Funkturm and Friends mixtape podcast: available now.
Current mood: discontent

The first of the Funkturm and Friends mix series is now available for your listening pleasure as a podcast. The mixes feature a variety of tracks from members of the D.O.R family, including Funkturm, Switch, Apollon, Auntie Horror Film and live collaborator Timothy Evans. You can subscribe here.

Currently listening : A South Bronx Story By ESG Release date: 29 May, 2000

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The second D.O.R Music Without Borders podcast
Current mood: working

The second in the D.O.R Music Without Borders podcast series is now available for your listening pleasure. The podcasts are our rough guides to the various activities and releases of the D.O.R family, with music from Switch, Funkturm and Apollon, and details of the label-sponsored events Fluorescent and FONO . You can subscribe here.

Currently listening : The Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country on the Click) By The Fall Release date: 02 March, 2004

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debut Switch single - on iTunes NOW
Current mood: ecstatic

The debut Switch single, featuring What You Are (single edit), So Easily, What You Are (Herdsman remix), Know That Sound is now available from iTunes. Go by the store, and go buy it here.

Currently listening : Kala By M.I.A. Release date: 21 August, 2007

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Sonar - dia ultimo
Current mood: drained
Category: Music

Looking at the schedule, we certainly weren't going to be able to make a day of it on our last twenty-four hours of music and multimedia in Barcelona. According to my Sonar veteran companion, there are less and less acts each year during daytime, and they certainly appear to have misplaced at least one stage - SonarLab. It's actually been moved to the evening event, but I miss the cosy marquee full of label showcases.

So, there wasn't much else for it but to post the previous day's Sonar summing-up and hang about in SonarVillage listening to seemingly-Hendrix obsessed French turntablists C2C. Their cutely-crafted and crowd-pleasing assemblage fitted the Village stage well, being outdoors and thus the perfect setting for the 'party music' end of Sonar's spectrum. It was a good sountrack for finally soaking up some (weak) sun.

Our main event for the daytime, Mira Calix, wasn't due on until 5pm so we, again, had time to kill. Instead, however, we took time out (of the venue) for a spot of shopping and picture postcard pick-up.

I left Martin watching Mira Calix just prior to her timely ending, due to slice-and-dice duties. Another storm rather of the teacup variety, although this time my meal was augmented with tinned tuna to take away the vegan taste. The reason for rushing back was not the quality of the laptop ambling (and touching, ambiguous overhead - literally - projections) but an attempt to cram a mealtime into our busy evening schedule. Although, as pleasant as the set was - and it was, save for the odd spot of seemingly unintentional digital distortion - there is only so much visual stimulation to be experienced from one woman stood at a (very funky) red laptop and some artful animations. I did leave feeling that this non-performance could be experienced just as fruitfully in the comfort of my own (borrowed) home whilst performing domestic duties.

The plan, after so-so supper, was to make another, more successful, visit to SonarRama for Audio Kinematics followed by the Blackout Concert #20, en route to the SonarBus to SonarHangar to indulge in some Devo. We made a rapid dash up Las Ramblas to the venue, not arriving in time to take in Audio Kinematics, but a few minutes early for Blackout. Eventually the doors were closed and we were led into the smog-filled basement. "Tres' Blackout Concerts consist of attentive listening to the machine derived buzz present in the venues where they take place. During the concerts these sounds are gradually switched off and create different moments of silence based on their location and intensity. The concerts end when the maximum level of silence and darkness is reached." It certainly was intense, and far from a turn-off for the 20 or so minutes that the performance lasted. What WAS, or should have been, a turn-off was the fact that some members of the audience refused, as requested, to switch off their phones. Others were insistent on taking photos, and this undermined the blackout concert concept somewhat. Personally, I found the time spent listening to the ambient sounds (including, it has to be said, some squeaky shoe time from Martin) around me gradually decrease around me as the gloom grew a welcome break from the bustle of Barcelona.

Heading to the venue a little earlier, and the lack of a headline act of the stature of Beastie Boys made for a much smoother transit. we grabbed a drink and headed for the stage as Devo's intro music was drawing to a close. What followed was a set peppered with tunes that I recognised from my misspent youth, and whilst I appreciated that I was in the presence of a group who had been a formative influence on many of my generation, I found their '80s rock stylings and posturings incongruous to Sonar's Sound, and their quirky time signatures and keys rather laboured. Once they stripped to their shorts from chem-suit looking garb, they resembled nothing more than a middle-aged workout session. I toughed out the entire set, plus encores, and then we headed to catch what we thought was the end of Mogwai. Sadly not. I shall say no more about them, but I was not expecting pseudo-prog rock during my time here.

Things picked-up somewhat after Mogwai left the stage, very late. Hip hop stylings followed from Razhel and his cheerleader / DJ-JS One. We hung around for hip hopper Mala Rodríguez (think Spanish Nelly Furtado as a starting point, but with far more talent) via a stint in front of Black Devil Disco Club, before wending our way back to the apartment to sleep a little and pack-up for the journey back to London later that morning. Our Sonar sojourn was over.

You can see some photos of Sonar here.

Currently listening : Complete Radio One Recordings By Adam & The Ants Release date: 02 October, 2001

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Sonar - Dia Tres
Current mood: crazy

A bit of a frustrating day three in the Sonar house(hold). Which, it would appear, may be haunted. After having the distinct impression that someone, or thing, was making an impression on me as I lay in bed in the early hours, Martin mentions in passing that he heard 'someone' moving around in his room, also. They seem benign, whoever 'they' are, anyway. Which is something. Or nothing - perhaps our sun-stroked imaginations?

Anyway...frustrations all round today, as the event we opted to see at Sonarama - a short trek along La Rambla, made more scenic by taking some back streets and my stop-off for photo opportunities in the old local market, Sant Josep - until my camera died. Curses! - was Feed at 4pm. On arrival at 'rama, we were asked to sign a form stating that we didn't suffer from, among other things, migraines and low blood pressure. Which Martin does. And anxiety, which surely we all do at some point in our lives? Cue heated 'discussion' over the legal technicalities of disclaimers and his refusal to sign, which I won't bore you with. Suffice to say, it wasn't going to happen. Not that there was much else anywhere else that we wished to see, until Sunn O))) came up at 5pm.

Cue frustration number two. Sunn O)))'s set was rammed. Or at least we couldn't get into SonarHall. All entrances secured, no pasa, etc. Fortunately, after the delaying tactic of a detour via the Editorial Fair (lots of fashion / lifestyle mags, and The Wire, as ever) we (along with lots of others) managed to at least get to the mezzanine floor at the side of the Hall part way through the set, and could hear the sons of Sunn O))) grinding out their wall of sound, and feel the repercussions through the floor and glass barriers. This afforded an advantageous vantage point for the not-even-two-thirds-full Hall (HOW annoying!?!), but no more than an occasional glimpse - when someone left - of a dry ice-shrouded stage through gaps in the curtains along the edge of said hall. Around 5.40pm, the officious, seemingly-haphazard and rather unnecessary crowd-control restrictions were lifted, and we moved inside. Unlike entrance restrictions, the dry ice in the house HADN'T lifted. To see anything of what was occurring on the stage, I had to stand right next to a speaker. Which made my hair, quite literally, stand on end. Loud? What? I was rewarded for this endeavour by seeing the vocalist slowly crawling his way off, stage left, on his stomach. That was enough for me. Or anyone with any sense of theatre and artistry, I would imagine. I moved to the middle of the room, to survey Sunn O)))'s prowess from a safe distance.

Not that, in theory, there was much to see. With the vocalist, at this point, having exited stage left, there remained a bass player and guitarist, shrouded in both mystery and smog. And wearing cowls. This mystery, and sense of immortals feeding from a higher power, was somewhat tarnished by their occasional swigging from large beer bottles (in silhouette), but I have to admit that, much as I wanted not to like the powerful drones pulsating from the stage, it was an awe-inspiring, and quite literally physical, presence. The resonant frequencies worked because of the sound: huge amps and everything well-balanced. And all the time it sounded as if it was just about to end. Or begin again. Just as I REALLY thought it was going to end, the vocalist returned. The smog was clearing, but he was garbed in what looked like medieval costume, and seemed to have no arms. It all added to the sense of otherness I was starting to experience. All in all, Sunn O))) went down well with this London judge, and I left feeling that I had definitely had an experience, even if I wasn't sure what exactly it was.

So. About last night. By the time we got to Las Ramblas, on our way to see the Beasties, I wasn't feeling all that well. Too much Sunn O))), and not enough sun, I suspect. There was the usual long queue for buses, getting longer by the minute. And a longer-than-usual wait to enter the venue, once we disembarked. The Boys' set had started when we made it into the huge space with seemingly-miniscule stage at the end. And it was filling-up fast. Within ten minutes of us taking up position to the left of the sound desk the half of the 'room' behind us was also full of bodies as far the eye could see. Have never seen so many people at any one show in SonarClub. The set-list was as varied as the Beastie's output, moving from punk rock to lounge jazz via massive hip hop beats. Sabotage and Egg Raid in particular got the crowd's bodies moving. A lot. They may need to dye their roots these days, but they never deny them. And Mixmaster Mike was on fine form. MMM - goddamn that dj made my night.

We moved off to the professional area in search of refreshment and respite. Caught some of Uffie's set whilst queueing at our conveniences, discussing with a man from Cardiff whether it was indeed her (it was, she was just on early. And shouting a lot) and the provenance of Welsh as the oldest Celtic language. How very British, although not very rock'n'roll. The rest of the evening was spent in SonarLab, listening (and in Martin's case, dancing) to dubstep from the likes of DJ Skream (who was indeed a hoot. In a good way), watching - and in my case snapping, the dodgems. Shooting the breeze, indeed - before heading for the bus again and some not-at-all-earned rest.

You can also see some photos here.

Currently listening : Hello Nasty By Beastie Boys Release date: 14 July, 1998

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Sonar...Dia Dos...
Current mood: hot

Am now over my initial 'first-ever-blog-whilst-not-at home' excitement. And the fine Chinese (plus Blixa) were, sadly, somewhat of a let-down. White (pictured) were alright on the night. In patches, anyhow. But there was no let-off - of 47 Rockets - at the end of that particular piece, despite them being very evident on the recorded version. I suspect that this may be something to do with fire regulations, but still. All-in-all, still the best music we've sampled, thus far.

We had managed to miss FM3's Buddah Machine performance prior to this. Although I did purchase a Machine of my own from the Record Fair. This is now rather anachronistic and inaptly -named. Hardly any record-companies were in evidence, now that the music world has finally gone (mostly) digital. The stands this year are predominated by promoters and clothing companies, so perhaps 'Lifestyle Fair' would be a more fitting handle? I went for the classic white Buddah Machine (a little, transistor radio-like plastic box, that plays a short loop when you switch it on), 'to match myPod', BEFORE I saw the olive green pressing that they also had. Sadly, another €20 for this one too was pushing the boat out a little too far, despite the lovely little lapel badge and stickers that came with. Haven't dared open the packaging yet. And not sure that I ever will.

SonarMatica was, as ever, a delight. For me, anyhow. Martin's scepticism, when consulted later, was in full effect. But there was lots to see and do, from silver balloons which moved as you approached, to a simplified, gallery version of Philip K. Dick's scramble suit from A Scanner Darkly, which took the faces of the (small) crowd (there were three of us when I joined in) assembled in front of a screen and shifted them onto someone beside you. Philip Worthington's Shadow Monsters and Tool's Life by minim++ were personal favourites. Lots of fun to play with, throwing up surprise results as the viewer interacted, and difficult to do justice to in a few words.

I also, in my haste, forgot to give an honourable mention to one of the shorts we'd seen earlier in the day. Luz Lenta, directed by Dionis Escorza, was gorgeously shot, and beautifully crafted, depicting light revealing and erasing people, objects and colours across spaces, with what looked like a mixture of real-time film and stop animation. Pure visual poetry.

But back to the music. FM3 took to the stage, amidst accusations (not unfounded) from Martin of prog rock, or even emo tendencies. Blixa eventually made it to (the back of) the stage a few minutes into the piece, looking very dapper in a dark suit. He then proceeded to shout a lot, through various effects, his voice - at times - a low rumble. Having seen Neubauten in their Haus Der Luge period, and not knowing what to expect, I was a little disappointed. A little more theatre, at least. We promptly left the building, and headed to SonarComplex.

Big mistake. Complex was full of noise and (largely) empty of people. This was Jazzfinger, apparently the heirs to Zoviet*France's noise throne. Although this seems to be more to do with the fact that a) they're from Newcastle and b) sit on the stage to do whatever it is they do. Bowing and scraping at guitars, mainly. We gave them our very own jazz finger(s) in double quick time, and headed back to the apartment. Harsh? They were, so I do feel justified in giving them so little of my time.

As suggested in the previous post, Thursday night was downtime, before the main events (Beastie Boys and Dizzee Rascal tonight; Devo and - showing my local AND hip hop sympathies - Mala Rodrîguez on Saturday) to follow. So, an evening of beers, going through my many pictures from the day and a late night amble, and ramble - dodging beer and body sellers with equal vehemence - along La Rambla to the port. Oh, and another attempt by Martin at some filming. The camera has now been set up for another 'Nothing Happened Today', but arriving at the harbour with a dead camera battery meant no 'lights on water' footage, save the little that he managed to capture on his smaller stills unit.

You can also see some selected pictures here.

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Sonar...thus far...
Current mood: okay

Not having done this before. let's hope that this is up to the usual blog standard. Taking my art to heart 'n' all that. Please also excuse typos, as this is being posted at the actual venue, so rather a rush-job.

After a very manic morning, we finally get on the plane at Luton. Encouragingly, the pilot informs us that he is a last minute 'standby' replacement, and that the strange noise emitted from the left engine (whilst still on runway) is 'perfectly normal'. After Danny's comment in the office the previous day, regarding easyCrash, I begin to wonder if I am in a movie moment, and we're all about to have to 'brace, brace'. As you have no doubt gathered, we did however, survive. On the way the paperback, Blindness, was on my knee, and we didn't have a dreadful flight. Also proudly showed off the new D.O.R podcast, complete with artist artwork and everything, to Martin, courtesy of myPod.

We landed, checked-in (the apartment is lovely, and spacious. As was the agent), booked-up (both of us gurning inanely at the webcams at the count of three, although Martin's pic on pass was somewhat lopsided, losing a portion of his face - very artistic), shopped and then cooked up a (vegan) storm. Actually, the meal was not the most sterling of efforts, as it was an unfimiliar kitchen, but best not to blame the tools, eh? being most tired, we then discussed the following days' events over a couple of beers before heading to bed. Martin started another film, of the street we are staying on, but the results proved somewhat, er, artistic. And not in a good way.

Today, saw half of the Beastie's 'Awesome' film. Awesome, they f*cking showed that. So much for getting up early! Martin & I were both awed at the sheer number of edits in the 'Ch-ch-check It Out' sequence. The film is not what I was expecting, being mainly concert footage interspersed with candid/stoopid cuts from the audience's cameras. Some very funny parts, and perhaps the first half was more 'candid'. Note to self: Ch-ch-check Out the first half tomorrow. Favourite moment? a female fan, being interviewed at the end of the show, saying 'you want words? Words are bullsh*t!' and then making an ecstatic face and gesture at the interviewer. Also well worth seeing are some of the shorts. No, not my, or anyone else's attire, but the not-very-long films. Especially 'Stong Sory' (sic). Absolutely f*cking hilarious. Need I say more? Go see it for yourself. Although probably not at a cinema near you (any time) soon.

In, possibly petulant, defiance of corporate sponsorship of 'culture' (and godawful beer), we have not had a drink as yet today. As, unlike our last trip, where the sponsorship was by San Miguel (still in plastic cups, but nice enough) Budweiser is the only beer they allow in here. And we're not talking Budvar. So, after the (hopefuilly mighty) fine sounds of China's FM3 and White, followed by said triple FMs featuring Blixa Bargeld (of Einsturzende Neubauten infamy) in SonarHall, a bar surely beckons for some decent beer and some upbeat downtime, prior to a bit of sightseeing. As the only game in town tonight is the Beastie's acoustic set at the 'pre-party' later. As fun as that might be, I think I can wait for the 'real deal' tomorrow night in the out-of-town aircraft hangar that is SonarClub.

More at this space, if things don't start getting too hectic, soon. Fingers crossed, either way.

Richard, for Funkturm.

Currently listening : The Very Best of Ray Charles By Ray Charles Release date: 14 March, 2000

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Blogging all over the wor(l)d
Current mood: excited

Nothing to do with the Status Quo: watch this MySpace for reports from the hotbed of electronic music creativity that is Sonar. I will be sharing daily observations and information on here, in case anyone is intersted, starting on Thursday 14th June. Time, inclination - and internet access -permitting, obviously.

Currently listening : Cansei de Ser Sexy By CSS Release date: 22 January, 2007

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Music Without Borders - the D.O.R Sonar podcast - episode 1. Available now!
Current mood: confused

The first in the D.O.R Music Without Borders podcast series is now available for your listening pleasure. The episode is the first of our rough guides to the various activities and releases of the D.O.R family, with music from Switch, Funkturm. Spooncurve, nomadstation, Green Violonite Club and Doppler 20:20. You can subscribe here

Currently listening : Bold Soul Sister - The Best of the Blue Thumb Recordings By Tina Turner Release date: 15 July, 1997

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Funkturm download
Current mood: working
Category: Music

'Suma' (Strata, D.O.R) now available for download. Come and get it!

Currently listening : Cut By The Slits Release date: 25 January, 2005

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