In Search Of Arcadia

And so another year ends (2011 in review)

2011-12-30T23:44:00.004-05:00

BEST BRITISH ALBUMS OF 2011

The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar
Frankmusik - Do It In AM
James Blake - James Blake
Rustie - Glass Swords
Kode 9 - Black Sun
Toddla T - Watch Me Dance
The Whip - Wired Together
Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See
SBTRKT - SBTRKT
Radiohead - The King Of Limbs

The real question is...
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds or Beady Eye?

FINALLY: Massive Attack vs Burial - "Paradise Circus"

2011-10-20T12:18:00.005-04:00

Arguably the best track from Massive Attack's excellent Heligoland remixed by arguably the best artist in the last 5 years, Burial. After posting "Four Walls" a couple weeks back I was eagerly awaiting this track's release... and now it is here and even better than I had imagined...

>Presents

MASSIVE ATTACK VS BURIAL

* Iconic Acts Massive Attack & Burial Release New 2 Track 12”
* 180g Vinyl Housed In Hand Numbered, Screen Printed Sleeve Designed By Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja

The subject of prolonged rumour and intense speculation, Inhale Gold and The Vinyl Factory are proud to present Massive Attack’s long awaited collaboration with Burial, 4 Walls / Paradise Circus.

Selling out within hours of going on sale 4 Walls / Paradise Circus was pressed on heavyweight 180g 12” vinyl, housed in a stunning hand numbered, gold glitter screen-printed sleeve designed by Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja (3D), crafted by The Vinyl Factory, and is already a highly coveted collectors item.

As you’d expect from these two acts these are no ordinary remixes and Burial has completely rebuilt both tracks in his own unique style providing a masterclass in production. At around 12 minutes each both tracks have been given the time and space to evolve and develop going way beyond the scope of normal remixes, with the end result two highly original, in every sense of the word, pieces of music.

Editor’s Notes:

Artist: Massive Attack vs Burial
Title: 4 Walls / Paradise Circus
Label: Inhale Gold / The Vinyl Factory
Release Date: 17 October 2011

Tracklisting:
A. Massive Attack vs. Burial - Four Walls
B. Massive Attack vs. Burial – Paradise Circus

Further information:

Available to pre-order exclusively from www.massiveattack.co.uk and www.vfeditions.com
* Release date 17 October 2011
* Limited to 1000 copies worldwide
* Artwork by Robert Del Naja
* Screen-printed cover with gold glitter
* Each edition hand numbered
* 180-gram heavyweight vinyl
* Crafted by The Vinyl Factory
* Inhale Gold 001

Price: £25 - SOLD OUT

About The Vinyl Factory:

The Vinyl Factory is an independent British company that aims to bring together art and music by creating ultra-premium handmade vinyl editions in strictly limited quantities. All their vinyl is created using the classic EMI 1400 Press at the original EMI vinyl pressing plant, now owned by the Vinyl Factory, at Hayes, Middlesex. This century-old landmark in British manufacturing now presses over 50% of the UK's vinyl.

The Vinyl Factory also run an independent music & arts magazine (FACT) and record shop (Phonica, Poland Street, Soho, London).

GAH! It's sold out! Now I've got to do something really unsavory to get a copy lol...

Don Diablo remixes JUSTICE!

2011-10-20T12:06:00.002-04:00

Two favourites at once! I don't even have to write much about this one other than I think it's a good one to start sets with or like pre-party to... I'm going to figure out away to play this on my 7pm-9pm radio show because it's perfect for that time of night...

Justice - Helix (Don Diablo Remix) by Don Diablo

Kele feat Lucy Taylor - "What Did I Do"

2011-10-12T10:57:00.004-04:00

Although contextually different I've been asking myself quite a bit "what do I do wrong" for the last week or so. An sort of relationship when it dissipates for what feels like an unknown reason (romantic, sexual, work, friendship, etc) it feels like a sliver in your brain. There is never ending second guessing that eventually will cause you to be bonkers "mad" if you let it.

After unceremoniously getting my ass handed to me last Wednesday I've been searching for something that conveyed the level on confusion I'm experiencing... and along comes Kele (from Bloc Party), along with Lucy Taylor (his keyboardist), with a pop dubstep banger that creates a lot of anticipation for Kele's Hunter EP (out November 7th). While the song is obviously about romantic entanglements it does express the desperation of someone who can't full put together why they've been kicked to the curb. It's songs like this that help us move past such traumatic moments and it seems Bloc Party and Kele are prime musical fodder for the difficult moments in life.

Kele - What Did I Do? - Single by PluggedIn

Whether we will see another Bloc Party release remains to be seen (although their camp swear up and down the band is still together despite NME posting phone calls that express the opposite)... but until then we have this gem.

Massive Attack and Burial release limited edition single!

2011-10-11T00:41:00.004-04:00

I don't even want to share the news with you guys on this one. I want to beg/steal/borrow until this record is in possession (oh pardon me, not steal, I've been accused of that enough recently).

Massive Attack and Burial have released a HAND NUMBERED, SCREEN PRINTED IN GOLD GLITTER, LIMITED EDITION of !000 single which features Burial's remixes of "Four Walls" and "Paradise Circus". See why I didn't want to tell you! A THOUSAND COPIES! One of you will own it and I won't and I'll cry forever! You can see why I cannot stand for this...

...however at $50 (roughly) a copy we're almost all too poor to own it so maybe I can sell my worthless liver or something in time to get one!

Below are the official artwork AND a taste of this truly amazing release.

Available to pre-order exclusively from www.massiveattack.co.uk and www.vfeditions.com
* Release date 17 October 2011
* Limited to 1000 copies worldwide
* Artwork by Robert Del Naja
* Screen-printed cover with gold glitter
* Each edition hand numbered
* 180-gram heavyweight vinyl
* Crafted by The Vinyl Factory
* Inhale Gold 001

Price: £25

I would probably do something very stupid to be in possession of this record. So please, if you love me, just by me a copy so you don't see me in some weird viral Japanese video I had to do to raise the money for a copy j/k lol...

A little note about the Grand REOPENING of The Corner Record Shop Kalamazoo!

2011-09-28T19:42:00.002-04:00

I realize this blog appeals to an international audience but every once and a while I have to do something for the town I live in (which then ties into this blog because of the people I've asked to write for it, the radio show on WIDR where you lot get your records played, and the circle continues).

So with that said THE GRAND REOPENING OF THE CORNER RECORD SHOP BEGINS TOMORROW! Yessir we've got a load of new vinyl, some drawings we're going to be doing, some awesome discounts... but most importantly I'm running their new blog! It can be found here at The Corner Recordshop!

For those of you in the Midwest (especially Michigan or South Western Michigan) I really suggest finding your way over here. We have gems that are priced to sell... things that would be crazy expensive on eBay and are considerably less here. Why? Because we aren't in Chicago and we know that times are tough... we want people to get the music they enjoy at a price they can enjoy as well. Why put up a mint copy of the Japanese import of The Doors LA Woman (complete with obi) for $40 (which is roughly what it's going for on the internet) when we can let someone pick it up for $19.99?

Anyway I'd appreciate it if you guys would follow that blog and stop in if you get the chance. And artists? You know you're being represented here as I'm asking for your records to be brought in so you can show some love too :)

NEW VARIOUS (aka Various Production) - "Air (feat Asher Dust)"

2011-09-15T19:09:00.004-04:00

The only thing I'm more excited about than this new Various Production song is hanging out with Frankmusik tomorrow!

Various - Air (feat Asher Dust) by Various

Buy this one when it comes out kiddies... it's awesome...

What's The Story Morning Glory?

2011-08-29T13:50:00.000-04:00

Pffft. This blog has all but lost it's pulse. Before I go into some long winded whatever... I do want to thank the people, especially those who didn't need to keep it up, who supported this blog while I dealt with some significant and personal struggles.

So am I finally closing this down? NOPE.

I'm getting some new blood in here. I've got a couple people working behind the scenes, and a young buck who couldn't be better suited for writing for this blog. I met him through The Spirit Of Albion and he's one of the FEW people I trust enough to give total access to the blog. He's got amazing taste and, frankly, he's more on top of new stuff than I am...

Long story short, keep your eye on this space. A relaunch is in the works :)

Oasis - "D'Know What I Mean"

2011-08-22T23:23:00.006-04:00

When this came out I was, what, like 15? And I remember seeing the video and thinking "this literally feels like a mission statement, it feels like for the first time in my life things are reaching the height of awesome... like everyone 'gets it', loads of music is amazing, and it feels like we could change pop culture for the better, like, forever"... I remember when the single came out I had to NOT buy it on purpose so that I would have the money to buy, what was expected to be the greatest album ever written, Be Here Now.

Needless to say Be Here Now should have been called Cocaine Music and the whole band should have been forced into rehab or something... and they should have saved half the album and filled the rest with ummm better songs and lyrics. I'm still trying to sort out what "Magic Pie" is all about.

Unfortunately they never really recovered from the fall out from that 3rd album. It allegedly "killed" Britpop... it was almost universally panned... and at least in the U.S. they never got the credit they deserved ever again. The follow up, Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants, was in my opinion an amazing album! I mean "Fuckin' In The Bushes", "Go Let It Out", "Who Feels Love", "Gas Panic!", "Where Did It All Go Wrong", "Sunday Morning Call", and "Roll It Over" are FANTASTIC (especially those last 4). Ask Ryan Adams! He agrees!

Things could have turned out better for Oasis but... for that brief moment they were about as close to "perfect" as any band has in my lifetime. Or anyone's lifetime. I mean this song got played thousands of times before anyone realized (about 10 years later) that the "backwards bit" at the beginning of the song actually says "...fuck...me"... I'm sorry, I don't care what you think, these guys are one of the greatest bands ever.

Extra personal shit you probably don't want to read: I remember my dad telling me, during at period where we weren't speaking, that he would listen to this and cry. Which was nice. So this song probably sounds better to me than it really is.

R.I.P. Amy Winehouse (plus Russell Brand's "For Amy" note)

2011-07-26T12:20:00.010-04:00

Ok... I sat back for a few days because I didn't want to get up on the soapbox and starting talking a bunch of nonsense... but I feel really bad for Amy Winehouse. I know a lot of you think "she deserved it", or "she had it coming", or she was just another useless pockmark on the ass of culture. So why do I care?

a) Because she was a human being, b) because there are very few people who "deserve" to die and last time I checked Winehouse was not Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein, and c) she had a very serious disease that tells you that YOU DON'T HAVE A DISEASE which leads to the inevitable "jails, institutions, and death" line from Narcotics Anonymous. I didn't used to go for any of that? I thought "dude I'm not really convinced addiction is a disease and I'm not convinced that NA is right about anything"... However, eventually, I think if you watch enough of your friends die or engage in compulsive behaviour that keeps landing them in jail over and over you eventually recognize that people aren't doing this for fun.

And that's the problem with "addiction". People know that drugs are fun. I'm not even putting that in quotations... drugs are fun. In fact drugs are awesome. I mean like awesome in the biblical sense... as in a force stronger than you could imagine. And since they are fun people who have never experienced the disease think "these damn people just don't know when to leave a good thing alone so they deserve ruin because they are wrecking their bodies"... and that's a very easy thing to say if you haven't ever been on a crack binge or woken up with a needle in your arm. Addiction isn't about having fun. Partying is about having fun. Addiction is when the party has stopped and you're still going a week, month, year later.

When you're an addict you wake up to a force inside yourself that is determined to literally drive you insane or kill you if you don't get more drugs. Unfortunately that's exactly what happens if you keep doing the drugs so you're in a pretty bad catch 22 there... you can not do drugs and suffer an unimaginable pain of withdrawal (which feels like having all your skin pulled off with a potato peeler while you are hit by a Mack truck and doused in napalm in the case of heroin, or like your brain is coming unraveled while you watch your whole family die in front of you if you're addicted to crack) or you can keep doing the drugs, feel marginally ok for a few hours, and come one step closer to no longer living.

And perhaps drugs may feel good from time to time? But being a drug addict mostly revolves around fucking people over for money and putting yourself in dangerous situations to get drugs. Even if you have enough money to sustain your habit you're dying and the world around you is total chaos. This isn't just the case for your "non-famous drug addicts"... did you ever see Pete Doherty's old house? I mean that place was a fucking disaster! And even though he's sold quite a few records (and at the time had a super model girlfriend) he ended up SELLING HIS LAPTOP to buy drugs. He sold his MOST SUCCESSFUL SONG ("For Lovers") in a bar for drug money!?!? Are you seeing how wild and horrible this disease is even for people who have "everything at their fingertips".

I guess I can't reiterate enough that being a drug addict isn't like some fantastic party that you can't stop because it's so awesome. It's maybe like that at the VERY beginning... very very quickly it becomes a situation that the addict can't seem to stop? To a situation they can't possibly stop. It is not fun. It is a horrible horrible mess. Why don't they stop? Because addiction has a built in fail safe when your body and/or your brain doesn't work without the drug. Most addicts do the drug to get a slight buzz and keep themselves from feeling very sick.

There is so much misinformation about addiction that it's frankly dangerous. There are people who have been addicted to heroin or crack (or both) who have suddenly decided to stop and they haven't relapsed... yet. I say that because if someone was truly addicted to drugs (not just abusing them) then they don't have a super awesome chance of not relapsing. It is very very very unlikely that someone is going to stop and not have a problem with it again. This is why people are sober for many years and then they end up relapsing... because the addiction is more powerful than they are and without support and staying vigilant to avoid slipping back into it it's almost a sure thing.

Someone who is more than acquainted with this concept is Russell Brand. He had problems with crack and heroin and everything in between. If you've seen Get Him To The Greek then you got to see a very humourous fictionalized version of his lifestyle prior to getting clean. His two books ("My Booky Wook", "Booky Wook 2: This Time It's Personal") he speaks very candidly about his troubles with drug addiction on his road to becoming famous and the sexual addiction that found it's way into his life when he gave up drugs. He skipped the rant that I just went into and eulogized Amy Winehouse on his site, in this note, and it crashed his site because it got so many hits. I thought it was very touching so I'm going to repost it here... and give you this great Arctic Monkeys cover:

Arctic Monkeys - "You Know I'm No Good (Amy Winehouse Cover)"

Russell Brand's "For Amy" Tribute

"For Amy

When you love someone who suffers from the disease of addiction you await the phone call. There will be a phone call. The sincere hope is that the call will be from the addict themselves, telling you they’ve had enough, that they’re ready to stop, ready to try something new. Of course though, you fear the other call, the sad nocturnal chime from a friend or relative telling you it’s too late, she’s gone.

Frustratingly it’s not a call you can ever make it must be received. It is impossible to intervene.

I’ve known Amy Winehouse for years. When I first met her around Camden she was just some twit in a pink satin jacket shuffling round bars with mutual friends, most of whom were in cool Indie bands or peripheral Camden figures Withnail-ing their way through life on impotent charisma. Carl Barrat told me that “Winehouse” (which I usually called her and got a kick out of cos it’s kind of funny to call a girl by her surname) was a jazz singer, which struck me as a bizarrely anomalous in that crowd. To me with my limited musical knowledge this information placed Amy beyond an invisible boundary of relevance; “Jazz singer? She must be some kind of eccentric” I thought. I chatted to her anyway though, she was after all, a girl, and she was sweet and peculiar but most of all vulnerable.

I was myself at that time barely out of rehab and was thirstily seeking less complicated women so I barely reflected on the now glaringly obvious fact that Winehouse and I shared an affliction, the disease of addiction. All addicts, regardless of the substance or their social status share a consistent and obvious symptom; they’re not quite present when you talk to them. They communicate to you through a barely discernible but un-ignorable veil. Whether a homeless smack head troubling you for 50p for a cup of tea or a coked-up, pinstriped exec foaming off about his “speedboat” there is a toxic aura that prevents connection. They have about them the air of elsewhere, that they’re looking through you to somewhere else they’d rather be. And of course they are. The priority of any addict is to anaesthetise the pain of living to ease the passage of the day with some purchased relief.

From time to time I’d bump into Amy she had good banter so we could chat a bit and have a laugh, she was “a character” but that world was riddled with half cut, doped up chancers, I was one of them, even in early recovery I was kept afloat only by clinging to the bodies of strangers so Winehouse, but for her gentle quirks didn’t especially register.

Then she became massively famous and I was pleased to see her acknowledged but mostly baffled because I’d not experienced her work and this not being the 1950’s I wondered how a “jazz singer” had achieved such cultural prominence. I wasn’t curious enough to do anything so extreme as listen to her music or go to one of her gigs, I was becoming famous myself at the time and that was an all consuming experience. It was only by chance that I attended a Paul Weller gig at the Roundhouse that I ever saw her live.

I arrived late and as I made my way to the audience through the plastic smiles and plastic cups I heard the rolling, wondrous resonance of a female vocal. Entering the space I saw Amy on stage with Weller and his band; and then the awe. The awe that envelops when witnessing a genius. From her oddly dainty presence that voice, a voice that seemed not to come from her but from somewhere beyond even Billie and Ella, from the font of all greatness. A voice that was filled with such power and pain that it was at once entirely human yet laced with the divine. My ears, my mouth, my heart and mind all instantly opened. Winehouse. Winehouse? Winehouse! That twerp, all eyeliner and lager dithering up Chalk Farm Road under a back-combed barnet, the lips that I’d only seen clenching a fishwife fag and dribbling curses now a portal for this holy sound. So now I knew. She wasn’t just some hapless wannabe, yet another pissed up nit who was never gonna make it, nor was she even a ten-a-penny-chanteuse enjoying her fifteen minutes. She was a fucking genius.

Shallow fool that I am I now regarded her in a different light, the light that blazed down from heaven when she sang. That lit her up now and a new phase in our friendship began. She came on a few of my TV and radio shows, I still saw her about but now attended to her with a little more interest. Publicly though, Amy increasingly became defined by her addiction. Our media though is more interested in tragedy than talent, so the ink began to defect from praising her gift to chronicling her downfall. The destructive personal relationships, the blood soaked ballet slippers, the aborted shows, that youtube madness with the baby mice. In the public perception this ephemeral tittle-tattle replaced her timeless talent. This and her manner in our occasional meetings brought home to me the severity of her condition. Addiction is a serious disease; it will end with jail, mental institutions or death. I was 27 years old when through the friendship and help of Chip Somers of the treatment centre, Focus12 I found recovery, through Focus I was introduced to support fellowships for alcoholics and drug addicts which are very easy to find and open to anybody with a desire to stop drinking and without which I would not be alive.

Now Amy Winehouse is dead, like many others whose unnecessary deaths have been retrospectively romanticised, at 27 years old. Whether this tragedy was preventable or not is now irrelevant. It is not preventable today. We have lost a beautiful and talented woman to this disease. Not all addicts have Amy’s incredible talent. Or Kurt’s or Jimi’s or Janis’s, some people just get the affliction. All we can do is adapt the way we view this condition, not as a crime or a romantic affectation but as a disease that will kill. We need to review the way society treats addicts, not as criminals but as sick people in need of care. We need to look at the way our government funds rehabilitation. It is cheaper to rehabilitate an addict than to send them to prison, so criminalisation doesn’t even make economic sense. Not all of us know someone with the incredible talent that Amy had but we all know drunks and junkies and they all need help and the help is out there. All they have to do is pick up the phone and make the call. Or not. Either way, there will be a phone call."

In case you've never had the chance to see Amy at her best, here's a good example:

I implore you people out there to stick to the whole "if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all" rule here.

I can't begin to explain every facet of addiction in one post... especially because it's not something that makes sense in our very structured modern world... it's a completely "animal" chemical thing. The best analogy I can come up with would be that it's like inviting the Zombie Apocalypse into your brain; all of a sudden there are no rules and it's all about survival which, frankly, is something you don't have a very good chance of. GRANTED, the first "hit" is the users choice... but they don't often realize what's waiting for them down the road. As long as people say, "Dude, I bet I could do that once and not be hooked. You just have to have the strength to not do it again. I mean, seriously, how hard can it be to not do drugs everyday", addiction will continue to tear apart the lives of millions. Even if society was wiped out and we had to start over at caveman Level 1 addiction would still exist unfortunately. Why? Because it's stronger than any of us... I mean if it wasn't we'd all be smoking crack at lunch time, right? Because if it wasn't something that was hard to stop it would just be something fun, right?

So I'm going to wrap this up and say I feel very sorry for Amy. I only talked to her a few times, News Of The World wanted to pay me to tell them stories about her (which I would NEVER do), and suddenly she was off my radar. She's yet another person now whose name will never light up on my Instant Messenger window. Yet another person whose email address will never reply again. Her contact info will just sit in my address book and will never be used again. A week ago Amy was alive... now she's a cautionary tale and people will probably remember for her addiction, not her music. Please let her rest in peace people, for all the mistakes she made she doesn't deserve to be torn apart, she wasn't an evil dictator or a terrorist just a misguided soul.

P.S. For some reason her death has upset me more than I would have expected so understand I'm not wanting to have a debate about this. I agree that the tragedy in Norway is more relevant as far as news goes, and those people's lives aren't any less important than Amy's, but a) I'm not a news blog and b) comparing a mass murder to the death of a singer (and saying we shouldn't be talking about her when something else awful happened) is about as insane as conversations get. I don't have tolerance for that... Please take your hate elsewhere.

NEW RADIOHEAD! Live from The Basement

2011-06-21T12:27:00.002-04:00

Looks like Radiohead are going back to The Basement to perform The King Of Limbs and this new song called Staircase!

Here's the blurb from Phil:
"Here's a new track called Staircase, taken from our upcoming 'From The Basement' session.

And no, you're not seeing double. The doppelganger drummers are myself and Clive Deamer. Clive has long been one of my favourite drummers and so I was really excited when he agreed to perform with us. Hope you like what we've all done.

Philip x"

Enjoy! And know that the videos from The Basement off In Rainbows are on iTunes for .99 cents... that's not me shilling for them... I just downloaded "All I Need" and "Reckoner". Be back soon!

Maya Jane Coles knocks us "Senseless"

2011-06-15T14:08:00.001-04:00

After one of the best songs of the year so far from She Is Danger's Lena Cullen yesterday (via Emalkay) I couldn't help but post her partner Maya Jane Cole's track "Senseless"! It is totally awesome in a TOTALLY different way... this reminds me more of my heroes Swayzak than it does of Dub Police stuff... first though check out this track she remixed of Tricky's!

Tricky - Time To Dance (Maya Jane Coles Remix) by DominoRecordCo

Here's some press:
"After donning May covers from Mixmag to DJ Mag: Weekly - Maya Jane Coles arrives with her new 'Focus Now' EP which sees it's all store digital release this week - w/c 13/06/2011 (press release attached).

With She is Danger's Maya currently holding 4 spaces on the top ten deep house Beatport chart, number one in Beatport electronica with 'Senseless' as well as 'focus Now' also in the top 20 of the the tech house charts and receiving club support from the likes of Jamie Jones, Nick Warren, Paul Woolford, Laurent Garnier, Luciano, Claude Von Stroke, Layo, Anja Schneider amongst a whole bunch of other headz - it is safe to say that the EP's reception has been rather favourable so far - enjoy!"

I'd show you Maya Jane Coles - 'Senseless' recut to Wizard of Oz but the embedding was disabled!

Maya Jane Coles - Focus Now EP

Maya Jane Coles 'Senseless'
Maya Jane Coles - 'The High Life'
Maya Jane Coles - Little One
Maya Jane Coles - Focus Now

Tricky - Time to Dance (Maya Jane Coles Remix)

How awesome was all that? Very awesome! I can't wait for more from She Is Danger... together and apart... hope you enjoyed and I'll be back soon!

NEW EMALKAY REMIXES and video featuring Lena Cullen of She Is Danger!

2011-06-15T14:01:00.003-04:00

I don't need to say anything about Emalkay... if you listen to dubstep you love this shit already... and if you don't listen to it I doubt you'll be able to resist this track! It features ISoA favourites She Is Danger's Lena Cullen on vocals. Here's a little info on her...

"Already hailed as "the Kate Bush of Dubstep" - Lena Cullen is a British multi-instrumentalist / producer / vocalist from London drawing on dubstep, dub, trip-hop, techno, electronica and dark wave in her work.

Known to many as one half of female dub electronica duo She is Danger, alongside rising supernova producer / DJ Maya Jane Coles; Lena has already made fans out of the likes of Adam F, Damon Albarn and Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja.

As She is Danger; Lena has remixed artists such as Gorillaz, Groove Armada, Ellie Goulding, Delphic and, in particular, an acclaimed dubby reworking of Massive Attack's 'Girl, I Love You' which was included on the deluxe album version of the band's 'Heliogland!'

Lena has forthcoming single collaborations landing in 2011 with Dub Police's seminal Emalkay named 'The World' and Engine-Earz Experiment's 'Reach You' - the latter collab has already enjoyed wide ranging radio and club support prior to it's Spring 2011 release date with the track already gaining almost half a million views on Youtube alone!

After a recent highly successfully solo UK tour supporting Dreadzone; Lena's debut album 'Something Subconcious' [Working Title] will be largely co-produced by herself and Andru Lorenzo and is scheduled to arrive in late 2011."

And here's info about Emalkay if you don't already know:

"With initial support in the form of grime veteran Plastician, “Birmingham’s finest” Emalkay gained the attention of South London based label Boka Records with the warped, future bass drones and epic strings of Gut Feeling. Continuing the success, Testing The Waters EP was released in October 2006 followed by Monsters in June 2007.

The revolutionary sound of Mecha, released in the fall of 2007, gained Emalkay support from the likes of Radio 1 DJ Mary Anne Hobbs and breakbeat pioneer FreQ Nasty, as well as many of the leading figures of the current dubstep scene. It seemed Emalkay’s own potential as a pivotal dubstep artist was finally being realised. His final release on Boka Records was the reggae influenced My Story in April 2008.

In the fall of 2008, Emalkay produced Explicit - a tune that gradually captured the interest of such prominent dubsteppers as Benga and received major support from acts such as The Scratch Perverts and drum and bass duo Chase and Status. After being approached by Caspa however, the track was finally released on the Dub Police label in February 2009 after much anticipation."

Emalkay - The World Feat Lena Cullen by Dub Police

EMALKAY -- THE WORLD Feat Lena Cullen - Video

Emalkay Album "Eclipse" BUY NOW http://tinyurl.com/3s48o5z

THE WORLD feat Lena Cullen - Out on Dub Police 4th July 2011

Here's some remixes to tide you over :)

1.EMALKAY -- THE WORLD (ORIGINAL) Feat Lena Cullen
http://soundcloud.com/dubpolice/1-the-world-feat-lena-cullen

2.EMALKAY -- THE WORLD (TROLLEY SNATCHA REMIX)
http://soundcloud.com/dubpolice/emalkay-the-world-trolley

3.EMALKAY -- THE WORLD (TEEBEE REMIX)
http://soundcloud.com/dubpolice/emalkay-the-world-tee-bee-rmx

4.EMALKAY -- THE WORLD (MR MAGEEKA REMIX)
http://soundcloud.com/dubpolice/emalkay-the-world-mr-mageeka

5.EMALKAY -- TRANSPOSE (ORIGINAL)
http://soundcloud.com/dubpolice/2-transpose

David Bowie "Rebel Rebel (Soulwax Remix)"

2011-06-13T12:13:00.003-04:00

Its Monday so I figured we need some "singing in the shower" music...

Or for those of you who hate remixes...

Welcome Back! Have a Frankmusik "Do It In The AM" remix...

2011-06-04T21:09:00.004-04:00

Ohhhhhhhhhhh... if only I just had never ending resources... time, money, support, and oddly enough emotions... well this spot would be rockin'! I seriously considered shutting the site down for good because... frankly I'd run out of all of the above.

So why am I back? Well after careful consideration I realized this is one of the only things I give a shit about. I've made a lot of apologizes about not getting back to the site... and more importantly I've made promises I haven't been able to keep... hopefully I'll make good on some of those...

I think you guys know Frankmusik is one of our favourite artists full stop. So I'm glad that I'm coming back full force with a remix of his newest single.

'Do It In the AM' MNEK remix by Anorak London

So yeah, tell me what you think, I'll be back faster than you can say "lazy ass blogger" :)

Klaxons announce North American tour dates!

2011-02-02T00:04:00.005-05:00

I'm working on an interview with Jamie of Klaxons... and while you're waiting I thought I'd throw this info up for you with a little goodie attached...

Klaxons - "Gravity's Rainbow (To My Boy Remix)"

“one of the best pop albums of the year – but still one of the most individual and ambitious.” – NME

“Even at low volume, it sounds astonishingly loud and euphoric – a self consciously epic record of
rampant ambition and deliberately arcane weirdness.” – Nylon

It’s been 3 years since Klaxons burst onto the music scene, injecting a dazzling and much needed moment of
rave hedonism into the midst of indie tedium with the truly original and enormously influential Mercury award-winning
album Myths of the Near Future. The band are back with the critically acclaimed follow up, Surfing the Void released
via tinyOGRE on January 18 and are thrilled to announce that they’ll be hitting our shores this spring for a national
headlining tour. Their spring tour will see them performing on both of our fair coasts kicking off March 25 in
Orlando at the Social and making stops at the Ultra Music Festival and Coachella.

“villainous guitar rambling, dread-in-the-gut bass lines, and stentorian falsetto shrieks. But even Klaxons’ most
ominously rambunctious tracks grind out plenty of bug-eyed dream pop chants.” – Spin

TOUR DATES

Mar 25 - Orlando, FL - The Social
Mar 26 - Miami, FL - Ultra Music Festival
Mar 28 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
Mar 29 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
Mar 30 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
Apr 1 - Columbus, OH - The Basement
Apr 2 - Chicago, IL - Metro
Apr 3 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
Apr 5 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
Apr 6 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
Apr 8 - Vancouver, BC - Venue
Apr 9 - Seattle, WA - Chop Suey
Apr 10 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
Apr 12 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
Apr 15 - Indio, CA - Coachella Festival

Crystal Castles and Robert Smith - "Not In Love" Video

2011-01-19T12:36:00.003-05:00

As this is a British blog we don't get the chance to write about Crystal Castles really... save a remix here or there... but this cover changed that! I didn't write about it when it came out partially because I was waiting for this to come out! Feast your eyes...

I would love to see them perform their new material because I haven't seen them since Sam and I hung out with them at the Funky Buddah a while ago. I wonder if they've already done all their U.S. touring... I better check...

HUGE TUNE: "Sicko Cell"

2011-01-19T06:10:00.003-05:00

Well... apparently I need to get a hold of R&S Records, who are both mentioned by the emcee in this recording, because I gotta find out more about this track and more importantly the artist! They probably don't even represent the artist, the emcee is probably talking about Blake... but I wanna know who did this tune!

Ahhhhhh! Brilliant! That bit at the end where James Blake is mixing in Burial? Amazing... I want to hear that whole set!

The other blog is coming along! I still am the only person to have written in it but the other folk aren't used to doing HTML and writing for an audience hoping they like what you say... so be easy on them once they all start. In the mean time, what do you kids think of this?

There are a LOT of people who I'd love to see on this lineup. Anyway, be back soon!

Cheap Thrills releases RESET! record, awesome tour ensues!

2011-01-18T04:32:00.003-05:00

Herve's Cheap Thrills label has just released banger after banger so it should be no surprise this new record from RESET! is amazing. The video is a nice light hearted romp that reminds me of rave visuals... I hope you enjoy the video as much as I did... nice and campy!

SABRAGE – VIDEO

RESET! - Sabrage (Radio Edit) /// OFFICIAL VIDEO from RESET! on Vimeo.

Also check out the link to the stream of the EP below. I couldn't embed so I had to post their remixes instead!

Stream the EP here!

RESET! REMIXES by RESET!

Here's a little press info if you're not familiar:

Reset! - Prepare To Fight / Sabrage released today on Cheap Thrills

Asia and Australia Tour Dates Announced

Following the success of the My Trunk EP, 5 man Italian collective Reset! Today release Prepare To Fight, their second EP for Cheap Thrills, the leading British house label set up by DJ/producer Hervé.

The new EP, Prepare To Fight, shows the group further refining their trademark ‘turbo-funk’ sound that has already made them favourites with the likes of Justice’s Xavier De Rosnay, Radio 1’s Jaymo & Andy George and Chew The Fat resident DJ Foamo.

Having clocked up the air miles in 2010 playing parties like the Club 75 closing party at Pacha, Ibiza with Justice, Wonderland, Ibiza with Pete Tong and Layo & Bushwacka! as well as the HARD Haunted Mansion in LA, Reset! kick off 2011 with a tour of Asia and Australia.

Now firmly established an a-list act on both the decks and in the studio Reset! will be hitting the Southern Hemisphere hard with dates in Singapore, Hong kong and Bangkok, plus six nights in Australia.

Indeed it was after one of their own nights, playing alongside house legends Cassius that Reset! were invited to rework the French duo's anthemic "Youth, Speed, Trouble, Cigarettes". The resulting remix, heavily supported by the likes of A-Trak and Crookers, remained on Beatport's Indie Dance Top 10 for several weeks and featured on both a Mixmag cover CD (mixed by Cassius, Justice, Busy P and D Mehdi) and Ministry of Sound's Electro House Sessions 3 compilation.

Following this breakthrough Reset!’s unmistakable sound has been in constant demand with the boys adding their Italian touch to a string of remixes for the likes of The Count & Sinden, Fenech Soler, Robyn, Fatboy Slim & Herve and once again Cassius, remixing the classic Cassius 99.

Now concentrating on their own productions and preparing their debut album, Reset have found a fitting home at Cheap Thrills, the label that released worldwide club hits such as Fake Blood’s Mars and Jack Beats’ UFO.

Reset! Asia & Australia Tour 2011
Jan 20 Bangkok – Bed
Jan 21 Hong Kong – Volar
Jan 22 Singapore - Zirca
Jan 25 Brisbane – Monastery
Jan 26 Adelaide – Roger Sanchez's Beach Party
Jan 28 Canberra – Pang! @ Trinity Bar
Jan 29 Sydney – Chinese Laundry
Feb 4 Perth – Boomtick Presents @ Ambar
Feb 5 Melbourne – Super Disco! @ Prince of Wales

Buy the record from Beatport

Ok, that's all I have time for at like 5am so enjoy and I'll be back with more soon. AND IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN JOINING MY SPIN OFF BLOG PLEASE EMAIL ME ASAP... the address is on the right under my picture :) Cheers!

Mid-January: Jaime xx, Heartless, Paul Cook, Kraddy and Glitch Mob

2011-01-12T23:58:00.009-05:00

Amazing dubstep remix showing the genre hasn't gone all "dumb and bass", with a total lack of progress as a genre, and lost the plot...

And here's more from the album...

Check out Heron's remix album "We're New Here" on 21 Feb 2011. The whole remix album was done by Jaime of The xx which is I think is awesome! For more check out here. Here's one of Heron's throwback jams that everyone has sampled (from Air to Common)...

Also wanted to mention I got to watch Jim Sturgess' Heartless yesterday and thought it was brilliant. There is certainly something missing, which means it doesn't get elevated to Donny Darko type fame, but it was brilliant none the less. I hate it how it takes like a year or more for films like this to make it over to the U.S.... any other suggestions for movies like this?

Heartless (2009) Trailer
Uploaded by Moviescan. - Full seasons and entire episodes online.

My mate James sent this over this morning so I thought I'd post it... most of you are familiar with Emalkay so I don't need to say much but I will post the links!

Then I got this folky "Sunday Morning jam" by some bloke called Paul Cook and I actually really like it. I know NOTHING about him but I could cook eggs to this with a hangover and a smile, yeah?

Paul Cook & The Chronicles - "Six Places"

NOW this isn't British at all, which is why we're starting a new spin off blog called Neon Lights until we can get more organized or change servers or whatever... but here's a sampler track from former Glitch Mobber Kraddy:

Kraddy - "Throwin' Some G's"

Here's the press blurb:

The Labyrinth Tour launches this Thursday with a repeat L.A. performance hosted by Do Labs at King King followed by weekend shows in San Francisco and S. Lake Tahoe. I’ll be catching up with all of you in Missouri and Ohio before picking up Archnemesis and heading to Colorado for 8 shows before touring the East coast with BIG GIGANTIC. After that, heading south to bring the heavy to our friends in the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Georgia.

It's always good to hear from The Glitch Mob which means it was awesome to hear their remix album, featuring our friend Chris De Luca of CLP fame, is out! To check out more go here. I have an awesome interview with them I'm waiting to post at our new sister site.
The Glitch Mob - "Starve The Ego Feed The Soul (Sub Swara Remix)"

Speaking of non-UK stuff... this is good but the promo email was lacking SO much I really almost didn't post this... grrrrr... check out more here here. I don't have time for emails like that... no blogger does, big ones or small ones... so consider this just done out of Michigan pride.
Grip Platter (unreleased) by FreddyTodd

Ok in fact the last email pissed me off so much I'm gonna stop writing. Cross your fingers and hope my email gets through to Bassnectar's people in time because he's gonna be in town, I wanna see him, but I've been too busy to send the necessary email out :( Be back soon...

ISoA's Best of 2010

2010-12-16T16:47:00.010-05:00

NOTE: This list will be updated with songs and music and pictures galore until the end of December! Please keep checking back!

Sorry I haven't been around. I've been trying to figure out what to do. In my opinion if I can't give you guys my all then... there is no point in even trying...

Normally that would lead to me saying I'm packing it in... BUT that's not what I want to do. I want to pull my extraordinarily depressed head out of my arse and get back to work.

All the experiences I've had with this blog have been brilliant! I mean whether it was bowling with Klaxons, or FreQ Nasty interviewing me lol, I can't imagine anything cooler. It would be insane to give up now. Plus I still have archived stuff you guys want to hear/see for sure and how could I possibly deprive you of that?

Enough blather... this is why you came here...
BEST OF 2010
Remember this is (mostly) based on U.S. release dates (unless the album didn't come out here *cough* TMB)!

Best Albums:

It would be hard to beat the epic scope of Plastic Beach and the inclusion of "Cloud Of Unknowing" sort of seals the deal on it being my "record of the year". I will say that Surfing The Void was a very very very close second.

Gorillaz - "Plastic Beach"
Klaxons - "Surfing The Void"
To My Boy - "The Habitable Zone"
The xx - S/T
Editors - "In This Light And On This Evening"
Ellie Goulding - "Lights"
Foals - "Total Life Forever"
Hot Chip - "One Life Stand"
M.I.A. - "Maya"
The Chemical Brothers - "Further"

Best Singles:

This time Klaxons win as they rightly should! If I could I'd give 'em like every award for best everything (which I almost am) so we'll save some time here and say that the narco-dreamscape vibe of "Twin Flames" wins both best single and best video of the year!

Klaxons 'Twin Flames' from Trim Editing on Vimeo.

Klaxons - "Twin Flames" (Best song also best video!)
La Roux - "Bulletproof"
To My Boy - "Hello Horizon"
Gorillaz - "On Melancholy Hill"
Ellie Goulding - "The Writer"
Foals - "This Orient"
Kele - "Everything You Wanted"
Frankmusik - "Fear Inside Of Me"

Best Breakout Artists:
She Is Danger
Gorillaz - "On Melancholy Hill (She Is Danger Remix)"

Best Non-Brit Dance Album:
Matthew Dear - "Black City"

Best Non-Brit Album:
Kanye West - "My Beautiful Dark Fantasy"

Best Remix Of The Year:
Lady Gaga - "Bad Romance (Starsmith Remix)"

Best Concert Of The Year:

Klaxons
This is fun because there's a nice story with it.

Well let's start at the end and work our way back to the beginning. Right as we parted company, on our second night with the Klaxons, Jamie Reynolds said "Never has something so negative, in my mind, brought about something so positive"...

What is this negativity you ask? It's around 1:12... it probably worth you knowing that my radio show is called "The Spirit Of Albion" :)

And what was the positivity? The fact I ended up making friends with my favourite band after that mess.

I went to the Klaxons show at the Magic Stick with the expectation that I would have some time to talk to them. I'd already talked to their manager so it was a sure thing (but I kind of expected it to be like 5 minutes, and a hand shake, and off we go). Instead it turned into hanging out with the whole band til 2am and going bowling. Then getting an invitation extended to join them in Chicago the next day blew the lid off of awesome and we entered some new realm of awesome lol...

Highlights:
Bowling with Jamie and creating our own new technique; surprisingly I won which made no sense...
Bursting into song with James singing Kajagoogoo's "Too Shy" (as he could not remember the city of Kalamazoo)
Simon inviting us to Chicago where the list read "Guy from Detroit"
Exposing the band to Bell's beer one of Kalamazoo's greatest exports
Hearing loads of awesome stories that I'd never read in a magazine, or write about here
Jamie bought a fucking CROSSBOW because that's how truck stops in America work
Making friends with one of my favourite bands of all time

Lowlights: (or "The stupid shit I say to this band every time I see Klaxons")
James: "So I guess the original version of the album sounded more like 'Echoes'"...
Me: "(Me thinking of the sound) You mean like Ride? Like shoegazey music?!?"
James: "Umm, no, like the song 'Echoes'"
Me: "Oh, yeah... *awkward pause*"

Me: "Anthony, I'm really glad I didn't realize who you were last night. I think I would have geeked out" Note: For those of you who don't know Anthony Rossmondo was Pete Doherty's replacement in The Libertines which is this blog's other favourite band
Anthony: "I'm really glad that you didn't do that"
Me: "Yeah me too, me too" (if you picture me acting like Scott Pilgrim that scene just comes alive with how retarded I was acting)

As far as a review of the live show: The shows both nights were great but the Chicago show had more energy than the Detroit one (largely due to crowd size). They really killed nearly every song they did but one of the biggest tunes was "Flashover"... they do a great job with their poppier songs? But the intensity of their harder songs sort of transforms the crowd and everyone is sort of in tandem (like the "Twin Flames" vid without the nudity lol)... further proof of this was "Atlantis To Interzone" which literally was an amazing bolt of sonic energy bouncing around the room. I've seen them perform 4 times and this tour has been their best so far. They seem more centered, more grounded, and generally happier dudes... or maybe I just caught them on a couple great days and had a wonderful time? Perhaps I can confirm that next time they roll through the Midwest...

I could continue to blather about fun times but let's just say Klaxons are as nice in real life as they are in your heads.

Ok I've got some work to do... but there are literally pages and pages of written material for this I simply have to go back and proof read. I figured if I was going to disappear for months I'd come back with something big lol. Love you guys... thanks for the on going support!

Klaxons - Surfing The Void coming to the the U.S. soon!

2010-09-07T15:09:00.004-04:00

It is no secret that here at Arcadia we are huge fans of Klaxons... I haven't written a review for their new album yet because I want the review to be a little deeper than "OMFG IT'S SO GOOD" lol... In fact I realize that I don't have a whole lot of objectivity with bands like them and Bloc Party so it takes me longer to review the material.

WHILE we are waiting for that... hows about you kids enjoy this live version of "Echoes" in anticipation of their new tour!

Klaxons - "Echoes (Live @ Village Underground)"

Here's some press to tide you over...

“one of the best pop albums of the year – but still one of the most individual and ambitious.” – NME

“Even at low volume, it sounds astonishingly loud and euphoric – a self consciously epic record of rampant
ambition and deliberately arcane weirdness.” – Nylon

It’s been 3 years since Klaxons burst onto the music scene, injecting a dazzling and much needed moment of rave
hedonism into the midst of indie tedium with the truly original and enormously influential Mercury award-winning
album Myths of the Near Future. The band is back with the eagerly awaited follow up, Surfing the Void. This ten
track offering was produced in LA by rock legend Ross Robinson (Sepultura, Slipknot, At the Drive In, The Cure)
and written over the course of a three year long musical journey, it’s a brilliantly diverse and engaging alternative rock
record. While the record is now available to lucky fans overseas, stateside fans that can't wait to download the album at
iTunes on September 21st. The record will see a US physical release in the coming months on tinyOGRE Entertainment.

With the release of Myths of the Near Future the Klaxons burst into the consciousness of music fans everywhere,
going platinum in the UK and gold in Australia, France and Japan. Their debut release earned the band a Mercury
Award, two NME UK awards (Best New Band, Best Album) as well as two NME US awards (Best International Band,
Best International Song). Surfing the Void is already a smash overseas, launching in the top 10 in the UK, France,
Japan, Australia and Germany. Following some fantastic European dates this past summer and performances at
festivals like Reading & Leeds, the band are set to kick of a nationwide headlining tour on our side of the ocean.
Don’t miss your chance to see the band’s riveting live show in a city near you this fall!

We were given a taster of what to expect – or perhaps what not to expect - with the teaser track ‘Flashover’
being streamed on their site and via first single ‘Echoes’ fantastic video. Now it’s time for the full sonic explosion.

“villainous guitar rambling, dread-in-the-gut bass lines, and stentorian falsetto shrieks. But even Klaxons’
most ominously rambunctious tracks grind out plenty of bug-eyed dream pop chants.” – Spin

“it might be time to sit up and pay Klaxons some respect.” – BBC

TOUR DATES
Hoboken, Maxwells – 19th Sept
New York, Bowery Ballroom – 20th Sept
Washington, 9.30 Club – 21st Sept
Brooklyn, Music Hall of Williamsburg 22nd Sept
Boston, Paradise Rock Club – 24th Sept
Columbus, The Basement – 28th Sept
Detroit, Magic Stick – 29th Sept
Chicago, Lincoln Hall – 30th Sept
Minneapolis, Triple Rock Social Club – 1st Oct
Vancouver, Venue – 4th Oct
Seattle, Chop Suey – 5th Oct
San Francisco, Great American Music Hall – 7th Oct
Los Angeles, Filter Magazine Culture Collide Festival – 8th Oct
West Hollywood, Troubadour – 9th Oct

Surfing the Void Tracklist:
1) Echoes
2) The Same Space
3) Surfing the Void
4) Valley of the Calm Trees
5) Venusia
6) Extra Astronomical
7) Twin Flames
8) Flashover
9) Future Memories
10) Cypherspeed

Acid Washed gets remixed by Danger, The Hacker, and more! PLUS tour dates!

2010-09-01T14:38:00.005-04:00

It's hard to draw any parallel here between Acid Washed and uhhhhhh Britain (in order to connect them to this blog lol) buttttttttttt Acid Washed is playing a show for Clash Magazine in London (broad format breaking smile) soooooo that's how I'm working them into the blog!

Normally I don't break format but there are just too many good records coming from Record Makers for me to ignore. I want to write more but Blogger is being weird so I think I'm just going to have to publish this one!

ACID WASHED - ACID WASHED (DANGER REMIX)
MP3 (192):
ACID WASHED - "ACID WASHED (DANGER REMIX)" Mediafire
ACID WASHED - "ACID WASHED (DANGER REMIX)" Soundcloud

Link to purchase: http://shop.recordmakers.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=146
HQ artwork: http://pressgang.tv/images/Front- AW.jpg

Release date: 17/09/10

Record Makers & French duo Acid Washed are proud to announce the release of their eponymous 12" with remixes from The Hacker, Mickey Moonlight, DANGER, Daniel Haaksman, Digikid84, Lazy Flow, Jungle Fiction and Stuff.

Since the release of their debut album in March, Acid Washed’s luscious disco has steadily gained admirers from all corners of the globe. From Cannes to New York, Berlin to London with fashion designer Jenny Packham, their reputation as DJs and live performers is growing. Their collaboration with British designer Anthony Burrill has provided hypnotic visuals, accompanying them wherever they go on this non-stop tour.

The time has now come for Record Makers to release their signature track, Acid Washed. The euphoric finale to every live set has undergone the deluxe remix treatment from the very best in established and upcoming producers.

The Hacker, long-time Miss Kittin collaborator and old friend of Acid Washed, shows why he is universally held in high regard. His minimal adjustments have maximum impact, a massive horn rising out of this sublime effort. Man Recordings supremo, Daniel Haaksman, adds a touch of funk mondial to the original, resulting in a slow-burning tropical house re-rub. Harpsichords float over eerie, space electro as DANGER cements his reputation as the dark horse of the French electronic scene with a future classic.

Mickey Moonlight took time out from finishing his debut album to contribute, Ed Banger’s finest pushing the highs and lows of the original into a swirling, summery mix. The hell-raising Young Gunz crew turn up with two of their finest, Digikid84 and Lazy Flow demonstrating why the party never stops when they are around. Icelandic teenagers, Jungle Fiction, serve notice of their undoubted potential with a sensational slice of French-house. Wrapping up proceedings with a dark disco cut is Stuff, a Grenoble based producer signed to Space Factory Records.

1. Acid Washed
2- Acid Washed (Daniel Haaksman Remix)
3- Acid Washed (Digikid 84 Remix)
4- Acid Washed (Danger Remix)
5- Acid Washed ( Mickey Moonlight Remix)
6- Acid Washed ( The Hacker Remix)
7- Acid Washed (Lazy Flow Remix)*
8- Acid Washed (Jungle Fiction Remix) *
9- Acid Washed (Stuff Remix) *
* digital only

Live dates

10/09 - Social Club, Paris,
24/09 - Clash Magazine Party @ CAMP w/ ShitRobot, London, UK - ticket link
25/09 - Chez Moune, Paris,
30/09 - El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles - Acid Washed, Sebastien Tellier, Kavinsky, Turzi - Festival Oohlala
19/10 - CMJ, New York, USA

Richard D'Alpert and Andrew Claristidge had a vision of creating sophisticated electronics with a sharp pop aesthetic, using vintage and modern equipment. The result is a fusion of late nineties French house vibes and DFA disco touches that acknowledges the influence of Chicago and Detroit without being overly reverential. Throw names like Steve Reich, Giorgio Moroder into the hat as well if you like, but don’t dwell on them. Cosmic tunes for the party tonight.

Simian Mobile Disco releases first US mix CD for "Fixed"

2010-08-25T11:09:00.005-04:00

Simian Mobile Disco are funny guys. I mean they are humble, very amusing, and very dedicated to their work. After their awesome Temporary Pleasure they're working up some new tracks and a new mix... here's what Wikipedia has to say about the former:

"During the introduction of their Essential Mix made for Radio 1, broadcasted on the 9 January 2010, they gave hints on what would be a "techno-based album" expected for later in 2010. Since then, the duo has also established what will be a quarterly residency to JDH and Dave P’s Fixed nights, in NYC.
In March 2010 the duo announced their new club night project 'Delicatessen', curated by the duo and accompanied by what they say to be "a brand new imprint" entitled Delicacies. The first single on Delicacies is set to be released in late May, both physically and then digitally. The first two tracks are titled "Aspic" and "Nerve Salad". Simian Mobile Disco announced that every track will "take the name of an exotic, and often bizarre, delicacy from around the world".

Ahhh yes "Nerve Salad"... the new track is posted below to help hype SMD's upcoming U.S. mix for "Fixed". What is this all about you ask? Well here's the press (track below)...

Simian Mobile Disco returns with their
first domestic US mix CD
Simian Mobile Disco Is Fixed

The first in a new compilation series celebrating
New York City’s forward thinking FIXED party

Simian Mobile Disco - “Nerve Salad”

Out: October 12, 2010
Label: Defend Music
www.defendmusic.com
www.myspace.com/fixednyc
www.facebook.com/simianmobiledisco
www.myspace.com/simianmobiledisco
www.simianmobiledisco.co.uk

“The mix we have done for Fixed is based on how we hope our residency with them in
New York will pan out. Fixed has always been a forum for the deeper and odder end of
disco and techno, but without forgetting that it's still a party. We mixed this live in our
studio, allowing us to throw some extra effects in there and also a bit of the 808 from
time to time.” - Jas (of Simian Mobile Disco)

****************

Defend Music is proud to announce the first release in a new series of mix CDs celebrating New York City’s famed FIXED parties – Simian Mobile Disco Is Fixed. Released on October 12, this marks the first Domestic USA release for the famed British DJ/Production/Remix team.

This mix perfectly represents what you’d expect to hear from Simian Mobile Disco (AKA James Ford and Jas Shaw) at one of their FIXED residency nights - it’s all wondrous techno. There’s no messing around here as the mix launches with the spacey, wobbly, jazz tinged one-two punch of Brain Machine “Eternal Night” and Etienne Jaumet “For Falling Asleep.” Next, Jurek Przezdziecki “Qwerty Poema” and Conrad Schnitzler “Ballet Statique” reveal techno’s beautiful side with divine melodies and flowing beats before Andre Walter “Malphas” and Bam Bam “Where's Your Child?” contrast with tougher and more ominous sounds. It’s the perfect lead into Simian Mobile Disco’s own remix of DJ Hell’s gothic techno track “U Can Dance (feat. Brian Ferry) and Paul Woolford’s rubbery “False Prophet.”

Phillip Sherburne starts off the second half of the disc with his excellent “Salt And Vinegar,” and when paired with the next track, Clement Meyer “Midnight Madness” you’ve got the sound of a plane spinning out of control (good in the context of this mix). Simian Mobile Disco pulls up next with their most recent single, “Nerve Salad,” a full on techno assault with nightmarish sounds weaving in and out. Pantha Du Prince “Behind The Stars” is equally dark, slowing things down before Carl Craig brings back the acid with his remix of Hot Chip’s “One Life Stand.” The mix starts winding down with Chateau Flight’s bouncy electro “Baroque” before the BPMs start freefalling with SND “05:36:58” and Delia Derbyshire’s tripped out and droning “Dreams.”

FIXED was launched in 2004 by DJ’s JDH and Dave P at the Tribeca Grand hotel and the party quickly took off as a result of a forward-thinking booking policy. One week you’d find heavyweight, Berlin-based techno jocks like Ewan Pearson playing with on-the-rise indie
acts such as Little Boots or Friendly Fires the next. To date, blue-chip artists like Erol Alkan, Soulwax, Booka Shade, Justice, Superpitcher, the Klaxons, Peaches, LCD Soundsystem, Mylo, Vitalic, Simian Mobile Disco, The Rapture, Tiefschwarz, M.A.N.D.Y. and many more have all made appearances. The party celebrated its five-year anniversary in November 2009, with Basement Jaxx headlining the night.

Simian Mobile Disco takes the reigns of the first mix in FIXED’s new series embodying what the New York institution’s parties are all about. Simian Mobile Disco’s James Ford and Jas Shaw comment, “Josh and Dave were the first people to put us on in America, and they consistently put on the craziest parties with the best dance music in the United States. We jumped at the chance to do a mix for them, as Fixed is a beacon of hope in a sea of generic bangers. It has a broad, classy music policy and is set to follow in the footsteps of legendary nights such as Trash and Optimo,”

Simian Mobile Disco Is Fixed
Track List
1. Brain Machine “Eternal Night”
2. Etienne Jaumet “For Falling Asleep”
3. Jurek Przezdziecki “Qwerty Poema”
4. Conrad Schnitzler “Ballet Statique”
5. André Walter “Malphas”
6. Bam Bam “Where’s Your Child?”
7. DJ Hell “U Can Dance (SMD Mix)”
8. Paul Woolford “False Prophet”
9. Phillip Sherburne “Salt and Vinegar”
10. Clement Meyer “Midnight Madness”
11. Simian Mobile Disco “Nerve Salad”
12. Pantha Du Prince “Behind The Stars”
13. Hot Chip “One Life Stand (Carl Craig Mix)”
14. Chateau Flight “Baroque”
15. SND “05:36:58”
16. Delia Derbyshire “Dreams”

The new mix called Simian Mobile Disco Is Fixed is coming out October 12, 2010 on Defend Music. I'm pretty excited about it as just about all their mixes have been either time capsules of the zeitgeist or forward thinking genre benders!

Let me know what you think of "Nerve Salad"! I'll be back soon with more goodies as I have a billion of them in my inbox still. Again, sorry for the absence, I'm really back this time :)

Burial track featured in Ray-Ban ad

2010-08-23T16:04:00.001-04:00

This video has tons of things I like that I shouldn't... guns, cigarettes, Zippos... and two thinga I enjoy which is Ray-Bans and Burial...

Don Diablo mix for Kissy Sell Out!

2010-07-29T13:52:00.001-04:00

I don't even need to tell you how good this is... just look at the track listing. Our man Don Diablo has killed it again... I promise you'll be seeing his name a lot more here again in the future. Now that I'm getting my shit back together!

Don Diablo takes you on a trip down memory lane! This thursday, Don did an interview with BBC Radio 1 and dropped a Klassroom mix for Kissy Sell Out's radioshow. Grab the radio broadcast right here, and check out what Don was bobbing his head to in highschool! From Massive Attack to The Smashing Pumpkins and from Prince to Bruce Springsteen and way beyond that...! In short: 40 classics in 20 minutes, enjoy!

Tracklist:
1 Ace of Base - All that she wants
2 Melodie MC - Dum Dam Dum
3 Yello - Oh yeah
4 Babylon Zoo - Spaceman
5 TQ - West side
6 Smashing Pumpkins - 1979
7 Kriss Kross - Jump
8 Jurassic 5 - What's golden
9 Moby - Honey
10 Smash Mouth - All Star
11 Felix - Don't u want me (Classical Cover)
12 The prodigy / Lisa Stansfield - No good (Start the dance)
13 Oasis v.s. Queen - Wonderwall will rock u (Don Diablo MashUp)
14 Moby - Feeling so real (Don Diablo Remix)
15 Marusha - Over the rainbow
16 Sunbeam - Outside world
17 Bertocucci Feranzano - XTC Love
18 Westbam - Mayday Anthem
19 Soul II Soul - Back to life
20 Daft Punk - Aerodynamic (Don Diablo Refix)
21 Skee-Lo - I wish
22 New Radicals - You get what u give
22 Salt-n-Pepa - Push it
23 Prince - I wanna be your lover
24 De la Soul - Me, myself & I (Don Diablo Refix)
25 Wildchild - Renegade Master
26 Massive Attack - Unfinished symphony
27 Bruce Springsteen - Streets of Philadelphia
28 System of a down - Chop Suey
29 EMF - Unbelievable
30 Weirdo & Sim - Go get busy
31 Mainx - 88 to Piano
32 Natural Born Chillers - Rock the funky beats
33 Roni Size - Brown Paper Bag
34 Fatboy Slim - Don't let the man get you down
35 Dr. Dre - Keep their heads ringin'
36 Warren G ft. Nate Dogg - Regulate
37 Eric B & Rakim - Pump up the volume
38 2Unlimited - Let the beat control your body
39 Michael Jackson- Remember the time (Don Diablo Remix)
40 Ryuichi Sakamoto - Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence

Don Diablo's Klassroom Mix @ Kissy Sell Out show (BBC Radio1) by dondiablo

The Charlatans return with "Love Is Ending"

2010-07-29T12:26:00.004-04:00

The Charlatans are back and of course this is cause for excitement... it's even more exciting for those of us stuck in the U.S. since they're touring here in September! This song is actually a lot heavier than what I was expecting for their lead single but I really like it. Check out their "beautiful Michael Clarke inspired, Douglas Hart of The Jesus & Mary Chain fame directed video" for their new single below!

The Charlatans - LoveIsEnding Horrors Remix by WorkItMedia

The single is out August 2nd

THE CHARLATANS
SINGLE ‘LOVE IS ENDING’ AUG 2ND
ALBUM ‘WHO WE TOUCH’ SEPT 6TH
(COOKING VINYL)

www.myspace.com/thecharlatans ● www.thecharlatans.net

Here's some press:

With a career that has already spanned two decades, The Charlatans - Martin Blunt (bass), Jon Brookes (drums), Tim Burgess (vocals), Mark Collins (guitar) and Tony Rogers (keyboards) - release their new album ‘Who We Touch’ on September 6th 2010 through Cooking Vinyl. A 2 CD limited edition package, including exclusive early versions of tracks and additional tracks that never made it onto the album will also be available.

Their eleventh studio album, ‘Who We Touch’ was produced by Youth (Paul McCartney, Primal Scream and The Verve) and was recorded at Britannia Row in London, on the same desk that saw the creation of New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’. Featuring eleven tracks, the album must surely rank as their boldest to date, radically broadening their aesthetic remit. It is, says Burgess, “a soulful voyage”, a journey through moods uplifting and profound, dark and delirious and ultimately concluding in blissful optimism. Its sound is inspired by many heroes, yet always sounds like no-one other than The Charlatans themselves.

Album opener, ‘Love Is Ending’ is the first single to be taken from the album and is available on August 2nd on limited edition 7” vinyl. The Horrors have also done a remix of the track which will be exclusively available through itunes.

The video to ‘Love is Ending’ was directed by The Jesus & Mary Chain’s Douglas Hart, who wanted something very simple yet visually striking to compliment the energy of the track. The ballet dancer/choreographer Aisling Cook was selected due to her influences, style and understanding of Michael Clarke’s work, who is famous for his unique and pioneering style of contemporary ballet with a 'punk' edge whilst maintaining the fluidity and grace of classical ballet.

Further into the album ‘Oh!’ is a beautiful song of reconciliation, as complex as its shifting time signatures. ‘You Can Swim’, an exquisite ooze of ambience, reminiscent of ‘Another Green World’-era Eno, with whose creative ideas the album began. Lurking at the end of the album is hidden track ‘I Sing The Body Eclectic’ featuring Crass’s Penny Rimbauld on vocals. Gee Vaucher who did the iconic artwork for all of Crass’s releases, also provides ‘Who We Touch’ with it’s eerie collaged cover image.

The full tracklisting is:

1. Love Is Ending
2. My foolish Pride
3. Your Pure Soul
4. Smash The System
5. Intimacy
6. Sincerity
7. Trust In Desire
8. When I Wonder
9. Oh!
10. You Can Swim

Their North American tour is as follows:
Charlatans UK - 2010 North American Tour Dates
09/07 - Atlanta, GA @ The Loft
09/08 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Cat's Cradle
09/09 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat
09/10 - Boston, MA @ Royale
09/11 - Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell's
09/13 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
09/14 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
09/15 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
09/16 - Montreal, QC @ Cabaret
09/17 - Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace
09/18 - Chicago, IL @ Double Door
09/20 - San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo'
09/21 - Costa Mesa, CA @ Detroit Bar
09/22 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey

The Charlatans play the following shows in October:

5th Hatfield, The Forum
7th Newcastle, O2 Academy
8th Edinburgh, HMV Picture House
9th Dundee, Fat Sam’s Live
11th Liverpool, O2 Academy
12th Nottingham, Rock City
14th Leeds, O2 Academy
15th Sheffield, O2 Academy
16th Manchester, Apollo
18th Oxford, O2 Academy
19th Bristol, O2 Academy
21st Norwich, UEA
22nd London, O2 Academy Brixton
23rd Birmingham, O2 Academy

New TODDLA T - "Sky Surfing (Douster Remix)"

2010-07-28T13:38:00.003-04:00

I just got at Toddla T about an interview we've been waiting on since before his first feature in Dazed and Confused (i.e. a LONG time). I got an early listen of this beast of a song and wanted to try to get his attention before he was doing like 20,000 magazine interviews because of this... and of course I don't think I emailed him lol. Who knows, maybe it'll still happen, but if it doesn't you'll understand why right after you hear this song... it's so Summer perfect that everyone will want a piece of him...

Here's some press:
Toddla T comes absolutely busting out of the traps for his very first single for Ninja Tune/Girls Music. On a recent trip to Jamaica to collaborate with Major Lazer, Mr T found himself alone in the legendary Tuff Gong Studios in Kingston. Who should wonder in but the one-and-only Wayne Marshall who asked Toddla to play him some rhythms. As soon as he heard the beat which would become “Sky Surfing” he told the Sheffield whizz kid to hit RECORD.

The result is the hyperactive club smasher “Sky Surfing,” which runs through a million styles from dancehall to jump up hip hop to cheesy rave and makes them all sound as fresh, as squelchy and as downright fun as they ever have. Marshall himself sounds utterly revitalised by this genre-crusher, chatting and singing with equal ease and thoroughly enjoying this “JA-UK connect.” A blast of good time energy summed up in its title, “Sky Surfing” is set to go stratospheric.

Toddla T - "Sky Surfing (Douster Remix)"

Expect to see remixes from Benga, Ross Orton + DJ Q when the single comes out 9th August 2010 on Ninja Tune... this is obviously a must have for Summer parties! Let me know what you think in the comment section!

Check out more at ninjatune.net and toddlat.com.

New video from CASPA, 'Back For The First Time'!

2010-07-28T10:00:00.004-04:00

You don't want to hear me talk about how awesome this is... you just need to hear this as fast as possible. One of dubstep's most important names, Caspa, returns with a very sick tune called 'Back For The First Time' and I promise after one listen you'll be fiending for more Caspa... at least a remix lol... check out some press and then the new video below!

After a short spell away, Caspa is back with one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year on his own Sub Soldiers imprint. Never one to rest on his laurels and take a backseat, this latest EP is yet further testament to the devotion and hard work of one of the UKʼs most prolific and prominent figures, cementing his place within the global electronic elite and establishing himself as an artist in his own right. First up is an anthem that has been lighting up airwaves globally for the last few months. This latest, club bound banger comes in the shape of 'Back For The First Time' featuring Dub Police label mate and fellow UK luminaire D1. Gathering heavy support on BBC Radio 1 from Annie Mac & Zane Lowe, as well as being battered in the clubs by the who's who of dubstep A-listers,this is fast becoming one of the biggest tracks to emerge from the scene so far this year - it's not hard to see why with it's catchy ascending and uplifting chords, juxtaposed with THAT trademark growling bass - this track will no doubt be the soundtrack of many festival attendee, clubber and music fans Summer, guaranteed to mash the dance and pronounce the return of one of the scenes key players. On the flip Caspa teams up with another label mate Subscape for a tune that, like its A side brethren, has already seen the light of day in countless clubs worldwide. 'Geordie Racer' takes no prisoners with its driving, furious beats and prominently low, penetrating basslines, anyone who has been lucky enough to be in the rave when this monster drops like a ten ton weight will no doubt inform you of the carnage it creates in its wake. Again gaining support from dubstep royalty and being featured on Caspa's 'MyStyle' mix CD (released last month), its another future classic from the real London deal. All in all, expect big things once again from the return of Caspa & the Sub Soliders / Dub Police

camp. And as ever, theres plenty more to come where that came from…keep those ears peeled and those bodies locked.

Diplo speaks about new "MAYA", plus unreleased tracks from M.I.A. with Amanda Blank and Blaqstarr!

2010-07-15T13:48:00.007-04:00

Of course one of the most talked about things on the blogosphere is the new M.I.A. album "MAYA". Some reviews are good, others are not so hot, but arguably the most important verdict comes from Diplo (who has been involved in the production of all of her albums thus far)...

For those of you who are just arriving to the M.I.A. and Diplo show... they started dating after she walked into our dear fabric's nightclub while he was playing her first single "Galang". They had a beautiful working relationship, and personal relationship, and they were the power couple of the year when her first album came out.

Eventually their personal relationship fell apart (we won't go into why, you can find that somewhere else on the interwebs if need be) but regardless they continued to work together... One can't help but wonder if their relationship woes helped inspire this song...
Amanda Blank feat M.I.A. = "Take It Easy" YSI

Their continued collabo yielded, amongst other things, the worldwide smash "Paper Planes" (helped significantly by the trailer for Pineapple Express). And on top of raising both their profiles it also lead to interpolation by KanYe West in the form of "Swagga Like Us":

Anyway... now that "MAYA" is out there is a storm of hipster commentary out there (reminding me a lot of the wild reaction to Interpol's "Our Love To Admire")... however, the review that is most interesting to moi is this interview where Diplo speaks about M.I.A.'s new album.

Other collaborators on the new album include Blaqstarr... who wrote this killer jam (sampling the theme for 'The Wire' in a B-More stylee) that was originally believed to be written for the new M.I.A. album.
M.I.A. feat Blaqstarr = "Way Down In Hole" YSI

If her next album didn't have Diplo on it I'd be very surprised (despite what that interview might lead you to believe). I've met both of them: Diplo is a very funny, kind, prankster of a guy... and M.I.A. (although I only very very briefly spoke to her) seems like a kind, level headed kind of woman... I have little doubt that all this will blow over and they'll be working together again soon.

Make sure to check out Diplo & Switch's Major Lazer EP that comes out this next week featuring the likes of Thom Yorke and M.I.A.!

I'll be back as soon as I can and hope you enjoyed this post... please leave comments telling what you think of the new M.I.A. album! I've got a silly video with Diplo which I'll probably post later this evening... see you guys soon!

Frankmusik - "Ice Box"

2010-05-30T18:22:00.003-04:00

I just heard from Frankmusik for the first time in the a while... prompting an "oldie but goodie" post...

Frankmusik- "Ice Box (Cover)"

EDIT: I realized I've posted this song a few times but I've never posted the original Omarion version with it... so here it is just in case you lived under a rock and somehow haven't heard this song.

Things fall apart...

2010-05-24T23:53:00.002-04:00

Ellie Goulding - "This Love (Will Be Your Downfall)'

Buffetlibre do remix for Plushgun's Mixtapes!

2010-05-21T16:18:00.004-04:00

After cellebrated remixes for Dragonette, The Antlers, Little Boots, Dragonette, Cartridge and Patrick Wolf, Barcelona's DJ duo Buffetlibre release an official remix on Plushgun's Mixtapes. A high energy electro remix which, as usual, Buffetlibre offer as free download.

Plushgun - Mixtapes (Buffetlibre Remix)

Kavinsky "Nightcall" Remix Competition could make you famous!

2010-05-06T15:40:00.008-04:00

Seemed like a good headline to get you interested... but then again how could you not be interested?!?! Even if I had just said "wicked remixes" in the headline it would have gotten a lot of people interested.. but by saying "remix competition" there is no way that any respecting blogger, dj, or producer can overlook this info.

Throwing the word "fame" in is like throwing in the word "free" lol...

Even if you win there are no promises of fame (as you can see below that's not part of the prize packages)... BUT if Kavinsky, himself, chooses your remix as the winner I can't see how you wouldn't end up making waves in the future!

So what's up with all this delicious information? How can you make the best remix of your life (and maybe get some swag while you're at it)? Read the press release below...

To celebrate the release of ‘Nightcall’, Record Makers and Kavinsky
are proud to offer fans / budding producers the opportunity to remix the zombie vocals of Lovefoxxx and Kavinsky. Head over to kavinskyremix.com to get involved:

// 1 Download the vocal stems using the Soundcloud player.

// 2 Make your remix.

// 3 Submit to Record Makers via SoundCloud by Wednesday 30th June.

# 1st prize: (chosen by Kavinsky)
Digital release on Record Makers
+ Nightcall vinyl + Soundcloud Pro. account

# 2nd prize: (chosen by the Record Makers staff)
Nightcall vinyl + Teddy Boy vinyl + Soundcloud Lite account

# 3rd prize: (chosen by the fans - most favourites on SoundCloud)
Nightcall vinyl + 1986 vinyl + Soundcloud Lite account

Check out this killer Breakbot remix...
Nightcall (Breakbot remix) by Kavinsky

And then the Dustin Nguyen remix...
Nightcall (Dustin NGuyen Remix) by Kavinsky

And if that's not enough music for ya, Kavinsky just created a mix for Dazed Digital! I love Dazed Digital... thank you for existing... without The Face someone has to be awesome...
http://www.dazeddigital.com/Music/article/7474/1/Kavinsky_on_Autocruise

Kavinsky - Dazed Autocruise Mix

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

This is what he said about the Dazed Digital mix...
“This mix is automatically generated by my car when I start the engine. This is the music that flows in my veins. My car knows this. For the first time ever, you are able to listen to this program outside of my car. Enjoy."

So get crackin! You've got a wicked song to mess around with, you've got a finite amount of time to do it, and you just might be the lucky bugger to win... who knows? Anyway, I hope you enjoy the remixes (make sure you go cop "Nightcall" from Record Makers) and Kavinsky's mix (which comes a little way toward making up for the fact that I couldn't be at DaFunkFest)... I'll be back soon, keep your ear to the ground!

To My Boy album preview!

2010-05-04T17:09:00.005-04:00

Here is a preview of the upcoming To My Boy album!
The Habitable Zone Sampler by To My Boy

After taking a brief break the boys are back veering away from the previous new rave tag placed upon them... it's a very new sound full of rich spacey pop perfection that won't leave your head for quite some time... read more in the press below:

To My Boy will release their sophomore album, The Habitable Zone, through their Von Braun imprint on the 31st May 2010.

The follow-up to 2007’s Messages catches the duo of Sam and Jack embarking on a new musical voyage, leaving behind the computer world in search of The Habitable Zone; the area around a star where the conditions to support life are just right. Planet Earth sits in one of these zones, but clings to it by the skin of its teeth, with impending doom in every direction. It's a beautiful but frightening position to be in.

A physicist and songwriter, Jack has been working on an energy device called a ‘Tokamak’ which recreates the conditions of a star on the surface of the earth. This will go on hold next month, as the release of The Habitable Zone brings life back into the beautiful machine and To My Boy.

The Habitable Zone, self-produced in the hills of Derbyshire, has already started receiving favorable press; “To My Boy are back with more winning eccentricity. But this time, it’s less oddball electro-pop, more sad-eyed folktronica...sweetly sad-eyed and lovely” (NME), as well as plays on John Kennedy’s XFM ‘Xposure’ and Steve Lamacq’s BBC 6 Music shows.

The video for lead single, ‘Hello Horizon’, is now available to view online. This will be followed by the full release of the album on physical and digital formats on Monday 31st May.

Check out the video for "Hello Horizon"!

Check out more at www.tomyboy.co.uk and Myspace. Be back soon!

NEW Goldielockstrack for Chris Ofili's exhibit at the Tate!

2010-04-27T17:07:00.006-04:00

Got a new one here from good old Sarah Goldielocks called "3rd Eye Vision"! The track is available as a free download by tweeting or updating your Facebook status about the track... sounds like a solid deal, especially given the quality of her recent output!

Apparently Chris Ofili has an exhibition on now at the Tate Britain and Goldielocks, Mala, Cooly G, Tinie Tempah etc, and were asked to write songs to correspond to his paintings. In case somehow you forgot (or were too young) Mr Ofili was the object of some serious controversy...

"One of his paintings, The Holy Virgin Mary, a depiction of the Virgin Mary, was at issue in a lawsuit between the mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, and the Brooklyn Museum of Art when it was exhibited there in 1999 as a part of the "Sensation" exhibit. The painting depicted a black African Mary surrounded by images from blaxploitation movies and close-ups of female genitalia cut from pornographic magazines, and elephant dung. These were formed into shapes reminiscent of the cherubim and seraphim commonly depicted in images of the Immaculate conception and the Assumption of Mary. Following the scandal surrounding this painting, Bernard Goldberg ranked Ofili #86 in 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America. Red Grooms showed his support of the artist by purchasing one of Ofili's paintings in 1999, even after Giuliani famously exclaimed, “There’s nothing in the First Amendment that supports horrible and disgusting projects!"

Here is the "scandalous" work...

I believe David Bowie at one point had his work exhibited on the once very very very popular subscription site BowieNet (On a random note happy 18th wedding anniversary to Bowie and Iman!)...

And of course there was even more controversy because of Ofili's connection to Charles Saatchi... click on the links above to find out more.

Here's a video of all these goings on over at the Tate!

Saaafe x

Check out more at Goldielocks World! I'll be back soon with the video etc for both the Major Lazer/Bassnectar and Echo & The Bunnymen shows... I just gotta get my finals taken care of and I'll sort you guys out! Keep checking back!

NEW Roses Kings & Castles - "One Born Every Minute"

2010-04-12T15:30:00.003-04:00

You know we love Adam Ficek's Roses Kings & Castles project... so it's exciting to hear some new material out of him... Enjoy this while waiting for the pics and videos from the Major Lazer & Bassnectar show :)

One Born Every Minute by Roses Kings Castles by 360degreemusic
DIGITAL RELEASE DATE: 2/5/10

CAT NO: 360dgmD(CDS)0013

a. ONE BORN EVERY MINUTE
b. SIT DOWN (CASSETTE DEMO VERSION)

Originally conceived as a creative outlet whilst Babyshambles were on holiday, Roses Kings Castles have grown these past two years into a name that is synonymous with smart, witty, acerbic pop. Definitely not indie, yet proudly, defiantly and genuinely independent.

Eschewing the traditional album/tour/single route, RKC have established an identity that is often quirky yet never annoying, and in the process made some stunning music. Comparisons with Belle & Sebastian’s pastoral warmth and the acidic outsider pop of Syd Barrett, have now dissolved as RKC have moved into a sound that is comfortably their own.

The eponymus debut album has sold more than 3,000 copies since its release in September 2008 and an ever growing army of new fans across the globe have enabled a lengthy spell in the studio, which has produced a wealth of new material. The album Suburban Time Bombs was recorded in the second half of last year, and the first single from the album, One Born Every Minute will be issued on 2nd May, followed by the album later in the year.

RKC are currently deep into rehearsals with new band members to be revealed shortly, and to coincide with the release of the album, they will be playing selected live dates in the UK and across Europe.

NEW: Robot Koch and Bassnectar preview new EPs!

2010-04-08T18:09:00.002-04:00

Well apparently poor Bassnectar had a sort of surprise release of his new EP... Instead of kicking and screaming how does the Bassnectar team deal with it? Release it early and give stuff away for free!

The Bassnectar crew has decided to drop the latest Timestretch EP a week early with some exclusive DJ Pack bundles through the Bassnectar.net site. Release is 100% bangers with some remixes by MRK1, SPL, Jantsen, and iLL.Gates

It worth noting that the EP is actually out now (unlike when I got the email, sorry about that)... Check out more at the Bassnectar music store! I can tell you right now it's absolutely amazing haven taken a listen in the last few days. I wish I would have posted this earlier (I got it about two weeks ago) so this is old news to some of you....

...but you may not be aware that Bassnectar and Major Lazer are playing TOMORROW at The Fillimore in Detroit! If you're going drop me a line and perhaps we can discuss how sick this bootleg is:

Bassnectar - "Magical World feat. Nelly Furtado"

Bassnectar - "Magical World feat. Nelly Furtado" YSI

And then there's this to pique your interest!

If you caught the last Bassnectar post you know our boy Robot Koch did a sick remix for him... so it only makes sense to post this info together. He's got an EP coming out in May that will no doubt melt your face lol...

robot koch_true (preview) from robot koch on Vimeo.

And just to get you a little more excited there's new Jahcoozi on the horizon as well :) That is just about the only remotely British thing mention (because of their lead singer) in this post... I guess the remixers on the Bassnectar EP count right? This is basically just blatant favouritism hahaha... thank god both make awsome music! I'll do my best not to make friends with people who make crap music so we can keep the quality fresh!

After tomorrow you'll have some sick video, audio, whatever from the Bassnectar & Major Lazer show so... make sure to stay tuned!

GRUM - "Shake This Feeling"

2010-03-12T10:25:00.001-05:00

Like that one SMD video, but way less scary and gross... make sure you watch it through to the end!

SUPER POST: Ellie Goulding album review, Echo & The Bunnymen live, and win prizes from Record Makers!

2010-03-10T12:38:00.014-05:00

Unless you've been in a coma, or are Osama Bin Laden's cavemate, you've probably heard of Ellie Goulding. She's been hailed as the most important musical artist (especially female) since The Beatles and is the future of everything and you should buy her album so you support the future of everything... right?

Well... hype is an AWFUL AWFUL thing... it's such a bad thing in fact that it put Miss Goulding in the hospital last year when she was opening for Florence & The Machine and had a wicked panic attack! And I think it's unfair to pin all the hopes and dreams of electro-pop-dance-futurism on one person all across the board... for example it's one thing for me to say "FRANKMUSIK IS THE GREATEST THING EVER IN THE HISTORY OF EVER" and it's another for every paper, blog, podcast etc to say the same. It makes the artists insane, and it kills credibility (unless you're like Lady Gaga or something and transcend all boundaries), and it creates expectations SO HIGH that they can't be meet...

So how is her album "Lights", the recently released debut from electro-pop's most talked about person since La Roux, when all the hype dust clears?

It's pretty damn good. I'd love to say I thought it was a 10/10 but I feel like maybe there was a "too many cooks spoil the broth" thing going on here with "Lights"... not like Ellie's primary collaborator, the brilliant Starsmith, doesn't know what he's doing... but I sometimes feel like maybe the label said "it's great but I think we need a little more of this" or something because some of the spark that came across in her demos and original versions of these songs is missing (something that often seems to be the byproduct of label tampering).

The album starts off with "Guns and Horses" which has transformed into a more dancefloor ready song compared to it's original version (provided by John Fortis' production). It's much more urgent and I think that's a great addition to the song. Not as hot about the "I'd do it all for you"s at the end of the song but... perhaps that because I'm used to a very different version of this song. "Guns and Horses" does however set a nice thematic tone for the album ("when I'm standing here in the dark I see your face in every star") when paired with "Starry Eyed".

I don't need to tell you anything about "Starry Eyed". It's a brilliant single (produced by Jonny Lattimer). The first time I saw the video I was breathless. My sister cried and couldn't explain why. The song is really that good... and it's this type of perfection that feeds that damn hype monster... but that doesn't take away from it's unbroken heart vulnerability/enthusiasm that makes the track nothing short of precious.

We move on to "This Love (Will Be Your Downfall)" which could easily be a single (but more likely a b-side remix bonanza for the dance kids) it's so catchy. It's lyrics have the quality of a song by The Smiths... in that they're not too upbeat but the song sounds (mostly) like rays of sunshine. This is her genius (again something that is highlighted by Monsieur Starsmith).

"Under The Sheets" is like super sick. The lyrics are really vivid and the production it's subtle without being too slick. I got my 7" copy in the mail the other day and was elated. If you don't know this song I'd be surprised so I don't have a lot to say about it.

Ok, now here is one of the songs that got a substantial overhaul, "The Writer". The last one was completely acoustic guitar, I think, so this version feel very different. This truly has "single" written all over it. It's nothing short of cinematic and I think that actually fits well... it's hard to listen to this version and not see some major love affair of a video, or some climatic problem where a couple gets separated (see see Jacob at the end 'Eclipse' lol)...

"Every Time You Go" is inventive and fun and thankfully doesn't sound like a single... because when an album is nothing but singles you don't ever feel connected to it because it feels far too universal (in my humble opinion). The lyrics on this one keep going with the 'star motif' and are some of the most tear worthy lyrics on the album. I give this one a big thumbs up.

Ok, now here's the tricky one. "Wish I Stayed" is produced by ISoA friend Frankmusik and I'm a tad confused why the album version of this song is so so so different from the original. I like the dubby vocal, the almost Chemical Brother sized beats, and I appreciate Vince's desire to constantly evolve (and change the songs he works on)... so I'm going to guess he just wasn't satisfied going with the version he and Ellie put together quite some time ago? But I still prefer the original to this (however the more I listen to it the more progressive and interesting it sounds). Going back and listening to the original it feels like it's dwarfed by these new changes... but the vocal stuttering, the backwards section after "freefall", the audible background vocals, and the bouncy synth groove of the chorus were what endeared this song to me. BUT the version I'm speaking out would be REALLY out of place on this album soooooooo... ultimately I'd give this one a high grade but would recommend for you the listener to hear the original, and for Vince to do a remix version for an upcoming single. That would be amazing. Ohhhhhh or re-record it as a duet... yeah do that lol :) Here's the album version, and then a download of the original...

Ellie Goulding - "Wished I Stayed (produced by Frankmusik)"

"Your Biggest Mistake" is audibly produced by someone other than Starsmith. It's a good tune but the previous one was so huge that this song was one I had to listen to on it's own and not in the context of the album. It sounds very radio ready? And while very catchy it just doesn't have the impact of some of the other songs for me.

"I'll Hold My Breath" has Ellie and Starsmith back together and you can tell that they are both at their best together. This song isn't all fireworks like their other collaborations on the album but is a brilliant 2nd to last song. It keeps with the 'star motif' again and just sounds right... it just sounds right. There is no other way to explain it.

"Salt Skin" is the perfect album ender, and like watching a supernova or something. It's very experimental, shimmery perfect album closer. I recommend this to all the skeptics because this song touches on something that other albums in this sort of genre haven't.

Add all that together and I'd say it's somewhere between a 8.7/10 to a 9.5/10 lol. It just depends on how the tracks hit you and what you already know about Ellie. Hype aside it's a wonderful debut and is frankly MUCH better than some of her contemporaries who have had very successful careers.

It's often mentioned (in almost every review) that Goulding is a "folkie" dressed up in Frankmusik/Starsmith's poptronica production sheen... which is kind of true? But I'm not exactly sure what it has to do with anything unless staying that is some derisive term to imply she doesn't know which direction she really wants to go in. I think that to focus on that too much is to negate her talent as an artist and is an attempt to corral her into some genre specific cage (which is goofy because I'll bet right now that her next album will sound nothing like this one). Since it doesn't really show up on the album though I thought I'd post some of her more acoustically inclined work :)

"Not Following You"'s lyrics on this are bit like 10cc's "I'm Not In Love" which makes it coy and adorable...
Ellie Goulding - "Not Following You"

This one I listen to a LOT. "The End" stirs up a lot of memories and just sort of sounds like magic... even if the lyrics are a little sad in places...
Ellie Goulding - "The End (Demo)"

I'd post more from Ellie but I think I'd get my ass handed to me by the illusive Polydor. Someone involved in her career said I could probably get away with this remix as well so enjoy, because it's probably the last you'll get from her for a while! This one is for the dubstep heads out there... I also suggest seeking out the Jakwob remix of "Starry Eyed" if you can manage.

Ellie Goulding - "Under The Sheets (Pariah Remix)"

On to something TOTALLY different...

I would say that I've probably listened to "The Killing Moon" as many times as I've brushed my teeth in my life (which is a high number, thank you, not a low number lol) so I was very excited when my friend Zoe shared with me that Echo & The Bunnymen have recorded a NEW VERSION, along with a bunch of other live tracks, for Daytrotter. I was initally a little put off by the 128 kbps download, but there are options to buy, and the interface is really cool and worked smoothly with my Mac... so for all the skeptics, go ahead and register and check it out, it's free!

Ian McCulloch of Echo & The Bunnymen - "A Bunnyman In Rock Island"

Now, normally, you know I don't post things that aren't British... but frankly? I'm starting to see that this is going to be impossible. Why? Because frankly a lot of your favourite artists are on record labels that slap me with DMCA notifications for dumb shit like posting a WIDGET. So I'm willing to play ball with certain individuals/labels that are a step ahead of the average prerogative. So I guess let's intro the uber famous label Record Makers by saying Bobby Gillespie from Primal Scream is on Turzi's new record "B" which is awesome by the way!

Sebastian Tellier has been a pretty non-stop fixture in my car/iPod/phone recently (after wearing myself out on "Sexuality" when it first came out)... so I'm very relieved to see some new material here! The good people at Record Makers have a lot of cool stuff coming out starting with this...

And then there's all this! Have you ever played with the iDaft app? Because if you have then you know how baller this should be...

Launching twelve months of 10th anniversary celebrations in style, the Parisian label Record Makers are proud to announce the release of a free iPhone application along with a special digital compilation to commemorate a decade in existence.

The iPhone application was developed by Sam Vermette (iDaft) and conceived by French contemporary artists Mrzyk & Moriceau. The idea behind the application is to provide the user with a surrealistic visual game, an exquisite corpse in the vein of French surrealism. The introduction theme comes courtesy of label figurehead, Sébastien Tellier, with Mr. Oizo on hand to provide the noises for this eccentric game of mix and match. Unreal graphics appear on your screen, that you can send to your friends at the touch of a button.

Spectacular prizes are on offer to those who find the winning combinations and send in photographic proof to Record Makers HQ. The entire discography is up for grabs, whilst every entry will be entered into a prize draw to win a trip for two to Paris in October including a week’s stay at Hotel Amour and an invite to Record Makers’ anniversary celebrations on 10/10/10.*

- The first 100 to send in one combination will receive 2 CDs / vinyls from the Record Makers discography.

- The first 50 to send in two combinations will receive 10 CDs / vinyls from the Record Makers discography.

- The first 10 to send in three combinations will receive the entire Record Makers discography.

Players only permitted one entry.

You can find the app in the App Store on your iPhone!

Video Teaser - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ2DrsaBl6A

Head over to www.recordmakers.com for more info and a free download of the video to Sebastien Tellier's 'Look' by Mzyrk and Moriceau.

'Look' Teaser - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8C33AXf9GY

Competition winners will be announced via twitter.com/recordmakers

Here's a video for the app:

Download the 10th anniversary compilation from iTunes here for super cheap and here at 10 really really interesting facts about the label that you probably want to know...

AND IF THAT WEREN'T ENOUGH... here's a the new Kavinsky called "Nightcall" (which you may have read above is produced by none other than Guy from Daft Punk) and "Pacific Coast Highway":

Nightcall by Kavinsky
Pacific Coast Highway by Kavinsky

WHOO! That was one hell of a post... I've got a bunch from Ninja Tune to post for you guys but it didn't seem like it would fit in this post. Plus I've got the line up for this years Movement and other little tidbits so PLEASE come back... and as usual you comments are always appreciated :) Be back soon!

Maya Jane Coles of She Is Danger presents new dubstep project

2010-03-02T22:26:00.006-05:00

Look at that face. Add the words DJ and dubstep. Then play the songs. Listen for the sounds of fanboys (and girls yeah?) fainting...

I'll add more later but check the press first:
"Maya Janee Coles - unveils new dubstep project....

London based, British/Japanese producer Maya Jane Coles - http://www.myspace.com/mayajanecoles is the main production force behind female dub meets electronica act, She is Danger - http://www.myspace.com/sheisdangermusic and is ready to unveil her newest creation - Nocturnal Sunshine - http://www.myspace.com/nocturnalsunshinemusic - a dubstep project with elements of electronica, dub and tech house included with very interesting developments in the not too distant future....

Musical peers ranging from Massive Attack, The Orb, Delphic, Steve Bug, Sister Bliss, Doorly and Caspa count themselves as fans of her work and woman aren't suppose to be able to produce/engineer/write, right? Wrong - or so it would now appear and to prove she's versatile her prodcutions have placed top 10 in both the tech house and dubstep charts on Beatport!

Maya's official credits as a remixer under her varied monikers includes artists such as Massive Attack, Groove Armada, MSTRKRFT, Ellie Goulding and Todd Terry amongst others, not bad for a 23 year old! With her originals and remixes being played on BBC Radio 1 by the likes of Annie Mac, Pete Tong and Mary Anne Hobbs, as well as international spins and recognition by stations such as KCRW Stateside and many more across Europe, Asia and Australasia.

Additional Maya's remixes have won plaudits such as NME Radio 'Single of the week', NME Daily Download, Best of Myspace, Q Magazine 'Track of the Day' and RCRDLBL 'Track of the Day' with her 'She is Danger remix' of Massive Attack's 'Girl, I Love You' alongside band member Lena Cullen being included on the deluxe version of 'Heligoland'.

Maya continues to perform in She is Danger supporting Crystal Fighters, Theopolius London and The Orb as well as DJing under the 'Maya Jane Coles' playing parties stretching from Tokyo to Berlin to Barcelona with Sonar, Bestival, BBC Electric Proms and Fabric's sister club Matter just a few of her scalps."

Here's a little buffet of all the different irons Miss Coles has in the fire...

Nocturnal Sunshine ft Cardamis - "Dirty Secret"

Maya Jane Coles - "Don't Believe The Hype (Edit)"

She Is Danger - "Who's That Girl (Eurythmics Cover)"

I knew She Is Danger was off the hook... but I mean... this girl has superstar written on her face :)

NEW Little Boots Remixes!

2010-02-17T14:26:00.001-05:00

Apparently Little Boots' full-length debut album "HANDS" is coming out in the U.S./Canada March 2nd via Elektra Records. There are "new" remixes from Wideboys, Rusko, Tiesto, GRVRBBRS,
Clap Mike Amour, and Alexander Robotnik to drum up hype for the release... but does this mean that Robotnik and Rusko did NEW remixes? OR they just haven't officially been released in North America? Either way, I haven't heard some of them so they've got my attention. I loved that album and if the remixes come with it? I'm more than sold :)

Check out more at www.littlebootsmusic.net and Myspace... I'll be back soon!

TWIZZLE – SKYDIVING (DUB MIX)

2010-02-08T13:16:00.003-05:00

This is for all you dubstep fiends out there...

Twizzle– "Skydiving (Dub Mix)"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_aVToZN_k8

NEW: Herve remixes Faithless

2010-02-04T13:37:00.003-05:00

This one isn't out til 3rd May... and the album doesn't come out til the end of May... BUT we've got it for you here right now! Herve has been a fixture of this blog because of Cheap Thrills, Machines Don't Care, The Count & Sinden and on and on and on...

He gave us an awesome interview, to the blog, a while back with none of the long delays and jumping through hoops with middle men... he agreed to the interview, I sent him the questions, they were back in a day... for that I am eternally greatful. He's prolific, friendly, genre bending, and one of the biggest driving forces in dance music for the last half of the decade (and no doubt many years to come)!

No press for this at the moment, but I'd love to hear your comments on this one!
Faithless - "Not Going Home (Hervé Remix)" Dropbox
Faithless - "Not Going Home (Hervé Remix)" YSI

Check out more at http://www.faithless.co.uk and http://www.myspace.com/hervespace...

Be back soon!

She Is Danger give away lots of free remixes!

2010-02-01T19:38:00.006-05:00

It's often pointed out that I don't post enough about women (or play them enough on the show)... I want to blame PR people and stuff... but it's my fault too.

While looking for some new female power I almost lost it when I read this on She Is Danger's YouTube page... these girls are bad as hell (and their portfolio is impressive):

"She is Danger are London based female producer/vocalists Lena Cullen and Maya Jane Coles. She is Danger write, produce, engineer and perform all their own music, to create a world of dubstep, electronica and beyond...
'Hurt You' will be released in 2nd February 2010.
For more up to date info: www.myspace.com/sheisdangermusic"

Check out this awesome video and then peep the .zip file below for a BUNCH of hot remixes... Massive Attack, Delphic, Groove Armada, Crystal Fighters and Groove Armada... that's a lot of names kids!

This little give-away of remixes by She is to make you aware of the release of 'Hurt You', now on Beatport, out on 8th February 2010 on other download services.

Zip file of tracks below
Here's what's in the Zip file of awesome:
'Paper Romance' (She is Danger Remix) - Groove Armada
'Doubt' (She is Danger Remix) - Delphic
'Girl I Love You' (Feat. Horace Andy) (She is Danger Remix) - Massive Attack
'I Love London' (She is Danger Remix) - Crystal Fighters
'Under The Sheets' (She is Danger Remix) - Ellie Goulding

If you wanna check more videos...
'Hurt You' (Radio Edit) - www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArihRgWIjV4
'Hurt You' (Subscape Remix) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhEqeKQkoi8
'Hurt You' (Kanji Kinetic Remix) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo6KUyHFmPU

She Is Danger - "Hurt You (Radio Edit)" YSI
She Is Danger - "Hurt You (Radio Edit)" Sendspace

Love to hear what you think in the comments! Be back soon!

Oh and here's some more info:

She is Danger are London based female duo multi-instrumentalist/singer Lena Cullen and British-Japanese producer/dj/spoken-worder Maya Jane Coles.

She is Danger write, produce, engineer and perform all their own music, as well as their own stage visuals; and are fast creating ripples within the worlds of dubstep, electronica and beyond.

Their sound is a dark mixture of influences from dub through to electronica with nods to 2-step, tech-house, dubstep, techno, trip-hop, speed garage, ska, drum'n'bass, reggae, ambience, film scores, soul, indie and jazz along the way.

Their remixes of acts such as Ellie Goulding, Delphic and Crystal Fighters have already earned the dames of dub spins by the likes of Annie Mac, and a lot of blog love with their remix of Groove Armada's 'Paper Romance' featured exclusively as a 'Daily Download' on NME.com and their remix of Massive Attack's 'Girl, I Love You' guesting Horace Andy on vocals was RCRDLBL's 'Single of the Day' with the track included on the deluxe version of 'Heligoland' available on Itunes.

Recent gigs have included supporting acts such as Crystal Fighters, Heartless Crew, Doorly, DJ Lottie, Engine-Earz Experiment, Theopolis London and even the Orb at the Orb's latest album launch, as well as clubs nights as far ranging as Yo Yo, Dirty Boots, and the world largest fetish club Torture Garden ;)

She is Danger's darkest side is evident on their debut limited edition release 'Hurt You'. Boasting remixes by rising stars Subscape and Kanji Kinetic and has already enjoyed spins internationally and at home in the UK on stations like BBC Radio 1, Galaxy, Kiss and XFM whilst also making a 'Single of the Week' on NME Radio! Not too shabby for a debuting self-releasing act...

'Hurt You' will be released on She is Danger Music:

* Beatport - 2nd February 2010
* All Other Download Sites (exc Itunes) - 8th February 2010

NEW: Robot Koch remix on Bassnectar EP

2010-02-01T19:27:00.002-05:00

Teleport Massive (Robot Koch Remix) by robot koch

Bassnectar's new EP (also featuring Dj Vadim, RJD2, Stagga and Son of Kick)

Check out more from Robot Koch at these links:

http://www.twitter.com/robotkoch
http://soundcloud.com/robot-koch
http://www.myspace.com/robotkoch

French Horn Rebellion give away free EP and support Little Boots!

2010-02-01T12:06:00.004-05:00

This is more a Midwest/East Coast thing... but... Well I've found two ways to turn this back toward the UK. Let's start with those...

First off French Horn Rebellion will be playing with Hot Chip Feb 6 2010 at 8:00Pm @ Music Hall of Williamsburg supporting Hot Chip in Brooklyn, NY. Then they will be popping up to Glasgow, then London, and a few appearances and months later touring with Little Boots...

Apr 22 2010 8:00P
Masquerade w/ Little Boots Atlanta, Georgia
Apr 23 2010 8:00P
9:30 Club w/ Little Boots Washington, Washington DC
Apr 24 2010 8:00P
Voyeur w/ Little Boots Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Apr 28 2010 8:00P
Middle East w/ Little Boots Boston, Massachusetts
Apr 29 2010 8:00P
Club Soda w/ Little Boots Montreal, Quebec
Apr 30 2010 8:00P
Phoenix Theatre w/ Little Boots Toronto, Ontario

If you want to know more you should check out their awesome Myspace.

Now, after listening to some of their new stuff I would say this set up seems worth it. Right now if you go to the link below you can get a free EP just by signing up for their mailing list.

Free EP Here

Tracklisting:
1. What I want (demo edit)
2. Up All Night (Might Five Remix)
3. Ancient Lover – Tiger City (French Horn Rebellion remix)
4. The Quatrain

The Glamour cover Daft Punk for "Love Burn" b-side

2010-01-25T18:24:00.006-05:00

The Glamour are not new kids on the block but they are new to Herve's Cheap Thrills Label. To really get out there and get people's attention so they have covered Daft Punk's "Robot Rock" for the b side of their new single "Love Burn" (out on Beatport this week, and in the shops next week)!

Links:
The Glamour - "Robot Rock (Daft Punk Cover)" YSI
The Glamour - "Robot Rock (Daft Punk Cover)" zShare
The Glamour - "Robot Rock (Daft Punk Cover)" Dropbox

Here's the press kids:
The Glamour - ‘Robot Rock’(Daft Punk cover)
From the ‘Love Burn’ EP (Cheap Thrills)
Release date: 8th February

• The Glamour are Diamonds (Asher Gray) and Richard Richard (Richard
Galling) and are based in Milwaukee
• Their proximity to Chicago meant that plenty of house music legends passed
through town, influencing a small scene from which The Glamour take their
cue
• The ‘Love Burn’ EP is their first release on Hervé’s Cheap Thrills label and
the title track features vocal from Diamonds – it’s also been remixed by
Cheap Thrills labelmates Max Morrell
• ‘Robot Rock’ is found on the b-side with a space disco remix by Mighty
Mouse
• Cheap Thrills have previously released tracks from Fake Blood, Trevor
Loveys, Jack Beats and High Rankin, to name but a few

Check out more on Myspace! Granted, these guys aren't British, BUT I've got mad love for the Midwest and Herve is behind them... and it's a Daft Punk cover for Pete's sake! Leave your comments below... I'll be back soon! Thank to Anna btw :)

Steve Aoki feat Will.i.am - "In The House (Qemists Remix)"

2010-01-20T11:12:00.006-05:00

I like Steve Aoki well enough... that "Pillowface" mixtape was sick... and I don't hate Will.i.am... he put's on a good show, and I used to like the Peas, at least they have made semi-decent dance cross over music. Will.i.am's heart is in the right place with all his David Guetta, Daft Punk-loving, Tron meets N.E.R.D. thing he's been taking overground. And I DEFINITELY love the Qemists sooooooooo...

I really like this remix. It's a nice slice of D&B but... this must be a sample because it's really short... that's the only bummer here. Listen and tell me what you think...

Steve Aoki feat Will.i.am (as Zuper Blahq)

Here's the press...
In The House (Qemists Remix) - Steve Aoki feat [[[Zuper Blahq]]]
The Qemists smash down the door into 2010 with a d&b remix of Data records debutant Steve Aoki featuring rapper [[[Zuper Blahq]]] aka Will I Am. Its very simple. This is a banger! Pure quality from the Brighton trio who deliver a peak time dance floor destroyer. Support so far from Andy C, Friction, TC and more. Go here to listen: http://www.myspace.com/qemists

So, whatddahyatink?

Massive Attack - Girl I Love You (She Is Danger Remix)

2010-01-19T14:49:00.003-05:00

You know I love Massive Attack. I don't think they've ever released anything I haven't liked which puts them in a tie for my favourite band (Joy Division, The Libertines, Massive Attack= 3 way tie)...

So I was very excited when Jez sent me this track yesterday. It's over at RCRD LBL as well but... download it from here because that's more fun :)

Massive Attack - Girl I Love You (She Is Danger Remix)
Massive Attack - Girl I Love You (She Is Danger Remix) RCRD LBL

Buy new Massive Attack on iTunes!

Always interested to hear what you think of the track! Keep your eyes and ears open and I'll be back soon :)

EXCLUSIVE: Findlay Brown cover of The Black Ghosts

2010-01-14T17:42:00.004-05:00

Sooooooo... I was going through my iTunes earlier and found an "untagged" acoustic version of "It's Your Touch" by The Black Ghosts. I knew it wasn't Simon Lord singing and Oli from This Is Music confirmed I was correct. It's actually Findlay Brown. As far as I'm aware this song has not been posted before (at least on The Hype Machine) SO I am very proud to present Findlay Brown covering "It's Your Touch"!

Findlay Brown - "It's Your Touch (Black Ghosts Cover)" YSI

I'd love to hear your comments. Thanks again to Oli, and keep your ears open, I'll be back soon!

Robot Koch's FREE Phon.o remix! New EP info!

2010-01-09T20:30:00.005-05:00

Well at this point, if you've been paying attention to buzz so far this year, you probably heard about Robot Koch playing Low End Theory in LA last week. Luckily we've got some video for those of you who weren't there... but it's sure to say that Arcadia's good friend made a real splash...

Why is the man behind Jahcoozi's beats touring you ask? Well on top of dropping his stellar Death Star Droid album he's prepared a new EP for your asses! It's full of remixes from Loops Haunt, Flako, Blue Daisy, Shlohmo, Body Language, and Phon.o as well as 2 new tracks!

You may know Phon.o from our friend Chris De Luca's CLP project. He's a quality remixer and producer, and this remix is a great way to get excited for this upcoming release!

Robot Koch - "Gorom Sen (Phon.o Remix)" YSI

Robot Koch - "Gorom Sen (Phon.o Remix)"

Here's a little info for ya:
"‘DEATH STAR DROID REMIX EP’

Shortly after the release of his hugely successful album „Death Star Droid“ , Robot Koch returns with this Remix EP, that also includes 2 brand new tunes by the sleepless robot.

On this EP, robot gathered some friends and like minded artists from around the globe to flip his original compositions.

The EP kicks off with a brand new original tune from Robot Koch: „Blind“ featuring Grace on Vocals, who also appeard as a guest vocalist on on death star droid.

Robot and Grace are working on some new stunning material at the moment that will come out sometime in fall 2010.

When robot played in NY last time, he met brooklyn based band Body Language, who release on Machine Drum`s normrex label, and shared a stage with them at coco66 in brooklyn.

For this EP Robot remixed their tune „new day“ and they made a surprising flip of koch`s dubstep infused album tune „gorom sen“ in return.

Robot`s berlin mate Flako, who recently grabbed the attention of the likes of Giles Peterson and Stones Throw, make a nice re-edit of the title track of robot`s album: death star droid.

Phon.o (of CLP/Shitkatapult fame) took the club banger potential of the tune gorom sen to the next level and made it sound like zomby and boy 8 bit jamming it out.

Upcoming beatmaker Shlohmo from san francisco also remixed gorom sen, making some noise on the blogoshpere about it prior to the release already.

Loops Haunt from Scotland, who could be found recently in Rustie`s Fact magazine Mixtape and Hudson Mohawke`s BBC Essential Mix, made a ten remix of gorom sen.

Producer beat laden from portugal, that recently caught attention with his KUBO remix on man recordings gave that original sengalese vocal scatting a rerub and turned it into a solid club banger.

Talen, from Switzerland made their very own unique interpretation of Robot Koch`s frenetic original.

And last but for sure not least, UK Producer Blue Daisy made a sublime remix of the song while feat. Manya one of the few vocal tracks on Robot Koch`s Album. His mix does the cinematic original justice and takes it even further out of space or underwater. A pure Sound Trip.

Album Press quotes :

the album 'death star droid' by Robot Koch is the sound of artifical intelligence discovering Religion - essential listening.... (bobby friction/BBC)

"A gothic galactic aesthetic of ten ton beats and space age melodies" (dazed and confused)

“Death Star Droid’ is definitely one of the standout instrumental albums of the year.” (ATM magazine/UK)

“If, in some distant future, robots will make folk music, this is what it would sound like.”
(The Crack Magazine/UK)

„death star droid by robot koch is dopeeeeeeee! Berlin power!“ (Modeselektor via twitter)

“Like mum and ratatat covering a dubstep tune” (stop play rewind blog)"

Hope you're as excited as I am. Please comment, a look forward to more here soon...

http://www.twitter.com/robotkoch
http://soundcloud.com/robot-koch
http://www.myspace.com/robotkoch

NEW: South Central's Nirvana bootleg!

2009-12-30T11:30:00.003-05:00

Most people who know me know my two favourite bands are The Libertines and Joy Division...

You probably also are aware that I have been a long time supporter of electro-rock firestarters South Central. They've gone from making bootlegs of Late Of The Pier, to touring with The Prodigy, all the while making headlines in magazines like NME and Remix Magazine... They've really come a long way since I first started talking to them and I still think the sky is the limit with these guys!

UPDATE: The recently sent me a track... and it was not supposed to be released! If you did happen to get this rough draft of a certain song PLEASE keep it to yourself. If you were a musician working on something you would at LEAST want to have the public hear the final version before any "demos" made their way to the surface.

In place of that track we have this Nirvana bootleg that I expect will be a staple in many DJ sets! I hope you enjoy this (I know I have) and I'm interested in what you think... please leave your thoughts in the comment section!

South Central - Smells Like a South Central (Nirvana Bootleg )" WAV file from DropSend

South Central - Smells Like a South Central (Nirvana Bootleg )"

We're almost at the end of the year, so I want to thank everyone, and if I can get some more stuff before tomorrow evening I will. Have fun, you all rock! Thank you for everything...

A Britastic Best of 2009

2009-12-21T21:48:00.008-05:00

Every year this is a very difficult list to make... this year it's even harder. NOT because there weren't a bunch of brilliant releases... but because I had a lot going on personally this year that kept me out of the music world.

As usual I'll be updating this all the way up until New Years Eve (most likely)... so, enjoy, and I can't wait until next year because I promise it will be the BEST on this blog has ever had :)

Best Albums of 2009
Pete Doherty - "Grace/Wastelands"
Morrissey - "Years Of Refusal"
Little Boots - "Hands"
Frankmusik - "Complete Me" (plus "Recomplete Me" & "Completely Me")
Arctic Monkeys - "Humbug"
Editors - "In This Light And On This Evening"
Dot Allison - "Room 7 1/2"
Heads We Dance - "Love Technology" (plus "Dance Technology")
The Whip - "X Marks Destination" (released in the U.S. this year)
Simian Mobile Disco - "Temporary Pleasure"

Honourable mentions:
Bloc Party - "Intimacy Remixed", Franz Ferdinand - "Tonight", La Roux - "La Roux", Echo & The Bunnymen - "The Fountain", Bad Lieutenant - "Never Cry Another Tear", Doves - "Kingdom Of Rust"

Best Singles
Morrissey - "Something is Squeezing My Skull"
Arctic Monkeys - "Cornerstone"
Pete Doherty - "Broken Love Song"
Thom Yorke - "Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses"
Simian Mobile Disco - "Audacity Of Huge"
Heads We Dance - "Take My Picture"
Bloc Party - "One More Chance"
Frankmusik - "3 Little Words"
La Roux - "In For The Kill"
Franz Ferdinand - "No You Girls"

Honourable Mentions:
Lily Allen - "The Fear", White Lie - "Death"

Best Dance Tracks
Hostage - "I Get High"
The Count & Sinden - "Mega"
The Prodigy - "Invaders Must Die"
Bloc Party - "Trojan Horse (John B Remix)"
Frankmusik - "Confusion Girl (Russ Chimes Remix)"
La Roux - "In For The Kill (Skreams Lets Get Ravey Remix)"
Little Boots - "Remedy (Rusko's 'Big Trainers' Remix)"
The Black Ghosts - "Full Moon (Marlow Remix)"

Best Compilations
Various Artists - "The Twilight Saga: New Moon"
Various Artists - 5: Five Years of Hyperdub
FabricLive.44 - Commix
FabricLive.47 - Toddla T

As I said, I'll keep it coming but these were the first albums/songs to come to mind. Thank all of you for all your support; I wouldn't be where I am with out you all!

EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Heads We Dance PLUS Remixes!

2009-12-17T11:36:00.004-05:00

If you read the blog regularly you'll know that I've been anxiously awaiting remixes for "Take My Picture"... and they couldn't come at a better time of year! Just as everything is freezing and awful looking they deliver remixes that make it feel like Summer again :)

Heads We Dance we kind enough to take a few minutes to do a little Q & A for us and give us 3 new remixes! So please read below to find out what their new single is about, what artist almost made Yoni take scissors to his neck, and HWD's tips on how to make it in the industry. Of course the aforementioned remixes are just below this awesome interview...

ISoA: What was the inspiration for "Take My Picture" (which by the way has one of the catchiest choruses you've ever written)?

It’s about the power relationship between celebrities and the press; it’s a two-way thing, which can work in a similar way to a romantic relationship. That’s the main theme of the song anyway; the inspiration for the general sound of the song was the fact that we were really longing to make an out-an-out pop track! I’m glad you picked up on the catchy chorus – we definitely went for that, and putting Becky centre stage also gives the track a real pop feel.

ISoA: It seems like most bands or artists have one... do you have a favourite song that you've written?

We always get really excited by the song that we’re currently working on. As a band it’s important you keep it exciting for yourself, and I guess you always want to be thinking the next thing you do will be the best thing you’ve ever done. Now is no exception! It’s a bit of a cop-out because nobody can hear this track yet, but we’ve nearly finished the follow up to 'Take My Picture' and we all absolutely love it… It’s called 'Guilty Heart' and I honestly think it's the best thing we’ve done.

ISoA: What have been your favourite albums this year?

Heads We Dance: I really like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs album; we all went to see them live a couple of weeks ago and it was just great too. ‘Heads Will Roll’ especially was just huge! The Fever Ray album was sonically fantastic; amazing soundscapes. Recently I’ve been listening to quite a bit of the new Boys Noize album (which seems to have been somewhat overlooked) and the Blakroc album as well.

ISoA: Is there any song you could go the rest of your lives without hearing?

Heads We Dance: Can I say the entire Jamiroquai back catalogue? I was having my haircut the other day and they put a Jamiroquai album on. I almost wrestled the scissors off them and stabbed myself in the neck to make it stop. I didn’t - I stayed in my seat and got my hair cut – but only because I’m polite! I would happily never hear any one of those songs again!

ISoA: Are there any artists, or bands, that you expect big things from this coming year?

Heads We Dance: Loads of the acts that inspired our Love Technology album like Justice, Chromeo and Digitalism have been out of the spotlight for a while so I'm looking forward to what they come up with next year. I'm also hoping that A-Trak will put an album together as I've loved almost all his remixes and original tracks. I also have to confess that I'm looking forward to some big blockbuster pop albums from Britney, Kylie et al!

ISoA: Obviously you've kept it together and big things have happened for you all. Has there ever been a moment where one or all of you said, "We may not be able to do this", where you considered packing it in?

Heads We Dance: Yeah I think it's fair to say we've all had our moments, especially when we're juggling music, jobs and relationships. We've had some amazing reactions to our tracks over the last 18 months but we still have to work really hard to keep things moving!

ISoA: So far what has been your biggest moment as a band?

Heads We Dance: I'm not sure really. Releasing 'The Human Touch' was a big moment as it felt like a turning point and the start of a much more positive time for us. Releasing 'Take My Picture' feels like a big moment too though because it has shown us we can surpass our indie band origins to make some proper pop!

ISoA: Are there anything embarrassing moments hiding in the bands past?

Heads We Dance: We like to keep moving as a band so we can be pretty dismissive of things we've done in the past - there is a demo version of 'Love In The Digital Age' floating about on the net which is pretty embarrassing. If we stand back from it all though we realise that we wouldn't be where we are now if it wasn't for past mistakes... don't listen to that demo though!

ISoA: Does anyone in the band have a hidden talent?

Heads We Dance: Becky is an awesome cook and likes to bake stuff to keep us going in the studio! I have also been told that I look like an albino Snoop Dogg though I'm not sure if that's a hidden talent...

ISoA: You guys are the ones who introduced me to Frankmusik; how did you come to work with Vince on the "Love In The Digital Age" remix?

Heads We Dance: We were put in touch with Vince via the guys at Puregroove Records. We had actually never heard of him (this was back in 2007) but loved his remix of 'Digital Age'. We supported him at The Cockpit in Leeds in November this year - one of the best and most fun gigs we've ever done.

ISoA: This is probably my most asked question: With the collapse of traditional music industry, what do you suggest to young bands trying to make it right now?

Heads We Dance: Be organised and be prepared to put in some hard work! I think it's also important to enjoy what you're doing while you're doing it - it's easy to get sucked into always looking forward to the next stage and getting hung up on that. Also, don't be shit and rely on a nice haircut - there's too much of that about!

I wanna thank them for taking the time to answer these questions and for giving us these wicked remixes! Make sure you pick up "Take My Picture/After Dark"!

Heads We Dance - Take My Picture (Digital Foxglove Remix)"

Heads We Dance - Take My Picture (Justin Faust Remix)"

Heads We Dance - Take My Picture (Coin Operated Boy Remix)"

NON-BRIT: Larry Tee vs Don Diablo!

2009-12-16T13:28:00.006-05:00

Larry Tee is my hero. He's my friend. And he has very often been my mentor (despite being many states away and only seeing each other once every 3 years or so). The man has influenced music in a way that many DJs and producers could only DREAM of.

Here's a little Wiki-bio for those of you not familiar with his work...
Tee was born to two Canadian-born citizens in Seattle, Washington. He grew up in Seattle and then Marietta, Georgia. He moved to Atlanta in the early eighties, where he became a part of the music scene and he hung out with drag personalities such as RuPaul, Lady Bunny, Amanda Lepore, and Lahoma Van Zandt at the Celebrity Club in Atlanta.

In 1989, Tee along with RuPaul and Lady Bunny and Lahoma Van Zandt moved to NYC and quickly took over the Club Kids scene with his epic party, Love Machine. He hosted the infamous DISCO 2000 seen in the movie Party Monster's hot body contest, and also DJ'ed at the ROXY on a weekly basis.

During the 1990s, he became a prominent DJ by playing at highly-regarded venues such as Palladium, Twilo, and the Roxy NYC. In 1992, Tee co-wrote the RuPaul's top 40-hit "Supermodel (You Better Work)".

In the early 2000s, Tee created and trademarked the term "electroclash" and it became well known enough that it started to appear in the Oxford Dictionary. He coordinated and managed the 2001 Electroclash Festival, which featured Scissor Sisters, Fischerspooner, Ladytron and Peaches, who all participated in the festival. He also created and managed the nouvea-music electro girl group, W.I.T."

I mean come on! Creating "electroclash" and then defining music for years to come, helping launch some of the most important acts this decade, writing on of the most popular dance songs of all time? THE MAN IS A GENIUS! I could tell you more awesome things about him (like his amazing transformation from drug addict to superstar DJ) but I'm sure you'd rather hear this remix, featuring Roxy Cottontail, from 2009's remix king Don Diablo :)

LARRY TEE - LET'S MAKE NASTY (DON DIABLO REMIX)
LARRY TEE - LET'S MAKE NASTY (DON DIABLO REMIX) zShare
LARRY TEE - LET'S MAKE NASTY (DON DIABLO REMIX) YSI

Here's Don Diablo's press...
Don Diablo (www.myspace.com/dondiablo), who's currently on tour through North America, gets nasty with New York nightclub legend Larry Tee's forthcoming single 'Let's Make Nasty' on Ultra Records, adding tons of subbass, freaky synthstabs and his trademark guitarlicks, turning 'Let's make Nasty' into an effective clubrocker Don Diablo style. Play this baby on a big soundsystem in a dark underground club and damage will be done to the dancefloor. Expect Don Diablo to cause damage to dancefloors in Houston (Rich's, 17 Dec), El Paso (Club 101, 18 Dec) and San Diego (Voyeur, 19 Dec) this week!

I love being able to post stuff that has two people I admire in it and this is one of those rare opportunities. Larry Tee is an inspiration to me and I don't think he has any idea how much people adore him. IF you somehow don't own Larry's most recent album Club Badd you need to get with it and but it here.

Anyway, I'll be back soon with new stuff from HWD! I'll try to get it up quick (but finals and life are kicking my ass)... be back soon!

Don Diablo & Scanners, Faithless dubstep remix, new RKC, and Lunar Youth!

2009-12-11T11:26:00.009-05:00

The busiest-remixer-in-the-world-ever-full-stop, Don Diablo, has just released an official remix for the delightfully dark Scanners (one of the best, most underrated acts ever on Dim Mak) which will surely blow your skull & crossbone socks right off!

Here's the press...
Don Diablo (www.myspace.com/dondiablo) takes on the new single 'Salvation' by UK rock outfit Scanners (www.myspace.com/scanners) and turns it into an epic monster of a track by adding guitar licks, haunting strings, distorted basslines and a killer break. The 'Salvation' remix EP drops December 8 on Dim Mak Records, so get your copy on Beatport! For North American fans, ravers, hotties and non-believers, be sure to catch Don Diablo in Chicago (Dec 10), Phoenix (Dec 11), Toronto (Dec 12), Houston (Dec 17), El Paso (Dec 18), and San Diego (Dec 19). New North American dates and cities already confirmed for 2010 and to be announced soon!

SCANNERS - SALVATION (DON DIABLO REMIX) Direct DL
SCANNERS - SALVATION (DON DIABLO REMIX) zShare
SCANNERS - SALVATION (DON DIABLO REMIX) YSI

I've gotta admit... I've never been a big Faithless fan. I saw Sister Bliss play, at I think it was Prive, which was pretty cool... and I recognize their importance to dance music... but most of their stuff has never really been my thing. However, this dubstep remix of 'Sun To Me' is the perfect way to get my attention. I want to hear remixer Emalkay do a remix for Massive Attack after hearing this (it would be perfect)! I like how the press release talks about sunshine and this track is crazy dark lol...

And here's the press for this one...
Taster track ‘Sun To Me’ is a precursor to the full return of Faithless next year – the new album early in 2010 heralds a new Faithless experience, encompassing the band’s celebrated eclecticism, originality and ambience that has made them a global phenomenon.

Faithless have been introducing ‘Sun To Me’ around the UK and Europe with a string of Faithless Sound System live dates over the last 2 months and with some amazing remixes from Alex M.O.R.P.H, Gui Boratto and a classic rework from renowned Birmingham dubstep producer Emalkay, the track has been going down a storm.

“inspired by the Californian sunshine, and the wide open spaces along the Pacific highway – Sun To Me hopefully shines a little light in these dark times” Sister Bliss

Next week iTunes take Faithless’ ‘Sun To Me’ around the globe when they offer the track free for 7 days only. ‘Sun To Me’ (Faithless Dub) will be available to iTunes customers in UK, US, Japan, Canada, France, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, and Mexico from Tues Dec 15th until Dec 22nd.

FAITHLESS - 'Sun To Me' YSI
FAITHLESS - 'Sun To Me' zShare

Check out more at their website or Myspace!

Also, our good buddy Adam Ficek of Roses Kings and Castles (as well as a little band called Babyshambles) had a couple of free tracks he wanted to give away to you devoted listeners. I don't know about you but I still can't shake "Entroubled" from my head (nor do I want to). I hope you enjoy these tracks, and feedback in the comments is ALWAYS welcome :)

Roses Kings and Castles - "Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid"

Roses Kings and Castles - "Empty Shells"

And last but not least we've got newbies Lunar Youth and their b-side to "Misfits" called "Peppermint Lounge"... it's certainly interesting to me because it sounds different... I mean just plain different! In an age where there are way too many bands who are turning out the same garbage over and over it's refreshing to hear something new (I will say I feel like they listened to "Sound & Vision" prior to writing the song lol). How do I feel about it though? I tend to go for angsty stuff or ecstatic craziness... so I dunno, I admire their enthusiasm... better question is what do you think?

Lunar Youth - "Peppermint Lounge" YSI

I'm getting a Q & A ready with Heads We Dance and some other surprises so STAY TUNED!

Cazals split! Leave us with "Life Is Boring"

2009-12-08T15:35:00.006-05:00

The Cazals are dead. Long live Cazals.

Cazals - "Life Is Boring (Jali Remix)" YSI
Cazals - "Life Is Boring (Jali Remix)" zShare

C A Z A L S S P L I T:
"After many great years together we have chosen to go our separate ways and bring Cazals to an end. We want to thank everyone who supported us, whether by coming to shows, buying our album or just humming along to one of our songs, we really appreciate your support. Thanks to yourselves we had a fantastic journey; playing some incredible shows around the world and achieving the dream of releasing an album to be proud of, in ‘What Of Our Future’. A special thanks to Andre, Kitsune and Sean Mclusky in helping to make the album a possibility. We are splitting so that as individuals we can pursue our own frontiers"

Watch video for "Life is Boring"

Read the full story on Myspace.

Pick up their last single... here's the track listing!
Tracklisting:
1.Life Is Boring (Original)
2. Life Is Boring (Runaway Remix)
3. Life Is Boring (Jali Remix)
4. Life Is Boring (Viking Remix)
5. Life Is Boring (Josh Pillbox Remix)

It's a sad thing, but look for good stuff from the members in the future! Be back soon!

Primary 1 & Riton present "Radiate"

2009-12-01T18:30:00.005-05:00

Primary 1 did a wicked remix of Late Of The Pier I'm pretty sure I posted... and Riton has had a couple bangers that I've posted so... I've very pleased to present this video AND this new song "Radiates"...

Primary 1 & Riton - "Radiates"

How ya like that? Good stuff innit? I don't have much time (school) but I wanted to share this with you guys. Keep checking back because I'm determined to make this month the best one so far for the year! See you soon!

Heads We Dance present "Take My Picture Video"!

2009-11-29T14:49:00.006-05:00

I love Heads We Dance... they've been really getting places as of late and yet they're cool enough to remember where they came from (which I really respect). I am very proud to present to you this wicked new video for "Take My Picture"...

The video is a perfect stylish counterpart to such a sleek sounding song. Around about 2:10 you realize that this song is going to be stuck in your head for months to come, and if you're like me? You're lusting after some remixes :) Heads We Dance have proved time and time again that they are committed to being one of the best dance bands out there and that hard work evident in "Take My Picture".

On that note it's worth mentioning that their remix album, Dance Technology, it's still up on their website for download! I recommend you take a listen before it goes to iTunes and other digital download sites... take a listen here.

Here's a little more info... and some praise :)
NEW SINGLE 'TAKE MY PICTURE' / 'AFTER DARK' OUT 14.12.09 ON GASH DIGITAL
INCLUDES EXCLUSIVE REMIXES BY B-XENTRIC, JUSTIN FAUST, THE AMPLID,
COIN OPERATED BOY, GHOSTS OF VENICE & RADIOCONTROL

"HEADS WE DANCE are pushing all the right buttons." - Mixmag

"Glittering, lustrous electro-pop" - Artrocker

"The twisted offspring of an illicit threeway between French disco,
pop and forward thinking electro" - iDJ

"Everything that La Roux wants to be and a whole lot more." - Leeds Guide

"HEADS WE DANCE are fast becoming stars." - Yorkshire Evening Post

Check out more at their website or Myspace! And keep looking back here as I'm sure they'll give us some free remixes and tracks closer to the release!

NEW Robot Koch video!

2009-11-22T15:04:00.004-05:00

He's my boy so you know I'm going to post this. Go pick up his album Death Star Droid at fine retailers and online stores everywhere :)

robot koch - gorom sen from robot koch on Vimeo.

P.s. I hear Robert is in the studio with Jahcoozi so expect big things soon!

Filthy Dukes- "Tupac Robot Rock (feat Wiley)"

2009-11-18T14:10:00.003-05:00

I've been enjoying Filthy Dukes a lot this year. They did a total barn burner of a Fabric Mix and then unleashed "Tupac Robot Rock". Now we've got this remix with Wiley on the track and it's killer!

I really like Wiley best on dance tracks I think?!? I mean, I like his albums, and his singles, but the 4/4 beat just suits the guy. I know this might not be everyone's style but... I still enjoy the old school rave/buzzsaw synth thing so it works for me. I'd play it out... in fact I will...

Filthy Dukes - "Tupac Robot Club Rock (Kill Em All Let Wiley Sort It Out Remix - Clean Radio Edit)" YSI

Filthy Dukes - "Tupac Robot Club Rock (Kill Em All Let Wiley Sort It Out Remix - Clean Radio Edit)" Soundcloud

This is a really fun one to post and I hope you enjoy it... we need more songs like this as the weather gets worse :( I wanted to mention we do have a winner for the Bad Lieutenant contest and the full details will be on the site soon! Be back...

UNRELEASED Frankmusik King Cannibal Remix, PLUS Don Diablo!

2009-11-12T22:38:00.011-05:00

I was wondering how long it was going to be before we had an official piece of mail about our dear Mr. Vincent Turner (aka Vincent Frank, aka Frankmusik)... I was trying to avoid posting anything on my own because I recognize the preferential treatment he gets on this blog lol..

...so I was thrilled to see this message from British musical institution Ninja Tune about an unreleased King Cannibal remix of Frankmusik's classic "3 Little Words"!

Sad thing is apparently the whole remix package got scrapped that this had been part of. Shame because it was might mighty good one! Well I guess turn that frown upside down because, despite not getting released as part of the remix package, the KC remix is here for you! For FREE! From Ninja Tune!

Frankmusik - "3 Little Words (King Cannibal Remix)" WAV version via .zip on Ninja Tune servers

Frankmusik - "3 Little Words (King Cannibals KC in CK Remix)" YSI m4a file to register on Hypem.com!

King Cannibal's acclaimed debut album "Let The Night Roar" is out now on Ninja Tune... you can get a free megamix of his new album here... and the Prodigy remix here! Check out the Myspace and Ninja Tune!

A non Brit extra from our very good friend Don Diablo... I figured I'd throw this on as I haven't been on the internets in a minute and I owe you guys some tunage! I know you all love this dude, I love this dude, and I could care less if it's off format lol...

DON DIABLO - I NEED TO KNOW
Don Diablo - "I Need To Know" YSI
Don Diablo - "I Need To Know" zShare
Don Diablo - "I Need To Know" Box
Don Diablo - "I Need To Know" Mediafire

DON DIABLO - I NEED TO KNOW (DON DIABLO'S SELLOUT SESSIONS MIX)
Don Diablo - "I Need To Know" YSI
Don Diablo - "I Need To Know" zShare
Don Diablo - "I Need To Know" Box
Don Diablo - "I Need To Know" Mediafire

Here's the press write up in case you wanted to know more!
"Don Diablo's (www.myspace.com/dondiablo) trademark guitarlicks, staccato basslines and distorted synths are all united in this funky little number called 'I need to know'. It will not be on his forthcoming album, but it does come in two versions, an original version and an extended mix for those who are not afraid to try shake things up in their neighbourhood disco. Do you want to get Don Diablo's forthcoming album for FREE, straight into your inbox 6 weeks ahead of release? Then sign up here and tell your friends about it: www.dondiablo.com/freestuff"

And this is still a way off but I want to help support my boys at Fabric (ya mans still here, I'm just dealing with some stuff guys!) coming up in December here... peep the line up...

KILL EM ALL - 6TH BIRTHDAY
FABRICLIVE.
11 DECEMBER 2009

ROOM ONE: KILL EM ALL - 6TH BIRTHDAY...
The Chemical Brothers (DJ Set), Hercules & Love Affair (LIVE), Riton, Filthy Dukes, Stopmakingme,

ROOM TWO: KILL EM ALL - 6TH BIRTHDAY...
Boy 8-Bit, We Have Band (LIVE), Noob, Crystal Fighters (LIVE), Tronik Youth

ROOM THREE: DISCO BLOODBATH...
The Juan Maclean (DJ Set), Dan Beaumont (Disco Bloodbath), Damon Martin (Disco Bloodbath), Ben Pistor (Disco Bloodbath)

As the ahead-of-the-game Kill Em All family step up to celebrate 6 years of future-forward ideas and imaginative artistry, by now an endless list of journalists and publications have tried to pen their history to paper. Perhaps it’s best left to Olly Dixon (1/2 of the Filthy Dukes) to put it into his own words, describing how it’s all started, shaped and progressed over the years.

“Kill Em All first began life as Kill Em All Let God Sort It Out at the Embassy bar in Islington, 2003. It was named with our good friend Stokley Webster after a poster he had on his wall of New Order. Bernard Sumner was wearing a t-shirt adorned with the slogan in a photoshoot for the Melody Maker in 1986. The night began life on a Sunday evening and we invited bands to come and play the records that had influenced them. Simian Mobile Disco (then still performing as the band Simian), South, Zongamin, Electrelane & Menlo Park were the original record selectors and every night was dead, except for one, which fell on a bank holiday.

“The people who owned the Embassy then moved to The Lock Tavern in Camden and Kill Em All went with them. For some reason we decided, from this rather shabby start, that it was time to run a proper club night - so we ran a pre-party at the Lock and then the actual night took place at the gloriously grotty Barfly down the road.”

What made you decide to start Kill Em All?

“Inspired by Electroclash and club nights like Trash & Return To New York, we wanted to do something different. A new record label from New York called DFA had just released The Rapture's ‘House of The Jealous Lovers’ and LCD Soundsystem's ‘Losing My Edge’ - they sounded like the most exciting records we had ever heard and we wanted to be playing them to people. Trevor Jackson’s label Output was releasing some incredible music too, and there were some new emerging bands who seemed to share our ethos. So, with our record bags full of these - plus some classics from Roxy Music, Can & Talking Heads - we attempted to inflict our music on the indie kids of Camden. It had mixed results with a lot of complaints and arguments by the decks, but we stuck to our guns. Soon, playing a Daft Punk record next to a Gang of Four record meant we gained our own crowd…and six parties in, we had queues around the block. We wanted to book exciting new bands and DJs, with equal emphasis on both and soon gained a reputation for breaking new acts who went on to do rather well. Bloc Party, These New Puritans, We Are Scientists, The Rakes, Young Knives, Late Of The Pier, Friendly Fires, MSTRKRFT & Simian Mobile Disco all played very early gigs for us at the Barfly. After a year or so of some amazing parties, fabric got in contact about Kill Em All booking Room Two on a Friday bi-monthly and this is when things really started to get exciting.”

Can you tell us a bit about the Kill Em All parties you’ve thrown here at fabric, from 2003 until now?

“The second party at fabric was when it all fell into place. Playing live were electro goths White Rose Movement who had just released ‘Love Is A Number’ alongside Test-Icicles (who were the craziest band anyone had ever seen in fabric) and the indie dance masters Cut Copy. Filthy Dukes, Simian Mobile Disco and a little known French duo called Justice who hadn’t released a record yet were playing the records. Justice had of course done the rather amazing remix of Simian's ‘We Are Your Friends’ some time ago, but it was still a bit of an underground record at this point. Suddenly Room Two was the busiest in the club and things were going crazy. It felt like something really exciting was happening. Simian Mobile Disco and Justice became our unofficial residents alongside ourselves, and over the next few years we went on to program the whole club with guests along the way such as: Justice (live & DJ sets), Erol Alkan, Chemical Brothers, Friendly Fires, Boys Noize, Maccabees, Cut Copy, Clor, Late Of The Pier, Aeroplane, The Proxy, Crystal Castles, James Murphy, Popof, Surkin, Zombie Nation, Digitalism, Brodinski, In Flagranti, Jackson And His Computer Band, Busy P, Joakim, SebastiAn, Metronomy and the list goes on...

“Six years on and we are still as thirsty as ever for new music and putting on a party. The team of Filthy Dukes and Stopmakingme marches on alongside newest resident Riton. We are very, very happy to still be working with fabric and we recently released our FABRICLIVE 48 mix album.”

And that takes us up to the present. As for their 6th birthday party, the Kill Em All crew decided to…

“...go all out. Hercules and Love Affair are a band we have been trying to book from the moment we heard their early release ‘Classique 2’ and then saw their amazing live show at Bestival. ‘Blind’ was played by almost every DJ one night at fabric, so this is something really special for us and we are so chuffed they agreed to play. Room One is a bit of a family affair after that with all the residents - Riton, Stopmakingme and of course ourselves - so expect a few classic tracks from the past 6 years of Kill Em All thrown in.

“In Room Two we have Boy 8-Bit who - with his last single ‘Baltic Pine’ and his remix for Florence & The Machine - seemed to take a slightly new direction. For me, they are two of the best tracks of the year. His DJ sets are amazing, and take all sorts of unexpected twists and turns. We have played with him several times but this is his first Kill Em All gig. Noob is one of the best remixers and producers around at the moment; his track with Brodinski, 'Peanut Club' has been played in every trendy discotheque in the world and we put it on our FABRICLIVE 48 mix. He has also made some of the best remixes of the past 12 months for the likes of Tiga & Popof. Tronik Youth is on warm up duties, who has been impressing us with his clever disco-tinged remixes and recent release, ‘Disco Sucks.’ We Have Band! is our favorite band of the past 12 months - so much so we released their last single on Kill Em All Records. Like ESG meets LCD meets Prince, they have an awesome live show and played for us at fabric at the start of the year. Since then they have been on tour constantly, so we are really happy they are coming back for their last London show of the year. Crystal Fighters are a great live act and brilliant people. I have to admit the first time I saw their live show I really wasn't sure, but I have seen them loads since and they have become one of my favorite bands. They are the real deal.  

“Room Three we have given over to the Disco Bloodbath boys, who have helped sculpt London's club scene in the past 12 months. We thought - who better to host Room Three for us on our birthday? We are massively excited to welcome back Juan Maclean for a DJ set, who, in our opinion, released one of the albums of the year with Future Days.  

“Oh yes, last but not least we have THE FUCKING CHEMICAL BROTHERS DJING! Without a shadow of a doubt, they are the biggest influence on everything dance music. I was 15 when Exit Planet Dust came out and it was the first time I ever really got dance music. It sounded like the most exciting thing on earth and from there I was hooked. It goes without saying that they have released some of the most incredible dance music ever made - from ‘Chemical Beats’ to ‘Galvanize,’ and ‘Out of Control’ to ‘Hey Boy Hey Girl,’ they are the undisputed champions and we are so privileged to have them come to DJ in Room One.”

I'm tired right now so that's that... but hopefully I'll have some Roses Kings and Castles soon for you plus some other good stuff I've let slip because I've been busy! Check back soon, and thanks for stopping by :)

CONTEST: Win Bad Lieutenant Deluxe Prize Package!

2009-11-10T22:34:00.009-05:00

Oh I'm reallllllllly enjoying this Bad Lieutenant album.

So these upcoming concerts are like a special delivery from God itself!

IMPORTANT UPDATE: */FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE/*

*VISA DELAY CAUSES BAD LIEUTENANT TO CANCEL U.S. CONCERT APPEARANCES*

It is with frustration and regret that *Bad Lieutenant* reluctantly announces the cancellation of the band's four U.S. dates set to commence next week. The more stringent immigration laws and changing visa parameters resulted in an inability to process the necessary paperwork.

"We were all so very excited about coming to the States to play our new music for our American fans," said Bad Lieutenant's Bernard Sumner, "and are extremely disappointed that on this occasion, we won't have the opportunity to do so. We plan to reschedule the Chicago and New York shows along with some additional U.S. dates in Spring 2010."

The four Bad Lieutenant dates that have been cancelled are:
November 18 - Park West (headline), Chicago, IL
November 19 - supporting the Pixies in Chicago, IL
November 21 - Webster Hall (headline), New York, NY
November 23 - supporting the Pixies in New York, NY

The concerts were in support of /Never Cry Another Tear/, Bad Lieutenant's debut release which arrived in stories on Tuesday, November 10. The band features New Order/Joy Division's Sumner, newcomer Jake Evans on vocals and guitars as well as guitarist Phil Cunningham and drummer Stephen Morris, musicians who helped make the legendary New Order a multi-Platinum-selling band and one of the most influential forces over the past three decades in the alt/rock/dance genres.
Bad Lieutenant's Spring 2010 dates will be announced soon."

Hmmm? What's that? You wanna go? And see what The Music Slut brilliantly described as New Order - Peter Hook + Blur’s Alex James?

Well you can do that! If you get chosen that is :) I've got tickets for shows at both Park West in Chicago and Webster Hall in New York! Two great shows in two of the greatest cities in the world... Put your names in the comment section (if you live in the Chicago/New York area, or can make it on your own dime to Chicago/New York) and one reader will be chosen to win a pair of tix (obviously separate winners for each night) to see one the coolest bands this year with members of a couple of the greatest bands EVER!

While you're waiting to see if you've made it enjoy these lil goodies:

Bad Lieutenant - "Sink Or Swim" YSI

THE NEW CONTEST WILL BE the Deluxe Bad Lieutenant package. What is that? How about you dream of the coolest thing that isn't free tickets to a show and there you have it! No, seriously though, so far what they've come up with is baller so don't be too sad about the change of plans/prizes :)

Check back as the contest will end, oh, let's say... November 15th? ALSO BE AWARE THAT THIS NOW OPENS THE CONTEST UP TO EVERYONE WHO LOVES BAD LIEUTENANT! Be back soon :)

To My Boy give us a taste of what's to come!

2009-10-22T22:19:00.005-04:00

"Famous people" are bitches. No, I'm serious. You can't really be 'friends' with them because they aren't even themselves... they're usually representations of a concept, not a person. It's a horrible delusion to think that someone who has succeeded in the entertainment industry would give a flying **** what you're doing.

THAT SAID... some people are successful, even famous, and are simply themselves. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you see it) the media doesn't really tend to fixate on these types; but they are prone to remember them when something new is offered up. Every once in a while being yourself can do you favours in showbiz; being the real article makes people want to remember.

Here at Arcadia we want to remember To My Boy... but it's hardly an issue seeing as we've never forgotten! They have always been extremely hospitable and make you want to root for them, make you want to be friends with them even. I got an email from Jack Snape the other day about some new material they were working on...

It's best explained through the press from over at their label...
"Their label is currently hosting a download of new material and To My Boy's Jake Snaple alerted me to this awesomeness a couple of days ago... I wish I hadn't been so bust and had been able

To My Boy were the first ever signing to Abeano, back when it was a record label rather than the blog it is today. Two years ago, back when everyone was still listening to landfill indie, TMB were exploring bold new frontiers, making this weird Buggles-y pop that sounded like Clive Sinclair fronting OMD.

Despite selling a decent number of ‘Messages’ , Jack (above left) and Sam were disillusioned that in some quarters, being ahead of the curve was held against them rather than celebrated. They decided to take a break from music indefinitely both returning to university, singer Jack enrolling in a PhD in Physics…

I’m glad to report that Jack e-mailed me a few weeks back with news of a follow up to ‘Messages’. ‘The Habitable Zone’ is a concept album about what will happen when civilization drains earth of it’s natural resources, and the planet’s population has to migrate to another part of the galaxy. It’s really tremendous, positively Bowie-like in it’s lyrical content, maintaining an eerie sense of loss and displacement throughout. Not unlike, Duncan Jones’ recent Moon …

Basically, the new Enemy album it is not.

They’ll be releasing ‘The Habitable Zone’ themselves sometime next year. In the meantime, Jack has allowed me to post this demo, a brilliant new track called ‘Us & The Wind’. If I understand it correctly (!) it’s about how they’re using the sun to create a new eco system in the Habitable Zone, but ruing the loss of the brilliant nature created system they had on Earth. While reminiscing about what happened when the rising sea levels really began to hit home on Earth. It’s incredible, fo’ real. Please let us know what you think of it in the comments, no one’s heard this before!"

I'm going to host a short download simply so this hits the Hype Machine. I suggest you actually get the download from over at Abeano.com. Please leave your comments because I'm very excited as to what you think of it!

To My Boy- "Us + The Wind"

Enjoy! I'll be back soon...

Fake Blood's "Mars" finally gets release on Cheap Thrills!

2009-10-20T11:43:00.006-04:00

Hell yeah! Fake Blood (aka Theo Keating of The Black Ghosts) dropped "Mars" a while back... and it was killer.

NOW it will finally see release, on Cheap Thrills, accompanied by a slew of remixes! I know you're already salivating... which is why I've got the Style Of Eye remix for ya!

Fake Blood- "Mars (Style Of Eye's Tool For School Remix)" zShare
Fake Blood- "Mars (Style Of Eye's Tool For School Remix)" YSI
Fake Blood- "Mars (Style Of Eye's Tool For School Remix)" Dropbox

Here's a little info:
Cheap Thrills Records will be releasing a remix EP of Fake Blood's underground club classic 'Mars' next week. The remix package also includes remixes by Boy 8-Bit, Jack Beats, Style of Eye's Edit To Debit Remix as well as the Hervé Re-Fix which was previously released on Hervé's Ghetto Bass compilation.

Check out more at Myspace and over at iTunes. I'll be back soon... I've just been really busy with school and the like. Be sure to check back!

DJ ZINC'S "Crack House" Mix, plus a CASPA Fabric mix!

2009-10-08T08:52:00.011-04:00

Those of you who know me know that one of my favourite words is "crack". Why? Say it out loud! Doesn't it sound funny? It may be the worlds deadliest drug, and the most fun word to say!

So I was very pleased to see this "crack house" mix from the legendary DJ Zinc in my inbox! Check it out, and check him out at Fabric this next Friday. You've got a week to listen and get hyped up! Believe you me, this is NOT to be missed!

Here's more info on the gig...
"In celebration of his performance next Friday the 16th of October at FABRICLIVE and in celebration of our 10th Birthday, DJ Zinc has put together this extra special crack house mix for the occasion."

DJ Zinc Crack House Mix

Ohhhh that's a good one... anyway, I've gotta get ready for The Spirit Of Albion, so enjoy and I'll be back soon! CRACK!

UPDATE: Apparently our boy Caspa decided to throw a mix in as well here! Exciting! Do NOT miss this show (Caspa will be on Thursday, not Friday)!

Caspa Fabric Promo Mix

Tracklisting
Caspa - Ready Eddy (Sub Soldiers)
Trolley Snatcha - Circle K (Dub Police)
Trolley Snatcha - We Rock The Forest (Dub Police)
Subscape - Clear My Throat (Dub Police)
The Others - Puppet Walk (Dub Police)
Dr P - Badman Sound (Dub Police)
Caspa - Terminator (Sub Soldiers)
Caspa - Terminator (Trolley Snatcha Remix) (Sub Soldiers)
Emalkay - When I Look at You (Dub Police)
Trolley Snatcha - Scattah (Dub Police)
Kid Sister - Right Hand High (Caspa Remix) (Fools Gold)
The Others – Gravity (Dub Police)
Deadmau5 & Kaskade - I Remember (Caspa Remix) (Mau5trap)

PRIMARY 1 vs SURKIN = "Who's White?"

2009-10-06T16:10:00.005-04:00

Oh we love Surkin... and are quite fond of Primary 1... so after "Who's There" came out on Erol's Phantasy Sound label it was only a matter of time before something else blog worthy came from these names...

Now the aforementioned track has been mixed with Surkin's classic "White Night"!

The email said this track is "straight from the people who made the tracks themselves and a big feature of Riton's recent sets"... now you really want it don't you lol?

Primary 1 vs Surkin - "Who's White?"

While you're here you should get Primary 1's mixtape... good stuff!

What a wonderful treats! I wish I could have blogged it earlier but, gotta get my school work done first... also, while I've got a second, big shouts to Southern Fried Records, Ghostly International...

And perhaps most importantly wishing a VERY VERY happy birthday to our dear friend Frankmusik! Go over to Myspace and wish the man happy birthday on the 9th, and tell him ISoA sent ya!

Make sure to check out more from Surkin, Primary 1, Phantasy Sound, Riton, ad check this out if you missed it the first time around, "Who's There":

Be back soon!

ROBOT KOCH blows up with "Death Star Droid"!

2009-10-06T09:48:00.006-04:00

With much pride I announce that our boy Robot Koch is releasing his debut album "Death Star Droid"! Using the term "debut" seems off since he's put out more material than some artists have in their whole career... nevertheless it's still really exciting no matter how you look at it... especially since you can get sunglasses with the album if you order through HMV!

Here is the digital pre-release on juno (which has already climbed up to the top ten dubstep charts)

Here's a link to the pre-oder vinyl THAT COMES WITH limited edtion SUNGLASSES! GENIUS! I can't get over how cool that is...

Check out "Hard To Find" while you're at it...

Here's the press:
ROBOT KOCH
‘DEATH STAR DROID’
ROBOTS DON’T SLEEP
RELEASED: 13th november 2009
digital: robots dont sleep
cd & vinyl: project mooncircle

"Following the successful ‘Aftershocks’ EP on his own Robots Don’t Sleep label, Robot Koch returns with his long anticipated full length ‘Death Star Droid’.

Technically, this is Robot Koch's debut LP but the man is no rookie - ‘Death Star Droid’ connects the dots between his club project Jahcoozi and his post rock outfit The Tape. He has also made beats and remixes for many international artists including Infinite Livez, Rustie and Amanda Blank - staple drops in the playlists of bass luminaries such as Starkey, Gas Lamp Killer and Hudson Mohawke.

‘Death Star Droid’ is infused with dubstep and wonky hip hop, but the introduction of live acoustic instruments and heartfelt melodies is what sets it apart. The grizzly synths and bass lines on ‘While’ are supported by a drifting piano. On ‘Hard To Find’ Robot introduces strings and flutes - the signature use of wobbling Moog and Korg present throughout.

Robot has always drawn inspirations from all ends of the musical spectrum.
Having started out as a drummer in a punk and hardcore band, he found his way into electronic music via hip hop, jazz and DJing. His favourite albums include ‘Reign In Blood’ by Slayer, ‘A Love Supreme’ by John Coltrane and ‘36 Chambers’ by Wu-Tang Clan.

Robot's mixtapes have what could be easily called a cult following on the net. The blogosphere is jam packed with these gems. What sets these mixes apart from the next man's is the liberty that they exhibited in defying genre based music by combining and clashing a broad spectrum of sound. Flying Lotus recently asked him to contribute a mixtape for the brainfeeder podcast. The mix featured West African folk and rare jazz oddities. Fly Lo had told Robot: “We gotta feed the kids more than just beats.” It's clear that the man listened.

‘Death Star Droid’ is far more than just a producer album with a selection of up to date beats. It's a sincere musical statement. Expect to be surprised - this is music made for true music lovers."

Get more info at Myspace and robotsdontsleep.com...

Make sure you get this one, it's not to be missed!

NEW ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN!

2009-09-30T15:44:00.005-04:00

Hmmmph! I'm frust-ricated! There are only 24 hours in a day (or so I'm told) and a lot of those are allocated to "doing things that people don't want to pay to do" (i.e. school, cleaning, etc). If I was able I'd be putting more of those hours aside to write blog postings for you lot!

Since it has been a moment since my last outing so I have a LOT of stuff for you! First though, and most exciting for a large portion of you, is new ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN! They're back, how rad is that?!?!? You know what the best part is? The song? IT'S REALLY GOOD! I know that sounds funny, yeah, but it's worth noting! Often I'm afraid to listen to bands songs once they're entering the potential twilight of their career because, far too often, they aren't so awesome :( BUT NOT ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN! Their shit rocks out of control!

Echo & The Bunnymen - "Think I Need It Too" YSI
Echo & The Bunnymen - "Think I Need It Too" Mediafire

I wanna write more but I'm off to class! I'll tell you what I think of the whole album once I get a good listen! Keep your eyes and ears open, and I'll be back soon...

All about HANGIN' KILLIN' MOVIN' PUMPIN' & STICKIN': New HOSTAGE Mix!

2009-09-15T13:58:00.010-04:00

62 mins long. 56.76mb of data. 100% awesome.

If it weren't for Hostage (and well the folks at Your Army) I wouldn't EVER know what was going on with dance music. For all the moaning I was doing the other day about dance music getting boring, this mix proves I was just in a bad mood (and didn't know what I was talking about at ALL)... from Black Noise's opener, to "Hangin' by our man Hostage, to our friends Martelo and Herve, down to the closing track from Grum this is a mix you DO NOT want to miss. Check it out right here:
Hostage - September Mix 2009 YSI
Hostage - September Mix 2009 zShare

HANGIN' KILLIN' MOVIN' PUMPIN' & STICKIN'
Hostage - September Mix 2009

1 Black Noise - Check The Blast
2 Hostage - Hangin'
3 Lee Mortimer & Foamo - It's Going Down
4 B. Rich - Killin' It
5 Martelo feat. Hervé - Wasted
6 Hostage - I Get High
7 Together - Hardcore Uproar (Lee Mortimer Rmx)
8 Foamo - Movin' It Over Here (Hey Now Remix)
9 Jennifer Delano - Amsterdam (Riptide Remix)
10 Tom deluxx - Reactivate
11 NT89 ft Distrakt - Pumpin' (GTRONIC_rmx)
12 Sawgood- CTRL Your Brain (Calvertron Rmx)
13 D.I.M. - Lyposuct (Edit)
14 SonicC - Stickin'
15 Grum - Heartbeats

Make sure you check Hostage out Death Disco this weekend!

MAIN ROOM
HUSHPUPPY 11pm-11.45
DESIGNER DRUGS 11.45-1am
MIXHELL (LIVE) 1am-2am
HOSTAGE 2am-3am

DANCE ARCH
MINGO-GO 10pm-11.30pm
JOE AND WILL ASK? (LIVE) 11.30pm-12.30pm
J.G.WILKES 12.30am-1.45am
RORY PHILLIPS 1.45-3am

PLAYROOM
HEADPHONE DISCO ALL NIGHT LONG!
HEADPHONE DISCO DJS
MINGO-GO
HUSHPUPPY

Watch out for EXCITING THINGS in Midland St 'til midnight.
HALF PRICE PASSES (£7.00) at www.deathdisco.info - valid until 11.30pm.
NB: Death Disco promotes an alternative, open-minded club environment.

Ok, hope you enjoy this musical pot of gold and I'll be back asap!

BONUS: Our friend from Acidkids sent us this earlier... may not be British BUT they are friends of the blog! Enjoy!

Daniel Dexter aka Dex Exploited/Acidkids Berlin Live in New York City YSI
Daniel Dexter aka Dex Exploited/Acidkids Berlin Live in New York City

01. Intro
02. Simian Mobile Disco – Audicity of Huge (A Chicken Lips Malfunction)
03. Trentemoeller – Vamp (Kasper Bjorke Remix)
04. Mowgli – Pa Po Pon (Nat Self Remix)
05. Brazilian Girls – Good Time (Diplo Remix)
06. Malente&Dex – Gipsy Kings
07. Metronomy – Radio Ladio (Radioclit Swedish Remix)
08. Isolee – Schrapnell
09. Ratatat – Mirando
10. Major Lazer – Mi pon da floor
11. Acidkids – Mitch (Felix Cartal Remix)
12. Space – Magic Fly
13. Siriusmo – High together
14. Sebastien Tellier – La Ritournelle (Mr Dans Magic Wand Mix)

New Dot Allison & Peter Doherty, plus Britpop!

2009-09-11T14:31:00.010-04:00

I gotta admit I've been pretty bored with dance music as of late. I'm not saying that quality tracks haven't been coming out... it's just I'd rather listen to Blur, Oasis, Joy Division, Morrissey, The Cure, Late Of The Pier, and Klaxons (speaking of, when is that Klaxons album gonna come out now?!?! If you have "The Parhelion", "Moonhead", "Marble Fields And The Hydrolight Head Of Delusion", "Imaginary Pleasures", "Silver Forest", "Echos", "Venus", or "Hoodoo Borer" let me know!)

I mean, I dunno, maybe I'm full of it but British music (on a whole) is sort of in hibernation right now. We're looking back to Britpop, and finding some new scattered gems along the way, but music as a whole feels sort of stuck. So maybe it's time to review some of the glories of the somewhat recent past... and a couple of gems from the future :)

My friend, and inspiration, Dot Allison is about to put out a brilliant record called "Room 7 !/2 and a more polished version of this gem will be on it... these two really should do a whole album together!

Dot Allison & Peter Doherty- "I Wanna Break Your Heart (Demo)"

For more Dot Allison check here!

I heard over my Honeymoon that Oasis were quits, and last I heard Blur aren't writing any new music which basically amounts to the same things. So who is going to take their place. Arctic Monkeys are you gonna do it? Or are The Libertines coming back?

Blur- "Out Of Time (Live)" YSI

Oasis- "Let's All Make Believe (B-Side)" YSI

I hope you all enjoy. As the sun sets on Summer all these melancholy songs seem appropriate headed into fall... I can think of one good album to look out for: Bad Lieutenant I just started listening to today, Muse also look promising (but we'll see, and there is an upcoming Massive Attack EP that (trust me) is VERY exciting. I'll be back soon!

MORE EXCLUSIVES: Simian Mobile Disco Rough Mixes!

2009-09-10T22:55:00.007-04:00

Soooooooo... I didn't realize yesterday that MOST of these songs I have are on the extra disc for Temporary Pleasure, or the album itself. I sort of am behind on this album because I didn't have much music in Jamaica... or a computer for that matter.

BUT, anyway, these versions are not those aforementioned bonus tracks! These, like "Santiago" (the only original) yesterday, are the original rough mixes!

~~Simian Mobile Disco- "Pinball (Rough Mix)"~~

~~Simian Mobile Disco- "The Weight (Cruel Intentions Rough Mix)"~~

~~Simian Mobile Disco- "Gannymede (Audacity Of Huge Rough Mix)"~~

~~Simian Mobile Disco- "Flea In Your Ear (Rough Mix)"~~

Sorry folks, didn't last long!

Enjoy because, trust me, they won't be up very long :)

EXCLUSIVE: Unreleased Simian Mobile Disco, Fenech Soler & Vega remixes, and Heads We Dance Remix album!

2009-09-09T19:46:00.010-04:00

Well, after waiting 7 months, I've finally decided to go ahead and post this unreleased Simian Mobile Disco track. It seems that a few others have made their way onto the Hype Machine ("Flea In Your Ear", "Pinball") so I suppose at this point they must not mind. It's a rough mix anyway which is sort of like looking through the trash bin seeing as it's not the finished product... unless you really like SMD. I do, and this song is the shit.

~~Simian Mobile Disco- "Santiago (Rough Mix)"~~

UK residents Fenech-Soler did a remix for someone called Mimo?!? I no nothing about the gent but the song is pretty fucking cool. There is a Vega (from Austin, Texas) remix here as well and both are in 320 for you audiophiles! The Fenech-Soler remix is vaguely trancey, and sort of his this gospel-y chorus, and frankly I'm not even sure what genre it is, but in my mind that's a good thing? I really like the bit at 5:10... really good song for transitions in a DJ set...

Mimo- "Running Out (Fenech-Soler Mix)" YSI
Mimo- "Running Out (Fenech-Soler Mix)" zShare
Mimo- "Running Out (Vega Mix)" zShare

Check out more Fenech-Soler at Myspace, and Vega also at Myspace!

And lastly our good friends Heads We Dance have decided on a winner for their remix competition! AND their new remix album Dance Technology is on it's way as well... here's some more info from the group themselves:

"The first remix competition entry we've chosen to go on our forthcoming remix album, Dance Technology, is on our MySpace player now (http://www.myspace.com/headswedance)! The remix of our album track 'You Are Never Alone With Model 21' is by the fantastic Justin Faust and features brand new vocals by Becky! Check the remix out now and let us know what you think.

The Dance Technology album is a "best of" our remixes and includes tracks by Don Diablo, Frankmusik, Russ Chimes, Tepr, Louis La Roche and Sidechains, as well as four exclusive new remixes. It will be available as a FREE download for a limited time from www.headswedance.co.uk from 28th September. Keep checking our website for more details!

In celebration of the art of the remix, we've started a weekly series of articles on our favourite remixes. You can read the latest here".

Ok, that's all I've got right now BUT I'll be back soon! Enjoy!

Bernard of New Order comes back with Bad Lieutenant!

2009-09-08T17:44:00.005-04:00

Apparently it's legendary musician day here at ISoA! First Ian Brown now this...

I was gutted when New Order broke up because they're one of my favourite bands and I've never gotten to see them play. I'm almost speechless when I think about it...

HOWEVER! Bad Lieutenant has shown up and now my fears are going away... perhaps I'll never see all four New Order members on stage again BUT, based on this new single, I'll still get to hear Bernard Sumner's familiar voice!

I can talk about New Order for some time but let's not live in the past, and let this press blurb lead us into the future!

"In some sense, the album is a little bit like a Manchester reunion – Alex James from Blur and Stephen Morris from New Order and Joy Division can be heard on a handful of recordings.

Bad Lieutenant is Bernard Sumner (New Order, Joy Division), Phil Cunningham (Marion, Run Run Run), and Jake Evans (Marion). Their debut album will be released in October 2009 on Triple Echo Records. The album’s debut single, “Sink or Swim,” will be released on September 21, 2009. “Sink or Swim” – along with the rest of the album – retains a crux of New Order’s three-decade-strong mantra, while at the same time setting sail to a completely novel breeze.

Bad Lieutenant- "Sink Or Swim" YSI

Apparently UK tour dates were announced Wed 8/26 and can be found on MySpace. They are releasing the debut, “Never Cry Another Tear”, in early October. Make sure you pre-order that one! Be back soon :)

NEW TUNE: Hostage Remixes Ian Brown!

2009-09-08T14:23:00.008-04:00

When I was on my Honeymoon I spent a lot of time listening to, and reading about, The Stone Roses. My first memory of the band really is "Fools Gold", which is not surprising, seeing as I was really young and don't remember anything else coming out from them prior to that on U.S. radio!

Charles from The Spirit Of Albion and I are both big fans of the Roses, as well as The Seahorses, and good old Ian Brown himself. I'm pretty sure I can speak for him and say we are also big fans of Hostage.

Hostage has become the portrait of what a DJ should be like in this new musical economy. He's kind, accessable, very considerate, honest, gives away loads of free music, writes good tunes, and has fun doing it! I hope if I ever make it that I manage to be that way... and I think there are a good lot of you out there who could learn from his example. Doesn't seem like the type of guy who would forget the people who supported him over the years; in other words a nice bloke.

Talking to him earlier this morning he sent me a list of tracks and I was elated to see that he had done a remix for the previously mentioned Mr Brown. He said it was just a little rerub for club consumption... but that doesn't make it any less cool. In fact I like this more as a club song and he chooses the right elements to play up for sure. So, with his blessing, I present you with the Hostage remix of "Stellify"

Ian Brown- "Stellify (Hostage Remix)" YSI
Ian Brown- "Stellify (Hostage Remix)" Mediafire

Thanks again to Hostage for the tune... I'll leave you with the video for "Stellify"... I'll be back soon!

Return from Jamaica! New Metronomy, Buffetlibre, SMD, In Flagranti, Jahcoozi, M.I.A., Don Diablo, Joe & Will Ask, and Acid Kids!

2009-09-05T18:31:00.021-04:00

I'm back from a PERFECT Honeymoon! Although it was a little over a year late it was just as amazing as if we had gone right after the wedding. Let me tell you, people always tell you Jamaica is really dangerous and that's a BUNCH of bullshit. I mean I suppose if you need to score crack at 3am in Kingston you might get robbed but otherwise it's a really a country full of really kind and caring people...

Anyway... I have SO much music in my inbox... I can't attempt to post them all and make any cohesive transition from the first one to the last one (not that I normally do)... soooooo, I guess just enjoy them all! I'm totally recharged from my trip so expect more posts. Not everything here is British but I wanted to give you guys a really big return post!

FIRST OFF... Metronomy have a new EP coming out from which we have the track of the same name! Metronomy have got their first London headline gig @ The Forum on the 18th September so make sure you march down there and check it out!

Metronomy- "Not Made For Love"

2nd off... here's a little reminder of last night's Fabric night with my favourites In Flagranti that I wanted to share... which I could have been there...

In Flagranti - Brash and Vulgar by fabric

3rd... I'm very excited to share that Buffetlibre have a bangin new mixtape for you (although you may already have it seeing as people download their mixes like crazy)... they never go wrong and I'm happy to consider them as good friends of the blog. I really like the story behind this new tape as well as the playlist...

"On 25 July 2005 a bit of us had to be kept in our memories forever. The closing of Cibeles Theater carried the end of Mond Club and so, the end of the coolest nights in Barcelona. Despite the huge clubbing offer in the city, the synergy of the theater and the club marked a golden age that we still love to recall, with wistful smile and wet eyes, with whom shared those moments with us.

Almost ten years after its opening, Buffetlibre DJ's has joined Buenavista, resident of Mond Club and one of the best dj’s from Barcelona, to pay homage to some of the most memorable nights in our life."

BUFFETLIBRE - POUR LES ENFANTS DU MOND
Recorded by Buffetlibre Dj's
Tracklist selected by Buenavista & Buffetlibre Dj's

BUFFETLIBRE - POUR LES ENFANTS DU MOND

TRACKLIST:
1. Sintonia Buffetlibre
2. Andreas Dorau - Girls In Love
3. Ladytron - Playgirl
4. Mirwais - Naive Song
5. Jay Jay Johanson - On The Radio
6. Ginger Ale - Happy House
7. Fangoria - Electricistas
8. Monosurroud - I Warmed You Baby
9. Phoenix - If I Ever Feel Better (Buffalo Bunch Remix)
10. Barcelona - Studio Hair Gel
11. Annie - The Greatest Hit (Röyksopp Remix)
12. Radio 4 - Dance To The Undergroud
13. The Rapture - House Of Jealous Lovers
14. Console - 14 Zero Zero
15. Chucho - Magic
16. La Casa Azul - Cerca De Shibuya
17. Urban Cookie Collective - Feels Like Heaven
18. The Juan Maclean - Give Me Every Little Thing (Cajmere Remix)
19. Whitey - Leave Them All Behind
20. Saint Etienne - Shower Scene
21. John Paul Young - Love Is In The Air (Extended Mix)
22. Cassius – Feelings for you (Les Rythmes Digitales Remix)
23. Basement Jaxx - Bingo Bango
24. Etienne De Crécy - Prix Choc
25. Zoot Woman - It's Automatic
26. Le Hammond Inferno - Move Your Mp3
27. Betty Boo - Doin' The Do
28. MacNamara - Mi Correo Electronico Oh!
29. Justice vs. Simian - We Are Your Friends
30. ABBA - S.O.S.

Links:
Buffetlibre:
http://www.myspace.com/buffetlibre
http://www.buffetlibre.net

Robert from Jahcoozi has always hooked us up with the best prerelease tracks... so I'm proud post this "Namedropper" video, and point you in the direction of a wicked Hannah Holland remix... which are right here :)

And make sure you check this out!

In case you missed it The Very Best have done a wicked track with M.I.A... I wish I could have posted it RIGHT when it came out but c'est la vie!
The Very Best- "Rain Dance (feat M.I.A.)"

More free music comes from our buddy Don Diablo who may well be crowned "King Of The Blogosphere" this year due to his sheer output, and great working relationship with bloggers. I'm happy to present an extra track that didn't make his forthcoming debut album. He said "Some great songs just didn't fit with the rest of the sound, but that doesn't mean it has to end up in my private collection!" so he's giving this track to you instead of letting it disappear into the ether. These are the same cats he recorded his track "Blow" with...

DON DIABLO - GET ON THE FLOOR (FT. J-ROCK & BIG ED) Mediafire
DON DIABLO - GET ON THE FLOOR (FT. J-ROCK & BIG ED) zShare

Check out more on Myspace!

I've spent a lot of time listening to "Audacity Of Huge" this weekend so a Simian Mobile Disco remix is a welcome addition to my playlist! It's done by The Lowbrows who have also provided an original production. Their SMD remix is more of an old school Hacienda style dance track which is prefect for end of Summer parties... listen for yourself!

Simian Mobile Disco - "Synthesise (The Lowbrows Remix)"
Simian Mobile Disco - "Synthesise (The Lowbrows Remix)" YSI

Here's one of their originals:

The Lowbrows - "Midnight Pirates"

Here's some info about The Lowbrows...

THE LOWBROWS are a creative unit that was formed in 2005,
by CHAKI and EMI.
CHAKI masters a variety of instruments, including the guitar, wooden
bass and turntables. He has been performing as a DJ for many years as
well. EMI shows off her talent, with her trained classical music
background. Their edgy sound is always looking toward the future, and
gives you a sense of innovation with every listen! Being an
electro/dance duo "made in Tokyo", gives THE LOWBROWS a unique
presence in the world today.

THE LOWBROWS have been gaining worldwide acclaim with achievements
like: being interviewed by Dazed & Confused from the UK, being
featured on famous blogs, having their music showcased on playlists by
many DJs, and more! With an amazing reputation for their remix work,
they are receiving a rush of offers from both Japanese and
international artists. As a DJ, CHAKI has performed with Digitalism,
The Bang Gang Deejays, Hot Chip, Friendly Fires, N.A.S.A., Danger
Steve Aoki, and many more.

Their first EP "THE LOWBROWS EP", was released in March 2007 (and is
no longer available). In February 2008, an unreleased track "Melody
And Shudder" was remixed by DEXPISTOLS and included on their mix CD
"Lesson 4". THE LOWBROWS gained public attention as they were the only
Japanese artists featured on it. A limited release of the vinyl THE
LOWBROWS VS 80KIDZ" went on sale in August of 2008. They followed this
up with their long-awaited 1st album "For Whom The Bell Tolls" in
December 2008 which featured the hits "Linda Is Tonight" and "Stay
Faceless", as well as previously unreleased tracks and remixes.

They are currently hard at work on their highly anticipated 2nd EP,
"Danse Macabre" which is scheduled to release on October 7th, 2009.
"Danse Macabre" will be yet another album from THE LOWBROWS, which
will innovate and show everyone another glimpse at the future of
electronic music, no matter where it is coming from...

Check out more at their Myspace!

Finally, our friends Acidkids have got a new track out which you can check out in the video below and purchase, if you like, over at Beatport!

As an extra Always Fridays provided a mix from Joe & Will Ask:
Joe and Will Ask Mixtape by alwaysfridays
Check out the next Always Fridays on Fri 11th Sep with The Subs. Here's a little more info... "Not only that but appearances from Punks Jump Up and The Lovely Jonjo will be complimented by Lisbon Techno duo, Heartbreakerz on the terrace. Monthly resident Peter Pixzel also features alongside weekly residents Jacob Husley and John & On."

And one more extra little bonus... As Tall As Lions remixed by Diplo!
As Tall As Lions- "Circles (Diplo Remix)"

Parlophone now UK's Most Viewed Youtube Channel!

2009-08-14T13:42:00.006-04:00

Parlophone was the first record company that started giving me promos back in the day... and at least a couple times they were nice enough to give me the "jump" on everyone else which helped establish this blog a little quicker. I didn't start posting their stuff to climb the ladder though... I posted it because a large portion of my favourite bands are on it! See for yourself below and remember some of the high points in Parlophone's esteemed career :) Check out more here.

Peter Doherty- "Broken Love Song"

The Verve- "Bittersweet Symphony"

Blur- "The Universal"

Radiohead- "No Surprises"

Pet Shop Boys- "West End Girls"

Hot Chip- "Ready For The Floor"

Late Of The Pier- "The Bears Are Coming"

Supergrass- "Alight"

Big thanks to David Lennon. Be back soon!

INTERVIEW: Adam from Babyshambles about his Roses Kings & Castles project!

2009-08-12T22:01:00.000-04:00

While you wouldn't know it, as he tends to behind the scenes (as opposed to on the front of the tabloid), without Adam Ficek Babyshambles probably wouldn't exist today. After replacing Gemma Clarke on drums (after a shambolic but destructive Babyshambles Christmas tour) Adam Ficek took his place behind the drum kit... but also helped keep the band from falling apart.

Were it not for him stepping in, along with Drew McConnell, there are many times that shows would not have happened, tensions would not have been soothed, and over all the band may not have made it. If you want to get a better feel for just how important Adam (and Drew) has been pick up Beg, Steal, or Borrow: The Official Babyshambles Story... After reading it I personally went from thinking "he seems like a cool guy" to "thank the Lord for Adam Ficek because otherwise my favourite band would be long gone"...

As I recently mentioned in a post, Babyshambles, The Libertines, and all their side projects are the reasons I started this blog. So, to get to interview Adam Ficek about his Roses Kings & Castles album is a serious delight.

Not only is the Roses Kings & Castles album a refreshing slice of fried gold but it's also an honest and personal journey through melody; it's not pretentious in the slightest, it's never over produced or trying too hard, it's an album that's so well crafted you feel like you know the songwriter on an almost personal level (something Adam's bandmate Mr. Doherty is also well known for). After trying to go through the normal media channels, and waiting 6 months, I was just about ready to give up on this interview when Adam actually contacted me about something unrelated?!?! Thanks to random chatter about "Gang Of Gin", Twitter, and Mr. Ficek's gentlemanly demeanor I now have this interview for you guys... enjoy! Please check out the info below for a couple free downloads and info about how to get RKC's debut album!

INTERVIEW WITH ADAM FICEK OF Roses Kings & Castles and Babyshambles

ISoA: How's it feel to perform/record material that's all yours? I imagine it's a different feeling than a group project as your wrote it all yourself...

it's quite an honest and sincere performance, there's nowhere to hide. It's all laid very bare, no one to look at if it's all going wrong..

ISoA: You have to have creativity pouring out of your ears to do the output you've been doing! Obviously Babyshambles had some downtime, was Roses Kings Castles something that came from that, or had you been writing songs for quite some time before?

Yeah, we have lots of time in babyshambles, and more so recently as peter has been doing his solo thing. I really enjoy writing so it's a pleasure to be able to have the chance to release my musical ideas. I've always written so releasing music was just an extension of that, I have co written with Babyshambles but people forget that.

ISoA: No doubt with your range of musical capabilities this album could have been a million different things. Was there anything that lead you in this direction for Roses Kings Castles (i.e. influences, albums, artists, life experience)?

Adam Ficek: I'm a hug fan of melody so I wanted to make an album with unashamed melodic content, it's odd how once I recorded and released I quickly moved on stylistically, it's as if that's one thing acomplished now I want this! the new stuff is darker and heavier. Althought the ep (released today) is a bridge between the two. The new album out in Oct has progressed even more. I'm no in the head space of RKCIII and it's getting more heavy still. The influences are drawn form people I know and meet and personal views. Musically I suppose like every starting artisst I initially looked to try and remake my favourite albums, but I'm not giving the game away.

ISoA: Unlike Babyshambles (with the exception of the Mains Ignition "Blinding" remix) your projects have been subject to remixing and electronics we wouldn't expect in your other band. What was the initial spark that made your love for electronic sounds blossom?

Adam Ficek: I enjoy music of every genre and ilk. There was actually a synth on the blinding but it got lost somewhere between the studio and the mixing desk! I used to do lots of djing of dance music and still listen to the more electronic side of things. I see music as being good or bad nothing else.

ISoA: Your DJing career has flourished... For those of us who are an ocean away what does a DJ set from you sound like? Any particular releases you've been into recently?

Adam Ficek: It depends entirely on the crowd, I'm paid to entertain the majority so it depends on the majority. I do occasionally do special sets of my personal loves, so loads of 60's soul and other obscurities.

ISoA: You've probably been asked a variation of this question a million times but... do you feel that people will be able one day to judge Babyshambles based on the music and not Pete's actions? Because as a member of a band I'd think that would be something that would be hard to come to terms with...

Adam Ficek: Probably not, most people are not able to see through the media haze.
The media needs to create and invent that's why it's there, it's not bad or good just...is

ISoA: This is a pretty standard question but what bands are you listening to/keeping your eye on?

Adam Ficek: fake blood. Deadmaus. Golden Silvers perhaps. to be honest there's not that many bands who are exciting me at the moment. please send me some, I really want to know some exciting bands.

ISoA: Lastly... the music industry has changed a lot in the last two years. Both you and Babyshambles have kept access to your music very close to the fans (SASE for singles, free downloads, announcing shows via forums and Myspace) as opposed to the typical monolithic industry disconnect that's standard for most big bands... do you think music will become more DIY with the recording industry tanking?

Adam Ficek: I think the majors will always have a grasp on the industry as they are very powerful, it would be very naive to think the whole DIY thing will change that but now we can create our own niches for the right reasons.
the majors have already taped into the DIY thing by swallowing small 'Indie' labels and essentially using them as extended A & R depts. I don't blame the small indies as it's hard making money from a small niche market but it gets me when they pretend to be indie. At least have the balls to say your floated by a major. Why not stand up and be counted.

Here are some remixes that from when the album first came out. They are both so good I frankly would like to hear the whole album remixed! But that's just the DJ geek in me... the first remix would fit in along with that IMISSMYJUNO remix of Franz I like so much, while the second remix is more in the vein of Hot Chip.

Roses Kings and Castles- "Entroubled (Boy+Girl Troubling Remix)"
Roses Kings and Castles- "Entroubled (Boy+Girl Troubling Remix)" Rapidshare

Roses Kings and Castles- "Entroubled (Geek Chics Spot of Bother Remix)" YSI
Roses Kings and Castles- "Entroubled (Geek Chics Spot of Bother Remix)" Rapidshare

And here's an approved Babyshambles track for ya... oldie but a goodie!
Babyshambles- "The Lost Art Of Murder" Rapidshare
Babyshambles- "The Lost Art Of Murder" YSI

You can buy RKC songs and merch right here. And you can keep tabs on what is happening here!

Check out the man in action...

Here's a little press from Adam's website about his most recent release...
"As you're all aware the ep 'Apples and Engines' is finished and ready to go. I'll be releasing it on August 10th on 7" vinyl and CD, initially to my mailing list so get signed up to the monthly RKC newsletter.
The past few months have been manic as usual, loads of gigs, loads of writing free songs for you lot, and my second album is underway.
The follow up to 'Roses Kings Castles' is going to be slightly bigger sounding and a little less twee in places, I've also persuaded a few of my mates to come and have a tinkle so watch this space.
As always a big thanks to all you followers and supporters. "

Here's some upcoming dates:
Wed 16th Sep 2009 - Portsmouth - UK @ The Cellers - Portsmouth
Thu 17th Sep 2009 - Brighton - UK @ Prince Albert.
Sun 20th Sep 2009 - Birmingham - UK @ The Victoria
Thu 8th Oct 2009 - Dublin @ Whelans
accoustic

Well that's that for now. I again would like to thank Adam for being such a great musician... sharing such a great album with us... helping steer the good ship Albion... and for doing this interview. Check this space for future info about Adam and Roses Kings & Castles, because, as of today I'm going to add him to Arcadian Family. I'm down for life! Be back soon, hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!

P.s. You gotta get one of these! That is when they're in stock again here lol...

FREE Deastro "Orange Swimmer Red Summer" EP!

2009-08-11T11:32:00.004-04:00

Well, as you know, this is a pretty strictly British only blog... but I am a sucker for Ghostly International. In fact I've been carefully putting together an article for Cream Team for a couple months now on their 10 year anniversary... that's how much of a fan I am.

Now, despite having never actually spoken to Deastro, I'm a big fan on his music and want to help spread the word as if he were a friend of mine. Especially Keeper's which is fucking brilliant. He reminds me of a more experimental, American, version of Frankmusik... if that makes any sense.

Here's the first two songs from the free EP BUT FOLLOW THE EP LINK TO DOWNLOAD, only use the other links to have a quick listen (they're basically just there so this will show up on the Hype Machine lol)...

Deastro- "Orange Swimmer Red Summer EP"

Deastro- "Asteroid Goo"

Deastro- "Sheild Whip"

Here's a little bit of press...
Taking the US press by storm, Randolph Chabot aka Deastro is a brand new epic space-shoegaze sensation. Causing a stir on Pitchfork (Paste, Spin), the stunning debut album was released back in July via Ghostly International (School of Seven Bells). Check out the brand new ‘Orange Swimmer Red Summer’ EP exclusively here via Deastro’s blog. It features 9 brand new, unreleased tracks.

Well I'm glad he's taking the press by storm... perhaps that's why I couldn't get an interview with him? *cough*hit me up*cough* :)

Anyway Deastro writes dreamy electronic pop music that makes you feel things the way that very few artists can, especially on a first listen! So check it out, go to a show, and make sure you pick up his previous efforts!

Maps "I Dream Of Crystal" (Solo Mix)

2009-08-10T18:44:00.003-04:00

That last Maps track I posted, "Let Go Of The Fear", really had me so I'm excited to be posting this new one. If you liked the last one I imagine this will get you too... however this is a little less dubby and a little more like an Audion track (without super weird noises) with a vocal (that isn't warped).

Maps - ‘I Dream Of Crystal’ (Solo Mix) YSI
Maps - ‘I Dream Of Crystal’ (Solo Mix) zShare

Maps - ‘I Dream Of Crystal’ (Solo Mix) - Released: 14th September 2009 'This is the Solo remix of ‘I Dream of Crystal’, the first single proper from Maps’ second album ‘Turning The Mind’ Debut album ‘We Can Create’ was previous nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize in the UK. This remix package also contains the Solo Dub mix as well as the Steve Lawler Vocal & Dub mixes Maps mastermind James Chapman says that “if [debut album] ‘We Can Create’ was the birth of Maps, ‘Turning The Mind’ is the fully formed manifesto” Maps will play Bestival on the Isle of Wight in September followed by album release on 28th September 2009 Check out www.myspace.com/mapsmusic for more! Be back asap!

EXCLUSIVE! Chew Lips- Salt Air (Plastician Remix)

2009-08-06T11:51:00.003-04:00

After hearing this I think Plastician should do a WHOLE album like this. It's one of the big things dubstep is missing: female vocals. I mean it doesn't need them ALL the time, because I like that hard shit too, but sometimes dubstep is TOO hard. This remix of Crew Lips new track comes off like this decades Breakbeat Era... that is soulful, dark, and compulsively listenable.

Here's some press:
"Their new track was out the other week on Kitsune but didn't have this Plastician remix available on it. They were on the recent Kitsune 7 with their track 'Solo'."

Chew Lips- "Salt Air (Plastician Remix)" YSI

Chew Lips- "Salt Air (Plastician Remix)"

Check out more at www.chewlips.co.uk, www.myspace.com/chew_lips, and www.twitter.com/chew_lips

I may add more to this but I wanted to get it up ASAP!