Dusty Brown - This City is Killing Me - Artwork by S.Hansen/ISO50
I’m very pleased to announce that the new Dusty Brown EP, This City is Killing Me, is now available. I’m even more pleased to announce that Dusty was generous enough to give it to us for free. If you like it (which I am sure you will, just have one listen to “Back to Back” and you’ll be hooked), please consider supporting his music by making a donation.
For the uninitiated, Dusty Brown is an insanely talented Sacramento-based producer and musician who, along with his eponymous band, creates a sort of beat-centric clash between raw ambient-electronic and synth-driven indie rock. Dusty got me into the live music scene when I was starting out in Sacramento and over the years we’ve collaborated on all sorts of projects. I’ve learned more about music from Dusty than anyone else; his production style and methods are truly awe inspiring. People who have been following along for a while might also remember that Dusty did all the flash work for both the original versions of the ISO50 portfolio.
I’ve really been anticipating this EP so it was great to also be able to create the album artwork for the release. The artwork is based on the photography of another incredible talent from Sacramento, photographer Raoul Ortega. The front and back covers feature various images from this set which Raoul shot with the Canon 5D at Dusty’s Harlow’s show last week. It’s so inspiring as a designer to work with talented photographers; images like this are just begging to be treated and make the whole process such a pleasure. The EP download includes print sized versions of the front and back covers.
I recently put together a collection of remixes that weren’t really out there that were related to the Moodgadget label I run. It’s a very diverse collection of new and old songs from the catalog and I thought the ISO50 readers could be the first to hear and download the compilation, let me know what you think, enjoy your weekend.
TRACKLIST Benoit Pioulard – Forming At The Mouth (Worst Friends remix) D. Gookin – Glad I Met You (Mux Mool remix) Machinedrum – Fresh Kids (Mogi Grumbles mix) The Young Friends – Be My Baby (Boyfriends mix) Shigeto – Life Eternal (A Setting Sun remix) Body Language – At A Glance (Toro Y Moi remix) Praveen & Benoit – Embers (Shigeto remix) Addled – Heartbreachno (Frank Omura remix) Mux Mool – Eagle Fantasies (Tom Croose’s 60 super bowl champs remix) A Setting Sun – Sun Hammer Pounding (Joe Lapaglia mix)
CFCF have been my favorite remixers as of late, they always stay at a great pace and grab perfect elements away from both slow disco and house, this one for Jori Hulkkonen has been my fave.
I’m not sure if this is old or new Portishead but I just saw it featured up on iTunes and it caught my ear, i’m a sucker for her voice and that Moroder like driving synth.
More remixes from the master Superpitcher, back in the early and mid 2000’s if you had a Superpitcher remix on your 12″ you were pretty much guaranteed record sales, those were the days.
One band that I haven’t seen live yet but are on the top of my list is Blondes, they play a ton here in Brooklyn but I seem to miss them everytime. This song Spanish Fly might have elements of the whole post Animal Collective sound but way more electronics pushing the song forward.
Past is Prologue — my first album as Tycho to be released on a label — has been reissued by Ghostly International and is now available on iTunes (and, as always, at the ISO50 Shop). the reissue includes an exclusive remix by Mux Mool of From Home.
I often get asked about the lineage of this album, which has taken on many forms, so I thought I’d lay it out here. The original release was entitled Sunrise Projector and was self-released. Later, Merck records picked it up and released it as Past is Prologue. The Merck version featured new artwork, two new original songs, and two new remixes — but was missing one of the tracks from the Sunrise Projector release. Merck also released a 12″ vinyl sampler featuring 5 tracks from the album. Now, ghostly has released this digital reissue which features the new Mux Mool remix. Hope that clears it up!
I think i’ve posted 3 songs by Solvent this month, I guess I just can’t get enough, here’s a new one from his album that came out this month called Subject To Shift. Yesterday I got an email that he’ll be starting up his old label Suction Records which got me really geeked, some of the compilations on that label really kick started my love for this kind of synth pop.
Oval is back and i’m loving it, he’s touching on that sound that Caribou and Four Tet are known for, pretty ace.
I’m really into Pictureplane but I can’t imagine they’ve been sequencing electronic music for more than 2 years, either way i’m loving this track.
Light Asylum is the most unique project i’ve heard live in some time now. I can’t get enough, that vocal paired up synthesized percussion is bringing back nice memories.
Maybe one of the top 10 songs of 2010? Memoryhouse – Lately has elements of some of my favorite music I post here on ISO50, I hope to share a few more by them this year.
Dusty Brown will be playing live this Friday (May 28th, 2010) at Harlow’s in Sacramento. Their shows are always worth checking out — few can match the intensity and raw emotion they exude on stage — but this one promises to take things a step further. They’ve put together a full band and reworked all the songs with fully live arrangements for this set. It’s always interesting to hear how predominantly electronic music works in a live context, particularly with a drummer. I saw Caribou and Toro Y Moi last night here in San Francisco and that was certainly a treat to hear how the songs had changed between the studio and the stage (more so with Toro Y Moi as Caribou’s records are essentially rock at this point anyways). I’m looking forward to the same from Dusty and co. on Friday. Hope to see you out there.
The Sight Below recently compiled an amazing tracklist for a Fact Magazine Mix, check the song list below, its packed with lush distorted dream pop from the 80’s and 90’s. I saw The Sight Below play 2 nights ago, it felt like I was falling back slowly for about 45 mins, it was perfect, I kept asking myself why do I listen to anything else. I’m putting this mix on repeat while I pack up and move today, enjoy your weekend.
slowdive\ slowdive \ slowdive \ creation \ 1990 chapterhouse\ treasure \ whirlpool \ dedicated \ 1991 franke\ jag älskar dig \ aldrig förstå ep \ luxury \ 2003 joy division\ isolation \ closer \ factory \ 1980 echo & the bunnymen\ do it clean \ crocodiles \ korova \ 1980 spacemen 3\ take me to the other side \ the perfect prescription \ glass records \ 1987 cocteau twins\ lorelei \ treasure \ 4ad \ 1984 kate bush\ hounds of love \ hounds of love \ emi \ 1985 iggy pop\ nightclubbing \ the idiot \ rca \ 1977 teenage filmstars\ loving \ star \ creation \ 1992 seefeel\ more like space \ more like space ep \ too pure \ 1993 clan of xymox\ no words \ clan of xymox \ 4ad \ 1985
