Merry Xmas! Latest news and a year in review!

Merry Xmas everybody.  Just wanted to put a few words together to wrap up the latest ongoings of everyone involved (or once involved) in the Boutique Empire family.

Starting with Guilty About Girls who have just arisen from a productive hiatus to deliver two new songs, the latest of which was singled out by Alan Cross on his music blog.  Once again Jordy Birch is proving he is among Canada's finest pop song craftsmen!  Have a listen to his blistering new single The Boys in the Band.




Old friends Sex With Strangers have just released their fifth album Behaviors.  The first video from the new album, once again produced by the brilliant folks of BKS Crew is called Times Electric.  Check out the video below for their new sound and style.  They seem to be gathering a lot of press with this release and we wish them all a great success.




Combine the Victorious has taken the inspiration from their first European tour to begin writing and recording their third full length.  Scheduled for a spring 2013 release, the duo plans to return to Europe next year for an extended tour in its support.   Their new EP, Crumbling Hearts, indicates the tone of their new material, some of which may appear on the full length.  Vinyl pressing is being sourced out as well, with cover art to be commissioned from Robert Edmonds. 








Isabelle Dunlop has had several very successful pop up shops during 2012 which has spurred on the idea of setting up a permanent shop for her designs in the new year.  It seems her wool scarves and shawls are becoming more popular each season.  Stay tuned for more news.

Robert Edmonds, the man behind the images of all the Boutique Empire releases, is currently planning expositions for the new year.  We are discussing many ideas of how to make each series unique and exciting.  Once again we'll be offering more information as we near the time to reveal his works. 

Vince Tuckwood, our resident author, not only released his Escalation novel this year but has been hard at work on a dualistic music album as well.  He has been revealing certain works from the sparse side of the album which show dramatic artistic leaps from anything he's done before.  Have a listen to some of his latest works on his reverbnation page.

Though not officially a member of the Boutique Empire collective (yet) The Population Drops have quietly started to amass attention around their first four song collection.  More songs are being recorded in January and hopefully a several more live performances will be scheduled to showcase this remarkable new band and their unique style.   Check out Enough from their first EP.



In closing, if we're very lucky we should also hear some new music from the elusive Gilles Zolty in the 2013.  He's been busy working away in Saskatchewan this past year, but there have been rumours of new works that might escape from his private studio into the world.  At very least we hope he can make his way out to Vancouver for another live performance!

Here's hoping all of you will have a happy holiday season, and though 2012 has been a challenging year we are all looking forward to the new year and the opportunity our new works shall bring.

Thanks for reading, be well and merry xmas.

Hidden Treasures: Gilles Zolty "Horny Astronaut"

Gilles Zolty - Horny Astronaut

A while back, and I mean over a decade now, I had the pleasure of working on a fantastic album by Gilles Zolty, his end of the millenium opus Horny Astronaut.  Gilles had approached me to do a little mastering on his home recorded album.   We spent a few hours working on things and in the end I gave it my best shot but really thought there was a great deal of potential that was being missed in the mixes.   Gilles walked away that afternoon with a new cd-r and a few things to think about.

Over the summer of 1999 we got to speaking and decided to attempt upgrading his sonics by leaving his home basement studio and going into Studio 55 in N. Vancouver, where I'd been working for a few years at that point.  The differences were quite noticeable and we were both rather pleased with the results.  I thought I'd finished my work and was later surprised to learn that Gilles had been in communication with an English producer named Paul Schroeder (Stone Roses, The Verve).  By late September we'd booked more studio time because Paul was flying over to help finish the album.  I confess I was a bit surprised by this latest news as I'd considered our work done.  However from the moment Paul stepped into the studio I discovered there was in fact a great many things to do!

We worked around the clock for two weeks straight.  The first week was spent on editing, arrangements, additional parts, re-recording bits, replacing vocals, tweaking keyboard parts, replaying basslines, adding guitar parts: essentially what everybody does in the course of making an album.  It was a hectic week of tracking but we achieved a tonne of things and felt extremely excited about the project by the end of our labours.

Next came another solid week of 15-20 hour days where we mixed 11 of the 12 songs on the album.  Paul and I ended up tag teaming on a couple of the mixes as we were running out of time before Paul had to return to the UK.  In the end we got it done, with Paul literally putting the final touches on a mix right before picking  up his bags and jumping in a cab taking him straight to the airport!  A brilliant couple of weeks for sure.

My memory is filled with the fun and enthusiasm that surrounded this album.   Both Gilles and Paul are outstanding people, the former a bold talent, the latter a fearless visionary.  I learned a great deal about art, music, recording, producing and simply being a better person from each of them.  Over the years I later went to the UK and worked with Paul on several different records for groups such as The Upper Room, The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster and My Red Cell amongst others.  Gilles moved to London for several years, where we met up and did more recordings, some of which appear on his follow up album "Gilles Zolty".

The sound of Horny Astronaut is a wonderful blend of the acoustic and the electronic, a folk noir sound, at once both primitive and ethereal.  The album never really got a full release, it came close on several occasions, but has remained a hidden treasure for years now.  Please have a listen, and if you enjoy it, grab a copy from his music site.

Mark Henning

Updates, News, Stories, jelly beans

There are a lot of things going on behind the scenes for everyone these days.  Currently Sex With Strangers is using the grey winter skies to find inspiration to write their fifth album!  Guilty About Girls is wood-shedding new songs (Jordy has revealed a couple very inspired hooks already) and Combine the Victorious is finalizing another batch of material that will eventually comprise their third release.  Robert Edmonds is as busy as always, last week revealing a few very haunting impressionistic self portrait type pieces.  Gilles Zolty is still hard at work back home in Saskatoon, but we are hopeful for a west coast appearance this spring!

Combine the Victorious also just re-released a song from their Disagreements EP - FKBC.  The video is below. 




This should be a busy year for everyone involved with Boutique Empire, and hopefully we shall add a few new people to our collective!

July Updates

With the inclusion of Sex With Strangers in The Peak 100.5's Peak Performance Project, the electro-punk group is busy working on fulfilling requirements for the contest as well as honing their live show for the upcoming showcases.   SWS will be playing shows in Alberta on the 21th thru 23rd of July. 

After nearly a year off from performing the duo Combine the Victorious has begun writing their third album.  Currently they have six or seven songs in demo'd state:  the goal is to release an EP in September 2011 with a full length album to follow in 2012.  The sound is still being nailed down but the early feeling is it will be more electronic than their first two releases, with a concentration on songs that can be performed as a duo.  More info to follow.

Guilty About Girls has been working with Australian remixer Ben Crea (Kreap) who has now provided them with four new versions of their songs.   The band is considering releasing these remixes as an EP, or consolidating them into a larger release to include several new tracks that are being recorded from Spring 2011 forward.   Guilty About Girls is also scheduled to perform August 21st at Live at Squamish this year, with a preview of that show available at The Waldorf on August 11th.

Guilty About Girls - Riviera (Kreap's mix) by KREAP

Gilles Zolty is busy working on various projects in Saskatchewan over the summer and we are hoping to hear some new material from him in the late fall of 2011. 

Lot's going on, plus we are now looking for a new act to join our roster.  Any recommendations? 

Have a good summer, thanks for reading. 

The Cover Art of Robert Edmonds

New Releases for September 2010

We are pleased to announce two new releases for September 2010.   The first is the new Guilty About Girls album, The Very Best of..., and the second, the eponymous cd from Gilles Zolty.

Guilty About Girls new album features their new single "Candy Candy" along with two other brand new tracks and four remastered favorites from their first two eps.   Sept 7-2010 is the official release date for The Very Best of... but the entire collection is available now on bandcamp.com

Boutique Empire Recommends:Rec'10

This is a compilation disc (without the disc).


This is our first compilation, Boutique Empire:Rec'10.  It consists of thirteen songs by ten different artists.  Primarily focused on the Vancouver electronic scene and the bands of Boutique Empire, it features the latest singles from Guilty About Girls and Combine the Victorious as well as the newly remastered "New City Anthem" from Sex With Strangers.  Also making debuts on the compilation are songs from: Ten Suns, Ingrid Schroeder, Gilles Zolty, Piper Davis, Chiwawa and Mince.  

Boutique Empire is an artist's collective/record label from Vancouver Canada.  We started in 2008 by bonding the output of three bands (Sex With Strangers, Combine the Victorious and Guilty About Girls) under one label.  As of 2010 we now have six releases (including BE10006) from Boutique Empire.  This compilation was a way for us to expose our latest works as well as give light to a few fellow artists who all have new and exciting music.

Ingrid Schroeder is a singer/songwriter from London England.  Her history in the British music scene is well documented, with her solo album "Bee Charmer" released late 90's on East West.  Ingrid has a brand new album "Love Runs Faster" - release date summer 2010..

contact: info@ingridschroeder.com
last.fm

Combine the Victorious is an electronic duo from Vancouver Canada.  They have two albums out and are currently writing material for their third full length.  There are two songs included on this compilation: A Very Fun Life (new single) and a remix of the song The Hours (Spoonfed in Dehli Hippy Curry Mix) by Adam "Lurch" Percy. 


contact: info@boutiqueempire.com
myspace
facebook
last.fm 
youtube

Marc Wild is a virtuouso guitarist and composer from Vancouver Canada.  He has just completed his debut EP which includes the song "Anna" as featured on this compilation. 

contact: marcwild@gmail.com

myspace

last.fm

Gilles Zolty is a Canadian indie artist, formerly of Zolty Cracker and currently composing from his home in Saskatoon.  Following his first solo album, The Horny Astronaut, he is now set to release its follow up, 2010's Gilles Zolty. 

contact: gilleszolty.com

myspace

last.fm

Piper Davis uses micro sampled beats, found sounds, bit and snippets to create her music.  A young Canadian artist making her own eclectic electronic style.  Currently working between Vancouver and Calgary, she is poised to make a large contribution to the music scene in Canada.  

contact: piperdavis.com

myspace

last.fm

Sex With Strangers have been rapidly gaining momentum in hometown Vancouver, with three albums released in three years, a video debut on Much Music, their first appearance at this year's SXSW festival and a summer of gigs lined up.  Their third album The Tokyo Steel has been getting wide exposure and notice, and their single New City Anthem, with it's accompanying video has found them in some illustrious company already.

contact: info@boutiqueempire.com

myspace

last.fm
youtube 

Guilty About Girls is Jordy Birch and Mark Henning (both formerly of 90's rock ban Pure).  Described at "Buddy Holly meets Daft Punk", the two are quickly amassing a collection of songs that are as comfortable on the dance floor as the radio.  Candy Candy is their latest single. 

contact: info@boutiqueempire.com

myspace

facebook

last.fm 

youtube 

Chiwawa are an electronic duo originally from Europe and currently residing in Montreal, Canada.   With four albums to date, they are receiving a great deal of attention over their  latest "Bus Stop Chinese Buffet" from which the song "Don't Wanna Talk"  is taken.

contact: chiwawafanclub.com
myspace
facebook
last.fm

Ten Suns are a new group from Vancouver Canada, comprising ten players, with live strings, horns and a full band to bring a full and lush sound to stage and record.   Their song "Go" is from their brand new debut EP "Just Sing On."



contact:  wearetensuns.com
facebook
last.fm



MInce is an electronic artist from Vancouver.  "No Loveliness"  features the Red on vocals.  Red is also the lead singer in Ten Suns. 

contact: info@boutiqueempire.com



Track listing:
1] Ingrid Schroeder - Beat Up Little Box (remix)
2] Combine the Victorious vs. Lurch - The Hours (Spoonfed in Dehli Hippy Curry Mix)
3] Marc Wild - Anna
4] Gilles Zolty - Borntobetogether (rmx)
5] Piper Davis - Academics
6] Sex With Strangers - New City Anthem
7] Guilty About Girls - Candy Candy
8] Chiwawa - Dan't Wanna Talk
9] Ten Suns - Go
10 ] Mince - No Loveliness (featuring Red)
11] Sex With Strangers - I Will Be the Last One
12] Combine the Victorious - A Very Fun Life
13]  Guilty About Girls - Luv


** Video for New CIty Anthem produced by BKS Crew.





If you have a dropcard for this compilation please click here to redeem it.  




Boutique Empire:Rec'10 (BE10006) will be digitally released worldwide on May 11th 2010.