All That Music & Video

Bloody Beetroots
Thursday October 28th, 2010
at Club 101  (1148 Airway)
Line at 8pm / starts at 9pm
$27 (advance)

Close your eyes and imagine, if you will, the bastard son of the Misfits and Daft Punk. As gruesome as the act of conceptionmay appear, the union would generate the most grandiose of offspring. A formidable force, not unlike the Bloody Beetroots.

Bloody Beetroots is a worldwide phenomenon under which the producer and dj Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo operates. In the Beetroots live sets and dj-sets, Sir Bob avails himself of the services of Tommy Tea.

“I am an overgrown child who loves Seventies comics, still nurtures the occasional dreams and listens to punk and classical music,” says Sir Bob. In line with Bob’s comic book mentality, the Beetroots story is awash with demons, alter egos and parallel universes. Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo, born in 1977, began playing classical music when he was a kid, but was soon affected by other influences: the raw energy of punk and rockabilly, the intense, outrageous imagery of comic artists such as Magnus and Benito Jacovitti and, above all, Tanino Liberatore, the inventor of Rank Xerox. Done with Chopin, Beethoven and Debussy, Bob turned his attention to producing a noise that combined samples and electronic with eighties punk and new wave. A decade of no-holds-barred experimentation ensued.

And so it was that Rifo founded the Bloody Beetroots, his electronic alter ego, recording 45 remixes and countless world tours in 3 years.

The project officially began in December 2006 and in the space of a few weeks became one of the most discussed and downloaded phenomenon on blogs around the world, universally acknowledged as an ongoing revelation in a state of constant explosion. This attracted the immediate attention of Etienne De Crecy and Alex Gopher, the first to commission remixes.

Bloody Beetroots aka Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo released a biblical flood of productions. The amount of remixes conceived by this producer is truly over the top. His music began to gain ground in popular culture. His tracks found their way into several episodes of C.S.I. Miami and best-selling video games of the ilk of Fifa ’09, Nba 2009, Need For Speed Pro Street and Need For Speed NITRO. Quite an achievement.

In 2007, Bob got signed to the U.S. label, Dim Mak, the brainchild of Steve Aoki. The first releases were the EP’s Rombo (2008), Cornelius (2008) and Warp Feat. Steve Aoki (2009). Warp and Cornelius made it into the iTunes Top Ten Albums Chart. Rifo and Aoki have recently formed a hardcore punk band called Rifoki, produced by Giulio Favero of ZU, due for release in 2010. Cornelius is an unusual opus, combining fashion, cinema and literature in a tribute to British science fiction writer Michael Moorcock and his antihero Jerry Cornelius. The video, conceived by Rifo and directed by Mathieu Danet has had over 1.500,000 views on the internet.

The quest of Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo a.k.a. The Bloody Beetroots continues in 2009 with the release of an album, “Romborama”, with appearances by The Cool Kids ,Vicarious Bliss, Justin Pearson from The Locust and many more. The album incorporates all musical genres from pop, punk, electro, acid and hip hop to classical music, house and techno. The cover was designed by Tanino Liberatore who has been Sir Bob’s idol since he was a little boy. “Tanino changed my way of looking at thing when I was a boy. He trashed my innocence when I was eight,” says Rifo.

“Christmas Vendetta” the first spare of “Romborama” have already reached the top ten on the iTunes chart.

2010 will be the year for a further improvement of the whole project… Bloody Beetroots is being integrated and fomented by “Death Crew 77”, a revolutionary and anarchic “army” leaded by Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo. The project is clear headed and visionary at the same time; it promotes the artistic exchange between Bloody Beetroots and their fan base, with the aim of creating a huge anarchic creative community. The strengthen of this initiative is the “The Bloody Beetroots Live” in which Bob Rifo, supported by two faithful lieutenants, will be perform live his studio compositions.

History shows us how bold and non-conformist artistic events, like the first performance of Stravinski’s “Rites of Spring” in 1913 or the famous Public Image Ltd show at the Ritz in New York in 1981, can provoke unrest and discontent. Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo tends to inspire similar revolutionary zeal, albeit with a party flavour.

There is revolt out there and we’re all invited.

Popularity: 2% [?]

YEASAYER “ODD BLOOD”

Don’t judge a book by its cover…or an album by its first track. Odd Blood gets off to an odd start with “The Children” — a robotic, plodding song that prizes mood over melody — before settling into a more balanced groove, mixing the multicultural sounds of Yeasayer‘s debut with a new emphasis on electronica, global trip-hop, and digital production. Like All Hour Cymbals, this is a thinking man’s album, one that requires its listeners to put on their thinking caps as well as their dancing shoes. It’s more urban than its predecessor, though, with most songs ditching the tribal harmonies and lo-fi analog ambience of the band’s earlier work in favor of an electric, textured sound. “Love Me Girl,” with its mix of Balearic beat keyboards and sampled female vocals, could have come from an Ibiza nightclub, while “Madder Red” strikes an unlikely balance between synth pop, Middle Eastern folk, and ‘80s dance music. Anand Wilder often abandons his guitar entirely, focusing instead on the keyboards that serve as Odd Blood’s bedrock, and he sings the latter song in a voice that’s clear, pleasant, and devoid of the yelping that characterized some of All Hour Cymbals’ tracks. Chris Keating has similarly improved, so much so that he delivers a rather stunning ballad — the Air-influenced “I Remember” — with warmth and understated confidence. Odd Blood’s emphasis on genre-mashing can overwhelm the weaker tunes, whose melodies are sometimes less interesting than the arrangements themselves, but the album has enough highlights to outweigh any filler on side B. All in all, this is a rare sophomore album that widens the band’s sound without narrowing its appeal.

Vanity Fair had released an article regarding El Paso and it’s thriving music scene.

The article is available in it’s entirety HERE in case you missed it.

Popularity: 21% [?]

Thank You!

THANK YOU!

Hello All That Music & Video Customers.  We’d like to thank you for making “Record Store Day” a success.  It was a great day, and it was wonderful to see & visit with many old friends and customers!  Thank also to the El Paso Times and the great article on Record Store Day.  If you missed it-click HERE.

We also appreciate your patience during our remodeling phase.  We are still adding a few finishing touches to make our store look the best it can be.  Stay tuned for more great merchandise and sales.  Thank you for your business.  We appreciate you!

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Brother Ali performing “Good Lord” off of his album “Truth Is Here”.

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Check out the new video for Eyedea & Abilities new video “Smile” from their latest album, “By The Throat”.

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A quick-witted and diverse rapper able to deliver punch lines at breakneck speed, Washington, D.C.’s Wale debuted and then thrived in the underground mixtape world, releasing a handful of well-received full-lengths before getting to work on his official major-label debut. It’s the reason why Attention Deficit had a cult following the day it arrived on shelves, but the unexpected advantage to this 21st century style of artist incubation is that the wide variety of producers (Mark Ronson, DJ Green Lantern, Cool & Dre, and others) and guest vocalists (Lady GaGa, Bun B, Gucci Mane, Pharrell, and more) are surprisingly in tune with this “newcomer,” all obviously aware of his post-Kanye, post-Lil Wayne, alternative-meets-hardcore style. True to its title, the hyperactive album is filled with grand statements, provocative jokes, and busy productions, and yet, it’s an accessible listen first time out, thanks mostly to Wale‘s natural delivery and quirky sense of humor. Take “Chillin,” which crafts an instant floor-filler out of a sample from the ’70s hit “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye,” guest star Lady GaGa acting as Rihanna to Wale‘s Jay-Z, plus a string of T-shirt worthy lines, best being “I remain a Giant and you Jeremy Shockey.” Elsewhere it’s the Nintendo-loving “I would invest in a poncho/’Cause I won’t punch out like Glass Joe,” but heavier topics like social commentary (“90210″), bittersweet sentimentality (“Diary”), and flat-out joy (“Beautiful Bliss”) are all well within this talented rapper’s grasp. The biggest complaint has to be that the early single “Nike Boots” is missing, but otherwise, this unique debut does not disappoint.

Wale-”Chillin’” Ft. Lady Gaga

Kid Sister is Chicago. She makes rap music and works at a children’s clothing store slanging bibs and teething rings. Yes, her hype man J2K of Flosstradamus is her real brother, and yes that does rule. Together they took the Chi-town music scene by storm, rocking parties and causing all around dancefloor mayhem. This was followed by tours with Kanye West’s DJ A-Trak (her boyfriend, one of her main producers and co-owner of Fool’s Gold Records). 2006 found Kid Sister selling-out shows from Chicago to Paris, including an appearance at the Pitchfork Music Festival. The media responded favorably, with features on MTV (“My Block”), Pitchfork, i-D Magazine, XLR8R, the New York Times, Billboard and the cover of URB’s “Next 1000” issue, among others.

Building on the strength of this early buzz, Kid Sister hit the studio and released two singles on Fool’s Gold (“Control” and “Pro Nails”). Frequent international touring followed throughout 2007, including an appearance at Coachella, a sold out show at SXSW, and a full US tour with her fellow labelmates. Kanye West also took notice, adding a verse to her “Pro Nails” single (which he released on his “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” mixtape) and appearing in the music video, which quickly became an MTV favorite.

With her full-length debut on the way this year featuring A-Trak, Xxxchange of Spank Rock, and others on production duties, Kid Sister is taking this.

To get the formalities out of the way, Miike Snow is not a singer/songwriter named Mike. Miike Snow isn’t even a he, actually. It’s an indie-electro pop trio, made up of singer Andrew Wyatt of Fires of Rome and Swedish (hence the double “i” in the name) mega producers Chris Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg, otherwise known as Bloodshy & Avant. Those familiar with Bloodshy & Avant‘s track record — working with Britney Spears, Madonna, and Kylie Minogue — will know that they’re capable of making top-notch pop gloss geared for the dancefloor. But the question here is, “can they create music that isn’t designed for club-goers and teeny boppers?” With their self-titled release, they do make light, inoffensive pop with twinkling synths and unshakable choruses, but it’s a pretty substantial shift in style from their past gigs. Consistent throughout, the album’s more suited for a coffee shop or a Sunday morning drive than a night out with the girls, with its fill of slick mid-tempo beats and Swedish twee glee. Starting with a hook that doesn’t sound too far off from a Vampire Weekend cut (not a surprising reference point, since Miike Snow‘s repertoire of remixes includes a version of “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance”), dubby synths circulate around flighty vocals with heavy sentiments: “I change shapes just to hide in this place, but I’m still, I’m still an animal.” Slight of hand seems to be one of the group’s best tricks, as they take lyrics with moody undertones to unexpectedly joyous heights. When the second track, “Burial” — a slice of pop that’s as instantly accessible as the first — starts with the line, “Misery is all we know lately,” the music box keyboards never hint at anything but a sweet little ditty. Production tricks are used just enough to keep the sound fresh as Karlsson and Winnberg rifle through their folders of synth sounds and plug-ins, all the while adding arpeggiated bleeps, Moog pads, and the occasional octave effect to enhance vocal parts. As talented as they are, they could have easily gone overboard with the studio wizardry, but they show enough restraint to never break the illusion that this is a simple, easy listening, electro-pop record. There’s no lack of artists making similar sounding music — MGMT, Pop Levi, White Williams, and even Animal Collective come to mind — but Miike Snow is ambitious and fun enough that they’re worth checking out.

Miike Snow’s video for “Animal”

Miike Snow’s self titled debut available at All That Music & Video.

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