Searching For Sugar Man

Heard this guy through Giles Peterson – dude is always on point with his music selection:

Then discovered there is a dang film about the guy:

The documentary is a little corny but where it lacks with specious construction, it is forgiven for being such a fucking awesome story about a humble guy finally getting his just deserts. Rodriguez is his name and he makes beautiful folk music. He only put out a couple LPs in he ’70s, and one has been re-issued as part of his recent comeuppance – check it out:

Support music you LOVE.

Vince Art.

One of Those ‘Bonobo Moments’ – Introducing Ella

Epiphanies, like many things, catch me when I least expect them.

I think it is the excitement which always follows is partly the reason why am I most unprepared. This one happened whilst I was walking down the street. Under the recommendation of The Attractive Housemates I had given Bonobo a couple of listens, I liked it and I could easily forget myself when the tracks were chiming through my headphones but it was The Plug (Quantic Mix) from the One offs… Remixes and B-sides album which had struck me:  For a good while the song itself was listed as ‘Track 03’ which, following an epiphany is ridiculously annoying. But this was it, the song which reminded me of lying on Goa beach in Greece, my moment had come.

Fast forward a couple of years and I had found musical my calling in life. Bonobo, of course is at the forefront and is helping to lead the way. I was pretty excited at the release of Black Sands, it’s one of those albums I can just zone out to and come back to reality an album’s worth later. One of my favourite ‘Bonobo Moments’ (they’re now a thing) was when I discovered a 50 minute Bonobo Boiler Room DJ set. My luck was in, especially as I was supposed to be in the library hacking away at my essays for a good few hours.

Now, I’m quite an excitable person, I ramble and I find most things amazing. I am not quite to Parker from Friends level (“This is the best break up ever!” to provide example) but I am up there. However, when I listen to this mix it’s just easy to relax, forget about everything that one probably should be worrying about (It’s okay, I’ll start that dissertation chapter tomorrow, promise) and just enjoy it. For optimum results I suggest listening to it on a deserted, Mediterranean beach, preferably when the sun is shining.

My favourite section personally is about 17 minutes in followed by Dauwd’s What’s There (which to some extent reminds me of Pogo, I’m not sure if anyone else feels that or if it’s just me on my own but I’m putting it out there anyway) before going into Bonobo’s Kiara (Cosmin TRG Remix). You just can’t go wrong with this mix. Trust someone who has been investigating all corners of this miniature world of music – okay, so it’s actually quite big and I’m still on my quest for the ultimate beach dub album – but for me, personally, you can’t go wrong with a bit of Bonobo, especially his newest album Black Sands. But for now, here is his Boiler Room DJ set:

Some lovely youtuber also provided the set list which I am very sneakily stealing for you:

Bonobo – Untitled. 02. Elphino – More Than Me. 03. FaltyDL – Straight And Arrow. 04. Rocketnumbernine – Matthew And Toby (Four Tet Remix). 05. Bonobo – Untitled 06. Dauwd – What’s There. 07. Bonobo – Kiara? (Cosmin TRG Remix). 08. Throwing Snow – Pyre. 09. Floating Points – ARP3. 10. Bonobo – All In Forms (Mike Slott Remix). 11. Bonobo – Eyesdown (Machinedrum Remix). 12. Mosca – Bax.

Ella.

Candy Bar Creep Show – MS MR

I know you should never judge a book by it’s cover, but you can tell that the Candy Bar Creep Show EP is going to make for interesting listening as soon as you see the quirky cover art work. MD MR consist of stylish couple Lizzy Plapinger and Max Hershenow, hailed not just for their musical talent but for their dress sense; on trend yet completely out there. In fact, I stumbled across the dup in the pages of a fashion blog!

Big 10/10 for the four tracks on their debut EP – Lizzy’s haunting vocals glide effortlessly alongside Max’s atmospheric production and big drum sounds. My personal favourite changes every time I listen to it, but today it’s Ash Tree Lane.

You’ll be hearing a LOT more from these two when their album drops on May 14th, I can guarantee.

RIA

Valentin Stip

Valentin Stip creates experimental electronica that possesses a beautiful je ne sais quoi feeling, much like the man who runs the label he is releasing on, Nicolas Jaar. I purchased his Anytime Will Do EP on record last year and it is an absolute gem in my collection.

His latest offering has really got me going however, a track on Nicolas Jaar’s Prism, Hiathaikm, which has recently been released digitally. It took me a while to discern the tracks on the Prisim for two reasons: no track list came with it, and I eventually found out the damn thing plays the tracks in reverse order! So I was zoning out with it for a fair while not really knowing what i was listening to but loving it all the same.

He writes on his Soundcloud that he started playing piano at seven, no surprise dude has some talent!

Support the music you Love!

Vince Art.

Ivy Lab

Ivy Lab is the new name that progressive D&B producers Sabre, Stray and Halogenix have chosen to start releasing music under in 2013 for Critical. The tracks they have produced both individually and as a collective in the past have all been pretty inspiring, including one of last year’s stand out tracks, Oblique, which turned heads with its ambient Eno samples and pained vocals, courtesy of Frank Carter III, who has also been revealed to be providing vocals on their first release, Afterthought, the only audio of which is ripped from Frictions Radio 1 slot a few weeks back, enjoy.

And despite how successful they’ve been at creating the peng lately, I can’t help hoping they’re still working on stuff a bit more like this as well:

Peter

Chill the Belt Sundays

Pat Metheny Group – Are You Going With Me?

A messy weekend, a long day at work, suffering from the previous nights play. A long hungover Sunday doesn’t go finished without a long hungover sunday track that speaks the slow pain of your soul.

Coinciding with that, this is also one of many, but 100% memorable for reasons best disclosed, track that was pumped out in an accidental but mad wicked drug induced night stuck in my mates flat in Nottingham.

The Pat Metheny Group are some sort of alternative synth Jazz group that was founded in the mid-70′s. Pat Metheny is the main man behind the group, he be the lead guitarist and the rest of the group is a collection of mad Jazz fiends that all felt his vibe so strong that they allowed the band to be named after him.

Are You Going With Me? is a track of my youth, another random lounge track from another random compilation album belonging to my mother. Though I never appreciated the track as a child quite as much as I do. Progressively it’s one of the most mad and emotional tracks I’ve ever heard, so deep, so soulful, so sad, so sweet, so long, so peng.

Appreciate and allow the progression.

This one’s for you Jimmy (the Craw)

patmetheny.com

Josh

Lynx – SOULR58

This two track release from Lynx became available yesterday on Marcus Intalex’ label Soul:R, with both tracks bringing something completely different to the table. First up is Balloons, with that strange intro that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Warp release, it takes the eventual drop to remind you it’s even a D&B track at all with its frantic drums and a swelling bass (and what strange sounding song would be complete without a bit of chatterbox?) The minute I heard this song I got that mad feeling of déjà vu and can’t help thinking it may have been in Klutes set at Outlook for some reason? Even if not, I know I’ve heard it somewhere with a big sound system and pondered over whom this madness was created by?

The second track is the sweet sounding Passing Time, which is instantly recognizable from various liquid mixes over the last few months; however it wasn’t till now that I knew who it was by. It comes as no surprise to learn the tracks been getting regular play from Calibre lately as it would be easy to mistake it for one of his own productions, what with its soulful vocals, melodic piano chords and crisp drums.

(Soundcloud has the songs ordered the wrong way round by the way).

I know the Soundcloud sample only plays a minute of each track so if you follow this link you get a better idea of what the two tunes sound like:

http://www.redeyerecords.co.uk/asp/view_productDigital.asp?id=37953

And on a side note, it may seem as though label boss Marcus Intalex has had a quiet year, (other than helping release the huge album, I Don’t Usually Like MC’s But…, courtesy of DRS), he has in fact just slowed down the tempo and been releasing a shit tonne of more house/techno orientated music under the guise of Trevino, which as it turns out, he seems to be pretty good at as well. I managed to bump into the man himself outside a rave at the Marcus Garvey Ballroom a few months back, however at this time I didn’t know much about Trevino, and had no idea he was also Marcus Intalex, despite him claiming he’d played a jungle rave at the same venue twenty years prior, he still stopped for a little chat and let my friend Chungy get a picture with him though, what a sick guy.

Peter

Survival & Silent Witness – In from the Wild

In from the Wild is the new LP from D&B duo Survival & Silent Witness, set to be released on Dispatch Recordings in February of next year, and with some of the recent releases from this label, (including the all ready posted about Roxy Music by Zero T and Octane & DLRs first full length release; Method in the Madness), it looks like there’s lots to get excited about. To get your mouths salivating even more, label boss Ant TC1 has also recorded a 30 minute mix showcasing roughly a third of the material set to be on the album, and to be honest its sounding better than I’d anticipated, with the relatively mellow opening track featuring the dreamy vocals of Ruby Wood, whose band you may already know (Swanson I’m looking at you) Submotion Orchestra. Other contributors include Cern, MC Lowqui and the Commercial Suicide founder and general hero Klute.

It has been a good year for D&B albums with the likes of Enei, DRS, Octane & DLR, Spectrasoul and S.P.Y. to name but a few, all releasing good quality LP’s, and at the moment 2013 is looking like it will be starting just as strongly as 2012 finished.

 

Peter

Digital Decadence

I go to a particular cinema in SE London where it costs £5 all day every day. I love it! However this relationship is becoming strained, like a girlfriend that keeps on screwing me over and letting me down, and She is running out of chances.

I have been three times in the last week – call me a cinema junkie – and every single damned time there has been three digital glitches. The screen freezes, and the image and sound zzzzz out for a second or two. Three from all three… This inflicts a massive loss of immersion, and at my attendance of The Hobbit  – highly recommended – this was a gross injustice! Rollicking along through an action fuelled fantasy adventure then ZZZZZ, shitty digital cinema raining on your parade.

Has anyone else experienced this elsewhere? Can anyone tell me why this is happening? Am I watching pirated films? Is that why it is so cheap?

Bring back analogue and cigarette burns =(

Needless to say I will be making a racket when I return – yes I will be going back for more. Watch this space for results… Take it away Lou Bond – To The Establishment (1974):

Vince Art.

DJ Hazard – Never The Same EP

DJ Fucking Hazard.

Man, as far as I was concerned, this renegade hero of the post-millenia D&B scene was past tense. A man whose name you turn to and go, “Oh shit yeah! Machete!!! WAAAAAH!!! WAMP-WAMP-WAMP-WAMP!!!”

Turns out I was horrendously wrong. Playaz is still holding on tight, so rightly as they should, to their time at the top, their time as the kings of the aggressive lairy (some feel best forgotten) and cocaine fueled Drum & Bass scene that was Jump Up. No other label tore out the genre like Playaz did, or as they used to be known, Ganja… says it all really. No cares, no fears, in your face, nasty, loud, dirty, slightly rough around the edges (scummy) and of course, furiously aggressive. They were the dons. The Perry Ones.

Still gets me that tune. Gets me so bad.

But as times rolled by the scene changed and Jump Up was left in the dirt that it was birthed from. There’s a much glossier and electronic version of the genre that now exists in the somewhat more commercial frontier for DnB but it’s really not for me… too “filthy”, as the kids would say.

Anyway, Hazard was one of the kings of the genre and as much as there was a lot of shit Jump Up, there was a lot of fucking brilliant classics. Hazard being a pioneer and shape-shifter on all fronts, possibly a man behind almost all of the good Jump Up, of course there was also Original Sin, his lil’ bro Taxman, Heist (he went to my school blud!), Sub Zero, Jaydan and… I think that was pretty much it for good Jump Up producers… jokes man jokes there were some other good producers…

But yeah this man was a huge name. But let’s face it, the genre died a while back, the names that were big in the game then are now making some real different sounding tunes and if I’m honest, not many of them have been any good…

At least until now.

Hazard has got a HUGE new EP out called Never The Same and man did it tickle me sweet. There’s only one track out of the Four (It’s A Secret) that I’m not mad on, a bit too classic rolling Jump Up, but the rest? Jesus fucking christ.

Emphasis on huge in that track right there. Do Without You is the last track on the EP and uses a supremely soulful vocal sample that features on one of my all time favorite Liquid Tracks, Memories by MuWookie and is a complete spin on what I’m used to when singing along to those sweet female vibes. So god daym romper stompin’!

And as for Air Guitar?

Yes yes and yes again.

Hazard is back. And I’m definitely feeling the return.

Links to Buy the EP here

soundcloud.com/realplayaz
realplayaz.co.uk

Josh