Tag Archive for Current

Roosevelt* – Sea | (NAT)

This is a nice and light. A perfect summer tune! If only the weather matched the vibe of the song. For some reason the adjective that comes into my head when I hear it is Balearic. Not if this is at all accurate but it somehow seems fitting.

Roosevelt hails from Cologne, Germany and is signed to the Greco-Roman record label. When choosing his DJ name he obviously wasn’t thinking of how to optimise for use with search engines! Hence I don’t know too much about him. But sometimes that’s okay.

/RjK

*Artist #589

Chad Valley* – Fall 4 U featuring Glasser | (NAT)

I have been reading about Oxford’s Hugo Manuel AKA Chad Valley for a while now. He seems to have been featured by just about every website I look to for ideas on new music. He also seemed to included in every “Best of 2012…” list I read over recent weeks. Sometimes you just have to accept that the universe is telling you something.

While I am not wholly convinced just yet by his sound (Depending on the reviewer “chill wave”, “dream pop” or any number of other banal monikers…), I really like this track. The vocals and synthesiser (not to mention the video) give it an 80’s feel that I am always a sucker for. A friend suggested he has a little of the Rick Astley’s about him, in both sound and look. But don’t hold that against him…

CV:
RA:

/RjK

*Artist #586

 

Haim – Don’t Save Me | (Helen Chandler guest post)

I don’t know about these ladies – look how hard they’re trying. They’re 3 sisters from California and the band name is their surname. I’m switching off already. They’re booked to support Florence on her tour next year and have played with Mumford and Sons and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. I’ve pretty much walked away by now.

But then, this song. Oh man, this song is just right up my street. The melody is pure ’90s pop presented in beautiful wrapping paper that you don’t want to tear. Most likely, what you’ll find inside is that the song borrows too much to be very original and the lyrics are a bit weak. I’m ignoring all that though and singing along, at the top of my voice. This is going on all of my morning playlists for the foreseeable future – it makes me feel bouncy. I rarely feel bouncy.

/HC

27th December 2012

John Talabot* – When the past was present (NAT)

Barcelona DJ John Talabot isn’t someone I know a lot about but I have noted that he has been getting a lot of love in Best of 2012 lists that I have been reading in the past month or so. This prompted me to check out some of his stuff, particularly his album fIN from which this track is taken. Pretty enjoyable stuff.

/RjK

*Artist #583

26th December 2012

Kooley High* – David Thompson

This mellow number has been helping me with my turkey-induced post Christmas stupour. It’s from North Carolina’s Kooley High, who I have been really enjoying recently.

It’s taken from the Album of the same name which was released about a year ago and was named afer David “Skywalker” Thompson and not my buddy, neighbour and sometimes blog contibutor of the same name!

/RjK

*Artist #582

24th December 2012

FIDLAR* – West Coast

I have to give it up to the S//S//N blog for introducing me to LA band FIDLAR. The youthful vigour here is really refreshing, it’s been stuck in my head for the past few days (helpfully drowning out all the Christmas tunes that seem to be inescapable).

/RjK

*Artist #581

22nd December 2012

Joy Orbison – Ellipsis

This is a track from 2011 favourite Joy Orbison. He is a London DJ that makes music that tends to span several genres but tends to be chilled out and sometimes even euphoric, such as Hyph Mngo which I posted last year.

I meant to post this earlier in the year but it slipped my mind until this week when a friend kindly sent me Resident Advisor’s top 50 tracks of 2012 and this was number 3.

/RjK

20th December 2012

Twigs* – Breath (NAT)

I have heard varying reports about UK artists Twigs. Some places I read she is portrayed as an unknown, mysterious female version of James Blake. But DJ/Rupture, one of my music oracles, suggested otherwise and I quote “top-down industry product masquerading as white label single. but its good.”

I certainly agree with the last sentiment anyway, and that’s all that really matters. I like the songs quiet intensity. Somehow it was the right song to be listening to on a horrible grey winters day.

/RjK

*Artist #578

19th December 2012

Belouis Some* – Imagination (Mr Rossi False Opposition Edit) 

Mr.Rossi, the DJ who remixed this sent it to me speculatively over Soundcloud. It was great that someone took the time to send me something, particularly given that it is exactly my kind of thing.

I really like it’s sound – a modern take on a quintessentially 80’s track. I also think it follows on rather well from Helen’s Ian Dury post yesterday given both track’s somewhat irreverent vibe.

Imagination….

Thanks Mr.Rossi!

/RjK

*Artist #577

17th December 2012

Shabazz Palaces – Recollections of the wraith

Over recent days I have been totally smitten by this, probably more so than any track I have heard in the past few weeks. The sample so fresh, I have found myself utterly hypnotised by it.

Some nice mellow listening to ease us all into the last week before Christmas. It is taken from Seattle-based hip hoppers Shabazz Palaces’ debut studio album Black Up.

Is it just me or can I hear a bit of Outkast in their music?

/RjK