It’s no secret from the boss down, there are lots of fans of LCD, DFA and Mr. James Murphy in the house. Today started real well when we came across this news piece.

Shut Up and Play the Hits is a new film which follows LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy in the final days of the band. Directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, Shut Up gives viewers an insight into Murphy’s decision to end LCD Soundsystem, right up to the band’s incredible final show at Madison Square Gardens last April.  The film will be premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival on January 22nd.

Check out the epic trailer below…

Fortunately the end of LCD Soundsytem doesn’t spell the end for James Murphy and us lucky Aussies are getting a dose of him in March when he tours Future Music Festival with Pat Mahoney as DFA…. alongside Swedish House Mafia, New Order, Professor Green, Fatboy Slim, The Wombats and way, waaaaay more.

Here are the dates:

Future Music Festival 2012
Brisbane – Saturday March 3 – Buy Tix
Perth – Sunday March 4 – Buy Tix
Sydney – Saturday March 10 - Buy Tix
Melbourne – Sunday March 11 – Buy Tix
Adelaide – Monday March 12 – Buy Tix

Words cannot express how much joy you’ve brought us. On behalf of all your Australian fans (not to mention the many fans here at EMI) we wanna wish you all the very best for the ‘final’ gig of this current chapter in the history of LCD Soundsystem. Madison Square Gardens has gotta be the only place in the world we wanna be this weekend … but alas the tyranny of distance has got us locked tightly in her clutch. A bunch of us will be tuned into the Pitchfork webcast and jumping in the time machine to be there with you in spirit(s).

image courtesy of Bill Ebbeson

What an honour and a pleasure its been for each new piece of music to arrive to us. I can’t quite articulate just how special hearing each new album for the first time was like Christmas arriving. You made art and music that soundtracked our life and kept making us fall deeper and deeper in love with music.

LCD you gave us so many great times … extraordinary live shows where it felt like everyone in the place was a united force – like a room of our best friends you never met, you soundtracked long and hedonistic sweaty nights and even more hedonistic house parties involving the dancefloor, friends (some here and some gone) and equal parts of pure pleasure (lost in headphones and in the sound)… discovering new wonders in the grooves and the lyrics.

James, Nancy, Pat, Tyler, Gavin, David (special mention to Al Doyle from Hot Chip) and our pals-for-life DFA collaborator Michael Vadino & Keith Wood band manager supremo … we salute you (and still it doesn’t seem to quite articulate how much you mean to us).

Much Respect! Send it off in fine style….

LCD Soundsystem will play their last-ever show on April 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The concert will last nearly three hours, with lots of treats and special guests promised. Influential NYC punk-funkers Liquid Liquid will open.

Pitchfork.com will livestream the entire show from 11:00 AM Sunday April 3. This will be a one-time-only broadcast. It will not be replayed.

Better late than never!

If you didn’t get a chance to check out THAT’S COOL BUT CAN YOU MAKE IT MORE SH*T – LCD Soundsystem and DFA’s world-first exhibition held in Sydney earlier this year – the time has come. You can watch the entire exhibition in fast forward right here. (When I say “fast forward” I mean it. For example the pack up took over seven hours. In this film you can watch it all in less than seven seconds.)

Michael Vadino, the Art Director of DFA, came out from NYC to set up the exhibit. I was lucky enough to be working by his side. Every item on display had a story behind it and Michael knew them all.

Like the poster of the foxes (pictured out-of-focus below, behind Lisa Gunning and Alison Goldfrapp). James Murphy bought this amazing painting of these two little foxes from a very talented (possibly homeless) artist. James liked the painting so much he had it turned into a poster and distributed it free with one of his records.

And it was pretty unreal to see the original drawing of the DFA lightning bolt logo in the corner of a piece of paper covered in scribble. Michael says it’s a mystery who drew it, James or Tim? Either way it’s inspiring that DFA grew from such humble beginnings.

Ever wanted to watch LCD Soundsystem from side of stage?
Well now you can! Well, vicariously through my Flip camera….

After a massive week in Sydney with the THAT’S COOL BUT CAN YOU MAKE IT MORE SH*T? exhibition, we dragged our asses up to Woodfordia for what was to be a very busy but very fun Splendour In The Grass. Mostly we ran around like idiots backstage coordinating interviews but we also got to see some friends and some amazing bands (and a 2m brown snake which was TOTALLY NOT COOL!). In between promo backstage I managed to steal away to watch LCD Soundsystem’s set on the Mix Up Stage. One of the best things about Splendour is their very considerate viewing platforms on the side of stage, which allow other artists and people working to get a glimpse of their festival faves without having to battle the sea of fans out the front.

So I thought I would share my experience with you all. Hopefully it’s a different perspective and a new way to hear the latest LCD hit I Can Change.

If you want to hear the full LCD set from Splendour, tune in to triple j this Monday night 6 Sept at 8pm and you can relive the set in all it’s glory! And if you STILL can’t get enough, hang out till Sunday 12 Sept @ 5pm for an encore broadcast.

Yay for live music!

In an inconspicuous back alley of Sydney’s Darlinghurst over the last week, has lain a gleaming gem of music iconography…

A giant 5ft flickering, DFA lightning bolt beckoned music and design aficionados to the hidden away Tom Dunne Gallery where we proudly held the THAT’S COOL BUT CAN YOU MAKE IT MORE SH*T? exhibition. Three stories were packed out with a full retrospective of “shit aesthetic” DFA and LCD Soundsystem stage props, vinyl sleeves, early polaroids, artwork concepts, underground party invites (imagine seeing LCD for $5!), napkin scrawls, and the nigh illegible (but hilarious) DFA Records extensive mission statement. Michael Vadino (DFA Art Director – responsible for most of the works in the building) flew from NYC to Sydney specifically to help set it up!

It was a true honour to stand before the original Yeah prints and pencilled Sound of Silver logo mockup… without spilling red wine on them.

On July 27, we shut shop early for the exhibition launch. Names on the guestlist included James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem (naturally), Hot Chip, Alison Goldfrapp, Nick Valensi (The Strokes), Yeasayer, Stereogamous, Dappled Cities, Papa vs Pretty… and lots of enthused EMI staff.

Check out our launch night interviews with Michael and James, some footage from the night, and photos below. All shots courtesy of Dan Boud.

More photos at Harpers Bazaar and Pages Digital.

As for take-home memories of the event and tour… we sold uber-limited edition exhibition posters printed with 24 carat gold ink! (Mine is hanging in my living room this minute). And if you weren’t game to brave the merch desk queues at the LCD Soundystem shows or Splendour in the Grass of late, you can still pick up your own official licensed LCD Soundsystem tees on our sister store at http://lcdsoundsystem.securestore.com.au

It doesn’t get any better than this!!

Australian Remix duo Stereogamous (AKA Paul Mac and Jonny Seymour – @stereogamous) get a big thumbs up this week from LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy for their hot new remix of the forthcoming LCD single I Can Change.LCD’s latest (and final) LP This Is Happening has scored rapturous acclaim across the globe as one of the albums of the year. To have LCD’s frontman give his personal stamp of approval to a remix has been a huge coup for this local dance duo. With its thumping beats and driving core, the track is sure to be a hit. The world’s most popular pop website POPJUSTICE agrees and made it a feature, as well as Stoney Roads sharing the love. Stereogamous have made quite a name for themselves remixing some of the best and most diverse acts around the world including Wolfmother, The Presets, MEN (JD Samson from Le Tigre), Jimmy Sommerville, We Have Band and The Scare. And it’s not just James Murphy giving them kudos – earlier this year George Michael was so impressed with their dynamic live set, he commissioned them to create a 45 min warm-up for his sold-out Melbourne and Sydney stadium shows. You can buy LCD Soundsystem’s single I Can Change from July 16 – just in time for the LCD Soundsystem / Hot Chip co-headline Austalian tour & Splendour In The Grass. In the meanwhile, stream the Stereogamous remix to your heart’s content!

I reckon it’s really important to travel. Whether its in a Rolls Royce or with a rucksack…
Travel gives you perspective and frees you up from the day-to-day. For me it gives me a kind of sense check of what you are doing, where you are going and what’s really important.

Even though I’m in my late 30’s… I am a hopeless case with spending at least part of my holidays on one (or many) of my favourite artists. There is always music involved. I can’t see that ever changing… Add in some of your favourite people in the world and I’m pretty damn contented.I’ve done most musical festivals in the world but for me, Coachella is the best and most intelligent. Goosebumps on multiple occasions. Hairs on arms standing up – check. Really – it’s that good. Imagine, a dream line up… backdrop it with a lush green space in the middle of the California desert. Surround that with palm trees… Then back drop it with an intense mountain range. Cap it with some snow at the very top just off in the distance. Then add a picture-perfect blue sky and you are getting close. This is music lovers festival heaven. At night the palm trees are underlit with different colored spotlights…and 5 massive Hollywood-style spotlights are planted around the parameters of the festival shooting into the sky and meeting up in the middle of the festival space. The sunset at the end of each day is something to behold as the sun rests for the night behind the mountains. And when the bands play, they play to a surrounding backdrop of palm trees or a hint of desert… it’s hard to explain in words but hope you are feelin’ me on how good it was. Although there were 60,000 people each day, it doesn’t feel suffocating or over-crowded. It’s clean and well-run. Yep. It’s pretty impressive. And if you believe in energies and spirits and those kind of otherworldly touchpoints… well I think it has all of that going on as well. But most importantly, I have never seen so much incredible music and such a musically-forward line up as this year. I highly recommend it. More at coachella.com but here’s my round-up: LCD Soundsystem Gorillaz Jonsi The Middle East Hot Chip Deadmau5 Yeasayer More tidbits and Radiohead

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM It’s no secret they are one of my favourites – so to see them 2nd on the bill on opening night was a thrill (and a genius call by the promoters)… and I watched on like a proud father ‘cos I like to see my fave artists do well. They played a blinding, exciting, blistering set. Lead guy and legend James Murphy is actually an incredibly humble human – and as they finished a killer opener Us VS Them, you could see James having a moment to just take it all in. This is of course the last album and tour by LCD and it was a big crowd. James gave a great quote, something gushy about playing in between Them Crooked Vultures and Jay-Z and how insane it was for them. He called TCV “the chicken”, Jay Z as “the main course beef”… and that he was quite happy (and proud) that LCD are “the vegan option” on the menu. Funny! They have an augmented rhythm section now, and by the time the band are here for their winter shows… its going to be mind-blowingly good. Three new songs got an airing in the set with lead single Drunk Girls and future-classic I Can Change getting a great reception. They are one of the most exciting life-forces in music right now mixing English pop smarts with NYC dancefloor cool. Wow. Even though their last album Sound Of Silver was hailed universally by all the good music critics as the best album of 2007, they have never enjoyed any of this exposure in Oz before (Triple J Album Of The Week, National NOVA airplay, Channel V Ripe Clip and the 1st 5 star review in the world). It’s brilliant and I am so proud. Check out the vid and play it loud!

Others in brief …

THE MIDDLE EAST did really well and played early on Sunday. They have a lot of interest internationally and are touring the USA exhaustively upon invitations from Laura Marling, White Rabbits, and Mumford and Sons. Then there’s the European summer festival circuit. Glastonbury is a long way from Townsville, boys! I think The Middle East’s upcoming album this can be one of the most important Australian albums of 2010.

JONSI played as the sun started to set on the outdoor stage. Even in the 30 degree desert weather, Jónsi’s kooky icelandic pop made it feel like somewhere else. Cant wait for the tour. Just beautiful.
Watch Go Do here.

HOT CHIP had a really big crowd playing before Thom Yorke and Flea… and they nailed it. We danced, we sang along, bathing in their feel-good geeky electronic pop tunefulness. Its going to be magic when they tour with LCD. Watch Ready For The Floor here.

DEADMAU5 is completing his debut album for EMI. He’s bringing in some big-name collaborators and its going to be one of the dance albums of the year. He collaborated with Daft Punk’s visual artists (they guys who made all those giant pyramids on the last tour) and at Coachella he unveiled his new “Mau5″ head which as you might know…he wears when he starts dj’ing. Check this out!

Lots of other surreal things happened… like Nathan from Faker bringing Vampire Weekend back to our tent (!), like having Kelly Osborne and Agnys Dean the supermodel and John Waters all within reach side of stage as GOSSIP played. Then James and Pat from DFA got up onstage with them for their final song – a cover of Grace Jones Pull Up To The Bumper. I think I fell through the floor!

There were unconfirmed rumours this was me but I deny it all.

What an incredible couple of days… let’s hope the lineup is as magnificent in 2011 and we can do it all again! In the meanwhile, who’s going to Splendour!?

This Wednesday night, about one hundred punters converged on Ching-a-ling’s in Sydney’s Darlinghurst to schmooze, drink, and listen to LCD Soundsystem’s new album This Is Happening VERY LOUD on repeat (the first chance in Australia to do so without being hunched over a computer with headphones).

The party which we threw with In The Mix, Faster Louder, and Pure Blonde (thanks y’all!) went off a treat, and we have the pics to prove it. Inspired by James Murphy’s This Is Happening album artwork, we all emulated the man himself in an effort to bask in his greatness.

Here are a few of our faves from the evening, which may or may not include some pics of ourselves.

Photos courtesy of Faster Louder, In The Mix, and Bryan Lanyon.

Head to In The Mix for the full gallery of This Is Happening album shots and social snaps, or head to theinsoundfromwayout.com/LCD to stream the album in full and preorder.

James Murphy + Spike Jonze. It was an inevitable and long overdue combination of musical + directorial talent.

What wasn’t inevitable however, was a cohort of Evil (and possibly drunk) Panduhs crash-tackling Murphy, pimping him up in a mini-dress and makeup, and binding him to his compatriots with duct tape.

One thing is official… if I wasn’t scared of pandas beforehand, I am now.

Once you’ve had the wits scared out of you by the inner workings of Jonze’s mind, head on over to lcdsoundsystem.com/thisishappening to listen to LCD Soundsystem’s new album This Is Happening in full!

If you really really like it (we do), then you can pre-order the album from JB Hi-Fi and receive free a LCD Soundsystem tote bag + a download of LCD’s Bye Bye Bayou:

If you’ve not heard today’s incredible 10th anniversary Splendour In the Grass lineup, have you not a computer / radio / phone / ears / eyes????

OK so camping tickets are $450 (ouch), but we’ve done the math & it turns that makes each set $5.55… Five and half bucks to heard the new LCD album live!? The full lineup is below, with our favourite acts on the LHS. (Full disclosure, they’re all ours!)

In your pre-Splendour research mode, we’re willing to help you out even further by giving you:

• Laura Marling Ltd Edn I Speak Because I Can CD/DVD with 5 free downloads, postcard artwork, and lyrics booklet
• Jonsi blockmounted poster featuring Go album art
• Operator Please signed 7″ vinyl of Logic / Logic (Dolby Anol Remix)
• Ben Harper & Relentless7 signed blockmounted poster featuring White Lies… art
• Gorillaz limited edition Plastic Beach CD/DVD
• Hot Chip One Life Stand double gatefold vinyl
• Goldfrapp Headfirst collector’s edition cassette

Just head to our sister store at theinsong.com/splendour, buy any of the singles or albums to receive competition details, and tell us in 25 words or less how you plan to warm up for Splendour.