Friday, October 15, 2010

THANKS FOR COMING OUT!

It was great to see everyone on the west coast. Seattle, Portland,
San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tijuana and San Diego. We apologize
to all the people who couldn't get into the shows due to sell out.
We'll be back in the spring with "AFTER DARK 2". Check out these
photos Sadie Mellerio took from the show in San Francisco. It all
seems like a blur now.

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Monday, October 04, 2010

CHROMATICS

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On Saturday, i brought back two suitcases of stuff on the Portland /
New Jersey direct flight. As you know...this weekend we threw two
crazy parties in Seattle & Portland. Sold Out insanity for Chromatics,
Glass Candy, & yours truly. It was the unofficial release parties for
the two Chromatics cds out in a few weeks. "Night Drive" Deluxe
edition & "In The City" mini album. Both albums feature 5
unreleased bonus tracks each. Archiving the bands work in Portland
between 2004 & 2006. Remastered over the summer from the
original tapes. We were also able to grab 19 more copies of the
elusive "Black & White" magazine. The first batch of 50 we had sold
out in less than 6 hours in the middle of the night... so get them
while you can. We also raided Johnny's studio & got 9 copies of the
"Nite" 12" from 2005. We'll have vinyl copies of "Night Drive" & "In
The City" in two weeks... but if you can't wait that long, you can
pick up the cds for $5 each in our mail order store before they hit
record shops. In three days we leave again to hit california. Come
out and see us all live, Chromatics'
& Glass Candy's new songs are sick by the way!!!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

ITALIANS DO IT BETTER WEST COAST PARTIES

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We are excited to announce the Italians Do It Better
family hit the road in full force next weekend.
Chromatics is back on stage for the first time in
over two years. Glass Candy will be giving us a
sneak peak from their new album, & yours truly
will be spinning before, between, & after the live
sets. If that wasn't enough... We have friends making
cameos in each city. We'll also be traveling with a merch
store. 12"s & cds for $5, Lps for $10, & shirts from Glass
Candy & Chromatics. We're bringing limited quantites of
some hard to find Italians vinyl so come see us at the merch
table early. The tour also marks the double release of two
Chromatics albums. "NIGHT DRIVE" CD analog remastered
with 5 bonus tracks clocking in at over 78 minutes. & "IN
THE CITY" CD / LP analog remastered with 5 unreleased
tracks including the instrumental version. "NIGHT DRIVE"
double lp couldn't get done in time for tour due to printing
delays...But we'll have everything in the store in a couple of
weeks so stay tuned...Come out & say hi. This is the first
time we've ever thrown a label party in Los Angeles so you
know it's going to be sick. Get your tickets cheap & early.
Here's the links for the tickets :


THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 30
SEATTLE / CHOP SUEY
Ticketweb.com $10 adv.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 1
PORTLAND / ROTTURE

THURSDAY OCTOBER 7
SAN FRANCISCO / RICKSHAW STOP
http://www.rickshawstop.com/

FRIDAY OCTOBER 8
LOS ANGELES / CLUB 740
http://italians2010la.eventbrite.com/

SATURDAY OCTOBER 9
TIJUANA

SUNDAY OCTOBER 10
SAN DIEGO / SODA BAR
www.frontgatetickets.com

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Monday, September 20, 2010

Mike heads south--- then west

Mike will be taking his act on the road this weekend.

check it out:

WEDS 22: EL PASO @ El Pisto
(have never djed in El Paso so come down)

THURS 23: LOS ANGELES @ The Central (Santa Monica)
w/ Paul T (Sarcastic) & Travis TK Disco hot new club alert...

FRI 24: SAN FRANCISCO @ Face (best party in SF)
w/ Eug & J Montag

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Thursday, September 16, 2010

the Italians backstock purge!

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hello. over the next few weeks we will be putting some
old stuff for sale in the store that has been sold out for
quite some time. these arent represses, these are our
personal copies that we have accumulated
over the years. All sealed like new copies. You may notice
round one is up with the Tiedye, the elusive Chromatics In
The City 12" and Life After Sundown 12"s.

Those are our own personal stash of stuff we found in Ida's
basement in Portland a few weeks ago. Keep checking back
all the time because we are putting up some really cool stuff
by Chromatics, Glass Candy, Tiedye, Invisible Conga People,
and some other surprises. We have limited quantities of
this stuff. Some we have 20 copies, some we have 5 copies!

Also we have some more Chromatics books leftover from
some people who never paid. if you are interested email
mike at troublemanunlimited dot com.

Saturday, September 04, 2010

MIKE SIMONETTI & JOHNNY JEWEL "Albuterol" cd (out now on Perseo)

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In December 2007, We threw a huge gala on a cold & rainy Friday
night in Portland with Chromatics & Glass Candy. Mike came out
to spin the party...the after party...and the party after the after
party... We spent the next three days recovering, working on a
mix, & trying to find a place for Mike to lay his weary head. The
damp & grey climate is great if you're writing Wipers lyrics...but
if you left your prescription asthma medicine (Albuterol) in Jersey,
you're pretty much screwed. Day 1 : Mike stays with Me at chez
Ruth / Daphne & Ruby (the sister cats) fur all over the apartment
causes Mike's asthma to flair up even worse. Day 2 : We decided
to relocate Monsiuer Simonetti to Ida's Candy Castle / Marlon's
(the stray cat) tiger stripes almost close Mike's eyes forever. Day
3 : Adam & Natty offer him a warm bed...but Pimp C's (the cat
freed from a shelter on the same day the UGK poet was released
from prison) dander just about closes Mike's windpipe. Then it
occurs to us...there's no cats at the studio, so we spend two days
& nights listening to crates of killer cuts from Mike's library in
New Jersey. Starting with around 80 songs and slowly narrowing
it down to 10 traxxx that really complimented each other. Step 1:
Burn all the records to disc through analog preamps ... Step 2 :
Edit the traxxx live using 3 cdjs. Step 3: Take the best edits and
blend them all together in one long take live to tape. No computers
were harmed on the set of this recording. At Italians Do It Better,
we love our computers... But for a mix this dirty, with almost all live
drummers, it just felt better doing it by hand. The end result runs
the gamut of rock, disco, proto house, boogie, swedish glam, bizarre
italo, soul, & some odd things in between. Not to mention the entire
mix is slightly pitched down. Most likely due to exhaustion & Mike's
almost comatose state. It just sounded heavier this way.
The weekend came & went, & it was time for Mike to fly home... On
our way to the airport, Ida chased a Fed Ex truck down Hawthorne.
Just in time for the flight, the Albuterol finally came. Mike took it &
all was well. There was so much confusion that weekend, I forgot to
label the tape. It got lost in the shuffle. Tours came & went. New
records were being made, & we forgot about it. Five months later
Mike found a rough mix of it on his ipod & ripped a really lo fi
version for the blog. The mix exploded (20,000 downloads &
counting), but no one could guess the full tracklist. A couple of
months ago we started Perseo & around that time I found the
original mix in Portland. Here it is ...the way it was
meant to be heard. Fully remastered back through tubes.

TRACK LISTING
1. The Dead Of Night
2. Pitched Down Pugh (Gothenburg Boat Mix)
3. The Downside Of Gentrification
4. Found You In The Dollar Bin
5. Syntheseized Throbbing Baleric Italo Track With Guitar Solo
6. School's Out Forever
7. Her Magic Spell
8. Pulasky Skyway To Zanzibars
9. Super Sensitive
10. Disconet Dilemma

Total Running Time (50:31)

$5

BLACK & WHITE

Ever wondered what would happen if Helmut Newton chauffered
Colin Self & Raymond Pettibon for a spin thru monte carlo in the
middle of the night? Just arrived in the store today from the italians
do it better print factory... simply titled, "Black & White"... A
conceptual poster magazine designed by Chromatics & Desire.
Part of an ongoing multi media collaboration between the two
groups...the summer issue features thirty 11 X 17 black & white
posters of design, drawings & lyrics. Sneak peaks of upcoming
album art ... movie posters ... 12" sleeve designs ... tour flyers
from the past & future ... luxury advertisements... & new
romance ... GLASS CANDY & MIRAGE both throw cameos to the
mix on a couple of posters. Made for CHROMATICS' west coast
tour with GLASS CANDY in October...Very limited edition.
The bands agreed to part with 50 copies for the
Italians store. Printed & assembled by the bands last spring
while DESIRE was recording in Portland. These things are huge
so shipping is higher than usual.

In other news ... CHROMATICS is in Montreal right now working
their new double lp in DESRE'S suite 307 studio off of Saint Laurent.
Meanwhile, NIGHT DRIVE, is finally at our vinyl pressing plant!
Analog Remastered Double Lp with five unrealeased tracks from
the album... The lost fourth side of the album that never got put
out due to lots and lots of problems beyond our control. I guess
that's what happens when you record on really weird equipment
that is almost impossible to find parts for. Which is why it never
came out on vinyl ...We'll explain more later. & if that wasn't
enough,we are also excited to announce an "IN THE CITY" Mini
lp also at the plant this week. Features the 12" version of "In the
City" plus 6 unreleased B sides recorded between 2004 & 2006
immediately preceding the NIGHT DRIVE sessions. These tapes
were rediscovered in the process of Johnny relocating studio
vaults to Montreal for the new album. Both albums will be in
the store in about a month so stay tuned and get them here
first!

DUE TO THE SIZE OF THE BOOK THEY WILL BE SHIPPED SEPARATE
FROM THE REST OF YOUR ORDER.
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010

OUT NOW: APPALOOSA "Intimate (Glass Candy Remix)" 12"

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After turning down almost every imaginable group
& record company on the planet, Glass Candy returns
from the studio with their second official remix in 11
years ...This time it's Appaloosa's "Intimate". Imagine
the romantic Human League fronted by Nico covering
Stereolab. That's about the only way we know how to
describe this record. Glass Candy dips them in their
signature analog glitter with some of Johnny's heaviest
drums to date as the synthesizers gnaw at your speakers.
The result is a beautiful pop song that will haunt you.
Appaloosa is Max Krefeld (Berlin) & Anne Laure (Paris).
Limited to 500 copies. This is also the first glimpse
from our forthcoming AFTER DARK 2 compilation out
later this year. The B side features the original version
from Appaloosa. Who is in the studio working on their
debut Lp for IDIB right now. Bonus tracks include
instrumentals, glass candy's drums, and vocals.
All mail orders get the exclusive Opaque Ivory
Vinyl Version. You can check out sound samples
on Itunes. The record doesn't hit stores for another
two weeks. get it here first, and as usual....cheaper!

TRACK LISTING:

A1. Intimate (Glass Candy Remix) (5:49)
A2. Intimate (Remix Instrumental) (5:47)
A3. Intimate (Rhythms) (2:23)
B1. Intimate (Original Verison) (3:49)
B2. Intimate (Extened Instrumental ) (5:45)
B3. Intimate (Glass Candy Piano & Vocals) (4:17)

Total Running Time (27:37)

LIMITED PRESSING / 500 COPIES (100 On Opaque Ivory
Mail Order Only)

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MIKE djing in DC this weekend

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We have been laying low this summer taking off to raise
families and write music- but that doesnt mean
we werent working hard. Expect tons of new releases & tours
in the upcoming months ahead. Tons of surprises and
really cool announcements are coming soon. We have all
been hard at work in the studio or with the Sharpie and
scissors making art, or writing new songs.. The second
half of 2010 is going to be very busy and productive, so
keep glued to this channel for details.

To start things off, Mike Simonetti will be back in DC for
the seasonal Italians Do It Better residency at UHALL with
Christopher Burns of Party Bros Fame. UHALL is one the
best new clubs on the East Coast. If you dont know about
it, you should try to check it out. This time we have NJ
house legend Victor Simonelli playing with us.
The summer is officially ending, Mike is back from the
beach, Johnny is at home doing "his thing" (wink wink)...
Things are changing all around. Its going to be a really
awesome second half of 2010...

Friday August 20 2010 @ UHALL
MIKE SIMONETTI & CHRIS BURNS
w/ VICTOR SIMONELLI
10 pm-ish

Thursday, July 29, 2010

PERSEO IS HERE

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Finally after months and month of preparation, we are
able to announce the first four releases on our new
sister label PERSEO. This label will focus mainly on edits
and things of that nature. The label was born when
Mike heard the infamous Bruce Springsteen edit by
Martin Vogel almost two years ago. It prompted him
to try to figure out a way to release it, and thus Perseo
was born. SInce then it has become a way to showcase
some of Mike and Johnny's favorite edits out there, as
well as a way to release some of their own work. Like
Italians, expect the quality to be top notch and the
records to be limited editions, usually around 400 copies
per release. The first three releases are:

--M VOGEL "Tough" 12" (aka: The Boss- the one that started it all)
--BOTTIN "Eagle/Stork" 12" (Steve Miller/Level 42)
--MIKE SIMONETTI "That Look" 12" (3 obscure house tracks)
--PERSEO "Edits Volume One" cd (this collects the three records
above, plus a bonus track from Mike not on the vinyl)

head over to the store and order away! They wont last!
We priced the cds at $5- budget pricing like we do for
everything we do!

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Tuesday, July 06, 2010

T SHIRT WEATHER !

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we have four new shirts in the store just in time for summer.
two new glass candy tour designs, and a special chromatics /
desire collaboration. the shirts are towards the bottom of the
store under the vinyl...so scroll all the way down. we have
small, medium, & large in all designs right now. all designs
are limited as usual. enjoy!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

SOLID GOLD cd - - - OUT NOW

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OUT NOW:
Solid Gold is a collection of some early IDIB 12"s,
most of which are out of print. Tracks were carefully
selected and programmed by our own Johnny Jewel.
This is not a mix cd. It is full tracks as they appear
on the original 12"s. A compilation of sorts...
This entire compilation is the brainchild of Johnny,
and he put a lot of time into the tracklisting. We
hope you enjoy it. Its perfect driving music. This
is a cd only release, and is for sale in our store (link
is over there on the right column). We lowered all
of our prices as well on everything. We are trying
to accommodate the overseas people who get screwed
over with the high shipping rates, which seem to
keep going up and up and up...
This is a MAILORDER/GIG only release! enjoy!

Also, many of the older Italians singles are running
very low and will not be repressed, so if you need
to grab some do it soon!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

GLASS CANDY live in NYC/PHILLY (only NY show this year!)

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hello this July 4th weekend Glass Candy will make their only
visit to the East Coast this year, as they take a break from
recording to play a few gigs and keep their chops up! Get
your tickets early as the gigs will surely sell out in adance:

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July 2nd NYC Highline Ballroom w/ Xeon & Oaklander & Mike djing
July 4th Philly (Dave P party) with Sleigh Bells & Mike djing
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  • buy NYC tickets here