The event has been set up in association with AV production company Imetrages and culture blog Cloak and Swagger, and promises to be an electronic feast for your ears (that doesn't make sense, but let's pretend it does).
This week saw the unfortunate loss of one of the greatest artists of the Disco era, Loleatta Holloway. Her influence on dance music is huge, her work sampled countless times - most notably Love Sensation for Black Box's 1989 hit Ride On Time.
Gilles Peterson put together a podcast featuring some of Loleatta's best-known tracks, and tributes from Norman Jay MBE and Louie Vega of Masters At Work. As people that were lucky enough to work with Loleatta Holloway, they offer an insight into the projects she was involved with and her immense talents.
The latest Notre Jam mixtape is now available to download for your listening pleasure. This mix is heavily influenced by 80s movie soundtracks, retro-futusitic car chases, action sequences and Miami Vice party-hedonism. Nice.
1. Lykke Li - I’m Good, I’m Gone (Metronomy Remix)
2. Miami Horror - Don’t Be On With Her
3. Treasure Fingers featuring Haley Small - Keep Up
4. Kavinsky - 1986
5. Nite Jewel - It Goes Through Your Head (Dâm-Funk Club Dub)
6. Chromeo and Elly Jackson - Hot Mess
7. Futurecop! featuring RENEGADE - Afterburner
8. Crystal Castles featuring Robert Smith - Not In Love
9. Electric Youth - Right Back To You (Demo)
10. The Drums - Me And The Moon (Twin Shadow Remix With No FX)
The Kitsuné Maison compilation series is one of the best for a zeitgeist look at the best new indie and electro, and the latest instalment, 10: The Fireworks Issue, has introduced an interesting band called Guards. Their debut release, Guards EP, is available as a free download and is a tasty slice of C86-style lo-fi in keeping with the likes of Best Coast and Girls. The EP is one of the most popular to be uploaded to the Bandcamp website, and led to a record label war to sign them up. Featuring on the EP track Sail It Slowis Madeline Follin of CULTS, who is the sister of Richie Follin from the band.
CULTS are also receiving a lot of attention, and their eponymous 7" single showcases their take on the 1960s girl group-inspired sound contemporaries Summer Camp have had success with.
Both bands are currently on tour and will be visiting The Lexington in London (Guards / CULTS) in February 2011.
Jamie xx must be the most prolific producer around at the moment. Not content with just working on a follow up to The xx's debut album and his own solo material, he has reworked Gil Scott-Heron'sI'm New Here in its entirety (due for release in February 2011 as We're New Here, check out the incredible NY Is Killing Me and I'll Take Care Of You below) and is also regularly dropping bass-heavy remixes for artists such as Jack Peñate and Florence And The Machine. This version of Adele's latest single Rolling In The Deep is a definite winner, and is out to buy on 16th January 2011.
Nancy Whang steps out from behind LCD Soundsystem's synthesisers to star on the latest single from fellow DFA act Shit Robot, Take 'Em Up, which is also probably the best track on his album From the Cradle to the Rave. The video features some clever visual effects which may or may not have been inspired by Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.
Seems like The Twelves can do no wrong at the moment, and are having a great deal of success rocking Indie Disco dancefloors with their remixes. This rework of Black Strobe's 2002 track Me & Madonna certainly hits a sweet spot.
I've been sitting on this mix for a few weeks now, which showcases a few of the tracks that have been getting regular spins at Notre Jam gigs over the last few months. Turn your speaker stack up to 11 and enjoy.
1. Holy Ghost - I Will Come Back (Classixx Acacpulco Nights Version)
2. Aeroplane vs Friendly Fires vs Flight Facilities - I Crave Paris
3. Miike Snow - Black And Blue
4. Theophilus London - Humdrum Town
5. Twin Shadow - Slow
6. Chromeo - Don't Turn The Lights On (Aeroplane Remix)
7. Database And Holger - This Is An Untitled Song
8. Count And Sinden feat. Mystery Jets - After Dark
9. Robyn - Love Kills 10. Jammer - Back To The 90s
It has taken me an age to write this post, but the subject is well worth the wait.
A few months ago Pitchfork posted a track, Castles In The Snow by Twin Shadow, on their Forkcast section which I loved instantly. The album which followed, Forget, has since replaced everything else I previously listened to, and is on daily (more likely hourly) rotation. Even while on holiday in Ibiza, I spent most of my time with it playing in my headphones. From the opening of Tyrant Destroyed, to the last moments of the title track it is a revelation.
The most outstanding track on the record for me is Slow (see video above), which blends the drums from Joy Division's She's Lost Control with a bassline nod to The Cure's Forest. Surely a mix of some of the best elements alternative 80s music had to offer. George Lewis Jnr even manages to sound like a cross between David Bowie and Morrissey on a number of tracks.
If this sounds like your kind of sound, catch Twin Shadow on tour over the coming months. I'll be heading to the show at Madame Jo Jo's in London. I can't wait!
Gilles Peterson played Cee-Lo Green's new track I Want You on his radio show this week, and this slice of sweetness is produced Jack Splash who has form for producing high-quality, soulful music. His Plantlife project was well received by critics, and seen as a pretender to OutKast's polished hip hop sound, and he has worked with Alicia Keys (Teenage Love Affair), Solange Knowles (T.O.N.Y.) and John Legend(P.D.A. (We Just Don't Care)). In the run up to the release of his first solo album, Technology and Love Might Save Us All, Jack is releasing mixtapes online to whet our appetites and remind how prolific he can be. Of the two available so far, King Of The Beats Vol. 1 and Heir To The Throne Vol. 1, check out King Of The Beats Vol. 1 which showcases the sunshine soul side of his repertoire and features Cee-Lo on 38 Special.
I felt I had to post this after having played it on repeat for the last few days. The Scandinavians just seem to make effortlessly brilliant pop music, as demonstrated here by Sweden's Staygold with Robyn, Damien Adore and Spank Rock playing Backseat live at P3 Guld awards show.
Also appearing were Teddybears, who played their track Rocket Scientist minus collaborator Eve but without losing any of the quality of the original:
I've still got my fingers crossed for a Junior Senior reunion.
The Creators Project, a diverse multimedia exhibition curated by Intel and Vice Magazine, landed in London at Victoria House this weekend for the second of five scheduled stops in major cities around the world. Featuring a vast array of artists who push the boundaries of thought and technology to produce their works, the event was an eye-opening experience. The curators hope to expand the reach of the event to more cities next year after taking in New York, London, São Paulo, Seoul and Beijing in 2010.
The year may be 2010, but for me the most exciting music being released at the moment is distinctly 1960s-influenced and experimental in its production values. Bands seem to surface on blogs weekly who are embracing lo-fi recording technology, or at least digital filters, which enable them to sound like they recorded their music on an old reel-to-reel tape in a garage just for fun. Two such acts who have taken this approach and made it their own are Summer Camp and Tennis, and I have had their releases on repeat for at least a month now. I am a nostalgia addict, and I have a Jones for less dangerous DIY Phil Spectors.
Another rising French producer, Onra, has just released his third album and it definitely hits the 80s old-school funk sweet-spot. Likened to Hudson Mohowke's debut record "Butter" (best track - "Joy Fantastic"), "Long Distance" also feature a collaboration with Olivier Daysoul ("Long Distance"), as well as T3 from Slum Village ("The One", see the video above), and a great cover of the S.O.S. Band's"High Hopes" with Reggie B. Love it.
I discovered Javelin a few days ago, and their Avalanches/Go! Team/DJ Shadow-esque style instantly had me hooked. "STD Fury" is a track they produced for a group called SEX/ED, and should probably be played in schools to teach the kids to strap it up.
Their album "No Mas" was released in May 2010, and you can download one of the stand-out tracks, "Oh! Centra", below courtesy of superb music blog RCRD LBL.
It is with a super-heavy heart that I read about the cancellation of this years Glade festival.
Even though I haven't been in a couple of years, this festie has a special place in my heart, I went the 2nd and 3rd year it was on. For me, this was my Glastonbury.
It was unbranded, with no corporate sponsorship, and a free and safe environment for people to dance their asses off to breaks, Psy, Tech and other quality dance music genres.
Security and police presence was always there, but minimal and unseen, which really made for a great, safe vibe.
It looks like councils and police are trying to milk as much money out of festivals as possible, and although I am gutted they cancelled the event, I do have to give respect to the Glade peeps for not giving in and paying out more money, to more people with their hands out.
As the scene becomes bigger, I guess more people want more money out of it. Lame.
In the end, had needed to pay more money out, it would have meant more corporate sponsors, more costs to the ravers.
I suspect the Police wanted a larger presence at the event as well.
