scopitone

PREMIÈRE

Succeeding a great release last February, Isaiah Tapes are back this time with their first various artists EP, and their second vinyl release.

The three tracker is entitled ‘River Pass By Three’, and features tracks by Malmö's disco prodigy and Fasaan Recordings affiliate Prins Emanuel, 100% Silk’s Belgian member, Paradise100, as well as Karl Lumont. This debut appearance on the Muscovite label for the North-German newcomer will also be a first in Karl’s vocation.

Listen to Karl Lumont's 'Atana Bay' below:

After what we consider to be one of the best EPs' of 2015, 'The End Of The Edge EP', we had to request the Tokyo-based producer Yoshinori Hayashi for a mix. This will allow you to patiently anticipate the release of his upcoming 'The Forgetting Curve EP' on Jinn Records – out in May / June 2016.

Following a debut album last year under his ‘Manny’ moniker on Periodica Records, and as well as being part of the Mystic Jungle Tribe, Raffaele Arcella’s (a.k.a. Whodamanny) first release of 2016 comes this time under the shape of a 12” vinyl. 

Furthermore, after having released cassettes and CD’s, this will be the first time the Naples-based imprint releases on vinyl format. Whodammany’s sophomore album entitled ‘Whodamanny’s Cosmic Morphology’ encompasses different types of moods and atmospheres, but all at the same time maintains the very distinct signature sound you can find in Raffaele’s production. From start to finish, you’ll travel throughout a cosmos filled with space infused raw beats, left field funk fusion, ambient, as well as spatial lo-fi abstract music.

Listen to ‘Pole Of The South Ecliptic (Dorado)’ below:

The founder of ‘New’, Tobias Rochman, got comfortable with us and discussed his label in an honest and inspirational way.

Where is the label from and based?

'New' is based in Montreal, QC, Canada. It's a wonderful city with cheap rent. This allows residents to work less at day jobs and focus more on creative projects. Available space is an essential raw ingredient for things to happen. These circumstances provide the opportunity for projects like this. This time and this place help shape the identity of the work. I feel like the talent and energy is in abundance but the areas, which should be strengthened, revolve around framing things for outsiders. Making a window into this world or an entry point. I keep that in mind and try to get people to see what I see for a minute.

Who's involved and part of the label?

I guess formally it's just me. But at the same time the community surrounding the label is much more important. I'm just directing some of the energy that exists here. In the past week of pre-orders I've basically had conversations with every customer 1 on 1. I think I realized this week that people want this to exist, they are willing to help, to support in any way that they can. In that sense, instead of pushing a product on them 'New' just takes something they want to see exist and helps it to manifest. I'm much more comfortable with that role. Every person who pre-orders is a shareholder in some sense. It's not about me telling them what's cool; it's about connecting with people who feel this is cool and providing with something physical for them specifically. I've reached out to a lot of people in other cities who are helping me spread it through different channels too.

How would you summarise the mind-set of New?

The label name sums up the directive. It's a 3-letter mission statement. It's also the menu. I chose a name that would always keep the intentions focused. 

What were the main ideas behind the label? Is there a particular sound you're trying to release?

The inspiration is a direct reaction to the quality of the work of the artists. So right now the biggest inspiration is 'Femminielli Noir'. I owe it to them to do the best job possible, that is fuel and fire right now. I'm not interested in the music industry. It seems like a broke system in need of major reform. I'd like to shift the focus back to the work itself. The work is the reward. People forget that sometimes and make asses of themselves. The work is enough to sustain you. I don't want to imitate someone else's dream or accomplishments from the past. I don't want to play dress-up. I want to take a step forward. 

Why is it that Mind Records are also releasing Femminielli Noir's EP? Is New a sub label of Mind Records?

MIND is my favourite label in the world right now. There is no one better. Night Musik 'Transit' is one of the best records of the year. In terms of artist roster, design, quality they are top notch. This 12" has been released in an edition of 300. 150 in Europe / Asia via MIND & 150 in North America via 'New'. We partnered 50 / 50 because we both wanted this record to exist. So in that sense it's separate. But I will say that when MIND got on board with the project they enhanced every aspect of the finished product. MIND took it to that level of hyper-high quality (250 gram varnished paper, vellium obi strip, etc) and it's something we will maintain in the future. In a sense they taught us how to make a release great. 

Be sure to listen to New’s second release by Pelada, ‘Digital EP’, which was released on the 1st of January this year.

soundcloud.com/new-514

Jozefien Gruyaert and Joke Leonare kindly accepted a while ago to get interviewed by Thomas regarding their project Jj funhouse. Since then, they released a cassette called ‘Tropic Daze’ by Alpár – consisting of 9 tracks.

1/ How did you meet and how did you start the idea to start working together?

We met each other at a birthday party from a mutual friend when we were 8 years old. We didn’t like each other much back then. For whatever childish reasons. We then met again in high school, we both rolled our eyes when we ended up in the same classroom but eventually became the best of friends. After high school we went to art school, we both got our masters in Graphic design and then got invited for a group show. That’s where we first worked together.

We’ve built a stage out of found wooden pallets, measuring one square meter on 2-meter high legs. It looked like a hunting cabin but with fancy red curtains. We organized 3 nights, with 3 different solo artists. Wieter Dockx made a tape loop that was going around the whole cabin. Gerard Herman filled it up with balloons and started a weird performance, making a beat by popping them. And Milan W. did one of his first solo synth shows up there. As graphic designers we also made the invitations for these nights, and we are still quite happy with how they turned out. This first collaboration encouraged us to start a label. One that collaborates with other people and gives some sort of (plat)form to their work.

2/ Does being based in Antwerp influence your work and ideas?

There are a lot of like-minded people and talented artists living here, some of them even moved here from abroad for that reason.

We are friends since puberty, so we also started going out together. Naturally these places and the people we met made us do what we do now. Antwerp is a tiny town once you’re in that ‘scene’.

3/ What are some things that inspires / influences the label?

Music wise, it’s pure personal taste.

Things we bump into in our everyday lives, this could be anything. A Flemish pastry with pudding inside and chocolate outside, but instead of chocolate they put on a blue frosting on top. A second hand store where the vitrine is a HUGE jeans hanging outside (picture).  Amateuristic graphic designs, signings, shop windows which break all the ‘rules’ but still manage to look fantastic. We live in a neighbourhood filled with these weird beauties, it’s inspiring.

4/ How would you summarize the Jj funhouse ethos?

We only bring out stuff that we love and believe in.

5/ Who is involved and part of the label?

We are Jozefien Gruyaert and Joke Leonare. Jj are our names initialized.

We design what we bring out. 3 out of the 6 musical releases involve Milan Warmoeskerken, so he’s a big part of what we stand for. As a label we often work with the same people. A lot of our publications or graphic works (as a studio) are stencilled at Risiko Press by Jan Matthé. We also have an amazing writer for our catalogue descriptions, Wim Lots.

We also operate as Jj funhouse studio, in order of others.

6/ What is your approach to graphic design and music?

According to the music we release, it’s the music itself that inspires us to make the artwork most of the time. In case of C.Young’s Daily’s 10” (JJ001), the artwork came from the titles. He named all the tracks after the fancy boutiques of the Turnhoutsebaan. Housing one kebab-joint after the next night-shop, these temples of old glory are lighting up the half-dead end of Antwerp hood Borgerhout. The different typefaces on the backside are literally the pictures we’ve taken from the shop signs.

In some cases the artwork can also be a collaboration between the ideas from the musician / artist and ours.

7/ What where the main ideas behind the label?

We were searching for a way to cover our future plans as a duo. We decided to do everything according to the books: start a VZW, pay an accountant, pay taxes etc. Jj funhouse can be a record, a tape, a book, a picture, a cake, a DVD, a shirt, socks, a place, an event, an idea and so on…

8/ Is there a particular sound your trying to release?

The music that interests us the most as a label is mostly instrumental. The sound we approach isn’t really by any concept. It’s more personal taste or aesthetics.

We could try a few tag labels: library music, minimal wave, analogue / modular synthesizer music, romantic electronics, exotica.

9/ What does Jj funhouse actually mean?

We had this specific idea for a new project we never finished but still hope to accomplish in the future. The name for this project was Jj funhouse.

While dreaming about this concept, Milan made an album (C.Young - Daily’s (JJ001)), which we both really loved and saw this as an opportunity to start a label. We then got so used to the Jj funhouse name, we decided to use it as a name for everything we do together.

Our names are Jozefien and Joke, which is what Jj stands for.

Besides that it also contains the word funhouse. A funhouse is a mirror palace. It’s the cheapest attraction on the carnival; just misplaced mirrors that make you look funny and malformed.  We like working in a similar way. We don’t choose the most fancy materials to work with. It’s nice to work with this discomfort sometimes; it makes you look for inventive solutions.

Juraj a.k.a. Jvris – one of the two founders of the exciting Slovakian record label Proto Sites– recently sent us this great mix he did while supporting Loscil in Bratislava about a month ago. The mix features some forthcoming Proto Sites material alongside some unreleased The Trilogy Tapes, TCF, Eugene Ward a.k.a. Dro Carey, Jlin Narlei, Bernard Parmegiani, etc.

The year 2015 has clearly been a great year for the Loures-based three piece, Niagara ― they released a second EP on Lisbon's Príncipe Discos, a 12" single on Charles Drakeford's FTD, a more experimental K7 release on videogamemusic, as well as an EP on their new label 'Ascender'.

All of this has clearly contributed in making the Portuguese trio one of our favorite act of the moment, and they continue to prove this throughout this fantastic mix they crafted for Scopitone.

Planète Sauvage's very own Elzéard has pulled together 14 tracks he's currently digging from his record collection. Ranging from 80's Belgian synth-pop, Japanese experimental rock, to French tribal music ― you're definitely in for a ride with this mix!

Tracklist :

New mix by the excellent Tim Schumacher. Make sure to listen to his latest release on Basement Floor Records ! Photo by Manel Ologaray.

After having heard “Dorko’s Antruum” out on Early Sounds Recordings​, which is considered by us one of the finest releases of last year, Naples’ duo The Normalmen, consisting of Enrico and Raffaele, but better known as Milord and Whodamanny are finally set to release a second 12” on Whitejail London​ entitled “Antruum Odyssey”.

Enrico and Raffaele never met until a few years ago thanks to their girlfriends, although they’ve both always been living in Naples since they were born. Then, they became really close friends; “what we define “partners in crime”; you know what we mean!” They first started buying €1 bin records together, throughout every thrift shop and local market in the city, then they spent their days in the “Cluvio”, with records playing. The “Cluvio” is the basement of Milord’s uncle, “a moist and harsh area”, where they began producing music, “and was the place where his cousin had enjoyed his dates and poker games!”

“A lot of outsiders ran to the Cluvio, but they had no idea about what we produced, so we called them “Dorkos”. That’s why our first record is called “Dorko’s Antruum”, based on House beats, sampling, etc.” Producing their second record in the Cluvio was an ordeal, however “Antruum Odyssey” was created with completely diverse influences, such as disco beats, Asian scales, real synthesizers, and no sampling. Basically, their attention is focused on sounds – they’re synthesizer addicts. “Let’s pick up “Magnetic Eyes”, Jeff Phelps album, let’s play “On The Corner”, ok? We don’t care about lyrics, but just how Phelps makes use of the Korg Poly 800”.

As well as creating music under The Normalmen, they’re also working on a project with Dario of Mystic Jungle​, under the name of “Mystic Jungle Tribe”. They met Dario, as he was Raffaele’s neighbour; “and when we met him, he had already recorded Mystic Jungle, as solo player, then we decided to upgrade his solo project in a trio band”. They’re currently recording in a new comfortable place called West Hill Studio, in which they’ve already produced their first album, “Solaria”. “For the time, we’re working on a brand new EP for Early Sound and in the meantime we’re involved in Periodica Records​ project, in which Raffaele looks out for its artistic details and Enrico is one of the owners. We’re really looking forward to our next "MJ Tribe" LP and Periodica catalogue that will be released after the summer and will disclose very interesting newcomers.”

Check out the mix they did for Scopitone below:

Jesse Fillingham is an artist originally from San Diego, CA. He came up to Los Angeles to attend Art school in 2007 and has been living there ever since.

Aesthetically, his work is generally very graphic and heavy on the line work. He is usually making work that reference science fiction, myth, religiosity, and the occult. “My main influence is purely numinousness.” His most used implements include mechanical pencil, circle-inking template, steel easing shield, scanner and Macbook Pro.

“In the future, I am planning on making work that I am excited about, do more album artwork, release more zines and prints through Never Press.”