Spécial Sonic City Festival

Sonic City Festival

Sonic City

CURATED BY BEAK>

30 NOV/1 DEC 2013

BEAK>

Sunday

© Pitchfork Media

This trio features Portishead producer/multi-instrumentalist Geoff Barrow, bassist Billy Fuller and Matt Williams on the keys. Beak> headlined the '12 Sonic City edition curated by SUUNS and is curating this year's music fest. Beak> combines Krautrock and dub with sound effects and produces an original lo-fi sound that will blow your socks off once again. Band members Fuller and Williams are also part of Fuzz Against Junk and Team Brick, two bands that are signed to Barrow's Invada Records.

http://beak.bandcamp.com/

SAVAGES

Sunday

This all-female post-punk band has a blistering sound and noisy guitars. The London-based four-piece was formed in 2011 and consists of guitarist Gemma Thompson, singer Camille Berthomier (known as Jehny Beth), Ayse Hassan and Fay Milton on the drums. Soon after their formation they were picked up by Sigur Rós manager John Best, which rapidly resulted in the release of their double A-side single 'Flying to Berlin/Husbands' on the Pop Noir label. If you're into PJ Harvey & Siouxsie and the Banshees, you will sure love Savages.

http://savagesband.com/

THE BLACK ANGELS

Saturday

The Black Angels are a psychedelic rock band from Austin, Texas. Their neo-psychedelic sound came together in 2004. Stephanie Balley (drums), Christian Bland (guitar), Alex Maas (vocals), Jennifer Raines (organ) and Nathan Ryan (bass) took their band name from the Velvet Underground classic ''The Black Angel's Death Song.'' The Black Angels are the undisputed avatars of contemporary psychedelic rock.

http://theblackangels.com/

ADULT.

Saturday

ADULT. is an American band from Detroit, Michigan. Integrating (female) vocals with drum machines, analog synths and punk elements. This husband-and-wife team Adam Lee Millerand and Nicola Kuperus became a trio when guitarist Samuel Consiglio joined forces for a short while. In 2006 Consiglio left the band again and ADULT. continued as a duo, gaining popularity in the USA and Europe after touring with Trans Am. Their last album 'The Way Things Fall' is already one of De Kreun's list of most played office tunes.

http://www.adultperiod.com/

JAMES HOLDEN (live)

Saturday

© Border Community

'British techno sorcerer and psychedelic shaman James Holden is a man of many talents: zeitgeist-defining label boss, trend-setting producer, hugely in-demand monster remixer, and last but by no means least, he can count himself amongst that very modern breed of dj's with a special knack for layering seemingly divergent records with an unparalleled musical ear. Founded in 2003 as a restriction-free outlet for his own music and launch pad for the production careers of his band of talented friends, James Holden's Border Community label is now firmly established as one of the foremost breeding grounds for fresh young electronic talent.'
© 2013 Resident Advisor Ltd.

http://www.jamesholden.org/

DIRTY BEACHES

Sunday

Dirty Beaches is the project of Taiwan-born Canadian sound-smith Alex Zhang Hungtai. Dirty Beaches produces low-slung, lo-fi, post-rockabilly and released a number of EP's on cassette-only labels, before releasing 'Badlands' in 2011. Dirty Beaches started as a one-man band using sampling and has grown rapidly because of Zhang's long-time traveling. Having lived in Tapei, Queens, Etobicoke, Honolulu, San Francisco, Shanghai, Vancouver, Montreal and Berlin, we could say Dirty Beaches had a variety of influences, which brings about a sound that sounds both familiar and surreal.

http://dirtybeaches.bandcamp.com/

OM

Saturday

© Jeroen Vranken

OM is an experimental drone/metal band from San Francisco, California. Formed as a duo in 2003 by the rhythm section of the stoner doom band Sleep, OM has now developed into a trio. The band has a strong live reputation (a 2007 concert in Israel lasted about 5 hours) and consists of Al Cisneros, Emil Amos and Robert Lowe. Prepare for some serious chanting.

http://www.omvibratory.com/

FOREST SWORDS

Saturday

Forest Swords is English producer and artist Matthew Barnes. On debut EP 'Dagger Paths' Barnes combines dub, psychedelics, dance and drone which resulted in being FACT Magazine's #1 album and 'Best New Music' on influential music website Pitchfork. Forest Swords' Debut album 'Engravings' was released by Tri Angle Records in August '13. Barnes produces sturdy loops, beats and guitar lines and fits them nicely into accumulating layers.

http://forestswords.tumblr.com/

© Tri Angle Records

THE HAXAN CLOAK

Saturday

The Haxan Cloak is the project of London-based avantgarde musician Bobby Krlic. Signed on Tri Angle Records, The Haxan Cloak produces pure black magic. Fans of hybrid heroes Demdike Stare (played at Sonic City '12) will sure like the taste of this drone-influenced sound.

http://haxancloak.tumblr.com/

PHARMAKON

Sunday

Pharmakon is the power electronics / death industrial project of Margaret Chardiet, which has been operating out of the Red Light District in New York since 2007. Margaret Chardiet is also a member of the project 'Throat'. Pharmakon has released a self-titled EP out on Bloodlust! in 2008 and the full-length 'Abandon' on Sacred Bones Records in 2013. Pitchfork gave Pharmakon an 8.0 for the latest Sacred Bones-release, read it yourself and be convinced.

http://www.sacredbonesrecords.com/on-tour/

CONNAN MOCKASIN

Sunday

The soft-psych project of Connan Hosford might be New-Zealand's most popular export product. Connan Mockasin has been touring in support of Radiohead and will release a new album in november. Perfect timing for a taste of this new dreamy material at Sonic City Festival.

https://soundcloud.com/connanmockasin

THOUGHT FORMS

Sunday

Thought Forms is Charlie Romijn (vocals/guitar), Deej Dhariwai (vocals/guitar) and Guy Metcalfe (drums). Their second album 'Ghost Mountain' just hit the stores in '13. Thought Forms has toured with Portishead and is signed on Geoff Barrow's Invada Records. And as the Drowned in Sound-blog puts it: ''Volcanic sacrifice? Beachside offering? Spiritual ascendance? It could be anything. Coming back to labels: no-wave, drone, shoegaze, lo-fi, post-metal. This something-for-everyone 'Ghost Mountain' is hard not to like.''

http://thoughtforms.bandcamp.com/

© William Van der Voort

VEX RUFFIN

Sunday

Vex Ruffin is yet another Stones Throw roster. Although it may not seem like it upon first listen, Vex's music is rooted in sampling and hip hop beat-making culture. Vex Ruffin is the first artist signed to Stones Throw Records on the strenght of an unsolicited demo sent through mail. Stones Throw founder Peanut Butter Wold recalls: ''It was kind of a fluke that I listened. I just liked the drawing on the cover so I decided to check it out. I called the phone number on the CD and Vex though I was a friend playing a practical joke.'' Vex Ruffin makes lo-fi punk with witch house influences. After playing SXSW and Coachella, Vex Ruffin will conquer the Sonic City audience in no time.

http://www.stonesthrow.com/vex

CAMERA

Sunday

This Berlin-based band played at De Kreun before (support Dinosaur Jr.) and now these boys are coming back for more. Having played with Krautrock legends Michael Rother (NEU!, Harmonia) and Dieter Moebius, a lot has been going on with this trio. Camera sure is a force to be reckoned with, as one of their specialities is to sneak their way into highly official after show parties (German Film Prize, Echo Awrds...), arrange their portable equipment in a matter of minutes and play for as long it takes for the security to realize they are not part of the official program. That's just the way we like 'em!

http://www.bureau-b.com/camera.php

© Alisa Resnik

ZZZ's

Sunday

ZZZ's is a Japanese no-wave/experimental/post-punk trio, formed in Brooklyn, New York in 2012. Currently unsigned, ZZZ's claim they're influenced by bands as Liars and Einstürzende Neubauten. Perfect Sonic City material, a band to discover, as they produce a crazy / intelligent experimental vibe that will sure catch your attention.

http://zzzs-jpn.com/

FATHER MURPHY

Saturday

Father Murphy is a couple, a trio, a no-band. During live shows Chiara Lee, Vittorio and Freddie work together to play toy instruments, or to play instruments as toys. While Vittorio plays a kid-drumset and his old violin, Chiara puts together different sounds taken from any kind of old Chinese toy and Italian keyboards. And Freddie? Freddie is actually a reverend who sings a songs from this world and the other one. This trio moves around between New York, Berlin and Italy and will make a stop in Kortrijk for Sonic City Festival.

http://fathermurphy.bandcamp.com/

MXLX

Saturday

MXLX is Matt Loveridge. Living in Bristol, he has a swinging sack of projects on the stove at any one time. One of these projects is Team Brick, and has been going on for nearly a decade. You might also know Matt as a group member of Beak>, the 2013 Sonic City curators.

TOURETTE

Saturday

Tourette is a French noise project by Benjamin Clement who mostly uses pedals to make harsh, 'atmospheric' noise. He has albums out on Harshnoise and Audiobot including Un Vent Glacé & Une Ombre Étrange Dancé Dans Tes Yeux.

https://soundcloud.com

© CuttingEdge