Blues Control is Lea Cho and Russ Waterhouse - a keyboard, guitar, and tape music duo.

After two years of making new age music as Watersports, Russ and Lea played their first Blues Control show in 2006. They have since toured in North America, the UK, Japan, and Europe; playing galleries, living rooms, museums, discos, and DIY venues. They've opened for Animal Collective, Cluster, and Henry Flynt; written and performed an alternate soundtrack to Lewis Klahr's Five O'Clock Worlds; played for third graders in Oakland; and were the inspiration for Octavius Neveaux's 2009 solo painting exhibition at Cinders Gallery.

After several cassette releases, in 2007 Blues Control put out their first two full-length records: Puff (Woodsist/Fusetron) and Blues Control (Holy Mountain), and in 2008 they put out a 7" of holiday music as part of Sub Pop's Singles Club. In the summer of 2009 they released their third record, Local Flavor (Siltbreeze), which featured contributions from Kurt Vile, and placed high on many critics' year-end lists.

Blues Control are currently working on a collaborative record with Laraaji for RVNG Intl, and a new full-length record.

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Soft Circle consists of one member, Hisham Akira Bharoocha. Bharoocha has played in such groups as Lightning Bolt and Black Dice, and is also an accomplished visual artist and photographer. Soft Circle is his first solo music project. Soft Circle's goal is to create pure sonic vibrations that come from within. He has one album, entitled 'Full Bloom' that was released in 2007 on Eastern Developments. Bharoocha is also a member of Pixeltan, "life metal" band Colossal Caverns, and acoustic trance trio USUN.

See www.myspace.com/softcircle for further info and updates.


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http://twitter.com/psychobldgs
http://www.psychobuildings.com


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There is more than one artist with this name:

1) HIGHLIFE is the moniker ofLlondon born Sleepy Doug Shaw.
2) A punk hardcore band from Texas.

1) HIGHLIFE is the moniker of London born Sleepy Doug Shaw.

Sleepy Doug Shaw moved to NYC in 2003 at the age of 19 and began playing shows around the city. He formed among natives later that year with Hisham Haroocha (Black Dice/Soft Circle) and Abby Portner (Rings) before joining the band White Magic in 2005.

Shaw adopted the Highlife moniker in late 2007 in an attempy to "imbue a feeling of rejoicing and high consciousness", while also giving a nod to the genre of african music 'Highlife', which has greatly influenced his guitar style.

In 2008 Shaw relocated to the small island of Gaspar Grande off the coast of Trinidad with Mira Billotte of White Magic to begin working on the first batch of songs to be released under the Highlife moniker with a portable recording setup.

In late 2008, Shaw again relocated to his hometown of London England, utilizing Harvey Birrel at Southern Studios (Crass, Sir Richard Bishop, Buzzcocks) to continue work on the songs. Shaw also brought in Tim Koh (Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffitti) and Jesse Lee (Gang Gang Dance) to provide bass and drums to the recordings.

In early 2009 Shaw self released F Kenya RIP via the Internet. The track garnered glowing praise from Pitchfork, Gorillia Vs Bear, Spin Magazine, NME, BBC and Hipster runoff. It also appeared on a number of Best of 2009 lists. Highlife began playing live in the UK, eventually touring the UK and Europe with Animal Collective, Hack and a Hacksaw and Ariel Pink.

In the summer of 2009 Highlife relocated again back to NYC and began working with the NYC indie label The Social Registry. Highlife began playing shows in NYC making multiple appearances at the 2009 CMJ music festival including a slot on an event organized by Pitchfork Media. Shaw finished his first record, a five song mini album titled "Best Bless" in late 2009

In 2010 Highlife began the year with an East Coast tour with Gang Gang Dance. In June of 2010 The Social Registry began readying 'Best Bless' for release, setting a September 2010 release. Highlife continues to perform in NYC while Shaw continues to be a member of White Magic and often plays bass in Gang Gang Dance.

More information:
http://www.myspace.com/highlifehighlife

2) Highlife is a punk hardcore band from Texas who has released a demo tape in 2008 & a 7inch for Cowabunga! Records in 2009. An upcoming LP was set for release in the spring of 2010.

More information can be found here: http://www.myspace.com/highlifetx







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Gang Gang Dance is a music group based in New York City, signed to the the 4AD record label. Members were previously seen in Washington DC's The Cranium, NYC's Angel Blood, Actress, and Ssab Songs (with Harmony Korine). The group has become well known within the New York experimental/art scene for its distinctive sound that draws equally from African rhythms, Middle eastern dance music, industrial, noise, grime and other genres.

While Gang Gang Dance is generally associated with fellow space cases (Animal Collective, Black Dice), their sound is wholly unique. While their earlier sound was much more chaotic and sprawling, the latest material is a combination of skewed pop music with the unpredictability of experimental/noise performances. The eerie female vocals are reminiscent at times of an airy Kate Bush, trapped in a deep well with no one to sing to. The band belts out Arabian synth lines mixed with delayed out shimmer guitar, over dark poly-rhythms. Their beat heavy weird tribal-noise appeals to fans of all flavors of marginal and/or left centered pop music. And yes, you can dance to it.

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