Tag: christ
Music 2012 – editor’s highlights
In a recent Tumblr post, Claire Boucher said of her artistic struggle: "I think Grimes succeeded because I had to discard everything else in my life in order to do it. I was so fucking desperate to make it work, I don’t think I could have possibly allowed it to fail."
2012's most exciting music came from similarly visceral places. Angel Haze went from murderously nightwalking the NY streets to searing autobiography; Purity Ring cut through a fragile ribcage with their lingering tripped-out RnB to find a bloody beating heart; our fearless September cover star Azealia Banks went from being a YouTube breakout to the one to beat. Artists like Andy Stott, John Talabot and Holly Herndon, meanwhile, manipulated the human voice in layered and tangible-sounding music that lacerated pop, dance and electronica. You could hear the red-raw knuckles in every stage that Savages took to this year.
Visually, things were messier still. The wild videos of J-Pop star Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, the covergirl of our December Asia issue, were rainbow-hued mazes of visual puns and double meanings; Lana Del Rey pushed American Dream imagery until it bled as she was bent over a pinball machine by a hairy biker; Mykki Blanco commanded the frills and feathers of a gender-screwing bacchanalian party.
In the past, musical trends represented a natural and needed shift, whereby the introspection of post-punk usurped punk and Top 40 trance found its counterpoint with the understated ballads of Adele. But in 2012 only the broadest painter would see a likewise shift in the tension between the web-enabled mainstream and underground. Maybe our January 2013 cover star RiFF RaFF nailed it, actually, when he rapped in 'Bird On A Wire': "Causing storms in sunny weather / Hoping my days get better." The most interesting artists this year weren’t the ones that steered clear of storms, but those that started them and shone. Here's to more rainy days.
We spoke to the rising US rapper just as 'New York' was blowing up. Two weeks after we spoke, she signed a major label deal.
The Canadian duo told Owen Myers about their love for Aaliyah and Lord of the Rings as they prepared to release 'Shrines'.
In his first UK interview, the Tri Angle producer reflected on his 'Kings and Them' mixtape and the religious connotations of his music.
FATIMA AL QADIRI & SOPHIA AL-MARIA ON GULF FUTURISM
Artists Al Qadiri and Al-Maria compiled nine striking examples of the Arabian Gulf's particular brand of Futurism, as an adjunct to their full-length feature by Karen Orton in our November Art Issue.
SPACEGHOSTPURRP FEATURE & FILM
The rapper told Charlie Robin Jones about the outer-space influences of his "mysterious phonk," with an exclusive film by Colin Dodgson.
Brassica – Modern Magic
Having made an impressivemixfor us last year, the ever-adventurous electronica producer Brassica is back with his new kaleidoscopic 'Temple Fortune' EP on London-based label Civil Music. The quirky lo-fi video for the cosmic single 'Modern Magic', as premiered on Dazed, is atiny budget affair featuring Joe Ryan of Fair Ohs on the drums (as heard in the original track), with a little cameo from Brassica at the end. Here we speak to Brassica about the making of the retro video, and his nods to Jesus Christ Superstar and bad shows at Butlins...
Dazed Digital: How did the idea for the video come about and have you worked with Joe from Fair Ohs before?
Brassica: The video features a longtime friend Joe Ryan, who now plays in Fair Ohs. He played the actual drum parts within the song, so when I met with video maker Phil Whitby, he suggested creating something based around a drum tuition video. As a big fan of 80s VHS musician's tutorials like 'Star Licks Master Series', my mind kinda exploded. Phil and I conversed extensively on ways to elaborate on the theme. The result is a video which explores the blurring of memory, persona, time and space through an essentially ancient musical instrument.
DD: Can you tell us a little about the track?
Brassica: The track is a nod towards (particularly 70s) musical theatre and the kind of music you might expect to hear in War of Worlds or Jesus Christ Superstar. There's a certain magic in sitting slightly too close to a live theatre band that I really dig, whether an expensive West End show or a bad pantomime at Butlins.
DD: What's the story behind the new EP?
Brassica: Modern Magic is one of four tracks from the Temple Fortune EP. The EP is a small selection of music created over a year or so of writing, plus an old banger for good measure.
Capracara's version of Lydden Circuit is a monument. Jonny has an individual approach to making club records that's as warm and sincere as his personality. This is why I asked him to provide the voiceover for the video - it sets a friendly tone for the video in a way I dreamt of.
