LE1F, Empress Of, Porches., Kirin J Callinan, Deradoorian

In a world full of rappers claiming to be one of a kind, Le1f (born Khalif Diouf) is a real deal original, a fascinatingly complicated personality full of seeming contractions. He's a Manhattan native who studied ballet and modern dance, and eventually earned a degree in dance from Wesleyan before returning to the city to become a rapper. He's an out and proud gay MC whose style is rooted in Tunnel bangers from a less socially enlightened era of hip-hop. He's a producer who's responsible for the beat behind Das Racist's "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell", a fashion icon promoting a "hoodrat Tumblr aesthetic," and Internet personality on a transcendental quest to become a living digital avatar. "The fabric of my life is a sexy fucking textile," he brags on "Yup," from his debut mixtape, Dark York, and obviously that's no joke.

Le1f has one foot in the glossy Bling Era rap hits that he came to age on and one foot in the downtown electronic scene where he developed as an artist, and Dark York is true to both sides of his heritage. The beats (by Le1f, Nguzunguzu, Matt Shadetek, and what Le1f refers to as "Soundcloud guys and Internet friends") refuse to settle into easy categories like "rap" or "dance," and Le1f's muscular, hyperarticulate flow handily disposes of any misconceptions that he's anything less than than a legitimate rapper.

Since its release in April on Heems from Das Racist's Greedhead Music imprint, Dark York, and its addictively giddy, 5kinAndBone5-produced lead single "Wut," has made Le1f a media darling. The Fader, Spin, Pitchfork, Gawker, and a horde of tastemaking blogs have held him up as an example of the direction hip-hop's evolving towards. Even more recently the video for "Wut," which prominently showcases Le1f's prodigious twerking skills, went viral, which indicates that there might be a much bigger audience for his entire artistic package than even his most ardent fans might have suspected. The cool thing about this story is that since we've never heard it before we don't know how it's going to end.


Songs and Sounds by Lorely Rodriguez.


dark damp curtains
dark dam p curtains

http://hopscotchmusicfest.com/artist/porches.


KIRIN J CALLINAN has his own theory that the three great Australian bands, the Mt. Rushmore of Oz if you will, all have a criminal aspect to them: AC/DC = gang of outcasts raising hell, INXS = sexual deviancy, lasciviousness, and Nick Cave = murderous poet. Kirin has elements of all three, and in time, he will be the fourth face on that rock.

July 2, 2013 will mark the release of Kirin J Callinan's debut solo LP EMBRACISM, via Siberia Records/Terrible Records in partnership with XL Recordings.

A guitarist, singer, songwriter & solo performer born in Australia, Callinan is a child of the 1980's, who excels at haunting compositions and wild guitar playing. He is known for his confrontational live performances, which are always shirtless, brilliant, and rich with some combination of guitar hero antics, musical theater, stand-up comedy, primal emotion, punk sensibility, awkward silences and ugly realism. He is a performer by nature, very charismatic, and very unafraid to bare his soul.

"The Australian Kirin J Callinan took Glasslands' stage by himself, which is all he really needed to then take most of the room….Callinan's voice is tuneful and halting — psychobilly-redolent stuff with an operatic air. Callinan's persona frames a nervy, curdling yet endearing charisma you can't take your eyes from and makes you laugh and yet you probably wouldn't let your young ones near….The music was rarely conventional, mostly experimental, like Scott Walker with a thing for stomp boxes and Lux Interior and Nick Cave." Read a review from STEREOGUM after they attended an early show of Kirin's last October in New York during CMJ.

Embracism's title track was released to the public in April of 2013, and served as an audacious mission statement. The album itself is an incredibly ambitious and varied work that traverses many styles, touching on such themes as masculinity, death, war, patriotism, infidelity and loss, at points jarring and dissonant, at others subdued and positively melodic, while remaining pensive and vulnerable throughout. Embracism was produced by Kim Moyes (The Presets) at his home studio in Sydney and mixed by Chris Taylor (CANT, Grizzly Bear).

KIRIN J CALLINAN previously cut his teeth as a guitarist, most notably playing in bands (Mercy Arms, Jack Ladder) amongst numerous collaborations. Embracism is his debut full-length release as a solo artist.
Terrible Records was started by Ethan Silverman and Chris Taylor. This release, in partnership with XL Recordings, follows previous releases from Twin Shadow, Kindness and Solange.

Siberia Records is Kirin's Australian and New Zealand home, originally started by the Midnight Juggernauts to release their own music worldwide, now releasing a new wave of Australian subversive groundswells and popular consciousness.

For more information please contact:
Sonya Kolowrat: [email protected]
Catherine Herrick: [email protected]


You're familiar with Angel Deradoorian's voice. As the former bassist, keyboardist and vocalist for Dirty Projectors, her levitating vocals buoyed the Brooklyn-based group. She's been a member of Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks, sang on Flying Lotus' "Siren Song," and has collaborated with Vampire Weekend, Bjork, Matmos, the Roots, et al.

Her first song collection, 2009's Mind Raft EP elicited praise from Pitchfork for being "passionate and lovingly crafted." The Fader hailed her "zen weed energy" and "moody dervish spirals." Her debut LP, The Expanding Flower Planet reflects a remarkable creative journey.

Others imitate the past and others divine inspiration and transmit it elsewhere. Deradoorian embodies the latter idea, synthesizing faint hints of Alice Coltrane and Can, Terry Riley, and Dorothy Ashby. A new world springs from ancient traditions—with East Indian, Middle Eastern, traditional Japanese music and Native American rhythms aligned with Deradoorian's singular orbit. The songs glide through a odyssey of self-exploration—glowing and warping, burning brightly and floating gracefully, permanently transcending.