by Nic Bragg | From Kitsilano’s Zulu Records, we once again present our monthly Scout feature, the Zulu Report. Within, you’ll find The Track – the song on heavy rotation in the shop this week; The Playlist – our selection of videos; The Gig – the “must-see show”; and The Glance – which details the best gigs on the immediate horizon. From our ears to yours, enjoy…

The Track

JAMIE XX vs Boiler Room

Heads up…no laptops! We had an interesting discussion with a local DJ who mentioned that UK clubs are now banning the use of laptops on the mixing desk. The argument is that the art of being a DJ is quickly being eroded by more and more reliance on technologies that actually do all the work of fusing sounds and beats together for you. Is the DJ now just a romanticized playlist creator? Maybe. Jamie of XX is highly regarded for his production skills as well as his house party rocking skills. Tune into this hour-long clip of him dropping his styles on a rooftop in London. The awkward shots of people drinking beer and dancing in daylight are the next topic of debate…

THE PLAYLIST

SPOON – Rent I Pay

Things are getting interesting for Austin Texas’ Spoon. They have finally left ultra-indie Merge Records and signed a new deal with a Universal Records branch. Also, they have added a new guitar player to fatten up their tone, and also show a willingness to play massive rock festivals – like the recent CBC Music Fest at Deer Lake Park.

LITTLE DRAGON – Pretty Girls

We have been selling lots of tickets to see this band on their return to the fabulous Vogue Theatre in August, so watch this video and decide if you want to be part of the party. Based on the themes in this catchy dance pop track, you better hope there’s no zombie invasion that night. Recommended for lovers.

LOUISE BURNS – Heaven

Vancouverite Graham Kew directs this new video from Light Organ Records’ chanteuse Louise Burns. Great locations, great use of the super slow shots, and above all, a great story about a very brave little girl!

AUSTRA – Hulluu

Brooding electro rocker Austra returns with this simple new video to support her latest record for Paper Bag. If you like modern dance this will be your bag…

PINK MOUNTAINTOPS The Second Summer of Love

McBean channels his Dylan vibes as he scrolls through lyric cards in this very LA video. If you were lucky to catch the Mountaintops at the Fox last month you know that McBean is clearly on top of his game right now, and his songs have a perfect burned-out swagger. Enjoy.

The GIG

THE WAR ON DRUGS | July 29 & 30 The Rickshaw

The July 29th show is now completely sold out. The 30th is getting there, too, so make up your mind whether you are going to be in town for the last weekend in July and step up to witness this amazing live band! Captured here at their 3am Primavera Pop set time, the Drugs really put out for the Barcelona crowd. Frontman Adam G. has definitely upped his game and now the leads are even more explosive and trippy as he channels the vintage tones of Neil, Knopfler, and Petty through a massive wall of phase and verb. Their latest release ‘Lost in the Dream’ is easily one of the best records of the year and for the live setting they have added a few extra faces on guitars, keys and horns to fill out the dense sonic complexity of the LP. Highly recommended!

THE GLANCE

Thu Jul 10 SCIENCE FAIR – SPACE CENTRE
Thu Jul 10 NIPSEY HUSSLE – VENUE
Jul 11-13 KELOHA – KELOWNA
Fri Jul 11 VICT SKA FEST: LOS RASTRILLOS, PROVIDENCIA – IMPERIAL
Fri Jul 11 GABRIEL & DRESDEN – CELEBRITIES
Fri Jul 11 KOBO TOWN + KARA KATA – LEGION
Sat Jul 12 PLAID – FORTUNE
Sat Jul 12 DWARVES + THE QUEERS – BILTMORE
Sat Jul 12 KONGOS -IMPERIAL
Sat Jul 12 Z-TRIP BLOCK PARTY – WALDORF
Sat Jul 12 Z-TRIP BLOCK PARTY VIP PASS – WALDORF
Sat Jul 12 FEHR PLAY – CELEBRITIES
Sun Jul 13 WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM – VENUE
Sun Jul 13 KLANGKARUSSEL – FORTUNE
Wed Jul 16 SAVANT- CELEBRITIES
Wed Jul 16 TV GIRL – FORTUNE
Thu Jul 17 DJ KRUSH – FORTUNE
Fri Jul 18 TROY PIERCE- SHINE
Fri Jul 18 YUNG LEAN/SAD BOYS – CHAPEL ARTS (EARLY SHOW)
Fri Jul 18 YUNG LEAN/SAD BOYS – FORTUNE
Sat Jul 19 CASH CASH- CELEBRITIES
Mon Jul 21 AU REVOIR SIMONE – BILTMORE
Tue Jul 22 JON HOPKINS – FORTUNE
Wed Jul 23 JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE – IMPERIAL
Thu Jul 24 HUNDREDS WATERS – MEDIA CLUB
Thu Jul 24 THE CHAINGANG OF 1974 – IMPERIAL
Thu Jul 24 DIZZY WRIGHT – FORTUNE
Fri Jul 25 SIMON PATTERSON – CELEBRITIES
Fri Jul 25 SIZZLE BBQ RAVE – STUDIO EAST
Sat Jul 26 DUB THOMPSON – COLUMBIA
Sun Jul 27 CYMBALS – MEDIA
Tue Jul 29 THE WAR ON DRUGS – RICKSHAW (WE’RE SOLD OUT)
Wed Jul 30 WAR ON DRUGS – RICKSHAW
Thu Jul 31 SOULFLY – VENUE