Sam O.B. (fka Obey City) Shares New Single, Announce North American Tour

Late last year Brooklyn producer, DJ and multi-instrumentalist Sam Obey, introduced us to the newest iteration of his musical self; Sam O.B., a project described by the artist as “a truer reflection of [him]self musically and artistically than ever before.” Obey, who has gained notoriety as cofounder of beloved Brooklyn label Astro Nautico and acclaim for his production collaborations with a long list of New York musical talent (from Kelela to Flatbush Zombies, Zebra Katz to Olga Bell), showcases a side of him most are not familiar with: the band frontman.

He previously shared the lively, funk and soul inspired cut “Common Ground,” and he returns today with another new track, “Midnight Blue.” NYLON premiered the track this morning, saying it “feels groovy to the core,  as Obey warmly whispers into your ear while the distorted synthesizers and chines bounce around the “cowboy shuffle” of live drums.

‘Midnight Blue’ is a song I starting writing years ago before finally coming back to it. Everything is slightly detuned and pitched to give it this stoned, viscous feeling, which ended up translating into the lyrics. The live drums during the verses breaking into the “cowboy shuffle”, as my engineer Benjamin likes to call it, really helped inject energy and create a stark contrast from the choruses which are drawing you under the surface....sort of like a warped cassette tape fluctuating with speed. Every good song needs a bit of ying & yang after all.
— Sam Obey on the track

Obey also announced today, his first full North American tour as Sam O.B. See dates below.

Tour Dates

6.21 - Club Café - Pittburgh, PA

6.22 - Pyramid Scheme - Grand Rapids, MI

6.23 - Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL

6.24 – Daytrotter - Davenport, IA

6.25 - 7th St Entry - Minneapolis, MN

6.26 - Handsome Daughter - Winnipeg, MB

6.29 - Biltmore Cabaret - Vancouver, BC

6.30 – Barboza - Seattle, WA

7.01 - Hawthorne Theatre - Portland, OR

7.03 - The New Parish - Oakland, CA

7.06 - The Echo - Los Angeles, CA

07.07 - Valley Bar - Phoenix, AZ

07.08 - Lowbrow Palace - El Paso, TX

07.11 – Masquerade - Atlanta, GA

07.12 – Neptunes - Raleigh, NC

07.13 – Songbyrd  - Washington, DC

07.14 - Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia, PA

07.15 – Sunnyvale - Brooklyn, NY

Nick Hakim Shares Psychedelic Animated New Video From Album 'Green Twins' Out May 19 via ATO

Nick Hakim will release his debut full length album Green Twins on May 19 via ATO Records, and is set to head out on tour this month, including an album release show at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom on May 17. The New York-based musician just premiered a psychedelic new animated video on Pitchfork—directed by Micah Buzan—for the latest single from the album, “Roller Skates.” Watch it here. Hakim also recently released a live performance video of the album’s title track via Remezcla that can be seen here.

This song’s first verse is about a night when I got really stoned at my friend’s house and forgot to meet up with my partner. It was pouring rain outside and when I realized I was late, I biked through Bedstuy as fast as I could through the rain to find her but she was gone... the second verse is about patching it up, not leaving her house for a couple days. It’s a love song.
— Nick Hakim on "Roller Skates"
I wanted to tell a simple story about lonely characters who all desire something they can’t seem to get - be it love, a stuffed animal, or the ability to skate well. I also tried to make it kind of funny how their expectations don’t live up to reality. In the end, rollerskating unites all the characters as they join together in the roller rink. We might feel alone, but we’re all in this life experiment together.
— Director Micah Buzan on "Roller Skates" Video

TOUR DATES

May 11 Toronto, ON - The Drake Hotel

May 12 Montréal, QC - Bar Le Ritz PBD

May 13 Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall

May 14 Northampton, MA - Iron Horse Music Hall

May 17 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom

May 20 Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel

Nov 7 Bristol, UK - The Lantern

Nov 8 London, UK - KOKO

Nov 9 Manchester, UK - The Deaf Institute

Nov 10 Glasgow, UK - King Tut's

Nov 11 Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club

Surgeon, Monolake, Helm + more added to MUTEK Montreal 2017 Line-Up, Collaborations with London, Berlin, MX City and Barcelona Announced

Proud to be part of the official program marking Montréal’s 375th anniversaryMUTEK moves its dates to the end of the summer, August 22-27, and mobilizes its international connections to host four days of programming dedicated to the cultural metropoles of London, Mexico City, Barcelona and Berlin — exploring the contemporaneous and multi-disciplinary cultural and artistic links between Montréal and these global capitals.

This project offers an opening on the world, providing a seductive portal for visitors. The Society of the 375th Anniversary of Montréal appreciates this type of initiative, which demonstrates once again, that Montrealers value international perspectives and culture and are very much inspired by global connections.
— Alain Gignac, Director of the Celebrations of the 375th Anniversary of Montréal

Nestled in the heart of the emblematic Quartier des spectacles, the programs of this interconnected city-focused edition take place at the Society for Arts and Technology [SAT]Monument-National, Métropolis and on the free outdoor stage of the Esplanade de la Place des Arts.

 

New Names for MUTEK’s Expanded 18th Edition

Alexis Langevin-Tétrault — Interférences (String Network) (CA) / Anthony Child — Experimental Drone Set (UK) / Automatisme (CA) / Borchi (MX) / CECILIA aka BABI AUDI (CA) / Clip (BCN) / Deathprod (NO) / Demora (CA) / DeWalta & Shannon (DE+CA) / Driftmachine (DE) / EOP (CA) / EvilTapes (MX) / Filastine & Nova — Drapetomania (US/BCN+ID) / France Jobin (CA) / Fred P (US) / Helm (UK) / JMII (BCN) / Lao (MX) / Lucas Paris — AntiVolume (CA) / Maotik & Max Cooper (CA+UK)  / Max Cooper — Emergence (UK) / Maxime Corbeil-Perron — Imaginary Optics (CA) / Mexican Jihad (MX) / Monolake (DE) / Murcof (MX) / Myriam Bleau — Soft Revolvers (CA) / Oly (MX) / Omaar (MX) / Polar Inertia (FR) / Sau Poler (BCN) / Sensate Focus (UK) / Shiva Feshareki (UK) / Space Afrika (UK) / Sunny Graves (BCN) / Surgeon & Lady Starlight (UK+US) / Timbre (CA) / Upgrayedd Smurphy (MX) / Van Did (CA/MX) / Wooky& Alba G.  Corral (BCN)

The first peek at the festival’s schedule and trajectory of day by day events is now onlineMore names and activities will be announced soon. On May 16, the price of passes will increase and individual tickets go on sale.

Program Schedule: http://www.mutek.org/montreal/program

 

Inter_Connect Montréal / London

A powerhouse of contemporary culture, a trendsetting metropolis and a constant source of forward thinking new music and art, London comes to MUTEK with the partnership of the British Council. Along with both an outdoor and indoor program of music and audiovisual performances, the festival will also host resident digital artists as part of an exchange with the BarbicanSomerset House Studios will be represented by several of their residents and will curate one of their signature Nocturnal City events, while other discursive activities led by Sound Diplomacy will investigate issues relevant to music cities such as London and Montréal.

In addition to the Wednesday programs already dedicated to London, British Internet radio sensation NTS (www.nts.live) will present a showcase mixing cutting edge UK artists with locals to be streamed live and recorded.

Alexis Langevin-Tétrault — Interférences (String Network) (MTL) / Graham Dunning (LDN) / Helm (NTS Showcase) (LDN) / Maotik & Max Cooper — Hyperform (MTL+LDN) / Max Cooper (LDN) / Myriam Bleau  Soft Revolvers (MTL) / Sculpture (LDN) / Shiva Feshareki (NTS Showcase) (LDN) / Space Afrika (NTS Showcase) (UK)

 

Inter_Connect Montréal / Ciudad de México

Leveraging MUTEK’s already considerable ties to Mexico’s capital, cultivated through 13 editions of MUTEK Mexico, the oldest capital city in the Americas and a modern, “alpha” global metropolis, CDMX is a hotbed of activity for contemporary art, music and food culture with an ascendant international profile. Presented with the support of the Agencia Mexicana de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollothe Secretaria de Relaciones ExterioresConsulado General de México en Montréal and the Ministry of International Relations and La Francophonie of the Government of Québec, the activities representing Mexico City on Thursday will treat Montréal to the dynamism of this both ancient and young, super-city.

Borchi (CDMX) / Cecilia Aka Babi Audi (MTL) / EvilTapes (CDMX) / Lao (N.A.A.F.I) (CDMX) / Mexican Jihad (N.A.A.F.I) (CDMX) / Oly (N.A.A.F.I) (CDMX) / Omaar (N.A.A.F.I) (CDMX) / Upgrayedd Smurphy (CDMX) / Van Did (MTL/CDMX)

 

Inter_Connect Montréal / Barcelona

The capital city of Catalonia, Barcelona’s affinities with Montréal and Québec run deep — not just through 8 editions of MUTEK.ES, but through long standing socio-political bonds as well. With the support of Institut Ramon Llull and Barcelona City Council, the city’s mediterranean sensibilities in design, art and musical culture will reveal themselves in discursive activities with creators, and live performances throughout the day on Friday.

Clip (BCN) / Filastine & Nova (US/BCN+ID) / JMII (BCN) / Sau Poler (BCN) / Sunny Graves (BCN) / Wooky & Alba G. Corral (BCN)

Inter_Connect Montréal / Berlin

An international creative hub nourished by endless waves of artists and aspirants from all over the world, Berlin is a mecca of incessant creativity, technological innovation and provocative social, political and cultural activity. A place where club culture is recognized as high art, Berlin is represented musically by a mix of veterans and newcomers attracted by the city’s cosmopolitan effervescence, with support from the Goethe-Institut Montréal.

Africaine 808 (BLN) / Automatisme (MTL) / DeWalta & Shannon (BLN+CA) / Driftmachine (BLN) / Marie Davidson (MTL) / Robert Henke (BLN) / Monolake (BLN) / rRoxymore (FR/BLN) / Zip (BLN)

 

Current lineup below, with even more names to come:

Africaine 808 (DE) / Alexandre Burton & Julien Roy (artificiel) (CA) / Alexis Langevin-Tétrault (CA) / Anchorsong (JP) / Anthony Child (UK) / Aurora Halal (US) / Automatisme (CA) / Borchi (MX) / CECILIA aka BABI AUDI (CA) / Clip (BCN) / Daphni (CA) / Deathprod (NO) / Demora (CA) / Detroit Swindle (NL) / DeWalta & Shannon (DE+CA) / Driftmachine (DE) / EOP (CA) / EvilTapes (MX) / Filastine & Nova (US/BCN+ID) / Fis (NZ) / France Jobin (CA) / Fred P (US) / Graham Dunning (UK) / Harvey Sutherland (AU) / Helm (UK) / Herman Kolgen (CA) / JMII (BCN) / Kara-Lis Coverdale (CA) / Kuniyuki (JP) / Lao (MX) / Lucas Paris (CA) / Marie Davidson (CA) / Maotik & Max Cooper (CA+UK) / Max Cooper (UK) / Maxime Corbeil-Perron (CA) / Mexican Jihad (MX) / Michela Pelusio & Glenn Vervliet (IT+BE) / Monolake (DE) / Murcof (MX) / Murcof & Jimmy Lakatos (artificiel) (MX+CA) / Myriam Bleau (CA) / Nicola Cruz (EC) / Oly (MX) / Omaar (MX) / Polar Inertia (FR) / Robert Henke (DE) / rRoxymore (FR) / Sarah Davachi (CA) / Sau Poler (BCN) / Sculpture (UK) / Sensate Focus (UK) / Shiva Feshareki (UK) / Space Afrika (UK) / Sunny Graves (BCN) / Surgeon & Lady Starlight (UK+US) / Timbre (CA) / Upgrayedd Smurphy (MX) / Van Did (CA/MX) / Wooky & Alba G. Corral (BCN) / Zip (DE)

 

Audiovisual Creation Contest: The Next Era

MUTEK presents an international audiovisual creation contest for artists under 30 years old on the theme of the Anthropocene, the "Next Era". Participants are asked to produce an original audiovisual composition that may not exceed 3 minutes. The 5 finalists will be exhibited at the Centre for Sustainable Development and will receive prices from Roland, Moog Audio, Derivative, Ableton, and Mettle. Submissions close on June 2. See the details of the contest here.

 

LINKS

Artist biographies

Promotional video on Youtube

Upload the promotional video

Get familiar with the artists of the second wave with this playlist

Box office

Website

Press Kit: http://bit.ly/mutek2017-press-kit

 

ABOUT MUTEK

MUTEK is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing, promoting and distributing emerging forms of digital creativity and electronic music. Its mission is to sponsor and support the most original and visionary practices in these fields. MUTEK’s main activity is the presentation of a yearly festival held in Montréal since 2000. The 18th edition will be held August 22 to 27, 2017. Well known for its innovative content, the MUTEK festival constitutes a unique cultural experience valourized by diverse publics all over the world. MUTEK also maintains other local and international activities, namely annual festivals in Mexico City, Barcelona, Tokyo and soon Buenos Aires.

 

ABOUT THE SOCIETY FOR THE CELEBRATION OF MONTRÉALS 375TH ANNIVERSARY

The Society for the Celebration of Montréal’s 375th Anniversary is a non-profit organization whose mission is to organize the celebrations and socioeconomic contributions that will mark Montréal’s 375th anniversary in 2017. With a focus on promoting Montréal expertise, it acts as a catalyst for local forces in carrying out its mandate: to mobilize the community, implement a funding strategy, rigorously manage public funds, develop quality programming and ensure the visibility of the celebrations.

The Society benefits from the support of the Ville de Montréal, the Québec government, the Canada government and private funding from 12 Great Montrealers. For more information, see http://www.375mtl.com 

You can find all our press releases and additional pictures and videos in our virtual press room.Get all the latest news in real time on our Twitter feed: @375Mtl.

Follow us on Facebook.

To learn more about the contribution of the Québec government to Montréal’s 375th Anniversary celebrations, click here.

 

Stream New Zealand's Fazerdaze's Debut LP Via The Fader

Fazerdaze (a.k.a. Amelia Murray) shares her much-anticipated debut album Morningside exclusively via The Fader, who wrote; "It's a scrappy bedroom record made with heart, whose DIY set-up belies a complex set of ideas hiding in its psyche." The LP is due out on New Zealand's esteemed Flying Nun label on May 5th, and blends Murray's trademark dreamy sounds with deeply personal lyrics, marrying catchy pop songs with an underlying melancholia.

Fazerdaze's live shows are intoxicating and you can catch her and the band at the remaining dates on their UK & EU tour. Following stand-out performances at Handmade FestivalLive at Leeds and Sounds From The Other City, they are due to appear at London's Thousand Island (formerly Upstairs at The Garage) on 4 May, as well as The Great Escape.

UK + EU TOUR DATES:

Wed 03 May - Bristol, UK - Louisiana

Thu 04 May - London, UK - Thousand Island

Fri 05 May - Bournemouth, UK - The Anvil

Sat 06 May - London, UK - Shacklewell Arms (Kagoule All-Dayer)

Mon 08 May - London, UK - Rough Trade East [In-store]

Tue 09 May - London, UK - Bush Hall (Supporting We Are Scientists)

Thu 11 May - Amsterdam, NL - Sugar Factory (Supporting Happyness)

Fri 12 May - Ghent, BE - DOK (Supporting Happyness)

Thu 18 May - Brighton, UK - The Great Escape Festival

Fri 19 May - Hamburg - Cardinal Sessions Festival

Sat 20 May - Cologne - Cardinal Sessions Festival

Mon 22 May - Paris, FR - French Escape Festival

Fri 26 May - Amsterdam, NL - London Calling Festival

Sat 27 May - Neustrelitz, DE - Immergut Festival

Tickets: www.higher-plains.com/tickets

THE DRUMS Release New Single "Heart Basel"

The Drums' forthcoming album "Abysmal Thoughts" is already being lauded as a return to form, and today the band reinforces that notion with a new, quintessential Drums single. "Heart Basel," the second single off of the band's fourth full-length, is yet another excellent, summertime-primed pop gem. Listen to the track HERE.

Photo Credit: CyCy Sanders

Photo Credit: CyCy Sanders

I went through the most significant breakup of my life during the making of “Abysmal Thoughts.” During that vulnerable period, I attached myself to this guy who did not care at all for my feelings, but was good at pretending that he did. In retrospect, I think I knew deep down that he didn’t give a shit about me. But I continued to let him treat me like garbage because I thought if I had this handsome guy with me that somehow I wasn’t doing too bad. Of course now - with some professional help - I see that I was just lacking self-love and while it’s unhealthy to stay in that headspace for very long, it does make for good songwriting. ‘Heart Basel’ is a song about him treating me ‘kindly’ at Art Basel in Miami and then treating me like garbage after he got what he needed. You live and you sometimes learn.
— The Drums' frontman Jonny Pierce on the new song

Tour Dates
July 17th: Neumos - Seattle, WA

July 18th: Venue - Vancouver, BC

July 19th: Wonder Ballroom - Portland, OR

July 21st: The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA

July 22nd: FYF Festival - Los Angeles, CA

July 30th: Wayhome Music and Arts Festival - Oro-Medonte, ON

July 31st: El Club - Detroit, MI

August 1st: Bell's - Kalamazoo, MI

August 3rd: Lollapalooza - Chicago, IL

August 4th: The Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH

August 5th: Hifi - Indianapolis, IN

September 14th: Teatro Barcelo - Madrid, Spain

September 15th: Razmatazz - Barcelona, Spain

September 16th: Donostia Kutxa Kultur Festibala - San Sebastian, Spain

September 18th: Latteria Molloy - Brescia, Italy

September 19th: Les Docks - Lausanne, Switzerland

September 20th: La Gaite Lyrique - Paris, France

September 24th: Pumperhuset - Copenhagen, Denmark

September 25th: Parkteateret - Oslo, Norway

September 26th: Kraken - Stockholm, Sweden

September 28th: Lido - Berlin, Germany

September 29th: Orangerie - Brussels, Belgium

September 30th: Paradiso Noord - Amsterdam, Holland

October 2nd: Thekla - Bristol, UK

October 3rd: Whelans - Dublin, Ireland

October 4th: Academy 2 - Manchester, UK

October 5th: Art School - Glasgow, UK

October 7th: o2 Shepherds Bush Empire - London, UK