Mark Ronson Laces Up His Ballet Slippers

Image via http://www.markronson.co.uk

 
It seems like everyone is getting into the performing arts these days. In 2010 The Knife wrote music for the opera, Tomorrow, In A Year, while last year Antony Hegarty created music for the production The Life and Death of Marina Abramović, and then their was Karen O's psycho-opera, Stop The Virgins. Not to mention Rufus Wainwright who composed the opera Prima Donna (running now at BAM).

Next in line to dabble in thespian pursuits? Mark Ronson. The DJ/producer is collaborating with choreographer Wayne McGregor on the production Carbon Life for the Royal Ballet in London. Premiering in April, the project will be part of a triple bill comprised of a total of six performances to be exhibited at the Royal Opera House. Ronson will be composing the nine-song performance alongside Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow. The songs will be performed by a number of high-profiled artists including Alison Mosshart of The Kills, Jonathan Pierce of The Drums, and rapper Wale.

Carbon Life is inspired by psychologist Carl Jung and the music is meant to focus on “the Jungian theme of anima/animus and the theory of collective masculine and feminine unconscious”. Are you as intrigued as I am?

McGregor is also joining forces with avant-garde designer Gareth Pugh (Lady Gaga, Kylie Minogue) for the piece.

So there you have it ladies and gents. High-brow is the new hipster. So if you want to be like the cool kids, get thee to the theater post-haste!

Yuna's Soulful Cover of Nirvana's "Come As You Are"

Yuna hails from Malaysia, emerging from the underground music scene that has started to take off there. Yearning to create music outside of the dominant Malay pop, Yuna set her sights on LA, and is readying to release her first full-length album in the spring. In a We Are Hunted interview, the singer/songwriter delves into the burgeoning music scene in her homeland:

It was only about 10 years ago that the underground scene started to surface, it grew slowly and became super popular about 5 years ago. Back then a lot of people started bands and the whole independent scene really started to grow. Malaysia has some great new talent coming up - they’re a little more experimental, a little braver than they used to be, they’re not so focused on creating Malay pop music. They’re all trying to do something new and trying to peruse a career in music outside of Malaysia.

And pursue a career, she has. Signed to Fader and having collaborated with producers Chris Braide (Sia, Lana Del Rey) and Pharrell Williams on her new album, Yuna's leap from Malaysia to the US is destined to make a splash.

The singer/songwriters rich voice really strikes a chord on this soulful rendition of Nirvana's "Come As You Are." Slowed-down with an almost lullaby quality, Yuna manages to evoke a haunting, emotive response akin to that of the original. Listen above.

Electric Daisy Carnival Heads East

Attention NYCers! What began in the City of Angels is now coming to the (unofficial) city of bagels. Electric Daisy Carnival, the world's premier touring electronic dance music festival, is traveling to New York for the very first time. Insomniac Events and Pacha NYC have teamed up to bring this two day bender of blaring synth, splitting ear-drums and soaked dance floors to the east coast. No details on location or lineup have been announced, but expect it to be nothing short of epic.

Tickets go on sale Friday March 2nd at 3:00pm. EDM hits New York May 19th and 20th.

Fun. "We Are Young" Acoustic (Actually) Featuring Janelle Monae

The official music video to "We Are Young" is a black out ball, but I'm loving this acoustic version. It really shows off Fun. lead singer Nate Ruess' pipes, and actually features Janelle Monae throughout the song, unlike her brief cameo in the video. The two have great chemistry, smiling at each other and clearly having fun with the carousing track.

St. Lucia Makes Music Worth Idolizing

 

Image via facebook.com/stlucianewyork

Tuesday night (Feb 21) I caught the final show of St. Lucia's residency at Pianos. And lucky for that, because they blew the lid off the place.

I arrived around 8:30pm in time for the opening band, Shadows on Stars to go on. With bubbly beats that are heavy on the reverb, this Portland based duo creates music that's other-worldly. The track "I'll Be The Light" especially sounds like a lullaby fit for the galaxy. While in contrast the aggressive "Punk Kids" is...you guessed it, a full-throttle strike on "stupid punk kids" that's perfect for head-banging. Listen to more on their SoundCloud page:

   Shadows On Stars Sampler by ShadowsOnStars

By the end of Shadows on Stars' set, quite the line had formed outside the small room. So much so that the crowd was urged to move forward, in an effort to fit more people inside.

At precisely 10:00pm St. Lucia began playing and had the audience enraptured from the very first note. I'd compare the energy and excitement emitted by St. Lucia's music to that of a fireworks display. Each track bursts with driving synth-pop melodies, that implore you to dance. From the  lively "We Got It Wrong" to the atmospheric "All Eyes on You" and the hazy "The Old House Is Gone" the momentum never ceased. St. Lucia also premiered a song they'd never played live before, "September" as Vocalist Jean Phillip Grobler warned, "we're gonna see how this goes." There was no need to worry though, as it was a thrilling disco-infused dance track that everyone, as the song goes, is "sure to remember." The only trouble with the set? When it ended. Just like that, the show was over, but the rush lingered. 

Watch St. Lucia Performing "September" at Pianos:


St. Lucia is Jean Phillip Grobler (lead vocals, guitar), Patricia Beranek (keys, vocals), Ross Clark (bass, guitar, keys, vocals) Nick Brown (drums), Nick Paul (keys). Grobler hails from South Africa, but lucky for us New Yorkers, St. Lucia is now based in Williamsburg, BK.

St. Lucia's Upcoming Tour Dates:
    •    Mar 1 
Santos Party House
 New York, NY 

    •    Mar 2 
Middle East
 Boston, Massachusetts, US

    •    Mar 3 
Trinity College 
Hartford, Connecticut, US

    •    Mar 6 
U Street Music Hall
 Washington DC, Washington, US

    •    Mar 7 
The Blockley Pourhouse
 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US

    •    Mar 9 
Savannah Stopover
 Savannah, GA
, US
    •    Mar 11 
Masquerade 
Atlanta, GA, US

Santigold Wants A Life Worth Fighting For

We first got a taste of Santigold's upcoming album, Master of My Make Believe, with the release of the sassy "Big Mouth." Today marks the release of her second single, “Disparate Youth.” This time Santigold is not the aggressor but the supporter, encouraging youth to go after a life worth fighting for. With an amazing synth melody, sharp guitar riffs, and a splash of steal drums, I have to say I prefer this track to "Big Mouth." Check it out above.

 A Disparate Youth EP will be released on April 8th. You can also find Santigold on Spank Rock's "Car Song" off of his album, Everything Is Boring and Everyone is a F*cking Liar. Watch the video here.

Get Up, Get Down

Kindness [aka Adam Bainbridge] will release his debut album, World, You Need a Change of Mind on March 23rd via Modular People. The Guardian describes his sound as "dislocated disco" which pretty much says it all. Bainbridge's look is a bit dislocating as well - his long hair makes for an androgynous look that may cause some bemusement at first glance. The singer even pokes fun at his ambiguous appearance in his latest video "Gee Up," in which a female 'secretly' takes his place in this amusing video of a video shoot.

Kindess' other single Cyan can be listened to here. Produced by Philippe Zdar [Cassius, Phoenix, The Rapture], World, You Need a Change of Mind is sure to cause a stir. Afterall, in the words of Bainbridge, "Ninety-five per cent of everything you should want to know about a new artist should be in the record."

Watch "Gee Up"