GET WELL SOON'S VEXATION ENTERS EUROPEAN CHARTS

It is indeed a monumental album from GET WELL SOON. Konstantin Gropper shows again how inspireing songwriting, Wave-melancholy and amazing arrangements form a splendid Indie Rock album. Vexations does not disappoint from the bginning to the end walks the same path as the debut "Rest Now Weary Head, You Will Get Well Soon". Constant touring lead the Band all over Europe and in between Konstantin found enough time to compose songs for a variety of movies, that are included to the limited edition CD of Vexations. The album gained charts success within the first week of release, topping #11 of the German album charts and still on the way up. It's gonna be a big year for Get Well Soon!

REVEREND & THE MAKERS GIVE BLESSINGS

Wall Of Sound artist Reverend & The Makers are the latest cool signing to Touch Tones Music. Straight outta Sheffield, Jon McClure formed the band in 2005 and promptly gained succes with their UK Top 10 hitting single "Heavyweight Champion Of The World" from their first album "State Of The World". Touring with Oasis, Kasabian and The Arctic Monkeys (who's former bassist Andy Nicholsen joined The Makers in late 2009) catapulted the band quickly into Brit Rock-Fame orbit. "A French Kiss In The Chaos", their 2nd album became their most succesful and we can't wait for the third one in 2010.

JEFFREY LEE PIERCE'S FINAL WORKS PUBLISHED BY LA CHUNGA

Oh, how we love(d) The Gun Club. We danced  to  the wonderful Sex Beat a hundred times and still admire the beauty of albums like Miami or Las Vegas Story. Especially the melancholic, shivering voice of Jeffrey Lee Pierce took our attention and it was a big loss when Pierce passed away in 1996. The Gun Club always moved in between bands like The Bad Seeds, Crime & The City Solution or The Cramps, sometimes uncomfortable, as their swampy, bluesy sound was quite early for that what's called Americana today.
Back in the days, Cypress Grove demoed a couple of songs with Jeffrey Lee Pierce what possibly are the last works he participated. This  Sessions Project  "We Are Only Riders" collects these works, re-interpreted by fellas like Nick Cave, Lydia Lunch, Debbie Harry, The Raveonettes, The Sadies, David Eugene Edwards or Mark Lenegan. The songs form a vibrating Compilation of Swamp Blues, Gloomy Country and Dark Rock. Liner notes are contributed by Wim Wenders, Henry Rollins and others, the artwork optically enhanced with photos from the recording sessions to the songs of Jeffrey Lee Pierce, released on Vinyl and CD on Glitterhouse Records.

TAMIKREST BRING PURE ROCKING TUAREG FLAVOUR

Tamikrest is the first band from Africa on La Chunga. The deep, bluesy Desert Rock from Mali's young Tuareg band Tamikrest is exotic, modern and earth.bound.
Tamikrest in Tamasheq language means junction, connection, knot, coalition. The group members come from different horizons (Mali, Niger, Algeria). Wanting to assume fully their Tuareg identity, they found in the rebel music Ishumar the means to express it.
“A desert hosts us, a language unites us, a culture binds us.”
Their story begins at Kidal, capital of the 8th Region of Mali, while making tea of course. Pino, Cheikh and Mossa had just finished a guitar workshop with Juhan Ecaré (guitarist for Meiway) when they decided to form a group with only two old “home made” guitars. And they got to work…
“Even though we are young, guitars still have six cords!”
After one year and a half of hard work, the group is complete and their repertory has grown to contain more than twenty-five original compositions. Though their music takes root in Ishumar Rock or Tuareg Blues, it borrows from various international influences as well as from neighbouring cultures.

Through the message of their songs, Tamikrest want to make Tamasheq poetry and culture accessible to inhabitants of a world larger than the immensity of the Saharian desert. Their debut "Adagh" takes Europe by storm and to quote the Myspace Site, "sounds like nothing you ever heard in your life".

SAVOY GRAND'S ACCIDENT BOOK

Savoy Grand, the icons of deceleration, are not dead. They are not in prison. They have not gone. They are here!

Savoy Grand believe in saying something when there is something worth saying. Accident Book is the fourth album from Savoy Grand.  Produced by singer & songwriter Graham Langley, it is the follow up to 2005’s “People and What They Want”.

The 9 songs were recorded in various locations in Nottingham, including a self-built studio in a corner of a rundown former dairy. Shortly after the project began the building was condemned and closed down. But Savoy Grand had to continue, as they always do. There is a sense of purpose that keeps these songs coming; slowly moving forward, like glaciers.

But these are not frosty epic songs of sweeping landscapes, these are songs of sweet and tender sadness. Of those moments in life that, however small, can be profoundly moving, and strangely life affirming.

That life affirming quality has been embodied with the addition of new (since 2005…) drummer, Darren Simpson. He brings an insistence and dynamism to the sound. Along with the chiming guitar of Neil Johnson, and the mournful Piano & Clarinet of Kieran O’Riordan, a leaner, meaner & bolder sound has emerged. 

So, small incidents that go unnoticed but could change someone’s life forever, or catastrophes that affect us all. They all have to go in the book. The Accident Book.

TO ROCOCO ROT BACK WITH SPECULATION ON DOMINO

Set for release on 29 March 2010, Speculation is the new, perfectly titled, To Rococo Rot album, recorded in part at Faust’s studio at Scheer.

To Rococo Rot, the trio of Stefan Schneider and brothers Robert and Ronald Lippok, arrived just over a decade ago at the point where digital precision and instrumental abstraction were lead into new directions in contemporary music. Their early albums, Veiculo and The Amateur View, spoke in the future imperfect tense, highly complex but concentrated sound happenings.

On Speculation the language has changed. This is a record that celebrates uncertainty. Driven by the sound of fingers on instruments, pushing and weaving between the electric pulse, Speculation  bathes in a midpoint between propulsion and letting go. According to Schneider, Faust’s studio had an obvious effect on this new direct approach:

“The atmosphere at the Faust studio was really special as it is located in a remote rural region of southern Germany. The technical set up at the studio is very basic and regular in a good way. So we could record our music almost like a band playing a live show in order to achieve maximum brilliance and plasticity.”

“Jochen Irmler of Faust would join us from time to time or he would just start to play something on his self built organ which we would accompany. The sound of his organ is absolutely unique and sharp and therefore fitted very much to the roughness of our recordings. Maybe that is what we call the amateur view.”

NIYI HAS THE JUNGLE FEVER!

Our favorite London nerd Niyi is back in 2010 with a long awaited new single! And according to the death of Indie Rock and re-birth of Dance music, his new EP "Jungle Fever" features a variety of bouncing, jacking 4-beat monsters, straight for the floor plus some synth rocking remixes. Released on "Holloway Hit Factory" and available through all download stores worldwide.

STEREO DELUXE ON LITTLE BIG PLANET PSP

We at La Chunga are big gaming fans and Little Big Planet was possibly the most played game on our PS3 this year. We are now happy to announce that La Chunga artist Stero Deluxe has been featured on the recently released Little Big Planet version for PSP. And we are sure, this version of Sackboy's adventures is also highly addictive as the PS3 version!

THE PHENOMENAL HANDCLAP BAND RELEASES ON GOMMA

Here comes the new band from TOUCH TONES MUSIC on GOMMA records: THE PHENOMENAL HANDCLAP BAND - A New York City All Star band featuring members of TV ON THE RADIO, the AMY WINEHOUSE band, JON SPENCER
(from the BLUES EXPLOSION!) and a few hot Lower East Side and Brooklyn kids.

This band is simply A M A Z I N G . They play PSYCHEDELIC FUNK. Their sound
is the consistent development of the current Disco and Rock revival. The next step after MGMT and EMPIRE OF THE SUN.

‘With an old-school Sly & The Family Stone funky shuffle multiplied by a Tom Tom Club New York sass ... this is ace!’ - The NME
‘Anyone who’s squeezed the last drops from the Empire of the Sun and MGMT albums ought to give this a try’ - Independent on Sunday

TORPEDO BOYZ FOR THE T.O. SHOW

Torpedo Boyz' "Curry Rice" has been served and delivered to the U.S. VH1series "The T.O. Show". Guten Appetit!

TURNER CODY SONG FEATURED IN CANNES AWARD WINNING JACQUES AUDIARD MOVIE

Turner Cody's "Corner Of My Room" (Touch Tones Music) is featured in Jacques Audiard's new Cannes award winning movie "Un Prophète". The film takes place behind bars and tells the story of criminal Malik El Djebana (Tahar Rahim), a 19 years old immigrant son and his carreer inside prison. 150 minutes long,  "Un Prophète" is titled a realistic and very cynic movie that deals very objective with todays ebow society.

OI VA VOI SIGN TO TOUCH TONES MUSIC

This time we are proud to bring you the newest Touch Tones signing, the most excellent Oi Va Voi.  Their latest release ‘Travelling the Face of the Globe’ is the sound of a band absolutely at the top of their game, having returned to their roots, taken control of every aspect of their career and reunited with the Grammy award winning producers of “Laughter Through Tears”, Kevin Bacon and Jonathan Quarmby.  In “Travelling the Face of the Globe”, Oi Va Voi have finally distilled the lives and influences of 7 Londoners. The band have melted the music of their heritage with the sounds of contemporary London and created songs that will touch and inspire. Of course, this is a great live experience as well.

NAÏVE FRANCE NOW SUB-PUBLISHED BY LA CHUNGA

The French music company NAÏVE has signed a sub-publishing agreement for Germany, Austria and parts of Eastern Europe with La Chunga. NAÏVE`s repertoire is an asset to the La Chunga catalogue, representing more than 3000 copyrights and features amazing new and award winning artists like Asa, DatA, Moriarty, Brisa Roché, Steeple Remove. An extensive Soundtrack catalogue of 85 long feature film scores (representing 4 of the 15 most successful French films of all time) containins music in movies like Persepolis, Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'Tis, the Asterix trilogy, Jacques Tati and many more. NAÏVE is also La Chunga`s Sub-Publisher in France since many years.

TOUCH TONES MUSIC ADDS DAVID E. SUGAR

We are very proud to announce a new signing to our subpublishing partner Touch Tones, the most excellent David Sugar. Regarded by his peers as being one of the most influential producer/ song writers of recent years, David Sugar has firmly cemented himself in the dance music scene with support from radio presenters such as Zane Lowe, Rob Da Bank, Kissy Sellout and DJ's such as Jesse Rose, Hot Chip, Tom Findlay (Groove Armada), Sinden and Hervé as well as releasing tracks on prestigious labels such as Greco Roman and Kitsuné. He has also toured with the likes of Calvin Harris, Digitalism & Hadouken!
 
2009 has seen David launch his label - Oblio- with an amazing 52 tracks in 52 weeks. That’s 1 track per week digitally, 1 vinyl EP release per month with original sleeve artwork (4 digital releases), all leading up to a full artist album at the end of the year. Such a prodigious work rate has seen David turn out some of his best material to date, some of which is included on the sampler below, including the electro pop stylings of Something New, Pay The Ransom and on to the epic dance number Pater One. Also included are some of his older tracks which show his writing & production range such as the 8 bit jungle pop of Warm Analogue (written largely on Game Boy!) and the massive bassline house monster Oi New York This Is London. 2009 has also brought David his own weekly radio show on Ministry of Sound Radio, broadcast exclusively across the globe each and every Thursday from 7 to 8pm GMT.
 

WASHINGTON, THE LATEST LA CHUNGA ADDITION

Norwegian alternatives Washington sign with La Chunga. Three amazing albums since 2005 made Washington a highly popular band, not only in Europe. Rune Simonsen (Voice/Guitar), Andreas Hoyer (Bass) und Esko Pedersen (Drums) are far away from northern clichés like darkness, winter and Black Metal. Bright songs, moody atmospheres and a brilliant voice mark this band, who's a quite intense experience on stage when they bring together lap steel, violins, guitars, Folk and even Pop appeal.

HAUSCHKA WORLDWIDE REQUESTS AND US DATES

2009 will be the year for Volker Bertelmann aka Hauschka.
Some great shows in large venues in Europe are on the list, with shows in Beniscassim, Utrecht, London and many more. An extended tour in the US in May . First dates will be at:

6.5. Holoscene, Portland
7.5. Large Club, Los Angeles
8.5. Cafe Du Nord, San Francisco
9.5. Le Poisson Rouge, New York

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT SHEEHY?

Of course you did. And now, he comes with a new album in March on Glitterhouse!
For his 6th album Michael J. Sheehy has written a song cycle which tells the story of Francis Delaney, a fictional prize fighter whose life unravels after he takes a dive in the most important fight of his career. The story is told through the eyes of Delaney himself and other characters such as the fight promoters, the punters and his opponent.

Sheehy is a life-long boxing fan, ‘I boxed as a schoolboy when I was eleven or twelve years old, you need courage, strength, ruthlessness and skill to be a good fighter…..’ explains Sheehy ‘and sadly I was found lacking in every department.’ Despite his brief boxing career, Sheehy’s love of the sport never waned though he was wary of embarking on this project ‘The story of the down at heel, troubled prize fighter has been told many times so I needed to avoid the obvious clichés and find an original way to tell the tale. I’ve always had a love of the perpetual waster, those sports persons who know how good they are but believe the game itself is more important than the prizes and accolades.’ Sheehy continues ‘ I also admire those sports men and women who have that drive to succeed but nine times out of ten those people don’t make interesting stories.’

With These Hands is a rich mix of gothic, vaudeville, blues and folk. The songs are often vicious and Sheehy doesn’t shy away from tackling some of the more unsavoury aspects of the fight game such as racism and homophobia. 'These songs were written for a musical which is set in the early 1960s and the fight promoters are the real villains’ says Sheehy.
Crooked-Eyed Engineer is sung from the perspective of a promoter who fancies himself as an East end gangster but is actually a deeply insecure repressed homosexual who regards fighters as nothing more than fodder.
Ain’t a White Boy Alive (featuring the amazing Sandy Dillon) is sung by another confused character, an American fight promoter of Irish and Jewish heritage who wishes he was black. As ever Sheehy's gallows humour is prevalent throughout.  There are tender moments too such as the beautiful Frankie My Darling (sung by Gemma Ray) and a gut wrenching acappella reading of Goodnight Irene. With These Hands should cement Sheehy's growing reputation as a gifted storyteller and a musician with a unique voice.

TARWATER COMPOSE SOUNDTRACK FOR DONNE-MOI LA MAIN

Tarwater provided the soundtrack for French director Pascal-Alex Vincent's first movie production "Donne-moi la Main" that debuted at the Max Ophüls Price festival. The movie starts in France on 18th February and Europe on 26th February 2009 and the movie and DVD will be released and distributed through Salzgeber in Germany, who are well known for their David Lynch releases.

DIRK DRESSELHAUS AKA SCHNEIDER TM KICKS OFF IN 2009

Dirk Dresselhaus (aka Schneider) has just finished the soundtrack for the feature film “66/67″ ( www.farbfilm-verleih.de/filme/66_67.html ) by directors Ludwig & Glaser (www.myspace.com/ludwigundglaser ) , which will be shown in European cinemas in 2009.
Besides the score, which consists mainly of guitar / drone and noise based improvisations, the soundtrack includes some Schneider TM & FM songs, hilarious oddities such as the 80’s L.A.-hair metal song ‘Hangin’ Around’, the Nina Simone like ‘Construction Site Blues’, some Dub, a re-recorded version of the Hip Young Things song ‘Torrid Souls’ (www.myspace.com/hipyoungthings), some Indie / Wave / Kraut Rock material (which was partly written for the fictive band Magnetband) and tons of other stuff…

New Angel (www.myspace.com/angelnoise) album 'Hedonism' out on Editions Mego (www.editionsmego.com) as CD and MWM (http://mirrorworldmusic.com/music/angel-hedonism/) as download.

Station 17 & Schneider TM + Kptmichigan & Ted Gaier + Melissa Logan 12" out on 17 Rec (http://www.17rec.de/) and as download + Goldstein Variationen 3 Redux on MWM (http://mirrorworldmusic.com/music/station-17-goldstein-variationen-3-redux/).

New Angel (www.myspace.com/angelnoise) & Strings of Consciousness (www.myspace.com/stringsofconsciousness) coop album out on Conspiracy (www.conspiracyrecords.com) as LP and Important Records (www.importantrecords.com) as CD.

Schneider TM is working on music for the performace piece 2109 by Ingo Reulecke and Lukas Matthaei, which will be played on 6th, 7th, 8th and 13th, 14th, 15th of March at diverse locations in Berlin.
For further info: http://www.dock11-berlin.de/press2109.html

STEREO DE LUXE SQUEEZE IT WITH FRESHLY SQUEEZED!

Berlin production duo STEREO DE LUXE are better known for their superbly crafted production and wierdly twisted pop than for the speed of their output. And quite right too. After a long gap UK label Freshly Squeezed is finally releasing the last 2 EPs in our 4 part download series. The "Rubberboat EP" (out 16.02.09) and the "Cyclette EP" (23.02.09) deliver, in uncharacteristically quick succession, a further 3 new tunes a piece.

These form the last bits of the jigsaw before our 'best of' CD album collects together the incredible depth and range of material intermittently released on various labels since their debut. "Monosyllabic" (02.03.09) is a surprisingly consistent and rich album that will open many ears with it's incredible quality.

TORPEDO BOYZ WORLDWIDE

Torpedo Boyz announced WINNER OF THE US INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS 2009!!!

As mentioned in our previous Breaking Newsletter - Yessssss!

We won THE 8th ANNUAL INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARD for our album "Cum On Feel The Boyz" (Best Dance/Electronica Album 2008).

We are completely thrilled especially after learning who was in the highly decorated jury of musicians (check it out here: www.IndependentMusicAwards.com)

 

Torpedo Boyz touring China!!!

The Torpedo Boyz have been invited to play their first live shows in China this summer.

After Kentastic's first brief visit to Beijing last year it's now the whole band that is scheduled to play their first ever Asian live shows.

Further details, dates and locations will be announced soon.

 

Torpedo Boyz remix "Pop Muzik"!

The Torpedo Boyz have been asked to remix "M"'s worldwide disco classic "Pop Muzik"!

The boyz will be contributing a funky version to M's 25th anniversary compilation edition which will feature various versions by several artist of this 80ies classic!

We are feeling very honoured...

UNRELEASED HAUSCHKA WORKS ON FAT CAT RECORDS!

On the heels of October’s ‘Ferndorf’ album, Düsseldorf-based pianist / composer Volker Bertelmann (aka Hauschka) kicks of the new year with a beautiful extended EP of previously unreleased material, all of which was recorded during the ‘Ferndorf’ sessions. Featuring seven new tracks (five on the vinyl edition), the EP is a great follow-up to an album which has continued to draw widespread critical acclaim.

Where previous albums comprised mostly solo recordings of Hauschka’s ‘prepared’ piano (with a few electronic and instrumental overdubs), ‘Ferndorf’ was a far more expansive and fully-realised album, with many of the tracks also featuring a string duo, enabling an increased solidity and an expanded, rousing dynamism. Still retaining the shivers and tics (as by-products of) of the modified internal workings of the piano - alongside some sweet electronic touches – these are less central and instead what’s foregrounded is the melodic / rhythmic push and pull, and a development towards more orchestrated music and notated compositions.

WIM WENDERS' EDITION "NEUE ROADMUSIC" NEW AT LA CHUNGA

International high decorated director Wim Wenders, popular through movies like "Der Himmel Über Berlin", "Buena Vista Sicial Club"or "Paris, Texas" collaborates with La Chunga for his new publishing edition Neue Roadmusic. Wenders will publish parts of score music and other music productions from his future films through Neue Roadmusic. His recent production "Palermo Shooting" also features songs from La Chunga/Ceuso/Mute Song artists such as Get Well Soon and Grinderman.

MICHAEL J. SHEEHY SETS THE BLUES AT LA CHUNGA

What happens if men lose hair? They sing the Blues! Michael J. Sheehy is the latest signing to La Chunga publishing and he sings some hell of Rhythm & Blues, spiced with hot Gospel and Folk. You might think of Louisiana, Voodoo and Cajun clichés while listening to his great albums like "With These Hands" and "Ghost On The Motorway", but this chap is from London! Michael J Sheehy's truly got SOUL!

SOPHIA IN CALIFORNICATION

Yes, we love "Californication" and we even more love the fact, that "Lost (She Believed In Angels)" from Sophia has just been licensed for an episode of this international successful TV series. Recommended!

MAX RICHTER PROVIDES SOUNDTRACK FOR

Subpublished Mute Song artist Max Richter provided the soundtrack for Oscar nominated movie "Waltz With Bashir" by Ari Folman. The animated movie reviews the horrors of 1982 Lebanon war, got rave reviews worldwide and won several prices such as Golden Globe for the best foreign film.