Ad Hoc

is also a quarterly zine— available in electronic and paper formats, and full of original art work and long-form features. Resurrecting the curatorial logic of zine culture, Ad Hoc will paint a dynamic, living landscape of the underground music world at large, setting the reflections of professional journalists and critics alongside artists, promoters, and other music-world personalities. Ad Hoc is a mosaic of voices, each offering its own partial illumination of underground music today, and what it means to navigate a rapidly changing industry in the era of information.

The Ad Hoc Community

Ad Hoc features regular contributions from 20 Jazz Funk Greats, Decoder (ex-Get Off The Coast), Distonal (ex-The Decibel Tolls), Dummy Magazine, International Tapes, Mutant Sounds,  No Fear of Pop, Visitation Rites, Raven Sings The Blues, and Rose Quartz.

And writings from Alex Bleeker (Real Estate), Alex Zhang Hungtai (Dirty Beaches), Alan Palomo (Neon Indian), Allese Baker (Artforum), Dale W. Eisinger (New York Press), Dan Lopatin (Oneohtrix Point Never, Ford & Lopatin), Emil Amos (Holy Sons, Om), Emily Rose Epstien (Ty Segall), Hunter Hunt-Hendrix (Liturgy), Ian Nelson (Friendship Bracelet), James Leyland Kirby (The Caretaker), Jenn Pelly (Pitchfork, Village Voice), Jessa Farkas (Future Shuttle), Jigmae Baer (Royal Baths), John Elliot (Emeralds), Justin Spicer (Tiny Mix Tapes), Kim Kelly (NPR, Brooklyn Vegan), Laurel Chartow, Liz Pelly (Boston Phoenix), Maria Minerva, Marc Masters (Pitchfork, Wire), Matt Sullivan (Altered Zones), Michael McGregor (Chocolate Bobka, The Report), Nate Luce (Flower Orgy), Taraka Larson (Prince Rama), Todd P, and many, many more.

Sounds pretty rad (^^^).  Especially the cassette box sets and print zenes.  Head over to kickstarter and pledge to help these kids make it happen.

Neon Indian’s PAL 198X.  Pre-order Era Extraña on vinyl in the deluxe package to get one for yourself.

Neon Indian - Polish Girl

While I thoroughly enjoyed Neon Indian’s debut Psychic Chasms EP, I felt like the following album of the same title suffered from the ol’ syndrome that the ep had all the best songs and expanding it with filer instead of starting from scratch didn’t work out so hot (ex. Ra Ra Riot s/t ep to The Rhumb Line).

So starting fresh with a new album to work with already has me happy, and first couple listens through on Era Extraña I’m liking what I hear. Good tunes.

Apparently there’s a crazy ltd pre-order package for Era Extraña including 160 vinyl, compact disc, tee-shirt, poster, and a Bleep Labs Custom Synth called a PAL 198X.  Normally I hate expensive packages with things I don’t want or need, but a custom analog snyth to experiment with sounds like best!  Its also kind of refreshing to see an artist releasing his music with a snyth, inviting people to make their own tunes and sounds.  You can hear a sample of some sounds made by the the PAL 198X here

Neon Indian - Era Extraña on 140g vinyl pre-order here