ASTROCAST34: Big Voyage's Prog Odyssey by Astro Nautico on Mixcloud

Big Voyage might be a new name to many of you – hell, we just discovered him no more than a few months ago. But it was one of those moments like – WHO THIS KID, WHY HAVE I NOT HEARD OF HIM BEFORE? He is based out of Brooklyn after all.

Anyway, we asked him to contribute a track for our latest compilation, Atlantics Vol. 3 and he gave us “Cora Pearl” which is slowly become a YouTube hit. You may very well see more collaborations from him + us in the near future.

And then there’s this mix – an hour of nothing but prog – and a lot of rare stuff too…he went deep. He even has a couple custom edits of tunes in there – more or less spelling out the connections that his music and this wildly progressive music share.

Get ready for a Big Voyage.

Interview

1. So, first of all, where’d you develop this deep love and appreciation of prog music? It has to be one of the most hated on genres in all of music.

I only got into prog maybe when I started buying a lot of dollar bin vinyl. If you put a winged-elephant fighting a giant Komodo dragon on your cover I will always pay two bucks to find out what that shit sounds like. Roger Dean is that dude for me, Mati Klarwein too. The better prog records put you right in there, astral traveling with the space jelly-fish and shit. 
I don’t actually disagree with the general consensus that prog is mostly pretty awful… a lot of the two minute chunks in the mix come from 18 minute song-suites with Aaron Copeland Tribute Jams and “interludes” and whatever… but just when you’re about to give up on it the harpsichord solo segues into something just insanely dope and you have to go buy another six King Crimson albums. These dudes were basically the sickest musicians ever (a bunch went onto have big pop hits… Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel…), but this is them doing whatever they felt like, with no filter at all, and a lot of the time it sucked, but when it didn’t it was awesome in totally novel ways. The 4th song on the mix is in 10/4 time, but it’s super fucking hard and funky as shit. Yes has a song “We Have Heaven” that sounds just like Animal Collective, except it came first and by 30 years. I’m not mad at anyone who doesn’t feel it, but for me it’s worth it, slogging through the sucky stuff.

2. Your own productions definitely borrow from prog in a sense, with regards to arrangement and musicality. We also hear a lot of jazz in there. What’s your musical background?

I started playing saxophone in third grade and got into jazz pretty heavily. I liked that getting really good at an instrument is basically a nerd pursuit, but a lot of famous dudes who were practicing 14 hours a day were also totally badasses and reprobates… pimps and drug addicts and stuff. It was sort of important to me at the time that it was possible to be nerd and something else at the same time, cause I was definitely a nerd. 
I started playing guitar in high-school to write songs for my ska band Money$hot (…. yeah). Started learning piano around then too. Went to NYU, studied jazz and writing. For a while I wanted to be a music critic, even interned at Rolling Stone for a few months, but I wasn’t that good and there are something like 5 professional music critics in the whole world anyhow. My last big music project before starting Big Voyage up was this jazz/ metal fusion thing… I gave up on it after spending six months on this one song that nobody liked (it was a bad song). 
I actually pay my rent these days teaching piano, mostly to kids but a few adults as well. I still take piano lessons too (shout to Dave Frank!), and that stuff makes into my tracks all the time, especially all the harmony stuff.

3. A lot of prog music is heavily influenced by fiction writing – fantasy, science-fiction etc. Do you find any such similar influences from literature?

Nah, not on purpose at least, but who knows what’s seeping in. I’ll say this though: when I first started playing sax I was hugely into the “Spellsinger” books by Alan Dean Foster, which was basically this guy singing pop songs at trolls, who would then be dispersed by scary “Purple Hazes” or “Little Red Corvettes” tear-assing around (he had a magic guitar, it’d conjure stuff). 
When I’m really hurting for inspiration my go-to thing is nature docs. “Life in the Undergrowth” will fuck up your whole worldview. If you don’t get something out of leopard-slugs mating you shouldn’t be doing music, that shit is inspiring on several levels. Going for a walk is good stuff too.

4. Your song “Cora Pearl” from Atlantics was recently uploaded to a popular YouTube channel and is currently over 75k views and growing – have you read any of the comments? Any in particular that resonate with you?

Yo, I’m too scared to read the comments. I’m scared it’s gonna be like “this sucks” 80,000 times. I have been keeping an eye on that number though. If it hits 100,000 (it did) I’m finally gonna tell mom I’m not going to law school.

5. Finally, we must ask – What is the biggest voyage you’ve ever taken? And do you have a dream voyage you have yet to embark on?

I went to Thailand! It was nuts. Went to this elephant refuge where you don’t get to ride them but you can take them to the river and rub them down with sponges. Apparently you have to really brutalize them to train them into taking riders, so only go to the one where you can’t ride them. They eat right over there too. The best, cheapest food. 
I want to see Africa so fucking bad man. Super bad. I can’t even get into it, these are long-ass answers as-is. I want to see the Mariana Trench too, but there’s apparently only one or two subs that can get down there, and they don’t really let you go just for asking. Space is cool but all the best shit is too far away. Once they have that FTL drive going though, I’m all about it.

*BONUS*

You didn’t ask, but here are some prog albums that are dope from start to finish (mostly): Fragile and “Close to the Edge by Yes, In The Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson, Gentle Giant by Gentle Giant, U.K. by U.K.,  Aqua Lung by Jethro Tull. Kevin Ayers just died, so go get the first three Soft Machine records too.

Atlantics Vol. 2 – a sprawling collection of tracks by talented friends and artists from around the world. This year, we asked a completely different group of fresh faces to contribute, and the result is something special.

Peace and love to our listeners.

SURPRISE!!!

TEASER FOR ATLANTICS VOL. 3 OUT ON 4/20 (OF COURSE)

COME RIDE ON THE SS ASTRO NAUTICO IN SPACE

Featuring tracks by 813, Cosmic Revenge, C.Z., Kon, Jacob 2-2, Seapoint, Photay, Phil Gerus, Tom Richman, Nangdo, Big Voyage, Seafloor, Archie Pelago, Morgan Hislop, Dunes, Lotide, Druid Cloak, Feral, Morpheground, htrspltn, Prince Jean, Kloud, Sesped, Michael Jukeson, Ryuei Kotoge, Ventla, Rimar, Karmelloz, Mother Ganga

Love is in the air and we have a very special line-up for next monthly installment. For their quick and dirty East Coast tour, Low Limit and Astro fam Time Wharp will be stopping in Brooklyn to play their only New York show with us on Friday, May 3rd. With support from the yung king Dreams who shut down the space back in October, expect this one to be wild.

We will be once again firing up the Tsunami Bass Sound System in FREECANDY – a former car parking garage filled with street art, day-glo UV paint, a full-service bar and a 20’ x 12’ projection area. Astro Nautico residents will be holding down all the in-between sounds for the night and Paris Group International‘s Paolo Xz and PXL will be curating movie-theatre-sized VHS video projections.

We’ll also stream the whole night live on Ustream for our foreign friends.

As always, you don’t have to be a music head in order to enjoy what we’re planning. Thunderous bass weight and raw visuals form a potent electronic cocktail capable of offering just about anyone a uniquely invigorating party experience.

SPRING FLING

FEATURING
———————————————————–
MUSIC BY RESIDENTS: OBEY CITY • MICHAEL JUKESON • PAUL JONES
AND GUESTS: LOW LIMIT • DREAMS • TIME WHARP
VISUALS BY: PARIS GROUP INTERNATIONAL
———————————————————–

Got a question of any kind? –> info@astronautico.com

Want to pay $5 at the door instead of $10? Send an e-mail with your full name to rsvp@astronautico.com.

*Limited to +1 guest per reservation.

**RSVP list is valid ONLY BEFORE midnight.

Follow @astronautibro on Twitter for live updates.

April 5th, 2013
FREECANDY
905 Atlantic Avenue (located next to the “Roofing” sign)
Brooklyn, NY 11238

Also if you missed it, here’s a l0ok at what happened when Broke City took over FREECANDY last Friday, April 5th.

Check out more photos from the night by Lorenna Gomez-Sanchez here.

And check some of the sets recorded on Ustream here.

Another round of fresh trax, with a few key releases from Astro fam Lotide, The Range and a remix from Chits.

1. Lotide – Moonless LP

New album from the homie Lotide out now on Astro Dynamics. Two years in the making, ‘Moonless’ is like a spelunker who got disconnected from the rest of his cave-diving party and instead of searching for a route back to the surface, decided to live out the rest of his time on Earth inside of the Earth. As the title suggests, it is a dark and textural work that is heard best with the night-vision goggles, or perhaps a sensory-deprived state in which the mind is allowed to wander freely between the realm of dreams and nightmares. Be sure to also peep this ill promo vid by Paris Group International member Camila Carrillo.

2. J-Louis

J-Louis flips this hot vocal sample into a melting bass track. Also check out his new “Balanced” EP.

3) Chits – Future remix

Peep this fresh remix from the kid Chits and be EXTRA sure to keep an ear to the ground for a very special release from him on Astro later this year.

4) The Range – Seneca EP

Our close friend & associate The Range has his 2nd EP coming out on Brighton label Donkey Pitch and it’s a special one. Featuring remixes by Obey City, Howse and Supreme cuts. Preview it here:
 

5) Jenovah

Slow and colorful vibes with high-pitched vocals gives you a song fit for a passionate bedroom session.

ASTROCAST33: Lemonada's Charity Shop Mix by Astro Nautico on Mixcloud

A totally unique and original concept for our 33rd ASTROCAST.

Lemonada, a talented young producer out of Dublin, has laced us with over an hour of choice vinyl cuts, all acquired from record’s he purchased for under a euro at his local charity shop. While the mood is eclectic, it is clearly the work of someone with a serious ear and appreciation for quality music, whether it be forgotten 80s pop gems, disco/boogie, latin jazz or orchestral arrangements.

As fellow vinyl diggers/appreciators ourselves, we know the joy there is in searching through a dusty bin amongst old kitchen appliances and funny smelling clothes and coming up with gold. And after listening to this mix, it appears Lemonada experienced some serious golden moments.

Interview

1. Your name looks a lot like Lemonade but we were under the impression that all Irish people drank was Guinness and Whiskey? Please explain the origin of your moniker if there is one.

Believe it or not, Guinness and Whiskey are pretty much cornerstone beverages of most Irish peoples drinking habits, it’s not just a stereotype! Guinness is a personal favourite. Whiskey and ginger ale will do the job too. I fancy myself an inventor of cocktails and other sorts of sexually undefined fruit and rum based drinks. So ye, I’ve a keen ear for words that don’t really exist but sound like they’d appear on some sort of silly drinks menu. Actually, I’m not sure what a lemonada is. The other side of it would be that I initially wrote a few Kraut-rock kind of songs that were rather aggressive and so, thought something overly camp and “fruity” would just be a stupid and funny label to go with the music.. but i got a little side-tracked and so i just stuck with that name. It’s a stupid fucking name..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKR4Yk3wFc0

2. This mix you’ve given us is completely crafted from records you bought at charity shops for under a pound (euro?) … Is there one shop in particular you hit up regularly or did you travel all over Dublin (and beyond) to acquire these?

Ye, it’s all from one shop. Think it’s a St. Vincent de Paul’s. They’ve always had good stuff in there. Last year when I wrote that first kelly green mixtape, all of the samples were also solely from old weird records bought in that shop. Its a good shop!

fraping in this country : http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ypBGI2_YXeo

3. Were you unfamiliar with a lot of these records before purchasing them? If so, what compels you to purchase one unknown record over another?

Most of these records I wouldn’t have been familiar with. There are exceptions though, like some of these people are mad famous so it would be hard not to know them (D Train, Frank Sinatra, Mike Oldfield, etc). But for the most part I look for stuff that I wouldn’t be familiar with so as to get a small education for cheap. Pretty much the only thing one can go by when buying records in this way is the cover art.. that and maybe the year it was put out. If the back of the record tells you these things, you can get a general idea of what to expect. Like – produced 1985 by Quincy Jones and there’s three lads on a golden chariot or something, chances are it’ll be pretty fantastic. I’ll also buy a record if it’s just really funny looking. I’d say I have more funny looking record sleeves by now than actual listenable records.. but that’s the fun in it. It’s cheap and you can never be positive what’s going to come out of the speakers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A7CVrBFC7M

4. Your productions are full of disparate sounds that coalesce to form a sort of sublime chaos – is it literally a bunch of trial and error or do you hear things like dogs toys, chimes and grime bass working together ahead of time?

Trial and error is a factor like with anything ye but for the most part I don’t start a track until I more or less know what sounds I’m gonna use and what vibe I want to get across. I like to change it up though, that chaotic goofy sounding stuff was pretty much just a general sound idea for kelly green 2. I don’t think I’ll be doing that again though. I’m working on an EP right now that sounds pretty far removed from that stuff. Was fun at the time but gotta move on now. And I’m treating this EP as a first, proper official release as the mixtape/beattape things were more just ideas clumped together and released for free. Plug:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtWpDOMAwfo

5. Here’s the situation: You are forming a super group- who do you draft to be your bandmates, what is your role in the band and what are the matching outfits you are all rocking?

I dunno man. You, me and Bennett? Black on black. Like Bell Biv Devoe already exist so why bother?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6blgjF6UkU

DOWNLOAD

Another round of hot picks straight off the internet grill…

1. The Melt – Compilation Vol. 1

Our fam The Melt based out in Los Angeles, headed by Kloud and Moiety just released their first compilation album and second official release. It’s already been getting lot of good, deserved press so we won’t try to top what’s already being written about it, but gently remind you that this needs to BE ON YOUR COMPUTER. IT’S A FREE DOWNLOAD AND IS CHOCK FULL OF BIG CHOONS W/ CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ASTRO CREW OBEY CITY, LORD RAJA, THE RANGE AND FRIENDS. Ok?

2. Alex Burkat – Shower Scene

Beautiful strings/old-school NY house vibes on this one from Alex Burkat. Shower Scene EP comes out tomorrow on Mr. Saturday Night, and will be released on vinyl as well as digital. Catch Alex playing at the Mr. Saturday Night party this Saturday at House of Yes, Brooklyn.

3. Bones&Money – Black Diamond (Moist Ghost remix)

New heater from the Yung Tastegod Moist Ghost, who assumingly went deep into the virtual hunting environment strapped with night vision goggles and full body UnderArmour™ to take down this big game remix for the killer Black Diamond remix EP, out now on Tuff Wax.

4. Kixnare – Red LP

Kixnare‘s Red LP drops on Monday 3/18 on Warsaw label, U Know Me Records. Grab the big first single “Gucci Dough” as a free download below and preview the album on U Know Me’s soundcloud.

5. Stefan Blomeier & Claire – Worlds Beside Worlds

A heady lo-fi/hi-fi banger with elements of early Chicago acid house from Elise (Claire) of ATL’s inimitable Featureless Ghost, on a split with Stefan Blomeier to be released March 31st on Instructional Media. The split release will be available on cassette (available now for pre-order) and is dubbed by I.M. as “9 hot tracks of physical, spiritual and virtual trips”. Check the track and also a beautiful fuzzed out promo vid below.

Spring is finally here and we’re celebrating in full force with our brothers-in-arms, the infamous Broke City crew on Friday, April 5th. Featuring homegrown talent in Dunes, Sleepyhead and Mohegan Son, this one is gonna burn all night long, hitting harder than an Easter bunny sticking up White Castle with a shotgun at 4am. Get there early for a special opening set from the vinyl grandmaster DJ Steve.

We will be once again firing up the Tsunami Bass Sound System in FREECANDY – a former car parking garage filled with street art, day-glo UV paint, a full-service bar and a 20’ x 12’ projection area. Astro Nautico residents will be holding down all the in-between sounds for the night and Paul Jones will be curating movie-theatre-sized VHS video projections alongside guest VJ OPHTHAMOVNTN.

We’ll also stream the whole night live on Ustream for our foreign friends.

As always, you don’t have to be a music head in order to enjoy what we’re planning. Thunderous bass weight and raw visuals form a potent electronic cocktail capable of offering just about anyone a uniquely invigorating party experience.

BROKE CITY TAKEOVER

FEATURING
———————————————————–
MUSIC BY RESIDENTS: OBEY CITY • MICHAEL JUKESON • THE RANGE
AND GUESTS: DUNES • SLEEPYHEAD • MOHEGAN SON
VISUALS BY: PAUL JONES • OPHTHAMOVNTN
———————————————————–

Got a question of any kind? –> info@astronautico.com

Want to pay $5 at the door instead of $10? Send an e-mail with your full name to rsvp@astronautico.com.
 

*Limited to +1 guest per reservation.

**RSVP list is valid ONLY BEFORE midnight.
 

Follow @astronautibro on Twitter for live updates.

April 5th, 2013
FREECANDY
905 Atlantic Avenue (located next to the “Roofing” sign)
Brooklyn, NY 11238

Check out pictures below from the March 1st event at FREECANDY. Archie Pelago & HxdB cooked up a deliciously rare experience with support from Obey City, The Range, & Michael Jukeson.

Check out the full photo album here (courtesy Lorenna Gomez-Sanchez).

ASTROCAST32: The Range by Astro Nautico on Mixcloud

The Range aka James Hinton is fam, first and foremost. We released his amazing debut record, The Big Dip, over a year ago and since then things have been going pretty swell for the dude. Shows across the US, a killer EP for Donky Pitch, props from Benji B and DJ Shadow….not to mention his Ravens won the Superbowl.

It was long overdue that we asked the financial genius to contribute a mix to our Astrocast series and what we got is a 26 minute collection of straight unreleased heaters, all made within the last three months. Each track contains his unmistakable touch – rhythms informed by juke and jungle, epic melodic elements and always rounded out with his love for hip-hop and R&B. Real tear jerkers in this one.

We hope you enjoy his Astrocast and come check out his set tomorrow night at our monthly FREECANDY event in Brooklyn, where he’s always around to save us from losing all our money.

Interview

 
1. First things first.. is the NASDAQ up or down? the DOW? what are the hot stocks? is it a bull market?

The Nasdaq and Dow have been on a tear over the past few months, over more certainty about the fiscal cliff timeline and small steps away from the worst case scenario regarding sequestration. By definition, we have been in a bull market since April or May 2009, but mostly due to earnings growth as a result of automation and job cuts, so it hasn’t felt like the 90′s style bull market in which we grew up. The housing sector has been leading the way so most of the faster money is chasing those stocks, while Apple, one of the best performing stocks from last year, is noticeably lagging.

2. On a related note, what is the best get-rich-quick scheme of all time?

That would have to be the early 1900′s style Ponzi Scheme. Its hard to imagine how you could have gotten caught with that one back in the day when you could skip town without a trace. “Hello, I can double all of the money every month.” “Thank you, here, take my silver dollar from my tannery job, l8r ”

3. Is there any relation between juke music, or at least your music… and financial success? or financial failures?

I think my music is pretty hopeful over all. So maybe there is some connection there, as in being hopeful for better days which is tied up in success. It’s interesting to me that we grew up in the 90′s when there had been no doubt in that idea that our lives were only going to get better, while now everyone is very jaded with the state of the country and possibly their futures. I think it is generally a mistake to comment about footwork as a whole, I don’t feel like I have any sort of domain over the idea of footwork, but to me it is pretty uplifting music.

4. Part of your notorious legacy will always be your unsuccessful attempt at bringing about the creation of Astro Nautico socks. The people would like a comment on this, please.

At some point there will be Astro Nautico socks once we ink this Macy’s deal. Back-to-school Astro parkas, Astro Air Force 1′s with the logo on the tongue, Astro phone cases. We aren’t hitting our 6-tween demo hard enough.

5. But seriously, what’s up on deck for The Range? Also, what’s in this astrocast?

Hahaha I have my second release, Seneca EP, coming out on Donky Pitch towards the end of April, with remixes from Obey City, Supreme Cuts, Howse, and Keyboard Kid. This astrocast is all unreleased stuff I made over the end of last year and the beginning of this year. If all goes well I should have a full length ready in the fall of this year as well.

DOWNLOAD

Hello friends,

We are proud to announce that our first release of 2013 will be an LP from Dane Chadwick, a name you may recognize from Atlantics Vol. 2.

Having spent years as a drummer for LA-based bands such as Abe Vigoda, it is no surprise that raw, polyrhythmic drum programming forms the bedrock of Dane Chadwick’s debut album Cool Intentions. These frenetic footwork rhythms are combined with smooth and soothing self-programmed synth patches to create a bubble bath of an album.

Chadwick is a master of building and releasing tension. On ‘Water Work’ synthesizers rush together and form waves of sound that build even as they recede, like an audible version of Escher’s infinite stairway. Tracks like ‘Dope’ and ‘vowelS’ on the other hand rely on rhythmic abstraction as the grid blurs and drums fall so far behind they are ahead.

The lightning rimshots, cascading tom rolls and relentless kick drums say Chicago footwork, but Chadwick’s sound is nowhere derivative. Liquid drum kinetics meet breathy jazz chords and warped vocal exhortations, bending the footwork template to evoke hazy California sunshine.

Completed by vibrant remixes from Lemonada and Dap Hound, Cool Intentions is an exuberant, confident and wholeheartedly unique album.