Rosie Lowe Vs Swayney McPorridge

The first time I came across Rosie Lowe was through the Lil Silva track, No doubt. Not taking much notice of the singer herself, I continued to trail off with Lil Silva, discovering tracks such as Mask and then of course, discovering Banks. It was about three months later that Rosie Lowe popped up on my Soundcloud feed and I was completely blown away by her. So, when I heard that she was playing at the overly trendy venue that is Clapton’s new bar, Oslo, obviously I had to get a ticket.

She appeared on stage modestly confident, joking with us saying that the lights made it look as if we were all leaving after her first song, Right Thing, making her even more endearing.

She followed that with the incredible 10K Balloons, here’s a very poor quality video:

During a bit of a break, we were given one of the sweetest anecdotes I’ve heard in a long time. She told us that she loves looking after kids and does so whenever she gets the chance to. One child once asked her whether people rush love, she was completely thrown by the question and found herself unable to give this kid an answer, but as a result she wrote Games. This precise and delicate track gives a wonderful sense of how much Rosie Lowe gives, I for one just want more! She’s just released a video too!

To finish the set off, she played Me and Your Ghost. For me, this song encapsulates Lowe’s authentically soulful style, marvellously! Throughout the set, she kept indicating how proud she is of her band, whether it was an agreeable bop of the head, showing that she liked her bass player’s groove or a wide smile at her synth player,  I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, female soul singers are rising and there’s no doubt that Rosie Lowe will be one of those who will be leading these headstrong women.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/abidainton/

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Now, I don’t want to steel Lowe’s thunder but I did have to give a brief update on what I’ve been listening to recently because THERE’S SO MUCH!

Chronologically, I’ll start with Four Tet and Terror Danjah’s new track – Killer (Text028 A). I much prefer this to the Nasty track. With its jungle routes and the way the track just turns to something that could have been mixed by bloody David Guetta (sound’s like a recipe for disaster) but this is one bangin’ track.

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Adult Jazz – Springful – Giles Peterson spoke a couple of weeks ago about a track having an incredible intro, well I think this beats it. This song has so many textures and without sounding like a complete knob, it really is a work of art. With the traditional indie rock thread throughout, Adult Jazz are somehow able to add layers of eclectic and experimental electronic beats on top, creating something that could easily be horrific and instead a song that is defiantly reckless.

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What So Not – OWSLA’s After Dark: Part 12 – This set literally sums up my obsession with the Aussie music scene.

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Jungle – Busy Earnin’ – Just released a few days ago, this track has begun to grow on me but I still stand by my initial reaction that perhaps Jungle are too busy earnin’. Just hasn’t done it for me as much as their previous tracks.

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Swayney McPorridge – Scribbins – So, James Blake had his last BBC Radio 1 residency show this week (sad times) and started with this track that I knew I’d heard recently, but under the name Swayney McPorridge. I definitely hadn’t come across the name Swayney McPorridge and Google hadn’t either, AT ALL. I thought to myself, WTF? Is this some unreleased track or something? But if so, why have I heard it before? I rattled my brain all day and had no luck. It was only on my way home from work when I was listening to Soundcloud, that I realised who the fuck Swayney McPorridge was… James Blake 10 – The rest of us 0. Very funny.

The future is Future Classic

Future Classic is one of the top-five record labels in Australia, the heart of the Best Electronic Music Scene in the World (though we’re not supposed to call it that anymore). Founded in 2004 and with only eight core staff members, they are responsible for producing some of the most exciting, vibrant or just plain banging artists on the scene right now.

To set the picture, one must look at their most acclaimed: the (already) legendary Flume, King of Australian dance music who, by the way is only 21! If you’ve been reading my blog, by now you’ll have already gathered that I’m a massive fan, so I will try not to waffle on self-indulgently about his own music. No. Here I am trying to explain the importance of the effect that this kid, and more importantly, his label have had on other Australian artists.

I’ll start with his collaboration with DJ Chris Emerson (aka Emoh Instead) on What So Not. The duo started three years ago, making more house-y tracks (“War Paint“) and remixing other people’s stuff like the track Polish Girl (What So Not Moombahish Bootleg) – Neon Indian Vs Drake which, I’m pretty sure samples that 90s Nintendo ‘ding’ we got when we’d turn our Gameboys on. However, it has only been in the last couple of months that the pair have started to delve into dance. They released Touched just over a month ago and my god if there is a song to skank to it’s this. And let us by no means forget their most recent release, the orgasm that is Jaguar.

But there’s no saying that Emerson can’t make it without his lead man. In fact, all one has to do is look at Why Can’t You (Say So) from the Say So EP, only released a month ago. This track is definitely more one for the ladies, with it’s slow and seductive vocals along with it’s mellow guitar solo I imagine myself lying on a beach with a Pina Colada anticipating the drop of those fierce horns. What more could you want?

Now, I know I said that I wouldn’t noodle on about Flume, but there is no way to introduce the next artist without doing so:  He got in bed with Chet Faker (17 days ago) and together they released the Lockjaw EP, featuring the ma-husive hit Drop The Game. Now, what’s interesting about Mr. Faker (clearly and elegantly inspired by jazz musician Chet Baker), is that although this collaborated album is under Future Classic, his own labels hardly mention him. Remote Control Records mention nothing but his name on their website (the majority of their other artists have links to info pages) and there is nothing at all on their Facebook page. It seems like he’s made it more in the States under the Downtown Records label along with the likes of Miike Snow, Santigold and Mos Def but still, isn’t it odd for someone of that calibre? So, “what’s all the fuss about?” I hear you ask? Well, he brought out his first album, Thinking In Textures in 2012, featuring songs such as the impassioned I’m Into You, which, yes, at first did remind me of my days of listening to Incubus. But when he drops the chorus you know this guy has his goals set higher than playing to the Dilla posters in his bedroom. And of course, one must not at any means disregard the cover of Blackstreet’s No Diggity. Check out his live recording here and tell me I’m losing the plot.

Now, if you imagine you’ve got these two incredibly talented artists in a room. The Future Classic room; And next door you’ve got this guy called Ta-Ku, who has also been thrashing out the tunes. You know, like that Aerosmith video. What is Future Classic going to do? Well, of course: smash the wall down and get these guys to collaborate some more! Flume’s Deluxe Album is in the making and what better way to get things off the ground than have Chet on the vocals of Left Alone. And, hey, let’s get Ta-Ku to remix it. Just wait for the triggers. But Ta-Ku has already worked with Flume a whole year ago on Ta-Ku’s own track Higher. With elements of Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’, this track always puts a smile on my face. For the times when things aren’t going so well – with it’s empowering bass, I find myself saying, ‘hey, life’s not too bad actually.’

Sunday Records have the privilege of working with Ta-Ku, THE GENRE KILLER. Not wanting to put a label on his music is highly admirable and I can completely understand why that is, as it varies so much. With tracks like his remix of Aluna George‘s Best Be Believing only released a month ago and his remix of the incredible Childish Gambino’s Telegraph Ave that just make you want to be teleported to a club, like, right NOW, to Closet Drake Fans featuring Drake’s  ‘Over’, this trappy track is definitely a remix on repeat. But that’s not to say that Ta-Ku can’t do mellow. His remix of Oliver Tank’s Different Speed slows you down just enough when things speed up. Then, of course, there’s his album Songs To Break Up To, where Ta-Ku wanted to create something that was heartfelt mostly through percussion: Whether it’s trying to make the listener feel lost in Heartbreak or his drum solo in I Miss You, disturbingly sampling Willow Smith’s Summer Fling. Perhaps that’s because she cutely attempts a Australian accent in her video. Who knows. But it works! He also features bloody King Krule in the track Krule Love. Do I need to go on? Maybe not, but I must mention my favourite song on the album, We Were In Love. Ta-Ku speaks about having strategically placed this just after the mid-way point of the album to symbolise that moment of being just over someone with those feelings of anger at the fact that you’ve just lost it all. ‘We were in love’, ‘Why did we break up?’ He’s right in saying that this is definitely the most angry track on the album.

What does this all mean? Well, it means that every single person should be keeping a fine ear out for the Australian music scene, that’s for sure. It also means that Future Classic have struck gold by signing Flume. Through him they have bagged a formidable squadron that is not only incredibly talented but will be revolutionary. These guys haven’t hit UK soil properly yet and, in fact, have only  just skimmed the surface of what we can expect. Just wait ’til you hear of Panama or Danny T.