Canadian turntablist Kid Koala has formed a new musical project called the Slew with guitarist Dylan “Dynomite D” Frombach and Led Zeppelin copycat Wolfmother’s former rhythm section (Chris Ross and Myles Heskett). This isn’t the first time Kid Koala has dabbled with live instrumentation — knowledgeable heads will recall that he toured with Bullfrog several years ago, and the collaboration even yielded an album, 2001’s Bullfrog.
The Slew has completed a disc of material called 100%. For now, it will only be sold during a short tour that kicks off in Kid Koala’s native Vancouver next month. While I expect to see an retail release in the future (much like DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist’s Hard Sell mix), given the haphazard nature of the music industry nowadays I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s only a tour item, so it’s best if you buy one at one of the concerts.
However, you can be sure that Mr. Scratchratchatch will put on an amazing show. Catch him if you can. Jump to the bottom of the post for the itinerary, the 100% tracklisting and some teaser tracks. (September 15 update: You can download the album for free at Kid Koala’s website.)
Here’s some explanation from the bio:
A couple of years back Eric San (aka Kid Koala) and Dylan J. Frombach (aka Dynomite D) were approached to soundtrack a new documentary feature film that was in production. Koala was already well known for his uncanny turntable manipulation, whilst Dylan had remixed Money Mark and collaborated with the Beastie Boys, amongst others. The duo worked for a long time on the psych rock-influenced score, only for the filming to collapse and any release to be canned. Although the film may never see the light of day, its music is about to be brought to life on stage.
Recently Koala & Dylan met the former rhythm section of Grammy Award-winning Australian rock band Wolfmother and began telling them all about the film and its lost music. Chris Ross and Myles Heskett loved the clips and urged that the material had to be heard; subsequently Kid Koala and the guys decided to put a show on the road.
After intensive rehearsals the show is now ready to go. Featuring drums, bass/keys and the DJs working across a truly excessive six turntables, the set is seventy minutes of raw guitar cuts and heavy beats. We can guarantee that you will never have heard anything quite like this and also that you are unlikely to again. It’s a one-off tour, so when it stops in your town you’ll either be there or will have missed it forever.
Here’s the track listing for 100%:
- 1. “100%”
- 2. “It’s All Over”
- 3. “Problem Child”
- 4. “You Turn Me Cold”
- 5. “Wrong Side Of The Tracks”
- 6. “Robbing Banks, Doin’ Time”
- 7. “The Grinder”
- 8. “Shackled Soul”
- 9. “Southeast Soliloquy”
- 10. “Battle Of Heaven & Hell”
Here’s the itinerary:
- 9/23: Commodore, Vancouver, BC
- 9/24: Nectar Lounge, Seattle, WA
- 9/25: The Independent, San Francisco, CA
- 9/26: Detroit Bar, Costa Mesa, CA
- 9/27: Key Club, Los Angeles, CA
- 9/30: Williamsburg Music Hall, Brooklyn, NY
- 10/01: Great Scott, Boston, MA
- 10/02: La Tulipe, Montreal, QC
- 10/03: Lee’s Palace, Toronto, ON
- 10/04: Abbey Pub, Chicago, IL
9/23-9/25, 9/27-10/04: w/The Slew
Download: The Slew, “It’s All Over”
Download: The Slew, “You Turn Me Cold”
