Electric Blue Heaven blows my mind. Dion Agius has grabbed our attention with his photo series we featured a while back, and now this project. The Middle East, Russian models, sports cars among other elements make this an unforgettable short film. Take the time to watch this, you won’t be disappointed.
For those of you who joined us for our December Give Get Party, check out this recap of the night. For those of you who weren’t there, enjoy a peak at the evening. Shot and edited by Genius Duncan Barnes.
When we were first turned onto La Blogotheque five years ago, we knew it was something special. The coolest part of this groundbreaking site was that it gave us exactly what we desperately needed, before we even knew we needed it. Right at the cusp of record labels becoming more obsolete and fans grabbing hold of the ‘which bands get to become superstars’ reigns, La Blogo showed us that the boundary between artist/fan really didn’t have to exist anymore. We no longer had to wait for some high level creative to green light an overly produced music video of an artist’s smash song. We could just log onto La Blogo and see if Vincent Moon (founder/creator) and the guys had posted something. Today, with so many music related social media sites, the ‘boundary’ is almost non existent and the relationship between artist/fan seems to be blurring even more but that’s another article for another time.
Years later, there are so many people copying La Blogo’s idea or at least borrowing from it and we wanted to make sure everyone knew where it all began. So what is La Blogotheque? Different from the MTV music videos that we grew up on, La Blogo videos are raw, organic, acoustic take-away shows. Done with hand held cameras and completely unscripted, the videos feature musicians playing songs while walking around the wonderfully winding streets of Paris. Sometimes the stage is and old building, a park, a bus, an eclectic apartment, a rooftop or a crowded restaurant. The audience is whoever happens to be there at that given moment. The variables are what make it exciting. Is someone going to cheer, boo? Are the people in the restaurant going to acknowledge that Beirut is playing in front of them? Will people on the double decker bus appreciate Phoenix playing? It’s brilliant, truly, and we are so happy to have this site in our lives.
The site has grown exponentially since it’s origin (with artists such as REM, Fleet Foxes, Beirut, Phoenix, Andrew Bird, and many more jumping on board) so when we found out from our friend Art, a videographer and producer for La Blogo, that their latest project ‘The Switch‘ included them coming to The States for the first time, we had to see if we could be involved. Luckily for us, they enjoyed Witness-This as much as we enjoyed La Blogo and a mutual love affair began. The Switch stems from the Pocket Parties they do on the site (Bon Iver was the first), where the artist is filmed in a more controlled environment, such as an apartment. The difference with The Switch is that there are two shows happening at once. Both shows are filmed and shown live on YouTube at the same time and it’s up to the user to decide which one to watch. That, or they can flip back and forth.
We were asked if we wanted to come to the first filming in LA and be part of the intimate audience of either Childish Gambino or Other Lives. We chose Other Lives and headed to a secret apartment loft location in Downtown LA and settled in for one of the best nights of our musical lives. After the hour set, we talked with one of the original founders and producers, Matthieu Buchsenschutz. What’s his favorite video so far? My Brightest Diamond. Who would he love to shoot? Tom Waits. He, alongside the other members of La Blogo, is the ultimate fan and divulged that they started the site so that they could build relationships and hang out with their favorite artists. Pretty genius.
La Blogo was just nominated for a MTV Music O Award and if you feel compelled, vote for them here. And if you haven’t already, please check out their truly innovative site. A lot of our favorite artists are up there and these guys deserve all the success coming their way. Support greatness.
Check out the videos from that night as well as two of our favorites!
“I’m so far down the path that I can’t go back even if i wanted to. Life grants us a series of opportunities and those opportunities come with a price. I can’t stop, I’ve backed myself into a corner.”
These are the opening words in Ian Ruhter’s new video illustrating the early stages of his journey. The first few scenes lead you into a deep dark world emulating that of an addiction at its highest magnitude; a series of chemicals are mixed by a hooded figure as he works to create a perfect chemical reaction.
His project is honest, his work is inspiring – Ruhter demonstrates the human soul at its highest capacity, when one has found that passion and connection to something, enabling them to take their truest form and surpass everything else.
“It’s about doing what you love. If you had been searching your whole life for something you love, and you found it, what would you be willing to sacrifice?”
All images courtesy of Ian Ruhter Photography.
Beyond The Black Rainbow has to be one of the most intriguing projects I’ve seen in a long time. I had never heard of the director/writer Panos Cosmatos. But he looks to have created something special here.
Starring Michael Rogers, Eva Allan and Scott Hylands the film takes place in a place called Arboria and seems to be characteristic of a deep psychological thriller. Filmed in Vancouver BC, the set design, and ghostly electronic synthesizers, mixed with eerie lighting is enough to feel an alternative sense of consciousness.
Watch the amazing trailer below, and find out more about the film here.
In the wake of Coachella 2012, it’s fun to look back on a fan favorite performer who, back in 2008, was hardly on anyone’s radar. 4 years ago we had the honor of talking to him candidly, before hit “Somebody That I Used To Know” was in everyone’s ipods. Before SNL, JKL, Coachella and KCRW. Before being number 1 on Billboard or iTunes. Yes, we’re talking about our friend, Wally De Backer, i.e. GOTYE. Below is an interview we did with him in the aftermath of his first album, Like Drawing Blood. It was part of our “i am with the fans” series for Jambase. Enjoy dipping into history….
US: Where do you get your music? Friends? Magazines? Online sites like Pitchfork, Paste?
WALLY: I still buy cds with regularity, and vinyl if I can find it/afford it. I buy in shops or online and less frequently I buy mp3s either from iTunes or from independent digital stores. Friends play a big part in introducing me to new music, and this means I often receive copied music. If I’m checking out something for interest’s sake, I won’t baulk at downloading a free mp3 or dozen, illegally or not, because it’s for taste-testing purposes. If I find something I like amongst the new stuff I’m given or that I’ve downloaded, I make every effort to purchase it via the avenue that most directly supports the artist. Otherwise I discover a lot of old music by getting cheap second-hand vinyl in op-shops or used record stores. I don’t use peer-to-peer networks because I don’t want to open up my hard drive to other users, and I prefer to try and pay for the music I love anyway. In 99.9% of cases, I can find even the most obscure music on cd, vinyl or digital. Whether it’s reissue, second-hand or not I still like to take this option rather than just holding on to copied files or p2p downloads.
US: What do you consider the festival of all festivals? One that you’d love to perform. And why would that be important for you to play there or is it important or just fun?
WALLY: Probably All Tomorrow’s Parties. The line-ups have been so varied and unique. I’d have my buddy Tim Shiel curate the lineup and then probably have to harass him for a spot on the bill
US: What is your relationship with your fans? I know you blog on the site (which is very entertaining). Any other means of communication?
WALLY: Um…I dunno. It’s good, I think. I chat to people directly over email, MySpace, after shows whenever I can. Over the phone too-some people who have been fans have become my friends. I haven’t met any freaks who scare me- that’s a bonus. I find it gets hard when (i) you make yourself available to people who are interested in your music and, by extension, you as a person, (ii) this group of people starts numbering more than your close friendship group and (iii) these fans want to maintain a regular catch-up/chat-style relationship with you. There just isn’t the time in the day/week/life! I found this difficult to accept at first (and tended to stretch myself,stay up late hours trying to answer heaps of fan correspondence after a day’s touring/recording/work) but you get to a point where you just have to politely exit from fan relationships that threaten to take up too much of your time. That said, again, I haven’t met any freaks who haven’t understood this and who have tried to harass me to be their “special friend”. I hope that doesn’t happen.
US: Any great fan stories?
WALLY: Just heaps of random and beautiful generosity. People wanting to share their interest in my music by offering gifts, cards, to share their creativity with me. It’s quite overwhelming at times, but in the nicest possible way. One fan painted a portrait of me, presented the canvas to me at a music festival, but didn’t leave any details so I could thank her afterwards. That was a particularly nice fan gesture- it’s a great portrait
US: What are your thoughts on record labels becoming less prominent and managers and artists working together to handle everything on their own? Is this likely? Happening already? What does Gotye’s future look like in terms of this?
WALLY: It’s certainly happening already. It’s exactly what I and my manager do to release my music in Australia. I have a company set up to do my record-releasing business, and between me and my manager we work out how to budget for the recording, release the album and promote it. A strong relationship with your distributor is an important adjunct to this setup, because you can’t get your records into stores by yourself. This setup has worked excellently, it’s given me complete control over my career in Australia, and it’s something I’m hoping to develop on future releases.
-Lindsay Colip
