Culture Clash: San Fermin

Brooklyn types get cultural...

Pop tends to be a simple art form, one dominated by certain expected themes.

San Fermin, though, are somewhat different. Kicked off by Ellis Ludwig-Leone after his graduation from Yale University – in composition, of all things – the project quickly began adding layers of beautiful instrumentation to his pop whimsies.

New album 'Jackrabbit' will be released on April 27th, with San Fermin continuing to diversify their sound. Clash invited Ellis to get cultural – check out his tastes below.

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Book…
I recently reread 'The Beautiful and Damned' by F. Scott Fitzgerald— it's so good! It's always surprising how current his writing feels. You get the sense that he would have been right at home in New York today.

Film…
Can I just say Lord of the Rings and be done with it? I'm not proud of my movie habits. Like sure Annie Hall was great but give me a cave troll and I'm happy. Maybe Pan's Labyrinth?

Gadget…
My dinosaur click wheel iPod. It's the only thing not constantly updating me with stressful information. And they still haven't made an iPhone that has enough space for all my music.

Album…
'Graceland' by Paul Simon. He's so natural at incorporating foreign sounds into his music and making it still sound like him. Like on the beginning of "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes," it's Ladysmith Black Mambazo doing their thing and then he just starts singing with them in English, which would feel unnatural or tactless with almost any other artist. But he makes it so smooth, it's like magic.

TV Show…
The Wire, always and forever. I still think about Wallace.

Video Game…
I don't play video games, but when I was young, 'Jazz Jackrabbit' was a favorite. All those angry turtles.

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San Fermin are set to release new album 'Jackrabbit' on April 27th.

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