Human Life.

“If Prince & Dave Gahan had a baby, in Paris, in 90’s, that kid might now be making music like this. In LA. At night” – Guardian – ‘New Band of the Day’

So I’ve had this song floating around my iTunes for the past few months or so and while I love it to bits I haven’t gotten round to featuring one of the best new trio’s out of Los Angeles. Terrible, I know. I’m changing all that today though. Allow me to introduce to you, Human Life.

They have dubbed their music as “French Touch influenced Electro-Pop” and it’s a rather fitting description. Their new single ‘Wherever We Are’ will be released on November 1^st and I was fortunate enough to be sent an advance copy of it as well as the included remixes. It’s a formidable collection including stellar remixes from the likes of Grum as well as Lovers & Gamblers to name a few and there’s also a sneaky song ‘Italo Crimewave’ which is simply magical. ‘Wherever We Are’ a is song that looks to further cement Human Life’s place in the electro scene.

Human Life is one of the most exciting acts I’ve heard in awhile so keep a look out for more from them!

xx
yours in musical madness

Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts. 2010/2011.

It’s almost that time of year again and Kirstenbosch Summer Concerts are back with a droolworthy line-up. It’s where you’re going to find me every Sunday from early December until April next year. On blanket. In sun.  Enchanted by some of the finest acts we have to offer. It’s all too exciting really.

Take Mango Groove on the 5^th add Freshlyground on the 12th, the amazing Civil Twilight on the 26^th and Johnny Clegg & Loading Zone on New Years Eve and you’ll have the line-up for December. Sound phenomenal? I know.

Flash forward to January. This is when it starts to get really exciting. Prime Circle on the 2^nd. They’re firm favourites of mine and I haven’t seen them in awhile so it’s going to be a good one. Then if you really want to you can fork out R120 to watch The Parlotones but you know, that’s totally up to you. January gets even better on the 16th with Jack Parow, Heuwels Fantasties and Francois van Coke. If all that’s not enough, on the 23rd Kirstenbosch plays host to Farryl Purkiss, Dan Patlansky and Inge Beckman. Those two Sunday’s are unmissable. Sheer awesomeness.

Once you’ve recovered February and March will knock you back into place. Isochronous and Kidofdoom on the 6^th and Zebra & Giraffe on the 13^th of February. Don’t miss those shows either, you’ll regret it. Oh and on March 6^th Goldfish will blow a few minds. I promise. To end it off the series of concerts aKING will take to the stage on the 3^rd of April. Happiness.

I cannot begin to explain to you how excited I am for all of these shows. Summer. Sundowners. Bands. Bliss.

p.s. You can find all the dates and details here.

xx

yours in musical madness

Jessie J.

“Stomp. Stomp I’ve arrived.” sings Jessie J on her debut single ‘Do It Like A Dude’ and arrived she has. Jessie Who, you ask? This British native is better known for her song writing prowess, having written for the likes of  Lisa Lois and Chris Brown and further seen from the hit that is Miley Cyrus’s ‘Party In The U.S.A.’ but don’t write Jessie off just yet, have a listen to her hypnotic blend of soul, funk and pure power pop. It’s a combination that’s hard to beat.

She’s opened for the likes of Cindy Lauper and Girls Aloud and she’s signed to Lava Records – started by Jason Flom, former CEO of Capitol / Atlantic Records and the man who discovered Katy Perry – oh and hitmaker Dr Luke described her as “one of the best voices I’ve ever heard.”

While I urge you to have a listen to the radio version of ‘Do It Like A Dude’ here – simply because it’s a sure-fire hit – I included an acoustic version of the song. She’s a breath of fresh of air and this is just the start for her!

xx

yours in musical madness

Kanye West. Runaway.

So Kanye West released the short movie music video for ‘Runaway’ yesterday. “It’s a piece of a dream of mine all the way from the colours to the phoenix to the explosion and just crashing these things together,” he said of the piece which he directed.

It’s forest fairy tales with a modern twist. The story has West finding an injured phoenix that has fallen to earth. The mystical character is played by model Selita Ebanks, who dons golden six-inch fingernails and a coat of feathers.

In usual Kanye style, it’s a sensory overload and he’s definitely gone all out with this piece. Oh and the video is 35 minutes. So grab some popcorn and get comfy, you’re in for a long ride.

As for a comment that best sums up the whole video? It has to be “I am really happy for you Kanye and Imma let you finish, but this is the longest YouTube clip of all time!”

xx

yours in musical madness

Pendulum – The Island (Madeon Remix).

Meet Madeon, this French DJ extraordinaire is one of the winners of Pendulum’s remix competition of their single ‘The Island’. He also redesigned the original artwork and made it his own. What can’t he do?

His remix of the song is so funky, so fun and so French. He’s subsequently received much praise and much praise is due. The rest of his work is equally refreshing and fun. Oh and by the way, Madeon is 16. Not too shabby at all.

Madeon is going places, you can be sure of that. Expect to see more of him everywhere!

xx

yours in musical madness

MusicalMover Exclusive – Interview with Sky Ferreira.

I’ve always made music as long as I can remember, I’ve never really had a reason why. – Sky Ferreira.

Take every preconceived notion you have had of a teen pop star and turn it on its head, then you might just have yourself Sky Ferreira, one of the most talented 17 year old’s out there.  In a world saturated with identical acts, she is new, bold and refreshingly herself.

Her first-grade classmates had never heard her utter a word until she did a rendition of “Somewhere over the Rainbow” at her Los Angeles school talent show at age six. She explains “It’s always been a lot harder for me to communicate because I’m shy, but when it comes to music, it’s quite easy for me to talk. Performing is a stress release for me.”

At age 11 she sang for Michael Jackson – and some say made him cry. His encouragement for her to professional training “definitely helped” fuel her desire to sing, she elaborates “the thing is I’ve always known I’ve wanted to be a singer so I never really had to think about it. Performing for Michael Jackson is a very big, big honour. It was very flattering that he liked it, and really cool.”

Growing up in LA, Ferreira gained attention and notoriety through the local club scene, as to how all that affected her she says “people around me have influenced me going out, but that’s pretty much it. I think that happens in any place you grow up in.

She describes her music as “new and exciting.” Which it is, as well as  being enchanting and wholly unique. Her image is certainly very different in comparison to the teen girls in the pop market, as to whether it helps her stay true to who she is; she concurs, “I believe it makes me more real. I’m not just someone who people put clothes on. I feel like a lot of girls can relate to that.”

The story of how she contacted and then met Bloodshy & Avant is well known – that of a contact through Myspace – and as for their subsequent interest in her she muses “I’m sure it was because I’m a little bit different. A lot of it was based off talent, but lots of people have talent, so a lot of it was based off luck too.”

Her cover of Miike Snow’s ‘Animal’ is sublime and is a song which showcased her talent and garnered much talk across the world. She tells of her reason to cover that song “I was in Sweden with them at the time so it just made sense. I was hearing it all the time and just wanted to do it. Also, it’s just a very good song.”

She recently released the video for ‘Obsession’ and the concept behind the video  hinged on “instead of me being the obsession, I wanted to be the obsessor.” says Sky. Speaking of videos, working with Rankin for her video ‘One – a simplistic piece yet enthralling piece – she explains “I’ve worked with Rankin in the past so it was really easy to work with him again. I’d love to work with him more.”

Dance music is a “very big influence” and is that’s why she did a lot of the album in Sweden. She adds “there are a lot of other influences you might not notice… yet. Recording her debut album has been “a very long process but it’s been fun…”  As for the overall sound of it is “Angry Dance”! She explains “It’s very dance, but I also feel like it’s writing style is very angry…”

She’s worked with many prominent producers on the album and says of it “I’ve learned a lot from each producer and writer and it’s very flattering to work with some of the biggest producers around.” There’s a rumour that has been circulating that she is working with Britney Spears, it’s known that she’s written for her – as for her hinting if it’s true, she says “I can’t say that it’s happened… yet.”

Sky is known for her interaction with her fans on Facebook and it is incredible. How she keep up with everything? Simple, she says “I set aside like an hour a day to make sure I keep in touch. It’s one of the best parts of my job.”

One of Sky’s most loved – and talked about – assets is her hair; she explains “I’ve always had really long hair. I’ve cut it a few times, but to get it this long it’s taken…maybe two years?”

2010 is Sky Ferreira’s year and while her album will only be released next year she is cementing her place in the hearts and lives of her fans around the world. As to what she would like to achieve? She says simply “I just want to keep making music that’s new, different and creative.”

U2. South Africa. February 2011.

So it’s officially official, U2 are coming to South Africa next year. Bono, the man who made excessive sunglass wearing cool and the rest of the band are back after their tour here in 1998. They’ll be performing in Johannesburg on February 11^th and in Cape Town on February18^th and they will be putting the  Soccer World Cup Stadiums to good use. Ticket prices start at R161 with the most expensive being R696 for reserved seats and the mad rush for tickets will start on the 23^rd of October.

I must admit I’m rather apathetic about all this. I know, I know, it’s U2 but I’ve never been much of fan, although from the response the news has garnered many simply cannot wait. Where do you stand? Happy?  Neutral? Or too excited for words?

xx

yours in musical madness

Music Alliance Pact (MAP). October 2010.

It’s that time again; time for the Music Alliance Pact and from this month the Guardian’s music blog has joined the team of blogs from across the globe to bring you an “eclectic monthly package of free downloads.”

This month I bring you Goldfish, who incidentally have a new album, ‘Get Busy Living’ out.  If this isn’t awesome enough, as per usual you can also download all 35 songs in one file, so click here.

SOUTH AFRICA: Musical Mover & Shaker!
Goldfish – Fort Knox

Hailing from Cape Town, Goldfish is made up of Dominic Peters and David Poole, who are one of the hottest jazz/electro duos this side of the equator. A mix of “funky riffs, acid jazz melodies and instantly catchy dance floor songs” is what they are about and Fort Knox is the epitome of their unique sound. This duo have made their mark in the dance scene and world domination is in sight.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Hamacas Al Rio – Sin Decir
Hamacas Al Rio is a six-piece acoustic pop band led by singer Laura Ciuffo. Sin Decir is one of our favorite tracks from their latest release, Al Final, El Parque, an amazing album dominated by hypnotic chamber music sounds and fine string arrangements, along with more conventional synthesizers and electric guitars.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
Bleeding Knees Club – Bad Guys
Bleeding Knees Club only started in March and have already toured Australia’s east coast a bunch of times, recorded an EP and secured a label and distribution. Admittedly, BKC trade in a certain brand of music that doesn’t require/intentionally avoids precision, planning and cleanliness. Even though you can imagine these guys bashing out an EP within the amount of time it takes some bands to soundcheck, it still suggests potential radness in the near future.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Baiana System – Jah Jah Revolta
Baiana System is a new group from Bahia, a Brazilian state famous for its axé music – a style marked by lyrics full of ambiguous sexual overtones and simple dance rhythms. Their trump card is to raise the Bahian guitar to a new level, combining a typically Brazilian musical manifestation to elements of dub, contemporary electronic, rock and other genres, as observed in Jah Jah Revolta.

CANADA: I(Heart)Music
The Wilderness Of Manitoba – Sea Song
To fully appreciate The Wilderness Of Manitoba, you need to be in a calm, relaxed mood. So sit back. Clear your mind. Forget your worries for a moment. Ignore the phone, the internet, your pets, everything. Now start Sea Song and just let the gorgeous vocal harmonies and beautiful folky melodies wash over you. Wasn’t that pleasant? Now go and get a copy of their first full-length, When You Left The Fire, because it has 12 more tracks just like that one.

CHILE: Super 45
Dadalú – Gracias
Dadalú’s (Daniela Saldías) first steps in music were linked to the punk and hardcore scene. Later, she refined her ideas, got closer to hip-hop and took part in Colectivo Etéreo, Iris and Julia Rose. However, her solo work is strongly influenced by Phil Spector and Mark Ronson’s orchestrated pop. Gracias, the first single from her forthcoming debut album Período, to be released by netlabels Ponk and Michita Rex, is the best proof that differences between punk, rap and pop are dwindling.

CHINA: Wooozy
Sun Ye – Strange Planet
With projects in rock, punk and post-rock bands under his belt, Shanghai-based Sun Ye is nowhere near finished with whatever he has planned for his music – fluid, dreamlike melodies that tinkle and slide smoothly in and out of your ears. His unpredictable yet continually enthralling tunes have landed him support slots for both Ólafur Arnalds and Émilie Simon this year. His latest album, Trash Can, was released on the Miniless label.

DENMARK: All Scandinavian
The Malpractice – Boss Stallion
October 25 will see the release of The Malpractice aka Johannes Gammelby’s (I Am Bones, Beta Satan) solo debut Tectonics on Crunchy Frog, an 11-song strong album of alternative rock aiming at minds, (pop) hearts and feet. Here’s the great Boss Stallion and if you dig it, make sure to check out the other album single Oh, The Irony streaming on MySpace.

ENGLAND: The Guardian Music Blog
The Visitors – Hello Moon
Visitors frontman Karl Walsh used to head Factory Records folkies To Hell With Burgundy. The official bio says he has spent the time since the label’s demise “writing novels in the French countryside”. Hello Moon says different. It speaks of years spent orbiting Bowie’s legacy, drifting on the dark side of the Duke before taking a quantum leap into Wayne Coyne’s shoes. More years spent Waitin’ For A Superman to spin earth backwards, to rewind to a time when we were still wide-eyed about space, glam rock and the power of a good, solid tune.

ESTONIA: Popop
Tallinn Daggers – Island Phi Ley
Tallinn Daggers is an electronic pop duo from Tallinn that consists of Ardo Kivi and Joosep Volk. Since they united in 2009 they have released one digital EP, The Last Escape, and a handful of singles. They are known for their very energetic live shows and listener-friendly habit of giving away their music.

FINLAND: Glue
Big Wave Riders – Big Sound
Formed just before the summer, Big Wave Riders aim to be the next big thing in Finnish indie music. While they ready their debut EP, we can enjoy a taste of their first recordings with Big Sound’s fast tropical beat and early 80s garage vibe.

FRANCE: ZikNation
Hutchinson – Oh My Lover
Hutchinson is an electro-rock duo featuring Olivier Deniaud and Eric Tanguy, who make their music in the very creative city of Nantes. It’s a hobby that doesn’t stop them being rather good. You might have had a hard time guessing they were French.

GERMANY: Blogpartei
MIT – Pudong
German band of the moment is definitely MIT. With the advanced electronica of their second album Nanonotes, which was produced by Simian Mobile Disco member Jas Shaw, and especially with the video to Pudong, they have hit the spot in Germany’s blogosphere. MIT may rightly be seen as a concept for taking Kraftwerk’s legacy into the future.

GREECE: Mouxlaloulouda
go.quiet – Everyone I Ever Met
go.quiet is the project of Christina Kassesian and ?ousework. Everyone I Ever Met, the primary result of their collaboration, is soothing, compelling, heartbreaking, mysterious and gloomy. An enticing dip into melancholy that urges you to lean closer to the speakers to fully feel everything that is being played and sung. There’s a beauty in the melody that conjures up a cinematic romanticism with the soft-spoken, whispered, gentle vocals to amplify this emotion.

ICELAND: I Love Icelandic Music
Captain Fufanu – Lava
Captain Fufanu are two youngsters and probably the brightest hope of the Icelandic electronic music scene. Hrafnkell Flóki Einarsson and Guðlaugur Halldór Einarsson (sons of a different Einar, so not brothers) aka Kaktus and Gulli played their first gig at the age of 16 in 2008. The duo mix dub, techno, house and experimental electronica. The song Lava is unreleased.

INDIA: Indiecision
Kaav – Daya
Kaav is an alt-prog trio from Kochi. The band’s expansive, instrumental soundscapes are based in an understanding of local Carnatic music, with the trappings of a more alternative Oceansize – think a dosa-eating Explosions In The Sky. Daya is taken from a recently-released eponymous three-track EP, which we highly recommend you download here for free.

INDONESIA: Deathrockstar
Ghaust – Sleep And Release
With only two members, Ghaust, who hail from Jakarta, build an instrumental trip crossing through different genres, where post-rock/shoegaze influences and crushing sludge/doom tempo collide with hardcore punk and heavy rock. Sleep And Release explores a cumulative void, expressing emotions that can only be conveyed with music.

IRELAND: Nialler9
Sacred Animals – Chosen Seed
Sacred Animals is a solo project of Darragh Nolan. His debut release is the lush four-track EP Welcome Home and serves as a perfect introduction to his fanciful and feral, wild like nature ballads. The music recalls Radiohead, Bon Iver and Guillemots without ever really sounding too much like any of them.

ISRAEL: Metal Israel
ACE And The Deck – Mr. Grieves (Pixies cover)
ACE And The Deck take the Pixies’ Mr. Grieves, stir it up with reggae, shake it up with psychobilly, throw in some surf punk and cut it with a generous helping of arak. Their debut album is a veritable musical arsenal taking the best from all genres, and hits the market on December 13.

ITALY: Polaroid
Havah – The Competition Dies
Michele Camorani was a member of La Quiete, one of the most important screamo hardcore bands of the past decade. This is his new solo project, and the sound is very different. Imagine a Blank Dogs song locked up in a dark basement all alone for 20 years – that’s how obscure and cursed Havah’s music can be. Sometimes, suddenly, pop melodies come to the surface, but soon they’re buried into the noise once again. It’s definitely worth downloading Havah’s first album for free via his MySpace.

JAPAN: JPOP Lover
Hotel Mexico – Its Twinkle
Hotel Mexico are not from Mexico, but are a glo-fi and chill electro band hailing from Kyoto. Its Twinkle is taken from the recently released His Jewelled Letter Box EP and is full of radiant guitar melodies, ambient bells, airy synths and more reverb than any respectable song has the right to use.

MEXICO: Red Bull PanameriKa
Hello Seahorse! – Un Año Quebrado
Once a twee-pop band, Mexico City’s Hello Seahorse! morphed into a gloomy sounding beast on their third album, Bestia. Now they’ve delved deeper into their tormented souls and came out with their fourth album in four years, Lejos. No Tan Lejos. Produced by the legendary Money Mark in Los Angeles and by local wizard Yamil Rezc, the 11 songs lay a rich forest of synths where Lo Blondo’s banshee-like voice soars with operatic tropes. Say “Hola!” to this seamonster.

NETHERLANDS: Unfold Amsterdam
Space Siren – This Radar
Amsterdam quartet Space Siren have strong indie-rock pedigree behind them. Featuring members who previously made up the noisy, melancholic band Seesaw, who released a number of great albums on the reliable Transformed Dreams label early in the 2000s, Space Siren carry the torch on wonderfully. Thick layers of guitar distortion hark back to an era when Sonic Youth ruled the independent underground. The percussion drives every song. And, somehow, amidst the haze of overdrive, there’s room for the strong, moody vocals of Gwendolien.

NEW ZEALAND: Counting The Beat
Secret Knives – The Northwest States
Secret Knives is the solo bedroom recording project of Ash Smith, who also plays in Over The Atlantic. The Northwest States begins with a pop melody and lyrics about lost love over programmed beats and a nice rumbling bass line. Then the layers of guitar start to build until the song soars into a shimmering shoegaze crescendo. The song is from Secret Knives’ new album Affection, available for free download from here.

NORWAY: Eardrums
Dunderhonning – Støv
Dunderhonning is a young quartet from Harstad in the north of Norway. They have just released their debut full-length album on Guano Recordings, Sakte Ut Av Fokus, where they play warm, poetic, dreamy and powerful pop/rock. They sing in their native language and dialect, which suits the songs and their expression well. People who have heard and loved the music of Kråkesølv may find these two close to each other in style. Their album is high on my list of the best Norwegian albums this year. Highly recommended.

PERU: SoTB
LongPlayer – Chica A Go-Go
It’s time to welcome the debut of LongPlayer, a powerful quartet that formed in Lima in 2009 and is led by experienced Pipe Villarán. Their first single, Chica A Go-Go, carries a pleasant melancholy and is full of crunchy guitars and surprise trumpet appearances. Their self-titled debut album, which comes out on October 21, promises to deliver a classic rock lesson and will undoubtedly be one of the best of the year.

PORTUGAL: Posso Ouvir Um Disco?
Noiserv – 06:00am – Mr. Carousel
Since his first presence in MAP a year ago, Noiserv (aka David Santos) has played internationally, recently in Scotland and Slovenia, and has shared the stage with Bill Callahan, Camera Obscura, Damon & Naomi, Perry Blake and The Swell among others. In July, he released a new EP, A Day In The Day Of The Days – a musical diary of one fictional day.

ROMANIA: Babylon Noise
Minus – Ha?deu
Minus is Daniel Stanciu, a young man from Bucharest who combines massive mountains of bass with glitchy, twinkling Game Boy melodies and a healthy dose of synth funk. The EP from which Ha?deu was taken can be listen to and downloaded on Minus’ page at Local Records.

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Bear Bones – Oil & Lacquer
Islay-born singer Ben Harrison’s thick brogue and some inspired bursts of accordion make eight-strong Bear Bones an unmistakably Scottish proposition and Oil & Lacquer a heavenly way to spend four minutes. Fans of Belle & Sebastian won’t be disappointed. Since it’s exactly two years since the Music Alliance Pact was launched, as a bonus you can also download a free anniversary compilation here which contains mostly exclusive and rare tracks contributed by 23 previous MAP artists from Scotland.

SINGAPORE: I’m Waking Up To…
Typewriter – Cry So Well (The Suntan Mix)
Ten years and three line-up changes later, Typewriter have finally released their labor of love, Indian Head Massage. Their debut album is chock full of well-crafted power-pop tunes and guitar riffs, whimsical lyrics and one of the most dynamic rhythm sections in the country. As a live four-piece, Typewriter shed all inhibitions to deliver a spine-tingling dose of forgotten melodies to awaken the senses, but on record they take the time to flesh out the minute details that make each song stand out.

SOUTH KOREA: Indieful ROK
Go-yo – The Blue Devil
Singer-songwriter Go-yo writes songs about cynical self-consolation. After debuting with a self-titled single offering lo-fi piano pieces last year, he has begun a venture into the realm of trip-hop and electronica with the recent release of first full-length album I Came Alone. While songs such as Let The Little Bird Fly maintains Go-yo’s original, melancholic piano sound, The Blue Devil creates an atmosphere similar to that built by Air’s score for The Virgin Suicides.

SWEDEN: Swedesplease
Mother Of The Forest – Bränna Broar
This suddenly prolific artist has just released another EP, this time with guests such as Mattias Alkberg and Magnus Ekelund. Vocals are processed and distant in the mix, adding to both the spookiness of the tracks and the prominence of the staccato electronic bursts that punctuate and enliven each song.

SWITZERLAND: 78s
The Legendary Lightness – Airplane
The Legendary Lightness is the side-project of the two drummers from Swiss indie outfits Schnitzer and Gabardine. The singer-songwriter duo hail from Zurich and has just released a splendid single called Airplane. It’s an airy piece of music, providing you with the musical layer for daydreaming. Airplane will be featured on an EP which will be sold at concerts and is limited to 100 copies. Their debut album is scheduled for release this winter.

UNITED STATES: I Guess I’m Floating
Twin Shadow – Yellow Balloon
The description for this artist should be short and sweet: spin the track, buy the album and become very happy. Twin Shadow, the one-man project of Brooklynite George Lewis Jr, is full of smooth synths, dark vocals and compositions operating under the influence of 1980s music but not cheaply ripping it off like loads of chillwave acts. Simplicity and melody merge seamlessly in Yellow Balloon, like many of the tracks on debut LP Forget.

VENEZUELA: Barquisimento
Los Mentas – El Kiosko
Los Mentas is a rockabilly band with a new and nostalgic proposal and a strong dose of punk-rock flavor. Other influences like tango and swing can also be found in their work. Richard “Chicha” Blanco, Carlos Aray, Hector “Lukas” Paredes and Juan Olmedillo are Los Mentas, and El Kiosko is included on their debut album.