Asian Dan

Bibio is merely a man that loves to create for the sake of creating. His identity and his sound can be heard in whatever genre he decides to touch upon in his productions – all in a sincere and honest way. Let Mr. Bibio lead you down story lane as he speaks in great detail about his Top 5 favorite releases of 2011.

Bibio’s Top 5 Releases of 2011 (in no particular order):

Rustie – Glass Swords
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Favorite Track from off the release: Rustie – Surph

I got a promo CD copy of this when I was down in London, I was at the Warp office where I was paying Steve Beckett & co a visit, and as I was leaving I grabbed a few goodies. Luckily I had my macbook with me so I could listen to it on the train home to Wolverhampton. Before heading off to the tube station, I joined a few of the lovely Warp folks for a pint and a pork pie in the ale house around the corner from the Warp office. Then, I headed to Euston, got my train, I got a seat (with a table), laptop out, got me a baguette and a bottle of water and put on my headphones. To cut to the chase, I was amazed by this album on first listen. It’s just so energetic, there are no dull moments. Rustie has really shone as a musician/producer/composer on this album, all the tracks are really well structured and have really hooky melodies and themes, it doesn’t feel stuck in a genre either, it feels like it gathers the best from various genres and makes something far more musical and colourful than anything else out there that he is often compared to. I think this album is a future classic, and a reassuring reminder that Warp is moving forward yet keeping its ear for magic. Rustie deserves far more attention, especially after putting out this gem. Some reviewers seem to mention the computer game theme a lot, but I don’t get that as much… what I get is fantasy landscapes with portals and weird surreal crystal sculptures and alien plants, kind of like something from the original ‘He-Man’ series, ‘Le Planete Sauvage’ or Norman McLaren’s ‘A Phantasy’, but with an occasional 90s nostalgia and a 21st century shiny digital edge… and so the faux-airbrushed album art is a perfect presentation of this album.
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Brodinski has been a very busy man this year from non-stop touring to starting his own label, Bromance – he is definitely on his way to doing big things. Checkout his Top 10 tracks of 2011 and don’t forget to listen to the new Gucci Vump Mixtape

Asian Dan’s Guest List : Brodinski Top 10 of 2011
1. The Weeknd – What You Need / XO
2. Heartbreak – Grown Man Shit / CDr
3. Switch Feat. Andrea Martin – I Still Love you / Dubsided
4. Steffi – Yours / Osgut Ton
5. Drake – Look What You’ve Done / Young Money
6. Gesaffelstein – Control Movement / Bromance
7. Scuba – Feel It / Hotflush
8. Woodkid – Iron / GUM
9. Mickey Moonlight – Close To Everything / Ed Banger
10. Drake – Free Spirit Ft Rick Ross / OVO

[audio:http://diestruktur.com/asianmandan/music/DEC%202011/Grown%20Man%20Shit.mp3]
Heartbreak – Grown Man Shit

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The Stepkids have made some big moves in 2011 with their self-titled LP which came out on the iconic Stones Throw Records this past fall. The Stepkids are that great moment when musicianship, impeccable songwriting, and a strong sonic and visual aesthetic all intersect – a very rare and difficult thing to tastefully pull off these days. The gents put together their favorite albums of the year which I strongly co-sign. Be sure to check out some of my favorite cuts from some of these releases as well as an amazing collaboration the Stepkids did with their labelmate, Jonti.

Asian Dan’s Guest List : The Stepkids Top 10 of 2011

Jonti – twirligig

Tuneyards – whokill

Ford & Lopatin- channel preasure

James Blake
 – James Blake
Tyler, The Creater- Goblin
Oneohtrix Point Never- Replica

Thundercat- The Golden Age of Apocalypse

Frank Ocean – Nostalgia/Ultra

Dam Mantle – first wave

Rustie – Glass Swords
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I will come out with it now and say that Fort Lean is my favorite band of the year. I listen to their free 4-track EP at least once a day and sing-along to every tune, especially “High Definition”. They are well on their way to becoming a household name with all the buzz and success that has come to them in just the past 6 months. Once again I will say that I had the honor of sharing the bill with them twice this year with Emil & Friends and that they always destroy it live. Check out this interview with Keenan from Fort Lean in Interview Magazine and be on the lookout for their next single, “Sunsick” out on Neon Gold in February 2012.

The Fort Lean boys show that they are quite LOLzy by submitting their Top 10 Cars of All Time list instead of the traditional Top 10 Tracks of 2011. Be sure to read their Asian Dan Q&A that they answered a few months ago.

Fort Lean’s Top 10 Cars of All Time:

1. geo tracker – a classic in every sense
2. suzuki x-90 – so compact, so sleek
3. chevy el camino – in case you need to move anything
4. plymouth prowler – the virtual boy of cars
5. pontiac aztec – angular, aggressive 
6. chrysler pt cruiser – mini-hearse 
7. mazda miata – 90s mid-life crisis embodied
8. vw beetle (2000) – comes with built-in flower holder
9. vw rabbit pickup – is it a station wagon? is it a pickup?
10. mazda mpv – is it a van? is it a station wagon?

Cloud Boat may have only released two tracks but they are two fantastic tracks (Lions on the Beach/Bastion) that I have been listening to all year. Tom and Sam were kind enough to put together a list of their favorite albums of the year, a very eclectic list of releases that highlight Cloud Boat’s taste and define their unique and intoxicating sound.

Asian Dan’s Guest List : Cloud Boat Top 10 of 2011

Bon Iver – Bon Iver
David Lynch – Crazy Clown Time
Grouper – AIA : Alien Observer / Dream Loss
James Blake – James Blake
Klaus – Tusk EP
Kuedo – Severant 
La Dispute – Wildfire
Mastodon – The Hunter
Radiohead – The King of Limbs
Roly Porter – Aftertime

Asian Dan Q&A : Cloud Boat

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We always are looking for the perfect soundtrack to our Bromances. Pause. But search no more for Bromance Records is upon us. Brodinski is one of the founding fathers of Bromance Records. Brodinski and Gessaffelstein just released the label’s debut release which is a split single of massive techno proportions. Give a listen to both tracks below and check out what Brodinski has to say about why he started this adventure known as Bromance Records.

Asian Dan Q&A : Brodinsiki introduces Bromance Records

Who is Bromance Records?

Bromance Records started with a collaboration between Manu Barron (CEO Of Savoir Faire Company, including also Paris Social Club) and myself. All with a perfect team of talented people behind us.

Why start a Bromance/label these days?

It’s cool to actually have the possibility to release stuff you love, from People you care about. It’s not only about music on Bromance, it’s also about Friendship. We had the opportunity to create something different and exciting, so we did it!

What makes a perfect Bromance? Pause.

Hahah, I will say that work and friendship together are getting along pretty well most of the times, and this is exactly what I live since the beginning of my own career. Working with people I love and who are also really talented. The atmosphere of the label will always stay around this kind of relationships -I hope so!

Techno seems to be the element of a good Bromance – what kind of records will we expect from the Bromance team?

It’s not just about techno music, it’s also about music we want people to hear. The next project will be Gucci Vump, which is one of my side project with Guillaume Briere from The Shoes. It’s gonna be a mixtape for the internet including beats we did this year, inspired by Dj Screw and the whole Southern Rap Scene. So we will try to give people the choice, and not only give them club music.
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Cloud Boat first caught my ear with their tune “Lions on the Beach” which is finally getting its release on R&S Records this fall. Sam & Tom were kind enough to answer some questions about themselves and their music in hopes of painting a clearer picture of Cloud Boat, but I think their blurry and reverb soaked sounds are all you need to understand them.

RS1105 – Cloud Boat by R & S Records

Asian Dan Q&A : Cloud Boat

1. Who is Cloud Boat? How would you describe your music?

We’re Sam Ricketts and Tom Clarke, and we live in North London. Describing music with words is always difficult, even more so when it’s our own. We just try to make emotional music without constraints in a way that feels right.

2. What is your first musical memories?

Sam – My earliest memories include an assortment of children’s TV themes, video game soundtracks and 70s/80s compilation tapes in my Mum’s car. I’d say beginning to listen to and be involved with classical music were the first instances that began to shape who I feel am musically today.

Tom – One is my dad singing Irish songs at parties when I was young, it never embarrased or annoyed me and I always listened intently. Another being me and my sister recording ourselves trying to harmonise nursery rhymes and singing songs in weird accents onto tape with an old knackered stereo that I still have. We’ve both recently realised that we were really fucking weird.
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When I listen to Fort lean I imagine it is a hazy summer afternoon and that their music is that refreshing summer breeze carries you into a lovely summers evening. There is something refreshing in the familiarity and vibe of Fort Lean and the the way they execute their music to-the-point Pop Rock.

“Dreams (Never Come True)” is my favorite cut off their 4 song EP that they are giving away on their Bandcamp. There is a touch of Roy Orbison thrown in with some 60s Pop vibes, but in the end just dig it y’all.

[audio:http://diestruktur.com/asianmandan/music/JULY%202011/02%20Dreams%20(Never%20Come%20True).mp3]
Fort Lean – Dreams (Never Come True)

Asian Dan Q&A : Fort Lean

1. Who is Fort Lean? How and why did the five of you come together to form the band?

Fort Lean is Keenan Mitchell on vocals and guitar, Jake Aron on bass, Sam Ubl on drums, Will Runge on synths, and Zach Fried on guitar. We all met at college and have played together on and off for the last few years. We were all at a point at the beginning of 2011 where our other commitments had come to an end, and we’d all been meaning to get something going together. The timing worked out so we jumped on it.

2. As I browsed the official Fort Lean tumblr fortlean.com, I noticed a theme of “NYC Bum’s Living the Dream aka sleeping on the warm asphalt of the city”. Is this a metaphor for Fort Lean itself? A true meaning of the “sounds of the streets”? Discuss.

That is a actually part of an ongoing series that Keenan is working on titled “Guys Chillin.” . We are working with Gagosian Gallery on an exhibition of selected work in late fall 2011.

3. “The weather’s perfect all the time.” dominates the header of the Fort Lean website. What is this perfect weather you speak of?

At Fort Lean, which is a place you can go, the weather is perfect all the time. Hot but not too sticky, and you can sleep in the park comfortably without getting hassled by the cops. Fort Lean is about getting too drunk at your own picnic. Fort Lean is about leaving the city. Fort Lean is a place where you can still see the skyline but you can’t hear any cars and you can put all your stolen wine in the stream to keep it cool and when the fire dies out you can see some stars and not too many airplanes.
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Photo by Lucien Alperstein

The Aussie duo, Collarbones have been making some moves on the web these past weeks, making their rounds in the blogosphere and getting mentioned on Pitchfork’s Forkcast. Travis and Marcus were kind enough to put together an 11 min mix, a deconstructed pastiche of some of their favorite songs at the moment. Imagine combing through the AM/FM frequency that comprises of the formula that equates to the duo’s sonic experiment. Check out a Q&A introduction into the musical masterminds behind, Collarbones.

Download Collarbones “Beaman Park” EP over at collarbones.bandcamp.com

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Download: Asian Dan Presents Collarbones “Brown Sugar” Mix

Asian Dan Q&A: Collarbones

1. Who is Collarbones? How would you describe your music?
Collarbones is a front for drug dealing and prostitution. We have fabricated a backstory about being an Australian electronic music duo in order to cover up our cocaine affiliations. Gotta move those bricks. We’re a “trans-state” collaboration because we have to hustle drugs back and forth. Travis Cook’s real name is Reginald Perineum and Marcus Whale’s real name is Hugh Manatee. You have to keep people guessing when you’re a fugitive, you know how it is. We would describe our music as browave with eurodance influences. We are what “sincerity” feels like.

2. What was your first musical memory?
Travis: I remember dancing to Lithium by Nirvana in my bib. I barely learnt how to walk. There’s a video of it somewhere.

Marcus: I don’t know. My latest musical memory is watching Simo Soo and a room of 20 people flailing and screaming to really overdriven beats.

3. What are your influences, musical or otherwise?
Werner Herzog, Soul Glo, sidechain compression, Cole Mohr, eggplant, the way Jaden Smith dances, Andre Leon Talley, Bobb Trimble, Ciara.
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Nick Catchdubs has made his rounds in the blogosphere and in the IRL music scene. From co-founding the one and only, Fool’s Gold Records to throwing the famed Flashing Lights party in NYC and everything in between, he is a man of many musical hats. Nick was kind enough to throw together this mix of some his favorite tunes at the moment as well as answering a few questions about his and Fool’s Gold Records musical mission. So sit back and enjoy Nick Catchdubs’ “Pink Lemonade” Mix (Ha! I just got it.).

[audio:http://diestruktur.com/asianmandan/music/May%202010/Nick%20Catchdubs%20-%20Asian%20Dan%20Presents%20Pink%20Lemonade%20-%20asianmandan.com.mp3]
Download: Asian Dan Presents Nick Catchdubs “Pink Lemonade” Mix

Asian Dan Q&A: Nick Catchdubs

1. Who is Nick Catchdubs and what is that you do? Why do you do what you do?

I guess the simple answer is that I am a DJ, musician and record label co-owner. I have worn a lot of other hats (designer, editor, writer) but not so much these days because I devote all my free time to the label and my own music. I have been DJing professionally for the past 7 years and have been running Fool’s Gold with A-Trak for almost 3 of those. As far as WHY I do what I do… I’ve just been obsessed with music and art and media and pop culture ever since I was a very little kid, this didn’t happen by accident. I would still be making my own stuff and thinking about different ways to put it out into the world it even if it wasn’t a “career,” you know?

2. You are co-pilot of the famed Fool’s Gold Records, how has the trip been so far since you guys took off? What is Fool’s Gold Recs main mission?

It’s been fun and satisfying to launch artists’ careers, and help our friends’ music make an impact in the world at large. The mission has always been the same: to share the world that we are a part of creatively – the people around us, our friends and peers, new talents we discover – with official releases that could really stand the test of time. To put out records that could transcend blogs (no offense) and individual scenes and genres, to build up the brand so that it really stands for something unique and high quality. If I humbly say so myself…
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