Heading to South By Southwest this March? Some top picks for your list here.
Those creative souls and fans thereof heading down to Austin for South by Southwest (SXSW) this March (12th-21) have a load of events to target. Here are few that should be on your list. Seeing Dan Black live should be your top priority. He simply rules. Check out his music video for Symphonies featuring Kid Cudi. Annie Mac SXSW 2010 PERFORMANCES: Wednesday, March 17 - Annie Mac Presents Showcase @ Republic Live Featuring: Theophilus London, Fool's Gold, Brodinski, L-VIS 1990, Fake Blood, Boy 8-Bit, Kingdom, Plus Very Special Surprise Guests. Since her whirlwind tour in the US back in October 09, Ms. Mac has returned home to the UK and continued to play the best in cutting-edge and new dance music on her weekly Friday night show at BBC Radio 1. Each week, her guests range from international superstar DJs to up-and-coming music makers who are guaranteed to reach new levels once appearing on her show (Pete Tong's former slot). Annie is also championed for her 'Annie Mac Presents' parties which she has hosted for more than three years running . Starting out in the back room at Fabric in London, now they take place everywhere from festival tents all over the UK to beaches in Miami. These parties are soundtracked by Annie's personally selected line-up of the freshest, most exciting DJs and artists of the moment and this Spring Annie will be giving American fans a taste of her selections, hosting extra special parties at Winter Music Conference and SXSW. Expect a truly exciting mix of DJ talent and of course a serious amount of raving. Dan Black SXSW 2010 PERFORMANCES: Wednesday, March 17 - BMI - 1pm @ The Mohawk Thursday, March 18 - Spaceland - 1:35 - 2:05pm @ Beauty Bar Annex Thursday, March 18 - Fontana Showcase - 3:55 - 4:25pm @ Buffalo Billiards Thursday, March 18 - KROX - 1am @ Dirty Dog Bar Friday, March 19 - Windish/Pitchfork Showcase - 7:30pm Many artists will tell you they’re influenced by every record store aisle, from Bowie’s Berlin years to Björk’s skittish soundscapes to the madcap melodies of Prince. What sets Dan Black apart, however, is how the singer/multi-instrumentalist/producer literally pieces his heroes together on his solo debut, ((un)). Like a Pop artist who paints with sample banks and synthesizers, it’s as if he’s here to revisit and revise everything that’s right about the rock, rap and R&B of the past 30 years. Yep, Black is an art-school dropout—one that majored in painting “expressionist bollocks” like boxes of cereal floating in space. Which isn’t a surprise when you consider not only his songwriting process, but his hands-on approach to every aspect of the Dan Black persona. That includes all of his music videos and related visuals, which have been created in a close partnership with the Parisian design company Chic & Artistic. “It’s about more than music,” explains Black. “It’s about making a universe people can inhabit—this crazy little world I get a kick out of creating. After all, I’d rather people be deeply irritated than deeply bored.” Fenech-Soler SXSW 2010 PERFORMANCES : Tuesday, March 16 - UKTI at SXSW @ Latitude 30 (aka The British Music Embassy) Thursday, March 18 - LP33.TV Showcase @ The Soho Lounge Thursday, March 18 - Lose Control 2010 Party @ Vice Gearing up for their SXSW debut, this Kings Cliffe quartet will be setting their sights stateside for a selection of US appearances. Producing highly polished gems of fantasy pop, Fenech-Soler are unlikely purveyors of crowd trembling electro-funk. Already receiving accolades from the best of the best, including Alan Braxe who approached the band to release their debut single "Cult of Romance" on his very own Vulture Label in June 2009, November saw the Kings Cliffe quartet release "Lies" on Moda Music in the UK - a dynamic dance hit with crushing bass and synth lines that won them plays from luminaries such as Annie Mac, Pete Tong and Eddie Temple Morris, as well as collaborations with Alex Metric and Tom Staar for an exciting strin…