camelglasses

Space Is The Place - stream

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:41:58 +0100

Sun Ra’s blaxploitation film ‘Space Is The Place’ streaming in full here:

http://www.ubu.com/film/ra_space.html

It’s an amazing and transporting concept. 70s Oakland is incredibly real, despite the space-age treatment Sun Ra brings to it! Some of the subject matter is obviously controversial given its place the context of blaxploitation film period - I just find it amazing that he managed to achieve the same stylised sense of mystery, soulfulness and experimentation in his filmmaking as in his music.

Mop Of Head, BNJMN, Tanner Ross, Blacksmif, Dark0

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 07:14:48 +0100

It’s a shame this is just a snippet; it’s such a good record! Can’t wait for it to come out…

Retronix Symphony - Seiji Remix”60ver” by Mop of Head

Whatever E-Funk is, I want to be with, in or around it. Amazingness from Catz N Dogz with Tanner Ross on the remix.

Catz N Dogz Feat Nicholas Ryan - Long Way ( Tanner Ross E-funk Remix ) by Tanner Ross

BNJMN lays down a really funky, dark groove on Rush Hour’s ‘Miniature Steps’ release. Don’t know much about him, but this is amazing. Reverse snares!

Massive to see Yemi ‘Blacksmif’ Olagbaiye getting his debut EP out on Synchronicity. Scary that this is predominantly early material from him!

‘And The Sun Rose Out’ EP [forthcoming on Synchronicity] by Blacksmif

Dark0’s Take Me Back EP is out now and has some really nice tunes on it, the standout for me being his remix of Usher’s Icebox.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=”http://dark0.bandcamp.com/album/take-me-back-ep” _mce_href=”http://dark0.bandcamp.com/album/take-me-back-ep”&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Take Me Back EP by Dark0&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; There’s

Holy Other; Vincent Gallo

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 14:56:28 +0100

Extreme blog hiatus. Struggling to fit everything in these days.

Channeling the dreamy RnB vibes of The Weeknd and Sepalcure come Holy Other. Their With U EP has four killer tracks, the best of which is ‘Feel Something’. I’m feeling we’ve reached a bit of a saturation cap with obsessive vocal-warping producers right now; Jamie XX’s excellent new Far Nearer / Beat For release is a case in point demonstrating that the best producers rely on much more than just pitching a sampled vocal up or down over a beat, instead making that element a part of a much richer and more original composition.

While ‘Feel Something’ yields a kind of musical warmth, Holy Other’s EP is, broadly, cold and sad; a new wave of producers are gradually affecting RnB in much the same way that the likes of El-B, Jay Da Flex and co were influencing old school UK Garage at the turn of the millenium: infusing a genre that’s had it’s heyday with a kind of nostalgic, dark gravitas.

Watching the 1998 film Buffalo ‘66 over the weekend, I was amazed by the breadth of talent on show from lead actor Vincet Gallo. Because he wasn’t just the male protagonist of this brilliant film - he was also director, writer and composer of the vast majority of a superb Original Soundtrack, which I went and bought as soon as I got home. Other contributions to the Soundtrack come from Yes, King Crimson, and even Gallo’s father. But here’s a big atmospheric look in ‘Lonely Boy’:

Hyetal, The Son(s), Polarsets

Sat, 14 May 2011 17:27:04 +0100

Last night’s second-ever Dems gig in Brighton was brilliant. Big up all those who came down!

A few records I’ve been listening to that need to get mentioned:

Hyetal’s new Black Acre LP, Broadcast is sounding incredible, a culmination of everything fans have known this producer can pull together. The best track on the album is ‘Diamond Islands’ - massive vocal, AMAZING drums samples - all the good bits of the 80s giving a giant hug to the modern bass scene.

Hyetal - Diamond Islands by Black Acre Records

I ventured into the treasure trove that is Avalanche Records on my last trip to Edinburgh and picked up a few recommended things that I knew I’d like. This is a great, gentle album, the brief ‘Soheyho’ standing out with beautiful layered harmonies and big textures. It’s one of the first Olive Grove label releases, and it’s so thoughtful my head hurts trying to unravel its mysteries.

Finally, we supported Polarsets in this Euphonios bash at the Great Escape last night, and Dave, Duncan and I all thought they were one of the best live acts we’d seen in ages. It sounds way bigger than just the three of them in the band, and some of the stuff they get up to with percussion needs to be seen to be believed.

Sunshine Eyes by Polarsets

I'm going to play at Great Escape tomorrow

Fri, 13 May 2011 01:26:00 +0100

It’s been a mental, interesting and educational month or so, where we’ve played our first gig - which was both exhilarating and horrifying at once - and are now moving on to our second at cheetah speed, after a heavy weekend session in my girlfriend’s renovated family barn. Anyone who produces in their bedroom, I really suggest you try playing a live show at least once, with instruments. It’s fucking difficult. Since doing it, my appreciation for anyone who can play anything live - well or not - has gone through the roof.

There were a lot of well-wishers and mates in the crowd so there was hopefully never going to be too much heckling! It wasn’t ‘wicked’ as such - we stumbled through the thing, with 5 minute breaks between songs and flitting through files on our laptops in the classic ‘email checking’ mode.

Almost a month later, and the whole thing feels like I felt when my first tune got a play on XFM. Just excited and wonderful and brilliant. Tomorrow’s gig at this Alternative Escape is going to be the culmination of a lot of hard work and analysis. Playing this stuff live was so impossible a few months ago, but it’s now more a live act than anything else, amazingly.

I’m just so stoked and happy that anyone would want to put us playing to people in the first place. Here’s a remix we put together for Miaoux Miaoux’s next single, and we’ve got another big one coming up well soon ahead of a single/EP release to be ironed out.

Miaoux Miaoux - Hey Sound (Dems Remix) by dems

Ahmed Sirour, HxdB, Awning

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 11:49:31 +0100

This Little Dragon cover is so very good. Played out on Gilles Peterson earlier in the week, alongside an amazing 30 minute Erykah Badu set. Soulful and stripped down. That’s how it sounds, not how to listen to it…

Little Dragon’s “Twice” (cover version) feat Cleveland Jones by Ahmed Sirour

Going a bit heavier, here’s some horsie-step from HxdB aka Hexadecibel, who’s collaborated with Distal in the past to make some really exciting bass sounds. This tune’s called ‘Hoof Hearted’ and it’s on repeat. Soon to be released on Palms Out.

HxdB & Self Evident - Hoof Hearted : Forthcoming Palms Out by ΗxdB

Bringing it right back down, this guy Awning is giving away a free bunch of downloads from his first EP. This luscious New York Smile track turned me on to it - it’s a big morning tune replete with cut-up samples and totally anachronistic epic 80’s guitar riffs, which is a first. That’s all I know about him - feeling the gutsiness.

New York Smile by Awning

Aimes

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 08:53:54 +0100

Aman Ellis splashed onto the Camelglasses radar around October of last year, with his free Cacti EP, with tracks like ‘Man From Alabama’ blowing me away with Flying Lotus-styled warped melodies.

For his live performances, he developed a different way of playing his tunes, and this experiment has resulted in a new act altogether, under the moniker Aimes. Yo Yo Mama stands out from his recent Soundcloud compositions, with its squitty pads and oscillating bass synth - to my ears, the hook feels like almost a laidback reversioning of Girl Unit’s ‘Wut’:

Aimes - Yo Yo Mama by Aimes

Aimes / Aman Ellis plans to tour the UK if his latest material is received well enough, which would be unmissably excellent. It’s a busy year for him - his Label ModyWorks are re-releasing his Cacti EP in a few weeks before throwing down the Aimes EP, followed by a SECOND Cacti EP.

I don’t know which I’m more excited about, but it doesn’t really matter - there’s room enough in the wonderful world of music for both sides of Aman Ellis.

Aimes - In Sixer by Aimes

Non Person; Sorrow; How To Dress Well/Twins

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 10:43:17 +0100

Non Person - Too Late by nonperson

Non Person is from Finland. His Ninja Tune / CMYK take on production is absolutely brilliant and refreshingly tangential to a lot of the ‘en mode’ electronic sounds out there right now. ‘Too Late’ is massive, and I’m told there’s more to come from him very soon.

Sorrow is the latest and best from the L2S Recordings camp, and ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ amounts to the standout track of his debut LP. A testament to the endurance and influence of UK Garage on a new generation of soulful producers, this track recalls Synkro and his cracklestep contemporaries and also expands where label-mate Submerse leaves off with his recent releases. Those snare claps are just amazing.

Ready for the world (twins remix) by howtodresswell

How To Dress Well has generated a horde of admirers with his stripped back and reverb-washed sound. The Twins Remix has been in my head all week so I thought I’d put it up here. Perhaps it’s not to everyone’s tastes, but you’ve got to commend the ballsiness of what HTDW’s trying to do.

TEETH - Shawty (via 502Recordings) WHEN is this going to drop?...

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 12:41:35 +0000

TEETH - Shawty (via 502Recordings)

WHEN is this going to drop? Teeth and Boddika are the two bass artists I’m looking forward to immersing myself in this year, and this cut from the former might just beat his other 502 forthcomer, ‘Vibrate’.

Thomas Bjerring; Stateless

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 10:35:00 +0000

Thomas Bjerring’s Stratus totally passed me by when it was released last year; it’s an amazing soulful minimal techno record, culminating in the amazing track, ‘0245’. Jamie XX played it in his recent 6 Mix session, and it fit in beautifully with the rest of his eclectic soul/garage-driven set. Spacious vocals are sewn into tech 4x4 beats, and it’s markedly different from the more dancefloor-orientated tracks on the EP, Trentemoller-recalling ‘Stratus’ and ‘Republique’. Anyway, here’s that first tune:

Stateless’ first release, and LP standout track, ‘Ariel’, was duly given a Dark Sky makeover last year, which seems to be indicative of a great artist for the future. The vocals recall Jeff Buckley, the electronic arrangement is deep and slow - Matilda is unique and brilliant, and I’ve copped it already. Here’s a minimix to give you a taster of the goodness:

Stateless - ‘Matilda’ Album Mini-Mix by Ninja Tune

Glyphs; Submerse

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:43:00 +0000

I can find relatively little out about Glyphs, other than they’re from London, and that their music ranges from soulful bass through folktronica to straight up 808 beats, clicks and whirrs. It’s refreshingly different from a lot of currently en mode processed and formulaic production, by-products of the success of songwritery dubstep out there. Which is wicked and all. But I like Glyphs’ first EP for its different direction; it’s not trying too hard at all:

This should be the start of something excellent. And you can download their EP for free by clicking on the link above.

Elswhere, lovely workmate of mine, Lucy, pointed me in the direction of this Old School Garage revivalist tune by Submerse called ‘Hold It Down’. Just love it, and it’s got a S.P.Y. vibe running through it that attracted me so much to ‘By Your Side’.

Stream Mogwai's new LP

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:59:02 +0000

Mogwai’s new album Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will is streaming on Rolling Stone’s website. More greatness from one of the best Scottish electronic groups of all time. Listen here:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/hardcore-will-never-die-but-you-will-20110208

I haven’t got through the whole thing yet, but it’s sounding as etherial, murky and pleasantly disconcerting as their best material ever has.

Unquote; Sepalcure

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 12:11:19 +0000

Unquote’s tune from late 2010 passed me by until I heard Crissy Criss play it on 1Xtra earlier in the new year. This song reminds me of Hot Flush boss Scuba’s work in its really restrained build up and totally absent drop.

The other record that’s had me swooning in the past week is Sepalcure’s Fleur EP. All four tracks are brilliant but the eponymous title tune is a cut above. Listen below and then buy it from all good retailers, such as this one:

Sepalcure - Fleur by Melissa

Zarate, Brodinski, Hackman

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:32:00 +0000

Hyperdub’s first of the new year has dropped and it strikes me as indicative of where a lot of bass-heads are turning for 2011 - more Night Slugs than Digital Mystikz, Kode9 has enlisted the warped Rn’B and Juke turns of Morgan Zarate. B-Side ‘Buy Bye’ is a beautiful mess of deep gurgling kick drums, scratches and samples that remind these ears of that urgent-sounding BBC News intro. No? Just me then. Third track ‘SP’ lies more safely in Hyperdub territory with ace sounding console game riffs. Opener ‘Hookid’ tops the whole pile though, making this an essential release that I had to cop immediately.

Morgan Zarate - Hookid by hughrb

The title of Brodinski’s free mixtape The Best of Everything: Volume II is enough to warrant its addition to your music library. The pop-satire that the mixtape’s name suggests is not lost in the songs themselves, eclectic tongue-in-cheek remixes of singles that you’d expect to hear on a Now, That’s What I Call Music (I think they’re just called Now, now) compilation. He’s enlisted the help of French siren-mongers BeatauCue to strip Rihanna’s ‘Hard’ to it’s bare bones and build it back up with screwface synths; Cassie’s ‘Me & U’ gets a makeover from Brenmar; the pick of the lot is French Fries’ Harmonimix-restyling of Amerie’s ‘One Thing’, which has been getting airtime from the likes of Oneman, on his Rinse show. It’s magic:

BEST OF EVERYTHING vol.2 by BRODINSKI by brodinski-boe

Finally, to one of this blog’s ‘Turning Heads’ feature focuses - Hackman. If Jamie XX’s vocal warping exercise on Adele’s ‘Rolling in the Deep’ split opinion, then here’s a straight Funky groove we can all agree on in ‘Made Up My Mind’. I could be wrong, but I’m about 99% sure that it is Adele’s sampled vocal on this track, and my girlfriend also assures me it’s her on the flip ‘Bam Bam’ too. It’s available on PTN (sometime home of Doc Daneeka, T Williams, Westbeech). Go and get it and stuff.

Hackman ‘Made Up My Mind’ / ‘Bam Bam’ PTN008 PTN by stholdings

Beardyman on the Essential Mix...

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 16:32:16 +0000

Utter madness. Catch the two hour extravaganza in the wee hours of Saturday morning 3:00-5:00.

Ikonika, True Tiger, Jam City

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 15:24:00 +0000

Apologies for the hugantic break in posts. My internet broke for a month, it’s as simple as that really, and I felt awkward going over to friends’ flats to ‘write a blog post’. If I ever do that, turn me away like the stray I’ve become.

Anyway, first of all I don’t know what in god’s name Rough Trade are doing putting Anna Calvi’s release as their ‘Album of the Month’. Swayed by their establishment’s good name, I actually bought the thing and ended up giving it away, such a fright it was. However I did do a good bit of business buying the Ikonika record from 2010, Contact, Love, Want, Have - something of an epic quadrilogy of a title. Standout tracks include ‘Yoshimitsu’, which I really hope as the image below suggests, is inspired by the SoulCalibur character of the same name. It probably is, because the whole album is obsessed with console/arcade games in the tradition of Scott Pilgrim vs The World and other such things. Highly recommended.

Moving on to the True Tiger record, ‘Slang Like This’. I just wanted to put this up because it has a wicked video. “This one’s a banger, release your anger..” I wish I talked more like this as well.

Looking forwards, the purchase of 2011 so far has to go to the Jam City release, Magic Drops. All three tracks are particularly sick, none more than B-Side ‘2 Hot’, a slamming juke tune that will have venues’ ceilings dripping with hard-earned condensation. It will also get joggers jogging - I actually embarked on a pathetic 30 minute jog the other day and found the most energising artists to listen to were Jam City and Hudson Mohawke. Weird.

Slope Songs

Sat, 08 Jan 2011 16:34:00 +0000

Back from New Year Holiday break; it was badass. To wing my way into the new year, here’s a couple of tunes that have been the soundtrack to my journeys down the slopes of Italy’s Madonna di Campiglio. This first tune leaps out of Breach’s ‘Fatherless’, its a heoooge track called ‘When I Dip’, forthcoming on Loefah’s Swamp 81 label. This one’s for the Red slopes, picking up speed.

This next one is ‘HYLI’ by Dark0, who has featured previously on this blog’s Turning Heads feature. An outrageous vocal, and a trademark chilled delivery from the Midlands-based producer makes for the ideal Blue slope soundtrack. Wish this would get a release…

Dark0 - HYLI by Dark0

For the Black slopes, if you’re a complete downhill wimp like me, you want a track that’s going to calm you in the face of otherwise horrifying adversity. What better than George Lenton’s reimagining of Al Green’s ‘Simply Beautiful’? Not much, that’s what.

George Lenton vs Al Green Simply beautiful by georgelenton

Blacksmif: Turning Heads #003

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 13:37:00 +0000

For the latest installment in a series that has featured up-and-coming dubstep connoisseur Dark0 and Leeds’ Funky tyro, Hackman, I’ve caught up with eclectic electronica producer Blacksmif, the moniker of London-based-and-bred Yemi Olagbaiye. His expansive sound has resulted in attention and support from the likes of Sinden on Kiss, and personally, I think his tracks have been getting better and better. I’m happy to say I know Yemi from my school and University days and wanted to take the opportunity to get him to divulge a bit about the genesis of the Blacksmif project, which has taken him from behind the decks to the studio in his various guises:

“Blacksmif has been going for many years but under a few aliases (some with worse sounding names than others)” says Yemi. “It all started with the DJ alias of Mega4 back in 2005 when I used to run a club night in Leeds called Jungle Jam. I soon realised how pants the name was so I decided to change it to something a bit less… well no actually, a bit more pants - Jeff Bass. It was sort of to mark my crossover from DJing to producing. I was doing a little less Drum&Bass and a lot more Jungle at this point too. Jeff Bass carried on switching between both worlds but after leaving uni.”

M.A.N.D.Y. by Blacksmif

“I’d been DJing Jungle out in clubs around Leeds but producing dubstep and a other more experimental electronica stuff both up North and in London. When I finally found my feet with music production (establishing my own intrinsic sound more) I thought it would be quite fitting to cement this with a completely new name.”

The strength of Blacksmif, much as his name suggests, lies in Yemi’s ability to carefully forge and meld a host of genres, melodies and instruments into one signature sonic formula. Manipulated samples at the heart of standout tracks TLC and M.A.N.D.Y. resonate over crackling vinyl effects and combine with synthesised hooks. Yemi was good enough to give me an insight into the gear he uses to weave his magic:

“Mostly just the old laptop I’m afraid. Not very exciting. I use Reason 4.0 & Cubase SX3 combined, with an Edirol PCR-M30 keyboard for sequencing, and an E-Mu Tracker Pre Audio Interface for some sampling instruments (guitars, piano, vox etc), all listened to on my Beyerdynamic DT 770 PROs - a pretty cheap set-up but it gets the job done. I’ve got my sights set on a few MPCs.”

TLC by Blacksmif

“I get my samples from just about anywhere. Mostly, slightly less known tracks that are already heavily sampled so it’s often quite hard to know where the origins of it all are. I use a lot of stuff from artists like Jaga Jazzist, Bonobo, Daedelus, Skalpel, Cinematic Orchestra, Hexstatic. Basically, anything jazz/electronica-oriented. Mostly sultry synths and magical melodies but occasionally I throw in the odd drum fill for good measure.”

He expresses it modestly and apologetically in a way that a lot of predominantly non-analogue artists often do, but “the old laptop” has played weapon of choice for an overwhelming number of the most progressive and genre-redefining artists of 2010 across the musical spectrum, whether you like your Flying Lotus, Salem, Rustie, T. Williams, Bashmore or Mount Kimbie. Yemi looks forward to a productive 2011 that will see Blacksmif’s first physical release and potential collaborations on the cards:

“Nothing set in stone just yet but I am looking to release an small EP called ‘The Beat That My Ears Skipped’ once I find the time outside of my hectic day job in Business Development to actually get off my arse and start promoting it/figuring out how you go about releasing stuff (not a clue). Could probably do with working a little harder on getting some more of my stuff out there too but again, no time. I’m also quite keen to do some collaboration work. I think it could really help me grow as an artist and a producer. I’ll find the time to do all this one day, don’t worry. For the meantime, I think the closest people can get to seeing me live is… well hearing me live by asking me politely if I can send them some of my tunes for themselves to play out in clubs.”

Here’s a mix of his biggest tunes to date, lovingly crafted by the Blacksmif himself:

Blacksmif Showcase Mix 2010 by Blacksmif on Mixcloud

Randomer; Japanese War Effort; I.D.

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 20:02:45 +0000

The Japanese War Effort, so casually a-mentioned in my last post has put across a mix filled with songs from the past year. It touches on some big recognisable tracks, and shines a light on some local, eclectic Scottish talent too.

It’s got some Darkstar, Rustie and all sorts in it; I’m actually quite desperate to know what the last track on it is… he’s elusively missed out a tracklisting. My own cheeky remix of his excellent ‘Ribbit’ is featured somewhere towards the end too - big ups! A mishmash, sideways and generally unconventional look at the year that was, through the eyes of someone who likes his music messy.

The Year Is 2010, And These Are Some Songs: Mix by thejapanesewareffort

SPR003 is on the way from Raffertie’s Super imprint. It features the talents of Randomer, along with Adverse and Fife. You can expect what I like to naively identify as ‘ghostbuster synths’ and zapping pads aplenty over tribal beats. The second track ‘Five’ is particularly wonderful, strategically littered as it is with random yelpings. More of this please, Super.

SPR003 : Randomer & Adverse - Alizé by super

Sticking with the bass music, the other thing I can’t get enough of right now is ‘The Light’ by I.D. and featuring the vocal talents of Rider Shafique. This blends a kind of Roots Manuva deliver with a deep expanding bass presence. Buy it on bandcamp from the Bass Music Blog people, legends that they are.

Gerry Loves Records - LOVES003

Sun, 12 Dec 2010 19:05:00 +0000

Edinburgh’s Gerry Loves Records have rapidly carved a very reputable niche for themselves in releasing uncompromising tracks from some of the most experimental indie-friendly electronic talent across Scotland, aligning themselves with artists like Yahweh, The Japanese War Effort and Debutant.

Their latest release is - again - killer. Boasting tracks from four emerging and distinctive leftfield artists, their split EP is unashamedly diverse and hangs together simply in connecting different players from an embryonic progressive movement in Scotland’s musical continuum. Each track is very different, taking the listener from the looping and overtly political harmonies of Wounded Knee’s ‘Tomlinson Rant’ to the indulgent glitches and pops of Rickie McNeill’s track, ‘Part of You That Meant To Go On Living’, under his Fox Gut Daata monicker.

It’s nothing new to say that, for a majority of vinyl enthusiasts, a substantial part of the kick you get out of this is in the product - the look and feel of the record, the sleeve and artwork - and few labels pay the attention to aesthetic as Andy and Paddy, the brains behind the operation. Their previous Yahweh / Trapped In Kansas split single was lovingly wrapped in vintage-y stitched cloth, and looks stellar. This badboy comes ‘in a 10-page newspaper cover, specially printed with artwork by all the artists’, which, let’s be honest, is just plain wicked.

If that’s not enough, when you buy the album you can download exclusive digital-only remixes of each of the artists’ tracks, by one of the other artists. Does that make sense? I hope it makes sense.

Anyway, the point is the whole bundle’s a steal at £7 and showcases a heap of music that you’re not going to hear anywhere else. Buy it here.