Stateless, the Leeds electronica collective whose two albums, a self-titled record on !K7 and the more recent Matilda, put out by Ninja Tune, are on of my favourite bands. I think the combination of indie, singer-songwritery other-wordliness, groove-based rhythms and dance-infused elements are truly special. Ultimately though it's the beauty of Chris James' vocals which really put the icing on the cake and make this band truly captivating, and important. Now James is finishing up his debut solo album. "Force (Song for Dylan)" is, to my knowledge the first song released from it. Watch the video here:
From this auspicious beginning we can see that an album from Chris James will be one of the albums to look forward to in 2014. Stripped of the layers and intricacy of Stateless, James' voice steps even further to the fore, with a beguiling tone and melodies which will take up residence in your soul. Watch this space for more in the rest of the year.
Tuesday 29 April 2014
Tuesday 1 April 2014
Neil Cowley Trio news! Neil Cowley Trio news!
Neil Cowley Trio announce Touch and Flee autumn tour & release first video, ‘Kneel Down’
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Any day which includes news of new anything from Neil Cowley Trio is a good day. The band with the best beards in Jazz, Neil Cowley Trio today announces dates for their forthcoming tour spanning ten concert halls this autumn. The trio take to the road presenting music from their fifth studio album, Touch and Flee, released June 9th June on Naim Jazz Records.
Today also sees the unveiling of the first video taken from Touch and Flee. Filmed at RAK studios, Kneel Down is a haunting, compelling three-movement piece whose pulse, power and sweeping majesty sheds light on the new direction of the band.
Touch and Flee marks a defining moment in the evolution of Neil Cowley Trio. It is their bravest, most daring album to date, spotlighting the ever-increasing brilliance of Cowley as a composer. With long time band mates, Evan Jenkins on drums andRex Horan on bass, they present more expansive melodies and longer elegant passages for what they describe as “our concert hall record”. As always though, Cowley’s power to move through music is on full display. Here are a collection of tunes best savoured in a darkened room at full volume. They demand attention, but as always, deliver to the listener the most blissful of rides.
'Kneel Down' is available to download instantly when pre-ordering Touch and Flee from iTunes. Touch and Flee is released on 9th June 2014 on Naim Jazz Records (naimcd206)
Neil Cowley Trio tour in the autumn Presenting new music from Touch and Flee alongside Cowley classics. Expect a captivating show of high drama and playfulness that demonstrate exactly why the trio have earned their reputation as one of Britain’s most exciting live bands.
Neil Cowley Trio ‘Touch and Flee’ UK Tour 2014
On Sale April 4th 2014
26th Sept SOUTHPORT The Atkinson - www.theatkinson.co.uk / 01704 533333
1st Oct BRISTOL Colston Hall - www.colstonhall.org / 0844 887 1500
8th Oct CARDIFF The Gate Arts Centre - www.orchardentertainment.co.uk / 02920 483344
10th Oct OXFORD SJE Arts at St John the Evangelist Church - www.sje-oxford.org
11th Oct GATESHEAD Sage Gateshead - www.sagegateshead.com / 0191 4434661
Daniel Carlson - Eko Video
Daniel Carlson is a new name to me. He has an album out next week, Me You You Me. This is the video for the track Eko
I've yet to fully dig in to the album but I"m very much looking forward to doing so. The press release tells me that it sounds like Air and the Beatles....I can see (or hear) that I suppose, particularly the Air comparison. If you dig off-kilter Scandinavian pop this one might be for you. I'll work up an album review in due course, but for now enjoy the video.
Tuesday 25 March 2014
Disciples "Catwalk" Remixed by Plastic Plates
Following the release of his latest EP, LA-based producer Felix Bloxsom (AKA Plastic Plates) offers an upbeat house remix of Disciples’ latest track Catwalk. ‘The Catwalk EP’, a collection of Catwalk remixes, will be released on the 30th of March on Beatport. Disciples will follow ‘Catwalk’ with ‘Poison Arrow’, a collaboration with underground maestro Shadow Child.
Reflecting the stylisation of New York’s Ball scene of the late Eighties with a contemporary pop edge, ‘Catwalk’ encapsulates Disciples’ ability to weld the old with the new, creating a future-retro sound that can snare fans of both eras of music.
“Our influences come from so many different places that we’re not part of the any one scene which is what sets us apart from other people,” says Duvall, one-third of Disciples alongside Gavin Kool and Luke Mac. “If you look at people like Daft Punk and NERD, they’re not part of a scene but they have their own sound. It’s the same for us when it comes to house music. We’ve got our own section in house music.”
Formed by three ambitious, music-obsessed friends in south London, Disciples honed their genre-splicing, uplifting sound before debuting with the ‘Remedy’ EP last summer. Subsequently championed by the likes of Mistajam, B Traits, Toddla T, Pete Tong and DJ Target, Disciples have also remixed artists as varied as Robin Thicke, John Newman, Grouplove and HAIM.
Disciples – Catwalk EP
1. Catwalk
2. Catwalk (Bot & Astronomar Remix)
3. Catwalk (Plastic Plates Remix)
4. Catwalk (David Herrero Remix)
Monday 16 December 2013
UNMAP - New Album "Pressures" out now
When Marichen Danz first began to make music with Alex Stolze, it was a project intended to soundtrack her art performances. But the soulful, crystalline melodies the two had begun to weave could not be contained within that context; instead they took on a life of their own, expanding into territories the two hadn't planned on charting - into the world of UNMAP.
Using the framework of these ideas, the two began isolating these ideas into beautifully ferocious pop melodies. They came armed with the tools of familiarity, knowledge and passion, having collaborated together previously thanks to Alex's work in the Berlin-based groups Dictaphone and Bodi Bill. With Vision and Voice firmly in place, Alex chose Matthias Geserick on bass duties; Geserick then chose Thomas Fietz on electronic drums to complete the quartet. Together they pared back the songs, rearranging pieces and building new aural edifices to attach their visions to. Occasionally they would find that melodies had reverted almost to their initial state, suggesting an inherent magic that remains timeless.
Indeed the melodies within their debut album Pressures feel out of time and space, imbued with a wide depth of energy and emotion. Embedded within are eleven tracks that thrum with the tremendous mass of our lives: the structures of social philosophy and hierarchy we place upon ourselves, and which are placed upon us. Cautionary tales of paranoia, protest and colonialism, the barriers of thought, religion and language, the fallacies of power and the weight of impermanence are translated into the language of liquid pop which wears its influences deftly and proudly. Though every member comes from a different musical background, be it classical or hip-hop, they each know how to weave their aural loves - which include Massive Attack, Tricky and Blonde Redhead - together into a shimmering cosmic blanket of sound. Through a blend of R&B-inspired rock and soulful electronic chamber pop, Marichen's lyrics are given a backdrop on which to live, to extend fingers into the ears and mind of the listener. These are more than songs; they are stories, mapping out a world both private and individual.
Many of the songs on Pressures began life as performance pieces tied to artwork, such as the bouncing sub-hip hop groove of "Pirates" and the chiming, unexpected twilight menace of "Take Over". Some, however, are entirely new pieces unique to UNMAP's strange and wonderful world, such as the foreboding "Altar" and the angelic "Monkey Effort". The group produced the album in Chez Cherie Studios with the help of Shitkatapult founder Marco Haas (aka T. Raumschmiere) and Apparat/Warren Suicide's PC/Nackt, giving it that unmistakably Berlin vibe with touches of Marichen's Irish storyteller roots apparent in the narratives. Delicately strummed strings and booming piano weave amongst her words, alternately pulsing with warmth and commandingly cold. It's something special, unique and captivating, and it will echo in your ears long after the album is over.
Hear the new single, The Golden Route here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC0l6wGFuZ8
Using the framework of these ideas, the two began isolating these ideas into beautifully ferocious pop melodies. They came armed with the tools of familiarity, knowledge and passion, having collaborated together previously thanks to Alex's work in the Berlin-based groups Dictaphone and Bodi Bill. With Vision and Voice firmly in place, Alex chose Matthias Geserick on bass duties; Geserick then chose Thomas Fietz on electronic drums to complete the quartet. Together they pared back the songs, rearranging pieces and building new aural edifices to attach their visions to. Occasionally they would find that melodies had reverted almost to their initial state, suggesting an inherent magic that remains timeless.
Indeed the melodies within their debut album Pressures feel out of time and space, imbued with a wide depth of energy and emotion. Embedded within are eleven tracks that thrum with the tremendous mass of our lives: the structures of social philosophy and hierarchy we place upon ourselves, and which are placed upon us. Cautionary tales of paranoia, protest and colonialism, the barriers of thought, religion and language, the fallacies of power and the weight of impermanence are translated into the language of liquid pop which wears its influences deftly and proudly. Though every member comes from a different musical background, be it classical or hip-hop, they each know how to weave their aural loves - which include Massive Attack, Tricky and Blonde Redhead - together into a shimmering cosmic blanket of sound. Through a blend of R&B-inspired rock and soulful electronic chamber pop, Marichen's lyrics are given a backdrop on which to live, to extend fingers into the ears and mind of the listener. These are more than songs; they are stories, mapping out a world both private and individual.
Many of the songs on Pressures began life as performance pieces tied to artwork, such as the bouncing sub-hip hop groove of "Pirates" and the chiming, unexpected twilight menace of "Take Over". Some, however, are entirely new pieces unique to UNMAP's strange and wonderful world, such as the foreboding "Altar" and the angelic "Monkey Effort". The group produced the album in Chez Cherie Studios with the help of Shitkatapult founder Marco Haas (aka T. Raumschmiere) and Apparat/Warren Suicide's PC/Nackt, giving it that unmistakably Berlin vibe with touches of Marichen's Irish storyteller roots apparent in the narratives. Delicately strummed strings and booming piano weave amongst her words, alternately pulsing with warmth and commandingly cold. It's something special, unique and captivating, and it will echo in your ears long after the album is over.
Hear the new single, The Golden Route here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC0l6wGFuZ8
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