If You Want to Turn It Up Knix Mix Style, You'll Need to Play These!

I have a dream club playlist in my head.  Too bad I don't have a club to play in, no?  There are more where these came from, but if you want to turn it up with music that makes DJ Knix want to go dancing, add these to your playlist!

Vitalic - Poison Lips

Pascal Arbez, otherwise known as Vitalic, is a French producer who has been at this electronic music thing since the late 90's.  He also happens to be friends with The Hacker.  As in Miss Kittin & the Hacker.  "Poison Lips" is from the 2009 album Flashmob.

Miss Kittin & The Hacker - Life on MTV

Speaking of Miss Kittin & The Hacker, the debut album of the electronic music duo is appropriately called First Album.  The French Miss Kittin began her career as a DJ before working with The Hacker.  The album version of "Life on MTV" is the one I prefer.  The vocals on the video version are just different enough to off my groove, but I still like it.  Will it date me if I tell you that I remember the first video played on MTV?  "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles in case you were curious.

Étienne de Crécy - Someone Like You

French music pioneer Étienne de Crécy's "Someone Like You" is the anti-love song and really fun to dance to!  You can pick it up on Super Discount 2 or Essentials (Best of), which has some of his other must own tracks.

Ascii.Disko - Einfach

Ascii.Disko is the project of German-born Daniel Holc who now resides in Madrid, Spain.  Before becoming an electronic music producer and DJ, he played guitar for a rock band.  Who knew? The eponymously titled album Ascii.Disko is deliriously fun to dance to.

Club 8 - Stop Taking My Time

Swedish Club 8 is the only indie pop group that made the (abbreviated) playlist, but everything in Sweden is better. "Stop Taking My Time," which could be the theme song for my life, came from one of my favorite albums of 2013, Above the City.

MSTRKRFT - Street Justice

MSTRKRFT (pronounced "master craft") is an electronic duo out of Toronto, Canada.  "Street Justice" is from their debut album The Looks, which came out in 2006, and the video as homage to 70's era Soul Train.

What I've Been Listening to Lately

There has been a bounty of good music coming in to the station lately, and I have to share a few of the tracks I've been crushing on.  Here are a few cherry picked tracks I've had in heavy rotation on The Knix Mix.  There are three Canadian acts featured - two out of Vancouver, British Columbia. So "Go Canada!" I say!

Mother Mother - Very Good Bad Thing

This is the fifth album by the indie band based out of Vancouver. They have an art pop aesthetic - though vocalist Ryan Guldemond's hair is very Front 242.  I'm into "Modern Love."  No, it's not a Bowie cover.

Purity Ring - Another Eternity

The Canadian electronic duo released their second studio album this year. There are a few tracks I like on the album.  I'm particularly keen on the tracks "Flood on the Floor" and the third single "Bodyache."

Panda Bear - Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper

Panda Bear, a founding member of the band Animal Collective, has the experimental sound we've come to expect with a little psychedelia thrown in the mix.  Check out "Boys Latin."

Corners - Maxed Out on Distractions

This Los Angeles based four piece does post punk proud with this October 2014 release.  I'm smitten with the song "Love Letters." Though reminiscent of Joy Division or early The Cure, Corners stands apart.

Kasper Bjørke - After Forever

The Danish producer takes a melancholic synth driven direction on this album, which takes its name from a piece by the Brooklyn based visual artist John Copeland.  The track "Sylvia" is lush with a bit of a dark wave vibe.  

Brooke Fraser - Brutal Romantic

The popular New Zealand singer songwriter moves to a more electronic sound than her previous work.  "Thunder" is a gorgeous track that showcases Fraser's equally gorgeous voice.

Humans - Noontide

This is Vancouver based indie electronic duo of Peter Ricq and Robbie Slade's first full length album.  Ricq, interestingly, is also an artist and illustrator known for co-creating the Canadian animated TV series League of Super Evil.  His input makes Humans' official videos very much worth watching.  Check out the trippy "Tell Me" and the short-film-as-music-video "Follow."

The Knix Mix Top 20 Electronic Albums of 2014

In the world of electronic music, 2014 was a banner year for the ladies.  Kitten, Kimbra, Kiesza, Lindsey Stirling, Dev, Lana Del Rey and La Roux all released new music.  There were new releases by electronica/EDM staples like Tycho, David Guetta, Tiësto, Example, Skrillex and Deadmau5. House fans saw new releases by Simian Mobile Disco and Booka Shade.  Pioneers of the genre came out in force with Brian Eno & Karl Hyde, Bryan Ferry, Morrissey, Echo & the Bunnymen and Midge Ure releasing albums.  The LCD Soundsystem and Röyksopp said their goodbyes - at least in their current incarnations - in the form of farewell albums.  And I've discovered a few unsung treasures like Voxmirage, Faded Paper Figures, Flight Facilities and White Hex.
My Top 20 list includes a few albums that have achieved critical success.  You will surely recognize those picks if you're keeping up with these kinds of things.  Quite a few of the albums speak to my personal fondness for post punk, electro pop and disembodied robotic voices without consideration for acclaim.  Check it out!

Aphex Twin Syro
This album can be found on many a "Best of 2014" chart and with good reason.  This is UK based Richard D James' 6th studio album under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, and the first in 13 years.  It's contemporary and on point.

Arca Xen
Xen is the debut album of Venezuelan born producer Alejandro Ghersi who is best known for working with Björk and FKA Twigs.  All futuristic and stylistically interesting, this album is a critical darling.

Audit Division Audit Division EP
Maybe it's because they vaguely remind me of The Juan MacLean by featuring a male and a female vocalist with a retro synthpop sound that I like this little sleeper EP no one has heard of.

Banks Goddess
American Jillian Banks has pop appeal, but the soul laid bare lyrics and synthpop sound on her debut album garnered some positive attention among electronic music fans.

Broods Evergreen
This is New Zealand brother and sister duo Broods debut album, which is a follow up to their self titled EP.  They have a broader pop appeal that will eventually get them some Top 40 airplay.

Caribou Our Love
Another album that has made it's way onto many "Best of 2014" charts, Our Love by Canadian musician Caribou is a feelings album. There are moments of real loveliness on this album.

Diamond Version CI
Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys makes a vocal appearance on this album, but I am most taken with the deconstructed Orwellian vocal samples like on "Science for a Better Life."

Röyksopp & Robyn Do It Again EP
Norwegian duo Röyksopp and Swedish songstress Robyn can do no wrong in my eyes.  I especially like the cheeky "Sayit."

Gazelle Twin Unflesh
British producer Elizabeth Bernholz brings us her dark and chilling second album.  She was influenced by heavy subject matter like feral children and euthanasia, and the results sound a bit like the soundtrack to a nightmare.

Hundred Waters The Moon Rang Like a Bell
Hundred Waters hails from Florida and some of the members have been making music since middle school.  This album has an emotive electro folk sound,  Check out the single "Cavity."

The Juan MacLean In a Dream
There is a certain something that just works in the collaborative efforts of American house master Juan MacLean and former LCD Soundsystem member Nancy Whang. This album has been on repeat play for me since its release.

Liars Mess
Known for being experimental, Mess is the seventh studio album for the US band.  It's quirky and provocative and a bit of a style change from their previous albums.

Mr Little Jeans Pocketknife
Norwegian Monica Birkenes is Mr Little Jeans.  "Mercy" is the essential song on the album, although she does a cover of Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs."

Museum of Love Museum of Love
Like The Juan MacLean, this is another offering from the DFA label. Pat Mahoney of LCD Soundsystem pairs Dennis McNany for a retro synthpop sound.

Phantogram Voices
In another male and female pairing with some shared vocal duties, American duo Phantogram has pop appeal.

Starwalker Losers Can Win EP
French Jean-Benoit Dunckel and Icelandic Bardi Johannsson collaborate on this stylistically spare but intriguing EP.

St. Vincent St. Vincent
The eponymous 4th album by American St. Vincent has that irreverent and wry art rock style that she does so well.

Trust Joyland
Toronto based Robert Alfons was on his own for the second Trust album with Maya Postepski having returned to her duties with Austra. Alfons vocals are incredible and throwback influences like Kate Bush, Cocteau Twins and bygone video game soundtracks give it that synthpop flavor that I love.

Tying Tiffany Drop
Italian Tying Tiffany seems to fly under the radar in the US, but she has that art school dropout DIY style that deserves a listen.

Wild Beasts Present Tense
This is the 4th studio album for Wild Beasts.  Honestly, there is no other band who sounds quite like them, so it's best to just listen for yourself.

Wrongchilde: Gold Blooded

Wrongchilde, the solo project of Kill Hannah frontman Mat Devine, is set to release Gold Blooded on August 19th.  The moniker Wrongchilde can be traced to a dream Devine had while still in high school.  A self release funded entirely by PledgeMusic, the album has already been generating a bit of buzz.  Fans can contribute to the cause and receive exclusive items like Gold Blooded pendant necklaces and a limited edition heart shaped vinyl. Devine, who is afraid of needles and blood (Also clowns, by the way, which are my personal nemeses.), pledges to donate a pint to the Red Cross for every 10 necklaces purchased. He promises to record the moment for posterity and the amusement of fans!

The album features some impressive guest vocals by artists like Morgan Kibby of M83 and White Sea, Sierra Kusterbeck of Versa and Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance.  Alain Whyte of Morrissey fame lends his talents on guitar.  Interestingly, Way performs a duet on the lead single "Falling in Love Will Kill You," which was originally intended for a female vocalist.  The unexpected combination of male vocals adds complexity to the guitar ballad.  The title track from the album, "Gold Blooded," is a good example of the bridge that Wrongchilde builds between dream pop and electro pop.  "Gold Blooded," according to Devine, is a phrase that represents the spirit of youth.  "Love is a Battlefield," the song Pat Benatar made famous, appears on the album in romanticized version with fluid vocals supplied by Morgan Kibby.  Fans still have a chance to get in on the limited Gold Blooded items on PledgeMusic and show their support for the project!

WERU Volunteer Q&A with Pip

Pip is not only the daughter half of WERU's only mother and daughter programmer duo, but at 15, she is also the youngest programmer at WERU.  (Youngest programmer ever status goes to WERU's own Matt Murphy circa 1990's!) Every Saturday from 8 to 10PM, you can tune in to WERU FM to hear Pip host her show The Junk Drawer. It is no surprise to those who know her that Pip is a ground breaker.  From her varied interests to her eclectic taste in music, Pip has always gone her own way!
Where are you originally from?  I'm from Virginia.
How long have you been in Belfast?  8 years, I believe.
What is your favorite thing about Maine?  It's so spacious and relaxing.  It's very peaceful and a beautiful state.
Tell readers a little about your family.  It's small!  I live with my mother and father, as well as my two cats Kip and Fern!
How long have you been volunteers at WERU?  2 years!
How did you become interested in becoming on air programmers?  My mother won a contest to get to sit in on Departure (Friday's 6 to 8PM), and she thought I would enjoy it!  I did, and it got me very interested in volunteering at the station.
Describe The Junk Drawer.  A large mess of various genres of music ranging from indie to pop to alt rock to folk and everything in between!
How did you get the nickname Pip?  At my school there was someone who had the same name as me. Being the new kid, I had to give myself a nickname, and I ended up going with Pip.
What other volunteer activities have you participated in at WERU?  I've done quite a bit of phone answering, as well as always being happy to bring food in during the pledge drives and co-hosting on other people's shows!
Favorite bands?  Favorite genre of music?  I love a lot of genres (as you can tell by my music selections) but some current favorite bands would be Matryoshka, Bastille, Daft Punk, My Chemical Romance and Andrew Jackson Jihad! 
First LP or CD?  I can't say I remember my first LP/CD, but I do remember always loving Jack Johnson and Five for Fighting.
What was the first band you saw in concert?  Jason Mraz!
Tell us about school.  What is an average school day like for you? My school is nice !  It's very small though.  I get up around 8:30AM and get dressed before walking to school.  I have a silent sustained reading session each morning for a half hour and then I have my first class until 11:50AM.  After that, I have lunch and study hall or my language course.  My current classes are American history and literature, math, Japanese, photography, and costume design and construction.
What would you like to do after you graduate?  I would love to go to Maine College of Art!  I love art, especially graphic illustration as well as costuming, and MECA has great courses for both of those interests!
What hobbies and interests do you have outside of music?   I love making costumes (or cosplays) and going to conventions around New England!  I also love to draw on my laptop with an online program called Paint Tool Sai.
Explain what cosplay is all about.  Cosplay is a very popular, more professional version of Halloween in a way.  People construct costumes of their favorite anime/video game/comic book/television show character and then wear it to these big anime or comic conventions!  If you've heard of New York or San Diego Comic Con, it's like that!  It's incredible what people are able to create, and I'm very lucky to be part of the community!
Who is your favorite anime character?  My favorite anime character has to be either Shinji Ikari from the Neon Genesis Evangelion series or Madoka Kaname from the Puella Magi Madoka Magica series.
Favorite food?  Probably pizza!
Favorite book?  The Warriors series has always had a place in my heart, as well as the Inkheart series.
Favorite movie?  End of Evangelion
Favorite holiday and why?  Probably Thanksgiving!  Everyone is always happy and there's great food.
If you could have any super power, what would it be?  The ability to control time would be really, really cool!
If you could visit any place in the world, where would it be?  I think Japan would be really fun to visit!
What would people be surprised to know about you?  I don't think many listeners know that I'm only 15!
If you could describe your mom, Holly, in 3 words, what would they be?  Fun, Kind, Loving!

The Junk Drawer on WERU

Best New Album

If you listen to The Knix Mix, you know that I've been playing the self produced debut LP, The Bones of What You Believe, from the Scottish trio CHVRCHES religiously since it arrived in the studio in September.  Pun intended.  It is The Knix Pick for the best new release.  
CHVRCHES has managed to combine the elements that I can't resist in electronic music:  relatable lyrics that stick in your head and make you want to sing along, uptempo but wistful tracks that fuse indie pop and dance, and a synthpop sound with slick hooks.  Guitars are decidedly absent.  The vocals supplied by Lauren Mayberry, who studied to be a lawyer and was an award winning journalist, don't hurt either.  I'm always a fan of distinctive female vocalists, and Lauren's is emotive, raw and occasionally soars in tracks like my current favorite "Lies."  Iain Cook and Martin Doherty, the other two members of the trio, were kicking around Glasgow's indie scene prior to working with Lauren.  Cook and Doherty handle most of the instrumentation and Doherty provides some vocals.  Apparently, the band name CHVRCHES has no particular religious connotation and is styled with a "V" to make Google searches easier.  
There are the inevitable comparisons to Depeche Mode, which I've noted on more than one CHVRCHES review.  Most likely because they opened for Depeche Mode this summer.  It seems like every alternative band with melancholy lyrics, synthesizers, and the potential for mass appeal is compared to Depeche Mode. (Other bands survived the 80's and went on to critical success too, no?)  I'm thinking Garbage myself.  Being that there are charismatic Scottish chicks fronting both.  Remember Shirley Manson?  It seems to me that fans of The Golden Filter, Naked and Famous, M83 and Cut Copy will find something to love about CHVRCHES  .  There really isn't a throwaway track on the disc.  Check them out, and see if you don't find yourselves singing "I can sell you lies!  You can't get enough!" with enthusiasm after a listen or two.