As usual this year’s ATP was split over two weekends, the first saw shoegaze legends My Bloody Valentine curate a lineup that included Sonic Youth, De La Soul and The Horrors. The second event was slightly different, as it tied in with the festival’s tenth anniversary, the organisers put together an appropriate line up to celebrate. In what can only be described as a “best of ATP” 10 Years Of ATP was littered with former curators including Shellac, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks,The Mars Volta and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. For those who are unaware, ATP takes place in a Butlins holiday camp. Something of a British institution, Butlins usually hosts families with rowdy kids, taking advantage of the sites veritable activities. Tents are exchanged for chalets and the stages are located within the vast walls of the resort’s centre. Hosting a festival that showcases the best in alternative music within a venue that contains garish games machines and fast food outlets is quite a juxtaposition, but it’s one that strangely works.
As part of the celebrations for Warp records’ 20th anniversary, the influential electronica imprint has planned a series of all-nighters in several big cities around the Globe. Last Saturday the itinerant party hit London with an impressive showcase comprising a balanced mix of the label’s old and new talent.
In the premises of the former cinema turned club The Coronet, a devoted audience partied all night long with live sets by Birmingham duo Broadcast and energetic, US math-rock purveyors Battles; both captivating the public with a taste of their respective up and coming new works.
An introduction to new signees Nice Nice, a greatest hits set by Plaid and an impressive live appearance by futuristic hip-hop artist Flying Lotus – already dragging comparisons with DJ Shadow thanks to a similar cinematic quality in their output – were also rapturously received.
In between shows and in a second room a selection of DJs including DJ E.A.S.E from Nightmares On Wax, Mira Calix and Strictly Kev and Jackson kept the leftfield vibe intact. At the end of the night, all attendees were given a preview CD with new tracks from the label’s release schedule for 2010, which left an ever better aftertaste to an already great night.
This year the influential label Warp Records has got a lot to celebrate. 2010 marks its 20th anniversary and, for the first time, one of their artists broke the top 10 in Billboard’s official US album charts. Brooklyn’s Grizzly Bear jumped from the blogosphere to widespread acclaim with their third studio album ‘Veckatimest’, rapturously received by critics and audiences alike. It was the icing on the birthday cake for twenty years of impeccable work, bringing the more adventurous reaches of cutting edge electronic to the world.
A complete overview of its catalogue was recently released on the Warp20 box set and a series of different compilations – covering the stable’s best moments, some unreleased treasures from its vaults and a collection of covers in which the most representative artists on its roaster pay tribute to their favorite labelmates. And the celebrations continue with an ongoing worldwide schedule of multi-format events, showing the different fields –music, film and artwork- in which the label has left its seal during all these years.
A series of films can be currently streamed at the Babelgum website. The most recent of them -see video above- is a 30 minute live selection of their current artists; filmed at the label’s anniversary event in New York, mixed with animations and interviews. Artists in order of appearance are: Jamie Lidell, Born Ruffians, !!!, Hudson Mohawke, Pivot, Clark, The Hundred In The Hands, Flying Lotus and Battles.
The next on the series will be filmed when Warp20 returns home with a couple of dates in London: on December the 4th, Warp Films will be holding some screenings, installations and a late night party. Details of which will be announced soon. The following day, an all-night gig at London’s Coronet Theatre will bring a selection of past and current talent to our city. The line up goes as follows:
Battles (offering the first taste of their new material) Broadcast
Flying Lotus
Plaid (Live ‘Classics’ Show) Nightmares on Wax
Nice Nice
Rustie
Jackson
Mira Calix
Strictly Kev (DJ Food) : Blech20
Winston Hazell (Forgemasters)
Warp DJs
A special commemorative CD ‘2010′, previewing the artists Warp records will be releasing in the new year will be given away with every ticket purchase. The record will include tracks by Flying Lotus, Rustie, The Hundred In The Hands, Hudson Mohawke, De Tropix, Nice Nice, Bibio, Gonjasufi and more.
Tickets are vailable online from Bleep, plus physical tickets can be bought instore at Rough Trade East (Brick Lane) and Phonica (Soho) in London
