Friday Playlist: A World Where Goth Is Funky and Noise Is Fashion and Anti Fashion Is Art →

The best new record I heard this week, aside from The Life of Pablo obviously, is the newest release by London-based producer Brood Ma, Daze. A volatile collision of funk, noise, house, and techno, the album sounds viciously contemporary, indicative of the evolution of London and New York-based label Tri Angle. Never in my life have I seen a label that has almost as much influence on the underground as it does on the mainstream. Click here to read the full playlist.

Nine Morbid Songs About Dying: Read Our Interview With New Zealand Soul Singer Marlon Williams Whose Self-Titled Debut Album Is Out Today →

Marlon Williams, the New Zealand born soul crooner whose self-titled breakout album drops today, isn’t just a throw back. Sure, his slicked back hair, tight fitting Brando style tees and general ruggedness may suggest a yearning for 1950s Americana, but this vocal prodigy from the Southern Hemisphere is merely singing from the heart, which can transcend time and space and musical genres. In his voice and vocal style, there are also strains of religious spirituals that can be tied to his family’s Maori upbringing (his father was a Maori punk singer) and singing in church choirs. Click here to read more. 

Transcending The Blues: Read Our Interview With Legendary Record Producer Daniel Lanois On Motorcyles, Rock N' Roll and His Ongoing Exploration Of Inventing New Sounds →

Daniel Lanois lives and breathes music in a very literal sense. As a true audiophile, he seems to be marinating in centuries of sound waves, honing in on some of history’s most visceral musical compositions. It’s as though he pulls rhythms directly from the ground and resonant frequencies from the stratosphere. This description may seem over the top, and while it comes from a place of genuine reverence, I can say that over the 3 hours that we spent together, I witnessed this phenomenon with my very own eyes and ears. When he tells a story, it doesn’t suffice to tell it in words. His life story wouldn’t make sense unless he sang it to you, played it for you, and punctuated it with his signature, “yea, man.” Which is why I had to compile all of these bits in an audio file to give you a real feel for who he is and how he communicates. It’s really quite elevating. Click here to read the full interview. 

Watch The Music Video For The Blaze's Track "Virile"

French electro production duo, The Blaze, have released their spellbinding new video for "Virile" – taken from Bromance Records' forthcoming compilation "Homieland Vol. II". The Blaze defy time and spread confusion amongst minds with their mesmerising video for "Virile". Puffs of thick smoke float over their heads, punches thrown, a kiss on the cheek — in tune with heartbeats. Wild and frenetic, we venture forth on the dance floor before losing control, slowly drifting away by a distant and elusive sound. However, our eyes are captivated by the video where two pals tenderly confront each other, tossing between a cockfight and a courtship ritual. Producers and directors duo The Blaze have crafted a sound between King Tubby and Art Department, while staying resolutely attached to the critically acclaimed 2014 coming of age film, Girlhood lust for life and the raving mad friendship of 1976 French film, Calmos.

Touch The Leather: Read Our Interview With Lias Saoudi, The Electric Lead Singer of The Fat White Family On His New Album, Which Comes Out Today →

Full disclosure: there is nothing objective about this article. I love Fat White Family. The band, to me, represents everything I’ve ever held dear about rock n’ roll: chaos, rebellion, sleaze, art, drugs, poetry, and politics. The first time I saw the band play live, about a year and a half ago, I was more excited than that time I saw Martin Scorsese walking down the Bowery (re: very excited). After housing beers and watching various members of the band run around the venue with their most famous fan and cheerleader, Sean Lennon, I elbowed my way to the front of the hall and got ready to let loose. 15 minutes went by when the band’s six members, gangly, unkempt, and skinny, took to the stage, launching into a particularly cacophonic rendition of the opening chords of the band’s lead single off debut album Champagne Holocaust, Auto Neutron. Lead singer Lias Saoudi, already half naked and sweating like Usain Bolt at the finish line, jittered to the front of the stage like a character in a Chris Cunningham music video and the band belted in unison, “AH AH AHHHH AHHH AHHHHHHH!” Instantly, bodies began colliding in joyous punishment. In various levels of intoxication, the crowd bowed to the revolution of the Fat White Family. It hurt so good. By the end of the song, Lias had his cock out. The scene erupted like a Wolfgang Tillmans exhibition come to life. Click here to read more. 

Watch The Incredible Music Video For Odesza's Track "It's Only" Featuring Zyra

Odesza has unveiled a new video for In Return song “It’s Only (feat. Zyra)". Directed by Dan Brown, the video comes ahead of another headline run of major festivals this spring and summer including stops at Mysteryland, CRSSD, Boston Calling, Moogfest, Shaky Beats and more to come. “It’s Only” will also be accompanied by a forthcoming remix package including remixes by RÜFÜS DU SOL, 20syl, Kania, and Fei-Fei, out February 19.

Hanging Out With Bowie: Terry McGovern Remembers A Night Out With the Thin White Duke

John Carter was a record promoter in San Francisco. I was a DJ on KSFO. I was doing something typically silly on my show. Boom-chuck-chuck. It takes two people, taking turns w/the syllables in waltz time. You say boom, I say chuck, you say chuck…and so on until someone messes up. The door to my studio opened while I was playing this nonsense game on the air with a caller. I saw John and we exchanged a smile. And then I saw who he was with. "David wants to play this game w/you." I almost fell off my chair. It was David Bowie, in town to promote his latest album. Bowie sat down and we began to play. I think he wiped me out in no time. After the show, David, John and I went to the Boarding House, the very hip venue on Bush Street. John had to take off, so I sat there for over an hour watching the show with David Bowie. It was surreal. Just two guys, taking in a show, knocking back a couple of drinks, checking out the scene. I was struck by how polite he was, warm and sincerely interested in everything going on around us. At one point, the light hit his face and, yep, there they were. That one blue eye, and one green eye. He caught me looking at him and smiled. "Odd, aren't they?" he said. We laughed. Bowie was on his way to Japan…by ship. He said he was terrified of flying, so he planned on taking a cruise ship from San Francisco to Tokyo. I remember thinking how cool that was to turn a morbid fear into a leisurely, sophisticated sea voyage. I can't recall much else. The show ended. (Sadly I have no idea who was on stage.) We said our farewells and he thanked me for playing his music on the radio. We parted. This morning, I woke up to the news that he was gone. The Thin White Duke with those extraordinary eyes. I had his company for an hour or so one night a long time ago. I'll never forget him. I'll never stop listening to him. And I'll play boom-chuck-chuck with anyone who'd like to.

Text by Terry McGovern. A San Francisco media fixture for decades, McGovern is well known on radio, TV, commercials, animation, feature films, theatre, and video games. You may remember him uttering those immortal words “These are not the droids we’re looking for” in Star Wars, A New Hope. He has also appeared in films such as American Graffiti and Mrs. Doubtfire. 

When A Hero Dies: Read Musician Lorde's Touching Tribute To The Late David Bowie →

When a hero dies, everyone wants a quote. I woke up this morning with a tender head from tears and that big red cup of Japanese whiskey, gulped last night just after the news came. People were already asking me what I thought. It feels kind of garish to talk about oneself at a time like this, when the thing that has happened is so distinctly world-sized. But everything I’ve read or seen since the news has been deeply intrinsic in tone, almost selfish, like therapy. That’s who he was to all of us. He was a piece of bright pleated silk we could stretch out or fold up small inside ourselves when we needed to. Click here to read more.