The Bulletin: Arts & Culture News | 10 May

RBMA DOCUMENTARY: THE HISTORY OF DFA RECORDS
Following on from its immensely popular HASHTAGS series of documentaries about internet micro-genres, Red Bull Music Academy have turned their attention to the seminal label which played home to so many taste-makers and scene leaders in the first decade of the new century – New York's DFA Records. Formed in 2001 by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem, Mo' Wax co-founder Tim Goldsworthy, and manager Jonathan Galkin, DFA became the home, at least initially, to a who's who of bands that helped to define the sound of the early noughties, including Hot Chip, Hercules and Love Affair, The Rapture, and of course, LCD Soundsystem.

Although best known for these bands, who traded in a fusion of indie, post-punk, disco, punk-funk and house, the label also played host to a wealth of experimental artists too, signing the likes of Shit Robot, Planningtorock and Prinzhorn Dance School. They also released material by revered early post-disco pioneers Liquid Liquid.

Lately the label have signed the likes of London industrial trio Factory Floor, and multi-instrumentalist Sinkane. The RBMA documentary, directed by Max Joseph (of MTV's Catfish), and narrated by standup comic Marc Maron, features extensive interview time with founders Murphy and Galkin, as well as several of the artists named above. On 25 May, RBMA will host a DFA 12th Anniversary concert in New York, featuring a raft of DFA signings both old and new. 

NEW MUSIC: ADULT., GRANT HART, CHAD VALLEY X BELL X1, MS MR X CHVRCHES, HAROON MIRZA & FACTORY FLOOR, PANGAEA
ADULT. are an incredibly influential band, cited as an inspiration by countless electronic producers and pop musicians alike. Their classic track from 2001, Hand To Phone, is perhaps their best known, after being featured on commercial mix albums by Dave Clarke and 2 Many DJs. They haven't released any new material since 2007's Why Bother? aside from a 2-track, limited edition EP, Covers, on Ghostly International last year. Now they're back with a full-length album, and you can stream all 10 tracks below. It's out on 14 May. 

Grant Hart, drummer and one half of the songwriting duo behind Hüsker Dü, has a new solo album out on 22 July - The Argument is his first solo release since 2010's Intolerance. The album was inspired by the writing of William S. Burroughs. Domino Records have shared two tracks from the release.

Chad Valley is the project of Hugo Manuel, mixing disco and chillwave elements with tender synth-pop vocals. This week, he has shared his remix of Careful What You Wish For by Dublin's Bell X1. Their album Chop Chop is out on 22 July – stream a few more tracks from the album here.

Also given the high-profile remix treatment this week are MS MR, who release their debut album Secondhand Rapture on 13 May. Glaswegian synth-lords CHVRCHES have given new single Hurricane a re-rub. 

Celebrated experimental noise artist Haroon Mirza this week unveiled a collaboration with Factory Floor and Django Django, under their Jellyman alias, created for the artist's forthcoming show at London's Lissom Gallery.  

Finally, future bass maestro Pangaea, one of the core artists from the respected Hessle Audio stable, announced a new series of singles this week – the London-based producer will release the first single, a 3-track release, on 3 June on his new label Hadal 1. Preview all three tracks below.

NEW VIDEOS: THE NATIONAL, DOPE BODY, THE LONELY ISLAND, BLASFIMA SINNA
The National's new video for Sea of Love, the second track to be unveiled from the much-anticipated album Trouble Will Find Me (reviewed here), out 20 May, features the band performing in an improbably small room, with an improbably small guest member on Bez duties. Currently on tour, the band play the O2 Apollo in Manchester on 11 November.

Baltimore noise-rock outfit Dope Body were chosen by none other than the Deftones as the Single of the Month in the March edition of The Dirty Dozen – the band's Chino Moreno and Frank Delgado praised the band's track Leather Head for its "left of centre" approach. This week they unveiled the video for Youth Relic, taken from the same EP. 

Comedy rap trio The Lonely Island are back with the follow-up to their debut – The Wack Album is slated for release on 11 June, and will feature guest spots from Lady GaGa, Justin Timberlake, T-Pain, Pharrell Williams and Kendrick Lamar. This week they unveiled the video for Spring Break Anthem, with guest appearances from James Franco and Zach Galifianakis.

Last but not least, Edinburgh-based rapper Blasfima Sinna, alias DJ U-Turn, has a new video out – it's taken from his EP Capital Letters 2, which features production from Nasty P, Konnskee and Pryzmat among others. 

SPACEMEN 3 REISSUES PLANNED
Spacemen 3 were one of the quintessential experimental indie rock bands of the 1980s. Formed in 82 by Jason Pierce (who would go on to found Spiritualized) and Pete Kember (later known as Sonic Boom), the band's drugged-up, epic soundscapes positioned them as one of the foremost underground, alternative bands of the era. Now their entire back catalogue will be reissued by London's Fire Records, starting on 14 May with The Sound of Confusion (1986), The Perfect Presccription (1987) and live album Perfromance (1988). Each album will be issued on 180-gram coloured vinyl. Pre-order here.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS IN SCOTLAND: CARGO'S MARGINS BOOK & MUSIC FESTIVAL 2013, DUNOON FILM FESTIVAL'S INAUGURAL OUTING
Running from 31 May to 1 June, the Margins Book & Music Festival, now in its third year, features a huge range of talent from across the spectrum of Scottish music, literature and beyond, all gathered together in one location for two days of talks, readings, and gigs. Created and curated by Glasgow-based publishers Cargo, the highlights of 2013's Margins Festival include an appearance by comedian and author Rob Newman; the launch of Ian McWhirter's new book Road to Referendum; sports broadcaster Graham Hunter discussing his new book on FC Barca, crime author Christopher Brookmyre, and children's author Barry Hutchison, among others. On the music front, there will be exclusive performances from FOUND, RM Hubbert and Pictish Trail. Margins takes place this year at Woodend Barn, Banchory, Aberdeenshire. More details here.

The Dunoon Film Festival runs from 14 to 16 June – it's the first outing for this new boutique festival, and they have an exciting series of events and screenings planned. They open with a very special tribute and screening for John Byrne's 1990 TV drama Your Cheatin' Heart, which helped launch the career of Tilda Swinton. Byrne himself will be in attendance, as will Eddi Reader, who starred as country singer Jolene Jowett. Documentary-maker John Grierson's work is celebrated with a screening of his 1929 silent documentary Drifters, soundtracked live by Wounded Knee. Other highlights include a tribute to recently-deceased screenwriter and novelist Alan Sharp (Night Moves, Rob Roy), and screenings of classics such as Byron Haskin's 1950 version of Treasure Island, and Bill Forsyth's Local Hero. Also screening will be We Are Northern Lights (read our interview with the project's Nick Higgins here) and Kevin Cameron's feature-length documentary Alasdair Gray: A Life In Progress. Follow the DFF gang on Twitter to find out more. 

TRAILERS: RIDDICK, ENDER'S GAME
A science fiction splurge for our two Friday trailers - the return of Vin Diesel's justly-ridiculed space-faring anti-hero Riddick, and the fuition of a long-gestated SF adaptation – Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. The third Riddick movie (titled, suprisingly enough, Riddick) hints at a return to the scary hell-planet of original movie Pitch Black. IMDB details on the plot seem to focus around the concept of revenge. Lots of it. In space.

Ender's Game meanwhile, based on the 1985 novel by Orson Scott Card – now regrettably better known for his right-wing views, homophobia and skepticisim about global warming than for his novels - has been a talked-about property for nearly thirty years in Hollywood. Director Gavin Hood (Tsotsi, Rendition, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) has finaly steered it into port, with Harrison Ford and the ubiquitous Ben Kingsley providing the support for the mostly juvenile cast. If you've not read the novel or its sequels, think Harry Potter and the Epic Space Battle and you're pretty much there.