{MUSIC} Previews
ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER Psychedelic synths and drones from experimental electronica producer
The musician and label owner Daniel Lopatin speaks to The List from his home in Brooklyn
How do you feel when words like ‘chillwave’ and ‘hypnagogic pop’ are applied to your music? I’m curious about listening habits and ontologies, so it’s really interesting to me. I may not always agree, but I’m not offended in any way. Do you enjoy collaborating with your friend Joel Ford for your poppier, 80s disco-influenced Ford & Lopatin releases?
Yeah, it’s a fun break from the solo pursuits for sure.
The Scottish artist Martin Creed often talks about the comfort in repetition. A lot of your tracks rely on heavily repeated loops. Is that something conscious? Or simply sounds that work well? It’s both. I’m conscious of it but the act of making music is often pretty instinctual. Certain patterns and stories emerge that I can either get behind or ruin the experience totally. A lot of philosophy on repetition deals with how sameness actually generates difference, which sounds crazy, but actually not at all. Listening to the same loop a bunch lends itself to listening to yourself and the variety therein. That’s exciting for me. How many times do you think is acceptable to listen to your ‘Nobody Here’ loop on YouTube? (I think I may have hit an unacceptable number of listens . . .)
Ha! I’m glad, that means that it worked. Are there any Scottish artists you’re into?
I had an incredible night when I played Optimo! Those guys are inspiring beyond words. I’m currently listening to a bunch of Terry Riley and a great record by Womack & Womack called Love Wars. What have Scottish crowds been like when you’ve played here in the past? Kind, drunk, curious, appreciative. I really love Glasgow. It reminds me of Boston in parts.
(Interview by Claire Sawers)
■ Sneaky Pete’s, 225 1757, Sun 7 Aug, 8pm, £8, part of The Edge Festival. For a full transcript of this interview, go to list.co.uk
ANDY MCKEE Virtuoso guitar plucker / YouTube sensation BORN TO BE WIDE SHOWCASE Day-long appreciation of Edinburgh’s music
L A V I T S E F
In 2006 US ‘fingerstyle’ guitarist Andy Mckee joined the YouTube sensation club with a video for his song ‘Drifting’. It has to be seen to be believed – nearly 78m hits and climbing – but McKee is essentially a guitar genius with a nice line in covers and some decent original tunes. Yawn. Another YouTube sensation? McKee is the real deal. A self-confessed guitar nerd, McKee started as a teenager and developed his virtuoso style until his digits ached. With lightning quick fingers, in full flow he’s a joy to behold — shades of John Martyn minus the crooning.
Does he like Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’? Give it a rest. He is, however, a fan of the 80s. Among his most popular videos is a cracking cover of ‘Africa’ by Toto. And new LP, Joyland, includes a brisk version of ‘Everybody Wants to Rule The World’ by Tears For Fears. What is ‘fingerstyle’? Can I eat it? Fingerstyle involves plucking, picking or hitting the strings with the fingertips and nails, and using parts of the guitar as percussion. Don’t try it at home – well do, but it probably won’t sound anywhere near as good. (Rachel Devine) ■ Arches, Glasgow, Thu 4 Aug; Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, 220 6176, Fri 5 Aug, 7pm, £20.50.
56 THE LIST 4–11 Aug 2011
As a salute to Edinburgh’s musical vibrancy, this second annual Born To Be Wide showcase presents a series of ten-minute taster sets, secret shows and instore performances throughout the city.
BTBW organiser Olaf Furniss explains: ‘It provides an opportunity to get a snapshot of emerging local acts playing during August in a try-before-you-buy kind of way. It’s also a great way to connect with many of the promoters, music journalists and musicians who make up the scene. I think the Edinburgh music scene is very healthy’, he adds. ‘There is a diversity of talent and some great, well- run venues for artists to play. The fact that the city sustains several specialist record shops covering indie, folk, classical and electronic music, says a lot.’
The line-up so far includes Bwani Junction, Capitals, helium-voiced folk hero Withered Hand and Mumford & Sons protégée Rachel Sermanni (pictured), with plenty of surprises to follow. And if that wasn’t enough, anyone who posts their favourite four tracks by Edinburgh bands on BTBW’s Facebook page will be added to the guest list. So no excuses then? (Ryan Drever)
■ Various locations during the day, Sun 7 Aug; from 9pm at Electric Circus, Edinburgh For more info, go to borntobewide.co.uk
CAMILLE O’SULLIVAN: FEEL Sultry, red wine loving chanteuse brings new set of cover versions
Camille O’Sullivan is in agony. Two weeks before her show Feel opens, she has yet to finalise the set.
‘I am at the table surrounded with CDs, with
stickers on the walls,’ she confesses from her home in Dublin. ‘I look around and see the songs I like are all about being vulnerable, sad, a love affair that didn’t go right. The kitchen is looking a bit mental.’ Approaching her seventh – or is it her eighth, she has lost count – festival, it isn’t getting easier. There will still be songs by Nick Cave, Arcade Fire, Tom Waits, just not the same ones as last year. This delights some fans, desperate for new material, and infuriates others, who want to hear their favourites. She is contemplating ‘Revelator’ by American
folkstress Gillian Welch. But will she do it justice? ‘The last thing you want to sound like is a tribute artist. You need to doff your hat, then give it something else.’ Another candidate, Trent Reznor’s ‘Hurt’, is ‘sad, mournful, melancholy, poignant and heartbreaking’. Neither she, nor the audience, will have an easy night. ‘It’s going to be tough. I do songs that are not pleasing to people. Then we can all go “phew” afterwards.’ (Anna Burnside) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 3–29 Aug (not 9, 15), 8pm, £16.50–18.50, previews 3–5 Aug, £10.