Blaaaaa!

Just a few tune that I am enjoying at the moment, more to come:

Blawan - "What You Do With What You Have"

Basic Soul Unit - "Soulspeak"

Starkey - "Lost In Space (Darling Farah Remix)

Objekt - "CLK Recovery"

Once in a blue moon.

Fog on the fields, somewhere in South New Zealand:

Kia ora bru,
You may have guessed from my obvious introductory greeting and photo that I am no longer in the UK and have once again decided to jet off across the globe, only this time finding myself in the sheep covered landscape of New Zealand where I have been for more than two months now. New Zealand is a strange little place, in some ways it is incredibly similar to Britain; with its rolling hills, extensive farmland and plush green countryside (albeit, nowhere near as populated). And it does have its charms, for one I have never seen so many mountain in my life, they poke out from literally every corner. Glistening with their snow frosted tops. And probably my favourite aspect is the numerous little lakes and brooks scattered about the landscape that are as clear as glass, never ceasing to catch my eyes with ore. Amazing! But yet again I feel myself becoming more and more frustrated by first of all, lack of a job and secondly my own indecisiveness on where I want to be in my life and what I want to do with it leading me to believe that until I have formulated some kind of plan I am going to find my self feeling the same way for a long time. Hmmm...

Finally now that I have a mini laptop and some internet time I have had a chance to search for some new music (a hobby I have missed desperately let me tell you!) and the first gem I stumbled upon goes by the name of Pixelord.



Pixelord is the creation of Russian born, Alexey Devyanin, whos debut Ep 'Iron and Cream' was released late this summer through the Leisure System label. His music draws from all corners of the musical spectrum; From Dub/Garage style beats, Funky, synthesized basslines and soulful vocal sampling that adds a much appreciated tenderness all of which make for a deliciously promising sound that cements Russia as a major component within the spiraling world of electronic music.

Pixelord - 'Iron and Cream (Part 2)'

Pixelord - 'In The Mind'

If you liked Pixelord you may also enjoy: Slugabed, Shlohmo and Cooly G

http://soundcloud.com/pixelord

http://soundcloud.com/slugabed

http://www.myspace.com/shlomoshun

http://www.myspace.com/coolyg

Other random musings: I hate Pixar movies what a bore! 'The Diceman' by Luke Rhinehart (interesting), Fiji, There should be a ban on Christmas festivities when travelling- is there no escaping it?! and Golden kiwifruit = delicious!!

Regards¬

Back

Some of you may have noticed my lengthily absence for some time now and I apologise, the excuse is that I have been travelling for a fair few months and have only returned in the last two weeks. Where have I been you may wonder? The answer is Australia, our cousins from the other side of the world. Yes, in what was perhaps a spur-of-the-moment decision I felt that I was in need of a change of scenery with perhaps a splash of sunshine as an added bonus. Now, in retrospect, though it helped in teaching me about being self reliant and making friends on all parts of the globe, the price of living was far to expensive which was a shock at first. But more importantly, the music scene was lacking enormously almost to the extent of making one asking "what music scene?". This became especially problematic when writing the events section of the magazine I was interning at during my stay, where I would often find myself scraping the barrel for decent gigs and club nights. Yes there are The Presets and Cut Copy also but the influence of America on the Australian music industry is scary, with flimsy artists like Keisha at the forefront. However music aside I am glad I went for it has given me a new taste for travel and a revived taste for living.

An Australian character

So recently after being re-united with my laptop and regular internet I have finally had the chance to search for new music, such a relief! I'll start off by telling you about a producer I was briefly enjoying just before my departure last year who goes by the name of FaltyDL.



FaltyDL, the brainchild of New Yorkian, Andrew Lustman, first gained recognition in 2009 with the 'Love is Liability' album. Rich with modern glitches, electronic loops, garage inspired basslines and emotive melodies similar to Caribou, it is neatly sealed off with vocal sampling that could give Burial a run for his money. Later that year the 'Bravery' EP was released and filled with the same amount of intrigue. The mysteriously bassy "Play Child" pulsates dramatically through the speakers whilst the infectiously soulful vibes of "Mother Beam", have your ears peeled (definitely two of my favourites).

FaltyDL - "Some Day My Queen Will Come"

Come 2011 and the release of his latest album 'You Stand Uncertain's' hybridity of genres is immensely satisfying which only enhances the resonance of FaltyDL. The forth track "Brazil" has a heavy garage vibe whilst "The Pacifist" perhaps bares resemblence to the mellower style of BOC.

Now that we are a sufficient way into the 21st century, music software is more advanced and available than ever before allowing musicians to take advantage. Rewind to the 90's when being in a band surpassed in popularity to the music producer or DJ, today this role has been very much reversed. Furthermore, the ability to experiment with infinate sampling and styles makes music and genres harder, if not impossible to catergorise, FaltyDL is just one exciting example of this music revolution.

If you liked FaltyDL you may also enjoy: Bullion, Mux Mool and Jamie Xx. http://soundcloud.com/faltydl

http://www.myspace.com/bullionness

http://www.myspace.com/muxmool

http://www.myspace.com/jamiexxlondon

Other random musings: Sangria, William Stryon's 'Darkness Visible', James Frey's 'The Final Testament of the Holy Bible'.

Regards¬

Howlin Wolf and Son House

Lately I can not seem to get enough of the Blues. Be it Country or Electric, the way it oozes with depth and genuine emotion makes it superior to anything else. I have long had a love and appreciation for the Blues which started as a teen when I discovered Muddy Waters, who was a well known inspiration of the great, Jimi Hendrix. Recently I have began listening to Son House and Willie Brown, both pioneers of the genre in the 1930's and 40's. The rawness of Son House's voice on 'Grinnin in your face' (which features only his voice and a mere 2 minutes long) has fastly become one of my favourite tracks (Looks like me and Jack White have something in common.) Son House played regularly with other early greats such as Charley Patton, Robert Johnson (often given the name the "Father of the Blues", but that's a whole other story) and as I earlier mentioned, Willie Brown, all of which paved the way for the beginnings of a music phenomenom that was brimming with potential.

Son House - 'Grinnin in your Face'

Another Blues artist I have become obsessed with as of late is the enigmatic, Howlin Wolf who came to fame on the well known 1950's record label, Chess Records (Check out the film "Cadillac Records" though it does star Beyonce, why do singers insist on being actors as well?) Howlin Wolf is the optimum example of rawness that almost borders on animalistic (hense the name), with live performances that boiled with energy in the same way that Screamin Jay Hawkins did with R&B.

Howlin Wolf knew how to bring his music alive, with performances that resemble that of an exorcism as he became possessed by the rhythmic powers of the music (perhaps his defining trait?) Whatever your opinion the Wolf there is no doubt of his creative genius which made him stand out from so many of his peers.

Howlin Wolf - 'Moanin at Midnight'

Being a strong influence in popular culture, elements of the Blues can be found readily in many forms of music, but it is never as captivating as it is in its originating form.

If you liked Howlin Wolf and Son House you may also enjoy: Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Willie Brown, John Lee Hooker, Bessie Jackson and Robert Johnson.

Regards¬

Extended 'Issue'

Well what do ya know, after a bit of lunch and a Pink Lady apple (My new favourite snack) here's a little bit more for you all!

Now I have been pondering over who to introduce to you next for a while with two artists in particular on the agenda... lets just talk about both, well it's my blog after all and perhaps I do have a bit of extra time on my hands.



The first artist who I want to introduce to you is someone who I first heard about when I was at Bestival in 2009, although I only caught the end of her set her name interested me (Some of you who know me may understand why?) after a bit of research once I was back at home I found out her music is pretty good.

Subeena (which is her real name 'Sabina' spelt wrong) lives in London and as well as being musically gifted she has her own up and coming record label Opit. Furthermore she is also signed to Planet Mu who boast the likes of; Shitmat, Benga, Bong-Ra and Venetian Snares to name but a few.

Her sound is a sublime mixture of; ambience, mixed with dubby rhythms, and finished off with her own touch of imagination, setting her apart from the dubstep scene which she could so easily (and perhaps naively) be associated with. Yes Subeena's appraoch to music is one hard to categorise; ranging from the chillful, R&B vibes of 'Solidify' (featuring Jamie Woon and Om'Mas), the frantically paced rhythm of 'Rakeeh', to the notably darker, dubby feel of 'Transient'(My personal favourite). But whatever she is she is definitely worth having a listen to so I will leave you with this little number:

Subeena - 'Solidify' (Feat. Jamie Woon & Om'Mas)

Lastly but by no means least we come to my second artist of the afternoon, Mike Slott.



Highly favoured by Mary Anne Hobbs, featuring on her 2009 compilation 'Wild Angels', Slott is another one renowned for his chopping up of rhythms and dramatic, electronic beats which is becoming all too popular at the minute. Along with; Hudson Mohawke, Dominic Flannigan and Martyn Flyn he formed a record label that goes by the name of 'Luckyme' in 2004, the same label he has used to release his newest album 'Lucky 9teen' (2009). The album is thick with stimulating Four Tet style rhythms, and exuberant artificial melodies that are enough to fill even the most demanding musical palettes.

Here is Mike Slott - 'Snow Birds'

If you liked Subeena and Mike Slott you may also enjoy: Debruit, Four Tet, Starkey, Zomby and Dabrye.
www.myspace.com/subeena (Check out the Beatport link)
www.myspace.com/mikeslottbeats
www.myspace.com/dbruit
www.myspace.com/fourtetkieranhebden
www.myspace.com/starkey
www.myspace.com/zombyproductions
www.myspace.com/taddmullinix

Regards¬

P.S - Listen to 'Rekordah Presents Astro:Dynamics' available on Spotify.

When you write an entire post then your computer decides to shut down without saving it...

...well that's what happened, however I suppose that is a slightly lazy excuse for not having posted anything for well over a month! Indeed I have been rather busy organising my new life, looking to the future you could say and it is becoming more and more promising, there is hope at last! *Applauses*

Anyway I shan't bore you any longer with the minor details of my life, I can only imagine that you have been feeling rather lost without this little blog to inform you about the many musical delights that still lay out there undiscovered (I hope haha).
So to make up for any hard feelings I have decided to make this post (actually I prefer to call it 'Issue', has a nice ring to it) an extended one, so speakers at the ready!



I thought I would start by introducing you to a music producer who I have been harking on about for a few months now and If you know me personally you may be able to recall these moments? For those of you that don't I wonder whether the Names 'Harald' and 'Bjork' ring any bells? Let me start off by saying that he is of no relation to the Bjork who famously dressed up as a swan and generally likes to make no sense at all (I love Bjork really).

...But anyway this Bjork hales from Sweden and his melodic brand of minimal techno is uniquely emotive and thick with bitter/sweet undertones. Interested yet? Well he is already making a name for himself in the techno world knocking heads with the likes of Miss Kittin and James Holden who regularly play his records as part of their sets.

Harald Bjork's most recent EP 'Kranglan' (named after part of the Nacka nature reserve Stockholm) is a prime example of electronic goodness. Take for example 'Skvaltan' the third track on the EP, its progressive build up and deeply pulsating bassline is a feast for the ears, and 'Cykeltur' the second EP track commences with an unusual repetative melody which makes me think of icey caves and snowflakes. Hmmm maybe that is just because of my slightly peculiar imagination... However check him out and then you can come to you own conclusions, and hey maybe you will agree with me?

For now I will leave you with this little number, possibly my favourite tune of his and one which leaves me feeling strangley nostalgic?

Harald Bjork - 'Glimt'

If you like Harald Bjork you may also enjoy: James Holden, Nathan Fake and Actress.
www.myspace.com/haraldbjork
www.myspace.com/iamtherealjamesholden
www.myspace.com/nathancake
www.myspace.com/actresskhz

Other Random Musings: Travelling, Truman Capote, Pink Lady apples, Holga cameras (I want one!), long walks, 'Dogtooth' (Has anyone seen this film yet?)

Hang on there is still more to come. Watch this space...

First Post: No hello's

Okay so I've been meaning to write a blog for a while now and by a while I actually mean two years, university makes you lazy I guess. The best thing about 'blogging' is that it can be carried out completely anonymously and I like this. All you need to know is that I like cats, music and bread so I suppose my blog should centre around one of these three things...

I find something very appealing about this potato bread loaf:

I could go on however I don't think bread is a topic many are particularily interested in...

So over the past few weeks of no longer being a student I have come to realise that my life pretty much revolved around shopping, partying and for two weeks a term, coursework. Yep life was easy to say the least and stupidly I never really stopped to think about the real world which was slowly but surely approaching. Right now I am sitting in a living room, laptop in front of me, eating cream cheese on toast, still in my pyjamas and still unsure of what I want to do with my life. It was around this time yesterday under very similar circumstances whilst browsing the internet that I stumbled upon Nosaj Thing.

Nosaj Thing. Yes I was struck by the unusual name as well however he is hailed as one of LA's finest music modulators (Yes I did just copy that from his Myspace page) and his music is simply marvellous. You may remember recently that he did a remix of 'Islands' by The xx which has the most tremendous bassline, 'tis on his Myspace page if you don't. I for one love strange, almost unclassifiable, electronic music and if you do as well then you should definitely check out his 2009 album 'Drift' (which I purchased just yesterday). The album consists of 12 tracks and has a peculiar, dream-like quality to it, it also lacks vocals which is definitely a positive point in my books. My favourite track has to be 'Fog' closely followed by 'Quest', the latter would fit perfectly on a banking advert or home program, think Air.

For now I'll leave you with 'Aquarium':

If you like Nosaj Thing you may also enjoy: Mount Kimbie, Dorian Concept and Deceptikon.

www.myspace.com/nosajthing

www.myspace.com/dorianconcept

www.myspace.com/mountkimbie

www.deceptikon.net/

Other Random Musings: Lettuce, pastel coloured nail polish, vintage day dresses, William Sharman (if you watch the athletics), Twilight Saga :)

That's a wrap for now but y'all stay tuned and this time next week I might have something else for you...

Regards¬