The Bulletin: Arts & Culture News | 15 March

WATCH HARMONY KORINE & DIE ANTWOORD'S BIZARRE SHORT FILM
Controversial film director, author and producer Harmony Korine has collaborated with South African rap group Die Antwoord on a new short film, Umshini Wam: Bring Me My Machine Gun. In the fifteen minute film, DA's Ninja and Yo-Landi Vi$$er roll around the suburbs in wheelchairs, dressed in brightly-coloured onesies, trying to alleviate their boredom by firing guns, smoking spliffs of unlikely proportions, and sleeping rough. Then they get some new electric wheelchairs... and everything changes. If anyone would like to volunteer an explanation of what this film is about, comments are open below! One thing's for sure – the DA duo are captivating on-screen presences. Hopefully this isn't the last film we'll see from them.

FESTIVAL WATCH: READING & LEEDS, MEADOWS IN THE MOUNTAINS, ALL TOMORROW'S PARTIES
Trent Reznor's recently-reformed Nine Inch Nails have been announced as co-headliners for this year's Reading and Leeds Festivals (23-25 Aug). Reznor told the NME that the gigs may include the live debut of new NIN material, co-written with Adrian Belew (of King Crimson, now a NIN member): "There isn't any new material to play except from a couple of tracks Adrian and I started experimenting on that were intended to go on a greatest hits record," he says. "We decided to push that back to 2014, and there's no new record scheduled at this point." Fans can expect a 'greatest hits' package from Reznor and co. along with the new material.

Meadows In The Mountains (7-9 June) takes place in rural Bulgaria, and this year their lineup features the likes of Just Jack, Moomin, Northern Purpose, Sebastian Voight, Brunos Schmidt and Carlos Valdes, with more to be announced. Full lineup and tickets here.

A couple of very exciting additions to the All Tomorrow's Parties bills at Camber Sands – the party on 10-12 May curated by TV On The Radio will now welcome Death Grips and Why? to the bill, while the party on 21-23 June curated by Deerhunter will welcome Steve Reich and Robyn Hitchcock. More artists are still to be announced. Details and tickets here.  

TWITTER ACQUIRES MUSIC APP
In a story reported by tech website CNet, it was revealed this week that Twitter have acquired music streaming service We Are Hunted. CNet reports that the site's new service, Twitter Music, a standalone app, could be available as soon as the end of March. The story follows recent news that Facebook will soon be overhauling its Timeline to allow for more music-friendly feeds, and the news that Tesco is planning its own music and digital content streaming service. Streaming is widely regarded as the future of content delivery for the music industry, and it seems that leading corporate and digital brands all have the intention to build their own Spotify or Soundcloud.

BLACK SABBATH REVEAL RELEASE DATE AND STUDIO FOOTAGE FOR 13
We previously announced the news that metal originators Black Sabbath had reformed with their original lineup, and were working on a new studio album. This week, studio footage from the making of the new album was released online, offering a tantalising glimpse of Ozzy and the boys working with superproducer Rick Rubin (now looking increasingly like the Old Man of the Mountains) on brand-new riffs and vocals. The short clip also includes interviews with each band member. Rubin, who is well-known for revitalising the careers of rock legends, says: "The idea that we're making an album that hopefully can sit alongside the best Black Sabbath albums is exciting. We've worn out the old ones!" 13 is slated for release on 10 June.

REMIX SQUAREPUSHER
Squarepusher is asking fans to remix a track from Ufabulum - winners of the remix contest will receive a limited-edition vinyl box-set of the album, and a pair of AIAIAI TMA1 Studio headphones. The deadline for entries is 30 March, with the winner, picked by Squarepusher himself, to be announced on 15 April. Squarepusher's new EP for Warp, Enstrobia, dropped earlier this week. Squarepusher also produced a new mix of early and rare material for FACT magazine, which you can stream here. If you want to take part in the remix contest, head over to Bleep now and grab the stems for the chosen track, 4001.

NEW VIDEOS: THE BUG, HER PARENTS, THE LONELY TOGETHER
The return of The Bug will be welcome news for fans of dark-as-pitch ragga and bass music. Kevin Martin's collaborative project will be unveiling a double-10" release on 28 May via Ninja Tune, with guest vocals from Flowdan, Daddy Freddy, Danny Brown and Kiki Hitomi. The band are due to play Manchester's Parklife Weekender on 6 Aug. This week, they unveiled the brutal new video for Kill Them / Louder. Here's our interview with Kevin Martin from 2008.

Her Parents contain former members of Dananananaykroyd, Stairs To Korea and Internet Forever, and they have just signed to record label Alcopop! Their sophomore album Happy Birthday is slated for 13 May, and if the track names from their debut Physical Release are anything to go by (Win The Lottery, Kick Fuck Out Of Your House and What Is Your dad Called? are particular highlights), it should be just as weird and strange, not to mention visceral, as the band have led us to expect. Their press release states that the album has "songs about a haunted brasserie, hollowing out a horse and the king of the babies." Check out the video for lead track Why Don't You Just Fuck Off below.

The Lonely Together is the new project from Edinburgh-based singer/songwriter Mike Baillie. The band have unveiled their debut single, Be Strong Frances, in advance of their debut album, currently in the works. The single is out on 18 March. 

GAME OF THRONES: 1995 STYLE
We don't often post viral videos in the Bulletin, but this wee gem was just too good to pass up. It's the title sequence from Game of Thrones, as it would have looked if the series was made in the mid-'90s. Check out the brilliant 'range of emotions' reaction shots of Peter Dinklage, the cheesy, Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman font, and best of all, the entirely appropriate use of a Queen song. The new series of GoT starts on 1 April in the UK. 

TRAILERS: KICK-ASS 2, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
The first red band trailer for Kick-Ass 2 allays some of our fears about the sequel - although based loosely on Mark Millar's slightly lacklustre comic-book follow-up, it seems that a strong focus on violence and banter may well save the movie version from the comic's flaws. In particular, it's fun watching a more grown-up-looking Chloe Moretz beating the snot out of Aaron-Taylor Johnson's likeable but pain-resistant wimp, and Jim Carrey's Colonel Stars and Stripes looks like a fitting replacement for Nic Cage's bug-eyed Bat-clone.  

Our reviewer was quite enamoured with Joss Avengers / Buffy Whedon's new Shakespeare adaptation, Much Ado About Nothing when it premiered at this year's Glasgow Film Festival. You can read our review here, and some commentary from our correspondent Becky Bartlett here. The film is coming soon to UK cinemas - you can check out the preview below, and play spot-the-Whedon-character-actor, with faces from the much-missed space saga Firefly alongside Avengers bit-parters, and former Dollhouse mind-zombies. 

WEEKEND GIG PICK WIFE @ WEE RED BAR, EDINBURGH, 16 MAR
Forward-thinking New York label Tri-Angle Records signed WIFE late last year. The alter-ego of one-man experimental metal project Altar of Plagues, aka James Kelly, they trade in the kind of dusted, hypnotic, lo-fi electronics which have made Tri-Angle one of the most respected new labels in the world. The gig is curated by Grind Sight Open Eye, and features support from Red Death and Magic Eye. Details here. 

 

SHORT FILM: ANAMNESIS
Anamnesis is a new speculative fiction short from up-and-coming director Brad Champagne. It was featured in the selection for 2012's Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival in New York last December, and tells the story of a machine that allows its user to steal and sell memories like drugs. It's an intriguing premise, well-handled by Champagne and his cast, and has a very realistic, gritty feel. 

LOVE PALZ: THE INTERNET-ENABLED SEX TOY
News from the frontline of masturbation: new sex toy Love Palz allows users to "palpate" (to borrow a Chris Morris-ism) their partner from the other side of the world, bringing a whole new dimension to sexual adventures using Skype and FaceTime. With his and hers options named after Zeus and Hera, website io9 points out that the toy's designations are "a bit heteronormative," although of course there's nothing to stop adventurous guys and girls from experimenting with the opposing sex's model. The device has already caused controversy, after being rejected by crowdfunding site Kickstarter.

The site describes the action as follows: "The speed sensor in Zeus will detect the speed of male action and send to the Hera, the female toy. Hera will reflect and match Zeus's speed automatically. Hera on her part, will sense the pressure inside the toy based on the female's reaction and then send that information to Zeus. Zeus's air pump will configure its tightness automatically based on the received signal." The science of 'teledildonics' is not new, but this is the first time that such a device has been built with a two-way feedback system, promising hope for couples trapped in long-distance relationships. You can pre-order your Love Palz device now!