[upcoming bands] Halloween

Halloween is one of the best portuguese hip hop acts. I don't know since when he's been rapping about portuguese criminal reality, street life, ghettos, street violence, drug addiction, prostitution, etc.
Check out these songs (click the one you want to hear, it'll direct you to youtube):
-No Love;
-Procriar;
-O meu Par;
-Dia de um dread de 16 anos;
-Bang bang;

Sugestion: Use a free translator to understand some of this music, if you don't speak portuguese.

Next, I'll put here a video of Halloween:

[interview] Pictureplane

Fortunately, I could interview Pictureplane. Fusing house with psychedelic themes, transcending cliché acid house, this artist could easily make a tune that would be a hit in many discos, if people nowadays cared more about music when they go to a disco. He also makes magic with a Microkorg [how I envy him, I wish I could be that good with my synth].

Serotonin Sounds: What do you think of Witch House? I asked you this one because I see you use lots of "occult" related images, like the triangles and ourobouros, etc.

Pictureplane: dont think a lot of people know this, but i invented the term "witch house" ! the first time it was used was on my blog. my friend shams and i were joking around about a new style of occultish house music that we were making. and we called it witch house. it actually is supposed to be house music, not the slow stuff that is being called witch house. i dont know how it took off on the internet like it did, but it is really interesting.

SS: What are your influences?

PP:contemporary art, fashion, the future, mysticism, the occult, aliens, the "other", the hidden, mysteries, touch, sex, magic. oh , and other music.

SS: You seem to have a wide musical taste. You like Siouxsie and the Banshees and at the same time make your own music: with this I mean, why do you feel related with these more dark trends and at simultaneously make your music, which seems to be happier?

PP:there has always been a darker element to my music. a lot of my old lyrics were really violent and stuff. i always liked that juxtaposition. i love pop music. and my music is meant to be positive and optimistic. so that is why it sounds happy i think. music and art can look or sound a certain way but still carry different meanings. of course. i like to hide things within my songs. but at the same time, i have always been influenced by "dark" music.

SS:Are you the author of your artwork?

PP:of course. i went to school for painting actually. visual art is a huge part of my life.

SS:When playing live, you use a Microkorg, right? When producing, you still use the Microkorg? And do you use any other synths too while producing?

PP:i love my mikrokorg! i have had it for 6 years. it is covered in dirt and some keyes are missing. i am trying to get a new synth, but i am pretty poor and i am also a wizard with the korg. it is the only thing i use really.

SS:Would you like your music to be played at discos?

PP:more pictureplane at discos!

SS:Are you planning to sell some of your t-shirts online? [I want one, hehe]

PP:yes! HOPEFULLY THAT WEBSITE WILL BE UP SOON.

SS:Do you like Throbbing Gristle? If so, how have they affected your music?

PP:i am an extremely huge fan of throbbing gristle. more so for their concepts and theories about culture, the world, freedom and magik. i honestly never really "listen" to them, but i am constantly reading about them and studying them. i collect writings by genesis p. orridge, who is probably one of my biggest life inspirations. genesis forever.

SS:Choose one band / musical group you're enjoying lately and tell us why.

PP:future islands. i have loved this band for a while, but they have a new album and just performed at where i live in denver, rhinoceropolis. and they blew me away. they are one of the best live bands and their music is so emotional and beautiful. they are truly a special and rare band. not enough people know about them.


Thank you once again, Pictureplane.

[upcoming bands] Battle Bossanova

Hailing directly from Denmark, this newborn garage band entitled Battle Bossanova seem cliché: guitars wabbling through the air, oooo' chants along the vocals and catchy rhythms. They aren't this standard. If they were, I didn't select them too.
They've released one cassette, like this image points. Still haven't heard it... I just got the opportunity to hear their songs on their myspace and they're worth it.
If you live in Denmardk be aware:

May 27 2010 9:00P	Drone Bar	Kbh N, DK
Jun 17 2010 9:00P	Loppen - Ganglians (us) support Battle Bossanova	Christiania, Hovedstade, DK

Directly copy-pasted from myspace, here are their current upcoming gigs- they promise.

Here it is their myspace.

[interview] Dazzle Ships

I enjoyed Dazzle Ships music so much that some weeks ago I decided to interview them. Here it is the final product:

1. Why did you start making music?;

TYLER: Sheer boredom. I borrowed my sister's bass that she didn't play in like 6th grade, but didn't know how to play it. I would just make weird noises with the built in effects on the amp and put the pickups to the speaker making it feed back, I loved that shit. I eventually figured out how to route the amp into my sound card and record it. I had tons of recordings of me just talking with effects on my voice and weird shit like that. and that eventually turned into playing guitar and recording 15 second songs with drum machine and guitar. It wasn't until I started to play music with my friend Travis that I took it semi seriously. We started our first band when we were 15 and he's been in pretty much every band I've been in since. Actually I think Dazzle Ships is the only one he isn't a part of..
HATII: I feel like music was already in my blood because of my family. I started making music because I was constantly surrounded by family members doing some from of it. I grew up with all my brothers in several bands and at least a good 5 instruments just lying around the house. I feel like it really clicked with me when I was around 7. My brother was a huge fan of Led Zeppelin and constantly played Stairway to Heaven; I remember using one of his acoustic guitars and teaching myself the opening guitar part by ear. From then on music has been like a second habit, so far I've learned to play guitar, bass, trumpet, cello and am a beginner at piano and drums.

2. When did the band start (and is this your first band? if it isn't, please mention the bands you had before);
TYLER: The band started on December 27th, 2009. Hatii and I were bored one day and jammed and wrote a cool song and then recorded it. and that was that..

I've been in and currently in many bands. including Rapid Youth, Twin Lion, and Norse Horse.
HATII: Dazzle Ships is my first band, it's not my first attempt at making a band though. I've tried several times with friends who knew how to play at least one instrument or another. Nothing ever worked out though. Tyler is the first person who fits my style of playing so far.

3. What are your influences?; TYLER: I know that we both want to write energetic, dreamy, catchy, pop songs. But I'm not sure of direct influences, really. We both really like the Cocteau Twins, Atlas Sound, Broadcast, New Order stuff like that. Also bands like Felt, Talking Heads, Wire and a lot of kraut rock bands, guitar wise. We defiantly have a lot of electronic music influence too, there will definatly be a lot more keyboard heavy songs in the future. Hatii listens to a lot of classical music too, I really want her to play some cello on some of the new songs. I am not sure how she feels about that. HATII: When it comes to my vocals I am influenced by Faye Wong and Maaya Sakamoto. Both women have such delicate yet mature voices, and a style all their own. I aim to be somewhere near that category.

4. Have you considered your vocals a bit similar to The Only Ones' (in a good way, of course) ?;
I, honestly, haven't listened to enough of that band to tell you if we do or not...I have only heard the "another girl, another planet" song. I will have to look more into that band now, for sure.

5. Have you given many shows up to date?;
We haven't played any shows yet, there will be a bunch soon. We want our shows to be very visual also so we are still working out the technical aspect of that at the moment.

-Left: A band photo;
-Right: An image which seems to resemble a tunnel [found on their myspace too];

6. If you could choose a band/artist to tour with, who would it be?;
This is a tough question......David Bowie. He would have to play all the songs from the labyrinth and let us be his backing band, though.

7. Are you aiming to release an EP or album soon?;
Yeah we want to have an album out maybe before the end of this year. We need to find a label first, but we will defiantly have an album written.

8. What country would you like your band to play?;
Anywhere in Europe. We would love to play England, France, Spain, Belgium, all those wonderful countries we've never been to. Oh! and Ireland.

9. If you could pick a label which one would you pick?;
hmmm This is a tough question.....4AD.


Once again, thank you Dazzle Ships for your time! I'm anxious to hear your upcoming album.

[upcoming bands] Dazzle Ships

Started not long ago [2009, I predict], this band consists of a duo: Tyler on guitar and vocals and Hatii on bass and vocals. I really like it. Sounds original and refreshing, something that's hard to find these days [cliché talk, I know].
This info was taken from a Vice article: "Dazzle Ships was the name of the brilliant and somewhat unlikely collaboration between modernist painters and army officials during
World War 1. It led to warships being painted with complex, colourful, geometric patterns which were meant to confuse opposition viewfinders and periscopes, and make it harder to gauge the speed and position of the ships they were trying to kill. It probably didn’t work very well, but at least it looked great and inspired the awesome artwork to OMD’s underrated Dazzle Ships LP."
These guys remind me sometimes The Chameleons' guitars with The Only Ones' bass and vocals. Kind of strange, like an 80's revival band, but that's not that much inserted into the 80's post-punk, kind of difficult to explain [this comparison occurs in their song "Least Resistance". Indie? Yeah, it's indie, just more original than most of the indie bands that I start to find all similar to each other, since "indie" is kind of trendy this decade.
You can check their myspace here.


-This is a pic I found on their myspace (the one with the pink dots is also featured there).

Below you can hear "Least Resistance":

[upcoming bands] CFCF

CFCF is a great promise within genres like electro. He has done awesome remixes and has some of them on his myspace. He introduces himself by modestly saying: "Hi, I am CFCF and I make music". Some of his influences are: Boredoms, Goblin, The Durutti Column, Madonna, Fleetwood Mac & Vangelis.
He released his first EP on January of 2009, being a great start, I say.
Next month he'll release his first album entitled "Continent" (don't miss this one!).
Check out his myspace.

Below you can hear one great song of his, named "Panesian Nights":

CFCF 'Crystal Mines' from the EP 'Panesian Nights' from Paper Bag Records on Vimeo.

Oh, and please hear this awesome remix of HEALTH's "Before tigers" (it's brilliantly smooth and relaxing):

[upcoming bands] Dum Dum Girls

Basically there's just one consistent member in this band and she calls herself "Dee Dee" I believe. It's lo-fi pop.
Nevertheless, it sure is good. Dum Dum girls... They've even signed to Sub Pop. You can tell this is an upcoming band. They've played in the Woodsist fest in Brooklyn, NY, or whatever that fest was. Dee Dee assumes a wannabe gothic style (no offense intended here) - which I quite adore, I must say. Their discography currently consists of: an EP entitled Yours alone (on Captured Tracks label), a 7" named "Long hair", a 4-way split and there'll be soon available a cassette comp on Art Fag label.
See how this lo-fi pop is appealing - direct yourself to their myspace. They've been compared to bands like Black Tambourine and Shop Assistants.

I'll put a video here for you to heart them ("Hey Sis" song):