remixers

so i thought i'd start a list of remixers we'd like to have redoing our music if we go ahead with this remix/video project. this is all in an ideal world stuff, of course - whether these people say yes or not is a different story. some are very wishful thinking. but hopefully, most might. don't know which songs might best go with each, but if you have any thoughts...

so, here goes......

lessons in time
karoshi
loopsnake
st jambience
stephenfox
actual russian brides
collarbones/scissor lock
underlapper
seekae
jono boulét/parades
lipstick
ghoul
cloud control
thunderclapper
alps/scalps
charles du cane
lunar module

that's my start for now. please add suggestions. especially maybe some international types. even if they're people we don't know, we can always ask.

live review

a nice review of last week's show on the spit press blog - click on the nice logo -

film / album idea

i was talking with sam last night. her and jos are still keen to do the film for the album, even though we didn't get the grant money. however, time restraints may be an issue, as they wouldn't be able to afford the same amount of time to the project as they would had we had money for them to do so. sam suggested that they maybe get one done in time for a june/july release, then work on more over time. which led me to thinking....

i suggested to her that maybe we could aim for one film to go out a month before releasing the album, then one a month from there, until all 7 or 8 (depending on how many tracks end up on the album) are completed. we could use that to keep some sort of interest in the album around for a longer period of time than normal, as we could make a big promotional deal every month until they're all done. it also gives sam and jos more time to get things done.

and just this afternoon, i had another idea that could tie in with it. what if we got a whole bunch of people to remix different tracks off the album, like 30 different artists or something, then, each month, as the film for a track is released, we can put it out as part of a free download single that comes with the film and 3 or 4 remixes of the track. the original versions would remain solely the domain of the album release, so they wouldn't take away from that, but we'd also end up with a whole array of different takes on the tracks from the album, which we can use to keep radio interested and things like that. (of course, all this would also be perfect for the 20th anniversary box set to be released in 2031 complete with a remastered version of the original album, all the remixes, and the film, in a bespoke, handmade box.)

any thoughts?

Karoshi Album Launch

As a response to Adrian's repeated hinting (who says men don't nag?) I am writing this here review of our splendiforous Saturday night soiree.

I think it would be universally agreed that we had a delightful time sharing music around the fairy lights at Tone.

Some highlights of the evening were as follows:

Ellie, Cherry and I wore our matching purple paisley dresses and $4 gold swan earrings and impressed Jack Colwell. (Yes!)

The music was all good.

Jack Colwell and the Owls were wonderful - especially loved the flute and the recorder. We were greatly inspired by the very very rock 'n roll tambourine playing. Lovely people!

Scissor Lock vs Cleptoclectics were great - they sat facing each other and battled it out with dramatic soundscapes. Also very lovely people.

Andrew Maxam's DJ-ing was just what you would expect from him - catchy, irresistable with just the right amount of darkness and light... and ukulele! I particularly liked his own track "Loose Swamp Riddim". This is a must-hear-before-you-go-deaf kind of experience.

Telafonica? We had a ball! Even though our performance involved straining into the foldback abyss to hear our own individual contributions, we were all nice and cosy on stage and playing together. We may not value perfection but we do cherish togetherness and it was a whole big mess of fun! We whipped out a newbie - Blake's song "There's Something About Your Face" which is very Blake delicious, of course, so very exciting to perform. I also really enjoyed Sister Zephyr. I get to play AJE's BeepIt which is a handheld theremin. I like playing instruments that ask very little of you and give so much in return.
People seemed to enjoy it which is a big encouragement. I think the best compliment came from one of the bar tenders who was clearing a table near to Ellie and I afterwards. She said she really enjoyed hearing something different. Usually the people who run these places are fairly detached so it was very humbling to have one of them notice and respond to what we do.

Karoshi were, as always, sparklingly beautiful. Whenever I listen to them I am overwhelmed by joy. And that marimba! The skill with which Yvonne (? sorry, is that correct?) played that thing was astounding. It was fantastic.

And Tone is a really, really nice venue. For musicians, it is easy to load in, has a great space "backstage" and the people who run it treat you like you're human (very generous with drink tickets too). For everyone, the room is lovely and nooksy, the bar an almost central part of the space and not a little barricade to the side. And the toilets were clean! Most most important when your band has a girl to boy ratio of 3 to 2.

A night of bliss.

some inspiration for you

I couldn't resist sharing some giggles.
This is how all good music should be listened to..

grants and other things

we didn't get the ozco grant to make the film for the next album. not exactly sure where that might leave things, we'll have to talk it over with sam and josiah and maybe go for something a little more lo-key. more soon.

a few days ago i asked miles if we could hire him in an official capacity to take some proper band photos. he was very keen, though hesitant at his skills (!) as he said he hasn't taken staged band photos before, only live ones. anyway, we'll do it in a few months, when the album might be getting closer to release, so we have a little while to think of any ideas. so if anyone has any ideas for band photos that don't involve any regular band photo clichés, especially ones that are trendy at the moment, that would be good. air them here and we can discuss them.

The Go! Team - Buy Nothing Day

hump day video.

set list

any requests for the set on march 12 so i can get the computer organised before rehearsal? it's basically up to us how long we play, so i reckon 40-45mins would be good. let me know what tracks you're all burning to play and i shall get them ready.

indiegogo

what do people think of this concept? http://www.indiegogo.com/. the basic idea is that you register and tell people about your thing and they pledge the money. but what might work, which lots of the projects do, is that rather than people just giving money, you can actually set it up so that they receive a product for their money. so it would work like a presale idea. so, for example, you can ask people to give $10 each and, once the project is complete, they receive a copy of the cd you're making, or whatever it is. i was thinking it might be a good way to get some funds for the dvd/album thing that sam and josiah are working on, in case the ozco grant doesn't get granted to us. or, even if it does, it could be a way to increase the funds available.

any thoughts?

blogs and rehearsals

a little bit of loving over at this rather great blog (who also bother to make their own, nicely enigmatic images for each of their posts) called east to west. check it out here.

on a different note - the karoshi launch gig is in 4 weeks and we're playing a 40/45 minute set. all 5 of us haven't been in the same room to make music since november, so it might be a good idea to get a couple of practices in. are we going to do anything new - there's something about your face? when is it good for everyone to practise? what nights of the week?

I Can Hear There's A Peace In The Dark

I Can Hear There's A Peace In The Dark is available for free download. Click here.
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Released February 14, 2011

The EverythingIsChemical Virtual 7” train really gets moving with the second for the year and the 5th overall. Hot on the heels of RxGibbs' 3 tracks of ambient dream pop comes all new music from Australia's Telafonica.

The A-side is an all new original track - 'I Can Hear There's A Piece In The Dark'. Low-key, shoe-gaze verses make way for the joyous outbreak of soaring 5-part harmonies in the choruses (the first recording featuring all 5 of the band's current live line-up). Evoking feelings of waking at 3am amidst the tranquility of suburbia, the song is both celebratory and melancholy. This is the single version and is a preview of the band's new album, Sleeping With The Fishermen, which is slated for release in mid-2011 through 4-4-2 Music. Check out the video clip as well, streamable from the EverythingIsChemical website.

The B-sides find a couple of cover tracks in keeping with one of the original ideas for the Virtual 7” series. The first is 'Like The 309', the last song Johnny Cash ever wrote, which he recorded in the months before his death and was released posthumously on his American V : A Hundred Highways album in 2006. Telafonica push the original's jaunty country feel through a wash of abstract autoharp atmosphere and deep electronic bass pulses, with Eliza Magill's vocals floating delicately over the top. The second B-side is a special Valentine's Day bonus, conceived and recorded after the release date of February 14 was set for the single. The crisp production of INXS's 'Need You Tonight' is replaced by Telafonica's murky tangle of lo-fi rhythms, xylophone and mandolin. Phased vocals remain upfront with those 5 voices again featuring in the call and response sections.

Visit EverythingIsChemical.com

i can hear there's our song on the radio.

i can hear there's a peace in the dark has been playlisted on fbi - http://www.fbiradio.com/content.php/1132.html.
you'll need to go to the 11/2 playlist if you're looking after this week, and it will be on that page for 4 weeks (after which time, i assume you'd need to go directly to their soundcloud page). it's the last track on the list, so you do need to scroll down on the playlist.

tone - 12.3.11

To buy presale tickets for just $10, click on the MOSHTIX logo above.

i can hear there's a peace in the dark

Video clip created for the single 'I Can Hear There's A Peace In The Dark' to be released exclusively by EverythingIsChemical.com

The original idea was developed from a small series of films, using upside-down scenery, called 'Horizon Shift' by StephenFox (http://www.thisisnotmybrain.blogspot.com/).

Inspiration was also taken from Michael Snow's 1967 film, 'Wavelength' as well as Andy Warhol's minimalist films, all if which amplify every small action, as not much actually takes place.

Filmed and edited by Samantha Lee (http://vimeo.com/user4981014).

sufjan stevens' jan 28 show at the opera house

photos courtesy of cherry's camera; smiles courtesy of sufjan stevens

being filmed

sam and i spent this evening filming a sunset projected onto our house. which means there is just one more stage of filming needed for the video clip for i can hear there's a peace in the dark. but that stage requires us all to be present together at night. we're also thinking that ellie's house would be a good place to do it, as we need to project what we've already filmed onto a white house. sam is going to be away for two weeks from the end of next week and we need the video in time for the single release on the everything is chemical blog (which has already been pushed back) so we kind of need to get it done next week.

is there an evening early next week that we might all be free to go around and do it?

more more cover

sam's cover film has officially become university of nsw propaganda, featuring on the unswtv website...

http://tv.unsw.edu.au/video/cover

stereolab

i've been on a bit of a stereolab kick over the last few days. georgie from groovescooter once said we reminded her a lot of stereolab. i can see why. here's a great live recording....



p.s. blake - i enjoyed your noisemaking from across the stage this evening. not just the new toy, but lots of times there were really great shards of sound coming from over there. i'll leave it to bec to write up the official write up for the gig.

plastic people

i've been playing around with an idea for some photos - transplanting us onto tiny model figures (made for model train sets etc.). what do people think? (click on the image to see a larger size)

393372000 Bits

To purchase 393372000 Bits head over to Bandcamp. The cost is $7 which includes world wide postage plus an immediate download of the digital files. Or you can download individual tracks digitally.



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released november 7, 2010

A limited edition, 3" CD-R released by the Sydney label Curt Recordings. The disc contains 3 tracks which were all begun earlier in 2010 when Adrian's laptop was in for repair. This meant that Bec's laptop was used for music making for a few weeks, but it initially lacked the ability to be able to record acoustic sounds. As a result, all these pieces started out very electronically, which is a slight jump away from other recent output by the band. The pieces were also a little more minimal and experimental.

Over the next few months, with original laptop back in action, the pieces were edited and overdubbed with more acoustic sounds, resulting in the finished pieces. '4/4 - 136' was originally modelled on the work of Robert Hood. The drum samples were all taken from Blake's ancient Yamaha PSR-150 keyboard and provide a gritty, lo-fi basis for the pushing rhythms and lead static swirls. '4/4 - 140 (6/8 - 105)' takes dubstep as its original template. The music was then sent to London where Marcella worked up a vocal to sing over the sounds. This was all then shipped back to Sydney where Blake and Adrian chopped, edited and manipulated Marcella's work back into the master recordings, creating a dark, polyrhythmic epic. '9/4 - 120' started life as a Public Enemy inspired rhythmic mess with samples stolen from EmptySet. A rough take was improvised in realtime, then Blake added some abstract cornet blasts and, in her first ever recorded instrumental work, 9 year old Imojjen laid down some abstract clarinet improvisation. These elements were then all taken and sculpted together into the finished form heard on the release.

The track titles all derive from the time signature and bpm of the relevant track, while the EP title is the number of digital bits found in the 18 1/2 minutes of music on the disc. The disc itself comes attached to an old 3 1/2" floppy disc and stored in an anonymous, hand numbered postage envelope.
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1. 4/4 - 136 (purchase individual track)
2. 4/4 - 140 (6/8 - 105) (purchase individual track)
3. 9/4 - 120 (purchase individual track)