Mister Saturday Night: Brothers & Sisters

Having discovered General Ludd’s ‘Woo Ha’ through Jamie XX’s DJ set at FWD’s night last month at The Dance Tunnel, I’ve been intrigued by the General’s label, Mister Saturday Night. I bagged myself a copy of their newly released  collaborative album of all their signed artists, ‘Brothers and Sisters’ from Phonica Records this week.

 

The first disc (yes I buy CDs) brings together a range of industrial and experimental soundscapes, some that I’m sure would be fitting to the likes of Dinos Chapman’s washing machinesque taste buds. I’ve found disc two to be more relaxed and jazzy.

For me, Dark Sky are what make this album and lo and behold, they are from London (I promise I’ve only just found that out). Whether it’s introducing the the album with ‘In Brackets’ or when they reappear later on with ‘Rare Bloom’, incorporating a mix of industrial beats with robotic and warpy synths whilst consistently creating such a polished feel. When we’re reintroduced to them again on disc two, I can’t help but think that ‘Clear’ has been somewhat inspired by Kanye’s ‘New Slaves’ and replaced with dreamy vocals. To bid us farewell we hear the last of Dark Sky with ‘IYP’ with its housey shakers and retro melody, this track for me, is the club hit.

 

Other favourite’s of mine on the album include Anthony Naples’ ‘Moscato B’ with his upbeat tempo, Boya’s ‘Dawn Corner’ or ‘The Idler’ that has similar sounding vocals to some of Burial’s old stuff and Alex Burkat’s ‘Shower Scene’ – just because I think it would make a great film soundtrack.

 

It’s fair to say that the owners of Mister Saturday Night, Justin Carter and Eamon Harkin have an impeccable ear for new electronic music and with Jamie XX leading the way, I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more of this album in’a de cluub.

Now Playing 02.06.14

Adult Jazz – Spook

Once again, Adult Jazz have been able to create a long, superbly delivered nine-minute track. Their ability to chop and change the mood of the song so beautifully, means that we are never left holding onto to a particular section because we’re taken on a journey that amazes and welcomes us every step of the way. This band have an incredible ability to showcase such a vast range of talent without ever creating a soundscape that is messy and unbearable, instead, it massages the listener’s ears. There is something incredibly special about this band and I recommend that everyone keeps their ears to the ground with these guys because their talent is formidable. Their album ‘Gist’ is to be released in August with the rest of the tracks on their own Spare Thought label.

 

Max Marshall – Yesterday

Having had the privilege of seeing this beauty perform just last week at the intimate Notting Hill Arts Club, there’s no doubt that Max Marshall’s talent is unique, this track being no exception. Yesterday portrays Marshalls’ more vulnerable side, she expresses trying to work out if a guy likes her and wanting him to talk about how much he wants her. We’ve all been there, Max’s expression of the situation is a relatable one. Performing this with attitude and class, we can tell that she’s not going to be waiting around for too long for whoever the lucky guy is.

 

Kelis – Bless The Telephone (Trinidad- Senolia Deep Remix)

This track is one of my favourites on the recently released ‘Food’ album, this laid-back, housey remix is like a sprinkle of spice to the track. Using similar chords to The Plain White Ts’ ‘Hey There Delilah’, Kelis creates a similar melancholic vibe, without any of the emo attitude thrown in.

 

General Ludd – Woo Ha

Having heard this track on Jamie XX’s set at FWD’s night at the Dance Tunnel, I can’t help but think that Rich McMaster and Tom Marshallsay might have been influenced by Lil SIlva’s ‘Mask’ (Woo Haa was released only four months ago). The track instantly reminded me of the work of the incredible DJ Eclair Fifi – interestingly enough, these two met at the Glasgow School of Art, where Fifi has studied and is based with some of the Lucky Me crew including Hudson Mohawke. One can begin to distinguish a certain sound that is forming in the area and although Lucky Me and Mister Saturday (General Ludd’s label) are producing their own niche of music (within the labels as well), I love the fact that certain sounds in certain areas become favourable and are able to be manipulated into something that is unique to everyone. ‘Woo Ha’ is from General Ludd’s EP, ‘Fit of Passion’.

 

Now Playing – 25.05.14

Elizabeth Rose – ‘Sensibility’ (Indian Summer Remix)

Once again, another great colab from the Aussie Scene – you can really start to gain an understanding of the progression of the electronic music that’s coming from down under and how certain figures are helping to mould that. Indian Summer’s trappy horns and wavey snares do scream out that Flume might have been an influence, especially during the lead up to that heavy drop…

 

Max Marshall – ‘Your Love Is Like’

This Baltimore beauty moved to Hackney by spinning a globe and pointing – and her music fits just perfectly. Having grown up here all my life, I have been heavily influenced by 90’s R & B and it’s so refreshing seeing remnants of that resurface. This authentic track in particular is incredibly uplifting and what a perfect time to release it, just as the sun has started to shine! Ms Marshall is definitely one to keep an ear out for.

 

Timaya – ‘Bum Bum’

Continuing with my search for modern Afrobeat, I am undoubtedly having a lot of fun and Bum Bum is no exception. This track is evidence that music can be about sex without being sexist – its a celebration of the bum, an enjoyment of how great and mesmerising bums can be! What’s not to love?

 

Sonzeira – ‘Bam Bam Bam’

With no link to the previous track, this is just as catchy and enjoyable. We’re going to be hearing a lot of South American music coming from Giles Peterson’s collective Sonzeira in the lead up to the World Cup and the whistles and barks in ‘Bam Bam Bam’ make for a great track to get us in the football spirit. Sonzeira consists of 13 artists from Brazil and the rest of the world. This particular track is by Seu Jorge who played Knock Out Ned in the film City Of God but he’s recognised more for his music. ‘Bam Bam Bam’, the album comes out tomorrow – 26th May.

 

Little Dragon – ‘Paris’ (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs Edit)

Nabuma Rubberband really has pushed Little Dragon into some incredibly fascinating directions and ‘Paris’ is no exception but T-E-E-D have managed to push the boundaries even further. They’ve stylistically splashed in thick horns and synths to add to the soundscape that creates a new structure for this track taking it to a completely different place. I love the fact that it is only at around two minutes in that we’re introduced to Yukimi’s famous vocals, and with no apologies that this hasn’t been done earlier – the party has been warmed up for her and when she arrives fashionably late this track becomes a club banger.

 

Chet Faker – The Electronic Hippy @ Koko 29.04.14

Marching down to Koko for the second time in the last month, I was lucky enough to see the incredible Chet Faker for a measly £7.50. What I loved about the whole performance was how absorbed he was – his movements suggested that he wasn’t simply performing, but producing from the inside, as if the music was almost a bi-product of himself. During ‘I’m Into You’ he looked so pained by the music and his movements in 1998 were so reactive it was as though he was completely helpless and unable to move any differently, apart from the occasional head-bop when he had a second to come up for air.

 

When ‘Cigarettes and Chocolate’ came on, the crowd went mental as though all our summer memories rushed back in an instant. I must say, that just when I thought this song couldn’t be any better, hearing it live completely changed my mind, even re-listening to it through my new, high-quality headphones, it’s fair to say that the live version is far beyond what my iPod can offer (even if my recording is absolute shite).

 

His performance of ‘Release Your Problems’ reminded me of a cross between an acoustic rapper and a heartfelt singer. Switching between the heavy swaying of his arms and quick hand releases from the mixing deck to being so enveloped in the music that he forgot for a second that there were thousands of us watching – that in itself was undeniably entertaining.

 

After giving a shout out to Flume when he dropped ‘Drop The Game’, he obviously had to play ‘No Diggity’ and of course, everyone went mental. It’s definitely fair to say that his ability to produce, mix and sing is just impeccable and is done with such humbleness and charisma.

 

Supporting Chet Faker was a scrawny kid from Manchester who goes by the name Werkha. He’s on Giles Peterson’s Brownswood label and admittedly, he did get a little muddled with his guitar and synths but I reckon that once this kid brushes up on his performance he’ll be leading the way with his banging track ‘Sidesteppin’.

 

Overall, although I was a little disappointed by the change of venue, having moved from Village Underground that would have been a lot more intimate and suitable, it was an incredible (sold out) night. Mr Faker has amazing skills and a great sense of humour – after thanking the thousand person audience for their support, he pointed out someone on their phone and told us, ‘this guy’s texting’ – classic. In pre-empted understanding of his frustration, my friend wrote this on his hand and persistently shoved it in front of people filming (as you may see in my videos). Yes it’s fucking annoying, I get that. But as long as I’m able to take home a memory on my phone, I won’t be stopping anytime soon.

Now playing 04.05.14

TĀLĀ – The Duchess

I discovered this gem through the TYCI blog and wow, what have I just found? There’s no information on TĀLĀ anywhere on the internet apart from the two songs she’s released on Soundcloud. She definitely fits somewhere between FKA Twigs and Grimes – where, I’m not sure yet, but this is definitely one to keep an eye out for.

 

Millie and Andrea – Temper Tandrum

Having picked this up in Rough Trade simply because I liked the album cover, I was pleasantly surprised that I actually love what these guys are  doing. A month ago, I would never have thought that I would ever like or be able to appreciate techno – I saw it as a genre that was just too ‘out there’ for me. However, I realised recently that music is all about how you access it and with the right path, you can end up loving the stuff you thought you’d rather be seen dead than listening to. The album ‘Drop The Vowels’ has a mixture of techno, drum & bass and jungle – see where the accessibility point comes in? This track has some heavy beats and isn’t too industrial. Just imagine the fun you could have skanking out to this in a club…

 

Movement – Like Lust

This track really does speak for itself with it sexy snares and dreamy chords, I am truly disappointed that I missed out on getting a ticket to see Movement at the Ace Hotel in Shoreditch. Another fantastic product of Australia’s music scene.

 

Ta-Ku – Knightime

Having swiftly changed the name and contents of the song in a matter of hours since he originally released it as a bootleg to Disclosure’s remix of London Grammar’s ‘Help Me Lose My Mind’, I’m guessing Ta-Ku got into a bit of trouble over this. Having dropped the vocals we’re now left with a track that definitely sounds a lot more like Ta-Ku’s stuff – whether it’s the minimalistic beat at the beginning of the song or the repetitive condensed vocals, he’s still holding it together.

 

F A T I M A – Do Better (Ft Floating Points)

I discovered F A T I M A through Alexander Nut a while ago and I am beginning to warm to her now. Though a little disappointed by this track and the fact that what makes it so great is the fact that it’s basically a remix of 100% Pure Poison’s ‘Puppet On A Chain’, it is a nice little interpretation of the original and of course, Floating Points’ production input never did anyone any harm.

 

 

I MET FOUR TET!

Whilst going out to grab some lunch yesterday afternoon, who was crossing the road on his way to Caledonian Road station? Only fucking Keiran Hebden! I never realised that I was someone who’d get starstruck (even by a DJ that no one in my office had heard of) but I found it incredibly difficult to string a sentence together. I told him I was a massive fan and that I blogged about him – even though I recently wrote about how he needs to go and get some sleep (he does) and then asked for a cheeky photo. I don’t know how I managed to completely forget to tell him that I genuinely love his new track with Marytn, ‘Glass Bead Games’ – fucking moron, I am. He was on his way to Amsterdam with the tiniest suitcase (if you’d even call it that) that I’m pretty sure didn’t have one item of clothing in. It was great. Love you Four Tet.

So this happened…

Yesterday afternoon, Banks posted a photo on Instagram of a weird looking wooden box, telling her fans to go to Rough Trade to have a look. Flabbergasted, I rushed to Brick Lane to see what all the fuss was about and here it is…

 What looks like a tribal tambourine is in fact the first release of Banks’ latest track ‘Goddess’ produced by best bud Lil Silva. For those who follow my blog, you’ll know that when she played this song at Koko last month, I became in awe of her even more than before. Weirdly enough, I seem to be the only person in London excited by this phenomenon. Having rushed to Rough Trade after work, expecting a queue that wrapped around the Truman Brewery (and again), I was shocked to hear that the guy who showed me where it was, admitted that he hadn’t listened to it himself. Yes, I think it’s fair to say, I have become some what, a groupie.

I plugged my headphones in, and listened to the track once but was a little disappointed to discover that it was only the one song – I thought she may have given hardcore fans such as myself the privilege of hearing a little more of her upcoming album that will be released in September (click the link to pre-order).

Either way, it was an experience, and a nice one at that. Here’s Goddess that was first aired on BBC 1Xtra last night, enjoy.

Now playing 27.04.14

Yujen – Try It Over

Yes, that is Chet Faker you hear.

 

Lana Del Rey –  West Coast (Dan Auerbach Mix)

I’m really liking the gritty rock & roll stance Ms Del Rey is beginning to take. I know that she got shunned by the Indie scene when she attempted it before she went all pop on us, but now she’s got her status and is showing that she can do whatever the fuck she wants with it whilst keeping her sexy, botoxed voice alive. The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach’s remix adds a nice electronic flavour to the track too.

 

Jamie XX – Girl

Jamie XX is making it near to impossible for us to listen to his music, unless we buy it of course. It’s clever, though I was furious when Hypetrack posted this track first. But it wasn’t given to them, they didn’t get it from his page – they’d found it on some random user’s page, just as I have here (that one got deleted). I get it though, I do. Young Turks gave Thisissongkick ‘Sleep Sound’ and I’m pretty sure it meant that no one bought it when they released the single a week later. Either way, he just keeps coming out with such beautifully mixed tracks. What I like is that he has kept remnants of his production with the XX in his pieces, the notable guitar twangs and eeriness is what tells his new music apart from all other electronic and it’s utter ecstasy. Rough Trade say that there is an album coming out on the 5th May so we wait and see.

 

Lykke Li – No Rest For The Wicked (Ft A$AP Rocky)

I’ve been waiting a long time for Lykke Li to release more music. I remember discovering her when iTunes gave out a free song every week, this was ‘I’m Good, I’m Gone’ and a VERY long time ago. Since then, I discovered Mapei and that these two were flatmates! Yes, Lykke Li doesn’t sound as edgy as she used to but I’m putting it down to her trying to gain a new platform – collaborating with A$AP Rocky has definitely helped and this track is on point. His lyrics are somewhat to be desired, ‘tell her read between the lines like a bar code, get it?’ Yes, A$AP, we get it and we think that you need to brush up on your metaphors because that is POOR. Either way, it’s a delicate and heartwarming song, definitely worth a listen. I recommend you listen to this version first, just to laugh at A$AP’s lyrics, then just listen to the original or newly released today, Joris Voorn’s remix.

 

Lorde – Tennis Court (Flume remix)

We all know that Lorde and Flume are best buds, so it isn’t at all surprising that they’ve collaborated at last. This track isn’t too special but Flume’s production does emphasise some of Lorde’s wicked lyrics such as, ‘It’s a new art form showing people how little we care, yeah’ which I do think this generation has learnt and is still mastering, so kudos to her.

 

Baths – Ocean Death

I haven’t listened to Baths since his album ‘Cerulean’ but this came up on my stream and I was highly impressed. It is dark – with the sound of dripping water throughout, it’s not a track you’d want to end up listening to on a bad trip but it does have a lot of depth and is so different from everything else I’ve heard. Will Wiesenfeld’s token male high-pitched singing lifts the mood slightly about half-way through, although this could be interpreted as making the song even more scary, with what sounds like he’s saying, ‘bury your body in my graveyard’ on repeat. It’s interesting and I’ve had it on repeat since first hearing it.

Now playing 20.04.14

Chet Faker – 1998

Newly released ‘Built On Glass’ is definitely my album of the month. Mr Faker is no longer to do the impossible of trying to impress absolutely everyone and as a result has managed to create a bliss array of music that everyone can find something to relate to. Vulnerability and rawness are definitely at the forefront of this album which, at the end of the day, is what we crave from singer songwriters, right? My favourite lyric in 1998 is, ‘we used to be inner circle’ as it also sounds like ‘in a circle’ – those two together paint a beautiful picture of someone who has lost not just one of their friends, but a special friend at that. I’ve just bought the album and you should too, just don’t bother with ‘A Lesson In Patience’ though – it’s incredibly self indulgent.

 

Hiatus Kaiyote – Nakamarra ft Q-Tip

A friend of mine played me Hiatus Kaiyote a while back now (the day Burial’s ‘Rival Dealer’ came out in fact). At the time, I understood that these guys had something special and were obviously incredibly talented musicians but I just couldn’t ‘get it’. I put this down to having too much music in one day that wasn’t ‘easy listening’. Nakamarra has re-opened my mind and bloody hell I’m blown away. Nai Palm’s vocals are intricate and fruitful and I just love the jazzy scales that we hear in this track! They describe themselves as music ‘for people who listen to Flying Lotus and J Dilla’ – I’m sold (and they’re Aussie so we have to love them)!

(Soundcloud won’t let me share this track on its own, see below with the rest of the playlist.)

 

William Onyeabor – Good Name

William Onyeabor has recently gained mass popularity in the UK, due to Noisey’s documentary, ‘Fantastic Man’, named after the song. The album titled, ‘Who Is William Onyeabor?’ really does explain in a nutshell the fact that nobody knows who he is or what he’s done, apart from create an incredibly magnificent African funk album. Using synthesisers (which wasn’t the norm in African music in the late 70’s just yet) and eight, yes eight! microphones, Mr Onyeabor managed to self release eight albums that were all in their own right, referential and relative to what was taking place in Africa at the time. People still don’t know much about him, some say he was a taxi driver, some say he studied cinematography in Russia. I personally love the fact that we know nothing about him as it give us the ability to judge him solely on his music, which is just fantastic.

 

Four Tet (Percussions) – Ascii Bot (TEXT 030A)

Four Tet has released some new tracks under his other name, Percussions. They are great. You should listen to them. I just was incredibly disappointed by his all nighter in Brixton – perhaps because he played ‘Heartbroken’ AGAIN (he played it at Fabric the time before and it was a novelty, but twice?). I just want to say to him, ‘Four Tet, you’re making great music, we all know that. But the deep circles around your eyes and the fact that you’re playing the same shitty garage tune TWICE suggests that you should probably GO TO BED. The Percussion tracks are great though, definitely worth a listen.

 

Here’s the rest of what I’ve been listening to this week

 

Banks @ Koko 31.03.14

I’ve always loved everything that is Banks but one thing that seeing her more recently made me realise is that this gem of a woman/ vocalist/ songwriter/ musician has, that very few female singers don’t, is the ability to make a stand for women but with such effortlessness. Women love her because she makes us feel empowered, on a real level – not in the fairytale-like way that the likes of Beyonce do, where the statement is ‘women should feel empowered by flaunting their bodies,’ but instead, with the idea that we can all feel empowered by the use of words. Yes, that may sound incredibly pretentious but Banks has the ability to say, ‘yes, I’m a problem for you now, because you fucked things up.’ Instead of Beyonce’s approach of ‘hey, let’s pretend that all women have access to the same amount of power that I do. Yes, I’m going to let Tom Ford do my latest video because he’s the go-to-guy at the moment. It doesn’t matter that he’s taken advantage of a whole lot’a woman.’ It may sound over-the-top but it is always good to compare those who inspire us to those that we’re supposed to be inspired by. Banks’ (not yet released) track ‘Goddess’, paints the picture perfectly.

 

There’s no doubt that this goddess is a little bit of a gangster either – here’s a snippet of her cover of The Weeknd’s ‘What You Need’, and I don’t give a damn shorty watch me knock your boots off.

 

Overall, the night was incredible and Banks always exceeds expectations performance wise. I’m hoping that her upcoming album will do nothing but impress, as she has done so far. Here’s a film of why people like me who film gigs deserve to be embarrassed occasionally.