June | 2012 | dd

When M.I.A did an interview for Q TV a few years ago, the host brought up her “Born Free” video, directed by Romain Gavras. The video created a lot of controversy, and M.I.A offered a perspective that I understood. I’m not quoting her exactly, but basically she says..it was just ketchup and fake blood, the real execution videos, no one gives a shit. I re-film it with some ginger people and some fake blood imported from China, and it’s the most horrific thing people have ever seen.

Although Romain Gavras is known as a provocative director, his presentations are not much different than what you see on the news every day. Police brutality, protests, executions, military aggression, violence, and gang-warfare are regular topics on the news. But for some reason, when it’s presented in a music video, suddenly it’s so over-the-top and inappropriate.

I’m happy that someone like Romain Gavras is out there, not being safe and presenting something that creates some dialogue. His work is brilliantly shot and executed, which is why I’m sharing his “Stress” video for Justice, “Born Free” and his newest video for Jay-Z and Kanye West, “No Church In The Wild”. His “Bad Girls” video for M.I.A, along with the behind the scenes video were posted in this previous Disco Droppings post.

Romain Gavras – Twitter Vimeo

– Jimi Jaxon

Where do I start with this guy?! Boys Noize is one of the most valuable, innovative and mighty electronic artists today. Real name Alex Ridha, is a beast of a producer, dj and label owner. Whenever I’m thinking about artists that give me inspiration, this man is never far from my mind.

I got into his first album, Oi Oi Oi (2007) around the same time I became entranced by Ed Banger Records and the “Cross” album by Justice. Favorites were “The Battery” and “Don’t Believe The Hype” as well as his fantastic remix of Feist’s “My Moon My Man”. Fans witnessed an evolution of his sound with the follow-up album Power (2009). Tracks such as “Kontact Me”, “Transmission”, “Gax” showed strong diversity and a unique perspective on electronic dance music.

I cannot go further without also mentioning his collaborations with Erol Alkan. 2009 saw the release of Waves/Death Suite, powerhouse tracks that will fuck you up. In 2010, the duo returned with Avalanche/Lemonade, both interesting in their own way (hear “Avalanche (Terminal Velocity)” which features eerie vocals by Jarvis Cocker). Now in 2012, these two incredible producers continue to push the envelope with Roland Rat/Brain Storm.

I was humbled to open the Boysnoize Records showcase at Chop Suey in Seattle recently, with label mates Housemeister, Strip Steve and Djedjotronic (thank you George Bashington Productions for putting this on). To have the BNR label represented (finally!) in my area was a treat and breath of fresh air. Last year at EDC in Las Vegas, I remember seeing a rad set by Skrillex, followed by an all out sprint to the stage next door. Boys Noize had the sunrise set, from 4:30-6am, and running alongside the stage I witnessed him throw down his mammoth track, “1010”. This acid banger sounds like it could level a building, one of the most monstrous productions Alex has created thus far, I’d say. His set was by far my favorite at the festival, very few people can confidently direct an audience so early in the morning. He had us all screaming for more at 6am when his set came to an end. Alex, if you’re reading this, thank you for making that BNR tote bag, got it at EDC and I’m so proud to wear it around.

Boys Noize is currently working on his third album. Here’s a few recent comments from him about the new lp via Twitter..”working hard on finishing this next album #3″, “I know you dont need a full album these dayz just but fuck it i want to give it to you!”.

Boys Noize – Facebook Twitter Soundcloud

Boysnoize.com