Terminal 5

showview

Ladytron

Datarock

Wed 6/25

Tickets

All Ages

7 PM Doors / 8 PM Show

$25.00 advance / $28.00 day of show

Ladytron

http://www.ladytron.com
http://www.myspace.com/ladytron
Go here to download the single "Black Cat" from the forthcoming album "Velocifero"
http://www.ladytron.com/Ladytron-BlackCat.mp3

In 2001, the first fruits of what would become the new electronic-rock movement began to fall. LADYTRON’s debut, 604, was an integral part of that first strike. A pristine, analog adventure of sound and substance, the album would go on to influence the genre itself, while the group quietly made a global impact both visually and stylistically. Hits like “Playgirl” and “Seventeen” (from their 2002 follow-up, Light & Magic) quietly rebelled against the bratty, disingenuous motifs of the time, instead invoking the sonic storytelling of groups like Air, Stereolab, and My Bloody Valentine. Ladytron’s counterbalance of emotional vulnerability and psychological ingenuity–personified by the opposing vocals of Helen Marnie and Mira Aroyo—created their own world that had yet to be fully explored. Their live performances immediately set them apart: “We wanted to play all those exotic instruments live,” says Mira of the mountain of antique synths the group brandished on stage. Daniel Hunt adds, “Not many people ever performed that way, besides Emerson, Lake and Palmer or something. It felt like hanging around at Bell Labs in 1970.” A year’s worth of touring and experimentation led to the creation of Witching Hour, Ladytron’s most sonically complex production to date. It retained the unmistakable, mechanized warmth of their Korg MS20s, but Reuben Wu’s dynamic programming coupled with Hunt’s shoegazey guitar layers in tracks like the intoxicating single “Destroy Everything You Touch,” “International Dateline” and “High Rise” flexed a more indie rock tenacity. While the album showed distinct creative growth, their resilience outside the studio provided a different kind of maturity; the group took to the road on the strength of their massive cult following, booking sold-out tours across North America and Europe, and playing for capacity crowds in China and Latin America. Without any real label support, Ladytron toured exhaustively over the next two years, performing for over 4,000 people in Bogota, Columbia—where their show was eventually shut down by local military—and opening for Nine Inch Nails in early 2007 at the request of Trent Reznor…only their second opening slot in seven years. “We found ourselves completely independent, yet everywhere we went the crowds only got bigger,” says Reuben. “It made us feel like things were really in our hands. Like we were tapping into something.” What transpired in the studio as a result of that confidence and freedom enhanced the vision they achieved on Witching Hour, and in doing so, has simultaneously redefined and escaped the genre. Produced by Ladytron with assistance from Vicarious Bliss (Ed Banger Records) and Alessandro Cortini (Nine Inch Nails), VELOCIFERO fully transcends the confines of electro-pop with a fresh wave of distorted soul. Mira and Helen—whose disparate vocal styles already provide considerable depth—have evolved both as musicians and songwriters, lending provocative harmonies to songs like “Runaway” and “I’m Not Scared.” While, rhythmically, there are moments reminiscent of their old favorites Os Mutantes and the Birthday Party. “We’ve gotten to know each other’s strengths a lot better,” explains Mira, who earmarks albums by Grace Jones and Dr. John as influential to her in the recording of Velocifero. “With previous records, the sound that we imagined wasn’t quite there.” “Black Cat” rips the album open with a buzz saw bass line and a pounding, distorted kick/snare cadence. Mira’s vocals—sung in her native Bulgarian—echo the track’s foreboding sentiment. Traces of Ennio Morricone appear on the galloping “Ghosts,” as Helen repeats the unapologetic chorus, “There’s a ghost in me who wants to say I’m sorry. Doesn’t mean I’m sorry.” “Kletva,” a cover from a 1970’s BG children’s movie, turns a simple shuffle groove into a swirling mix of drums and keys, while additional collaboration on “The Lovers” from Columbian group Somekong adds even more dramatic timing and energy. It’s this diversified, rhythmic palette and labyrinthine layering of effects and synths that galvanizes Velocifero, and should finally put an end to the mistaken comparisons. “It can be good to have a chip on your shoulder when you’re making music, it is an energy for some,” Daniel admits, “but that doesn’t need to manifest itself in an emotional way. It’s like putting down ‘Black Cat’ as the first track. It’s setting the scene for the rest of the album. It’s a statement of intent.” Mixed by Michael Patterson (Beck, P.Diddy, BRMC), Velocifero cycles through a wide swath of emotion, from sentient and blissful (“Tomorrow”) to forthright and impassioned (“Deep Blue”). “Predict The Day,” which starts off with a faint, whistled melody and crescendos into a bounce-rock onslaught of programmed hi-hats, background vocals, and jagged guitar, typifies the album’s graceful charge against the status quo. Attach whatever imagery you like to the album’s title. “It’s just a word, rather than a translation,” says Reuben. “Velocifero literally means ‘bringer of speed.’” The album named itself during a meeting with Brazilian-born installation artist Eli Sudbrack, the mastermind behind the art collective Assume Vivid Astro Focus (avaf) that created the artwork for the album, marking the first time avaf has ever worked on an album cover. “At no point have we ever responded to anything that’s been going on outside,” says Mira. “There are always going to be people who want you to remain in the same place forever, but that’s not the way you make music, or anything else. It’s obvious that you have to be allowed the benefit of the doubt to do whatever you want, because ultimately when you started out, there was no one there to tell you what to do. You just did it.” With a full slate of European and North American tour dates planned for early summer—including the Bonnaroo Festival in June—audiences will have ample opportunity to take in Ladytron’s synthesis, and see for themselves how the group has redefined the genre they helped establish.

Datarock

http://www.myspace.com/datarock
Many moons ago, atop one of seven mountains surrounding a picturesque Norwegian countryside, two scruffy-faced individuals-Fredrik Saroea and the man known simply as Ket-Ill-made a pact to alter the face of contemporary music as we know it by single-handedly transforming themselves into what they called the peak of pop evolution.

A big undertaking, but somebody had to do it.

Already home to indie-pop luminaries like the Kings of Convenience, Röyksopp, Annie, Ralph Myerz, and Even Johansen of Magnet, Bergen's southwest coast would be a fertile proving ground for their exploits, but far be it from Fredrik and Ket-Ill to sit back and let the buzz come to them.* DIY punk rockers by nature, but heavily influenced by the distinctive style and stage presence of groups like Talking Heads and Devo, the boys decided to ditch the thrash guitars in favor of the simple yet versatile Casio MT-64 keyboard and a Roland Groovebox. Toss in matching red track suits, a penchant for Transformers and John Hughes flicks, and two pairs of vintage Porsche wraparound sunglasses and you've got a little something called DATAROCK.

“In Norwegian, you would call a computer a 'data machine,'” Saroea explains. “So in the beginning, Datarock was making fun of all the rock people that thought electronic music was simply computer-generated music. But in English, 'data' means information, which is even more appropriate because Datarock is essentially the product of 30 years of the information society. But for some reason, we're constantly going back to the years between 1977 and 1982.”

In December of 2000, Fredrik and Ket-Ill made their debut performance at Annie's monthly club night, “Pop Till You Drop,” setting off a high-energy disco inferno fuelled by sparse electro-rock rhythms and infectious pop guitar hooks. Their low-fi live shows soon became the stuff of legend, attracting guest performers from all corners of the Bergen scene, from Amulet drummer Jonas Thire and avant-jazz saxophonist Kjetil Møster to members of Purified in Blood and Norwegian Black Metal band Enslaved. Sophisticated multimedia shows soon followed, along with regular accompaniment by a traditional men's choir.** Then there was the gig with a modern theatre group that performed aerobics on stage. Not to be confused with the show that featured a full high school marching band. That one was different.

After releasing a split 10-inch on local label Tellé Records, Fredrik and Ket-Ill decided it was time to up the ante. In 2002, the pair recorded a handful of new songs, burned them onto 400 hand-painted, three-inch CD's, and distributed them through ten different countries. In 2003, they found themselves playing the main stage at Barcelona's Sónar Festival.

With the release of the “Computer Camp Love” EP later that year, Fredrick and Ket-Ill finally hit their stride. A stomping call-and-response, the track pays homage to Revenge of the Nerds, Grease's famous “Summer Nights,” and the archetypal Commodore 64, all in the span of 180 seconds.*** It's this hyper jubilant, rapid fire reminiscing of 80's entertainment culture that would come to define Datarock's sound and vision.

“Someone once said that Datarock is taking the piss at everyone,” says Saroea, whose videos are equally in tune with the band's retro aesthetic. “But I don't think he meant it as negative. I think Datarock is having fun with a lot of different concepts of humankind.”†

In a brilliant show of foresight-and possibly a bit of obsessive compulsivity-Fredrik and Ket-Ill did what any young aspiring professionals would do upon recognizing the rapid growth of their empire-they formed a label on which to release their material. This label, in yet another display of innovation, was dubbed Young Aspiring Professionals. Datarock has since played over 300 shows in 16 different countries, including 15,000+ at the Good Vibrations Festival in Sydney and 10,000+ screaming maniacs at the Meredith Music Festival near Melbourne.

Their first full-length CD, Datarock Datarock (Nettwerk Music Group; June 12, 2007), takes the feel-good vibe of “Computer Camp Love,” turns it up to 11, and blasts a power chord of throwback nostalgia that'll knock you straight out of your Reebok Pumps. Love letters to Laurie Anderson (“Laurie”) and references to Close Encounters of the Third Kind (“Princess”) are just the tip of the iceberg. The album's infectious first single, “Fa Fa Fa,” pairs up dance-rock drums with funk-strummed guitars and a chorus that'll have you jonesing for the nearest copy of Talking Heads' 77. “Ugly Primadonna,” meanwhile, is pure four/four Groovebox robotics and space age Casiotone melodies.†† On “I Will Always Remember You” (featuring Annie), Fredrik does his best Wayne Newton, verbally undressing you with his velvety pipes over a bed of freeze-dried strings before formally “sexing you down” on “Sex Me Up.” But more so than any other track on the album, the opening “Bulldozer” perhaps best encapsulates the band's true modus operandi. Whereas Kraftwerk glorified the Trans-Europe Express and the Tour de France, Datarock prefer to sing the praises of a more proletarian method of transportation: the BMX. Which, according to the Fredrik and Ket-Ill, “is better than sex.”

By the time you read this, Datarock will have put the finishing touches on their newest song; a little ditty entitled “Molly.††† Which begs the question: Can one become the peak of pop evolution by cleverly and respectfully mining the vaults of our most beloved generation? If you happen to be two scruffy-faced, young aspiring professionals from the seaside town of Bergen, then the answer is yes.