THITH ZINE

MASTER BLASTER

Eleanore — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:30:38 +0000

As we’re writing here in NY, far away in London, 6 new tracks are being mastered, tweaked, laid out, cut to wax and readied. Our foreign correspondent Stephen Christian sent us these pictures of the process.

there’s still a ways to go but… It won’t be long now.

Holy Ghost! Make A Record!

Eleanore — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:09:10 +0000

Our Brooklyn neighbors, Holy Ghost! have been working on their debut album. With 4 finished mixes and 8 to go, they expect to finish up in time for New Years. We can’t wait for it! In the meantime, Alex and Nick give us a peek at how it’s going.

Alex-We’ve been working on our album for roughly 2 years but, it’s hard to define because we’ve been making music together in one way or another for a long, long time. Nick and I were in a band in High School together that eventually became Automato, a short lived outfit through which we met James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy. When Automato disbanded, Nick and I just kept working on music together and occasionally with James, Tim, and Juan Maclean. Somewhere along the line Holy Ghost was born. But…. I like to use “Hold On” in October of 2007 as a marker for beginning this album. So like 2 years. ( Defensive disclaimer: we did 13 remixes in this time period and toured as dj’s extensively so that contributed to the delays!)

We joke that the copy on our record is going to set a record for length and number of names. The first real sessions were in Woodstock in the summer of 2007 at a studio called Flymax (r.i.p). We had written a bunch of songs and recorded a lot of it but needed a real studio to record drums and vocals the way we wanted to. Juan came with us and he basically engineered the sessions. He worked really hard and taught us a lot. He also played an awesome guitar solo on a song called “Static On The Wire.”
The following summer we went into Metrosonic studios in Brooklyn with Tim Goldsworthy for a few days. The centerpiece of those sessions was a song called “Say My Name,” which has my favorite piano sound on the record: an upright recorded through contact mics placed on the interior of the harp. Then in September of this year we went in for our first really extended sessions with Chris Zane at Gigantic studios in Manhattan. We’re sill in there now, mixing the record. Chris basically tied together all the little sessions we had done and helped solidify the various recordings as one piece of work. We also re-tracked almost all of my vocals with him. Working with Chris has been the most pleasant and relaxed and creative process I’ve experienced.

Oh, we also worked with Eric Broucek at his studio in Brooklyn for the mix of ” I Will Come Back” and with James Murphy on the mix to “Hold On” at Plantain, the DFA Headquarters and studio in the West Village, And of course we work at home all the time, and of course I’m forgetting a lot…
Nick-…And Matt Thornley also helped us mix “I Will Come Back” when it needed some fixing and also helped with the mix of the song we did with Michael McDonald. All this said though, the majority of the work for the record has really been done at our home studio. We’ve really only gone to work elsewhere when we needed to do something that we don’t have the means to do at home - like drums or a children’s choir - or when we’re looking for guidance, as has been the case with working with Chris at Gigantic.

Alex-Chris has been tremendous. Having someone there in the role of producer has allowed both of us to take the producer hat off to some extent and focus more on playing, writing, arranging. Having someone edit your vocals, adjust the mic, switch the compressor, etc, removes a lot of the technical focus we usually have and allows us to indulge ourselves a bit as “artists.” That sounds corny, but it’s true, for me at least.
Nick-Yeah, it took some getting used to for me, but it’s really nice having someone else - and someone who’s far more skilled than us - handling the engineering side of things. Likewise, we both just really enjoy being in a nice, big studio. There was a time when I found it kind of intimidating - like, not knowing my way around, not being able to articulate what I wanted or demonstrate something I’m after. But having spent so much time in studios over the years, now whenever we have the chance to get out of our own space we’re like kids in a candy store as far as taking advantage of all the things we don’t have at home like specific pieces of gear, or a nice big live room or whatever.

Alex-With remixes and a single like ” I Will Come Back” we approach things from the position of making a 12″ dance single that, ideally, people will dance to, but with an LP you have a larger format to work within so we started thinking about variation in tempo, arrangement, mood, length, etc. And we can also do something that’s maybe not a “single” and that’s ok. But at the same time, I think we’ve also found that we do love singles and we do love pop music and we’re not that interested in making something “weird” or “intelligent” just for the sake of doing it. So hopefully our album will have songs that go nicely into each other but can also be extracted from that context and stand on their own.

Nick-The general process for writing each song is pretty similar from song to song as far as what each one goes through before it’s finished but, like Alex said, with the LP we’ve allowed ourselves to write songs that don’t have to work on the dancefloor. I was talking to a friend about writing and recording dance music the other night and we were both saying that there’s something really fun and comforting about working within the constraints of making a 12″ - of course the song has to be okay, and in our case we have to excited about the individual sounds, but at the end of the day it has to “work” when people play it out. To do that it needs to follow a basic framework of sorts - drums have to be tough, getting slower than 115 BPM or faster than 130 BPM is risky, etc. As fun as it is to work with those constraints, it’s been nice to work without them on some of the songs on the LP.
Alex-There’s a song on the album at 97bpm. It will never be played out in a dance club, but it sounds good in a jeep. That sort of thing.

More Holy Ghost!:
holyghostnyc.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/holyghostnyc

Holy Ghost! recommend:
“The new Still Going remix of “Caught Up” by Crazy P, the Terje remix of Shit Robot’s “Simple Things” and the Cut Copy remix of the new Munk single. New Aeroplane vs. Lindstrom, Still Going’s new 12″ on DFA “Spaghetti Circus”, alot of edits by The Revenge, all the new jams coming out on Wurst, edits by Jacques Renault, Runnaway, Linkwood 10″, new Mr. Chin record “American Standard,” and generally alot of stuff our friends our making.”

xox Jerry Fuchs.

WARP20 NY FILM WITH THITH LIVE

Eleanore — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:29:14 +0000

Warp made a film of all the NY shows held for the 20th anniversary. It’s got a live clips of us alongside Battles, Jamie Lidell, Flying Lotus, !!! and more.
You’ll find our bit at the 19:40 mark.

Warp20 NY Directed by Lorenzo Fonda and produced by Warp Films/Mighty8.

In loving memory of Jerry Fuchs.

Boredoms. Boadrum 3. photos & text by Jesse Hlebo

Jason — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:31:22 +0000

On September 9th, 11th, & 12th 2009, the Boredoms created the third installment of Boadrum. On each night they performed a 70 minute piece involving 9 drummers.
Our man in the field Jesse Hlebo was with them and he took these pictures.

Circular unity yet allowing variation within the spherical; creating a world that maintains a fluidity within rigidity.
Scrape from the clouds all that they have, put it inside of this container and distribute nine ways, equally.
Make it work.
Keep sleeping in this circle, don’t become unconscious, just transcend what’s given, like a sponge: held until released.-JH

JESSE HLEBO is an artist living in NY. His latest project, Swill Children, is a multi-media record label. The first batch of Swill Children recordings are now available for free on the website:www.swillchildren.org
www.underscorequarterly.com
www.commonismmag.com

THITH IN THE STUDIO

Eleanore — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:48:20 +0000

We’ve been hiding & kind of quiet for the last few months choosing to spend the summer mostly locked away writing, self-producing some songs and occasionally collaborating with Jacques Renault at his home studio and getting help from The Rapture’s Vito Roccoforte. We ended up with a stack of tracks and used those self-produced recordings as the basis for working on finished mixes and additional production with Eric Broucek in his Brooklyn studio, Chris Zane and Alex Aldi at Gigantic in Manhattan and now, here in London with Richard X.

We’re halfway through two-weeks of recording in London with Richard and this means that we’re roughly halfway through making our debut record!

“noodles”

Once we finish up here we’re going to take a little break before heading back to finish up In New York. We’re aiming to have it all finished in December with new tracks to finally share in the new year!

THe HUNDRED IN THE HANDS SIGN TO WARP!

Eleanore — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:33:46 +0000

We’re really excited to announce that we’ve signed to Warp Records!
From Flying Lotus to Grizzly Bear to Gang Gang Dance to Broadcast, Warp have released some of our favorite records in the last few years and we feel ridiculously lucky to be keeping this kind of company.
Since our last shows in May, we’ve been living in the bunker, writing, writing, writing. We can’t wait to share all the things we’ve been up to but of course we’re going to have to be patient while we see everything through.
We’ll have more updates soon.

LOOK LOOK

Jason — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 05:56:08 +0000

Michael Jackson August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009

Jason — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:30:00 +0000

It’s a beautiful June evening in Brooklyn and word just broke about Michael Jackson’s passing. I saw the report and had to run across the street to top-up my phone and text Eleanore the news. The Spanish radio station at the bodega was telling the story, three cars went by with MJ songs playing.
“What!? How?!” Eleanore wrote back.
“Heart attack.”
We’ve been locked away writing songs for the past month. It’s a strange process, sometimes really difficult and challenging going deep into words and sounds and it’s funny the games you invent to try and unlock the ‘secrets’. MJ had the key, and there’s been more than a few times recently that we’ve both sat around listening to his records trying to dissect what It was.

I’ve always thought that just humming the bass line to ‘I want you back’ will put a smile on your face. That bouncing line descending around that high vocal is one of my very favorite moments in music. Like Stevie Wonder, doors were first unlocked for MJ at Motown. There, at the feet of some of the most talented songwriters and musicians the pop world has ever seen, the young boy learned. His childhood might have been lost in a sequined whirlwind of James Brown moves sliding across the stage from one side of America to the other but, along the way, MJ was absorbing. By the time he went solo, he was ready to unlock the kingdom.

Both ‘Off The Wall’ and ‘Thriller’ are still so mind blowing it’s almost supernatural. “It’s magic,” Eleanore said one night as the first woo broke open the tight clap and boom of ‘Don’t Stop.’ And it is, something of alchemy and conjuring a whole universe in sound. Both records are the product of two absolute geniuses. MJ and Quincy Jones were touching something that truly comes around once in a lifetime. The production is so staggeringly complete. Every space and frequency filled with instruments and parts that combine to perfectly frame the rhythm and melodies. Quincy knew exactly how to bring it all together but the brilliance, the inspiration, and magic was all there in Michael evidenced by the svelte production on his home taped demo version for ‘Don’t Stop’.

MJ’s later life was of course plagued by controversy as his eccentric behavior began to overwhelm his gifts. Now, in his passing, let’s hope that madness can recede and instead we can remember how incredible his music really was.

Antipodal combies:Jacques Renault writes to us from… everywhere.

Jason — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:10:08 +0000

So, here I am. Back in London for a few days on my third week in a month long tour of DJ booths, airports, hotels and the skies between. It began in Paris then Paris became London and, just as suddenly, London became Berlin…

It’s typical of berlin that I would bump into friends Heidi and Rolf at the airport. We all share a cab to another mutual friend Robin’s flat to hear stories of what I missed over the Berlin weekend. Yikes. The Berlin weekend. But really, Berlin doesn’t stop for the mid-week. It’s Tuesday and I head off to the infamous Cookies and do a set with Robin David Gilmour Girls and James ‘Fucking’ Friedman and when that gig ends, I head back to the airport and onto a flight back to London so I can catch a 24 hour flight to Australia. 24 hours. Yikes. I can’t sleep. There’s a fat man leaning way back and the seat’s cramped and I can’t sleep. I wobble off the plane in rare form. But the weather is perfect. It’s winter and the weather is perfect! I forget the fat man and I start dreaming up ways to get myself back for their summer. I’ll go sailing. I’ll escape New York and the ice and wind and dark and go sailing in Australia!

Five shows. Four cities. But I get a needed break after the first two and I’m able to spend the bulk of my time with friends in Sydney where I even manage to see some sights and make some music in between a few interviews and radio appearances. And Australians actually seem to listen to the radio! No one I know listens to the radio in America. Here, even when I arrive at the hotels they know who I am. That doesn’t happen in America.

The next two shows throw me to Brisbane and back. Maybe I’m just suffering a few minor psychological derailments I think finding myself on another long, long, long flight between hemispheres and then, now, here I am. Back in the present.

I’m now staying with my good friend Ali in his flat just outside of London. For a minute, things are calm. I’ve a few days off again so I can enjoy this town in daylight for once and catch up on a few emails. But in between the friendly hellos there’s business and the emails, happily, are already leading to more shows here in the future. The dates on the calendar are getting cluttered again. Tomorrow, Athens. The next night, Warsaw and then, Bank Holiday weekend in London. I’m given the impression it’s going to be mental. A big party weekend and I’m with Mock & Toof, Gerd Janson, Nightmoves, Reverso 68 and Warm Residents. Meanwhile Holy Ghost!, House of House and Lovefingers will all be playing in the area so I think there will be bouncing around for sure. It’s going to be my last show and night in Europe.

But I only head back to New York for two days and then I’m crossing the equator once again. Brazil! My first trip to South America and I’m looking forward to it. I have no idea what to expect other than the promise of a potentially scary flight over the Amazon. It’s not only the water in the sink that’s swirling one way and then the other. The stamps are adding up and as soon as I get to New York, I have to have pages added to my passport in time for the start of festival season in a couple of weeks when I’m back at it all over again! My friend Gavin shows me his passport. It looks like a brick. It’s a heavy reminder of planes and the lack of sleep and hotels and drinking all of it running you down. Despite it, I think I’ve managed to take care of myself. The swine’s haven’t got to me yet! And this trip was the long one. All the rest of the shows this summer are short hops broken up with enough days off and chances to get back home and to work.

The traveling is fun. It’s exciting of course but I’m so ready to be in my studio working on things. There’s big ideas and remixes waiting and collaborations and maybe, just maybe the chance to actually spend time with friends in the hot muggy light of Brooklyn.

‘from the heat to the street’ a crazy old Renault car ad.

GRIZZLY BEAR’S DOUBLE LP ‘VECKATIMEST’ Arrives in the post!

Jason — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:00:15 +0000

Making a case for actually taking the time to listen to an actual vinyl LP from end to end the gargantuan rich and warm new double album ‘Veckatimest’ from Grizzly Bear just arrived in the mail! Case made, we’re taking that time now.
‘Veckatimest’ is dense, and clever like the kind of record they used to make back when The Beatles were trading blows with The Beach Boys and the likes of “Odessey & Oracle” and “Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society” were falling through the cracks. 12 songs, 3 per side, each like a little pocket symphony complete with choral & string arrangements and touched as much by a late 60’s/early 70’s southern California sunlight as it is by the very English rain of ‘Atom Heart Mother’ era Pink Floyd. It’s a big record with big ideas but one that never cheats to challenge with needy pretension. Instead, the tracks are soothing and lovely proper songs that at times like single ‘Two Weeks’ astound with their pop-fantastic status.

But as well grounded and connected to their lineage as they are, there’s also something very immediately ‘new’ about things. Throughout, the songs maintain an honestly refreshing class while the angst hidden within them exists very much in the ‘Post’–post-punk, post-indie, post all those collective naughties-breakthroughs–in a way that seems to allow them the space to stretch out with confidence. ‘Veckatimest’ breaths and swells, rising from track to track with an assurance and confidence accumulating in the giddy crescendos of ‘I live With You’ and the simple melancholic elegance of ‘Foreground’. That song’s final unexpected and fleeting rise of choral harmony to conclude the record could sum-up so much of what’s right about the orchestration. Never once does the quote un-quote sophisticated production overwhelm the tracks or draw attention to itself for the sake of it. It might be a youth choir, but it’s so seemingly graceful and natural it’s hard to think of it as any more indulgent than the act of plugging a guitar into an amp. Conversely, it’s more than satisfying to hear a clever band getting by on ideas and real musicianship that moves well beyond trading on delay pedals, swaths of reverb, and lo-fi grit. And finally, everything about the LP, from the songs and sounds to the cover art, tinted paper of the inner sleeve and full color photo booklet, are of a similar, effortlessly-beautiful quality. It’s a quality you would hope still earns a place in this physical world.