17 Pygmies' response to Smoldering Ashes Video

"The Outlaw J.D. Ray" - to be released by the indie label Trakwerx - November 2009.

Sneak peeks coming soon. 

Smoldering Ashes Speak

Tory Troutman and Veronica Ashe post a video about their upcoming release "Songs In The Key of the Mountain Birds Blue"

cwnn vs doudou malicious

Remix of Cult With No Name's  "Down The Line" from "Careful What You Wish For" is released

MVD17.5 - Multi Vitamins

Release date: Oct 5th 2009

Doudou Malicious - Dedicated EP

Including remixes of tracks by : Cult With No Name, Jason Glanville, Samuel Knob, Tolga Baklacioglu

MVD17.5 aka “Dedicated” EP, announces the return of the head of Multi Vitamins records Doudou Malicious, showing off his remixing skills on 4 diverse producers.

Jason Glanville, Cult With No Name, Tolga Baclacioglu and Samuel Knob are the names of the artists that passed their tracks to Doudou and the result is twisting and glowing electronic excellence.

First comes the remix of Jason Glanville’s “N=31”. With acidic overtones and old school sequences, this is a crafted mixture of pure sound adrenaline that will stalk you.

Cult With No Name’s “Down the line” original track is remixed with an abstract approach of outrageous sounds that twist and morph all the way through the track.

“Frantic” originally by Tolga Baclacioglu is a strict and genuine remix with a musical sensibility and twisted irresistible vibes with a new approach towards the term “minimal” with eruptions.

Samuel Knob’s track “Chirimbolo” outbursts and screams for attention, as sounds fuse and become sbstantial, while rhythmical sounds appear on and off till its end.

“Dedicated” EP is for the crowd that’s dedicated to uncontaminated minimal techno lovers.

dso reviews Careful What You Wish For

"Careful What You Wish For" (Album, 2008) !DSO Recommended!

Trakwerx

Clever, subtle, sophisticated and yet simple at the same time, London-based duo Cult With No Name create thoughtful ballads and minimalist pop. Erik Stein and Jon Boux operate in an under-exploited field that was more bustling in the 80s and 90s than of late, when the likes of Scritti Politti, Talk Talk, David Sylvian and others carved out and filled a niche with an impressive cluster of albums. Although clearly drawing inspiration from such sources, CWNN's style has a timeless quality and is contemporary rather than dated.

Thankfully, and slightly unexpectedly, the vocals are never too angst-ridden; if anything they're too reserved. Stein does utilise plenty of variety of delivery and maybe tries a tad too much at times with the vocal inflection, his voice has enough distinctive qualities that he doesn't need to resort to such tactics. Besides, the 'twang' it introduces can occasionally be intrusive. Stein's welcome diversions notwithstanding, some of the style of songs are just crying out for something a bit more emotionally bare like David Sylvian's Brilliant Trees - sometimes draining but never melodramatic. I think this is within Stein and Boux's reach - I'd just like to see them developing that side further.

The attention to detail on the production side is a crucial element in ensuring that the often spare styling not only stands up to scrutiny but is a key factor in the overall success of the album. Instrumentally, a deftness of touch shows Boux and Stein understand that less is often so much more. There are some beautiful pieces of piano composition and performance such as with Feels So Good. When it's just a voice and piano (as it essentially often is) there's nowhere to hide either, and neither the composition nor delivery are ever left exposed as wanting. It's lyrically playful too, with the song titles in particular reflecting a very personal approach that's engaging rather than alienating.

Tuxedomoon's Blaine L. Reininger guests on You Know Me Better Than I Know Myself, his glorious violin work adding a serious touch of quality to the only instrumental on the album (and taking them closer to the emotional honesty I referred to above). Then there's the striking arrangement of The Stranglers' Golden Brown, a distinctive piano and vocal only interpretation. A bold statement that they pull off in remarkable style. The tone and mood captured on Careful What You Wish For really is something special and one this British act can be proud of. Now, where did I put that first album…? 7/10

Rob Dyer (August 2009)

See also:

Eclectica
Scritti Politti
Shreikback
David Sylvian
Talk Talk
Tuxedomoon

miuzik.it reviews CWNN's Careful What You Wish For

Cult With No Name - Careful What You Wish For - CD Capitolo secondo (che segue il debutto del 2007 “Paper Wraps Rock”) per i Cult With No Name, formazione inglese composta da Erik Stein e Jon Boux.

“Careful What You Wish For” si compone per lo più di ballate pianistiche ordinarie, mansuete,

avviluppanti, dalla consistenza pop, salutari come una passeggita in montagna: tracce come “Flying Ant Day”, “Feel So Good”, “Hands, Two, Touch” si ascoltano con grande tranquillità; “Context Is Everything”, “And Those Same Mistakes…”, “On The Fingers Of One Thumb”, “Bluff”, “Down The Line”, “Hurting The Ones You Love The Most”, “Soft Skills” lasciano intravedere screziature elettroniche ed input ritmici semplicistici; “You Know Me Better Than I Know Myself” è uno strumentale caratterizzato dall’austero violino di Blaine L. Reininger (Tuxedomoon); “She B.C.” viene baciata da un fluire chitarristico shoegaze; “Golden Brown” è la palpitante cover degli Stranglers; “You And Who’s Army” – la traccia più suggestiva dell’album – dischiude visioni e intimismi notturni. Sulla medesima lughezza d’onda di At Swim Two Birds.

(Trakwerx)

(3.5/5)

Massimiliano Drommi

- 19-8-2009 

Here's the google translation:

Chapter Two (which follows the debut of 2007 "Paper Wraps Rock") for Cult With No Name,

English training and composed by Erik Stein & Jon Boux.

"Careful What You Wish For" is made for mostly piano ballads ordinary, tame, enveloping, consistency pop, as healthy a walk in the mountain tracks like "Flying Ant Day "," Feel So Good "," Hands, Two, Touch you listen very quietly, "Is Context Everything, "" And ... Those Same Mistakes "," On The Fingers Of One Thumb "," Bluff "," Down The Line "," Hurting the Ones You Love The Most ""Soft Skills" give us a glimpse streaksElectronic and rhythmic input simplistic; "You Know Me Better Than I Know Myself" is an instrumental thrifty one Violin Blaine L. Reininger (Tuxedomoon); "She BC" is blessed with a flowing guitar shoegaze, "Golden Brown" is the throbbing of the cover Stranglers, "You And Who's Army" - the track more

evocative album - opens to personal visions night. On the same total length of At Swim wave Two Birds.

(Trakwerx)

(3.5/5)

Massimiliano Drommi

- 19-8-2009 

Outlaw JD Ray sings the blues

17 Pygmies' leader, Jackson Del Rey (with Jeff Brenneman, guitarist, in the background) in his bluesy state of mind at the IPO Festival - playing brand new songs from the upcoming release "Outlaw JD Ray", a continuation of the "Celestina" concept album, but with a traditional folk blues twist.

Aug. 8, 2009 - Knitting Factory, Hollywood, CA

Photo by Lori Chapman

17 Pygmies @ The Knitting Factory

IPO Aug. 8th at The Knitting Factory

JDR rocking out with his new "Atlas Shrugged Blues" from the upcoming release "Outlaw JD Ray" by 17 Pygmies 

We love the tag line at the top of Where's Jon? blog post. 

We think Jon's cool...

BLOW UP: The Desert Island Records

Philip Drucker (17 Pygmies, Del Rey & The Sun Kings, Savage Republic) has been invited to contribute to the book "The Desert Island Records" presented by BLOW UP. 

Edited by Stefano I. Bianchi and Christian Zingales.

The book contains listings and reviews of 10 "discs of the desert" written by 116 musicians / groups from different musical backgrounds and nationalities who tell their sources of inspiration and their best-loved musicians, then the ten discs each lead with themselves should they remain alone in a desert island for a year ... A game that reveals the passions, personal journeys and creative background behind the music and intellectual of all.  A book for the fans but also an inexhaustible source of advice to audience, discoveries, and new hypotheses ripescaggi reading of the classics.

PRICE: € 17.00

"The Book of Harry # 10" [2009] 384 pages (in Italian) 

We will post Philip's insightful and humorous entry once the translation is made.

If You're In London August 22nd....

Cult With No Name

8/22/2009 9:00 PM at Feeling Gloomy @ Islington Bar Academy

Carling Academy Islington, N1 Centre, 16 Parkfield Street, London, N1 0PS

Cost: £4 in advance from ticketweb.co.uk £6 on the door

cwnn return to London’s fastest growing club night! See www.feelinggloomy.com for info. "The High Priests of sonic misery" "An oasis of bittersweet sanity" "A celebration of all that is melancholic and marvellous" The Times "Fantastic new club night" The Guardian "The perfect place for a miserable night out" NME "Come feel the gloom!" Notion "A magnificent idea" "Brilliantly concieved and executed" "Come on feel the Gloom!" TNT Magazine "The whole place was grinning from ear to ear..comfort in being sad indeed" Time Out "Cheese and pickle sandwiches are not what you would usually associate with a night out in a London club" BBC "Seek Musical catharthis in the form of DJ’s Leonard and Cliff playing the World’s most melancholy music" Metro "All that happy, uplifting dance music people seek at clubs is sooo over" Evening Standard "‘Britain’s weirdest club" Radio 1

17 Pygmies play IPO at The Knitting Factory

Come join us at The Knitting Factory Club Saturday, August 8th, 8:00 p.m., for IPO Los Angeles. 

17 Pygmies have gone back to their folk rock and blues roots and will be playing new songs from their upcoming release "Outlaw JD Ray".