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Lydia is a native of the Los Angeles suburbs, where she grew on up pop music, sunshine and the public library summer reading program. Her interests include coffee, memoirs, and synth-heavy dance remixes. She lives in New York City and daily convinces herself that cruel weather helps her think.

Recent Posts
1928

Blueprint for a Reprise

Interview with Yoko Ono
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Many of us remember the scene: Yoko Ono, in a white sleeping gown, unmistakable long black hair framing her face, sitting in bed next to John Lennon in a hotel room packed with reporters, celebrities and activists. Tape recorder on and guitar in hand, he leads everyone

4 November 2008 3:31am | 12Comments
 

CMJ ‘08 Highlights


CMJ ‘08: Music Marathon & Film Festival
NYC, New York
Event: 10/21/08 – 10/25/08
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After a week of trying not to pass out amidst the dizzying lists of musicians passing through the city, furious scheduling, and getting home at 4 a.m., our CMJ boots are hung up for another year. We dropped by a couple parties to see what was going on, and once we got past some seriously Draconian security, we found that things are looking pretty damn good

28 October 2008 4:23am | Comments
 

The Secret Machines

Webster Hall, NY
Live Review: 10/18/08
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The Secret Machines: rarely does a band’s name match so well, without literal adaptation or obvious gimmickery, with its style of stage performance. Its three members, Brandon Curtis (vocals, bass, keyboard), Phil Karnats (guitar) and Josh Garza (drums) remain black silhouettes through most of the set, hardly moving outside their own four-square-foot radii

20 October 2008 1:13am | Comments
 

Q&A: Chris Colonna (The Bumblebeez)

beez111Chris Colonna is an Australian musician and mastermind behind The Bumblebeez, an eclectic project including—but certainly not limited to—sounds from rock, hip hop and electronica. He spent about eight months in Brooklyn on an arts scholarship several years ago before moving back to Australia, where he’s been making beats ever since. We caught up with him before he was set DJ alongside the legendary Grandmaster Flash

1 October 2008 12:56pm | Comments
 

Q&A: Kim Moyes (The Presets)



The Presets – This Boy’s in Love (Lifelife Remix)

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Kimberley Isaac Moyes is the drummer and keyboard/synth player of the Australian electronic duo The Presets. On his own, he makes some enchantingly brutal, unorthodox dance music under the moniker K.I.M. He chatted with us on the phone from his hotel room in downtown New York before gearing up to DJ some gigs across the country. In September, The Presets and fellow Aussies Cut Copy will co-headline a North America tour (see dates below). We dug the last time they swung by Brooklyn, and for the record, so did he: “We had such a blast at that show, besides the fact that we were both sick as dogs. It was fucking great.”

7 August 2008 5:47pm | 2Comments
 

Voyager


Walter Meego
Almost Gold Recordings
(2008)

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In an era replete with programmed beats and vintage synths, there is no shortage of electronic, dance-oriented music coming from virtually all over the globe.

20 June 2008 9:47am | 1Comments
 

Live Review: The Presets

Music Hall of Willamsburg, NY
Date: 6/4/08
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“Hello Brooklyn, we’re The Presets,” says Julian Hamilton after the first song of their sold-out show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in New York City.

10 June 2008 5:13pm | Comments
 

The Jealous Girlfriends

Mercury Lounge, NY
Date: 5/28/08
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Not long ago, ruffian musicians nailed out guitar licks, banged out drum fills, and belted into mics with hair covering faces–all of which used to exemplify rock music du jour.  While many indie rock bands today have moved towards more tranquilized stage antics, The Jealous Girlfriends maintains a rambunctious garage band presence reminiscent of those days when, just maybe, you played your stereo past quiet hour just to piss off your neighbors.

Tonight, one of guitarists/singers Josh Abbott’s observations illustrates this attitude well: “My microphone smells kind of like a urinal.”

2 June 2008 10:42pm | Comments
 

Thao Nguyen & I’m From Barcelona


Brooklyn Masonic Temple, NY
Date: 5/01/08
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High school athletic events are a distant memory for many of us, but tonight, it all comes rushing back. This fact is not lost on Thao Nguyen, who is opening for I’m From Barcelona

9 May 2008 4:18pm | 3Comments
 

Tobias Froberg


Mercury Lounge, NY
Live Review: 4/21/08
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“Don’t worry—I’m from Sweden,” says Tobias Froberg, pausing to readjust the backing drum track playing from his laptop before scrambling back to the microphone.

2 May 2008 7:47pm | 1Comments