Interview: Local Natives - The Reason I Have Ears

Jesus, Mary & Joseph.. LA band Local Natives stir something deep inside. The fingers skipping over the chords, the bass, the vocals, the harmony..Oh the harmony. It's all just a little too much.

Haven't felt like this about an up-&-coming band in a very long time. There are tiny butterflies circling my organs.

Let's hope I manage to keep it together for Monday's interview!

And the one with the moustache - To die for.

Air - A Nonchalent Affair

French duo Air at their 2010 London show preform 2001 melody 'Radian'.

Really does send shivers down your spine.

Monsieur M - Food That Makes My Tummy Smile

East London's Old Street recently welcomed a new addition in the form of tasty Indochinese with simple yet savvy decor. Think red feature walls, wooden tables and friendly staff. The restaurant in question is Monsieur M and it has taken up residence in the ol' Town Hall. Rest assured it most definitely does the grandiose old building justice.

Fortunately for me LeCool London organised a fun and tasty experience for all those lucky punters that wield a pen. Our almighty sword, if you will. After being seated we were treated to thirst quenching beverages and a taste testing extravaganza. To our left stood a table (see right) decorated in all the right ingredients necessary to create our own summer rolls. It may have been cold and hungry outside but inside we were warm and our tummies were most certainly satisfied.

Rumbly tummies no longer!

I had previously heard of and attended Monsieur M's prior to this occasion and as a result I was easily persuaded. At Monsieur M's each visit is a surprise; the menu changes daily giving you a choice of three appetising meals. An innovative idea that means you'll never run the risk of boring the taste buds. They really are a precocious lot!

Disclaimer: Don't bother fighting with the cash machine, these tasty treats weren't made to break the bank.

This Southeast Asian experience is located at  380 Old Street, Shoreditch. Near Hoxton Square.

Try the Thai green curry. It's D-licious!

Fenech Soler Interview

Check out the whole interview here!

Q Sessions - Miike Snow + Coco Sumner

I'm not a photographer but I am fortunate enough to attend events such as this. Below is the visual diary of a writer.

LeCool London 25 - 03 Mar + Late of the Pier intimacy!

And check out Late of the Pier's intimate session at London's Pure Groove this week!!

Yours sincerely LeCool London.

LeCool London 18 - 24 FEB

LeCool London's got what your after week after week.

Interview: MEN - They're Not Just a Bunch of Women

MEN is a brooklynite band of two women and just one man. They create lofi, dance music complimented by sassy lyrics with political inflexions. What initially started as a remix project by Le Tigre members Johanna Fateman and JD Samson has now grown into so much more. On stage the feminist electro-punk band consists of Michael O’Neill, JD Samson and Ginger Brooks Takahashi who perceive their live show as a performance, in which music, costume and multimedia work together to create an unbridled zeal fuelled spectacle. However, off stage Men consists of a whole collective of artists; many of whom you may recognise, and as a group these individuals create music about the world they live in. Whether it is about political issues, test tube babies, their own sexual preferences or simply a menial task like paying the rent, they certainly have a lot to say. Men is not about women posing as men, instead it’s a personal comment on society cleverly matched with music that makes you want to listen. Fortunately for us coercion need not be part of the process.

// Is Men feminist?
Ginger: Even just using the name Men it challenges ideas about gender and who gets to call themselves Men and what it means for us three to call ourselves ‘Men’ on stage.

JD: Everyone has a different definition of what feminism is but I think that we are for equality of all people and to us that’s what feminism really means. That’s definitely something that we as a band want to continue to support.

// How far are you into the recording of the debut?
Michael: I think we are about 70% done. That’s the number we’re using now. As soon as we get back to the US we’re gonna hit the studio and try and finish.

//Have you got a title yet?
JD: We have a couple of things bouncing around but it’s going to have to be a surprise.

//It could be Boys to Men?
(Everyone laughs).
JD: Some things like that have been mentioned.

Full interview up soon!

Etienne de Crecy Live - Interview

Seldom stands a six metre cubic structure that challenges all your senses at once, while solid lines of beautifully choreographed geometry play to the rhythm of one man’s pulse. This is Etienne de Crecy live. His shows are an amalgamation of conflicting senses. Music and lights play like a hybrid beast inciting contortionist behaviour that you never dared believe possible. Until now. Beginning in the early ‘90s de Crecy realised music alone wasn’t enough, so at the end of a three year Super Discount 2 tour he enlisted some help. The ‘Cube’ as he so affectionately labels it, is a stage concept created by a François Wunschel and Pier Schneider; members of the Parisian collective Exyzt. The 3X3 tower of light-boxes is as very much a part of the French techno pioneer as is his agile fingers that create the loops, live sequences, effects filters and cuts. It’s a ‘machine show’, a genuine live electronic experience in which every tune is built as he stands solo in the centre square; his ‘studio away from home’. Etienne de Crecy’s shows are something to be remembered. He creates live music, which beckons you physically, sans the laptop. For the past two years he has dedicated himself to his Beats ‘N’ Cubes tour, creating music solely for Etienne de Crecy live; purely to compliment the ‘Cube’ experience. He lives for perfecting his live show. Everything else comes secondary. We listened as Etienne de Crecy talked to us about his role on earth and why he hopes his music encourages ‘sexual relations’ on the dance-floor.

//The cube is six metres tall. What happens if it doesn’t fit in the venue?

EDC: I was in Manchester this week and the cube didn’t fit so I didn’t play.

//Wow. Really?

EDC: Yes, because if people want to see Etienne de Crecy live they must see the cube.

//So you make club music?
EDC: I make music for people to have fun in clubs, so they can drink a lot and try to have ... sexual relations.

//On the dance floor?
EDC: (Laughs). Why not? I think my job on Earth is to make people do.. ah..

//Fun things?
EDC: Exactly. This is why I need to be up-to-date with the music. I don’t care to have a proper style or genre. I prefer to change. I love electronic and techno music.

//And you’re just going to keep going until?
EDC: We’ll see....Until...

//..Until people don’t like the cube anymore and you have to make another shape? Like a circle. It would rotate and you would be in the middle.
EDC: Yes because the triangle is already done and the cross too! Then there’s me with the square. (Laughs)

//French people obviously have a thing for shapes.

EDC: (Laughs).

Rest of interivew up on Dazed Digital soon!

Le Cool London 4 - 10 Feb

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