”My Machines” is available as a 12″ colored vinyl single via Warp Records; the printing is extremely limited due to the recent Sony DADC warehouse fire in the U.K. The track—off of the band’s critically acclaimed sophomore record Gloss Drop (available now via Warp Records)—has been hailed by SPIN as ”a triumphant moment, an experimental outburst both ingenious and accessible.” Numan notes that ”working with Battles was an easy choice for me. They have a unique approach to making music and a clear idea of what they want. They are inventive, adventurous, unpredictable and I’m proud to be involved.”
Gloss Drop has received praise from the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, New York Magazine, Washington Post, and Pitchfork, among many others. NPR’s ”Fresh Air” called the record ”one of the oldest fascinations of rock n’ roll: You don’t quite know what it is, but you like it,” while Filter proclaimed the record ”…as delightfully fucked up as it is musically seamless.” USA Today posited, ”This shrewd and vigorous follow up to 2007 debut Mirrored finds Battles winning the war against convention.” Upon the album’s release the band performed ”Futura” on ”Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” which prompted ?uestlove to hail the band saying, ”They’re a living car chase scene from an updated ”Streets of San Francisco” sequel. Yikes!” The group is set to embark on an extensive tour this fall, see below for a list of confirmed dates.
In addition to Numan the three-piece outfit collaborates with guest vocalists on the record including Chilean-born Kompakt minimal techno producer Matias Aguayo, cult indie rocker Kazu Makino of Blonde Redhead and Yamantaka Eye, the messianic dreadlocked front man of Japanese cosmiche future beat unit, the Boredoms.
Battles came together in New York in 2002 drawing together disparate strands of hardcore, avant-garde tonal minimalism, neo-classical, techno and post rock featuring drummer John Stanier (Helmet), guitarists Ian Williams (Don Caballero) and Dave Konopka (Lynx) and Tyondai Braxton. After a string of EPs, the group signed to Warp and released their debut Mirrored in 2007. Recorded during the winter of 2009 at Machines with Magnets studio in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Gloss Drop was initially recorded with Braxton but he later departed. With completely reworked tracks minus Braxton, Battles offers Gloss Drop.
Launched in 2010 by Vice and Intel, The Creators Project is an ongoing global initiative dedicated to supporting artists in realizing their creative visions through technology. The project includes an online community, a content creation studio, and a global event series. The project unites a vast collection of artists, designers, musicians, and filmmakers who are using technology to push the bounds of creative expression. To date, there are more than 150 Creators involved, hailing mostly from seven countries (United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Brazil, South Korea and China) along with other artists from around the world.
BATTLES TOUR DATES
October 1 Asbury Park, NJ All Tomorrow’s Parties
October 2 Boston, MA Royale Nightclub
October 3 Montreal, QC Le National
October 4 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre
October 5 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
October 6 Pittsburgh, PA VIA Festival
October 7 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
October 8 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line Music CafÁ©
October 10 Edmonton, AB Starlite Room
October 12 Seattle, WA Neptune
October 13 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
October 15 San Francisco, CA Treasure Island Festival
October 16 Pomona, CA Glasshouse
October 17 Los Angeles, CA Mayan Theater
October 18 Scottsdale, AZ The Venue
October 20 Houston, TX Fitzgerald’s
October 21 Austin, TX Emo’s
October 22 Dallas, TX Grenada
October 24 Nashville, TN Exit In
October 25 Birmingham, AL Work/Play
October 26 Tampa, FL Crowbar
October 27 Miami, FL Grand Central
October 28 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
October 29 Ashevill;e, NC Moogfest
October 30 Washington, D.C. 9:30 Club
October 31 Philadelphia, PA Theater of the Living Arts
November 1 New York, NY Webster Hall
Related articles
- VIDEO: Numan: ‘My wife does my make-up’ (bbc.co.uk)
- Battles: ‘Our music is supposed to be fun’ (guardian.co.uk)
- Video: Gary Numan morphing through 30 years of God-like electro punk (davidjrodger.wordpress.com)
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