The spirit of American techno has infused many of this year’s Igloofest acts, always with a twist — and Curtis Jones is nothing if not a bit twisted. With his green-mohawked persona and often bizarre lyrics, Curtis has a reputation as the resident mad scientist of techno / house. Green Velvet’s four albums, beginning with the appropriately-titled Constant Chaos in 1993, span the gamut of light and darkness, and show that Jones lives up to his reputation. You can’t have good mad science without, well, madness.

Usual suspects like Juan Atkins and Derrick May (again!) loom large over Green Velvet’s funky techno house sound, but it doesn’t stop there. An experimentalist throughout his career, Green Velvet reaches across genres; one track may feature processed vocals and synth leads from a ’70s Kraftwerk cut, while the next might feature punked-out guitars straight from a ’90s Chemlab track, or sugary female voices from a lost ’80s Italo Disco single. There may also be fragmented tales of alien abductions, which could explain things a bit.

Here’s a preview of some classic Velvet. We assume you won’t need a tractor beam to get you out to Igloofest tomorrow!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Since his emergence in the dance scene in 1999, the French-born, Amsterdam-residing Léger has been all over the map, producing dozens of EPs, a number of hit singles (including “Hit Girl” and Chris Lake collaboration “Aqualight”) and countless remixes. He’s an undisputed champ over on Beatport. You’ve probably heard his work, even if you don’t know it; Léger has added his synthy stamp to tracks as diverse as Armand Van Helden, Justin Timberlake and even Marilyn Manson.

Once a mainstay of the underground electronic scene, Léger’s prolific and consistent quality have made him a hot commodity. Léger’s style is adaptable, with elements of Detroit techno’s analogue synths and samplers (more hints of Derrick May here), sculptured into soulful, state-of-the-art house. Léger’s trademark flair and funk attest to his formal musical background. A pioneer of his own as-yet-nameless subgenre, Léger is also the mastermind behind Mistakes Music, a label whose artists all toe the borders of house, techno and soulful electro.

What can you expect tonight from Sebastian Leger at Igloofest? To suit the weather, maybe as something as chill as this:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Igloofest

Genre fusion has always been a feature of Igloofest, and Fixmer blends them with the best. His work combines the minimalist urgency of classic Derrick May with brooding EBM from Berlin’s gothiest nightclub, both pulled raw and bleeding out of 1989 and stitched together in an underground lab.

Fixmer has a surplus of goth cred, featuring numerous collaborations with Nitzer Ebb‘s Douglas McCarthy. His most recent full-length, 2010′s Comedy of Menace, is his most EMB-tinged album to date, and his 2011 EP Le Terrible portends an even further descent into darkness.

Though he’s been purveying his grimy sound for over ten years, Fixmer is part of a recent (and long overdue) EBM resurgence which also includes fellow Igloofest guest Green Velvet, and which itself is part of the larger modern wave of aggressive electronic music — including dubstep — which rages more than it raves.

Here’s an example of Fixmer’s vibe, all rusted-out cyberpunk imagery and claustrophobic, pulsing beats. Strap up your combat boots and prepare for a full-scale four-on-the-floor.

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There’s no greater proof of that than Igloofest, a wild idea dreamed up by the brains behind Piknic Elektronic. Igloofest has come to Old Port every year since 2007, with a unique spin on the electronic music festival: it’s outdoors, at night, dead in the middle of January, right by the wind-tossed water at Jacques-Cartier Quay. Igloofest runs from January 12 (tonight!) to 28 over three weekends.

Named for the igloos dotting the quay, where revelers can seek shelter from extreme weather, Igloofest is the electronic music event of the season. Outsiders think it’s crazy, but Montrealers wouldn’t have it any other way: Igloofest has grown exponentially each year and now boasts over 65,000 visitors over its three-weekend run. If the novelty of dancing up a sweat at -25 temperatures doesn’t entice you, or you don’t have a wild neon onesie to impress the judges of Igloofest’s hilarious snowsuit competition, then just get a load of the DJs at Igloofest’s site. Igloofest 2012 will feature some of the finest electronic music luminaries in the world.

For starters, this year’s fest brings in UK’s dubstep pioneer Mala (of Digital Mystiks), Portuguese kuduro purveyors Buraka Som Sistema, many-monikered American house-EBM oddball Curtis Jones (here appearing as Green Velvet), Juno award-winning Montreal rave beast and professional VHS retro-ironist Tiga, London house heartbreaker Maya Jane Coles… there’s a sound for electronic fans of all stripes. And who knows? The next top Igloofest DJ might be one of us.

The first course of the event begins tonight! Tickets for a night are $15, with a festival pass going for only $60. Yeah, you know you’ll check it out. Just don’t forget to zip up your parka; it’s already minus ten and dropping…

Click here to view the embedded video.

As of recent, both technological advances and the internet have brought about the ability, and the necessity, for marketers to track true performance metrics in real-time. Marketers are now able to evaluate the effectiveness of their marketing initiatives based on data capture, sentiment, engagement and, most importantly, conversions. Access to this data helps marketers better define where to concentrate efforts, which is bringing a new precision to marketing in the digital music industry. Targeting is crucial, especially in the music industry, because artist marketing is all about being in touch with your fans.

With the right fan management platform you have all the tools you need to grow your fan-base, build relationships, and measure the impact of everything you do along the way. However, with such a wide range of companies providing digital marketing toolkits, how do you know which is the best technology to manage your fans online? BandMark picked 10 companies with momentum in the digital marketing toolkit space that you need to know about: Topspin, Bandcamp, Nimbit, Rockdex, Mozes, NextBigSound, Rootmusic, FanBridge, Buzzdeck, and Artistdata. Read on for a review of the first 5 companies, and then check back next week for part-two of this review.

www.topspinmedia.com

Topspin is a popular direct-to-fan marketing and retail software platform which gives musicians, as well as authors and filmmakers the ability to promote their art and connect with fans.

What can it do? Topspin allows users to effectively spread their content with the use of their multi-media players which stream high-quality audio and video that can be played and shared on websites, blogs, facebook feeds and mobile phones. In terms of direct-to-fan contact, Topspin provides users with the ability to reach their fans via email, FB & Twitter in exchange for free downloads. When sending emails, Topspin offers users the ability to target fans based on: geography, purchase history, social influence, or even how they found you originally. Topspin even allows artists to bundle their digital media with their physical merchandise, tickets and Fan Club/VIP access for the ultimate fan experience. Like most software platforms of this type, Topspin provides real-time fan data which allows for more targeted and cost-effective marketing initiatives.

Why use it? With integrated ecommerce and reporting functions, fan management, asset management, and ticketing tools in one software package, this platform is the whole shebang! Give it a try by creating a free account using the basic services for as little as 9.99$ a month. With musicians from Les Blanks to Arcade Fire and legendary Paul McCartney, all having run successful campaigns with Topspin, what do you have to lose in giving it a try?

www.bandcamp.com

Bandcamp is a service which provides musicians with a place to host, stream and then sell their music through personalized home pages. Although it sounds a lot like MySpace, what differentiates Bandcamp from sites like Myspace is its convenience and the ability to monetize efforts.

What can it do? Bandcamp offers a plug-and-play simplicity which jives with artists who are not web-savvy and up-starts who are just looking to sell or share their work. For the most part, Bandcamp takes care of the ‘nitty-gritty’ technical details, so that users can focus on producing and promoting their craft. Nevertheless, for those who wish to roll up their sleeves and delve into the world of digits, Bandcamp features an incredible array of statistical tools to help users learn more about their audience.

Why use it? In addition to convenience, the benefit of using Bandcamp is the freedom it gives artists in how they share their work. Unlike other platforms, Bandcamp’s user-defined pricing scheme empowers musicians to price and sell their work at their own discretion, in whichever digital format they prefer. Artists then pay a portion of their profits to the site. The one catch is to find a price that’s low enough to create conversions, yet high enough to cover the site’s commissions. Bottom-line: If you’re not an economist with a background in price optimization, you may want to avoid this hurdle altogether by releasing work for free. Either way, with Bandcamp, the choice is totally yours!

www.nimbit.com

Nimbit is another direct-to-fan platform created for fan-management activities in the music industry. Nimbit prides itself on providing an easy solution for self-managed artists, managers, and emerging labels to: grow and engage their fanbase; to sell their music online; and to sell tickets, VIP Bundles and all their merch online.

What can it do? Nimbit helps artists to connect with their fans through email marketing, twitter and facebook. With Nimbit’s platform, musicians can sell their digital music on nimbitmusic.com, facebook, in addition to their dedicated site. In fact with Nimbit, artists can sell just about anything, direct from everywhere, while Nimbit fulfills on the seller’s behalf. Nimbit also allows artists to offer free tracks for email sign-ups, create and share download cards, and to create customized promotions. In addition to allowing users to create their own fully customized store-front online, Nimbit offers a variety of reporting features which help artists to manage and optimize their business activities. Marketing analytics, real-time sales reports, tracking fan history, catalogue management and multi-artist dashboards are among some of the reporting features offered by Nimbit.

Why use it? Would you ask your plumber for medical advice? Probably not; that’s why Nimbit was made by musicians, for musicians. “We’re not just a bunch of tech heads trying to make a buck off musicians. We’re people with experience from all sides of the music business. We’ve seen the problems of the old-style music industry first hand and we’re here to change it.” Bonus: Nimbit runs an affiliate program for companies targeting similar audiences. Affiliate partners can place either a unique button or banner on their website, and earn commissions ranging from $10 – $20 per signup!

www.rockdex.com

Although Rockdex was originally created to be an extension of the Music Arsenal band management application, RockDex eventually grew into something much bigger: a full-fledged company. With the launch of its 1^st standalone version in 2009, Rockdex caught the attention of music professionals with its simple and visually intriguing social media metrics and insights.

What can it do? RockDex is a unique, B2B platform that tracks thousands of websites, collecting data for musicians from blogs, fan connections, pageviews, tweets, song plays and more. Rockdex then uses this data to provide artists with a high-level view of their online buzz, including a comprehensive picture of growth and scale. Using this revolutionary software, artists can explore actual conversations in order to understand what motivates fan behaviour and drives exposure. Rockdex can even spot viral trends and help artists track the progress of such trends over time through constantly updated charts, graphs and maps.

Why use it? No matter where you stand in the music industry, Rockdex has something for you. Record labels, Managers, Artists, Publicists, A&R Reps, and Booking Agents are all making use of Rockdex to stay ahead of the curve. With a free 15-day trial on all accounts, it’s worth checking into this platform to find out what all the buzz is about…literally!

www.mozes.com

Mozes Connect is a web-based platform that allows users to create and manage customized, targeted mobile marketing campaigns. As mobile marketing becomes increasingly important in the case of live events, Mozes’ mobile platform is an ideal new media technology for bands and other performing artists wishing to connect [with fans] at the point of inspiration.

What can it do? Mozes connect is a simple platform which allows companies to create mobile experiences in order to engage audiences at live events. With Mozes, users can run a variety of mobile campaigns including: contests, voting, trivia, fan generated content, or simply send out branded media. Mozes also offers users a variety of cool web widgets, and other proprietary tools, to boost campaign results. Most importantly, users can check the status of their campaigns in terms of participation, locations, poll results and much more, and then use this information to manage their mobile activities in real-time. The best part? Marketers have the option to easily change any campaign into a mobile and/or email list building engine so that marketers can keep the customer relationship going even after the event ends.

Why use it? Mozes Connect is the only platform solution focused exclusively on connecting companies with their audience via mobile phone – in particular at live performance venues, something which is extremely useful for bands and musicians.

Saturday night brings with it the closing night of M for Montreal, showcasing some of our finest local luminaries. Presented by dramatically-named label Blue Skies Turn Black, the grand finale will feature Marie-Pierre Arthur, The Barr Brothers, Random Recipe, Karkwa, Ariane Moffatt — and Francophone electro-rock act Galaxie.

Founded and fronted by French-transplanted Montreal resident Olivier Langevin more than ten years ago, Galaxie was known as Galaxie 500 until the name turned out to be trademarked by an established and well-regarded American alt-rock band (what are the odds?). In the decade-plus since Galaxie‘s formation, Langevin and company have assembled three critically lauded full-length releases and collected a number of prestigious awards. This year alone has garnered the group four 2011 GAMIQ awards, a 2011 ECHO Songwriting Prize, and a shortlist for a Polaris Music Prize for their latest album, Tigre et diesel.

Galaxie is yet another act to infuse electro elements into their rock sound, but the rock comes a little rougher than the milquetoast mewlings of the usual indie fare. Galaxie fuses glammed-out ’80s electronics with stripped-down garage-band blues-rock and laces it all with female vocals, to a powerhouse effect not too incredibly distant from another Canadian group, Black Mountain.

In contrast to a number of other local groups who seem to be ignorant of any music older than about 2005, Langevin claims inspiration from Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, T. Rex and Bo Diddley, and you can hear it in the groove and swagger of Tigre et diesel.

Recent live shows have incorporated their newer electro influence into tracks from their prior albums as well. In short, Galaxie aren’t screwing around about getting a dancefloor hopping. Prepare to go supernova this Saturday!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Right about now, at the South by Southwest (SXSW) showcase at M for Montreal hosted at Sala Rossa, there’s an empire rising. That’s Young Empires, three young men from Toronto who’ve been expanding their sphere of influence rapidly since their formation in 2009. A recent tour with Chromeo made Young Empires a name amongst retro-loving, forward-thinking pop fans, and their headline status at SXSW should only bolster their buzz in the local scene and beyond.

Highly influenced by Pitchforker groups of the recent past, Young Empires wear their influences on their immaculate sleeves. Music journos have struggled to compare Young Empires to bands as disparate as The Killers, Arcade Fire, MGMT and Cut Copy. Not bad for a band who has yet to even release an EP, much less a full album. Older reviews mention a certain tropical vibe to their tunes, but that’s not as apparent as the genre-blurring explorations into chillwave and indie dance-rock they’re currently pushing, which fits them well into the local scene.

Of course, the groups above have mighty shoes to fill for an upstart group in an overpopulated scene, but the comparisons don’t only describe Young Empires‘ sound — they reflect the group’s chameleonic ability to absorb and blend their influences and produce something that gels. While it all comes off as a bit calculated, and not near as rowdy as their “sexy music for sexy people” ad-line would have you believe, Young Empires seems to be on the right track — and what did they say about all roads leading to Rome?

Young Empires’ music is hard to find at the moment — they’ve tightened their tyrant’s grip on music blogs in anticipation of their upcoming EP — but you can get a taste of their sound on their Myspace and on Youtube where their videos proliferate.

Click here to view the embedded video.

To an Anglo listener, Alfa Rococo comes off in the middle of the radio-friendly indie spectrum, somewhere between the girl-fronted, electro-tinged stompers of fellow canucks Metric and the pensive, reverb-heavy mope-rock of UK’s Doves. To the mix Alfa Rococo adds assorted folksy French and Quebecois influences, chiefly by way of warm male/female vocal harmonies and French lyrics. Their first album, 2007′s Lever L’ancre, has a more wistful vibe, while their second, last year’s Chasser le Malheur, is more upbeat and synth-driven.

Generally, Alfa Rococo‘s mostly midtempo pieces create a atmosphere that can only be described as pretty. It’s sweet and melancholic by turns, and no understanding of French is required to understand the mood of it all. It’s not particularly daring, but it’s slick and catchy, with not a hair out of place. As curveballs, Alfa Rococo throw in a few higher-energy, four-on-the-floor numbers that’ll pack a dancefloor fast — see the video below. Here’s hoping to see a few of those at the show!

Alfa Rococo plays M for Montreal this Saturday at 2PM @ Café Campus.

Click here to view the embedded video.

M for Montreal

It’s more of a marathon than a festival, really. You’d better book some time off work. Last year we were blown away by the local talent on display, and this year the boom’s promising to be even bigger.

No doubt owing to the success of its industry networking functions, the festival has been expanding its global credentials a little more every year. M for Montreal has hosted showcases as far as Texas’s South by Southwest media convention. Even this year’s headliner comes from half a world away: France’s much-lauded electronic shoegaze duo M83, who’ve been brought in to support their latest ethereal synth trip, Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming.

M83′s show with LA-based, similarly-themed Active Child is, sadly, already sold out. If you missed out, you’ve still got a chance to get retro: also from France comes Anoraak, alias Frederic Riviere, an up-and-coming artist from the infamous Valerie Collective. Anoraak’s velvety Italo-disco pop jams come off like an aural daydream of an ideal ’80s Miami beach that never existed. Fans of Chromeo take note.

Other class acts this year include local electronic legends Bran Van 3000 and hard-rock thrashers Barn Burner and Trigger Effect (heavy music being a recent and welcome addition to the festival — see our writeup of Priestess from last year). Last year’s M for Montreal featured the folk-rock duo The Barr Brothers and infectious electro-jazz gangsters Misteur Valaire (who headlined in 2010, as it happens, and who have been M for Montreal regulars since 2008). Both groups will be returning again to the fest’s sixth edition. Plenty of new additions fill out the roster, including Uncle Bad Touch (a sister band of our favourites The Unsettlers).

Click here to view the embedded video.

The full line-up for M for Montreal 2011:

• M83
• Active Child
• Cadence Weapon
• Karkwa
• Random Recipe
• Parlovr
• Aaron
• Absolutely Free
• Adam & The Amethyst
• Alaclair Together
• Alexandre Desilers
• Alfa Rococo
• Anoraak
• Ben Wilkins
• Bran Van 3000
• Buddy McNeil & The Magic Mirrors
• Scoundrels
• Concrete Knives
• D’eon
• Daniel Isaiah
• Doldrums
• Ed Wood Jr
• Fanny Bloom
• For a Minor Reflection
• Galaxie
• Half Moon Run
• Hollerado
• I No.
• Jimmy Hunt
• Karim Ouellet
• Lena Deluxe
• Marie-Pier Arthuer
• Misteur Valaire
• Of Monsters and Men
• Passwords
• Peter Peter
• Plaster
• The Midway State
• Uncle Bad Touch
• Young Empires

M for Montreal runs from Wednesday, November 16 through Saturday, November 19. See www.mformontreal.com for more details.

Without a doubt, any vinyl purist will tell you that vinyls will be around years to come because the audio quality of a record trumps that of a CD or any other digital medium. In case you’re wondering, there are two reasons for vinyl’s supposed sonic superiority. Firstly, mastering houses generally compress the audio on CDs in order to make the sound as loud as possible; however unlike with CDs, the audio on vinyls cannot be compressed to those extremes. So despite the fact that CDs can have a wider dynamic range, LPs will generally have a more subtle sound to them. The second reason for vinyl’s superiority is that regardless of the sampling rate, digital recordings can never capture the complete sound wave present in an analog groove. For both of these two reasons, vinyl offer can offer a richer, warmer and more nuanced sound than CDS, and it’s often argued that cds and other digital mediums will never be able to reach the sound quality of vinyl. Nonetheless, modern-day music listeners and even most djs are predominantly choosing digital music over vinyl. Why is that? Most notably, the major appeal behind digital music is accessibility and portability. With the massive proliferation of ipods and other digital music player devices it appears that despite the fact that a record can sound better than digital mediums likes cds and mp3s, portability is so important to consumers today that we are ready to forfeit better sound quality for the benefit of being able to bring our music with us everywhere.

Nevertheless, we’re still seeing vinyl sales increase and it seems likely that those sales are driven by the fact that records provide an element of tangibility that digital music can never offer. Many people in the music industry that will tell you that for many, including the artists, “vinyl is the true version of the release…the size and presence of the artwork, the division into sides, the better sound quality, [and] above all the involvement and work the listener has to put in, all make it the format of choice for people who really care about music.”[2] Although big labels are resistant to the idea of a vinyl comeback, many vinyl record companies are staying competitive by recognizing the unique needs of music fans living in the 21st century. In catering to consumers’ desires for easy accessibility and portability of their music, many record labels are now including download codes in their record packaging which music fans can use to download MP3 versions of the songs. With many of the major record labels now including these download codes, is it possible that vinyl will not only survive in this digital age, but actually rival other digital formats such as cds and streaming music sites? Only time will tell. Speaking for myself however, vinyl records just don’t fit into my lifestyle. While I do miss the old days of flipping through cd inlets filled with album lyrics and artwork, as an avid music listener whose ipod is never more than a purse pocket or a jacket zipper away from me, digital music is the only way for me to experience music in the way which really moves me: on-the-go music pumping out the perpetual soundtrack to my life.