And if you don't love me now, you will never love me again
So it seems Klaxons have won this year's Mercury prize. I have to say my metaphorical money was on Maps, but no-one else seemed to agree with me.
I can't see it being nominated next year, but having given his Crazy Covers compilation a bit of a slating a few weeks ago, i'm delighted to report that Tom Middleton's new solo album is a real gem. Anyone whose enjoyed Global Communication's timeless '76:14', or enjoyed his magnificent choral Amba project at the Big Chill will lap up 'Lifetracks'.
So called because it's been a decade in the making, most of the sound does hark back to mid-90s electronic music... a time when melody & rhythm were king, and Autechre-style abstraction and experimentation were on the peripheries of the scene.
As a result some people may find the sounds here a little dated, but if you embrace the nostalgia you'll find some timeless sounds that remind you of why The Orb, Orbital and Global Communication themselves were so popular.
This track, Shinkansen, is slightly reminiscent of the lush drum & bass Tom released as 'The Chameleon' on LTJ Bukem's Good Looking label. Like the rest of the album it's beautifully produced, and i'm sure could pretty much take your head off if listened to on a nice stereo with some strong buds...
TOM MIDDLETON - SHINKANSEN
I think the track's watermarked by the way, so please don't start spreading it all round the web or I may get in the shit!
Getting to some rather more cutting edge dancefloor sounds, here's something that arrived in my inbox yesterday... a remix of Sydney's Pomomofo by Boy 8-Bit.
I'm yet to hear the original, but this remix has some retro chord stabs & swirling pianos married to some latter day fat beats & timestretched vocal loops. All in all pretty tasty.
POMOMOFO - BACK AT THE CLUB (BOY 8-BIT REMIX)
Some new remixes of Bonde do Role's 'Solta O Frango' have arrived, as a consequence of it bothering the advert breaks recently trying to flog us Finnish phones and Ugly Betties. I'm quite taken by this Ladytron version, with its beautiful ascending synths leading to a drum break freak down. For some reason i've not listened to the Bonde do Role album yet, despite having a big beating heart for the Baile Funk, despite everything i've heard by BdR being magic, and despite finding DJ Gorky to be a bloody nice chap. Another one for the list...
BONDE DO ROLE - SOLTE O FRANGO (LADYTRON REMIX)
Finally for today, here's a track from the new single on Adventures Close to Home (the label). Free Blood have been formed by one of the members of !!! (the other singer), and seem on first impressions to be almost as awesome.
As you'd expect the single comes with a strong set of remixes from Hot Chip, ACTH themselves, and my favourite by Chik Budo.
I was about to post the Chik Budo mix, but after another couple of listens i'm getting hotter for the original of that track.. 'Never Hear Surf Music Again'. As you'd expect from someone from !!! it's slightly long, rather unclassifiable and never short on either funk or ideas.
FREE BLOOD - NEVER HEAR SURF MUSIC
By the way i'm getting more into this DJing lark again nowadays, so if you want me to play some fine records at your night then give me a holla... xxx
I can't see it being nominated next year, but having given his Crazy Covers compilation a bit of a slating a few weeks ago, i'm delighted to report that Tom Middleton's new solo album is a real gem. Anyone whose enjoyed Global Communication's timeless '76:14', or enjoyed his magnificent choral Amba project at the Big Chill will lap up 'Lifetracks'.
So called because it's been a decade in the making, most of the sound does hark back to mid-90s electronic music... a time when melody & rhythm were king, and Autechre-style abstraction and experimentation were on the peripheries of the scene.
As a result some people may find the sounds here a little dated, but if you embrace the nostalgia you'll find some timeless sounds that remind you of why The Orb, Orbital and Global Communication themselves were so popular.
This track, Shinkansen, is slightly reminiscent of the lush drum & bass Tom released as 'The Chameleon' on LTJ Bukem's Good Looking label. Like the rest of the album it's beautifully produced, and i'm sure could pretty much take your head off if listened to on a nice stereo with some strong buds...
TOM MIDDLETON - SHINKANSEN
I think the track's watermarked by the way, so please don't start spreading it all round the web or I may get in the shit!
Getting to some rather more cutting edge dancefloor sounds, here's something that arrived in my inbox yesterday... a remix of Sydney's Pomomofo by Boy 8-Bit.
I'm yet to hear the original, but this remix has some retro chord stabs & swirling pianos married to some latter day fat beats & timestretched vocal loops. All in all pretty tasty.
POMOMOFO - BACK AT THE CLUB (BOY 8-BIT REMIX)
Some new remixes of Bonde do Role's 'Solta O Frango' have arrived, as a consequence of it bothering the advert breaks recently trying to flog us Finnish phones and Ugly Betties. I'm quite taken by this Ladytron version, with its beautiful ascending synths leading to a drum break freak down. For some reason i've not listened to the Bonde do Role album yet, despite having a big beating heart for the Baile Funk, despite everything i've heard by BdR being magic, and despite finding DJ Gorky to be a bloody nice chap. Another one for the list...
BONDE DO ROLE - SOLTE O FRANGO (LADYTRON REMIX)
Finally for today, here's a track from the new single on Adventures Close to Home (the label). Free Blood have been formed by one of the members of !!! (the other singer), and seem on first impressions to be almost as awesome.
As you'd expect the single comes with a strong set of remixes from Hot Chip, ACTH themselves, and my favourite by Chik Budo.
I was about to post the Chik Budo mix, but after another couple of listens i'm getting hotter for the original of that track.. 'Never Hear Surf Music Again'. As you'd expect from someone from !!! it's slightly long, rather unclassifiable and never short on either funk or ideas.
FREE BLOOD - NEVER HEAR SURF MUSIC
By the way i'm getting more into this DJing lark again nowadays, so if you want me to play some fine records at your night then give me a holla... xxx
posted by headphonesex @ 3:14 AM
