The whole fantasy that we had, and whole dream that we had, was could we still do, or can we still make, today, dance music without a drum machine?

— The robots speak! Hear the elusive Daft Punk in an interview with NPR’s Audie Cornish

Carnal implications abound on “Sex Mission,” a new techno track from the Brooklyn-based musician Laurel Halo. There’s the not-exactly-subtle title, and the EP from whence it comes is called Behind the Green Door (out May 21).

Hear “Sex Mission” now.

Woody Herman was a soulful reedman, an amazing talent scout for decades and a bandleader of one of the country’s most popular acts. Born in 1913, Herman led “Thundering Herds” that were both big draws and well-respected by the likes of Igor Stravinsky. For his 100th birthday, here are five recordings which still sound fresh today.

Photo: William Gottlieb/Library of Congress

Watch the British post-punk band Savages make its debut on American radio in a blistering set from KEXP.

Good cover songs are about necessity — something about the source material that needed to be revisited, revised, redone or otherwise rescued from the original production. You don’t have to improve on it, exactly, but if the original is perfect the way it is, then there’s not a whole lot of sense in either reinventing it or re-creating it note for note.

— NPR’s Stephen Thompson on how to build the perfect cover song and why he desperately wants The New Pornographers to cover Enrique Iglesias’ “Escape”

wbezmusic:

chirpradio:

neil-gaiman:

butcherbilly:

The Post-Punk / New Wave Super Friends by Butcher Billy

Who are your heroes?

Reblogged purely to make Amanda smile.

!!!!!!!!!

LOVE

The Best.

Ian Curtis as Batman, of course. —Lars

Watch Vampire Weekend play new songs from Modern Vampires of the City and more in a 12-song set for KCRW at Apogee’s Berkeley Street Studio.

Do you have a favorite record label?

Happy 65th birthday, Brian Eno! Hear the innovative artist and producer join All Songs Considered to spin some of the music he’s most passionate about — from the hallowed doo-wop records that caught his fancy as a child to newcomers such as Anna Calvi.

Garifuna music was originally specific to the geographic area surrounding coastal Belize and Honduras in Central America; the Garifuna people are descendants of slaves who settled on islands off the coast after a shipwreck in the 17th century. Isolated, they developed their own music called Punta. Punta spread, as they and their language did, throughout the region. Now, the Garifuna have migrated so far that some of the best places to hear their music is in the clubs of New York City and Los Angeles.

Get a 10-song Spotify playlist here and a history of Garifuna music on World Cafe.

(Source: Spotify)