ALSO COOL x Système Present DJ Yuki, Sperdakos, Transpacific Express

When was the last time you got invited to a disco party? More often than not, we see people asking the Internet void, "Where's the party?"

Well, this is your official invitation to ALSO COOL x SYSTÈME this Saturday from 10 pm-3 am. What’s better is that it’s free before 11, and $10 afterwards.

Système is a new venue founded by Sebastian Cowan (Arbutus Records, N10.as) with weekend dance nights and events. The space operates as a bar and restaurant located at 7119 St-Hubert (in Plaza St-Hubert), in the same HQ as Arbutus and N10.as.

We're taking over Système with a range of disco pros, including DJ Yuki, Sperdakos, and Transpacific Express, who will be DJing alongside VJ Amelia Scott. 

DJ Yuki, known under the banners of the bands Jesuslesfilles or IDALG (Il Danse Avec Les Genoux), has animated Montreal evenings for a long time in various well-known taverns (Rockette, Escogriffe, etc.).

As the co-founder of Montreal-based events Cyberia & Disco Troopers, Sperdakos organizes & DJs underground events with a focus on providing an opportunity to both new and established artists alike, and an emphasis on keeping the dancefloor energy high.

Transpacific Express is a Montréal-based promotional and curatorial collective dedicated to bringing the best of global Asian city pop, hip-hop, neo-k-pop, R&B, and house music to dance floors across Canada. The collective is headed by NGL Flounce and Frantz Lin.

Usually a high BPM rave DJ repping their African origins, NGL Flounce nurtures their soft spot for Asian music through their event collective, Transpacific Express. Enamoured of all things dancy, they know where to find the aggressive and sultry Korean hip hop as well as the bounciest city pop tracks.

Frantz Lin reps city pop, hip-hop, and R&B to the bone. One half of the Transpacific Express crew, Frantz grew up with the 90s education of cruising and dreaming on the overpasses of Asian supercities. His tunez of choice always chase that feeling of crying beautifully in the club.

Come dance at Système this Saturday, July 23rd, from 10pm-3am at 7119 St-Hubert, Montreal. Free before 11, $10 afterwards.

---

Related Articles

Tuff Bear Shares Indie Disco Track "Talk to You" (feat. bb sway) via Acrophase Records

via Hive Mind

Have you been craving some indie-disco, perfectly wobbly serotonin-inducing tunes? Introducing Tuff Bear, a Bristol, UK-based artist who has just released his latest track, "Talk to You," featuring bb sway.

Tuff Bear is an easy fix for anyone who's a fan of Mild High Club, 2016- era Jerry Paper, Soft Hair, and Drugdealer. "Talk to You" is the first glimpse of his first EP, Tuff Bear's Picnic, which will be out later this spring via Acrophase Records.

Throughout the pandemic, Vernon developed his sound and aesthetic drawing on 70s disco, 90s dance, and contemporary indie-pop. He started on this first instalment of the Tuff Bear project in April of 2020 before signing to Acrophase Records and began piecing together the collection with label-mate PWNT. 

Speaking about the project and this first single, Vernon says:

"Essentially, Tuff Bear's Picnic is a project centred on themes of self-reflection and optimism in the face of anxiety. I felt compelled to draw on the mixed bag of emotional states that we were subjected to for months upon months, while also investigating and romanticizing memories of pre-COVID normality. 

“During a period in which we were all robbed of our sense of togetherness, I took comfort in nostalgic disco/pop music of the 70s and 80s, where concepts such as this often take centre stage as a means to encourage unity through dance."

Listen to "Talk to You" below

Tuff Bear

Facebook I YouTube I Instagram

Malaika Astorga is the Co-Founder & Creative Director of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and marketing strategist currently based in Montreal.

---

Related Articles

The Zephyr Bones Share Radiant Beach Wave Album "Neon Body" (via La Castanya)

Neon Body album art by Bráulio Amado

The beach-wave Barcelona-based band, The Zephyr Bones, have released their second album, "Neon Body," via La Castanya. Their melodies cascade in with waves glimmering synths and shoegaze-inspired vocals, embodying themes of love, self-affirmation, loss, and hope.

The sound gravitates around spangled psych-rock reminiscent of the radiant, sunkissed environments in Barcelona. Basically, if DIIV were to play a disco beach party in the middle of the night, this is what it would sound like.

Press photo by Marc Cusco

The Zephyr Bones formed when Silva, Tkalcic, López and Ramos met in Barcelona after the former two names arrived from their home country of Chile. In 2015 they released their debut EP, Wishes/Fishes via La Castanya. That first release was followed by the seven-inch "Black Lips b/w Surrounded by Sunflowers" released by La Castanya and the New York label Other Music Recording Co.

Listen to "Neon Body" below

The Zephyr Bones

Instagram I Twitter I Spotify

Malaika Astorga is the Co-Founder & Creative Director of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and social media strategist currently based in Montreal.

---

Related Articles

Spaceface Ponders Alien Life, Alternate Realities & More With Disco Track Piña Collider

Irresistibly funky and incredibly charming, the Spaceface crew are back with their latest summer track, "Piña Collider." The track fuses funky psychedelia with the upbeat energy of a classic summertime bop, making it the perfect anthem to keep your party going all night long. 

The track was inspired by a cosmic experience frontman Jake Ingalls had at the CERN Hadron SuperCollider.

"I was playing a show nearby, and CERN has a whole outreach program to bring artists in to show them what it's all about. After the show, I learned that the crew who showed us around are, in fact, in their own band, which we named the song after. Everyone who works there has to live on campus, and they had formed a group to play functions and holiday parties, etc. I decided to write a song and asked them if they'd like to be on the tune. They said yes, so the next free day at Blackwatch, I set to writing a disco tune about a mythic drink you can only get at CERN."

This track feels like the perfect dose of escapism that we're all craving right now, so I caught up with Spaceface about their own ideals of escapism, aliens, and a whole lot more.

Photo Credit: Erika Mugglin

Malaika Astorga for Also Cool: Spaceface tends to create entire worlds with each track. If Spaceface had its own planet, what would it be like?

Daniel: If Spaceface had its own planet, I imagine it would be like the music video for our song "Sun Kids." Vinyl Williams created this 3D computer-generated world full of giant purple and green plants and far-reaching meadows under blue skies. Then sprinkled in between the greenery are several structures and buildings with mind-bending, borderline impossible architecture. Some of the buildings were floating in the sky. The structures all had some version of ancient greek or roman influence, but with some mid-century modern architecture influence too. Kinda like if Javier Senosiain had re-designed the Parthenon.    

Eric: My planet would be a small party and leisure destination retrofitted with futuristic interpretations of 50's and 60's dream architecture. We have the technology to portal jump between hemispheres depending on your mood. There's plenty of pools and nightlife. Also, plenty of daylife, but it's chill. 

Jake: I think they both pretty much covered it. All peaceful beings are welcome.

Katie: Agreed, Daniel and Eric nailed it. But I'd like to propose we build an Ewok-style treehouse village where we can all live.

Also Cool: Do you think aliens exist, and if so, what do you think they're doing right now?

Daniel: Well, yes, I think aliens exist. It's a kinda numbers game. If there are so many other galaxies besides ours, then I imagine there are lots of different kinds of other life out on other faraway planets. It might be rare, but I feel like there probably is some. Not to mention the US Government fessed up that UFOs are real earlier this year. 

As far as what aliens or lifeforms on other planets are doing right now, it's kinda hard to answer. Just because there is other "life" in the universe doesn't mean it is anything like a human. I don't think that space is really like Star Trek. The other alien life out there could just be bacteria or microorganisms. Maybe some might resemble animals, but I fear they might be more like monsters like in the Alien movies or otherworldly beings that we can't understand, like in Arrival. Although it would be really cool if they moved through time and space differently than us.

Eric: I do believe in life beyond our own 100%. It blows my mind that people think we're the one and only. Life unimaginable to us exists, has existed and will exist endlessly through the cosmos. I dare not try to describe it more.

Jake: I'd imagine that the vast majority of what we call "Alien" life is a different form of what we've named consciousness and likely aren't really aware of us and thusly do things that are beyond our own comprehension. If they are aware of us, I'd imagine they look at humans with a mixture of pity and carnal envy - the way some angels/gods are described in old myths.

Katie: Contrary to my strict Christian upbringing, I've always believed that life exists outside our planet. If you haven't seen Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind: Contact Has Begun or the other films by Dr. Steven M. Greer yet, do so as soon as possible. His theory that all life on Earth and outside is connected through collective consciousness is very compelling. As for what they're doing right now? Probably having mischievous fun with some US Military pilots or hopefully coming up with ways to save Earth from its own inhabitants.

Photo Credit: Erika Mugglin

AC: You created a custom drink to go along with the release of the song. What was that process like, and do you have any tips/tricks for the people making it at home?

Daniel: A few of the band members are bartenders, so making up new drink recipes is just as enjoyable as writing music. It's always fun to imagine where you would be or what mood you would be in while listening to some of the Spaceface songs. Then thinking about matching a certain style of drink or liquor to that mood and location. The low-key goal is for each song to have a drink recipe, and we want to include a lil recipe book with the album. Each song has a different mood or feeling, and each song can take you to a different place in your mind. So naturally, each song needs a drink to match. 

As far as tips for making drinks at home, just make sure you have a shaker, a strainer, some ice, and know where your best local liquor store is. We can give you all the recipes you'll need. 

Eric: This drink was born by literally colliding a piña colada with a contemporary classic dubbed the "Trinidad sour" (equal parts, rye, citrus, mango, and orgeat (almond milk syrup).

You'll be best off getting proper tools: A shaker, jigger, and strainer. Make sure you have Angostura bitters and get some Coco Lopez for this one.

Jake: When we know we want to pursue a batch of songs, typically Eric and I talk for a while about how we want them to fit together in a cinematic way. For instance, "Sun Kids" was meant to be Earthy and evoke a feeling of what it was like to spend the day with us in Memphis. With this new batch of tunes, we wanted to evoke this imagery of what a party in the future would sound and look like through the lens of someone in the past. Sort of like those wacky images you see made by sci-fi artists in the '20s imagining what the year 2000 would look like. This lead us to imagine a sorta afro-futurist ecotopia where you can order a drink that reminds you of humankinds' oneness and thusly deciding we should make a cocktail for every song. Plus, Eric and Daniel are fantastic drinksmen, so we thought it best to share their other talents.

Katie: Jake, Daniel and Eric are the geniuses behind the drinks, so I leave that all up to them but timidly ask that they leave the cilantro out of the equation whenever possible. :) 

AC:. The music video is pretty much the definition of the retro-future aesthetic. What were some of your visual references or inspirations for the project?

Daniel: The song is about a drink that you can only get at the CERN Hadron Collider. So the idea was to have some scientists singing the song in a sort of educational TV setting, like Bill Nye, The Science Guy. The Scientists in the video act like they are filming for a PBS segment, and each scientist is from a different period in scientific discovery. It's fun and cool to showcase different types of science like Astronomy, Chemistry, Anatomy, and Botany. 

Eric: Mad scientists shuffling through notes and staggering through experiments. Beakers and lab coats with sparks.

Jake: When I stumbled on Maris Jones' IG in January of 2020, I just KNEW I wanted to get her team on board bc it was the perfect fit. Once we began emailing with The Jones Family Retro Show, we were sharing clips from this silly fake science education program called Look Around You and VHS rips of old actual Sci-Fi learning channel clips and lots of pseudoscience book covers. I knew they were gonna knock it out of the park. When they started texting me pictures of the sets they were making with the guitar, the star gazer's gear and Molly's excellent claymation, it began to feel like we had truly mind-melded.

AC: Now that shows *might* be happening again, will we be able to experience Spaceface IRL any time soon?

Daniel: Nothing is officially on the books yet, we have some offers in the fall, but they are not confirmed. The idea was to put lots of singles out this year, and after releasing the full album in early 2022, there will be a big spring tour. 

Eric: Yea, but no. .. maybe... but yes. 

Jake: I like Eric's answer the best, but if you wanna find out more and truly stay in the know, freed from the shackles of the algorithm - text us at the official Spaceface number to find out :) 901.519.2202

Katie: We definitely miss the thrill of performing live. Taking over a year and a half off of touring and performing has been hard on all of us. But, to elaborate on Eric's answer, yes, if certain members of the population *cough* get their heads out of their butts and get the vaccine, infection rates decrease and stabilize, we'll be back on stage soon...ish.

MAKE YOURSELF A "PIÑA COLLIDER"!
Spaceface's take on the classic Piña Colada

Ingredients:
• 1.5 oz Clear Rum
• .75 oz Lime Juice
• .75 oz Simple Syrup
• 1 oz Coco Lopez (Coconut Cream)
• .75 oz Pineapple Juice

How to make it:
◦ Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin with some ice and shake;
◦ Double strain over ice into collins glass, larger glass or coconut;
◦ Garnish with pineapple stems or wedges and a lime wheel;
◦ Add a dash of cinnamon.

Spaceface
Website | Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music

Youtube | Instagram | Tik Tok | Facebook

Malaika Astorga is the co-founder of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and social media strategist currently based in Montreal.

---

Related Articles

BARBUDO: The British "Pop-Funk Pizzazz" Brother Duo

Photo Credit: BARBUDO

BARBUDO is a Pop-Funk/Psych band from Havant, Portsmouth. Brothers, Ben and Harry Stanworth and Elliot Salter just released their latest single “Magnolia Mansion.” This tune is filled with funky and psychedelic undertones, fervent vocals and is topped off with a seriously groovy bassline. The unique pairing of these elements creates a fresh distinct sound that fully surrounds and captures audiences worldwide.

They take inspiration from 70’s funk, soul and disco pioneers and add on their own unique, modern twist. Their songs are intricately oozing with soulful melodies and charming themes. If you just want to get up, have a good time and dance - these are your guys.

We had the pleasure to talk to BARBUDO on topics ranging from the band’s visions, who they’d choose in a disco-dance off, their biggest influences and creative processes.

Sierra Kaylen for Also Cool: Hey Ben and Harry. What’s up? How’s life?! 

BARBUDO: Good thanks! Staying afloat during these strange times.

Also Cool: How would you go about describing your band and overall vision to those who haven’t heard of you before?

BARBUDO: We call our sound Nu-Eyed funk - a fresh take on Classic Funk, Soul and Psychedelic grooves.

AC: I’m hearing a lot of funky and psychedelic undertones on your singles: Are there any artists from the 60s - 70s that have influenced your work? I’m hearing a lot of Parliament- Funkadelic and absolutely loving it!

BARBUDO: Yeah we are big P-Funk fans and love music from those eras. We take inspiration from various 60s & 70s artists, spanning from The Beatles to The Isley Brothers.

Photo Credit: BARBUDO

AC: What’s the creative scene like where you live? Has it impacted the art you make? 

BARBUDO: There are some great bands in Portsmouth, who constantly inspire us to improve. We are all different but it's fun to gig together and learn from each other.

AC: BARBUDO is a brother duo, how did this come about? Harry and Ben - how is it like working together as siblings? 

BARBUDO: A bit of brotherly love never made life difficult for a band ... did it?

AC: “Magnolia Mansion” is your new single. How did the song come alive? Why did you decide on the name? 

BARBUDO: The song came into fruition when experimenting with a Tascam tape machine. Ben made this riff and set of chords, which wound up turning into the song. We chose the title as we felt it encapsulates the escapism of the track; it's a place in which you can disappear.

Photo Credit: BARBUDO

AC: Who was your favourite artist of 2020? If you were to pick one artist as a collective, who would it be? How has this person influenced your creative process? 

BARBUDO: We've been listening to a lot of Mac Miller this year. Something about his lyrics really hit home. And obviously, the beats bang. We also love releases by Sault and The Black Pumas.

AC: We are living through very strange times right now, what do you do to stay motivated and dedicated to your music?

BARBUDO: This year we have tried to find a good balance of doing things to look after ourselves alongside the music. Exercise is really important, as well as getting out of the house for long walks. Basically just doing things to clear our minds so that time spent on music is more productive. 

AC: Were you guys always interested in music and pursuing it? Where do you think you’d be without it?  

BARBUDO: We've been playing together in bands since we were teenagers. It's a passion we pursue completely and dedicate most of our spare time towards. But most of all the songwriting process is so enriching and meditative. I don't know what we'd do without it. More yoga maybe!

AC: Choose your fighter on the disco-funk dance floor: Prince or the Bee Gees? 

BARBUDO: Prince - little man, big attitude.

AC: Who would you like to collaborate with in the near future? Also, If you could go into the past and collaborate with any funk musician, who would it be? 

BARBUDO: We would love to collaborate with Thundercat. He's such a talented and tasteful musician and seems [like] a good laugh too. Also, we would love to go back in time and have a jam with Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band - such tight grooves.

AC: What’s your top piece of advice to musicians who are just starting out? 

BARBUDO: Might be a bit cliché, but don't do it for anyone other than yourself! It's very easy to fall in the trap of thinking "will people like this/it is good enough?" Just focus on how the creative process is rewarding in itself, regardless of whatever success does or doesn't come your way.  

AC: Finally, how can we best support your band and music? Any final messages you’d like to leave to the people who look up to you?  

BARBUDO: Please follow us on socials and keep steaming our music! We have a vinyl for sale on Bandcamp too if that's your kind of thing. Our message is: Thank you all so much for your support. It's great to have anyone engaging with something you created. We appreciate the love and have more tunes coming out soon for you!

Photo Credit: BARBUDO

BARBUDO

Instagram I Twitter I Facebook I Bandcamp | Spotify

Related Articles