphitheatre), crappy food, insane lines, pee-related incidents, and the embarrassment of seeing Canadian flags consistently waved by the craziest and drunkest of my fellow countrymen, the crowd that gathers there is second to none. It is a testament to the quality of their overall character that the…

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Here is my complete Sasquatch Music Festival experience, as published by Tiny Mix Tapes. This should give you a good sense of the festival on the whole, as well as the quality of the line-up from this specific year. Enjoy!

I loved Of Montreal, Loch Lomond, Ra Ra Riot, The Submarines, Gogol Bordello, DeVotchKa, and The Red Wine Boys, while Kings Of Leon, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Crystal Castles, Passion Pit, and Animal Collective left much to be desired.

Check it: http://www.tinymixtapes.com/features/sasquatch-music-festival-2009
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Sat 23 May – Sasquatch!…

Tipper
Awesome. His back was totally destroyed in a car accident, so he can barely move on stage. Yet, he can still scratch with insane precision, and his production and mixing are flawless. He is one of the best electronic musicians in the world.

Glitchy & Scratchy
Typically you learn how to mix before you scratch, and these douchebags could do neither. What a waste of a great name.

Vibesquad
Greasy, so greasy… greasy smile, greasy funk samples, greasy bass, greasy.

Fri 3 Jul – Uprising Media Festival

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01. Ballboy - Songs For Kylie feat. Belladonnakillz
02. Miho Hatori - Lost In Your Arms
03. Capitol K - Love In Slow Motion
04. The Electric Prunes - I Happen To Love You
05. Alexander "Skip" Spence - Diana
06. Justine - She Brings The Morning With Her
07. El Perro Del Mar - Jubilee
08. Fantastic Plastic Machine - There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)
09. Urbs & Cutex - The Thing
10. Carlos y Gaby - Happy Summer Solstice (I Love You, I Laugh You)
11. Clutchy Hopkins - Love Of A Woman…

Sat 8 Sep – The Brian Jonestown Massacre
This was one of the most unique concert experiences of my life for several reasons. Mainly, it was by far the sketchiest Vancouver event I’ve witnessed, and I’ve seen some pretty riveting bum knife fights in my day. My former roommate, my current girlfriend, and I had all smoked some sticky green before heading out from home (I’m a water pipe man, and those don’t tend to survive door checks). Despite my weed-fuelled anxiety, we arrived at the fabulously appointed and historically protected Commodore Ballroom on Granville Street well before the opening…