
Lust For Youth shares 'Illume' video (dir. Cali DeWitt), 'International' LP out 6/10
After recently announcing news of their forthcoming album International, which is set for release on June 10th via Sacred Bones, Copenhagen-based trio Lust For Youth share their video for new single ‘Illume’, which premiered on Dazed Digital.
The track is also available on the Sacred Bones’ Record Store Day compilation Todo Muere Vol. 4, which is out April 19th.
On the making of the video, director Cali Thornhill Dewitt commented "The concept of this was simple. My subjects were/are very attractive people, so I decided to pair them with attractive landscapes. We shot the whole thing in one 24 hour period, and Loke and Hannes were very comfortable dressed in their Cary Grant suits."
To put it bluntly, Lust For Youth’s International is unrecognizable as a Lust For Youth record on first listen. Frontman Hannes Norrvide’s previous solo albums under the Lust for Youth moniker have been described as “dark, cold, atonal, tormented, lonely, and lower than lo-fi.” The approach on‘International’ has shifted dramatically. Writing as a three-piece now, withlongtime live collaborator Loke Rahbek and new band member Malthe Fischer, who produces and plays guitar, LFY have entered a completely new territory. The result is stunning. International is a buoyant synth masterpiece in the vein of early Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys and New Order. Norrvide’s work has always had pop sensibilities buried deep in the reverb, but the hooks are front and center on International, and there is nothing lo-fi about it.
That is not to say the record is without substance. There are still some deeply introspective moments as well, notably the instrumental passages ‘Ultras’ and ‘Basorexia’, which evoke the morning-after loneliness that a lot of earlier LFY work has explored. According to Rahbek, “the record sort of happened by chance. Hannes and I had talked about recording some stuff together for the fun of it, and Malthe offered to help us record. Initially, we were just going to do a song or two for the fun of it, but within a few weeks it was obvious that it was a combination that worked. Malthe went from recording to joining within the first few days and we made the whole thing over the last half-year, drinking gin and tonics everyday in the studio. The period was strange, terrible things happened in everyone’s life outside of the studio, so as a result many hours were spent in the studio, like a safe zone.”
“As the title indicates,” Rahbek adds, “the record deals with the rootless, sometimes almost inhuman, nature of traveling and touring. Hotel rooms and strangers' beds, drugs and clubs, and the impossibility of living a regular life.” It may be an irregular life, but nothing could suit them better; International is Norrvide’s magnum opus, and with Fischer’s production and Rahbek’s co-writing skills, the potential this band has always shown has been gloriously realized.
The deluxe edition of International, exclusively available through Sacred Bones mail order will ship with a bonus cassette featuring remixes by Silent Servant, Total Control, Helm, Cult of Youth, Marshstepper & more. This bonus remix EP will also be available as a deluxe edition of the album available from digital retailers.
TOUR DATES
Apr 5, 2014: Moscow, RU, DOM
Apr 15, 2014: Aarhus, DK, Train (w/ When Saints Go Machine)
Apr 16, 2014: Copenhagen, DK, Store Vega (w/ When Saints Go Machine)
May 17, 2014: Los Angeles, CA, The Church on York
Jul 1, 2014: London, UK, Rough Trade
Jul 2, 2014: London, UK, Shacklewell Arms
Arrow Films’ Arrow Academy label is delighted to announce the release of the iconic and influential cinematic experiences Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi, from Producers Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, both discs will be released on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK on 12th May 2014.
Free of traditional storytelling methods - there is no dialogue, no narrative, no cast or characters - Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi present exquisite widescreen imagery that weaves and dances, slows and races to the dizzying tempo of Philip Glass's extraordinary score, tracing life's shift from nature's cycles to technology's inescapable forward momentum.
These feature-packed discs will be released as a deluxe Blu-ray featuring newly restored digital transfers of Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi, both approved by director Godfrey Reggio, an introduction by filmmaker and composer Gary Tarn (Black Sun, The Prophet), interviews with Reggio and composer Philip Glass on the making of both films and Anima Mundi, Reggio’s 28-minute montage of over seventy animal species, scored once again by Glass. The Blu-ray will also include a new illustrated collector’s 72-page booklet featuring writing on the films by Anton Bitel, Michael Brooke, Peter Cowie and Jean-Baptiste Gouyon.
Synopsis
ko●yaa●nis●qatsi (from the Hopi language)n., 1. crazy life 2. life in turmoil 3. life out of balance 4. life disintegrating 5. a state of life that calls for another way of living
po●waq●qa●tsi (from the Hopi language, powaq sorcerer + qatsi life)
n., an entity, a way of life that consumes the life forces of other beings in order to further its own life
Told without dialogue, narration, cast or characters, Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi are dizzying, hypnotic examples of cinema set to extraordinary scores by Philip Glass. The first instalment concentrates on the United States, contrasting its natural beauty with a population ever more dependent on modern technology. The second switches to the Southern hemisphere and focuses on cultures and traditions that are slowly eroding away as the modern world takes over.
This super-deluxe package will be full of special features and bonus material including:
+ New, restored digital transfers of Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi, approved by director Godfrey Reggio, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
+ Introduction by filmmaker and composer Gary Tarn (Black Sun, The Prophet)
+ Interviews with Reggio and composer Philip Glass on the making of Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi
+ Anima Mundi (1992): Reggio’s 28-minute montage of over seventy animal species, scored by Philip Glass
+ Original theatrical trailers for Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi
+ Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films by Anton Bitel, Michael Brooke, Peter Cowie and Jean-Baptiste Gouyon
Their recently released 4-track EP "The Business" stormed the clubs in no time, and now Alfa Matrix launches XMH's 4th studio release "In Your Face". While the Dutch band stands for aggrotech assaults of uptempo harsh elektro they have matured a lot since their previous releases thanks to a mature and polished production work which was handled by producer Len Lemeire (IMPLANT, 32CRASH, UNTER NULL, DUNKELWERK, ANNE CLARK, etc.). The result: intelligent refined virulent melodies reinforced by female backing vocals from Isa Garcia perfectly matching with Benjamin Samson's powerful growls.
"In Your Face" offers also some more downtempo trance and future-pop influenced songs like "Great And Unfortunate Things" making the album very diverse.
The album is also released as a deluxe 2CD edition featuring a diverse collection of radical remix reinterpretations of the album songs by artists including LEAETHER STRIP, GRENDEL,HEIMATAERDE, ASHBURY HEIGHTS, THE DREAMSIDE, IMPLANT, HELALYN FLOWERS, DECODED FEEDBACK, TYSKE LUDDER, JUNKSISTA and many more.
The band also announced new concert dates:
9 May Dresden (DE)
31 May Synthage Festival Berlin (DE)
30 August Nightfall Festival The Hague (NL)
31 October Mysterium Festival Marseille (F)
After a 5 year hiatus, California's Slave Unit returns with a new attitude and new album, Through With You. Conceived in 1995 as a solo project of Mike Welch, Slave Unit is one of the innovators of the "Coldwave Sound" that took the world by storm in the early/mid 90s and has continued to progress into the 2000s. Slave Unit's sound strikes you with powerful rhythms, bass-heavy beats, original samples and crunching guitars. Through with You follows Slave Unit's signature formula and stellar tracks like "Typical," "3," and "Euthanize" will not disappoint the coldwave loyalist. Other tracks like "I Don't Care Anymore" and "Lordfly" can crossover into the heavy metal and hard rock genres while "Typical" and "Rep.Resent" dabble in hip-hop. Overall, Through With You was well worth the wait and propels Slave Unit into a force to be reckoned with for the future.
State of the Union has returned from a long hiatus with a new album, new attitude and new singer. State of the Union's architect, Johann Sebastian, has teamed up with vocalist Evannkie to further push the musical boundaries of State of the Union. My Time Away showcases State of the Union's more accessible form of Futurepop/EBM, by blending contemporary electronic styles with inspiring lyrics, hard-hitting beats, and symphonic orchestrations. The first single, "Dancing in the Dark" has become an instant club hit, charting in the Top 5 on the German DAC and making the Top 10 on Radio and DJ playlist across the globe. The follow-up single, "My Time Away" should continue the chart success with its high energy spirit, catchy hooks and layers of EDM synths. >From start to finish, this album is packed with EDM chart toppers and they even go as far as covering Fictional's megahit "Blue Lights."
***The WTII version also features two bonus tracks not on the Infacted or Gravitator versions.