OK, this year we've already seen Justice. And Digitalism. And even Crookers. And Bloody Beetroots. And Dr. Lektroluv. And Tocadisco. And SebastiAn. And Boys Noize.
They 're all at I Love Techno. Great, but...I would suggest some fresh cool guys that make banging music.
1. Danger
He's not expensive, very unknown here, but rocking the place (only 50min show I recall, but still worth it). Somebody book him, please!
Still haven't seen him live. But he's on the iHeartcomix payroll with Franki Chan I guess. A lot of tours in the US. I love his Escape, Saloperie de Minimal, Poker Face, Superheroes,..man I could go on for hours, he's got a lot of great bangin' shit that needs to get out there soon.
He used to be a masked hero ;-) maybe that's why I like him :)
4. Rambrandt
Honestly I know nothing about this guy, but his track 'Alarm!' has been in my setlist for months now...and is my favourite song of 2008.
Great tune, the Atari is near, and so are the Germans. Must be good! :-)
I have no real video, but this will give you an impression.
More info about him is welcome!
There's a post on Data Sapiens, but it looks like chinese to me:
Check the line-up. Where are the people who told me that electro is passé? That it had its breakthrough since Daft Punk, and then only got worse? Well, the revival is here, and it's here to stay. The old techno (sorry Underworld & Dave Clarke) is getting very...boring, by the way. Although Dusty Kid is leading the way for a new techno era...and he'll be 16 years old at ILT2008! (at least he looks that age ;-) Watch and learn, you Ableton controllerists ;-)
The official and complete I Love Techno 2008 line-up:
RED ROOM – WHITE NOISE “Tonight you've turned this pyramid stage into the main stage”, said Karl Hyde after a fantastic concert at Rock Werchter and who are we to contradict that? Last summer Underworld has proved to still be one of the best live acts in the genre, and they come to I Love Techno to largely make up for last year’s cancellation due to illness. Other leading figures of techno in this hall are Dave Clarke – still one of the world’s best techno DJs who will, just like last year, broadcast his radio show “White Noise” live from I Love Techno and who is believed to be soon starting his own record label – and Robert Hood, one of the founders of the legendary Underground Resistance who has exercised an enormous influence on what would later be known as minimal techno. Dusty Kid is our techno tip for the future, a young Italian who has already been allowed to release records on among others Ellen Alien’s Bpitch label and has gotten remix assignments from among others Moby, Robyn and Armand Van Helden. Also for the first time at I Love Techno is Marcel Dettmann. This resident DJ of the Berlin Berghain club is currently being praised everywhere as being one of the most fresh and relevant techno producers and DJs for his mix of Detroit techno with dub and EBM influences. Our national colours are being defended by Pierre, the man behind the Less Iz More evenings and releases. Follow our newsletter and website because in addition, the opening spot in this hall can soon be won!
BLUE ROOM – BODY TO BODY In the year 2008 dance and indie-rock seem to smoothly melt into one another, 3 examples. Hot Chip provided one of last year’s most beautiful crossovers between pop music and dance with their album “Made In The Dark” and the single “Ready For The Floor”. Digitalism already established the bridge between post-punk and electro last year with their album “Idealism” and comes to prove on November 15th what they have to offer as DJs. Also from Germany is Booka Shade who come and present their long-awaited new CD “The Sun And The Neon Light” (a more song-oriented approach of trance, techno, electro and house). Behind the turning tables there is also room for three big names. With his mix of electro and techno, Boys Noize is without a doubt one of the hottest DJs of the moment and we are therefore proud that he wanted to take on the mix for the I Love Techno compilation. Tocadisco scored big club hits with “Morumbi” and “Streetgirls” and surprised with his debut CD “Solo”. Dr.Lektroluv needs no more introduction in Belgium and is starting to break through far beyond our borders. As a newcomer there is LA Riots from Australia, who were signed by Kanye West DJ A-Trak on his Fools Gold label and have already been allowed to work with tracks by among others Justice, Hot Chip and The Ting Tings.
YELLOW ROOM – MINUS PRESENTS CONTAKT Richie Hawtin is known for his urge for innovation – he evolved from techno and acid superstar under the alias Plastikman to one of the advocates of the minimal techno movement – and comes to this year’s I Love Techno with a very special event. “Contakt” takes place in a very limited number of places in the world and this as part of the tenth birthday of his label Minus. Expect a 6-hour long improvisation session in which at all times minimum 2 artists will share the stage. Besides the Don himself, Marc Houle, Troy Pierce, Heartthrob – whose recently released debut CD “Dear Painter, Paint Me” stands a chance of winning minimal CD of the year – , leading lady Magda and to conclude Gaiser will participate. And as if this is not enough, there is also the “Cube”. A LED installation with which the audience can not only download exclusive content to their phones through Bluetooth, but which will also create a live interaction between the audience, the music on stage and Ali Demirel’s visuals. How this works exactly, you will soon be able to read on our website. Before the Contakt event starts, there are a number of other performances by Minus related acts. Audion is, besides False and Jabberjaw, one of the many alter egos of one of the most talented techno producers of the moment: Matthew Dear. Marco Carola has been around for more then 10 years and we know him from his releases on Plus 8 and his own Minus sublabel 2M. Warming up is done by Kabale Und Liebe, the Dutchman Liron Van Daalen whose “Mumbling Yeah” was chosen as best track of 2007 by the prominent Resident Advisor. ORANGE ROOM – ED BANGER (yes baby!) We already indicated it. With labels such as Kitsuné and Institubes, Paris took over the torch from Berlin as centre of the dance scene. And with not forgetting Ed Banger: the brainchild of Pedro Winter, Daft Punk’s ex-manager who will give a DJ set as Busy P and bring a lot of good people to Gent. Showpiece is no doubt Justice who have revealed themselves as dance act of the moment thanks to their CD “†” and the singles “D.A.N.C.E”, “Never Be Alone”, “Phantom” and “DVNO” and will this time entertain with a DJ set at the festival. That same distortion sound can be found in Sebastian, who has already been named as the next big thing and has entered the public eye with his remake of Rage Against The Machine’s “Killing In The Name Of”. Top DJ Feadz, rapster Uffie and DJ Mehdi – definable as 21st century break-dance music – on the other hand, represent the label’s more hip hop and electro influences. And there are no less then 2 special guests in the Ed Banger Room! Birdy Nam Nam is a 4-headed collective that links spectacular turntablism to electro beats. Their new CD – with collaboration of among others Justice – will be released on the day of I Love Techno. About Crookers, they are the hottest remixers of the moment, because names like The Chemical Brothers and Chromeo have come knocking at these Italians’ doors.
GREEN ROOM Techno and dance are more then ever a worldwide event. I Love Techno favourite Umek and upcoming talent Matthew Hoag are both Slovenian. In Germany the most important dance magazine Raveline voted Felix Kröcher best DJ of the country before Sven Väth and Paul Van Dyk, while in Brazil DJ Murphy can be called the Ronaldo of DJs. The later in the evening, the more the pitch goes up in the green room. DJ Rush is still the king of hard techno. He recently signed Frank Kvitta to his Kne’Deep label and immediately brings him along to Gent. From the same family originates Pet Duo, who will perform their only live set this year on I Love Techno and will maybe even record a live DVD. SWITCH ROOM (njammie as well!) Just like in the previous two edition there will be a Switch Room to guarantee optimal convenience to the audience. In this round room with large video screens, the sets of different headliners can be followed through live streaming. But in the Switch Room we also like to give a chance to our tips for the future. Bloody Beetroots are just like Crookers and The Count & Sinden the billboard of the latest dance floor craze fidget house, a nervous mishmash of rave, garage and hiphouse. Again from France are Brodinski and Surkin. Brodinski debut “Bad Runner” that he made with Yuksek, quickly found itself in the record cases of people like Erol Alkan and 2ManyDJs. A new EP on Tiga’s Turbo Label and a remix for among others Mixhell are on the way. Surkin originates from the Institubes camp and intertwines his electro and techno productions with warm filterhouse sounds.
A packed Boiler at Pukkelpop for Dr.Lektroluv...you all need to have to get this cd!
It's a classic already! Hitting the stores September 8th, 2008!
1. Dr. Lektroluv - Pukkelpop Intro
2. Mr. Magnetik - You've Been Magnetized (Green Edit)
3. Machines Don't Care - Beat Bang
4. Fischerspooner - Danse En France (D.I.M. Remix)
5. John Acquaviva & Olivier Giacomotto - Sofa King
6. The Count Of Monte Cristal - My Condition
7. Jacknife Lee - Making Me Money (Switch Remix)
8. Foamo - Movin It Over Here
9. Ampersand - Fake Motherfuckerz
10. Hey Today ! - Walk Through (ISI-talism Remix)
11. Busy P - To Protect And Entertain (Crookers Remix)
12. Sound Of Stereo - Parrot Attack
13. Kid Cudi - Day 'N' Nite (Crookers Remix)
14. Moby - I Love To Move In Here (Proxy Remix)
15. SebastiAn - Momy
16. Digitalism - Yes, I Don't Want This
17. Hatiras & Jelo - Donkey Punch
18. The Subs - Naked Jack
19. Proxy - Dance In Dark
20. Fake Blood - Mars
21. Alex Gopher - Aurora
22. Shinichi Osawa - Star Guitar
23. Williams - Poltergeist (Original Mix)
This video is recorded the week after Pukkelpop at Decadence...listen...from Moscow with love....Proxy - Dance In The Dark...don't you adore this song, or what?
It's late, but finally...the big review of a smashing Pukkelpop 2008 with a lot of rock bands and a very interesting electronic music line-up. A lot of names I only know from blogs and online reviews. So check out my personal point of view...here we go!
DAY 1 Midnight Juggernauts: 9/10 Just arrived and we take off with my personal Pukkelpop discovery of 2008...I was so impressed I immediately bought the cd at the Extrazone Shop at Pukkelpop. Best buy of the summer, no doubt. The cd is so addictive and catchy, but the band is even better live. Wow! And Tombstone is in my summer top 5; love that vocoder!
Serj Tankian: 7/10 Tankian has that amazing warm voice that teaches you the anti-America way of life. I prefer his SOAD songs, but still, the man is totally nuts and does whatever he likes. Praise the Lord, pass the ammunition! The show was a little slow, and would have been better at a smaller location instead of the main stage. http://www.serjtankian.com/
Hadouken! 8,5/10 Known from the cool trashy artwork, some podcasts, and viral stuff. Glad I watched a show that rocked (with dirty synth sounds!) and appreciated by those freaky British trashkids. There is more than the French and German scene out there. A Streetfighter-worthy band! I certainly recommend "Liquid Lives" which made the crowd go totally insane! And check out these cool handgloves!
SebastiAn 6/10 The most promising producer of the Ed Banger played his party set. Certainly not his best performance, because of the weird/commercial setlist. But the kids liked it, Boiler on fire, no doubt about that. But we 've already seen his tricks and talked about it several times. Next!
The Ting Tings: 5/10 Not bad at all, but couldn't grab my attention for more than 2 hitsingles. It's not my peace of cake I guess, sorry hype. Dissappointing but crowded show.
Soulfly (too tired, so no score ;-) I was so tired, bloody tired, and went straight to bed after 20 minutes of Soulfly. They should install big amps at the back of the Shelter. This kinda music should be played loud all over the place, not just in the front. I even think I like the Cavalera Conspiracy show better at Graspop 2008.
Winner of the day: Midnight Juggernauts
DAY 2 Dusty Kid (Live): 8/10 If you think that Surkin looks like a 12-year old, wait till you see Dusty Kid. He is 12! :-) 2 laptops, great sound between minimal, deep and electro "Everytime, anywhere: Acid...piew, piew, piew..." Not bad for Italy...they 're finally crossing the border with more than pizza & vino rosso. http://www.myspace.com/dustylittlekid
The Count & Sinden 7,5/10 Ok, I admit. I only saw them on the monitors and only know them from some blogs (Beeper feat. with Kid Sister - you know? But that's a rather irritating song if you overkill it) So I missed the show, but it sounded very good on the tv+ speakers. http://www.myspace.com/countandsinden
Modeselektor & Pfadfinderei: 8,5/10 Surprise of the day. I didn't know Modeselektor kicked the bass that hard. Certainly a good live performance. And I didn't see them at Polsslag because I thought they were too "soft". Apologies, 'cause these guys kick ass! http://www.myspace.com/mdslktr
Deadmau5: 9/10 I had tickets to see Deadmau5 in Colombia in Januari 2008, but we decided not to go because of a dangerous road to get there and a bad mood with the (ex)girlfriend. Deadmau5 is know for great remixes, and this young Canadian will be on my "most promising artists" list. And you know what? Deadmau5 can't even mix 2 CDs or vinyls, he's a talented Ableton Live DJ (he's got the Lemurs!!!) using controllers and effect boxes. But he's respected by DJs all over the world, thanks to great productions. An example for all bed- and livingroom DJs!
The Reward is Cheese (live) - Deadmau5@ Pukkelpop 2008
Surkin: 7,5/10 His arrogance at Dour made me decide to see other bands but in the end we listened to his set from the back of the Boiler. He changed his tracklist and this time he played far better compared to the poor Dour performance. http://www.myspace.com/surkin
Erol Alkan: 5/10 Didn't have his day at Pukkelpop I guess, because it was really not good, sorry Erol. But you don't write bad things about the Gods, so I'll shut up & know you're going to make things right next time. (I Love Techno 2008?) http://www.myspace.com/erolalkan
Miss Kittin & The Hacker: 4/10 Last time I checked, Miss Kitten was fat, unsexy, looked exhausted, but the music was great (2 years ago). Now she appeared like a young disco queen in blue glitter outfit, with her partner in crime The Hacker...but the music sucked big time.
Metallica: 8,5/10 So I did not see Boys Noize, 'cause Metallica was headliner. My first Metallica concert ever, so yes I was really impressed. Only one thing, "Me Metallica, you Pukkelpop"? And euh...Lars, if you want to make people happy with some drums sticks, don't waste 15 min on giving them acting like the Hunckback of the Notre Dame. A bit childish communication with the crowd, a pity, cause they are still the most respected metal band in the world. But I've seen that attitude before...Deftones lead singer Chino Moreno is also a better musician than he is a communicator. So I guess rock stars need to act stupid sometimes. Anyway...the show was KABOUM! But the crowd lazy. "Yeahiyeaah!" http://www.metallica.com/
Winner of the day: Deadmau5
DAY 3 The Whip: 9/10 I only witnessed 20 minutes of the show, but now I wanna be trash too, and I become the trigger for your gun! ;-) Very impressive! Enjoy the live video! http://www.myspace.com/thewhipmanchester
The Bloody Beetroots: 8,5/10 Italy sends his masked heroes. And at Phantombynight.com we kinda like those acts :-)) And we can show their real faces, but then again, it's not a beauty contest, so let's focus on the music: forza bounce & trash! http://www.myspace.com/thebloodybeetroots
Late Of The Pier: 5/10 Erol Alkan helped LOTP with the production on the debut album, so we had high expectations. But they couldn't convince me. Not ready (too young?) for the big festivals. Daddy Erol, please teach 'em how to entertain the crowd please. http://www.myspace.com/lateofthepier
Crookers: 9/10 Everybody likes the Crookers! And maybe they were sad because we kicked Italy out of the Olympic games soccer that day. Anyway, they did very well. Hope to see you them again at I Love Techno! http://www.myspace.com/crookers
A-Trak: 8/10 Another Canadian talent, and firend of Boys Noize, they'll start touring together in September. A real DJ, winning prizes at the age of 15, but these days also very comfortable on the Serrato box. Apparently he was also the tour dj for Kanye West. But was he any good at Pukkelpop? Yes. http://www.myspace.com/djatrak
Bloc Party: 6/10 is Bloc Party I guess. Can't say much about it, I was eating delicious calamares, and that was far more tasty than Bloc Party. http://www.myspace.com/blocparty
Simian Mobile Disco: 8,5/10 What a show! They were stolen by Justice who unofficially claimed the "We are You Friends". song, but...Simian is hard, genuine, chaos synths, rave. The cd is so nice, and sweet & soft. Yes that's right. But the live show was powerful and the stage smokey but impressive. http://www.myspace.com/simianmobiledisco
Dr. Lektroluv: 8/10 Recorded his live album at Pukkelpop, coming out in a few weeks. The Boiler was packed so I didn't even see him...on the list: Papillon - The Subs, Busy P - To Protect & Entertain, Danse en France - Fisherspooner, etc. http://www.drlektroluv.be/
Etienne de Crécy: 9/10 Surprise of the day. The old man does it again! At Petrol he already convinced me with the right tunes. But his live show was convincing and very impressive! A cubic light show with 3D-effects that reminded me of the Daft Punk Show, except they are using the million dollar Pyramid of course ;-) http://www.myspace.com/etiennedecrecy
UPDATE: see the online video - more or less the same show!
Crystal Castles: 7/10 Is what you get when your Atari starts to behave like HAL in 2001 A Space Odyssey, and a hysterical wife with a joystick in her hands. I'd love to see a battle between the screaming voices of Vive La Fête & Crystal Castles. But I'm not sure who I'd slap first. A good album, a slightly over-acting live performance with screaming Alice Glass. http://www.myspace.com/crystalcastles
Conclusion
Freak of the week: Crystal Castles
Dissappointing: - Radioclit (that MC ruined everything) - Late of the Pier - The Ting Tings (boring)
Best show: Etienne de Crécy
Most promising: 1. Midnight Juggernauts 2. The Whip 3. Dusty Kid 4. Hadouken
RATM plays the music I grew up with as a teenager, but my mum didn't let me go to concerts (anger). So I watched my friends go to those massive rock festivals with all these awesome bands I only knew from my copied tapes (frustration). I was a teen in the middle of my puberty (rebellious). This was 15 years ago (unpatience).
Monday, 2nd June, 2008: Rage Against The Machine, Sportpaleis, Antwerp. RATM hasn't lost any energy in those 15 years. Zack de la Rocha jumps around like a wildman, and so do all his soldiers with him in the snake pit. Tom Morello still plays the guitar like a turntablist, and bass Tim Commerford has the same tattoo as me, hell yeah!
The crowd turns into a wild sea of jumping, sweating men, pushing eachother, lifting one guy after the other for a decent surf. It feels like it is a 1000°C down there. Yes, this is the concert you had to see & feel. I can imagine some girls had a nearly-dead experience, 'cause, make no mistake, this is not for puss**s.
And the concert itself? I'm not completely sure, but I seem to remember we took off with: Testify, Bulls On Parade, Bombtrack, Bullet In Your Head...somewhere in between Guerilla Radio, Calm Like A Bomb, Freedom, and it ended off course with Killing In The Name. The rest was a struggle to survive I will never forget.
So fuck Lost & the survivors of Oceanic 815, we survived RATM in Antwerp! ;-)
Oh, I almost forgot to mention: Serj Tankian was a good (and far underestimated) support act, but if the volume is turned down, you really can't get into the vibe. Shame on you, PA!
A pity, because he deserved better. Anyway, I adore his Sky Is Over. Check out the video, and support Mister SOAD.
...with...(oops) Justice...and even after an impressive show at the AB a few weeks ago, this set was different. First part sounded pretty like the last set, but the second half of the show (call it show, because it is show) was f***ing awesome.
Rammstein through the speakers and party galore, everybody was shaking, jumping, banging on every bleep they produced. I think I'm going to see them once again at Werchter (it's all coincidence, I swear ;-) and that 'll be the last time, for a long time, I guess.
Kaiser Chiefs. Again, these guys are masters in producing football anthems. They rocked the place, played with the audience, and seemed to have a lot of fun on stage. Way to go Leeds United FC! And yes Peanut still looks like a peanut.
Sorry Groove Armada...I was hungry, tired, thirsty and had to go to the "bathroom". It took me almost 45 minutes...but it sounded like a party from where I was s(h)itting.
Ending this festival day with screaming guitars: Foo Fighters, not with Rave Grohl, famous for dirty mixes & mash-ups, but with his unofficial brother Dave Grohl.
A great show, everybody got loco (including pogo) on the overload of drum & guitar solos, ending with the all-time Foo classic "All My Life", still my favourite FF track.
The Pinkpop organisation must have warned several times for a rain storm coming up, so we bought some kinky pink ponchos (5 ponchos, each 2 EUR, then sold one back for 10 euro to a fine young man,...don't we all like Dutch people? ;-)
MSTRKRFT fans? :-) "Hup Holland Hup...we're gonna win the Cup!" But not before Antwerp goes to First Division this year! (grin)
