Thursday, March 23, 2006

ANTENA/TOUJOURS DU SOLEIL




Brand new album from the stylish French electro-bossa pioneers whose debut Camino Del Sol is now an acknowledged genre classic. Antena's groundbreaking mix of Kraftwerk, Suicide and the breezy tropicalia of the Gilberto family sounds as fresh in 2006 as in 1982, when John Foxx produced their debut single, The Boy From Ipanema, and future Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant tagged them 'electro-samba'. Echoes of the Antena sound can be heard in artists as diverse as Stereolab, Electralane and Thievery Corporation - indeed the latter duo co-wrote two of the thirteen songs on Toujours Du Soleil.
The Antena trio for 2006 consists of main songwriter Isabelle Antena together with daughter Penelope Fasy (replacing her father Sylvain) and hip Brussels dj Axailes Solar. Conceived as a sequel to Camino Del Sol, Toujours Du Soleil (Always The Sun) was recorded on the French Riviera - where else? - and produced by Dr Drak, Shape and The Cool Groove Sessions. Featuring a stellar cast of prestigious international guests, the 2006 Antena trip takes you from Paris to Tokyo, Goa to Washington CD. Stand-out tracks include energetic stepper Le Spinner (already familiar from the Samsonite ad campaign), future lounge classic Toujours Du Soleil and the electro-groovy Love Is To Blame, as well as a magical version of the laid-back America classic Horse With No Name.

Friday, March 17, 2006

ANTENA/Last FM Top Artist


13

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Clim The Cliff/Madison Ave-Madison Area

Antena - Camino Del Sol



Another off-beat find from the outstanding Numbero Group...not going to be a connection for most folks here, arguably....but we love the spirit of this find and, for those open for new discoveries on the musical front, much of what the NumberoGroup does is just pure joy---from horrifically rare early 70`s soul, wildly rare power pop(Yellow Pills: Prefill) to his Jacques Brel-esque slice of a French pop find. From the label itself, the story of this p articular release: "This record almost didn`t happen. It was an accident. A cheap gamble. A $4.99 lottery ticket marked VG++. I knew nothing about "Camino Del Sol" when I saw it sitting misfiled in my local record shop`s "Psych/Garage" bin, but there was something about the elegant simplicity of its jacket that said "This record will probably get you laid." Thinking back, the record was probably tucked away on purpose by someone who forgot their wallet.

Upon first listen it was obvious that this wasn`t a garage record. Drum machines, synths and harpsichord do not a garage record make. Instead, I was treated to a lush mix of "Desafinado Plays" and "Autobahn" misted with a French pop sensibility. The 12" EP was flipped over and over throughout that weekend. Friends dropped by only to have to listen to me gush about Antena until they begged me to play it. They were forced to sit my sofa while I pontificated about it being the kind of music you listen to while playing cards." "The newly formed vinyl junkie reissue label, Numero, sniffed this truffle, and has released it between more traditional reissues of a rare soul compilation and a power-pop box set. Camino del Sol was originally a five-song twelve-inch from 1980, but was later expanded to a full-length by Crepuscule in 1982 with added singles. This reissue further expands the release with the "Seaside Weekend" single, two unreleased tracks ("Frantz" and "Ingenuous"), and new artwork. With any justice, it will bring new light to a lost gem, as similar reissues did for Os Mutantes, whose adolescent dementia influences this record`s tropicalia songs ("The Boy from Ipanema", "Sissexa"), and Shuggie Otis, whose piquantly primitive drum machines propel each track. So much hidden influence lies in these songs. The wonderful opening punch of "To Climb the Cliff" and the title track predate Stereolab`s Gainsbourg-gone-Kraftwerk by over a decade, and Air`s cool, Parisian sex by nearly two. Tortoise directly lifted the syncopated synthetic funk of "To Climb the Cliff" on their equally rare seven-inch, "Madison Ave/Madison Area"."-

Sunday, March 05, 2006

I.ANTENA/ahead of her time

when it comes to women singing breathily down a microphone, their eyes closed and their body swaying to the gentle beats of the music, that French women somehow manage to do it so much better than everyone else??



Is it due to their inbuilt sexual magnetism which seeps its way into their music, seducing listeners on the way? Or is it French woman's sophisticated nature, which reflects itself in the tunes, or could it be the way that when a song is sung in French it sounds a million times better than in any other language?



Who knows? French women are one of the eternal mysteries of life, and singer Isabelle Antena is a lady who epitomises her kind to perfection. Her Best Of album 'L'Alphabet Du Plaisir' is a collection of the artist's work from 1982 to the present day.




For those of you who have never heard of her name before, Antena started out in a French jazz trio called Antena, before going on to collaborate with artists such as Serge Gainsbourg, Henri Mancini (of Pink Panther theme tune fame) and other jazz greats. Her music is a mix of Brazilian jazz, funk and soul and the result is absolutely breathtaking. 'L'Alphabet Du Plaiser' is an album packed with 20 beautiful tracks full of energy, life and passion. A real treat to listen to!

I.ANTENA/austrian review in Elvolver

EN CAVALE


Antena waren eine der ersten Bands, die bei dem belgischen Label Les Disques du Crepuscule unter Vertrag kamen. Größen wie Tuxedomoon, 23 Skidoo oder Cabaret Voltaire hatten in den frühen Achtzigern bei dem Brüsseler Musikverlag ihre Heimat gefunden - doch es waren die eher kommerziellen Acts, die dem Label seinen eigenen Stil verpaßten.

Der Crepuscule-Pop war eine gelungene Mischung aus lateinamerikanisch angehauchten Samba-Rhythmen und gekonntem Songwriting, seine damals wichtigsten Vertreter Acts wie Anna Domino, James Cuts oder eben Antena. Deren Debütalbum "Camino del Sol", ebenfalls vor kurzem wieder aufgelegt, verwirrte seine Hörer lange, bevor im Mainstream Leute wie Sade oder Matt Bianco verwässerten Barjazz radiotauglich machten.

Zu Beginn war Antena eine aus drei Musikern bestehende Band, doch schon beim zweiten Longplayer wurde Frontfrau Isabelle in den Vordergund gestellt. "En Cavale" hätte eigentlich auf dem Majorlabel Island erscheinen sollen und wurde deshalb in englischer Sprache aufgenommen und fettest produziert. Martin Hayles hatte schon Acts wie Orange Juice oder auch Wham zu Charterfolgen verholfen. Doch die schlechten Verkaufszahlen der ersten Single ließen das Label-Interesse gen Nichts sinken und so kehrte Antena reuig zu Crepuscule zurück.

"En Cavale" ist trotz der geplanten Verkommerzialisierung eines von Antenas besten Alben. Einflüsse aus Disco und Latin-Jazz bestätigen das Bandcredo, Sister Sledge mit Astrud Gilberto verschmelzen zu wollen, auf das genaueste. Was aus dieser Beschreibung vielleicht entsetzlich klingen mag, hört sich tatsächlich aber großartig an, denn all diese Einflüsse müssen sich letzten Endes doch einem gewaltigen Schuß Synthie-Pop beugen und geben den Songs nur eine ganz leichte exotische Note. Das ebenfalls neuaufgelegte Nachfolge-Album, "Hoping for Love", ging dann übrigens wieder zurück in Richtung Chanson.

Antena ist in Europa eine Randerscheinung im Popbusiness geblieben. In Japan jedoch ist sie seit jeher ein Star, und so ist es ihr gelungen, in den letzten 20 Jahren über eine Million Alben zu verkaufen. Möge dieser Re-Issue dazu beitragen, daß auch hierzulande eine unterbewertete Sängerin ein klein wenig wiederentdeckt wird

ANTENA/with BUSCEMI






BUSCEMI / ANTWERPEN august the 6th 2005















watch the movie

ANTENA/cool evening while recording Toujours du soleil











Enjoying Buscemi's new album , while working on Antena's project in Nature Studio...




watch the movie

Saturday, March 04, 2006

ANTENA /stockolm radio play list

 
Låtlista 2004.04.26
22.10 Avril "Be Yourself (Broadcast Remix)"
BE YOURSELF / F COMMUNICATIONS 202PROMOCD

22.13 Jay-jay Johanson "My Way"
PROLOGUE / BMG 8287659512

22.17 Antena "Camino Del Sol"
CAMINO DEL SOL / NUMERO 002

22.21 Antena "Noelle A Hawai"
CAMINO DEL SOL / NUMERO 002

22.25 Heikki "Former Hero"
FORMER HERO / A WEST SIDE FABRICAT 218

22.31 Magnetic Fields "I Thought You Were My Boyfriend"
I / NONESUCH 79683

22.39 Suburban Kids With Biblical Names "Love Will"
SONICALLY SPEAKING (16) / SONIC 016

22.45 1999 "Midnight People"
- / PROMENADE 00

22.51 Handsome Boy Technique "Season Of Young Mouss"
SEASON OF YOUNG MOUSS EP / SECOND ROYAL 007

22.56 Dj Broken Window "Living On Vanilla Ice"
PARALLEL UNIVERSE VOL 1 / VIOLENT TURD 0042

23.07 Caroline Soul "I'm Not Shaking"
- / SLOTTET 004

23.09 Divine Comedy "Absent Friends"
ABSENT FRIENDS / PARLOPHONE 001

23.13 Disko Anne & Karvaopelit "Rokkibaby (Rock Your Baby)"
TOTALLY VOL 2 / TUTTALI 002

23.18 Dat Politics "Go Pets Go"
GO PETS GO / CHICKS ON SPEED 15

23.22 Adem "One In A Million"
HOMESONGS / DOMINO 129

23.25 Loren Connors & David Grubbs "Blossom Time"
ARBORVITAE / HÄPNA 13

23.27 David Grubbs "Don't Think"
RICKETS & SCURVY / FAT CAT 21

23.32 David Grubbs "Act Five, Scene One (1)"
ACT FIVE, SCENE ONE / BLUE CHOPSTICKS 9

23.36 David Grubbs "Aloft"
RICKETS & SCURVY / FAT CAT 21

23.39 To Rococo Rot "Basic"
HOTEL MORGEN / DOMINO 137

23.43 Embassy "Flipside Of A Memory"
FLIPSIDE OF A MEMORY / WHITE LABEL 001

23.46 Lali Puna "Faking The Books"
FAKING THE BOOKS / MORR MUSIC 044

23.50 Blonde Redhead "Elephant Woman"
ELEPHANT WOMAN / 4AD 2408

23.55 Sora "A Caminho Do Mar"
RE SORT / PLOP 3009

ANTENA /japaneses write over CAMINO

Antena / Camino Del Sol


見つけてから2ヶ月ほど、迷った末に購入。
2ヶ月待っていたのは今の季節に聴きたかったから。

アシッド・ジャズ的な香りも漂う、涼やかなエレクトロ・サンバ/ボッサ。


アンテナは80年代にベルギーのブリュッセルで結成され、パリを拠点に活動したグループだ。
名門インディーレーベル、クレプスキュールの看板アーティストでもある。

3人グループ「アンテナ」としての活動期間は短く、
間もなくしてボーカルのIsabelle Antena (イザベル・アンテナ)はソロ名義となり、
よりポップ方面に寄った作品をで出すようになる。

このアルバムは、3人組だった彼らが82年に唯一残した同名ミニアルバムにシングル曲を加えた編集盤であり、
最近になってNUMERO GROUPから再発されたものである。


ボーカルを努めるイザベル・アンテナの
ややしっとりとしたウィスパーボイスが、軽やかに電子音に絡む。
暑い国にルーツを持つ筈の音楽が、どこかクールに響く。

カフェ系お洒落音楽の筆頭、フレンチ・ボッサは最近大量に流れているせいか
随分と耳が慣れてきたけれど、
同様の方法で作られたサンバはちょっと不思議な感覚だ。


しかもこのアルバム、この音楽性なのに20年以上も前に作られたものだ。
全く古さを感じさせない。知らなければ最近の曲だと思ってしまうだろう。

アルバムは美しい打ち込みボッサのタイトル曲、#01「Camino Del Sol」で幕を開ける。
彼らのデビュー曲にして代表曲である11曲目、「イパネマの息子(The Boy From Ipanema)」は必聴。
原曲(「イパネマの娘」です、もちろん)の改題カヴァーであるこの曲は、微かに憂いを含んだ幻惑的な音楽に変身している。
その他にも、#05「Achilles」や#12「Seaside Weekend」、・・・どの曲もみな、何度でも繰り返して聴きたくなるものばかりだ。


夏のラウンジミュージック。
こういうのはエアコンで冷えた部屋の中で、アイスコーヒーなんかを片手に聴きたい。
(ということはやっぱりカフェ系音楽?w)


イザベル・アンテナ自身は現在でも活動中で、最近はPAUSE CAFEというユニットを形成しているらしい。
子供っぽくもなく、必要以上に落ち着き払ってもいない、優しい彼女の声は健在だ。
Posted by orangeflower at 22:52  * Comments(8)  * TrackBack(1)  * MUSIC(Female:A-C) 
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Antena / Camino del Sol (1982) クレプスキュールから出たAntenaの5曲入りデビューミニアルバム。とってもおしゃれな感じ。リズムも的に当時はちょっと珍しかったかな?。タイトル曲が最も良いが、他にも"Bye Bye Papaya"などどの曲も良い。 グループでのリリースはシン...
Antena【通勤音楽】at September 11, 2005 19:05

Comment
これ結局買ったんですね(また先越された!)。
良さそうですね…
「PAUSE CAFE」も知りませんし…
Posted by モコマキ at August 04, 2005 23:31
>モコマキさん
良いですよ〜。夏が終わる前に買ってくださいよw

PAUSE CAFEはちょろっと検索して試聴して付け足しました、実は。
http://www.inpartmaint.com/ripcurl/catalog.html
このへんでどうぞ^^
Posted by orangeflower at August 05, 2005 00:16
そのへんにいって、その他いろいろ試聴しました。
多々興味深い物が。
最後に
http://robertlesite.net/
行ってビデオを全部見て就寝しました。
おかげで昨夜は朝まで悪夢にうなされました!

P.S.
これとかあれとかもう注文しましたよ。
Posted by モコマキ at August 07, 2005 00:15
>モコマキさん
なんですか、その曖昧な口ぶりは(笑)
Robertって名前は聞いたことあったんですが初めて観ました。
確かにちょっとうなされるかも。
でもモコマキさんとはこのテのアーティストについてお話ができるので嬉しいです。

P.S
えー!ずるいー!
何かわかんないけどまた先を越されました・・・。
Posted by orangeflower at August 07, 2005 00:50
P.S.
これとかあれとかは、アンテナとボニピンのことですよ。

P.S.2
まだいろいろ思案中です。
またRobert見てみようかな。
まあまあ慌てなさんな!!
Posted by モコマキ at August 09, 2005 00:28
>モコマキさん
そっかー。
また何か怪しげなものを見つけたのかと思っていましたw
(ていうか何かオススメあったら教えてくださいね♪)
Posted by orangeflower at August 09, 2005 00:54
はじめまして。Akiraといいます。TB送らせていただきました。

>カフェ系お洒落音楽の筆頭、フレンチ・ボッサは最近大量に流れて
>いるせいか随分と耳が慣れてきたけれど、

最近の音楽あまり聞いてないので疎いのですが、なにか良いものがあれば教えていただければ助かります。”No Need to Argue"の中も探検してみます
Posted by Akira at September 11, 2005 19:10
>Akiraさん
はじめまして^^
お返事が遅くなってしまい大変申し訳ありません。

フレンチ・ボッサ・・・私も最近聴き始めたので詳しくないのですよ(笑)
お薦めは以前のエントリにも書いたNouvelle Vagueかな〜。有名曲のアレンジなのでとっつき易いし質も高いと思います。TVCMでも流れていますね。

Akiraさんのブログ、以前から時々拝見したことありますよ〜。ほんとうに幅広くいろんなものを聴いておられるのですね。これからもお邪魔させていただきますね♪

ANTENA /OTHER MUSIC ADVERT

other music

A Certain Ratio "Sextet" CD (Soul Jazz)
RealAudio A Certain Ratio "Knife Slits Water"
A Certain Ratio's second proper album is arguably the band's watershed release. "Sextet" shows ACR expanding Afro and Latin rhythm influences while incorporating more electronic textures into their dissonant, spacey post-punk-funk mix. An essential early-'80s classic.
Buy $18.99 A Certain Ratio "Sextet" CD


Antena "Camino Del Sol" CD (Numero)
RealAudio Antena "Camino Del Sol"
Shamefully overlooked, the sparse electro-samba from this French ensemble seems to be born from the parallel universes of Jobim and the Young Marble Giants. Originally released on Les Disques Du Crepuscule, reissue includes B-sides and bonus tracks.
Buy $15.99 Antena "Camino Del Sol" CD

Thursday, March 02, 2006

ANTENA /MOJO

4 stars in the Mojo music magazine for CAMINO DEL SOL


It's time to release the follower of Camino and this will be done by the end of February (more info soon)
Review: "This essential collection of their enture recorded output is 2005's most charming musical surprise. The route map of early 1980s indie pop is currently being rewritten on a daily basis and Antena merit a chapter of their own, complementing the similarly unearthed and now highly respected ESG. Isabelle Powaga, Sylvain Fasy and Pascale Moiroud formed Antena in 1981, and created a radical and intuitive fusuon of bossa nova, archaic samba-jazz and primitive Kraftwerkisms, so they signed with Belgian label Crepuscule. Opening track Camino Del Sol sets the mood and could almost be Stereolab, but is so skeletal that the only possible contemporary influence must have been Young Marble Giants. Antena laid the ground for Stereolab and Bebel Gilberto without even knowing it" (Kieron Tyler, 12/05)

ANTENA /TOUR reports

Antena to Tour Eastern U.S.

Matt Amis reports:
Isabelle Antena, leader of the ground-breaking and oft-overlooked new wave band Antena, has reemerged from the shadows and is heading out to tour the U.S. for the first time in 22 years, following the success of her group's recently reissued 1981 masterpiece Camino Del Sol.

The French-Belgian combo first blended electro-samba with psychedelia and Bossanova in 1980 with a five-song 12" (it was later expanded into a full length by Factory-Benelux in 1981); but the Chicago-based Numero Group stumbled across the the album and resuscitated it with a new single ("Seaside Weekend"), two unreleased tracks ("Frantz" and "Ingenuous"), and new artwork. Sadly, Antena's original lineup fell apart soon after the original release of Camino Del Sol, but frontwoman Isabelle Antena flirted with solo jazz-pop work, and this year she unveiled Easy Does It, a two-disc set of pure Bossanova and remixes, on LTM. The invaluable UK label also recently reissued her En Cavale and Hoping For Love albums, as well as Issy Does It, a 12" remix album.

The tour, which begins in May, will be a track-by-track replication of Camino Del Sol, peformed by Isabelle, some backing musicians, and a few guests. Antena's last American show was at New York's Danceteria with Sonic Youth in 1983. Along for the ride will be crooner (and noted whistler) Andrew Bird, who will provide support for the bulk of the dates. Numero Sound System will open in Milwaukee and Chicago. An email from the Numero Group's camp revealed that while there are no future tours planned at this point, "There might be a new Antena album next year."

Dates:
05-12 Milwaukee, WI - Onopa Brewing #
05-13 Chicago, IL - Hot House #
05-14 Newport, KY - Southgate House *
05-15 Columbus, OH - Little Brothers *
05-16 Cleveland, OH - The Grog Shop *
05-17 Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe *
05-18 Washington, DC - Eighteenth Street Lounge
05-19 New York, NY - Tonic
05-20 New York, NY - The Knitting Factory *
05-21 Providence, RI - The Call *
05-22 Brooklyn, NY - Southpaw *
05-24 Arlington, VA - Iota *
05-25 Baltimore, MD - The Funk Box *
05-26 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 *
05-27 Mt. Pleasant, SC - The Village Tavern *
05-28 Atlanta, GA - The Earl *

* with Andrew Bird
# with Numero Sound System

* Pitchfork Review: Antena: Camino Del Sol
* Numero Group: http://www.numerogroup.com/

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

ANTENA 7"/Turn table lab




To Climb The Cliff 7"
Antena
Numero

The Camino del Sol album isn’t available on wax, but at least we get these two great songs from the French electro-Brazilian trio on the label with the name that could be synonymous with gloaming or something dusk-related. “To Climb A Cliff(1)” starts with some clinky glasses in a restaurant and a piano in the background that could be a band or a record. Follow with a nice Cymande bassline and a keyboard with a weird baroque drone, click go when the french-accented woman comes in and then goes “ooo- oh” mid-verse. “Ingenuous(2)” is about a suck-face soul sucker though she’s not aware, I think. “All die under the kisses.” She could be a succubus as long as they keep coming with those electro hand claps- sounds that are used in hip hop electro actually, not the black raincoat goth shit that gets around as electro these days. This election thing is really fucking up the happy-go-lucky nature of my reviews. –Dave Tompkins