The mighty HEALTH are coming to town like a rampaging eight armed beast and brining with them a band I’ve been wanting to check out for ages but never really thought would reach our shores, Denver’s Pictureplane who I stumbled upon with the rest of the Rhinoceropolis crew in a HEALTH interview way back in May last year. Also on the bill are two local bands one being CHOPS who I’ve always some how managed to miss by turning up late to gigs at the Brudenell before and Castrovalva who I did actually miss this time for that very reason (it’s a long drive alright!)…
CHOPS are a mad band, the grooves they kick up are insanely addictive the drummer is sick. They stick synth led basslines to the frantic breaks and other rhythmic parts to create a hell of a groove. Then if that wasn’t enough, which sometimes I think it is… they whack on some casio keyboard jazz or sax along with twisted vocals, sometimes this works a treat and others, well I’m not so sure. I really enjoyed it though; it’s both intense and fun if a little reminiscent of Big Beat and specifically ‘Weapon of Choice’ by Fatboy Slim.
Pictureplane I was kind of hyped about, but this was a bit of an ipod-backed energy sapping fest, it would work so well in a club with bits mixed in-between though. I mean he had tin foil and bunting and some really cool moments but there was a slight school disco feel to it and maybe even a distorted evil stoned brother of Calvin Harris feel to it. The highlight of his set was probably his HEALTH remix, which he ended on that managed to piss all over HEALTH’s version somehow. At his best Pictureplane sounded like a mix of High Places swirling almost shoegaze like bliss and a more house savy Crystal Castles that wasn’t afraid of a bit of cheese. Pretty cool all in all, kind of nice.
HEALTH impressed the hell out of me the first time I saw them supporting Zombie Zombie at the Brudenell, it was a rip roaring adrenaline fuelled stopping starting freak out, full of liquid grooves and primitive tribalistic pressure. This time it was just as tight and just as many flowing grooves, with noise, power and down right funk being harnessed into a full on live experience. Yet a lot of the new material didn’t quite have that pent up energy that ripped the place apart last time. Everything bar a few bits and bobs sounded like the last few tracks of the HEALTH s/t album, you know the epic almost ballad like stuff with actual guitar parts, which is all well and good but there was a little to much of that. It made for more of a hypnotising watch as apposed to jaw dropping intensity. ‘Die Slow’ still sounded lame mind I really can’t get on with that track, Pictureplane really showed that song up with his remix earlier in the night by spacing it out and ripping it up into a dance floor bomb and most importantly getting rip of the Kasabian-like riffing. HEALTH weren’t bad as such just not as mind blowing, there was a more post-rock edge to them this time, which is cool but before they were really hard to put in a box and this time it seemed a lot easier to pigeonhole them. They have gone from free flowing idea after idea to a more structured almost song-like sound, I still dig it but it’s taken away a little bit of energy. I’m still yet to hear the latest album so that might put a bit more context on their performance, which was impressive in a physical, tight as hell kind of way. HEALTH still do the noise/dance/rock/psychedlic/groove fest way better than anyone else right now, and put on a hell of a show.
Excellent live video shot by Martin the night before in Sheffield:
It isn’t to often an truly good remix album comes along I think the last one’s I can think of that are worth mentioning are Bloc Party’s Silent Alarm Remixed and Soulwax remixing there own album into it’s very own Night Version. Nine Inch Nails have also been doing this kind of thing for a while too, but I haven’t heard those ones.
Any way on with HEALTH//DISCO quite a few of the mixes have been around on the net for quite a while and the Crystal Castle version of Crimewave was even on their album, there it worked perfectly but on //DISCO it sounds pretty weak compared to the rest. Its blog house heavy on this //DISCO rework the Acid Girls mixes are probably the stand out tracks with their massive bass and hard funk edge. The sounds HEALTH make are just incredible and primal they make for perfect base material to squeeze into more traditionally structured dance music.
Even though I’m a huge dance music fan HEALTH//DISCO can’t touch the original HEALTH album by quite some way. I have heard this version being hailed as better in quite a few, well-respected places. It isn’t to say HEALTH//DISCO is bad at all its not, its just not as genre defiantly beastly and banging. I think HEALTH lose a little of their energy and ideas when they aren’t as free roaming and are restricted into a dance music tried and tested structure.
HEALTH//DISCO is a nice addition to have as the remixes are solid and flow, as an album should do. Their isn’t any skimping and filler just massive beats and repeated cut up style looped freak outs, ready to make you move. These tracks mixed into DJ sets might well have a massive impact and say me more towards loving this //DISCO more than HEALTH but I will have to wait and see.
The highlights for me so far are the two excellent Acid Girls mixes (which you can download bellow). They are acidic and huge sounding with loads of aggression and a truckload of funk. The vocals are made into more of a feature and bring a bit of melody forward into the mix.
The Pictureplane remix is a cool one and I have talked about him and the Denver Rhinoceropolis art scene before on this blog a few times. He adds his own stamp to the proceedings with some cut-up style loops and dreamy synths.
The Thrust Lab mix of Problem Is, is a moody electro version and it is a brilliant departure in sound to the HEALTH original. The drums are often not as in your face in these mixes, which for me is the best bit about HEALTH the beastly drums.
CFCF’s mix of Triceratops is a beauty I have heard quiet a few of his mixes before and for quite some time I thought it was a Crystal Castles mokier of some kind or a colaberation. This was maybe because CFCF mixes kept popping up on blogs next to them all the time. Anyway, he makes this into a retro synth number with computer game cop show melodies and a kind of mellow sadness too.
C.L.A.W.S. add a nice subtle techno bump to Lost Time it doesn’t do much else apart from bump along with some funk and tweaks, but a good dance floor tool non the less.
Pink Skull’s version of Heaven is a bit of banger I am familiar with their stuff as they do a brilliant mix, that veer from deep techno to spaced out prog rock through the odd slice of electro and back again. They are a bit like a better version of Quite Village in my eyes anyway; I might post about them more another time.
Curses! Is part of the Drop The Lime/Trouble & Bass NYC posse that make a hell of a racket that is a mix of Jacking Chicargo house beats, hardcore or breakcore and techno all at once. Fat bass and jacking beats, is what they are all about. This mix isn’t the best but its pretty cool.
You can discover the bonus tracks for your self as a little surprise they feature the likes of Toxic Avenger and another Smell group Captain Ahab.
I think the only problem I have with HEALTH//DISCO is that the remixers of choice I am pretty familiar with and I prefer their other stuff more in some cases. It just isn’t as original sounding as the original HEALTH album. I’m being picky though as //DISCO is a solid slice of dance music. It’s a savvy web 2.0, yuck that’s a horrible phrase, record that utilises the word of mouth of blogs and other sites to hype it around the globe. It’s a blog house beast of an album and you don’t get more blog house than your thank you section looking like a who’s who of influential and brilliant blogs and music sites do you...
HEALTH//LIVE are a eight limbed beast and one of the most powerful, energetic and mesmerising happenings I have ever witnessed. A must see in my opinion.
HEALTH the album makes so much more sense after seeing them live and is a pretty much seamless slice of primal noise and a free roaming masterpiece.
HEALTH//DISCO should make you move, it takes the source material into new territories and with a huge slice of fun. All the ‘HITS’ remixed re-packaged and there for you ready to bounce to. They deserve all the support they can get and I can’t wait to see what else they have up their sleeves. The HEALTH motto YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER x 1000000 is a good one for a dance floor compilation as that’s what dance is all about. Added bonus points there.
RCRDLBL has the following: HEALTH – Triceratops (Acid Girls 2Steps2Freedom Mix) HEALTH – Triceratops (Acid Girls’ ‘Before Dancefloorasaurases Ruled The Earth Mix) HEALTH – The Problem Is (Thrust Lab Mix)
Myspace has the following: HEALTH – (Picturplane Remix) HEALTH – (Nosaj Thing Remix)
YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER
Rhinoceropolis is an all ages’ art space in Denver that seems to be making some brilliant sounds right now. A young scene is brewing in Denver and I can hear it all the way over in the UK so it must be pretty loud. I found out about Rhinoceropolis from treading about HEALTH who hail from the LA all ages art space The Smell. These two scenes feel like kindred spirits to me. I first stumbled upon Pictureplane who I wrote about here and from that I got some interest from a Denver local Brent (cheers dude) who sent me some tips for other ace groups popping up in the area. He wasn’t wrong hell there is some serious sounds developing. This is what I discovered, from the young scene. It looks pretty exciting and a lot of the groups are just starting out and finding their feet, which is brilliant news. Anyway here are a bunch of experimental artists:
Married in Berdichew She makes a beautiful and emotional racket out of looped vocals, feedback and assorted instruments, its truly moving, brooding and intense. The songs on the myspace are brilliant and I’m informed that live she is chilling.
Calder Lakes Feature Brittany from Married in Berdichew and Eva from a LA noise band called Kevin Shields, named after the My Bloody Valentine legend no doubt. Again this is dark, brooding noise with a filthy undercurrent. There is a breath taking, other worldly atmosphere to it. Not to mention some beastly feedback noise to blow out the old cobwebs.
Kevin Sheilds Just to demonstrate the Denver/LA axis of sound Kevin Sheilds the band not to be confused with the My Bloody Valentine geezer are from LA and I see are playing at The Smell soon. They make a massive kind of noise, its all abrasive and quite in your face; I like the primal energy of it all. This is what I wanted Fuck Buttons to be I think.
BRDMPPL This is a group that make a kind of funky electro noise that is just well ace. It has a dance route to it and experimental tendencies. You can even download a tour CD of theirs direct from the myspace page. There is a fun edge to all of the tunes and they even remind me of an electro version of HEALTH in some ways. I will be keeping my beady eye on this lot.
This is a project of Ryan from BRDMPPL, it’s a kind of IDM, electro based dance thing you can download tracks from the myspace too. Its similar to his other group and why the hell not hey, as that is brilliant.
Alphabets Is just 17 and hell he should well keep this up, he makes a kind of deconstructed pop music that is almost ambient and has a beautiful electro sound that is warm and glitchy. Some tunes are available for download on the myspace page.
Pictureplane I may as well give Pictureplane another mention in this post as they are ace and started me off on the whole Rhinoceropolis/Denver quest for freaked out noise. A mix of electro, shoegaze and just all out fun beats, check it out.
Vampire Pussy Make a kind of noise again out of what sounds like guitar fuck-up-ary if that’s a word. They seem pretty new as they only have 61 friends so far but I enjoyed it.
Rhinoceropolis And finally the place its self, now I have never been as I’m stuck out here in the UK but it all looks pretty exciting to me. They are putting on a lot of mad gigs and amazing artists. Long live the Rhinoceropolis and good luck to all of the talent coming out of it.
I’m sure there are tons more groups coming out of Denver and the Rhinoceropolis these where just the ones I have come across from my far away place. Check it out.
Pictureplane’s sound is some where between 8-bit dance like Crystal Castles and Baltimore cut and paste hip-hop beats like Spank Rock. I got tipped off on Pictureplane on Pitchfork in an article about HEALTH and had to check them out. On the myspace they have friends like the aforementioned HEALTH and Drop The Lime who I also love. Pictureplane are from a Denver art scene that comes out of a place called Rhinoceropolis, which from what I can gather is something like LA’s The Smell, an all ages D.I.Y. art space. They seem like kindred spirits, just a quick look on their myspace suggests so as The Mae-Shi are playing there in the near future.
Pictureplane is a one-man band that is pretty much just beats, keyboard and vocals. He makes one hell of a sound though. We get Baltimore booty bass and beats with cut up elements similar to Crystal Castles vocal stuff. There is also a guitar element to some songs as well that add some interesting noise to the proceedings. The vocals are often cut up and pitched up and down for melody effect or echo drenched. The tunes manage to sound both scuzzy, dirty and sun drenched all at once. This is my tip of the day to counter balance my cut copy review earlier. Pictureplane has some tunes up for download in his myspace go and check them out for your self here. I will do some searching and see what else is coming from Rhinoceropolis soon, it looks promising.
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The mighty HEALTH are coming to town like a rampaging eight armed beast and brining with them a band I’ve been wanting to check out for ages but never really thought would reach our shores, Denver’s Pictureplane who I stumbled upon with the rest of the Rhinoceropolis crew in a HEALTH interview way back in May last year. Also on the bill are two local bands one being CHOPS who I’ve always some how managed to miss by turning up late to gigs at the Brudenell before and Castrovalva who I did actually miss this time for that very reason (it’s a long drive alright!)…
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