Xander Harris

Monday, May 23, 2011

Self-Titled Mag Needle Exchange Mix

I made a mix for the magazine, check it out:

Check it out clicking here

1. Jonas Reinhardt, “Eos, the Dawn”
Music For the Tactile Dome is going to go down as one of my favorite releases of 2011. I love the bubbling synths and psychotropic sounds that all over this track. It reminds me of a long lost Ashra jam.

2. Dylan Ettinger, “Endeavor”
Dylan’s synth work never ceases to amaze me. I love this track so much; it reminds me of something you would hear while you’re having a drink at Quark’s on Deep Space Nine.

3. Michael Rother, “Karusell”
Neu! is a band that completely changed the way I look at music. I’ve always loved the driving drums of the songs and the melodic quality of their work. A couple of years ago, my friend Jacob Green turned me on to the Rother solo stuff when Water reissued those albums. They are vastly underrated, and I’m pleased that his solo work finally got the reissue treatment. One of my favorite tracks.

4. Ashra, “Midnight on Mars”
Ashra rules! I went into my favorite record store here in Austin, End of an Ear, and they were blasting Blackouts on the stereo when I walked through the door. Each track that played was better than the last and my interest had piqued so I asked them “what record is this?”, hoping they would have it in stock. I immediately purchased it, went home, and listened to it for a week straight. One of my all-time favorite jams, especially on a Sunday morning while sipping on some Yerba Mate.

5. Klaus Schulze, “Floating Sequence”
Klaus Schulze is one of my synth gurus. I’d love to get a chance to see him live. I’ve always loved his sequencing and the way he composes his work. I like that he has these long ambient segments that will then explode into these beautiful arpeggiations at the perfect moment.

6. Jean Michel Jarre, “Oxygene 8″
I’ve been obsessed with Jean Michel Jarre since I was a teenager, working at a used record store back in my hometown. I love this track. It has some of the most interesting rhythm work I’ve ever heard. Oxygene is another album that I never get tired of.

7. Cluster, “Caramba”
Cluster is one of those bands that I didn’t listen to much until a couple of years ago. I used to play drums in some psych projects with my friends Blake and Alan, and they were always praising those old Cluster records. I chose this track because it still has that edge to it where you’re really uncertain if it was made in the ’70s or 7 minutes ago. Great song.

8. Harold Grosskopf, “Transcendental Overdrive”
This dude is finally getting the reissue treatment and some well-deserved praises. One of the best releases to ever come out on the Sky Records label. I love the drums on this track, along with the strange arpeggiations going on in the background. It sounds like space and being jettisoned to an alien planet to me. Super good.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Dallas Show Update

Rene Hell and Wet Hair had to cancel but I'll still be playing along with Eyes, Wings, & Many Other Things. Please come out if you're in the Dallas area and have a good time. I think it'll be fun.

love,
Xander

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Dallas Show 5/28

I'm playing a show with the amazing artists Rene Hell, Soft Healer, Eyes&Wings&ManyOtherThings, Wet Hair, Matthew of Diamond Age. This will be the first live show of Xander Harris. I'm really nervous and I will probably vomit profusely.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

LA Vampires Go Ital

LA Vampires feat. Ital - Streetwise from Not Not Fun on Vimeo.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Patent Red High Heels

Purchase

Italians may do it better – ice cream, genuine leather, synth splatter – but everything’s still bigger in Texas. Like this X Large redux from Austin’s X Harris. He calls side A the “high heels remix” which is chop-shop talk for shoegaze if yr shoes happen to be red patent pumps. Less gore than before, more vast unknown than he’s ever shown, side B soars like the flight of a DJ navigator who’s recently returned home to realize he’s left the 80s far behind, it’s almost 2012, and everyone he loves has aged and moved on without him. But the force is still strong with this one. If Xander Harris had a hammer, he’d beat down John Carpenter’s door, turn that Carpenteria into a Danceteria, and make that grave-waver Sweatt. Finally, an escape from New York.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Sick of the Radio Interview/Meeting The MAN

I did an interview for Sick of the Radio that you can check out here.

Last night I got to meet Brian Keene here in Austin at the World Horror Convention. Why is that so important, you ask? This is the man that inspired me to make my record. He wrote the book "Urban Gothic" (Purchase Here) that became the muse for my album of the same name. Brian Keene's fiction has gotten me through some dark times and has generated a wealth of inspiration. This was a very majestical thing to have happen. My face is hilarious in this photo because it will be one of the only times that I will actually look visibly shocked. I don't usually get nervous but I had a total nerdy "I'm not worthy" moment.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

West Coast 2011 Summer Tour

Looks like cities and stuff is getting moved around so stay tuned. I'll post dates and venues when I get everything submitted. Thank you for your patience!

I'm hoping that this tour falls into place per being shackled by the amount of time I get from the day job. It will be nice to meet everyone at the shows and get away from the Texas heat.

xoxoxo,
Xander

Friday, April 22, 2011

The Wire

Simon Reynolds wrote an article about Not Not Fun in the latest issue of The Wire. Check it out. These are two of my favorite people in the whole world.

Reviews/Blogs/Fun

Hola! Thank you to everyone for all of the support for "Urban Gothic", "Contamination", and the 100%SILK single that is about to drop. I really, really appreciate it.

MP3s of "Urban Gothic" are available from Boomkat!

MP3s of "Contamination" are available at the BandCamp site.

Britt sequenced and created a mix of Not Not Fun artists so check it out. It has amazing tracks from Maria Minerva, Dylan Ettinger, Jonas Reinhardt, Umberto etc. The mix is awesome!