A video taster from our triplet of guests this Saturday at the Mister – Archie Pelago (courtesy of Sonic Router)
Author: Eamon Harkin
re:ECM & Retromania
I’m a huge fan of Simon Reynolds‘ writing on music and popular culture. Rip It Up and Start Again and Energy Flash are definitive accounts of the emergence and development of the post punk and rave scenes. Each book does a superb job of highlighting the socioeconomic backdrop for these exciting new musical forms in turn helping the reader understand and appreciate the music for what it was really all about. So it was with a dash of despondency that I came to the end of his most recent book Retromania. The disappointment didn’t come from the quality of the writing, which was as brilliant as always, nor the quality of the argument, which was considered and on point, but rather the conclusion which the book leaves you with. That message in a nut shell is that modern music has run its course, and that in the last 15-20 years, with the arguable exception of dubstep, we’ve done little but recycle old music forms in an endless youtube– and reissue-fueled stranglehold of the past.
Plastic People & Optimo
We’re taking the Mister to the UK this week. For those in London town, here’s our message in advance of the party at Plastic People on Friday:
This is Mister Saturday Night. We’re a party from New York City. Brooklyn to be precise. Twice a month we roll our soundsystem out of storage, take it to a secret loft, hang a disco ball, invite some friends and get down until the sun comes up. Eamon Harkin and Justin Carter, the Mister’s residents, often play all night. Occasionally a guest will play alongside them. No matter who’s playing, though, it’s about as no-nonsense a good time as you can have.
Until now, Mister Saturday Night has always happened in New York City. It’s the only place we’ve ever felt fully at home (it being our home and all). But last year, when Eamon and Justin were invited to play with Floating Points at Plastic People, we fell in love.
The reason why we host our party in Brooklyn lofts is because there’s no New York City club that really does it right. When we stepped into Plastic People, though, we found lovely people at the door, the bar and behind the scenes; cosy corners for chatting and a perfect dancefloor; and a pristine sound system. Check, check and check.
So now, we are elated to say that we’ll be hosting the first ever Mister Saturday Night outside of Brooklyn at Plastic People on Friday, January 27. (Yes, you heard that right. Mister Saturday Night will be on a Friday Night.) Eamon Harkin and Justin Carter will be playing vinyl all night long, and Plastic’s got all the other bits and pieces covered. Except one. That’s you.
We’re hoping you’ll come and make it complete.
Love,
Mister Saturday Night
Mister Saturday Night
On A Friday Night in London Town
with Justin Carter and Eamon Harkin All Night
at Plastic People / 10p – 4a / 147-149 Curtain Road, London, EC2 / Friday, January 27 / £7 before 11pm / £10 otherwise / advanced tickets here
And then on Sunday the 29th, we’re at Sub Club all night long, playing for our Optimo friends. It’s gonna be a good weekend.
Chi-Town
We’re wrapping up warm and heading to Chicago this weekend. If you’re out that way we hope you’ll join us at Smart Bar.
Looking Back On 2011: Eamon Harkin
1. Caribou – Caribou stepped onto the dance floor in 2011, and his arrival was most welcome, for it brought us a refreshingly musical and superbly produced set of 12 inch singles. His remixes for Virgo 4 and Junior Boys raised the bar and were the staples of many a Mister Saturday Night set this year. But it’s this remix of a rare African jam produced under his Daphni guise and released on his own Jialong imprint which was the stand out for me. I first heard this when he played for us back in March. It’s been in my bag ever since.
2. Four Tet – In a similar vein, Four Tet has leaned into dance music culture extending himself as a DJ and continuing to push forward with his own vinyl only 12 inch label: Text Records (strangely missing from most year end polls on best labels). Again the result is a breath of fresh air. We were extremely happy to have Kieran play the opening Mister Sunday this year (he’s back playing with us in February at 12-turn-13).
Continue reading “Looking Back On 2011: Eamon Harkin”