Deerhoof, Koko, London, 2.5.2007

My GCSE music teacher once told me that the structure of jazz is about 'question... answer... question... answer...' The problem with Deerhoof is that they're more 'question... answer... question... ELEPHANT!... PHOTON!... DIGNITY!' Their attention wanders so far and so frequently, it's probably discovered new planets. The San Francisco trio is one of those fun-loving avant-garde rock bands that America sprouts by the dozen but which we apparently don't make over here, and, like the Fiery Furnaces or Animal Collective, they put more ideas in each song than can possibly fit. On Friend Opportunity, their eighth album, which came out in January, this approach had great results: twee, elated, complex songs that drew on everything from Broadway musicals to seventies heavy rock.

But, live, it's not the same. A gig like this, craning your neck over a big crowd, invites full participation – you want the music to carry you along like an ocean current. But Deerhoof's constant chops and switches mean that every time you've started to enjoy part of a song, it's snatched away. The panicked riff from The Perfect Me, for example, drew a big cheer, but, too soon, it drops out, and singer Satomi Matsuzaki is cooing pleasantly away instead, and then before long that's gone too. This pinball quality is very entertaining, but at the same time it stops any real drama from building up, and it's pretty tiring after an hour – sometimes you just want some 'question... answer...', or, even better, some good old 'verse... chorus...'.

The band's skills still shine through, like Matsuzaki's surreal lyrics ('If I were a man and you a dog, I would throw a stick for you') and enigmatic hand signals, or Greg Saunier's frenzied drumming, but it's all just too alienating. I couldn't help comparing them to the brilliant Death Sentence: Panda!, who I'd seen a couple of days earlier and who come from a similarly childish, experimental dimension, but whose songs really felt like songs, not endurance tests. I'd still rather have one Deerhoof than a hundred British indie plodders, but, still: calm down, Deerhoof!

Dummy Blog Album of the Week: 'Boogy Bytes 3' mixed by Modeselektor

Modeselektor love silly, so I was worried this mix might be larded with novelty records. But, thankfully, apart from a pointless outtro and the nudge-wink electro-lounge of Siriusmo's Discosau, this instalment of BPitch Control's Boogybytes series is sixty-five eclectic minutes of gritted teeth and moppable brows as the Berlin duo explain what techno means in 2006. There are lots of hits here, including Spank Rock's Rick Rubin, Radiohead's Idiotheque, and Skream's Midnight Request Line, which makes this good for parties, but it's also a shame they went with such obvious choices – well, not obvious for a techno mix, but overfamiliar nonetheless. The last of those is one of four dubstep tracks, along with Burial, Various Production, and the Plastician, and all of them fit beautifully, apart from Burial's Southern Comfort, where the production seems to come from a colder, more precarious place than the consistently muscular buzz, squelch and snap of the rest of this mix. (Look at me complaining - how fast I've gone from excited to jaded about the techno-dubstep crossover.) Other highlights include µ-Ziq's ravey µ-Ziq Theme and the chopped-up TTC collaboration from 2005's excellent Hello Mom! LP. As with any techno mix, there are a few stretches of anonymous clanking that aren't of any use outside the club, but most of Boogybytes 3 is glorious technicolour.
7/10

Out now on BPitch Control.

Preview: Chemical Brothers 6th album

The Chemical Brothers have announced they will release We Are The Night on June 18th on Virgin and that they will headline the Other Stage at Glastonbury the following week Their sixth album will drop around the same time as the debuts from young duo’s Digitalism, Justice and Simian Mobile Disco and should prove that the Chem’s are still the daddies of dance (it’s their most ravesome album yet). It features Saturate which has been doing the rounds in the clubs under the guise of Electronic Battle Weapon 9 and collaborations with Willy Mason, Fatlip (ex Pharcyde) and Midlake (the heart aching closer The Pills Won’t Help You Now). The standout tracks on first listen are All Rights Reversed and forthcoming single Do It Again featuring Klaxons and Ali Love respectively. Tom’n’Ed have clearly been hanging out in Shoreditch recruiting some young pups to their cause!

News: Interpol album US release date 10.7.07?

www.interpolnyc.com

Review: Jack Peñate, Pure Groove, London 19.04.07

For someone with a surname similar to that of a traditional, violent, Mexican, sweet-grabbing, papier-mâché-smashing game, it was good to discover Jake Peñate did not need to be hit with a stick to get the treats. The sunny April afternoon saw the seminal but tiny Pure Groove record shop filled to the brim and boiling over with fans, with some forced into watching through the windows from the street outside.

He started his short but splendid set by belting out new single 'Spit At Stars', a wonderful blend of guitar pop, soul and charm. His set also included a version of the more ballad-esque 'My Yvonne' that received full vocal audience participation. They may not have been the best at grasping the harmonies, but ten out of ten for effort. Another highlight was the racy 'Second Minute or Hour'. This came after Jack’s witty (and apparently hangover induced) anecdotes about nothing of any importance, his Bob Dylan and Morrissey impressions and something random about balding twelve year olds. The strange crowd banter didn't detract from the music though, with Jack nailing every song with whole-hearted feeling and charisma.

So, is this cheeky South London lad as hot right now as he’s been made out to be? On the evidence of this performance yes. And if he fails to win you over with his music, then the mischievous grin and happy manner will get you.

Jack Peñate's Myspace
Jack Peñate's Website
Pure Groove

News: Field Day, Victoria Park, London 11.08.07

Aiming to make a mark in an already jam packed summer festival schedule is Field Day put together by London’s best alternative concert and club promoters and promising to bring a super cool line-up to East London's Victoria Park.

Eat Your Own Ears, Adventures In The Beetroot Field, Bugged Out! and Homefires are behind this unique event that is going for the mood of a psychedelic village fete plus a cutting edge line-up of bands and DJs including Foals (pictured), 1990s, Pull Tiger Tail, Absentee, Archie Bronson Outfit, Erol Alkan, Four Tet, Metronomy and much much more to be announced. And as if that wasn't enough there’ll be bunting, hay bales, hog roasts and a tombola. Woo-hoo!

Eat Your Own Ears promoter Tom Baker says: “We wanted to create an event that had a really strong but somewhat different line up to other festivals, something that has a European feeling where new exciting rock bands play alongside electronic acts and also include more diverse and leftfield acts.”

Sounds good to me.

Field Day will be held at Victoria Park on Saturday 11th August and will be from midday to 10:30pm.
Tickets are onsale now, at the reasonable price of £22.50. But hurry! There are only 5000 places to be snapped up…

www.fielddayfestivals.com
www.myspace.com/fielddayfestivals

News: They Drug Horses Don't They?

The Rolling Stones. Diazepam. Horses.

Review: Ed Banger Revue, Canvas London, 14.4.07

Saturday April 14th saw probably the most anticipated label party since DJ Hell’s Gigolo’s stormed London in December 2001. About 80% of the Ed Banger roster were present and correct (Mehdi is off on his own tour at the moment) with label boss Busy P, Justice, Uffie, Feadz, Sebastian and even sleeve designer So Me in town. The queue outside Canvas was huge from 10pm and inside Banger fans headed straight to the rave podiums to dance to So Me’s old school hip hop and SebastiAn’s noisy beat driven electro. Busy P played his current hit Rainbow Man before announcing Uffie to the stage. Uffie’s mic was dogged with technical problems which was a shame but she still looked cool in an Ed Banger t shirt she cut up with a pair of scissors moments before show time. Her beau and producer Feadz followed with some fierce scratching over vintage house before Justice took to the decks to showcase some new tunes from their forthcoming album. The last hour was a jam from all the artists and the music was as wayward you would expect when there are 12 hands on deck: a lot of hip hop followed by Lesley Gore’s ‘It’s My Party’, Carpenters ‘Close to You’ and Cardigans ‘Love Fool’. Justice concluded the party with their own pure pop new single D.A.N.C.E. before we all left blinking into the sunlight at 6am.

Review: Uffie's Igloo Rave Up, Mayrhofen, Austria, 12.4.07

The Snowbombing festival in Mayrhofen, Austria concluded last night, a week’s worth of snowboarding by day and then raving at night (I met some chaps that hadn’t quite made it up the slopes after five days there and who could blame them with the likes of Switch, Justice and Sunshine Underground on offer). The most memorable night was Thursday's igloo rave; 150 revellers were escorted 2000 feet up a mountain in a huge cable car to an igloo complete with a bar made of ice. Yes it was a bit chilly but you forgot about the cold after five Jagermeister shots. Clare from People Are Germs and Uffie played some salacious hip hop (remember that DJ Assault track – 'Ass and Titties'? Uffie played that which perhaps reveals where she got her potty mouth from) and Camden’s finest Filthy Dukes almost melted the place with their party electro classics. Other highlights included queueing up for a wee in a bucket, dancing in the snow and gamboling back down part of the mountain to the cable car for a hair raising ride back in the pitch black.

News: Simian Mobile Disco - Compilation/Competition/Album

Simian Mobile Disco's awesome rave comp 'Bugged Out! presents Suck My Deck with Simian Mobile Disco' described by our very own Dummy Monthly as 'Fucking great fun - a dirty, pounding, yet witty set' is in the shops this week. The comp features tracks and remixes from Klaxons, Joakim, James Holden, Switch, Buraka Som Sistema and Simian Mobile Disco themselves. They have also just announced details of a competition to win a DJ set at one fan's house party that should be called 'Simian Mobile Disco Are Playing at My House' if it's not already (and i've just found it is so there you go!). Details at the band's website. And as if that's not enough going on for the duo they are also releasing their debut album 'Attack Decay Sustain Release' on June 18th through Wichita. Buraka!