I’ll cut to the chase, this DVD is an absolute must for all Alice Russell fans. Due for general release on 11th June, this 79 minute long presentation shows Alice and pals in all their musical glory. Recorded live in Paris last year it is set in a spacious, yet intimate, venue, jam packed with faithful fans from France (don’t try and say that a few times after some drinks!).
Alice is accompanied by a fantastic band that includes TM Juke, Michael Simmonds, Benjamin … [read more]
As promised, here’s a full review of the upcoming album from The Bamboos on Tru Thoughts: Rawville. The album will be available from all good retail stores on 7th May, just over a year after they released their debut album Step It Up. Rawville features twelve tracks that span a total of just over 48 minutes – each staying true to the Bamboos’ patented funk sound, but with a few twists this time round.
Things kick off with The Bamboos Theme, a … [read more]
A confession: I’m totally addicted to collecting 7″ vinyl. I just cant get enough of the little bastards. Got over 60 of them now, and that is less than three months of collecting. If you love your music and have a few coins to spare, buy a turntable and get collecting 7s! Your vinyl collection doesn’t take too much looking after, it’s not like a pet fish that will die of hunger. You just need to make sure you keep it stacked upright (not on … [read more]
If you read my “Best of 2006″ blog entry, you may have noticed the label Tru Thoughts pop up more than a few times. If you don’t know who Tru Thoughts are, have a quiet little sob to yourself for being so out of touch, and then read on.
Dry your eyes, it’s time for a fat slice of factuality…
Tru Thoughts is an independent record label out of Brighton, England, founded in 1999 by Robert Luis. They specialise (for want of a better … [read more]
Do you know 4hero by name? I’d bet you at least know them by sound. 4hero have been around since the early 90s and are seen by many as UK pioneers of the jungle and drum ‘n’ bass scene, fast forward to 1998 and the group obtained a nomination for the Mercury Music Prize for their album Two Pages. Jump forward again to 2001 and 4hero dropped the album Creating Patterns, it was this album that included what has now become a bit of a … [read more]
It’s been a long time coming, but finally I am ready to detail my very own personal favourites of 2006. I think it was a great year and I’ve actually managed to compile a list of around 40 albums to discuss. I’ve never been one to easily rank my preferences – I just find it so bloody hard – so I’ll go into a little bit of detail on my favourite five of last year, and then I’ll just list the basic details of the … [read more]
This year has seen some epic English releases, I’m talking; Bonobo, Loka, The Broken Keys (Nostalgia 77 and Natural Self), TM Juke and also… Dr Rubberfunk, with his new album My Life At 33. The Doctor (or Simon Ward as family and close friends probably know him) ignited the embers within our woofers in 2003 with his debut electro/funk/chill crossover album The First Cut. This album proved to be a priceless twelve track excursion into the wonderful realms of raw funk and carefully … [read more]
I’m going to write about two albums I recently purchased that contain “Rare & Unreleased” tracks, but first I need for this FabricLive 24 by Diplo to finish playing, I cant possibly concentrate on Lord Finesse or Foreign Beggars while Diplo’s remix (and splice) of Way More and the acapella of Bucky Done Gun are blasting out of my speakers! So perhaps I’ll start by saying that this FabricLive mix is wicked. Starts on an early nineties electro trip, progresses to Window Licker, touches on … [read more]
First off, sorry (sincerely) for the lack of action lately, I think I’m slowly getting into the swing of things with this new job and managing my “me-time” – plus I was reading issue #10 of the incredible Wax Poetics magazine on the train home today, and it really inspired me to get writing again. I don’t want to be rigid and make promises I wont keep, so for now let’s throw out the window all talk of doing certain things on certain days – … [read more]