vera chytilova, stan brakhage, brothers quay, jan svankmajer, alejandro jodorowsky, martin scorsese, cohen brothers, jeunet+caro, alfred hitchcock, aléx de la iglesia
louise bourgeois, alexander calder, lee bontecou, adolph gottlieb
Influences
Jamaican music, especially Studio One's 60s output: dub, rocksteady, reggae, ska, dancehall. Sly and Robbie, Augustus Pablo, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Scientist, Shinehead, Desmond Dekker, Burning Spear, Skatalites, Michigan and Smiley, Jackie Mittoo, etc. Dancehall: Lenky, Elephant Man, Sean Paul, Sizzla, Mr. Vegas, Tanya Stephens.
Electronic music. Kraftwerk, Art of Noise, Hashim (and other groundbreaking electro hip hop), Delia Derbyshire, Severed Heads, Iannis Xenakis (tape compositions), Negativland, Mouse on Mars, DJ Olive/Lloop, Prefuse 73/Savath y Savalas, DJ Pika Pika Pika, Boards of Canada, Plastikman, Atom Heart, H.A.T., Tetsu Inoue, Vilalobos, Akufen, (a)pendics.shuffle, Someone Else & Miskate, Onur Ozer, Daze Maxim, Trentemoller, Sutekh.
Artful/unusual pop music. Stevie Wonder, Motown, Talking Heads, Prince, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao/Astrud Gilberto, Radiohead, Devo, Bjork, YMO, Thomas Dolby, New Order, Depeche Mode, Wire, Zappa, Cornelius, Plus-Tech Squeeze Box, Milky Chu.
Psychedelic music. The Beatles, Haruomi Hosono, My Bloody Valentine, Flaming Lips, Circulatory System, Robyn Hitchcock, Early-mid Pink Floyd, Eno-era Talking Heads, Talking Heads-era Eno
Hip hop greats. Timbaland/Missy, Public Enemy/Bomb Squad, Pharcyde (Bizarre Ride), Antipop Consortium, Kool Keith, Nas, CX Kidfukkentronik, Run DMC
Jazz. McCoy, Monk, Herbie, Miles.
Traditional and modern pop music of India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Japan, Okinawa.
Modern classical and film scores. Xenakis, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Arvo Pårt, Bernard Hermann, Miklos Rozsa, Lalo Schifrin, Raymond Scott
The snowmans arrived a mile too late, the sell by date had been sold to a milliner in Grand Junction. "Why did they let it ride, why didn't they suture it in place, why didn't they know, why why why?" These were the prevailing sentiments looking backward on the vast expanse of technological warpage that led to the majorest of the minor relapses. Maybe they were busy computing new passwords that would be uncrackable by advertising clones. Maybe they were busy making the zeroes pop up another notch. Maybe they were busy partying in the desert with stag horns on their motorcycle. Maybe they were busy jumping on a motorboat and firing pistol shots at the coast guard. Maybe they were heartbroken, staying in and crying silently into the ribbon edge of their security blanket. Whatever the reason for the treason, they never saw it coming until it came. Oh well, she sighed, sitting up and hooking her oily brown hair behind her ear, time for pancakes.
Response by Yoko Solo:
through the winds that ground my face down to a flap of skin, through the stinking waters that made my hair smell of old leather and disease, through the miles of pointless travel, i held on to the vision of a man who would rule these sullen lands... that man is you, mr. last. your prophecy has been fulfilled, your unknown codes as transcribed in my holy comment box have unleashed the stream of numbers, the machines have risen, the bats squirm and peep, the earth steams, the brown okonomiyaki sauce may not be available in Western supermarkets; but you should be able to find it in Japanese grocery stores that exist in most large European and America.
Krust | Pocket Pet | Krust EP (Geometric Deck, Osaka)
The Itchy Family | David Last | The Itchy Family (Wolf + Lamb Music, NYC)
Bubble Tea | David Last | Bubble Tea EP (Dope Recordings, Denver)
Narrabeen Darjeeling | David Last | Narrabeen Darjeeling (Wolf + Lamb Music, NYC)
Stucco (David Last Remix) | Attentat | Stucco EP (Dope Recordings, Denver)
Bubble Tea (Royale's Fenyan Mix) | David Last | Incite CD (XLR8R)
Upcoming:
Funky Fromage (David Last Cheez Wiz) | Someone Else | Pencaps Remixed EP (Foundsound, Philly)
Throbbing Madness Remix | Isomer Transition | Space Madness EP (Moodgadget, NYC)
Falling (David Last Remix) | Royale | Falling EP (Geometric Deck, Osaka)
David Last's tracks often combine dancefloor energy with the deeper-leaning funk of dancehall, dub, latin music and hip hop. All this stuff is probably present in one way or another in his tracks, but it's still something new. A new foodgroup... too simple to call it dancefloor dub, or field funk, or maximal tech(no!)... He has become internationally recognized for his unique soundcraft and deeply funky rhythmic sense, which may be a result of having played drums with NYC bands.
The music employs a wide range of clipped and manipulated sounds, placed with the precision of a sharp shooter. Shades of tone and texture create an emotional reaction to the sound of the music, while a heavy emphasis on rhythmic ebb and flow does the dirty work of getting hips bumping. At parties his set consists of his own unique style of dancefloor rockers, sometimes including a-capella vocals from reggae or hip hop. Given his syncopated rhythmic leanings, the combination sounds natural, never ironic. Crowds respond with screams and sweat. Note the same "f@ck-all let's rock it any old way that feels good" attitude that prevailed back in 70s and 80s NYC; when disco, hip hop, punk rock, and pop music could be found freely intermixing without shame. An offbeat sense of humor is also present, keeping it surprising and uplifting.
A dancehall-influenced CD with genius ragga bad-man ZULU is set to hit Europe in 2008. New collaborations also include Konque, a music project with Alka Rex, and a record label by the same name. For several years David has been collaborating with Japanese tech-house producer Segeke on a project called Pocket Pet. Pocket Pet has already hit dancefloors hard with EPs on Goosehound (NYC) and Geometric Deck (Osaka).
David's tracks are currently released in a variety of contexts with labels like Staubgold (Berlin), Goosehound (NYC), and Foundsound/Unfoundsound (Philly). He has remixed for many others including indie psych-rock label The Social Registry (NYC) and Audio.NL (Rotterdam). His downtempo full-length CD "The Push Pull" is now in its second printing with The Agriculture label, having gained respect from tough to please critics like Pitchfork, and a sizable cult following. International projects further afield of dance music have included the performance of a commissioned soundtrack for a cavern in Japan, and a video/music installation in Amsterdam.
He can sometimes be found playing live with a 4-piece live instrumental dub group called "Solids," a way of bringing his sounds across with the energy of a rock show.
David lives in Brooklyn. Besides music releases, he also makes soundtracks for film and creates visual artwork with odd abstract cartoon characters. His artwork has appeared on packaging for music and in animated tv-show intros for MTV-Japan. His handmade books have been shown by the Met and bought by MOMA. In his spare time he eats pesto.
(backstory) As a kid in the midwest in the 80s, he was introduced to New York City electro hip hop radio via cassette tapes from his friend CX. Being a fan of Kraftwerk, Sly and Robbie, and rhythm-centric music in general, the sonic world of electro-urban funk was magic. In 1996 in NYC he began making books with the art books collective Booklyn, while playing drums and electronics with bands such as Somnaut (with Jane LeCroy) and at a pirate radio station on the lower east side. In 2004 he worked with .."http://www.benton-c.com">Benton-C on curation of an international audio video compilation for Lincoln Center. The show was called Synaesthesiologists and it was the first time Lincoln Center had approached exhibiting audio/video work.
Thank you for touching my life by your friendship. I wish you tremendous happiness and success in your endeavors. Take care, Nicholas Jolie Focus ocelot
31-track, 1-hour continuos DJ C mix of Zulu’s vocals backed by hype party tracks from producers the world over. Guest vocal appearances by Aceyalone, Jah Orah, and Onili, round out the productions by artists like Ghislain Poirier, David Last, Sabbo, and many others.
yeah thanks, it's a right place to get desalarymanized! things are great, having chances to meet wonderful people over here... hope everything is good in nyc too, mata ne!
You're leaving CO today and this makes many CO'radans sad pandas.
By the by...
we didn't really get to hang out dude. Next time...maybe something cool like a woodsy 'venture or something stupid like baking cupcakes and placing them in bizzare places for our friends to discover?
It was very lovely to have you out here David. Come back soon.
hi hun:) last time u didnt get to see me sober, should have had come earlier:) hopefully next week i'm gonna be a proper refugee and could go with u for a movie or smth. hugs, kisses and misses!
