NEW MUSIC: FRANCOIS PEGLAU

•November 12, 2010 • 1 Comment

A couple of days ago I was grumbling about the obsession with failure in a post about Failed Novelist. Lo and behold, I get an email about another loser (Peruvian this time) who has an LP out – “The Imminent Failure of Francois Peglau”. Cheer up guys. Leave the miserablism to the UK. We have the weather ands Mozza for that.

In fact, this turns out to be someone who pays too much homage to John Lennon, with a strong Beatles feel to his work. If you like Lennon, you’ll like this. If not, you wont. Still, I liked his lo-fi description of himself and anyone in a band called Los Fuckin Sombreros can’t be all bad:

My name is Francois Peglau and I am Peruvian/Argentinean French musician (is a long story) that now lives in London. Back in Peru, I used to play in a band called Los Fuckin Sombreros (a successful indie band in Peru), but I left the country to look for better horizons. The thing is I moved to London three years ago and I decided to start a solo project in the city. I have recorded a number of songs in my home studio with the help of some musicians and I have started distributing my music online through music blogs. My music is a sort of lo-fi pop, mixed with electronics, very melodic and sometimes very politically driven.  I call it Socio-Peruvian lo fi pop!!!.  The style is influenced by the Beatles, Elliot Smith, The Rentals, Fleetwood Mac and anarchist/left-wing Latin American singers such as Jorge Gonzales and Silvio Rodriguez.”

Francois Peglau – If You Come Around

God And the Unconscious Want Me Dead

NEW MUSIC: KAYA PROJECT

•November 11, 2010 • Leave a Comment

Something that claims to be based on field recordings of deserts raises expectation of windswept, ambient minimalist tunes. Wrong. This is fat bass territory, courtesy of the Gaudi remix.

Desert Phase, the fourth Kaya Project full length album, drew its inspiration from the time Seb Taylor and Natasha Chamberlain spent in some of the world’s largest deserts. Incorporating field recordings made while traveling across these windswept landscapes, along with additional studio sessions with several world musicians back in London, Desert Phase evokes colouful and dusty imagery of a timeless and mysterious terrain. Carrying on from where the digital-onlyUmmah Oum Remixes EP left off, Interchill decided to turn the distinctive Kaya Project sound over to the talents of a group of other accomplished producers to see what sort of re-interpretations would emerge.
Scattered across 3 continents, the select remixers represent a diverse range of musical inclinations from dubstep, breaks, glitch hop, techno, drum’n’bass and modern downtempo sensibilities.

Calico Stomp really does. It starts with harmonicas, like its going to come on all Tinariwen. But after the slow intro, this really wrong foots with a bass so fat and deep, it’s dubstep. This is no chin stroking tune. This is made for the dancefloor.

Kaya Project – Calico Stomp (Gaudi Remix)

Buy from Interchill Records

www.gaudimusic.com

NEW MUSIC: BOTNEK

•November 11, 2010 • Leave a Comment

Some nu-Rave from new Canadian duo Botnek.

BOTNEK are a DJ/production duo from Montreal/Halifax, Canada. They have been quietly developing their mix of afrobeat, dutch house and tech house for several years, and are finally ready to release their first original records. They won a remix competition for Dim Mak Records, for Felix Cartal’s single “Skeleton”.  Their first single “If You Wanna” is set for release on October 18, 2010 on Lazy Rich’s Big Fish Recordings. BOTNEK’s first single from their debut EP “Jerpa” premiered on BBC Radio 1′s program “In New DJs We Trust”, which is set for release later in 2010.

A couple of their original tunes for you. Restatta is a bit of air horn with bleepy tones. Despite the bit of female ragga-style vocal sample, this harks back to glow sticks and Vicks in masks (ask your older brother). But still remains contemporary. Doesn’t quite cut loose as it should, even when it goes all chipmunk but remains a good tune. Tik Tokka on the other hand, plays more to whistles and ragga. Never really liked ragga and I don’t like this one.

Botnek – Restatta (VIP Mix)

Botnek – Tik Tokka (Original Mix)

Botnek MySpace

NEW MUSIC: BLAK NITE

•November 10, 2010 • Leave a Comment

Blak Nite featured a few days ago with his meanacing scuzzy beats. But information was scant. So, he’s kindly answered Ted’s Top Ten quiz:

1. Weatherall or Oakenfold – Neither
2. Ed Banger or Kitsune – Both
3. Dance or Indie – Indie Dance?
4. Star Wars or Star Trek – Star Wars (Episodes 4-6)
5. Real instruments or synthesisers – Real
6. Tea or Coffee – Espresso
7. Roti or Chapati – Naan
8. Deep Purple’s Black Night or Bad Manners’ Black Night – Bob Dylan’s Black Nite Crash
9. Leicester City or Leicester Tigers – Tigers!!!
10.  Pechan Wali or Tikhi – Nihang

Interesting set of answers. Doesn’t like the obvious way, prefers his own. The last two answers are worth noting. The Tigers one as it’s the only time emotion (other than, what feels like, irritation) is shown and the last for the Sikh warrior reference. From Wiki: Nihang (ਨਿਹੰਗ) is an armed Sikh order. Early Sikh military history is dominated by the Akali Nihang military order, particularly for many famous military victories won while often heavily outnumbered. The Akali Nihang have historically been held in great affection and respect by Sikhs due the pivotal role they have played in Sikh military history. The Nihang order is mostly ceremonial in peacetime but during times of war, they have historically spear-headed the attack on the enemies of the Sikh religion.

Back to the music:



Blak Nite – Hyde

Blak Nite MySpace

http://www.tangledtalk.com/

http://blaknite.bandcamp.com/

COLIN DALE: CARL CRAIG

•November 10, 2010 • 1 Comment

Colin Dale had a show – Outer Limits - on the old Kiss 100 FM that D was always very fond of. It featured a range of new and old electronic music. It was almost a counterpart to that other Colin favoured by D, Colin Faver (previously here).

An LP was issued on the back of the show in 1994. The sleeve says “The Outer Limits show is a feature which was started on London dance station KISS 100 FM in November 1991. First and foremost is was a showcase for new and old electronic music which didn’t have to pander to the restricting four to the floor beats of teh dancefloor. The early shows played a diverse mixture of music from a variety of sources – 80s industrial, Chicago/Detroit house, Die Warsaw, Future Sound of London, Deepche Mode, Clock DVA, Chris Connelly, Juan Atkins, Klinik, Kraftwerk and Cabaret Voltaire. It was a love of 80s/90s industrial inbued with a powerful depth which helped shape the Outer Limits we hear today – deep atmospheric strings, delicate melodies and minimalistic beats and rhythms coming togather to form a futuristic aural ladscape.

“The Outer Limits album is a culmination of several years of sound experimentation within the global community of electronic dance, including pivotal numbers from as far back as 1989 through to a variety of contemporary classic in the making.”

As for Colin, his website says: “To call Colin Dale “legendary” is no over-estimation…….here is a Dj that has been one of London’s most cutting edge Djs for over 20 years and still continues to surprise and marvel. Music was always a big part of the Dale family’s life……Soul, Reggae, Jazz and Funk…..even before Colin left school friends included Fabio, Grooverider, Dave Angel, Jumping Jack Frost and Bryan Gee……..all who went on to be top Djs in their respective scenes. It all began in 1982 when Colin who was then working as a banker in the city of London began to warm up for Hip Hop supremo “Tim Westwood” at the cult Gossips nightclub in Soho playing cuts like Soul Sonic Force, Strafe, Shannon and Donna Summer. In 1985 Colin was one of the key members of the pirate radio station Kiss FM and soon after left banking to pursue a career in music and the “Abstrakt Dance” radio show was born. For 16 years “Abstrakt Dance” was a ground-breaking show which quite simply bought Techno to the masses. Guests on the show included All the UR crew, Hawtin, Angel, Pullen, Garnier, Saunderson, Craig, May, Cox……the list goes on and .. the show was put on the internet in 1993 Colin became a household name in Techno circles Worldwide. It was the first ever Techno show to be transmitted live with visuals and it was revolutionary. It was around this time that Colin teamed up with Brenda Russell and Colin Faver to do the “Deep Space” series of clubs in London which again saw the team take London’s Techno scene to new highs. Other club nights that Colin has been involved in include Electric Boogie, Vapour Space, Deep and Jelly. Production wise Colin has recorded for Perfecto on their very first LP, Obsessive, Logic, Sensei, Visitor, Abstrakt Dance, Swag, Laus and Alien Funk amongst others as well as 7 well received mix compilation LPs for various major record labels.

And to pick up one of the Detroit artists played by Colin Dale, here’s Carl Craig from 1991:

Carl Craig – No More Words

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http://www.myspace.com/abstraktdance

NEW MUSIC: FAILED NOVELIST

•November 9, 2010 • 1 Comment

Failed Novelist. Error Operator. What is this obsession with things going wrong? And you can add Procrastinating Blogger. I’ve had this for a few days now before posting. This is delicate, wistful, electronic pop. It has ’talked’ vocals, reminiscent of Phil Oakey.

Failed Novelist is Australian Luke Collison (previously known as Dsico). He hardly fits the happy Ocker stereotype, with songs of loss and a grumpy, forthright persona. Perhaps this is the result of relocation to East London. That or the reason why. This all fits with his description of his music as “Somewhere between Casiotone for the Painfully Alone meets David Bowie or Leonard Cohen.”  

He has a new single “Love Like A Knife” out now for your enjoyment. But it’s the B side that captures. Tangled really hits the low-fi pop of a faded glittery, Northern dancefloor. It has melancholic talked vocals - ‘We’re all tied up in this mess we’ve made for ourselves.’ – emphasising the bitter disappointment. The only thing missing is a couple of girls singing the choruses to turn it into a cult pop classic. The A side, on the other hand, is a bit of a disappointment. Nice bass line but veers almost into singing on occasions, which ruins the atmosphere. Lyrics like “Hey Baby. You brandish your love like a knife.” don’t help. So, stick to the B side. Turn the lights down. Dream about what could have been.

The album – Amateur – is also out now streaming and for purchase on Bandcamp, Spotify and through selected retailers.

Failed Novelist – Tangled

http://lukecollison.com/fn/

NEW MUSIC:ELECTRIC ASSEMBLY

•November 8, 2010 • Leave a Comment

Electric Assembly are back with a new EP. I reviewed their White Splinter EP last year. Their new EP – Slow Exit - is a step forward, with the majestic Film Out Of Time finally delivering on their boast of Boards of Canada mixed with Velvet Underground.

Bio: Electric Assembly are a three-piece London-based band formed in 2004, consisting of Steve Brown, David McHugh, and Paul Murdoch. Brought together by a shared love of music by Velvet Underground, Animal Collective, Spacemen 3, Boards of Canada, Flaming Lips, Miles Davis, Sonic Youth, Can, and Boredoms, they experiment with elements from krautrock, country, psychedelia, drone, shoegaze, ambient, and electronica.

The White Splinter EP had ambitions that weren’t quite delivered. The intervening year hasn’t been wasted. This EP marks a real step forward and in Film Out Of Time they finally have the ambient shoegazing masterpiece that they threatened. This is an elegaic, cinematic piece. It evokes the dying of the light, without any raging against it. This is the slow sunset over wide open spaces. Hardly Kilburn.

Electric Assembly – Film Out of Time

http://electricassembly.bandcamp.com/

http://www.electricassembly.com/

WEATHERALL MONDAY: BROTHERS LOVE DUBS (SLIGHT RETURN)

•November 8, 2010 • 1 Comment

Last week we had the Sabres of Paradise remix of Brothers Love Dubs’ The Mighty Ming.

As a reminder: Brothers Love Dubs were Alan Scott Bremner, David Charles Seaman & Stephen John Anderson. They only produced a smattering of releases, of which their best and most successful was 1992′s The Mighty Ming on Stress Records. This was released with remixes as part of their “Now That’s What I Call Ming Vol 1″ LP in 1993 (really a double 12″), one of which was a Sabres mix.

Commenting on the post, Lee Jit kindly provided  the slow mix from Unreleased Dubs vol 1. I’m not sure how many people noticed, so here it is in its own right. Thanks Lee.

Brothers Love Dubs – The Mighty Ming (Sabres of Paradise Slow Mix)

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NEW MUSIC: PHONE HOME

•November 7, 2010 • 1 Comment

Some woozy instrumental pop, wonky enough to feature here.

Phone Home says “We’re two-piece maximalists who play a unique brand of instrumental pop (rich piano harmonies, warm synth washes and relentlessly driving percussion).” I’ve no idea what maximalists means – I think they just made it up. Whatever, the Vallarelli brothers from New York make an uplifting noise. Featured track is Cozy Attack. I was hoping that this was going to be a tribute to drummer Cozy Powell and so full of massive drum rolls and stick twirling. Not so. But it does have something of the Arcade Fire about it. Good stuff. Check out the rest of their debut release at Bandcamp.

Phone Home – Cozy Attack

http://phonehome.bandcamp.com/

http://www.myspace.com/phonehomenewyork

GARY CLAIL – BEEF

•November 7, 2010 • Leave a Comment

JC had the latest in his One Song By The Smiths…A Saturday Series yesterday, featuring the unfomfortable “Meat Is Murder” and how he never plays it. Equally uncomfortable is Gary Clail’s dubtastic “Beef” from 1990 but its too good not to play.

Beef.

How low can you go?

Hear The Cattle Cry, Death Row

Would you take that life yourself

Would you kill it yourself

Don’t you know that it’s wrong?

Best known for “Human Nature” in 1991, Clail produced a series of cracking singles in the early 90s, including on Oakenfold’s Perfecto label.

From Wiki: “Clail worked originally as a roofer, but during the mid to late 1980s based in Bristol, he became a warm up act for On-U gigs. Clail first released a record in 1985. Several 12″ singles were issued between 1985 and 1987, before Clail’s first LP for Nettwerk, Tackhead Tape Time, a split effort between Clail and Tackhead. “Television: The Drug of the Nation” by The Beatnigs was remixed by Clail, Adrian Sherwood and Mark Stewart, on the Alternative Tentacles record label in 1988. n 1989, Clail issued his own album, billed as Gary Clail & On-U Sound System, on On-U Sound, which marked Clail’s entrance to the electronic underground scene in Bristol, eventually leading him to work with RCA a couple of years later. This output incorporated several singles and EPs, as well as The Emotional Hooligan (1991). Clail released a further on Yelen Records, entitled Keep the Faith (1996).

Gary Clail – Beef, Would U Kill It Yourself

Gary Clail – Beef (The Future Mix)

Gary Clail MySpace