ListenUp
Cliff Martinez picks this week’s PrivateJam, Air releases a vinyl-only museum-inspired album, Para One channels early ’90s dance parties and more
Air: All I Need
We celebrated the news of Air’s forthcoming vinyl-only release, Music For Museum, with a look back at one of their classic tracks, “All I Need” and its Mike Mills-directed video. It’s been two years since Jean-Benoît Dunckel and Nicolas Godin created new material, and this artwork-inspired limited edition for the Palais de Beaux Arts in Lille is worth the wait. Printed on clear vinyl, the album features eight songs that correspond to works by Linda Bujoli, Mathias Kiss, Xavier Veilhan and Yi Zhou, which are also a focal point in the physical realm in an immersive installation at the museum through 24 August 2014.
Para One: You Too
French electronic artist Jean-Baptiste de Laubier (aka Para One) has been a figure in the Paris club scene for nearly a decade and his latest video for “You Too“—off his upcoming record Club—is a throwback to dance shows of the ’90s. Somewhere between Soul Train and MTV’s The Grind with a healthy dose of French vibes, the video sees Para One’s pulsating dance track set the tone for a blossoming dance floor love affair. While the video is clearly a period piece, ironically enough with the rise in ’90s-adoration, the crowd could well be a contemporary crew from a club in Berlin or New York.
Rick Derringer: Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo
This week film score composer and former Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Cliff Martinez joins us for #PrivateJam with Rick Derringer’s “Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo” as his personal selection. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member tells us, “I like the music that I grew up with”—save for his penchant for Adele’s “Someone Like You.” In this VH1 video of Derringer performing with Johnny Winter in 1973, it’s easy to see why Martinez would be drawn to the song; they really know how to rock. Having composed the scores for intense films like Drive, Solaris, Spring Breakers and Contagion, it’s nice to know that at heart, Martinez is still just a musician who loves to jam out.
The Rosebuds: In My Teeth
The Rosebuds (a Raleigh, NC-based indie rock duo) are back for their sixth LP Sand + Silence, with co-production from Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon (who played guitars and synths) and Sylvan Esso’s Nick Sanborn on bass. The single “In My Teeth” gives us a hint of what the rest of the album will be like—the free-spirited, bittersweet but light tone is reminiscent of earlier Rosebuds, and the track has been mixed to perfection. Listen for the smoothly blended vocals, the crisp acoustic guitar, the space that the synths create—and the melody is catchy in the least irritating way possible. Sand + Silence is due out 5 August 2014 from Western Vinyl.
VF Mix 01: Andrew Ashong
The World Cup kicked off this week, and while Brazilian music is always welcome at CH, the myriad playlists made for the international football affair are far from samba-inducing. Instead, we turned to British-Ghanaian soul singer Andrew Ashong and his 90-minute mix for Vinyl Factory. Filled with Brazilian grooves “ripe with goodness and joy,” the 26 tracks highlight the nation’s festive culture and remind us that amid all of the economic backlash surrounding the 2014 tournament, Brazil is a beautiful country with a uniquely jubilant energy and music that expresses their love for dancing and socializing.
ListenUp is a Cool Hunting series published every Sunday that takes a deeper look at the music we tweeted throughout the week. Often we’ll include a musician or notable fan’s personal favorite in a song or album dubbed #PrivateJam.
