Pitchfork

Stop the presses! How the hell did Warp Records get their hands on Toni Braxton? An AFX remix of "Breathe Again"?

Wait, what? It's not Toni? It's Tyondai Braxton? Oh man, I was getting all pumped for her to work with Boards of Canada next. Oh well.

Now about this Tyondai character. He's signed to Warp Records! Actually, it isn't all that surprising, considering the fact that Braxton's math-rock supergroup Battles is also signed to the veteran electronic music label. The band, which also includes Ian Williams (Don Caballero, Storm and Stress), John Stanier (Helmet, Tomahawk), and Dave Konopka (Lynx), is in the process of completing their Warp full-length debut. The label recently reissued two of their EPs as the single-disc compilation EP C/B EP.

On his own, Braxton is a composer working at the intersection of free jazz, avant-garde rock, and experimental electronic music. He has collaborated with Prefuse 73, released a split with Brooklyn noize-poppers Parts & Labor, and put out several solo discs. He also makes funny guitar faces when he plays.

Braxton's solo Warp debut is slated for late 2006, after the release of the Battles LP. In the meantime, Braxton is preparing for a special multimedia performance in New York City in March. It sounds pretty trippy. Here's what Braxton had to say about it:

"It's called 'memoryrememberme' and it's a solo show I'm doing on top of the outrageously-crafted wooden platform the Danish architect [Uffe Surland Van Tams] made for me with this totally amazing light show that makes it look like I'm haunting the room. The performance space is called 'Swing Space' and is an abandoned bank transformed by Pratt Architecture students into this unbelievable space."

Whoa. Dude.

Braxton has one other solo show scheduled, taking place this Friday, February 24, in Sweden. So his itinerary looks a little somethin' like this:

02-24 Malmo, Sweden - Inkonst *
03-10 New York, NY - 15 Nassau St.
03-11 New York, NY - 15 Nassau St.

* with Midaircondo

Battles recently announced a European tour that will take them across the continent in April. They'll play several shows with fellow sound adventurers Black Dice and Wolf Eyes.

Love is a battlefield:

04-12 Reims, France - Centre Culturel du Crous
04-13 Brussels, Belgium, - Ancienne Belgique Box (Domino Festival) *#
04-14 Rotterdam, Holland - Motel Mozaïque Festival *
04-15 Aarhus, Denmark - Fabriken
04-16 Hamburg, Germany - Hafen Klang *
04-17 Berlin, Germany - Volksbuhne Theatre *$
04-18 Cologne, Germany - Gebaude 9 *$
04-19 Luxembourg, Luxembourg - Kulturfabrik *
04-20 Fribourg, Switzerland - FriSon
04-21 Paris, France - Nouveau Casino (Warp Show) %
04-22 Poitier, France - Comfort Modern
04-23 Nantes, France - La BaraKaSon
04-25 London, England - Dingwalls
04-26 Leeds, England - Brudenell Social Club
04-27 Newcastle, England - Global Café at University of Newcastle @
04-30 Bourges, France - Printemps Festival
04-05 Krems, Austria - Danube Festival $

* with Black Dice
# with Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid
$ with Wolf Eyes
% with Luke Vibert, Chris Clark & Radioactiveman
@ with Schneider TM

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