French-Canadian DJ/Producer Matt Cerf is a familiar face in the Los Angeles dance scene.  From his beginnings in 2001 as one-fourth of the group Second Sun, to his teaming up in Los Angeles with Producer/DJ partner Shawn Mitiska in 2004, and the addition of Singer/Songwriter Jaren in 2005, Matt’s enabled himself to carve out a comfortable niche.

As a producer, Matt’s original tracks and remixes have come to the forefront in recent times with notable releases on leading labels such as Baroque, Armada, Somatic Sense, DeepBlue and Sirup.  He has remixed tracks for several other notable producers, including Serge Devant “Surround U”, Eelke Kleijn “Life Passing By”, and Lange “Songless”.  The diverse support for his tracks, including A-list DJ names such as Armin Van Buuren, Tiesto, Ferry Corsten and Above & Beyond, has helped his productions find their way onto best selling compilations such as Armada’s A State of Trance 2007, Armada at Ibiza - Summer 2007, Armada Best of House 2007, Armada Best of Trance 2007, and over a dozen others.  The electronic music trio of Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren began in 2006, and have since released over ten original tracks, including “Light The Skies”, “Saved Again”, “Me & You”, “Down To You”, and “Let Me Breathe”.  In 2008, “Light The Skies” was nominated for an IDMA for “Best Progressive Trance/House Track”.

Listen to a June Promo Mix by Matt Cerf:
Go get Adobe Flash Player!
 
It’s hard to say what the future will bring, but one thing is certain: the sound of Matt Cerf is destined to be an instrumental force in helping to bring electronic dance music to a new level. This month, the brand new single from ‘You Never Said’ with Dash Berlin, Randy Boyer & Eric Tadla, and Rowald Steyn mixes is out worldwide on major digital download sites including Beatport and Audiojelly. Be sure to take a listen and read on for an interview with the man himself…

What made you want to become a DJ/Producer?
In 1996, I discovered dance music and started to listen to it on a regular basis.  Right after that, I started using the program “Rebirth”, but at this point it was only for fun.  One day I came up with a chord progression and showed it to a friend of mine, which prompted us to team up with the other members of Second Sun.  Together, we created Empire, which got signed to Vandit Records in 2001 (Paul Van Dyk’s label).  At this point, I really thought something big was happening..

When and why did you make the decision to move from Quebec to Los Angeles? 
With a record deal like this, we all decided to move to Los Angeles and try our luck there.  We didn’t have the easiest life when we got here and soon after our arrival, Second Sun and I split up.  Then, I had to kind of start over.

Do you think it’s a lot easier to produce nowadays?
I would say it is a lot easier to make music nowadays, but it is also easier to make bad music.  I still have a lot to learn in music production.  Since I am using Logic, it is still very hard at times to come up with a final product.

Is that a good or a bad thing?
I think it has its pro and cons.  As I mentioned earlier, incredible talent can be discovered this way as well!

Which one of your productions is the most special for you? 
Well I have phases: I get stuck on songs for a while, and then I get tired of them.  Every time I produce something new, that is the one that becomes the most special for me. 

Do you prefer DJ’ing or Producing?
Each field has its plus.  Coming up with a song is a great feeling, but playing it in front of thousands of people is also great.  So, I think the combination of the two must be better.

You have been in the industry for a number of years now.  Do you think your style has changed through this time and how would you describe your current style?
Electronic Dance Music has changed a lot since I started, but I really like a wide range of style: House, Electro, Progressive, Trance.  I think my style reflects a bit of everything.

Some people are critical of trance at and refer back to the glory days of the 90’s and complain that today’s music just isn’t as good, what are your opinions on the music out currently?
As I said before, a lot of bad music is coming out these days.  But, if one has the patience to go through it all, he will be able to find some really good stuff, if not better than before!

Would you like to share a usable tip for the up and coming DJ? 
There is always a better DJ than you!

What three things could you not live without?
Jaren, my computer, and French cuisine!!!

Links:
Matt Cerf’s Website
Matt Cerf on MySpace

We are deeply saddened that LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of Dave Matthews Band, died unexpectedly Tuesday afternoon, August 19, 2008, at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles from sudden complications stemming from his June ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. LeRoi had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin an intensive physical rehabilitation program.

"As we sat this afternoon contemplating the loss of our brother, we wondered how we could possibly do a show today. Dave put it into perspective stating, "There's no place I'd rather be than here with you guys right now." We cherish special memories of our lost friend. Tonight, Dave told a story about LeRoi at a bar in Virginia where the cash register was near the stage and LeRoi leaned on the register because "standing had become a chore". Roi proceeded to play the most beautiful version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Dave said, "that was the day I fell in love with him. And I'm still in love with him." It's safe to say we all were in love with him. "It's always easier to leave, than to be left."

The summer has almost fizzled out, but one is yet to experience more than a day of downgraded clothing, urban sunbathing, and that sense of well-being when the sun dangerously caresses the epidermis and renews the happy brain cells. Wait till September, they say. Fine, I’ll just sit here in my parka, alone in the dark.

Many a-newcomer to San Francisco is letting go of notions of the seasons. We drive somewhere far far away that one winter weekend in search of snow and exclaim, “Look, snow! Remember snow?” awkwardly; we burn “Pumpkin Pie/Red Dye # 7” scented candles to fake the autumn ambiance of colorful foliage. But it’s the lack of a traditional summer that makes it easiest to feel cheated. When the weather is stuck at a constant throughout the year, memories of odorous armpits in a 105 degree subway during rush hour as well as of slipping on ice and falling on your derrière while people point grow fonder.

But not to Koos van der Akker, a legendary designer who’s been dressing the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Isabella Rossellini, Stevie Wonder and Madonna from the 70s on and was the creative force behind Bill Cosby’s sweaters. This Netherlands-born designer, who has lived in New York City for 40 years, has recently pitched a workroom in San Francisco, at the Academy of Art University. And this summer artist-in-residence is in awe of the local fashion and climate.

“You can wonderfully combine two seasons in one,” Koos, 70, says with unfeigned enthusiasm. “You can see a guy in a big sweater and knit cap and big boots on, with a girl on his arm with hot pants and a t-shirt.”

Koos is not phased by the fact that “Sex and the City” type dressing would probably not fly in San Francisco. Stilettos, as many discover, are not meant for walking on hills, and the whole strappy tank top thing doesn’t work in the morning, in the evening, when it’s windy, and during most other times.

Rather, Koos finds that having “a whole wardrobe in the back of the car” is a bonus.
To him, our frontier’s fashion is more creative than in New York (“except for the Village and stuff like that,” he adds). “People look much more put together and individually dressed than in New York. New York is a bitch. You can’t make mistakes,” he says, with his signature friendly bluntness.

Nature was a major inspiration during his June-August stay, including the mist and the “beautiful clouds that obscure half the neighborhoods.” In response, he gave his students homework to make collages of mist over buildings.

California cacti were another inspiration, sending Koos to design new garments for his collection, to be sold at his boutique on Madison Avenue in New York’s Upper East Side.
Over the last several decades, Koos’s elaborate collage and patchwork designs that marry colors, fabrics and textures have had a cult following. Through the fashion highs and lows, his garments have been worn by celebrities, exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, and sold at Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale’s. To add to the A-list, Koos had a party thrown for him at Studio 54 and won fashion awards.

Yet he makes all garments for his New York boutique by hand, with the help of assistants. In San Francisco this summer, Koos still managed to produce one or two garments per day and help students.

Always behind his sewing machine, Koos is a craftsman and name-throwing is not his thing. “I find it so boring and unimportant in my case,” he retorts when asked about fancy customers today. “(If the) quality of work has to be measured by a fancy name, then I’m already out of the loop because I really don’t give a shit.“

Koos’s San Francisco stint inspired him to want to teach alongside his craft. “I’ve always been very private with my work. Now I want to come out and show it to the kids. I had a great time with those kids and I didn’t feel a day older than they are,” he says.
This new path prompted Koos to get a tattoo on his forearm, spelling “New Beginnings” in Chinese characters.

He is set to return to the Academy of Art next summer and continue using his workroom there, adorned with photo wallpaper depicting his New York atelier, with photographs, mannequins and colorful fabrics strewn in creative disarray. “It’s nice to have an affair with San Francisco,” he says.

We are deeply saddened that LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of Dave Matthews Band, died unexpectedly Tuesday afternoon, August 19, 2008, at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles from sudden complications stemming from his June ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. LeRoi had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin an intensive physical rehabilitation program.

On a personal note, I’ve been a fan of the band since ‘93 and my wife and I have spent many, many summers with the band and this year was no exception. This is an incredible loss. Our hearts go out to family, the band and friends in this most difficult time…

#40 (Always)

Tables turned again
And you, my friend
You and I face each other
All time and time out
I know it’s sometimes hard
But knowing just, oh
That we will get along
Until we are old and gray
And huddled up
And doubled up, we’ll sit…
And laugh of times were hard
Laugh of times when we thought all
It would end it all, it’s over
And then again…
And though all I know is this way
And to leave you
Well, I’d die
Oh, my friend
It will be you until the end with me
Always…
Always
Always
Always

LeRoi Moore, saxophonist for Dave Matthews Band, has reportedly passed away at a Los Angeles hospital following a string of complications from an ATV accident back in June. The details look a little fuzzy right now but that much is confirmed. This is a very sad day for Dave Matthews Band fans as Moore was a truly integral part of the group from the beginning. I consider myself fortunate to have been able to see DMB perform with Moore a few times in my lifetime, and he will truly be missed by the fans the community surrounding the live powerhouse.

Here's the statement from dmband.com:

We are deeply saddened that LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of Dave Matthews Band, died unexpectedly Tuesday afternoon, August 19, 2008, at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles from sudden complications stemming from his June ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. LeRoi had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin an intensive physical rehabilitation program.

LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of the Dave Matthews Band, died suddenly in Los Angeles Tuesday afternoon after suffering complications from a June ATV accident. Moore was 46. The June 30th accident on Moore’s farm in Charlottesville, Virginia, left him with broken ribs and a punctured lung. Moore was on the path to recovery, arriving in Los Angeles for an intensive physical rehabilitation program, but according to the DMB Website, he returned to the hospital last month due to complications. A representative for Dave Matthews Band confirmed Moore’s passing and in a statement the band indicated the musician died at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center. Since Moore’s accident, DMB has continued on with their U.S. tour with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones’ saxophonist Jeff Coffin filling in. Despite Moore’s death, the band will reportedly still perform tonight at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.

Dave Matthews Band saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who played with the group since its inception in 1991, died today. He was 46. The musician was recently readmitted to the hospital for injuries stemming from a June 30th ATV accident on his farm outside Charlottesville. The band is still scheduled to play the Staples Center in Los Angeles tonight (Bela Fleck saxophonist Jeff Coffin has been filling in) according to TMZ, which has a statement from the band. [Photo via d-m-b.us.]

We're in an indiefolk mood today, thanks to an increasingly large pile of new material flowing in from fan recommendations, the labels, and the blogosphere at large. As such, there's nothing particularly rare here today, just a bunch of great web-scavenged covers, most of which had their coming out party long after we originally featured the songwriters that first made them famous -- making them a perfect fit for yet another long-awaited edition of our longstanding (Re)Covered series here on Cover Lay Down.

At the height of her popularity, Cyndi Lauper's strength was in powerful yet simply-stated melody and lyric; in simplicity, however, a song's flexibility is limited, so it was a nice surprise to find not one but two great new covers coming out over the past few months, especially after finding so many covers of so few different tunes for our May feature on the songs of Cyndi Lauper.

This cover from Canadian indiefolkers The Acorn has been making the blogrounds since at least June, most recently ending up on This Morning I Am Born Again, but it bears repeating for the way it transforms what was once a bouncy throw-away theme for the kid-friendly underground pirate adventure flick The Goonies, turning a cinematic bit of eighties cheese into something lo-fi and fragile, full of string undertones and indie half-tension, the post-millenium's high-culture equivalent of the exotic comfort of a warm goat-cheese brie.

Meanwhile, alt-folk trio Girlyman gives a chilling, harmony-rich rendition of Lauper ballad All Through the Night, proving once again that good songwriting will out, even through the worst sappiest power ballad production (see also: Supertramp covers). I posted Girlyman's wonderful version of George Harrison's My Sweet Lord last year as part of a megapost on the solo work of the post-Beatles Fab Four; I certainly would have shared this perfect live cut when we featured Cyndi Lauper songs last month if I had known about it, but the hype for their gigantic live album Somewhere Different Now, also released in May, seems to have gotten lost in the sea of late spring releases and a recent label change-over for the intrepid and outed members of Girlyman. Special thanks, then, to the anonymous tipster who prompted me to track this song down, which in turn led me to an album which perfectly captures the sweet harmonies and raw yet intimate presence that typifies a small-venue Girlyman show.

• The Acorn: Good Enough (orig. Cyndi Lauper)
  
• Girlyman: All Through The Night (orig. Cyndi Lauper)

Our original exploration of the Paul Simon songbook was large enough to separate into two posts: one on his solo work, and one on his work with that Art guy. But, as I mentioned back then, Simon's influence on music is immense; as such, as musicians new and rising continue to mine the cultural jetsam for songs that have some personal resonance, coverage of Paul Simon's vast catalogue remains vast and evergrowing.

From the recently "released" Bedroom Covers album from The Morning Benders, with its wonderfully hushed and lo-fi versions of many favorite and respectable pop tunes, comes an echoey take on Mother and Child Reunion with shades of Iron and Wine, only played out at a tenor's 45 rpm; Bedroom Covers is a total freebie, and it rocks: we'll surely come back to it down the road for upcoming Covered in Folk features (we're way overdue for a Fleetwood Mac set). Plus two versions of what may well be my favorite Paul Simon composition of all time: a pensive yet hopeful bedroom cover from the recently-featured Mark Erelli, and -- for those who lean that way -- a great countrygrass cover from Darrell Scott's very promising all-covers "acoustic folk" album Modern Hymns, released just yesterday on the highly credible folklabel Appleseed Recordings, via blazing newcomer blog A Fifty Cent Lighter & A Whiskey Buzz, who also offers up Scott's solid take on oft-covered Joni Mitchell favorite Urge for Going.

• Darrell Scott: American Tune (orig. Paul Simon)
  
• Mark Erelli: American Tune (ibid.)
  
• The Morning Benders: Mother and Child Reunion (orig. Paul Simon)

Finally: the "Britney Spears takes over culture" thing is pretty much over, but even after both an All Folked Up feature and a (Re)Covered revisit, her songs continue to crop up everywhere that indie hipsters crave irony. Today's evidence comes from The Portland Cello Project, which finally hit stores this week after months of slow-burning hype. I'm by no means the first to notice The Portland Cello Project, and technically, they're not folk, either -- critics are calling the guest-vocalist-with-multiple-cello sound chamber pop; their myspace page lists them as indie/classical/rock. Listen through their whole self-titled debut, though, and you may think you've discovered yet another new folk, akin to the experimentation of, say, Abigail Washburn's Sparrow Quartet project (which also features cellist Ben Sollee).

The album tracks each feature collaboration from the Pacific Northwest indiefolk crowd, including star turns from Loch Lomond's Ritchie Young and indiefolk darling Laura Gibson; I especially like the delicate indietune Under Glass, and Stay, a wonderful, plucked-sting acoustic waltz with guest Anna Fritz. Captain Obvious gets cred for picking the Gibson and Under Glass for sampling. And PCP gets TOTAL bonus points here for a secret, hidden covertrack, which sets the Mario Brothers theme song to a classical ensemble sound, and then slowly buries it in a faux-military drumroll -- that no other blogger has mentioned that says what it needs to about how most critics listen to label freebies, sadly.

Whatever you call it, this is surprisingly solid, listenable music, covering a huge range of pleasurable soundscape; though it's among the more upbeat and fun songs on the album, their version of Toxic still comes across as authentic, not just some marching band cover. And since the Britney covers always bring a smile, and given the increasing prevalence of cello in folk music, I'll allow it just this once. With a few other recent Britney covers scavenged from the webs that fall on the edge of folk: Sia's delicate acoustic version of Gimmie More, and French-Israeli singer-songwriter Yael Naim's ubiquitous pop-folktronic Toxic, just in case you haven't heard it. And so the trend continues.

• Portland Cello Project: Toxic (orig. Britney Spears)
  
• Yael Naim: Toxic (orig. Britney Spears)
  
• Sia: Gimmie More (orig. Britney Spears)

Then there is the next level down on the "satisfaction" scale - the Ting Tings/MGMT show at McCarren Pool on July 27.  It poured buckets at the beginning of this show - everyone got drenched - but then it ultimately stopped and MGMT pulled out the day successfully.

Then there is the best-laid-plains-but-utlimately-complete-disasters such as the Blonde Redhead scheduled appearance at Pier 54 in NYC on August 14.  Even though it had been a beautiful sunny week, the clouds began looming late on this Thursday afternoon.  Still, I had my fingers crossed that Mother Nature was going to hold off this time. However, after two hours of waiting outside the pier in a steady growing rainfall - and despite the shows organizers having fought hard to try to get the show on - in the end, all of the equipment drenched, the stage in about a foot of water and the lightning illuminating the sky, the show was unfortunately called off for safety reasons by the NYC Parks Department.

Bummer.

So, it was with some trepidation that on the following night -  Friday, the 15th of August - new concert going BFF Nancy and I headed over to Lincoln Center and its Damrosch Park Bandshell for one of their Out of Doors free concert happenings.

No sooner did we get there that it started raining again.  Uh, oh . . .

Respected composer Rhys Chatham was to premiere his  A Crimson Grail for 200 Electric Guitars (Outdoor Version) performed not on the Bandshell stage but along the sides of the audience at Damrosch Park, to heighten the work's polyphonic effect.

However, once again, the rain made this impossible.  All of the amps surrounding the three sides were drenched, despite attempts to cover them.  It was too much of an electrical risk and unfortunately, this performance had to be canceled.

Rhys apologized to the audience and promised to bring this show back some time in the future.

However, the night was not a total loss as they were able to present to us the second scheduled co-headlining appearance of composer/guitarist Manuel Gottsching's electronic composition E2-E4.  This piece is today generally acknowledged as the influential starting point for early techno and house music. 

I captured some of this hour-long performance in more time-managable video clips:

E2-E4 builds from calm and quiet to multiple layers of texture and repetition, culminating in an ecstatic groove.

Collaborating with Gottsching for this first-ever U.S. live performance of E2-E4 was visual artist Joshua White and his Joshua Light Show, who created live visual projections designed specifically for this piece, projected on the suface of the Damrosch Bandshell.

The projection uses "liquid light" techniques developed at Bill Graham's Fillmore East during the late 1960s.

This performance and experience was nothing short of amazing.

So, in spite of the element and disappointment of part of this show being rained out, in the end it was yet-another enlightening New York concert experience.