As the Stereosonic weekend continues, make sure you have a good one, and let this soundtrack accompany you on all your pre-drink sessions!

The Subs – Fuck That Shit

Daft Punk – Robot Rock (DJ B Stee Remix)

Le Le – Backstage (Original Mix)**Highly Recommended

Edwin van Cleef – Overtaken (Neo Tokyo Remix)

Cassius – Youth, Speed, Trouble, Cigarettes (Don Diablo Remix)

CSS – Move (Frankmusik Club Bingo Remix)

SohoDolls – Stripper**Highly Recommended (Oldie but a goodie)

Sohodolls – Trash The Rental (Crystal Castles Remix)**Highly Recommended

Duck Sauce – The Motion**Highly Recommended

Pixie Lott – Mama Do (Linus Loves Radio Edit)

Calvin Harris – I’m Not Alone (Tiesto Remix)

In the most recent KMST patch there was an unusually large amount on Neo Tokyo Map, Mob and NPC data.
But KMS already killed removed it’s world tour so what’s the point in releasing Neo Tokyo? They can’t without it! Also Taipei 101 looks like it’s going to be released soon in KMS since a lot of data from this world tour area was added too.

Also, the new patch comes with a new feature! Quick Slot Configuration!

I use studio shoots to experiment with light, this a small collection so far but i have no great desire to extend this gallery, unless i meet rare and incredible people  like that of Cindy who i’ll forever be grateful to.

Movie Review Part I

Rating System – MS = must see, R = recommended, G = good but not recommended,  M = meh, A = atrocious

I am going to start posting movie “reviews” of the ones I watch on here.  When I get bored I might go back and do some I have seen in the past.

G – Ed Wood – IMDB – A biographical history of the “worst director” ever, Edward D. Wood Jr.  The movie is well acted (Johnny Depp as Ed Wood) and interesting at some points, but is flat at others. The story essentially lacks a film-length plot, and I think it suffers from that; however, as it is a biographical movie this may have been the best possible storyline. After watching this movie I tried I was intrigued enough to watch one of his movies–Plan 9 from Outer Space; I think it was the first film I couldn’t sit through in its entirety since Battlefield Earth.

G -The Elephant Man – IMDB – It is a story about John Merrick, the deformed “Elephant Man”.  It is a touching story and a well-made movie, but I didn’t really like it that much.

R – All About Eve – IMDB – Great story about an obsessed fan who becomes a part of her idol’s life.  I didn’t really like the Eve character in the first half of the movie…but the 2nd half was great–I love the ending too.

M -Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem – IMDB -  A “music video”, if you will, of Daft Punks album Discovery. I like anime, and Daft Punk is alright; however, the storyline isn’t that great.

G – The Adventures of Prince Achmed – IMDB – This movie is the oldest remaining animated movie (1926). I’m not sure how it was done (all silhouetted), but the visuals are awesome at some parts. It is a “silent” movie and I played it on 4x speed + muted because I didn’t want to watch the whole thing that slow. Stories are based on 1001 Arabian Nights.

M – Neo Tokyo – IMDB – The first two segments of this movie sucked; the last one was decent. One of the few animes so far that I haven’t liked.

R – Barefoot Gen – IMDB -  A movie from a Japanese boy’s point of view of WWII. It’s not pro-Japanese or anti-America but anti-war (it does preach at some parts but not enough to be annoying). This movie is pretty intense and sad (I cried a few times); however, I felt alright at the end.

MS – Persepolis - IMDB – The coming of age story of an Iranian girl.  The movie is fun, semi-educational, and well-paced. I love the simplicity of the animation.

Every time I hear Boombox on Sirius XM at work, I feel less and less original with my picks for dance tracks.  But, hey, they are still bad ass…it’s Wednesday and there’s nothing good on TV, get your ass shakin’ to these.

Daft Punk vs. Does It Offend You Yeah – We Are Technologic (LightsoverLA Remix)

Empire of the Sun – Walking On A Dream (Kids At The Bar Remix)

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (Neo Tokyo Remix)

Passion Pit - The Reeling (Calvin Harris Remix)

Vega – No Reasons

Radiohead – Reckoner (The Twelves Remix)

Phoenix – 1901 (NightWaves Remix)

The Rolling Stones – Satisfaction (DiscoTech Remix)

Studio – West Side (Klumpfisk remix)

Sigur Ros – Saeglopur (Crash Overdrive rmx)

M83 – Teen Angst (Death To The Throne Remix)

TV on the Radio – Staring At The Sun (In Digital Time remix)

Silversun Pickups – Panic Switch (Bobby Evans Remix)

Here are a few tracks that would probably be my soundtrack this summer. Hard to tell in advance but I have the feeling these songs will be on repeat for some weeks. Here’s the list and descriptions int the order you could play them starting late afternoon and going through the night.

Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks

Simply because Grizzly Bear are getting better and better, first single of their latest album “Veckatimest”. Just like a summer breeze over your shoulder.

The Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band – Pimp

Here’s the song from where 50 cents got his sample. Nice Caribbean feeling, chill out, better appreciated with some ice cubes in your glass, sun glasses, straw hat and a cosy chair.

Empire of the sun – We Are The People (The Golden Filter Remix)

Speaking of summer, here are the people from the sun. Australian duo “Empire of the sun” sent us their first album “Walking on a Dream” during the austral summer, offering us a warm sunshine at the toughest of the winter. Now seasons have changed, time for remixes, Here’s a remix by the Golden Filter from the second single “We Are The People”, nice relaxing at the beginning but still with a dancing feeling. Good for early evening soundtrack.

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (Neo Tokyo Remix)

A bit later in the evening when it feels more like dancing, this remix of the Passion Pit’s hit will deliver the perfect combination of uptempo beats and nice mood.

Michael Jackson – Don’t stop ’til you get enough (1978 demo)

just discovered this very interesting tracks, this is the demo M. Jackson recorded in 1978 with sister Janet playing on cola bottle and brother Randy on keyboards, the recording took place in the basement of their grandparents’ house. So, this is what MJ’s music sounds like before the work of Quincy Jones, who will write some more songs for the album “Off the wall” (1979). Beware, this is extremely groovy! I really like this version, a bit more raw, I like the laughters at the beginning, I like the saturation on the mic, and the somehow chaotic end. It’s a bit like sitting with them in their basement and seeing them performing, like a private concert.
This version is available on the special edition of “Off the Wall”, released in 2001.

Dizzee Rascal and Armand Van Helden – Bonkers

When the party is on, this is the track to play. The crowd goes nuts and wants more. Seriously, what else could you expect when Dizzee Rascal meets van Helden? A dancefloor classic! Bonkers! Put on your dancing shoes and turn up the volume.

Gui Boratto – Beautiful Life

Gui Boratto is a Brazilian architect, musician, composer and producer. Here’s an a track from his album “Chromophobia” (Kompakt, 2007). If you had left out the techno/house scene, here’s a good opportunity to come back to it, with fantastic synthetic melodic waves, slowly growing until the voice delivers the repeated message “What a beautiful life”. And at this point you can only agree and you just wish this atmosphere would transpose into your real life.
Gui Boratto’s latest release is “Take My Breath Away”, out last March.

Dapayk & Padberg – Island Feat Caro (Noze Remix)

Perfect for an after, relaxing but still with a beat. Those who still feel like dancing can still move on that slow moves with their arms in the air, while others, more tired, sit back and enjoy the last moments of this long night.

Songs available on request.
I’ll keep you posted for more tracks coming, don’t hesitate to share your summer songs.

I happened to do a Google search on the rumors of the live action adaptation of the legendary manga Akira and found this posting on Screen Rant. Apparently the movie is dead. DEAD. DEAD.DEAD.DEAD.DEAD.

I am not racist in any way, shape, or form. What bothered me the most about the rumors swirling around this movie was that Leonardo DiCaprio (whose production company was going to produce the movie) was slotted to play the character Tetsuo. This in spite of the fact that the story takes place in TOKYO WHICH HAPPENS TO BE INHABITED BY JAPANESE. What is worng with Hollywood and casting Asian actors in lead roles? Unless the actor knows some martial art or is drop dead gorgeous, it doesn’t happen often. Case in point: Dragonball Z ( which turned out to be a 50-gallon drum of yuck).

I realize that the movie industry is trying to cater to the majority of the population (Caucasians) in order to maximize the return on their investment. But God forbid if Hollywood, with all of its influence on today’s youth, should buck the trend and show some diversity. Don’t even get me started on Friends and Seinfeld.

Unfortunately, the entertainment industry holds a lot of sway over young people’s minds. I hope and pray that someday it becomes responsible enough to see what that power is capable of.

Holla die Waldfee!

Nach einer Pause von ungefähr einer gefühlten Ewigkeit, kommt Ken endlich mit seinem Album “IN PHYSICAL” in die Läden.

Ich hab mir das gute Werk mal zu den Ohren geführt und bin überrascht, was der alte Rocker da wieder mal zusammengeschustert hat.

Als Ken, der Gitarrist von L’Arc~en~Ciel, vor einer (nicht näher bestimmten, viel zu lang ist’s her…) Zeit die Single “SPEED” veröffentlicht hat, dachte ich noch, dass dieses Soloprojekt demnächst wieder gelaufen sei.

Die Single war wirklich sehr gut, aber es kam einfach nichts mehr. Dann kam die Ankündigung des ersten großen Europa-Events mit dem japanischen Meilenstein L’Arc~en~Ciel, nach selbigen ließ man verlauten, dass es bis 2011 keine Konzerte der Band geben wird. Man wusste “aha, die wollen erstmal Privates und Solozeug vorschieben, wir sind gespannt” und das waren wir auch.

Hyde (voc) stürzte sich daraufhin mit K.A.Z, dem Gitarristen von Oblivion Dust, in das VAMPS-Abenteuer, welches ich hier jetzt schnell einfach mal als mehr oder minder erfolgreiche Durchnschittsrockkombi abtun möchte (die Fans um Hyde und VAMPS werden mich dafür hassen, ich weiß, aber Hyde-Solo gefiel mir bisher irgendwie doch um Welten besser, tut mir Leid).

Von Yukihiro (dr) war nichts zu vernehmen, ich gehe aber immer noch in meinen Träumen davon aus, dass es bald etwas neues von ACID ANDROID geben wird… BITTE!!!

Tetsu (b) hatte kurz vor dem Gig in Paris geheiratet und moderiert im Moment diverse Radiosendungen und schreibt weiterhin Kolumnen, wenn ich das richtig vernommen habe. Aus seinem Projekt Tetsu (ehemals Tetsu69) gab es bisher als neuste Neugikeit nur die “Can’t Stop Believing“-Single, mehr nicht.

Kommen wir zu Ken, welcher zuvor noch mit dem Ex-Laruku Member Sakura und einem halbdeutsch-halbjapanischen Bassisten, namens Ein, das Projekt “Sons of all Pussys” (kurz und paradox: SOAP) am Laufen hatte, sattelte nun endgültig auf Solo um. Die Spannung war groß als “DEEPER“, die zweite Single angekündigt wurde, welche zusätzlich auch als Ending-Theme für die Serie “GALACTICA” (ihr wisst schon… Battlestar Galactica und so… glaub ich…) herhalten durfte.

Beide Auskopplungen sind durchweg gut gelungen und kurz vor dem Release der zweiten Single, wurde auch schon ein Album für Mitte April angekündigt. Meine Vorfreude war groß und wurde bestätigt.

Ken - IN PHYSICAL (ltd.)

Das Album schimpft sich “IN PHYSICAL” und beginnt trügerisch ruhig mit Pianoklängen, bevor es dann in “‘S’” auf die harten Saiten umschlägt und Ken zeigt, wofür er bekannt ist: Das Gitarrespielen.

Der Song erinnert ein wenig an alte Stücke von SOAP. Markant wie immer auch, Kens Gesang. Man merkt einfach, dass er der Gitarrist und nicht der Sänger ist, was aber nichts negatives ist. es ist nur eventuell gewöhnungsbedürftig. Ich mag seine Stimme inzwischen sehr und mit dem neuen Album scheint auch sein Gesang besser geworden zu sein, als damals zu SOAPs Zeiten. Und weil’s so schön ist, gibt’s hier auch das Promotion Video, welches sich auf der Limited Edition der Scheibe befindet zu sehen:

Im daran anschließenden, titelgebenden Track “IN PHYSICAL” schlägt dann eine leicht elektronische Ader durch, welche sich dann beginnt ein wenig im Hintergrund durch das restliche Album zu schlängeln. Wichtig auch: Das Piano. Ken scheint sehr gern zu klimpern, hat es den Anschein. Wird nämlich in anderen Titeln noch öfter auftauchen.

Es folgt irgendwann “ETERNAL REST“, welches langsam mit einem Klavier beginnt und sich weiterspinnt, bis ein Höhepunkt mit Kens grandiosen Gitarrenspiel und Gesang (welch Alliteration!) folgt. Das ganze fällt dann wieder in einem ruhigeren, bzw. teilweise sogar recht stillen, Mittelteil und baut sich dann schlagartig zum Refrain wieder auf. Für mich mit der beste Song des Albums. (Anm. eines Freundes: “…und die Lyrics erinnern irgendwie immer an Französisch…” )

Ken - IN PHYSICAL (rgl.)

Als ich begonnen hatte das Album zu hören, war ich leicht überrascht, hatte ich doch vermutet, es würde mehr in Richtung der alten SOAP-Arbeiten gehen. Wenn dann die ersen Klänge vom Intro ertönen, ist man schon ein wenig perplex. Denn auch wenn Ken ja schon bei L’Arc~en~Ciel bewiesen hat, dass er gern mal zur “Chillout”-Melodie neigt, wirkt das ganze recht frisch und neu. Es ist für beide Parteien etwas dabei: Für die ruhigeren Momente hätten wir da beispielsweise das entspannende “RELAX OVER” (sogar mit passendem Titel), welches mit seinem hämmernden Schlagzeugbeat im Hintergrund für eine gewisse Monotonie sorgt, welche zudem noch vom Splash-Becken (wenn ich mich nicht täusche, ich hoffe ich täusche mich nicht, bitte korrigieren wenn ich falsch liege) unterstrichen wird. Das ganze klingt wie prasselnder Regen, aber entspannt irgendwie ungemein.

Mit “SAVE ME” verabschiedet sich Ken dann mit seinem Album und lässt uns noch einmal ruhigeren Klängen lauschen. Das Lied erinnert mich spontan an einen schnulzigen Teeniefilm, bei dem am Ende das Traumpaar beim Abschlussball tanzt.

Mit gutem Gewissen kann ich das Album aber jedem empfehlen, der sich von Kens (manchmal noch immer) recht schrägen Gesang nicht abschrecken lässt und auch schon auf sein altes Sideproject SOAP stand.

Solide wechseln sich hier ruhige Passagen mit rockigeren und schnelleren Gitarrenparts, welche gekonnt von Ken gespielt werden. Der Gesang, wie schon so oft erwähnt ist durchschnittlich, trägt aber irgendwie zur genialen Atmosphäre bei und passt auch (was man kaum glauben mag…)

Kaufen kann man das Ganze seit dem 22. April bei yesasia.com (Regular, oder Limited). Wer’s komplizierter mag, bestellt es sich bei Neotokyo.de, oder me-shop.net (da hab ich immerhin die beiden Singles gefunden) und muss was länger drauf warten.

(ohp Ken)

vsan

PS:

Wer das gute “UROBOROS” von Dir en grey noch nicht besitzt, sollte bei yesasia.com jetzt zuschlagen! Bis zum 30.4. gibts dort noch 55% Rabatt und das Plättlein gibt’s für 17,33€ als originale japanische Erstpressung.

PPS:

Interessante Danksagung bei wikipedia.de – Epileptiker am Werk gewesen?

EDIT: Die Bilder wieder sichtbar und das bei wikipedia.de auch wieder normal… Schade :\

I’ve recently stumbled upon Neo Tokyo. While it’s not about to rape my face anytime soon, it is nonetheless pretty great as far as electro music goes. And it’ll make you dance and that’s all that matters I’ll admit the name caught my interest at first…Neo Tokyo…as in the anime reference. Haha. Yeah. Nerdy. Get over it. Anyway, the Foals remix is by far my favorite. I love the guitars mixed in. The other 3 tracks are worth downloading as well. “Because You Left” reminds me of Crystal Castles and is dance-worthy and fun to listen to. I expect we’ll be hearing Neo Tokyo in dj sets across the country, assuming they put out something HUGE. Let me know if you hear them at BETA, I’ll let you know if Pauly Crush spins anything at PULP! (future post to come about the clubs down here).

Hot Knives- Solstice (Neo Tokyo remix)

The Robot Disaster- Guitars Are Overrated (Neo Tokyo remix)

Foals- Electric Bloom (Neo Tokyo remix)

Neo Tokyo- Because You Left

I woke up to a downpour and it’s still raining. I like it. It never rained in Colorado. I might be a little bit too excited for hurricane season.

P.S. Is that Sir-Mix-A-Lot in the new Burger King “Square butts” commercial? Hell that’s like if MC Hammer came back from the dead. Dude’s broke as shit.

Spend some dollhairs on music by Neo Tokyo at Amazon.

Yuksek – Extraball (Breakbot remix)

Röyksopp – Beautiful Day Without You (Rex The Dog Remix)

The Juan Maclean – One Day (Surkin Remix)

Hot Knives  – Solstice (Neo Tokyo Remix)

Poney Poney – When Do You Wanna Stop Working?  (Pacific Remix)

Marcelo Fubah

Okay…mixing up Indie, New Wave, Electro and Lo-Fi  for this set.  A bit of a global mix with English, US and French artists amoungst others. (59mins/49secs)

againstwall1709071610-picture-supplied-by-rebuildtherobots-flickr

Tracklisting:

Post War Years _ Whole World On It’s Head
Youves (Mirror! Mirror!) _ On Probation
The Mae Shi _ Pwnd
Waaves _ So Bored
Friendship _ The GraveYard Shift
William _ 5 Minute Wonder
Everyone to the Anderson _ West West West
Influence _Didn’t Happen
Salem _ Brustreet
Ghoul _ Swimming Pool
Manacle _ Heavenly Compressor
Instruments _ The Mexican
Dananananaykroyd _ 1993
Blakfish _ Jeremy Kyle
We Have Band _ Oh!
Poni Hoax _ Hypercommunication
NeoTokyo _ Laugh Cry Live Die (Remix)
Nelson _ The Over Song

DOWNLOAD: indie-new-wave-electro-lo-fi-b

Take a look at this hilarious yet F’d up and pretty scary cartoon, showing what it’d be like if Disney got their hands on the ultra violent anime Akira:

Scary huh?
Someone out there must really love their Akira.

You had to bring up Japanimation, didn’t you, Shanoah? You had to do it! I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO IT, BUT YOU DID IT ANYWAY! NOW THE CUTE LITTLE REDHEADED GIRL GETS IT BETWEEN THE EYES!

Anyway.

I was trying to think of an appropriate way to respond to your post; the off-our-meds English-dubbed opening to One Piece came to mind, although I’m not sure your mind is quite ready for that kind of, ahem, enlighenment. But then I suddenly remembered a Japanese cartoon that I saw when I was a kid back in the Paleolithic Age. I didn’t know anything about it besides the name: The Running Man. (And no, not that Running Man. This Running Man had that Running Man beat hands down)

Luckily, YouTube’s search engine sighed in gentle exasperation, like it always does when I swing by, and gave me the goods.

Some details: The Running Man, directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, is one of a 1987 trilogy of cartoons called Meikyû monogatari, released here in the USA in 1992 as Neo-Tokyo or Labyrinth Tales. It was also shown on MTV’s Liquid Television - yet another show from the 1990s that transcended the basic suckiness of MTV and was one of the few last gasps of good television on that channel before Total Request Live and The Real World sunk their fangs into its throat for good.

Offered without further comment, except that I watched this while the closing ceremonies for the Olympics were playing in the other room. Weird bit of synchronicity there.

Part 1 courtesy of Echoptics.

Part 2 (plus the end credits from Liquid Television, hoo ha!) courtesy of ZappVid6.

Ellen Allien’s Boogybytes Volume 4 US Release Date: April15, 2008

Be prepared; there comes a point during your affair with Ellen Allien when playfully eccentric turns dark and anomalous. It’s quite simple, really. And as Axl Jansen’s still life photo on the cover of Boogybytes Volume 4 suggests, this young German electronic artist is no stranger to the edge.

It was a disappointment to some fans that her highly acclaimed 2007 Time Out compilation, The Other Side: Berlin, wasn’t continuously mixed, as if she’d fallen short of some glorious potential. So one year later she returned, taking to the task, giving nouveau disco a run for its money.

Allien (born “Ellen Fraatz”) takes the reigns of her series for the first time; a bit late some might say, for the founder of its label, Bpitch Control, to claim such familiar territory. Regardless, it’s no surprise that after her Apparat co-created 2006 cult hit Orchestra of Bubbles, Allien’s latest installment warps back to her anything-but-safe haven of minimal house, showcasing Berlin’s vibrant, experimental spirit between transitions.

The set is introduced with a strange awakening of voices before priming a layer of minimal to give us our bearings. Then it’s on with the first coat of rhythm. It’s the rhythm that actually fuels most of the set, gaining confidence with Melon’s “Nitzi (In My Mind, So Fine),” luring us in with its familiar house substrate, before throwing us into a fine line of experimental with Seph’s Vidrionela Remix of “Carbonela” by Andres Zacco & Lucas Mari.

Lucio Aquilina’s “My Cube” prompts memories of Tetsuo, Manga Classic Akira’s child protagonist, as he speeds through Neo Tokyo on a stolen motorbike, dodging clowns and flames within a mad rendition of tribal drums. “Don Juan” by Melchoir Productions slowly saturates a darker Parisian-esque tone, leading into the Martin Buttrich remix of Friendly People’s robotic future anthem, “Music is Improper.” We’re rounded out with Kassem Mosse’s cliffhanger, “A1,” before winding down in nostalgic guilt with Little Dragon’s “Twice.”

“I grew up feeling surrounded by the Wall,” Allien writes. “I lived on the small island of West Berlin. Border controls on Sunday excursions, the rummaging through bags, the military. It was scary.” But out of fear grew courage. “The island of West Berlin was a destination for creative minds in search of alternatives… My side of Berlin provided a home for the curious, those who were going against the flow.”

What truly gives Boogybytes Volume 4 its seductive edge is the way it seamlessly brings us into a future society of robots and emotional mechanization. Allien demonstrates her expertise with an innovative medium yet again, and gives Berlin cause to celebrate its success of producing yet another great master of the unknown.

Allien performs live in Montreal and New York, and releases her fourth solo album, Sool, in May.

Check out my original Edge review of Ellen Allien, here.