Thanks to the Hype Machine (yet again), I discovered this house duo called TWR72. What's cool about them is that they have released an EP called simply "1991" (as an homage to old school house music) consisting of three tracks dedicated to the seasons of summer, autumn, and winter (why spring is left out beats me).
I love this kind of house music. This sort of generic, monotonous, hypnotic, rhythmic music that makes you just want to close your eyes, nod you head, move onto the dance floor and forget about the world a bit. The tracks are all available from beatport if you're interested in buying them.
As a matter of fact, Norway has got some good electronic artists as well. One diligent and highly skilled house artist who I've been following for some time now is Alexander Vinter, or Vinter in Hollywood as he calls himself. Actually, his dubstep name seems to be Savant... I'm confused now... My point is he's good!
Stumbled upon this gem on The Hype Machine. I guess you can't call it house music (although it's begging for a banging remix which undoubtedly will pop up on youtube before you can say "someone should make a remix of this tra... Ah, there we are") but it is a lovely little electro tune from an English band called Bastille.
I'm not usually one for electronic tracks with singing all over it, but Bastille being an indie band the lyrics are alpha and omega. And I've got to say these lyrics are quite sweet. Here's their official youtube video. Don't ask me why it's covered by hundreds of seemingly pointless black squares (it's probably one of Bastille's flaws, ey?? *ba dum tsss* Sorry...), but you can cross them out and somewhere beneath them is a video of some kind. Enjoy.
Check out this video of a guy who does an a cappella medley of Justice's last album Audio Video Disco. Pretty impressive and fun to listen to. Btw, I'm going to see Justice in Manchester in February. Can't wait!
So this weekend I'm off to Copenhagen, Denmark, for a gig with my lifelong hero, Noel Gallagher. Now, why would I write about this old Rock'n'roll gaffer on a blog that's supposed to be about electronic music? Noel Gallagher's all about guitars, organs and that old psychedelic, bluesy sound of the 60s and 70s, right?
Well, if you remember the 90s you might recall that England had a very prominent electro music culture that crept from the depths of cellar- and factory parties into the bright strobe lights and spotlights of night clubs and mainstream charts. In his coked-up 90s world Noel Gallagher readily admitted his penchant for house music, despite being looked at as a spokesman for guitar music. He actually did some collaborations with electronic artists, some more or less well-known than others. Three of which I will present to you here.
The first one from 1997 was with Chemical Brothers on a song called Setting Sun. The track contains samples from The Beatle's "Tomorrow Never Knows" and lyrics by Noel. The track reached #1 in the UK hit chart.
In 1998, Noel did yet another collaboration with The Chemical Brothers on a track called Let Forever Be. I remember being dead fascinated by the video in this one. And of course the cracking drum loop.
Noel's last electronic collaborations of the drug fuelled 90s was a slightly more obscure one. This time he lend his rock'n'roll superstardom to drum-n-bass and jungle artist Goldie. Goldie was known as a DJ, electronic music artist but also an actor in the James Bond movie "The World Is Not Enough" and Guy Ritchie's "Snatch". The track is a lot harder and rawer than the chemical brothers stuff. I'll let you decide whether or not you fancy it. Anyways, I'm off the Denmark to see Noel play some GUITAR!
What is it about Skrillex? Everyone seems to love and/or hate him, he's become an electro-superstar-phenomenon before he's even released an album?! I think the intrigue lies in his eclectic, hyperactive, schizophrenic mix of different electro genres. The way he can send you through so many different styles in one track, it's as if he connected his brain into his computer and let it record his mind while he was listening to five different stereos at once.
Personally I'm very intrigued by this fascinating cute/handsome/rocked-out little electro whizz kid. Dubstep can be a bit too much for me, I don't really care for it all that much, but even I can't deny a good track if the melody and the beat and the "everything" is just right. Like this Skrillex "oldie" which is MY favourite track of his...
I've been beating my self up for missing out on Skrillex last summer when he played Parklife in Manchester (I was busy watching Grandmaster Flash) so I am very excited to hear that he will be playing at the Hove Festival next summer! He has even sold out a massive gig in Oslo already. There's no end to Skrillex's ascent into to electro heaven.
What is your opinion on this electric imp? Do you like his intense sound or does all the hype put you off?
Of course I have acquired the new album from Justice!! Fans have been dying to get their hands on Justice's new material since Adidas gave us a tease of the first single "Civilization" in their big production commercial earlier this year. This album has been 4 years in the making. It's been waiting on the horizon, like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow... Does it contain golden doubloons? Will Gaspard and Xavier have us dancing like leprechauns?
Their first album † ("Cross") brought some of the craziness and edge back to a French house music scene that seemed to have mellowed into a something mum wouldn't be too averse to listen to in her car on the way to work. House music is supposed to be something that kids listen to in an underground club, in the basement with your mates, while high on alc*[GOD & LIFE]*gs (Blogger auto-censorship?), not something that they play in movie theatres before the movie starts. So Justice brought back the playfulness, the loudness and the attack of a garage band that hasn't yet succumbed to the polished sounds of mainstream music.
So what have they done for their second album "Audio, Video, Disco"? Have they tried to surprise the house music scene again with a new progressive step forward? Or played on the same strings, cementing the "sound" of Justice? I offer my own humble mini-review...
The same audible aggressiveness isn't there this time around. It was probably evident from the start if their first single Civilization was anything to go by. They sound softer and more "pop" than on their first album and because of this reviews and opinions have been varied. Some people probably expected them to raise the house music bar once again but it seems to me as if Justice have made an album that they have wanted to make without concern for causing any kind of special impact or surprise. Just a solid, well produced album with strong tracks which stick.
And I think they've done it right. As a fairly new fan I wasn't sure what to expect. I absolutely loved †, but then again that album is what it is. It seems Justice have aimed for a different direction this time around. The sound give you the feeling of listening to 70s and 80s rock and pop, whereas also paying homage to inspirational sources as Air and Italian disco music.
Some people might find this album a bit more "boring" than the first album simply because it doesn't scar your eardrums and rip into your temporal lobes in the same way that † did, but I've found that I appreciate Audio, Video, Disco for what it is. It's got those songs that stick, make you hit the repeat button and turn the volume up. And surely that's a sure-fire sign of a good album?
Have a listen to one of the tracks that instantly became one of my favourites.
