arenablanca-frenchband

[arenablanca-frenchband]

Shoegazing on Tumblr

Tumblr hosts a lost of valuable curators and bands in shoegaze. A small list to get you started.

Shoegaze sundays

Brenna Cavanaugh has Youtube show, Spotify playlist and Tumblr blog where she shares the best shoegaze:

https://shoegazesundays.tumblr.com/

Dean Bromley

Dean is a well known curator of shoegaze, dreampop, nugaze. He also collects songs on Soundcloud and edits the Shoegaze Daily newspaper:

https://shoegazekid.tumblr.com/

Teresa Cruz

A music fan that shares her discoveries in shoegaze:

https://teresedays.tumblr.com/

40 000 КИЛОМЕТРОВ

A music fan that shares his discoveries in shoegaze:

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/sherdakov

Do you know some other active tumblrs around shoegaze (bands, labels, blogs...)? Tell us!

[arenablanca-frenchband]

Royo y Negro

The label “started in 1991 out of sheer boredom and a desire to do something completely different in Puerto Rico. Well, it was different alright. Somehow it spiralled out of control for two decades, with lots of releases, shows, blood, sweat, tears. a total disregard for anything decent, politically correct, proper or trendy, and a good time was had by all. Never a dull moment. Love it.”

“Rojo y Negro was born around the release of the Descojon Urbano cassette around 1992 as part of the defunct Fuera de Orden Rekords. In 1994 it was the first label in Puerto Rico to produce and release an indie CD, Descojon Urbano’s “1991–1994” and has produced several releases by Descojon Urbano, Antartica, the Musica Casual compilations and O.P.A.L.”

https://linktr.ee/rojoynegro

Catalogue

O.P.A.L.: explorations into dreampop, shoegaze, and post-rock.

https://descojonurbano.bandcamp.com/album/insomniac

D35C0JóN UR84NO (Descojon Urbano)

Antartica

Yao vs Rojoynegro

Música Casual

[arenablanca-frenchband]

Best kept secrets Vol 1 - Shoegazing Hidden Gems

A compilation of shoegaze and dreampop tracks you may have missed.

1) Dreams of Empire

https://dreamsofempireband.com Interview: https://whitelight-whiteheat.com/new-music/nothing-cant-stop-us-an-interview-with-dreams-of-empire-nothings-ever-finished-debut-lp-stream/

2) The Virgance

http://www.thevirgance.com Review: http://chromaticismrevolutions.com/new-release-the-virgance-paradigm-3/

3) Blisstonia

https://blisstonia1.bandcamp.com Twinterview: https://arenablanca-frenchband.tumblr.com/post/618498906453655552/indietronica-twinterview-blisstonia-22

4) The Churchill Garden

https://www.churchhillgarden.ch

Review: https://www.fadeawayradiate.com/2020/11/the-churchill-garden-reality/

5) Neist Season

https://neistseason.bandcamp.com

Review: https://www.noisejournal.com/2019/11/neist-season-black-space-ep/

Tumblr allows only 5 videos by post: listen to the other tracks on this playlist: 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcmPmxLGtcUIfJr71fW90HMp4cK6SgZoF

6) S3P - Secrets of the 3rd Planet

https://s3pmusic.bandcamp.com

Review: http://labandzi.blogspot.com/2020/03/secrets-of-third-planet-only-love-will_17.html

7) Jetstream Pony

https://jetstreampony.bandcamp.com

Review: http://www.popisonfire.fr/2017/09/new-music-jetstream-pony-indie-pop-had-enough/

8) Tomates en Verano

https://tomatesenverano.bandcamp.com

Review: https://indiehoy.com/noticias/tomates-en-verano-propone-una-atmosfera-sombria-en-su-nuevo-disco-todos-los-dias-son-felices/

9) Xeresa

https://xeresa.bandcamp.com

Review: https://noiseartists.net/home/2017/9/11/beatasitc-xeresa

10) Paragon Cause

https://www.paragoncause.com

Review: http://spillmagazine.com/spill-music-premiere-paragon-cause-let-me-be/

[arenablanca-frenchband]

Big Potato records

“Boutique indie label co-run by a collective of musicians, artists & writers from the UK. Geeking out on psych, shoegaze, electro, space-folk and krautrock.”

https://bigpotatorecords.bandcamp.com/

Releases on: K7, Vinyl, Bandcamp download

Catalogue:

Farmer Dave & The Wizards Of The West

Moon Attendant

HOO: “Black Hearted Brother synth-man & song-writer Nick Holton and Ian McCutcheon (Mojave 3, Loose Salute, Slowdive) lead out their new band HOO. Rich analogue textures and guitar drones star on free form synth experiments reverse fitted to psychedelic songs imbibed with a dusty Englishness all of its own. Other musicians present include sonic blue blood Neil Halstead (Slowdive) on his Roland Juno 106, Kevin Wells on dirty rhythm guitar & lastly the great Oxford songwriter Robin Bennett on flute. Mostly recorded in HOO’s chapel-like studio in Wallingford, full of 1/2” tape & analogue echo units and a little at Cube in Cornwall. Finished in Brooklyn NY by Heba Kadry - who has worked with Beach House, John Maus & Slowdive.”

https://bigpotatorecords.bandcamp.com/album/centipede-wisdom

President Sweetheart 

Black Hearted Brother   

Caz Mechanic (ex-Seafood): ”one & only perfect album co-produced by Neil Halstead.”

https://bigpotatorecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-secret-life-of-the-wife-of-the-captain-of-the-ship-in-a-bottle-on-the-mantle-piece

Coley Park                                       

The Loose Salute

Holton’s Opulent Oog                                       

[arenablanca-frenchband]

A week in shoegaze

Monday

Shoegazeblog posts the playlist “Lunedi Shoegaze”:

https://shoegazeblog.com/2020/05/25/lunedi-shoegaze-15/

Static Waves

“DJ Steve is a seasoned radio announcer and musicologist. His lifelong fondness for all types of music turned into a ferocious curiosity and craving which led him on path down a long and winding musical trail. He eventually arrived to the pearly gates of Shoegaze heaven, and has never looked back. A late bloomer to the Shoegaze genre, DJ Steve has since devoted his time, skills and talents, not only to entertain, but also to educate and enlighten listeners and introduce them to the fantastic world of Shoegaze. “

"Static Waves" airs monday nights on DKFM with DJ Steve:

Podcast: https://www.mixcloud.com/DJ_Steve_13/

Music Monday

One may also follow the hashtag #musicMonday on social networks to discover new tunes.

Tuesday

TSC

“Master Paul has been a one-man cheering section and tastemaker for the shoegaze scene for over a decade. He plays the music that gives him life, every week.“

The Shoegaze Collective airs on tuesday evening and wednesday morning on DKFM:

https://decayfm.com/podcastfilter/shoegaze-collective/

The radiant hour

“Join the ever-engaging Girl Afraid as she spins up the platters that matter. Often surprising, never dull, Dani has the skills that occasionally pay the bills.“

This radiant hour also airs on tuesday evening and wednesday morning on DKFM:

https://decayfm.com/podcastfilter/this-radiant-hour/

DJ tuesday

DJ Tuesday used to have a radio show, and is still active every week on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/tuesdayshoegaze/

And we still have his Soundcloud and MixCloud to listen to great tracks and (re) discover emerging bands:

http://www.tuesdayshoegaze.com/

Playlist: https://soundcloud.com/tuesdayshoegaze

Podcast: https://www.mixcloud.com/tuesdayshoegaze/

Wednesday

@mmemaledicta has a radio show and posts her numberful discoveries on Twitter and Youtube:

https://twitter.com/hashtag/Shoegazewednesday?f=live

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpfLmlFp4_R_P5bnV9q9IvFCVrk8yY1Pv

Muso Asia

“Wednesday night at 8 pm PDT (midnight Eastern, 1 pm JST) Muso Asia is a show fully dedicated to bringing you shoegaze, dreampop and more from the Asian continent.  The program will take you on a journey all over Asia, exploring the sounds and goings-on in various local scenes.   On Muso Asia, you can expect to hear new releases, old favorites, demos and more from some of the best artists the planet’s largest and most populous continent has to offer.

Muso Asia is hosted by Matthew Bedford, a Chicago native currently based in Nagoya, Japan.

Matthew is also the creator of Muso Planet, a bilingual music webzine and series of compilation albums highlighting musical talent from not just Asia, but all over the world. Matthew’s become dedicated to the scene in Japan and greater Asia, and we’re lucky to have this special series of shows.

This program repeats on Thursday at 8 am PDT, noon Eastern, 1 am JST. “

https://decayfm.com/featured/muso-asia/

Thursday

Deborah Sexton has a radio hour on DKFM: The Velvet Hum radio hour. With interviews, focuses on countries and local scenes.

replay: https://www.mixcloud.com/DKFM_Shoegaze_Radio/the-velvet-hum-01/

The kitchen sink

Tune in each Thursday at 9:00pm EST on Strawberry Tongue Radio

as “Elizabeth Klisiewicz brings you the shoegaze, dream pop, psychedelia, folk, post punk, and old favorites from the best eras of music”:

https://www.strawberrytongue.com/kitchen-sink/

Podcast : https://www.mixcloud.com/eklisiewicz/

WTSH

“DJ Amber Crain of When The Sun Hits blog spins the platters that matter. And nothing but the best. Reputation = earned.“

Her when the sun hits radio show goes on DKFM each wednesday evening and thursday morning:

https://decayfm.com/shows/when-the-sun-hits/

Missed the last show? Listen to the podcast:

https://decayfm.com/podcastfilter/wtsh/

Drowned in a sea of sound

“Join your host, Krissy of Whimsical (and guest on so many stellar recordings) as she spins up the tunes that inspire and enchant her.“

Her show also goes on DKFM each wednesday evening and thursday morning:

https://decayfm.com/podcastfilter/drowned-in-a-sea-of-sound/

Friday

One may follow the hashtag #musicFriday / #newMusicFriday on social networks to discover new tunes, as friday is the traditional day of release for music.

The follow friday #FF hashtag on Twitter is also a great source of discovery: search “#FF #Shoegaze”.

Saturday

New tracks weekend

Each friday DKFM, the shoegaze radio, publishes it new tracks weekend blog post:

https://decayfm.com/new-tracks-weekend/new-tracks-weekend-may-22-24/

Big sonic heaven

Big Sonic Heaven is a radio and a blog. It streams 24/7 thru the mobile app. The Big Sonic Heaven Flashback Show airs each saturday at 12n ET/9a PT.

Find it also online:

bigsonicheaven.com

And follow on socials:

facebook.com/bigsonicheaven

instagram.com/bigsonicheaven

https://twitter.com/BigSonicHeaven

Sunday

Host Brenna Cavanaugh brings you her weekly review on Strangeways Radio where she goes over the latest new music in the genres of Shoegaze, dreampop and related genres.

You can listen to it on Strangeways Radio and see a replay on Youtube:

https://www.strangewaysradio.com/

Viog: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNUxAUbuDwASd1_YWpEBCDoXys5eUOuX_

Hailed radio also has a shoegaze show on sunday 9 pm with DJ Reid.JP:

https://mixlr.com/hailedrdio/

Last but not least, Norman B has a radio show & podcast About Art, Media & Culture on Sunday 14 at 11.00am EDT (4.00pm BDT):

https://lifeelsewhere.co/

Did we miss a regular weekly shoegaze event? Tell us via DM!

[arenablanca-frenchband]

Interview with SWITZON S. WIGFALL III (2/2)

Read part 1 here : 

https://arenablanca-frenchband.tumblr.com/post/619314286320320512/interview-switzon-s-wigfall-iii-12

AB:

In an interview with thirdeyedrops, you have cited Albert Camus: “The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man’ heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.” Why is it so important for you to work so hard?

SSWIII:

Well, I kinda look at it like this: To be “great” at anything will require sharp focus and an everyday commitment working on your craft and skills daily and having fun in practicing.

I think I got so much into enjoying the whole process that I don’t even look at it as working hard anymore.

To some of my friends I seem like a “mad scientist” even...my big curly hair looking all crazy and shit, working long hours in my man-cave studio with lightning sparks coming out of nowhere and a mysterious laugh coming from all of these screen I’m working in (like a digital fort of screens)

lol...so I kinda just acknowledge and respect the idea of “working hard” because being in the game for years I’ve seen myself grow and become better from it as an artist and as a man who loves his people, tribe, culture and community.

I love my career so much that it just kinda seems like second nature. I believe this is important for anyone in their career: If you enjoy what you do in your profession and you practice and prepare then hard work won’t seem like hard work anymore...it’ll just lead you to success because you simply love what you do.

But I said all of that to say this: “Hard work pays off”...Always.

AB:

You seem to have a special history with Rubik’s cube…

SSWIII:

Haha - yes! Definitely...I learned a lot from going to school for graphic design and understanding the importance of logos and branding but having your own as an independent artist and creator also.

I always had a love and curiosity for rubik’s cubes and the idea of solving them or “trying to” at least since I was a child. Growing up and playing with them is the reflection of my passion and curiosity to apply the same to graphic design, motion graphics and music.

So in the fall quarter of 2019 I started working on creating a logo and brand for myself understanding the niche and industry I wanted to be and excel in: which was the rubiks cube.

In 2010 I did the old-school copyrighting thing where you put your creation design or whatever on a disk and mail it back to yourself without ever opening it. I re-designed the entire rubiks cube in illustrator and added a different angle to it so it would be way different from the actual rubiks cube manufacturer's one. I look at design, music, ideas, inventions, technology and all things I create with like a rubik’s cube. When you create something new from scratch or even remix it in your own way there’s alot of twists and turns plus experimenting you have to make to create the perfect match (in your own terms). 

AB:

Do you remember your child dreams? 

SSWIII:

Yes - i sure do and I’m living them now (one day at a time). Edit: lol, I know it sounds fucking cheesy but it’s true. I couldn’t be any happier.

AB:

What are your next art projects to release?

SSWIII:

I’m working on a new live-stream monthly series where I feature a few music artists knee-deep in the beat scene from my living residency in Los Angeles to all over the world: celebrating self-expression in our own production of music where I’m vj-ing to their streamed sets (live). Some of them will be in real time and some will be pre-recordings (just depends - there’s alot of ways to do it with this new exciting field). The first one will premier on Twitch only for May 23rd following with the official multi-stream being on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook for May 30th.

Aside from that, I’m working on a short film (instrumental music / storytelling type) where I’m creating all the renders for pre-production in Cinema 4D following with production in After-effects and then the post production in Premiere - that one’s a monster and is currently kicking my ass, but I love and appreciate the challenge lol...Hopefully I’ll be done w/ it soon and it can be released so I can check that off as one of my goals for 2020.

AB:

Where should we go to discover your creations?

SSWIII:

All of my socials:

My portfolio website: http://switzonwigfall.com (All of my creations in one place.)

Facebook: http://facebook.com/sswlll (a great place for the family watching me grow into an older-millennial weirdo).

Instagram: http://instagram.com/switzonthegreat (i’m not that great, it just “sounds” great.)

Twitter: http://twitter.com/sswlll (artist rants and everyday art process frames.)

Behance: https://www.behance.net/sswlll

Tumblr: https://switzon.tumblr.com/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sswlll (I’m adapting to it finally...I’m making my niece and nephew proud.)

AB:

Thank you so much for sharing your tim e and creations with us! #youRock

[arenablanca-frenchband]

Interview: SWITZON S. WIGFALL III (1/2)

You know that we like to talk about the original creators of the works we use in our videos. We have used a video loop created by SSWIII in our last music video “Eden”. We are very happy to share his universe with you, and SSWIII kindly accepted to answer our questions.

Arena Blanca:

When I first saw this loop I was blown away by the colours and the textures, mixing old film header, and “something” that seem to be moving in a liquid. 

And all of your VJ work is also stunning. Where do you take your inspiration?

SWITZON S. WIGFALL, III:

First and foremost thank you for the kind words Arena!!! (Means alot). I get my inspiration alot from other graphic designers and visual artists like Beeple, G-munk, Ash Thorp and so many more. Beeple was my mentor for years and after awhile I decided to create my own lane creating everyday art renders in Cinema 4D as well as making visuals and vj-loops from some of them (single render frames). After studying and also being inspired by a slap-ton of youtube tutorials showing you how to model and make these insane abstract renders in Cinema 4D and After-Effects I kind of just pushed the pedal to the floor (full throttle) and created my career from it all (starting at the end of 2013)...

AB:

Your art looks very rhythmic. Is there a link between your work and music?

SSWIII:

Absofuckinglutely. I love all music with a passion and curiosity. I know that sounds fucking bland because “everyone loves music”, but I really love music as a whole (the stories behind making it, the motivation, the historic events going on around a piece of music is being made...all of it). I use music as the driving force of my works. I often listen to a diverse range of music from streams to my own vinyl collection while I work and crank up on creating renders in Cinema 4D, After-Effects and more. 

When it comes to creating vj-loops from my single frames of some of my everydays that I feel can be animated, when I add the music (that I think is a good fit for the animation) I think about the style and aesthetic of it alot. I know this sound a little fucking wierd, but when I listen to music I see colors, shapes and abstract forms alot (“synesthesia”).

AB:

Do you perform as a VJ too?

SSWIII:

Yes - I sure do. Vj-ing is definitely another way for me to express myself not only as a A/V performer being influenced and practicing the art of hip-hop mixing my beats (“beatstrumentals”) together with my visuals (vj-loops/clips) but as an opportunity to experiment different effects and techniques that somehow compliment the mood, feel and aesthetic of the music I’m performing with.

It’s super fun because I can just “be myself” as the performer and do whatever I want at any given time with no rules or expectations from anyone whereas when I make custom visual content for other music artists, dj’s, vj’s, content creators and more I definitely follow the guidelines and creative direction of what they’re looking for with their own creations and performances.

VJ-ing is an incredibly beautiful and powerful artform to also move and inspire the masses with. I take great pride in being a part of that culture also.

Don’t miss part 2 of this interview: https://arenablanca-frenchband.tumblr.com/post/619404872174944256/interview-with-switzon-s-wigfall-iii-22

[arenablanca-frenchband]

Dreampop twinterview with Tupper Lake (2/2)

Part 2 of our twinterview with the instrumental dreampop project Tupper Lake, from Buenos Aires.

Read part 1 here: https://arenablanca-frenchband.tumblr.com/post/618433615270936576/dreampop-twinterview-with-tupper-lake-12

WARNING: This video contains flash images and may potentially trigger  seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is  advised. 

Spanish or english or french ?!!

TL: So, your name is in Spanish, some of your songs in English, and you are a french band… Please explain! :)

AB: We like to keep it mysterious… So please don’t tell anyone that we have picked the name from a thriller of Joseph Hansen! ;-) As we listen to a lot of indie english bands, we tend to sing in english, and this helps foreign people to get a glimpse of the song meaning. But we also love the poetry of our native language.

TL: Your first three releases mix Joy Division basslines with surf rock guitar tones... what were you listening to around the time you recorded those tracks?

AB: This reference to Joy Division is interesting, because we are very passionate about the Manchester music scene. At that time we still did not really know into what directions we were going. What came out of the speakers made us think of raving electronica synths crashing on surf guitars. MiKL is very keen on Joe Meek’s recordings. We both are in love with 60’s garage rock, surf music, The Ventures, and all these small bands you can find on focused compilations.

And of course, a loooooot of shoegaze!

TL: Who's in the band? AB: We consider ourselves as a collective, with a core around MiKL (guitar) and Baliani (bass). We’re open to submissions...

TL: You seem to give aesthetics a lot of importance. How do you manage to merge music and videos so accurately?

AB: Oh thank you so much! It’s true that we love to have a nice packaging around music, so we try our best to make them fit together. Our visuals are created by a very talented female designer: Simpacid. As MiKL writes most of our songs and edits our videos, this may help to keep a unity in the end result.

Songwriting process

TL: Your music's got a lot of production on it, specially your latest tracks. How do you guys normally begin your songwriting process?

AB: We have way too much tracks usually in Garageband! So then we have to throw away some ideas to clear the mix. Music comes first, then it may take a long time before MiKL finds some lyrics. We write a lot of songs, and Baliani acts as a gatekeeper: very few songs fit his taste.

TL:  How could you describe your local indie rock scene, and how do you participate in it?

AB: MiKL is a music activist, he’s been organizing concerts and making fanzines since long. We try to connect as much as possible with other musicians that we dig in our area or in our style, thru social networks. We dig a lot of bands from today’s music scene in Angers, like the dreampop of @theblindsuns , @VedeTT_theband , the shoegazers @lahoulecestcool , the postrock of @BigWoolMusic , the electronic rock of @MATCH_fr and the electronica of @vapa_music , @silent_sisters , @DespresMusic , @KissDoomFate

TL: I've noticed a few different sounds in the songs you guys are about to release... Any changes in your gear that you'd like to mention? 

AB: Sorry to deceive you… it’s always full Garageband. In the beginning we thought it was impossible to make sampled guitars sound right in the computer. We play live with real instruments, we don’t try to reproduce the studio sound, we’re more into trying to make it as a noisy trio. Now that we’ve learnt how to make the DAW fuzz and feedback, it’s hard for us to get such a raw sound in rehearsal!

Making plans for Nigel!

TL: What are your plans for the future?

AB: We’re making plans for Nigel!...expect lots of fuzz and dreamy synths and videos in 2020!

Here is a secret preview link for one of these secret releases to come:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1cNUIXJRGoDzGq5oMnSM9K8b2tdXF9-le

More

Web: https://linktr.ee/_arena_blanca

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/_arena_blanca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arenablanca.band/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_arena_blanca

Bandcamp: https://arenablanca.bandcamp.com/releases

[arenablanca-frenchband]

Indietronica twinterview with Blisstonia (2/2)

This is the second part of the twinterview with Blisstonia, an electronic shoegaze project from Hawaï.

Read part 1 here: https://arenablanca-frenchband.tumblr.com/post/617234216689795072/shoegaze-twinterview-with-blisstonia-12

Blisstonia : Hello! First of all, could you please tell me your names and what instrument everyone plays?

Arena Blanca : Arena Blanca is a collective with different people. At now, Aishy (drums) and Baliani (bass) ar not active in the collective, but MiKL (guitar, voice) is still active and prepares the next releases. The 3 of us are friends, and keep seing each other from time to time. 

Blisstonia : How long have you been playing as Arena Blanca? Was the idea to make a band that plays dreamy indie music or did that happen naturally?

Arena Blanca : The band formed for a concert where many local bands made covers of The Beatles. Our proposals already mixed synths and guitars, but it took several months before we find our identity. The more we go, the more our guitars are growling. Our formula is : ⅓ nugaze synth bass + ⅓ surf guitars + ⅓ pop drums !

Blisstonia : How do you go about writing and recording a song? Is it strictly collaborative or does someone usually take the lead?

Arena Blanca : For now MiKL has made all of our songs and music in GarageBand. But Aishy likes to play with Fruity Loops, and Baliani has several ideas from his Roland Groovebox, that you may ear in some next releases.

Then the song gets played in rehearsal, where each one plays his part the way he wants. That may influence the final recorded version. Baliani has a huge influence on the songs that are chosen for release. He is very hard to please in music, a true Melomane. A song must have passed Aishy and Baliani approval before it goes public.

Blisstonia : I love that music can be enjoyed by all despite any language barriers. However, I am not fluent in French so can you talk about any themes or ideas you bring to your lyrics? 

Arena Blanca : Most our songs mix french and english. That’s because MiKL works in an international context, and we all listen mostly to english speaking music. And also, we want that everybody can understand at least the main theme of most of our songs. We say that we make “pop for consenting adults”. Life as a couple is a recurrent theme in MiKL’s lyrics. He talks about how hard it is to keep a long duration relationship, some nice moments of intimacy, and of course sex, in a poetic manner. Since his very young age he preferred the company of girls, calm games and activities like reading. Some songs talk about his fascination for surfers, some are more about society. We try to find what is universal in a private life. Some songs still seem quite coded, as MiKL likes to write so that one can find 2 or sometimes 3 different meanings. So It’s up to each listener to choose the meaning he wants to understand.

Indietronica + Shoegaze + Surf music

Blisstonia : Your track Slightly Sleepy is a beautiful mix of electronic and dream pop. In other songs I can hear a nice blend of surf elements as well. Can you tell me about your musical influences and how they all find space within your music? 

Arena Blanca : MiKL and Baliani share a passion for garage rock and surf music, with artists like The Ventures. They met at a party where MiKL was deejaying 60’s rock’n’roll. They both have lived the first wave of shoegaze when teenagers, listening to the House of Love, Curve. Later they partied on electronica like The Chemical Brothers, Air, Ladytron. Aishy is much younger and likes U2 and Muse, as much as today’s urban pop.

https://soundcloud.com/arena_blanca/derby-grrls

Blisstonia : What sorts of things inspire you to create? Is it strictly music or are there films, art, or just life in general that inspires creativity? 

Arena Blanca : Baliani has published some novels @imaJnere and has a weekly radio show about books. 

Aishy has made a trip to japan and released several expositions of his cyberpunk photographs. He is also quite praised as a video director. Go discover his work on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aishymata/

Blisstonia : If you could pick any band or artist to collaborate with, who would it be? 

Arena Blanca : MiKL likes to collaborate with painters and other artists. He has contributed with some ambient installations, mostly with Elisabeth Wood Morgan. We have a song that should be a duo with a female artist, but we have taken no contact at now. 

Blisstonia : I’m always curious behind the reasons bands pick their names. Why have you chosen the name Arena Blanca for your group?

Arena Blanca : Keep it a secret. MiKL has picked the name from a book from Joseph Hansen. We liked the fact that this is also the name of several beaches in the world, so it can seem related to our fascination for surf and sports alike.

Blisstonia :  Are there any upcoming 2020 releases you are looking forward to? Music or movies!

Arena Blanca : We are preparing some music videos to be released in 2020, and a record by 2021.

Blisstonia : I understand that you have some new music that you plan on releasing soon. Do you have a timeframe and a release plan? What else can you tell me about it? 

Arena Blanca : Our next music video is called “Eden”, it melts noisy guitars, dreamy synths and punchy drums. You can dance and dream to it.

WARNING: This video contains flash images and may potentially trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised. 

More

Web: https://linktr.ee/_arena_blanca

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/_arena_blanca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arenablanca.band/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_arena_blanca

Bandcamp: https://arenablanca.bandcamp.com/releases

[arenablanca-frenchband]

Dreampop twinterview with Tupper Lake (1/2)

Memes and Shoegaze

Arena Blanca : Your Twitter bio says : “Memes and shoegaze. in this order”. You funny boy! ;-)

Tupper Lake : Hahaha yeah gotta love them memes!

Arena Blanca : How did you come to music ? What was your first instrument ?

Tupper Lake : My mom and one of my cousins were both really into music so at some point I just got into it too. My dad taught me how to whistle when I was seven, and then I picked up the guitar when I was fifteen.

I met the guys from Slowdive after their killer show in Buenos Aires in 2017… In fact it was Christian Saville who told me I should get a reverb pedal! Super cool people, all of them. I also had a few words with Brian Eno during an inspiring conference he gave in BA in 2016.

“Slowdive’s Christian Saville told me I should get a reverb pedal!”

Arena Blanca : What are your influences ?

Tupper Lake : Someone once told me I sound like Mazzy Star meets The Smiths… Not quite sure I do, but those are two of my favorite bands so I guess there’s something to it!

Arena Blanca : You have influences in pop music, but your music is more complex, it’s nearly jazz, but still dreampop. How many are you in your head? ;-)

Tupper Lake : You can be as many as you want if you have a looper pedal! And I happen to have one :)

Arena Blanca : Your tracks have no name, just numbers. Did you lack inspiration for the naming? ;-)

Tupper Lake : Yeah, I didn’t really know what to name them... And it’s not that the lyrics could have given me a hint either!

Arena Blanca : How and where was this EP recorded ?

Tupper Lake : A friend of a friend was in charge of the recording. I used to go to his place on Saturdays and we’d spend three or four hours recording each time.

Gear and guitar pedals

Arena Blanca : What is your setup for playing and recording ? What guitar pedals do you use ?

Tupper Lake : I used a Korg tuner, Boss CS3, Boss DD7, and MBS Hummingverb for the Tupper Lake EP, all through a clean Vox AC15 amp. The tuner and the compressor are gone now, and I’ve recently added a Boss SD1, a Cluster Heaven and Hell, a Boss RC3, and a Dedalo Tres. My main axe is my good old Squier Stratocaster.

Arena Blanca : Stratocaster rules! What gear do you dream to get ?

Tupper Lake : I’m pretty happy with my pedalboard right now, but I would looooove to get my hands on a Walrus Audio Slö! It just sounds amazing.

#TupperLife

Arena Blanca : What does #tupperlife look like?

Tupper Lake : It’s got quite some reverb and I’m not turning it down anytime soon.

Arena Blanca : Do you have new songs coming?

Tupper Lake : Yeah! Tracks II and IV are part of a series of ten songs that I’ve demoed. I’ve also been writing a lot of folk music for another project of mine, so stay tuned!

Free dowload codes for all!

Arena Blanca : What question do you wish to get asked ?

Tupper Lake : “Can I please have a download code for your EP?” Sure thing! Just RT :)

More

Stream and buy: https://tupperlake.bandcamp.com/releases

Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TupperLakeMusic/

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tuppergaze

Stream on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fReEmY47jAo

-> Read part 2 of this twinterview here: https://arenablanca-frenchband.tumblr.com/post/618589498505412608/dreampop-twinterview-with-tupper-lake-22

[arenablanca-frenchband]

Recherches visuelles par la talentueuse @simpacid pour nos prochaines sorties. (à Lyon, Rhône-Alpes, France) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAS17ZtKLKx/?igshid=15htwlhc0vpm1

[arenablanca-frenchband]

Le webzine Litzic chronique notre nouveau clip "Eden" : "Arena Blanca s’oriente vers un shoegaze électronique réjouissant. Les guitares y sont pénétrantes, tout comme cette rythmique qui sonne comme un mantra et qui nous met aisément en transe (écoutez Eden à fort volume sonore, vous ne pourrez que constater la chose)." (à Nantes, France) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAOFCwWqX1Q/?igshid=1oozw45x5c3ae

[arenablanca-frenchband]

"Tout de toi” dans les médias

Nous avons fait peu de promotion autour de ce premier clip.

“Tout de toi” a cependant reçu un soutien important de la part des médias auxquels nous l’avons présenté.

Strawberry tongue radio

https://www.strawberrytongue.com/video-arena-blanca-tout-de-toi/

End of the week show - Sheppey FM

Phil C a diffusé à plusieurs reprises plusieurs de nos morceaux dans son émission de radio :

https://www.facebook.com/EndoftheWeekShow/

https://sheppeyfm.org.uk/radio-show/end-of-the-week-show/

replay: https://www.mixcloud.com/phil-c-sheppey-fm/

[arenablanca-frenchband]

Shoegaze twinterview with Blisstonia 1/2

Arena Blanca : Is there a shoegaze/dreampop scene in Hawaii, or do you feel like you’re the only shoegazer on the island ?

Blisstonia : I’m not very connected with any scene or other shoegazers in Hawaii though they may be out there. The guitarists I have talked to here don’t even know what shoegaze is! 

Arena Blanca : Is Blisstonia a band or a solo project ?

Blisstonia : Blisstonia is just me right now. I play and record all parts, as well as the mixing and mastering.

Arena Blanca : Why ?

Blisstonia :I like to create each separate part and construct how everything fits together as one. I also love to get deep into the whole recording process. 

Arena Blanca : How did you come to music ? What was your first instrument ?

Blisstonia : When I was 15 I received my first electric guitar. At the time I was interested in different sorts of music like heavy metal and industrial rock. I also liked ambient electronic music which then led me to experimenting with synthesizers. My first recordings were ambient soundscapes with bits of guitar. I drifted towards different genres through the years; Electronic, acoustic guitar, orchestral film scores, and finally this Blisstonia project.

Arena Blanca : This album, “Hidden”, sounds as one very coherent piece. Was it your intention to produce such a cohesive record, or did it come during the creative process?

Blisstonia : It wasn’t my intention at first. I didn’t know I was making an album at the time I made these songs. Though I did have a single goal for each song. I think our potential range of emotion is vast, and some feelings we experience for the first time may come through new music. Finding these new, yet to be experienced emotions was my goal. Creating something new that I had not experienced before. 

Arena Blanca : What are your influences ?

Blisstonia : My biggest influence is the Smashing Pumpkins. They have been my favorite band since I was young. There are lots of soft ethereal moments in their songs I have always been attracted to. That's the kind of music I hope to make. I listen to bands like Cemeteries, DIIV, the Daysleepers, Deftones, Interpol, Glass Vaults, and Pacific UV amongst many others. 

Arena Blanca : Your music, with large sound waves and echo (“Waves”…), reminds me of Brain Eno works. Is it one of your influences ?

Blisstonia : I’m actually not familiar with Brian Eno’s work unfortunately. There are artists I know I am missing out on that I need to explore further! 

Arena Blanca : (if yes) Do you practice Oblique Strategies (the game card made popular by Eno, that helps foster creativity : https://www.oblique-strategies.com/ - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblique_Strategies )

Blisstonia : I have not tried this but this sounds really interesting and I will explore this!

Arena Blanca : How and where was this album recorded ?

Blisstonia : All of this album was recorded in my home studio.

Over the years I have collected enough gear to create a small home studio where I record everything. I often record several songs at once, moving back and forth between ideas. I mostly start with guitar chords I find interesting, and then build progressions while adding bass and drums. Lyrics are always last and are constantly changed till the last minute. 

Arena Blanca : What is your setup for playing and recording ? What guitar pedals do you use ? 

Blisstonia : I mainly play Fender Jaguar and Jazzmaster guitars but sometimes I play a Gibson Les Paul. For bass I play a bass vi. 

When I record, I skip micing a real amp and just play through a Line 6 Pod amp simulator. It’s easier and I get better results this way. 

I use the Eventide Eclipse unit for guitar effects, in addition to their Space and H9 pedals. If I could only have one pedal it would be the Eventide Space. 

As far as synthesizers go, I use mostly hardware analog keys and some software synths.

I then program drums and record everything into my computer using Logic X Pro.   

Arena Blanca : What gear do you dream to get ?

Blisstonia : I am currently waiting for the new Hologram Electronics pedal called the Microcosm to be released. It’s such a  bizarre pedal that makes sounds I have never heard before. I’m really excited to see how I can use it for new music. Besides that, the holy grail of effects would be the Eventide H9000, but that is unattainable at $7,000! I can still dream. . .

Arena Blanca : Your album has been promoted by shoegazer alive (https://shoegazeralive9.blogspot.com/2019/11/blisstonia-hidden-2019.html )

and WLWH (https://whitelight-whiteheat.com/new-music/wl-wh-weekly-shoegaze-dreampop-psychedelic-indie-tips-46-19/ ). How was this album welcomed in the other media? 

Blisstonia : I was honestly quite surprised and pleased to see that people enjoyed it and that DKFM shoegaze radio was playing it! I initially had no plans to release my music on Bandcamp or Spotify but a very supportive friend has been encouraging me. I didn't have any expectations so the response I have been getting is really nice.

Arena Blanca : Do you plan to promote this album further? By touring? New music videos ?

Blisstonia : I would love to do videos that accompany each song. It’s something I have thought about for a while, but I haven’t figured out the best way to do it yet. Trying to promote my music is a strange thing for me. It’s necessary if you want to share, but I’m not very comfortable with it yet. 

Arena Blanca : Do you have new songs coming?

Blisstonia : I do have maybe 4 or 5 songs that I have been working on. I’d like to make a full album this time. I can’t really say when everything will be finished though. I tend to be a perfectionist and since I take on each step of the process it may take some time. 

Arena Blanca : When one thinks of Hawaii, it’s impossible not to think about surfing ! Do you practice surfing?

Blisstonia : I really wish I could! I love going to the beach and swimming but I’m afraid I’ve not been brave enough to try surfing yet. I do play the ukulele though! 

More

Listen and download : https://blisstonia1.bandcamp.com/releases

Follow and stream: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ILdwZtPM4ejZT1kbQdeyj?si=7dJuLLsRQO2wzQzO0taSIg

Follow :

https://twitter.com/Blisstonia1

https://www.instagram.com/blisstoniamusic/

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOlx9rVY4RzGOf8mIx7hasFt-UcR8LAO4

-> Discover part 2 of this twinterview here: https://arenablanca-frenchband.tumblr.com/post/618498906453655552/indietronica-twinterview-with-blisstonia-22

[arenablanca-frenchband]

"Eden" is our new music video.

We hope you will enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it. In the next weeks we are gonna show the awesome work of the female creators that contributed to it.

From France with love.

[arenablanca-frenchband]

Eden music video: Making Of

The lyrics of this song are about a perfect moment. When you live it you feel so happy about your life.

“Diana” from Mae Mann

As the chorus is about the garden where this scene takes place, my first searches turned around the word « garden ». I felt lucky to found a large set of scenes in a park by Mae Mann (MVVN) on Videezy. All scenes with the same model « Diana », in a very « zen » mood. Then these scenes drove the editing of the video.

https://www.maeganmann.com/

“Sweet wreck” by Switzon S. Wigfall III

I wanted rhythm for the intro, so Diana walking scenes were perfect. But how could I transcript the short ambiant noisy guitar break to the screen (at 00:35)?

I ran a search for grungy, scratchy, experiments with cinema film. Switzon S. Wigfall III offers an exceptional loop on Vimeo, called « sweet wreck ». The velvet tones and the rhythm of this loop fits perfectly in this context. More surprising, the contrast of this loop’s tone with the tone of Mae Mann’s footages needed no additional transition to work in the context of this song.

http://www.switzonwigfall.com/

Books and stars

The movie had it’s intro and a general « tone » that reflected perfectly the contrast of noise and dreamy ambient music of the track.

The first part of the song was then filled with various scenes of Diana, contrasting movement and standby attitudes. The editing follows the bass pattern. that leads to an unusual edit with surprising long rolls. Mae Mann’s camera movements follows the structure of the bass line with no necessity to change the angle of vue.

Since child, I was, and still am, passionate with stars, astronomy, space conquest and sci-fi. So the scenes with Diana reading a book about stars, expressed perfectly my own passions. Then this model became an alter ego, expressing my creative part. I could easily identify myself, with the scenes of loneliness, the dreamy and moody expressions of the model. As a child I spent countless hours reading books, writing poems, beginning to write novels and imagine their characters.  

“Floating soap bubble” from Beachfront

For the long break at 01:10, I wanted to express imagination and creation. Bubbles should be a perfect metaphor. Out of the b-roll I collected, Beachfront’s one appeared to be the most beautiful and relevant. Mae Mann’s shooting has a lot of depth, so it was easy to find a scene that offers a blurry transition to the tree bohke of Beachfront’s bubble scene.

http://www.beachfrontbroll.com/

Playing with bubble

This floating bubble just lacked a little bit of action. It came naturally to make Diana play with the bubble. Once again, the variety of footages offered by Mae Mann, and the variety of positions and expressions of the model, made it easy to marry these b-rolls from different origins.

Interacting with “Diana”

After this second break, we keep following the model reading another book, in the park. I like to edit the rolls so that it looks like the characters are interacting with the soundtrack. Either moving lips as if they were singing, or having expressions as if they were reacting to the lyrics. Before this second break, the model sometimes look like she is actively listening and reacting to the narrator. The interaction changes after this break, so that when Diana speeches it’s the narrator that seems read her mind and finish her sentence with her while she’s reading Mary Oliver’s « Blue Pasture ».

“Infinite zoom” from StefWithAnF

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxmyFifMH4w

During my footage researches, I found the impressive work of Stefania Buzatu (StefWithAnF) on Pixabay. Her series « infinite zoom" builds incredibly rich worlds out psychedelic collages. I heavily edited her work with copy - paste of Diana to make a sense of unity in the story. I used another scene with Diana walking in the park, and treated as a loop, to add a sense of rhythm. I often went heavy on the colors of this loop too, figuring it a the color of dreams and imagination.

https://www.instagram.com/stef.with.f/

“A trip to Jupiter” from Segundo De Chomon

As Diana lays down on the grass and opens the book, our imagination leads us to many intricate universes. Finally, we go on a funny trip in space, reminiscent of the book about stars that Diana reads in the beginning of the video.

Once again, my passion for old movies lead me to make the story end with public domain movies found on archive.org. While Georges Melies is world famous, the audience has forgotten another pioneer of the 5th art, Segundo de Chomon. As I was looking for stars and space short scenes, I discovered « A trip to Jupiter » aside the famous « trip to the moon » of Melies. Air has already revived the chef d’oeuvre of Melies, and Apollo 11 images are everywhere. I decided to pay hommage to the work of this magician. Just as in Segundo the Chomon original work, the space trip ends after Saturn’s scissors cut the rope.

Discover these creators

I invite you to have a look by yourself at the fantastic work of these directors in their original movies :

http://www.switzonwigfall.com/

https://www.maeganmann.com/

http://www.beachfrontbroll.com/

https://www.instagram.com/stef.with.f/