Welcome To Monday…

…it’s been expecting you. First of all, allow me to get nerdy for a minute or two. Now, RSS news feeds, in the past I’ve found them to be plain frustrating, but that’s mainly due to the RSS feed readers that I’ve tried. I hate the layout and concept of retrieving the feeds and reading them. It just feels like one way email. So I’d sort of given up on the idea, until… Google came to the rescue. You can always rely on those bods at Google Labs. They’ve devised the Google Reader, and I think it is great! To be honest it’s just horses for courses, but I already love Google Reader - it’s so simple. But, I also wanted to mention (in conjunction with Google Reader) that if you subscribe to any of the Hype Machine music feeds, you can play the tracks within Google Reader. So I subscribed to the Popular Tracks feed and now when I get a new track pop up in Google Reader, I can listen to it there and then without having to even browse to a different page. See…

It also means you can subscribe to the feed for all the tracks I upload on this blog… http://hype.non-standard.net/playlist/blog/1093/rss/1/feed.xml - you lucky buggers! If anything I’ve said about RSS feeds, Google Reader, or Hype Machine, doesn’t make sense to you, or you have some questions, fire away and I’ll try my best to help.

That nerdy info was about as much direction as today’s blog entry gets I’m afraid, so I’ll ramble. Been checking my blog stats, sooo many people continually searching for tracks from and reviews of The Outsider by DJ Shadow. Do you like hyphy Bay Area hip-hop and also Coldplay? If so, you’ll love The Outsider. If you don’t like those two things, but you say you do love The Outsider… then you’re lying - get over yourselves and listen to something decent. Apparently the Australian tour that DJ Shadow and Mos Def have been doing together has been really good - few incidents of bewilderment when the hyphy tracks have been dropped, but naturally loads of appreciation when the classics have been played. Will the teasing anticipation of the live Organ Donor drop ever get boring? Probably not.

Elsewhere, Dan The Automator is gonna be producing the new album for the band Little Barrie, I don’t know who they are, but I know Dan The Automator is a shit-hot producer. Makes me laugh though how other news sites have to introduce Dan as the producer for Gorillaz - guess they need some frame of reference for the ignorants that know only what NME throws at them. Whilst we’re on the subject of Gorillaz though, Damon Albarn has formed a new band. Together with Danger Mouse he is making an album called The Good The Bad And The Queen. They have a debut single out in October.

Not much else happening on this slow Monday. Should be getting a write-up from Splendour In The Grass sometime this week. That was the two day musical festival last weekend in Byron Bay, Australia. If you’ve been to a musical festival recently and fancy doing a write-up for this blog, just give me a shout. Naturally you’ll get full accreditation, just give me around 1000 words (no more than 1500), and some photos if you’ve got some (no problem if you don’t), and I’ll get it sorted.

Anyway, I’ll end this entry with a song…

Razorlight - America
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted fromyour computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 7th August.

Useful links:

• Google Reader
• Hype Machine website
• Splendour In The Grass website
• Download - Razorlight - America

Unearthing MySpace Gems

Today I have a special edition of Unearthing MySpace Gems to share with you. Each of the five artists are from the New York label Palms Out Sounds. But before I get started, here’s a run down of how Unearthing MySpace Gems works; all of the artists and groups I feature have one thing (at least) in common; all have had less than 10,000 page-views. If you know of any artists on MySpace, with less than that many page-views, that you think I should feature, please let me know. You can either email me to the address at the left, or send me a message and/or friends request (if you are an artist or band) at my personal MySpace page or the >>just like music MySpace page.

Haldan - http://www.myspace.com/palmsout

Hip-hop and trip-hop producer based in New York and seemingly the front-man for the Palms Out Sounds collective. Haldan creates smooth and funky beats, much in the same vein as the older Shadow and RJD2 stuff, although for a more modern comparison think along the lines of Wax Tailor - the track Cleanliness particularly displays those comparisons. Where as tracks like Crab Apples and No Real Stops show off the more trip-hop’ish sounds. It’s a classic modern blend of genres; trip-hop sounds on top of hip-hop’esque beats. A talented individual for sure.

City Product - http://www.myspace.com/cityproduct

City Product is a hip-hop duo made up of previously mentioned producer Haldan and also emcee/poet Scheme. Their track Get Up beautifully combines Haldan’s thumping beats and Scheme’s clever flowing vocals - a fresh slice of hip-hop. I really do appreciate hip-hop artists trying to create new sounds, or at least trying to step away from the tried and tested methods, and City Product do just that. I also really enjoyed listening to their, almost a bit electro sounding, track; Fresh - once again it’s good to see artists using more experimental sounds. Fans of hip-hop and down-tempo sounds will dig this.

Old Money - http://www.myspace.com/oldmoneynyc

This rap duo features Cadence and also Scheme (of City Product). Their track Go For Mine is easily one of the best tracks I’ve heard this month, and if you know how much music I listen to in an average month… then you’ll know that’s a big compliment! They’ve got flowing rhymes, kicking drums, and even some brass - such a tune. Only the one tune on their page at the moment, but I’m eager to hear more.

Lance Drummonds - http://www.myspace.com/lancedrummonds

Lance Drummonds is a soul singer, and man does he have some soul. His track My Type shows off his fantastic voice in style. This is smooth, but powerful, soulful and energetic - like a classic voice of solid oak, from years gone by, brought up to date and expressed via this talented individual. Again, only really one track to check out on his page, and again… I wanna hear more! Like soul? Love Lance Drummonds.

In Situ - http://www.myspace.com/insituislove

Krista, Joel, Haldan, Dave, and some friends make up In Situ, an indie rock group that’s part of the Palms Out Sounds crew. Just the one track on their MySpace page, No Arms, and it’s great. Krista’s haunting vocals intertwine with the music like a vine round a tree, a very organic sound indeed. This isn’t indie rock as we know it, this is a genuine hybrid as shown by the deep kicking drums and raw guitar sounds. Definitely worth a listen - but it seems the Palms Out lot are just teasing us with this lack of tracks to hear!

As you can probably tell by now, the Palms Out Sounds crew are a bit like Stones Throw where the mish-mash of collaborations is concerned. That’s all cool to me, I think it’s great when a group of talented individuals come together and work on different projects with each other. Anyway, don’t forget to check out the Palms Out Sounds MySpace page, their website, and also their blog. Enjoy!

Useful links:

• Haldan MySpace page
• City Product MySpace page
• Old Money MySpace page
• Lance Drummonds MySpace page
• In Situ MySpace page

Ch-Check It Out

Have I got some treats for you today! Firstly though, reading the Slutty Fringe blog yesterday reminded me to tell you all bout something. Some will know already, but others need to know… Rappers Delight Club y’all! They’re a bunch of elementary school children from Maryland, USA. The kids are aged 5 to 12 and rap their little hearts out under the tutelage of a high school teacher. You have to check out their MySpace page, add them to your friends and then leave a comment - apparently the kids go wild when they hear that another comment has been left. So, get those tracks checked on the MySpace page and download First Ladies Anthem from Slutty Fringe.

Also, Stones Throw and Adult Swim have announced Chrome Children, a CD and DVD due out 3rd October. They say… “The CD: music from Madvillain, J Dilla, Madlib, and many others - this will also be released on 2/LP. The DVD: a full-length live hip hop show headlined by MF DOOM and Madlib. The concert was filmed at this year’s SXSW in a tent. That’s how we do it. Filmed & edited by the Adult Swim crew.” Full details can be found on the website. Oh and also on that site you can download a Peanut Butter Wolf Chrome mix…

PB Wolf’s Chrome Mix
>> download <<
This download is totally free and must be listened to on your computer or ipod after downloading. This download link will be up until it’s taken down by Stones Throw.

So, those treats I promised, well first one is a track featured on the film Lost In Translation, and then also a remix of that said track. You might have heard of this guy before; Sebastien Tellier. His track La Ritournelle is just unreal. From the very first time I heard it on his MySpace page, I was like… whoah. The original version is over seven minutes long and pure class. Funk drums, emotional piano, atmospheric strings, then your reward for patience shown… the vocals - complete composition, more than satisfied…

Sebastien Tellier - La Ritournelle
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 5th August.

I also have a Mr Dan remix of that track. Much shorter, and no doubt more radio-play friendly - but Mr Dan has beefed the track up a little bit. Nothing will ever beat the original, but Mr Dan’s remix is still definitely worth checking out…

Sebastien Tellier - La Ritournelle (Mr Dan’s Magic Wand mix)
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 5th August.

This guy is still a total enigma to me at the moment. All I know is that this track was in Lost In Translation and Sebastien is good friends with the director of that film; Sofia Coppola. Needless to say I shall be scouring the earth for more Sebastien Tellier music. Be sure to check out his MySpace page.

On to your next treat for this fine Saturday. Know an alternative pop artist from Sweden called Jenny Wilson? Well you do now. Watch this amazing video for her track Let My Shoes Lead Me Forward here. Instantly love the track? Of course you do, here you go…

Jenny Wilson - Let My Shoes Lead Me Forward
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 5th August.

Jenny is also good friends with compatriots The Knife, and as such they’ve actually done their own remix of this track - I prefer the original, but it’s a good remix in a typical Knifey vein, get it checked…

Jenny Wilson - Let My Shoes Lead Me Forward (The Knife Remix)
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 5th August.

Jenny shot to fame in Sweden last year with the album Love and Youth, which she actually produced and played all the instruments on herself. Check out a few other tracks on her MySpace page.

Don’t I just spoil you lot?!

Useful links:

• Slutty Fringe blog
• Rappers Delight Club MySpace page
• Chrome Children @ Stones Throw
• Download - PB Wolf’s Chrome Mix
• Sebastien Tellier MySpace page
• Download - Sebastien Tellier - La Ritournelle
• Download - Sebastien Tellier - La Ritournelle (Mr Dan’s Magic Wand mix)
• Video - Jenny Wilson - Let My Shoes Lead Me Forward
• Download - Jenny Wilson - Let My Shoes Lead Me Forward
• Download - Jenny Wilson - Let My Shoes Lead Me Forward (The Knife Remix)
• Jenny Wilson MySpace page

Track of the Week

Got that Friday feeling? You should have… it’s Friday. So, track of the week time. These Australian fellas blew your headphones a few years back with an album called Since I Left You, they’ve since remixed a lot of stuff, changed some personnel, upset some Jamiroquai fans, and supposedly have a new album coming out some time in the near future. But, unless you are more than an avid fan, the chances are you wont have ever heard this track…

The Avalanches - Run DNA
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 4th August.

This is a rare track from way before that famous album Since I Left You, but if you remotely liked that album, then you’ll love Run DNA - it’s one of my most played tracks ever. Experimental hip-hop at its finest, learn those lyrics quick sharp you rastclarts! Oh and play it loud!

Wondering what The Avalanches did to upset the Jamiroquai fans? Well, apparently they were opening for him last year on the Sydney leg of his Australian tour, so they come out and do their thing - only with 17 minutes into the proposed 2 hour set, the Jamiroquai fans got a bit bored and restless. The boys get Mentos thrown at them, so left the stage. Still, something to tell the grand-kids.

Useful links:

• The Avalanches website
• The Avalanches MySpace page
• Download - The Avalanches - Run DNA

Szamár Madár

Open your mind, sit back, embrace and immerse…

Venetian Snares - Szamár Madár
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 3rd August.

This isn’t new, far from it, but I thought I’d share something that many of you might not ever have heard before. Venetian Snares pioneered the genre drill & bass, although it’s now more widely known as breakcore, or as my mum calls it… ‘crap’. Venetian Snares wont be to everybodies taste, but electronica and dnb fans will no doubt appreciate at least aspects to this experimental sound. Szamár Madár is from the 2005 album Rossz Csillag Allat Született, a pretty damn good album, although too much in one sitting can leave me feeling nauseous. However the album prior to that one was Songs About My Cats, and that album really was a test of one’s patience. In his earlier years Venetian Snares fired on all cylinders where creating experimental electronic music was concerned - however it was more than just a tad to the left of the field and a lot of people gave it a miss. But with Rossz Csillag Allat Született it seemed Snares had refined his sound, taking a more firm direction with his compositions - the result being a diverse mish-mash of chaotic beauty.

Anyway, Cavalcade of Glee and Dadaist Happy Hardcore Pom Poms the new album with a long name is out now and I am very interested to hear it, so I’ll have to grab it some time. I don’t see each passing album as Venetian Snares taming himself, but rather refining his sound. As well as sampling the track Szamár Madár above, please make sure you watch the amazing video here at YouTube.

Sorry for the minimalist blog entry today, I’m pretty tired and also convinced I’m suffering from some sort of post-new-Shadow-album-depression. I’ll snap out of it soon enough. Still, Track of the Week tomorrow, that’s something to look forward to!

Useful links:

• Venetian Snares website
• Venetian Snares MySpace page
• Download - Venetian Snares - Szamár Madár
• Video @ YouTube - Venetian Snares - Szamár Madár

Teddybears!

What’s not appealing about that name?! It’s actually the name of a Swedish sort of electro punk dancehall group! Quite a blend of genres, I’m sure you’ll agree. These fellas are fine purveyor’s of energy, expelled through the medium of… music. Like many of this year’s “alternative-pop” acts, i.e. Lily Allen, Jamie T, Gotye, the Teddybears are sure to appeal to a wide demographic of listeners.

The Teddybears have been around in their native Sweden since the early 90s, and in their early days were more of a punk rock band. However, they are now on the dawn of their first US album release; Soft Machine. The album is due out in the US 12th September on Big Beat Recordings.

I already explained that the group have quite a blend of genres making up their sound, but to perhaps go in to more detail, I’d say that from the tracks I have heard they always seem to give high priority to basslines and drums - hence that energy I previously mentioned. It is also worth mentioning the myriad of guest vocalists that the album features, such artists as; Iggy Pop, Neneh Cherry, and Annie. I’m also reliably informed that their are remixes on the horizon from Diplo and Spank Rock.

Must sound like a stuck record, but the energy of the music keeps my foot tapping non-stop. I’ve always been very selective with rock acts, not because I’m a mardy bastard, but because I genuinely like some… and then not others. I like Badly Drawn Boy, Razorlight, Kings Of Leon, but then I’m too fussed bout The White Stripes or Arctic Monkeys. I can only liken it to finding out you love something, but never being sure exactly why, like you cant quite put your finger on it. I can clear the haze enough to pin point cliché things like; energy, drums, basslines, but rarely anything more specific than that. And once more I find myself in the same situation with the Teddybears. Still, the most important thing is that I like them. Particularly liking Cobrastyle and also Punk Rocker featuring Iggy Pop…

Teddybears - Punkrocker feat. Iggy Pop
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 2nd August.

You can listen to some other tracks on their MySpace page and also their website. Was gonna say don’t forget to nod your head and tap your foot as you listen, but I doubt you’ll have much control over that. It’s a given. I can imagine these guys would be fantastic live, don’t think we’ll have to wait too long to find out either. Anyway, don’t waste your money on The Outsider by that guy pretending to be DJ Shadow, check out Soft Machine by Teddybears instead!

Useful links:

• Teddysbears MySpace page
• Teddybears website
• Download - Teddybears - Punkrocker feat. Iggy Pop

DJ Shadow - The Outsider

Panic on the internet! Panic over, MySpace is back in full effect. What a bunch of dependent bastards we are! Anyway, and more importantly, it means I’ve been able to go back and fix Sunday’s Unearthing MySpace Gems article. So, please, please, please, go and check it out and give those artists the time they deserve. Now, on to the serious issue at hand, my review of The Outsider, the new album by DJ Shadow…

I’ve read, spoken, listened, and moaned - but I’ve now decided to review the album without the reference of my prior DJ Shadow knowledge, AKA: I’m not gonna compare this new album to his old work. Instead I shall review it with a clean slate, as I should really, I guess it’s ordinarily too easy to use the older stuff as a yard stick, which is also quite natural (or at least human!). Once I’ve directly reviewed the content, I’ll then summarise and make reference and comparison to the older material.

The album starts with an intro over two minutes long, it’s a piece of dramatic music with an English gentleman speaking about the story of The Outsider. The man speaks about humanity and blah blah blah, it’s pretty pretentious by all accounts. Supposedly the idea of The Outsider is that DJ Shadow feels like one. On to the first proper track of the album This Time (I’m Gonna Try It My Way), this is fantastic. Sounds like an old funk track with kicking drums, guitar samples, strings samples, and catchy vocals. I read that Shadow found the vocal sample at an old recording studio, it was a chap singing along as he tuned his guitar. Anyway, a good start to the album.

Uh oh, time to crunk it up a little, or should I say ‘hyphy’ it up? Being my review, I can only possibly give my own personal thoughts, and as such I can most definitely tell you that this hyphy sound isn’t for me. I like to think I’m a pretty open minded fella, but this appeals to me even less than crunk and UK grime. The emcees Keak Da Sneak and Turf Talk are hardly Mos Def and Chali2na. The track 3 Freaks is just repetitive and annoying - I’m desperately trying to think of some positives, but I just cant. Sadly the track Turf Dancing is even worse, like Shadow smoked some crack before he produced it. I don’t have a problem with aggressive sounds as such, just look at punk rock and dnb, but this stuff totally lacks depth and soul.

Keep Em Close Feat. Nump isn’t on the same hyphy tip, but it’s still that whole ghetto rap feel. Don’t get me wrong, this will appeal to some people, probably people that are 14 years old and have Lil Jon and 50 Cent posters on their walls, but personally I find there to genuinely be nothing appealing from this music. This track even samples gun shots, fighting, and police sirens - g-to-the-hetto y’all. The track with David Banner, Seein Thangs, is some proper cheesy crunk. Those drums are awful. The rolling kick drum and snares, ah man, tonight I’ll shed a tear. To put it in black and white; if you like crunk or hyphy rap music, you’ll like this - if you don’t, you simply wont.

Broken Levee Blues is a two minute break from the aforementioned madness. Funky guitar riff to calm those nerves right back down. No doubt designed more as a bridging track on the album, but thus far (and This Time aside) it’s easily one of the best tracks on the album. The track immediately after is Artifact - it starts in a sort of punk vein, thumping beats with slight distortion, Strokes’esque guitar samples, then half way in it calms a little and then breaks into a sort of alternative upbeat psychedelic track. I wouldn’t say the track was anything special, but in comparison to the hyphy tracks it is amazing.

Backstage Girl brings the album on to another different sound. This track features Phonte Coleman and is probably best described as a rock hip-hop track. A cross genre I’ve never had a problem with, but never been totally over-awed with either. Phonte Coleman seems to possess far better skills as an emcee than Shadow’s hyphy friends, so that’s something. There’s a pretty interesting instrumental breakdown towards the end, but the track seems too long and once again is nothing special.

The next track, Triplicate / Something Happened That Day, is probably one of the better tracks on the album. It uses eerie strings and piano samples, all bridged together, creating that atmospheric build up. Then the drums come in, at first some kick, then a hi-hat, all the while just teasing, building up, half way through we’re treated to an acoustic solo of sorts. Sounds very latin and cinematic, like it was written for a Mexican film. The drums never fully come in, but the rest of the ensemble fully makes up for that, this was clearly meant to be a cinematic piece, and it’s pretty nice. The Tiger also starts in a cinematic vein, very tribal sounding samples and drums, but accompanied by guitar. Ah, hang on, this singer, it’s the guy out of Kasabian. Hmmm… it’s very Radiohead. My comparison is drawn mainly by the way in which Shadow has used a wide array of instruments and samples to create an alternative rock song. It’s an ok track, for all its depth (something the earlier tracks lacked) it still seems to be pretty uninspiring. Perhaps the track will be a grower, or perhaps I’m not totally feeling the alternative rock sound, either way it’s average in my books.

Erase You has wicked drums. But this singer, Chris James, he’s making this all sound even more like a Radiohead track than the Kasabian dude did with the last track. Imagine a Radiohead track with really kicking funk drums, might sound like this. Having said that, I like this track more than I like The Tiger - probably cos of the drums, although Chris James has a good voice. Perhaps not a track I’d stick on repeat, but listening to the album I probably wouldn’t skip it either, it’s not too bad at all. After that we hear the first female vocalist (and only!) on the album, Christina Carter on the track What Have I Done. Another track with latin sounding acoustic guitars, it’s all quite interesting, but it doesn’t really get going till half way through, and even then it sounds like a sort of opera/musical reject track. Nice enough music, but boring as hell. Then it’s back to Chris James on the next track You Made It. This could be a Coldplay track, and at this point I have to remind myself that I did indeed hear a load of hyphy tracks just twenty minutes or so ago. Is this the same album still?! Apparently so. An ok track if you like that sort of Coldplay sound. I can see my play statistics being totally skewed with this album though, about half of the tracks will never get played again. Chris James has a good voice, but I’m bored of it by now. Q-Tip and Lateef make an appearance too, and that’s pretty funky, a hip-hop track with latin guitar samples and a catchy chorus - but if I rationalise and compare it to other hip-hop tracks by other artists that have come out recently, it’s average at best.

One thing from this album really stands out; the totally different sounds on show here. Sometimes that can be a good thing, but this seems to be a mess. It really doesn’t feel like an album at all, more like a compilation. In fact, it’s like when you listen to a movie soundtrack that has a really diverse list of artists. Nothing on this album flows, it’s just a collection of songs, not an album.

On to what everyone is thinking… what the hell has the legendary DJ Shadow done?! Anyone remember that album Entroducing? Maybe it was done by a different DJ Shadow? Sadly not. The thing is, people willing to defend The Outsider seem to be doing so on a track by track basis and also through appreciation of him trying something different. Seriously, there are some alright tracks on the album, nothing mind blowing, and of course there are some real stinkers. But what I’m reviewing here is an album, not a series of tracks per sé, and as such the album is pretty poor. Why should I, the consumer, care about how courageous an artist has been by creating something different to what they normally do? At the end of the day it is a poor album, end of story.

DJ Shadow - Erase You Feat. Chris James
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 1st August.

Useful links:

• Unearthing MySpace Gems
• DJ Shadow website
• Download - DJ Shadow - Erase You Feat. Chris James

News / Reviews / DJ Shadow / Discoveries

Happy Monday to you all. MySpace is still screwed. Turns out it’s to do with a powercut they’ve had in LA, screwed the servers or something. So, still feel bad bout yesterday’s totally bodged Unearthing MySpace Gems article. Once MySpace is back, I’m gonna edit that entry and get it done proper, then order you all to go back and check out those pages, and you will comply, oh yes, you will comply. Anyway, news…

Badly Drawn Boy is back! This is big news to me, being a huge BDB fan (that doesn’t mean I’m really fat). He is set to release his fifth album Born In The UK on 23rd October. This will be his first release under new label EMI, after he split with XL shortly after the 2004 release One Plus One Is One. I cannae wait man!

Kings Of Leon are to release a “download only” EP entitled Day Old Belgian Blues. It will be a collection of live tracks taken from their previous two albums. As the title suggests, all the tracks were recorded in Belgium. You can download it now at their official website. A third KOL album is due out some time next year.

The reggae label Easy Star are to record a dub version of Radiohead’s OK Computer. This follows their previous cover of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon, of which their version was called Dub Side Of The Moon. This project is known as Radiodread. This is due out on 21st August.

Not exactly breaking news, but interesting never-the-less, the shortlist for this years Mecury Prize has been revealed. The nominees are; Arctic Monkeys, Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, Editors, Guillemots, Richard Hawley, Hot Chip, Muse, Zoe Rahman, Lou Rhodes, Scritti Politti, Sway, and Thom Yorke. There’s a few there I’ve never heard, but from what I have heard, I’d quite like to see Lou Rhodes win. Just really hope Sway doesn’t win, still cant work out why all the fuss over that chap.

Now then, DJ Shadow. Hmmm… seems that our fears may have been well founded. I’ve only heard three tracks from the new album so far, two of which were terrible beyond belief. I’ve read plenty of interviews and reviews recently, and basically the things I picked up on in particular were; he claims that everyone tried to copy the style of Entroducing, so he wanted to make an album nobody would be able to copy - yeah, or perhaps they just wouldn’t want to! Plus, he’s brown nosing this whole hyphy movement, and from what I can gather it’s literally just because it’s a bay area movement and that’s where he’s from - wouldn’t be an issue if hyphy wasn’t so damn shit. Anyway, I read a review and the summary was that it seemed very incoherent; 50% hyphy, 50% not so hyphy. The reviewer said that the record seemed like 3 separate EPs, and that anyone buying it cos they like the hyphy sound would be disappointed cos some of it is most definitely not hyphy. What makes it all the worse is that a separate hyphy album is coming out that will feature these Shadow tracks, why couldn’t he just have this hyphy stuff as a side project?! Oh well, it’s his life, just hope he doesn’t cry too much when the thing doesn’t sell. On top of all of this I still need to hear it for myself. I’m gonna do a big old review then!

Some people are naturally more open minded or just have a wider variety of tastes than others, but I believe all of us have to - on occasion - open our minds a bit wider than usual. I was recently sent an email that offered me the opportunity to check out a group called Cagey House. I guess you’d say they are an alternative electronica group. Their album Elephant Orange is now out and actually available for free download at the website of the netlabel Umor Rex. Anyway, this will mainly appeal to the proper electronica heads, but basically Cagey House have created a unique sound where by they use electronic samples of the classic variety to make compositions. Don’t let this put you off, but think along the lines of 8bit synths, but with a lot more class and depth. There’s quite a nostalgic sci-fi sound to the music, it really is almost as if they’ve deliberately gone for a style that classically sounded quite cheesy, but they’ve deliberately put the effort in to make it classy. It might not necessarily be an album I come back to time and again, but it is a genuinely interesting and insightful listening experience, and full credit to the guys for even attempting something so original in it’s own little way. Check out this track, if you wanna a taster before downloading…

Cagey House - Bebe Ebullient
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 31st July.

Lastly I just wanna mention a few names that I’ve recently listened to; Asamov (now known as The AB’s) with their album And Now - if you like your indie hip-hop, get these guys checked! Same goes for The Procussions with their latest album 5 Sparrows For 2 Cents, some seriously good stuff. I also checked Aloe Blacc’s new release on Stones Throw; Shine Through - some indie R&B style vocals over nice hip-hop beats, even finishes up the album with some Spanish tracks, including a cover of John Legend’s Ordinary People. Other than that, I also peeped the 2006 edition of Ninja Tune’s Zentertainment compilation. Basically a preview of stuff out this year on Ninja Tune, Big Dada, and Counter Records. There’s a good mixture on there and it also includes a new Bonobo track…

Bonobo feat. Bajka - Nightlite
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 31st July.

Anyway, till next time suckas. Although I’m the one that feels like a sucka at the moment - I never would have thought the day would come when I’d be upset bout MySpace going down!

Useful links:

• Kings Of Leon website
• Umor Rex website
• Download - Cagey House - Beb Ebullient
• Download - Bonobo feat. Bajka - Nighlite

Unearthing MySpace Gems

Sorry for the delay on posting today’s entry, bloody MySpastic has been down for ages, but it is back now and that’s what matters. So, five more pages to share with you all, as is the case every Sunday. Usual rules apply; all of the artists and groups I feature have one thing (at least) in common; all have had less than 10,000 page-views. If you know of any artists on MySpace, with less than that many page-views, that you think I should feature, please let me know. You can either email me to the address at the left, or send me a message and/or friends request (if you are an artist or band) at my personal MySpace page or the >>just like music MySpace page.

Damien Shingleton - http://www.myspace.com/damienshingleton

Downtempo quality in abundance (that’s not a place, by the way). Damien Shingleton is an Englishman with skills to pay one’s bills. On his MySpace page Damien has expressed concern at previous comparisons to Four Tet, well sorry mate, but I got that vibe too - except… on the newest track on his player; As Is. That track is most definitely his own sound. The acoustic samples work brilliantly with the downtempo beats and angelic vocals. Let me be Frank (that’s not a person, by the way), if you like downtempo electronica, Damien’s music might just make you cream your pants.

Waffle Man - http://www.myspace.com/potatoplaya

Like potatoes? You’ll love waffles! Waffle Man is an electronica/hip-hop/dub producer from Newcastle, England. Instrumental production in its full glory - Waffle Man combines the genres to create fantastic tracks. His track Bad Wallpaper is a testament to that fact, with it’s sturdy hip-hop beat and electronic samples. Waffle Man’s productions express evidence of hard work and intricacy, deep productions with many layers. Get it checked!

Teflon Child - http://www.myspace.com/teflonchild

Teflon Child is Dan Porter from Hertfordshire in England. He uses synths and samples to create an ambient electronica sound. Fans of Hybrid, Sasha, and BT will appreciate Dan’s sound - it contains a distinct breakbeat element to it. Dan works with vocalists and musicians to create the Teflon Child music and also perform live shows. The track Something To Find is a good summary of the electro breakbeat with vocals sound that Teflon Child create, real head-nodding stuff.

Low Sparks - http://www.myspace.com/lowsparks

Low Sparks are an alternative indie act playing out of London and the group consists of; James, Nicholas, Andrew, and Matthew. They have a great energy about them, sort of in the same way bands like The Strokes or The White Stripes do, although make no mistake… Low Sparks definitely have their own sound. She Was Always Cool had me tapping my foot like a mental patient, with its dips and peaks between manic rock to soothing acoustic, a fantastic listening experience. Most people know my inconsistent views on any form of rock and Low Sparks definitely get my seal of approval.

inga-Lill - http://www.myspace.com/ingalill

Inga-Lill Aker is a Norwegian vocalist and actually appears on the aforementioned Damien Shingleton track As Is. Inga has a fantastic voice, as you’ll hear for yourself, it really lends itself to funk and soul sounding tunes. Although Inga also shows her diversity with her Emiliana Torrini style vocals on the track labelled Simon Vince on her page. She definitely wouldn’t be out of place with a whole host of well known and world class vocalists, Inga’s definitely something special. You must listen for yourself.

I hope you enjoy those five pages, I know I did! Please DO take the time to explore each of this week’s pages and leave them some feedback - don’t forget to let me know what you think, too!

Useful links:

• Damien Shingleton
• Waffle Man
• Teflon Child
• Low Sparks
• inga-Lill

Electronic Music and The Mainstream

You may, or may not, remember way back when this blog first started, I mentioned that perhaps from time to time I would have guest articles from other people. Well, today is the first of those. This piece was written by my good friend Weeks - he’s a connoisseur of electronic music, and a rabid Aphex Twin fan, but don’t hate him for that, give the article a read…

Electronic Music and The Mainstream - by Weeks.

I’m not so much referring to electronic music that appears in the mainstream, because as far as I’m concerned there isn’t any proper electronic music in the mainstream. Nor am I referring to dance music, as that is concerned with, well, dancing, more than the electronic medium with which it’s created.

So, I’m referring to the likes of; Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Orbital, Autechre, DJ Shadow, Luke Vibert, DJ Food, etc and why these bands and artists are never in the mainstream. I started thinking about this when reading a post in FIZIKZ’s last.fm group about how electronic music is, on the whole, conspicuously missing from rateyourmusic.com’s top 1000.

Obviously, being a huge electronica fan, I am a little biased. But I cannot for the life of me work out how anyone couldn’t appreciate works such as In Sides by Orbital or Endtroducting by DJ Shadow. I’m thankfully aware I’m not a complete freak; I’ve met countless people, on the internet and the “other place”, who also appreciate the same artists as I do. But in no way do these people make up the mainstream. They need to be sought out. They are the sort of people who are normally found plugged into their portable music players with a dreamy and content look on their faces, and sometimes they come together in various drum’n'bass or turntabalism nights that appear about once a month in local nightclubs (sometimes less if you live in the arse-end of nowhere, which I do).

A while back, I read a 2006 predictions article on kuro5hin which predicted electronic music will “come back to fill the void.” That statement asks two questions: Firstly, was it ever here? We had Depeche Mode, but that seems a world away from the complex electronic arrangements of the aforementioned artists. Secondly, will it ever reach a mainstream audience? BBC News once had an article pertaining how a large proportion of the population have difficulty following complex pieces of music - something I experienced when I started to listen to classical music, which ceased after prolonged exposure. If that is true, it begs the question will the populous as a whole ever give electronic music enough of a chance? Will it remain a niche market, along side classical music and jazz, or will it, as the kuro5hin article states, break on through to the other side? Thoughts?

-

Interesting thoughts there from Señor Weeks. I personally think there are many factors as to why we never see much electronic music in the mainstream. Firstly there are strict rules on releasing a single in the charts, like; the track cannot be any longer than about 3m20s. Don’t find many BOC, Aphex Twin, or Orbital tracks that are bang on that length, it’s either far shorter or much, much, longer. But mainly, the charts are all about making money and making it quickly. The big-wigs have found tried and tested methods to maximise profits - get a catchy beat/bassline (usually ripped off from a classic song), then get a good looking person to sing some catchy lyrics over the top and have them dance half naked in the video. After that, they just have to make sure it gets played on the tv and radio at least 30 times a day, and hey presto! There’s never much in the charts with artistic integrity. Just my thoughts anyway.

In other news, Tru Thoughts have tickled my fancy. Apparently they have some new releases; The Broken Keys - Gravity, Quantic - An Announcement To Answer, and Alice Russell - Under The Munka Moon II. The Broken Keys is the name for the collaborative project between Nostalgia 77 and Natural Self, this promises to be hella jazzy and is out now. The new LP from Quantic took over 18 months to make and was recorded mostly via a laptop at various locations around the globe, this is meant to demonstrate the next step in the Quantic sound, deeper, and mature like a fine wine. Lastly, Alice Russell is back with Under The Munka Moon II - this is 13 tracks worth of wicked covers, collaborations, and remixes with artists such as; DJ Vadim, Bonobo, Nostalgia 77, Natural Self, and TM Juke. I believe this one is due out shortly. Cant wait to get my grubby little hands on all three. Anyway, I’ll leave you with a track…

Boards of Canada - Happy Cycling
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 29th July.

Don’t forget to leave some comments with regards to Weeks’ article, I know he’ll be very interested to hear other peoples’ views on the topic. If ever you have something you’d like to share, or you’ve recently been to a festival and fancy doing a write-up, give me a shout as I would like to put that sort of stuff up on the blog. Bye for now!

Useful links:

• Rate Your Music website
• Weeks’ last.fm page
• Tru Thoughts website
• Download - Boards of Canada - Happy Cycling

Track of the Week

That time of the week again. In the interest of not wanting to post tracks by artists that I’ve mentioned on the blog before, this task is getting harder. But that’s ok, cos on a positive note it means that there is less chance of you having ever heard of the tracks I will feature. Always nice to discover new music, isn’t it? And so for today, I present to you…

The Jealous Girlfriends - Lay Around
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 28th July.

To me this track is a classic. It’s actually quite hard to explain why, maybe cos I’m not that much of a rock connoisseur, I dunno. There’s a bit of a country twang (something I usually despise), a solid bassline, and smooth vocals. I think that perhaps it is just the completeness of the track, the whole construction. Kind of goes back to that “when a track becomes a complete composition” theory I mentioned the other week. Either way, and words aside, it’s a good track and you should definitely check it out.

The Jealous Girlfriends are an indie rock group playing out of Brooklyn, New York. They comprise of; Josh Abbott, Alex Lipsen, Holly Miranda, and Mike Fadem. They’ve only been together as a band since 2004 and released the album Comfortably, Uncomfortable in 2005, of which Lay Around appears on. The group have struck up quite a following, particularly via word-of-mouth, and have actually now completed a second album. Be sure to check them out at their website and MySpace page.

Useful links:

• Website
• MySpace page
• Download - The Jealous Girlfriends - Lay Around

Interview with BangBang

Some people get into the music industry for the money, some for the fame, others cos they enjoy the music, others fall into it, but some go deeper than that. Some see it as an art-form used to express themselves the only way they know how, like a platform to live the way they need to live - I recently interviewed someone who is that very way inclined. I’m talking about the British emcee, poet, artist, that is… BangBang. We talked about expression, influences, tattoos, oh and music too. Read it for yourself…

Gav: Thanks for staying up late to do this interview, I appreciate it. Do you wanna start by explaining who you are and what you do?

BangBang: First of all my name is Johnny, but BangBang is the spirit in me that looks for ways to keep me alive. I’m a work in progress. I’ve found art can change matter, so I’m exercising my talents, to see matter as something not to be ashamed of, i.e. the particles in me were donated by my abusers. This made me insecure about even my own composition. Art is my argument to my perception of negative reality.

G: So you use your art as a way to express yourself? Like an outlet? Makes sense to me. Can you explain your art though? I’ve seen your MySpace page and it seems there’s a real hip-hop vibe, but further than that it seems you are a spoken word artist, is that an accurate assumption?

BB: My philosophy is hip-hop and I’m a stickler to it. Free verse and phonetic juggling is an endless style, so to someone who knows… what I’m doing… is true hip-hop! Taking my minimum means and manipulating them, innovating them to the point that the originality resembles the artist’s fingerprint. That’s self-esteem, that’s I’m gonna be me, that’s I’m gonna shine while I’m alive, that’s hip-hop, that’s BangBang.

G: Where did music begin for you? Where did it all start?

BB: Music, as soon as I got my coordination, was a means for me to sedate the world I was afraid of. I learned to move to it, and learned to convince people that the way I was moving is exactly what the notes would love themselves to be expressed like. I was like a human video clip to the songs I danced to. That got me friends and admirers, i.e. a group of people I could turn to.

G: What sort of music do you like to listen to? Any favourite artists or groups?

BB: Mos Def, Kubus, Tricky, Lauryn Hill, FMF, Gnarls Barkley and Street battle rappers.

G: Do you also see those artists as influences to you in the hip-hop game, and where else do you draw influences from?

BB: Of course, my other influences are people lovers, all the prophets of God, most of all Mohammed (peace be upon him), the Dalai Lama, fight trainers, nutritionalists, mentors and guides to peace.

G: So as the artist BangBang, where are you right now? Have you released any EPs or LPs, or is there something in the pipeline?

BB: I’m looking to get out and do gigs right now and perform the tracks I like to an audience. Then I’ll analyse the responses, and the songs with the strongest reaction I’ll make an album with. I’m featured on a couple of projects at the moment but whether the public get to hear them is down to the ingenuity and belief of the producers whose projects I’m assisting on. Once I’ve got the Kubus album out the way I’m gonna be pushing to get a budget for me and FMF to put our album out. Right now that situation is exciting me.

G: Ah yes, the Fantastic Mr. Fox, I featured him on here a few weeks back. The Origami Sounds lot are a good bunch. Going back to your sound, and I don’t know how you will take this comparison, but when I heard you I thought “ah, a thinking man’s Mike Skinner”, that was more on the spoken word tip, your tracks seem to contain deep thoughts about serious issues, what can you tell me bout that?

BB: I’m a black mans Mike Skinner, serious issues, what can I say about that? Let’s get some self love and sort the fucking shit out.

G: Amen to that. Well I know what I’d rather hear on my stereo, and it certainly isn’t some fella trying to make lots of irrelevant words rhyme for no real reason. From that sense I reckon you’re going places. From a musical career stance, what is your aim in the game? Where would you like to get to?

BB: Right now I’m looking for a spotlight for my talents. I have group ideas, poetry books, I’ve written a few scripts and I know quite a bit about anger management and getting off drugs. So getting some sort of celebrity status, on an integrity level of course, could make it easier for me to be taken seriously in my contribution ideas. God willing they are.

G: Two questions I want to ask! Firstly, those tattoos man, you’ve got loads! Are there meanings to them, or are you just an ink addict? Secondly, I saw that Coke advert on your MySpace page, how did you come to be in that?

BB: My ink is a coat of arms, reminders of my great acts, and the coca cola advert my girl got the job. She’s the one in my arms on my slide show kissing me on the shoulder, on my page, the shot is from my back. Yeah she got the job, I was looking after the baby while she was rehearsing her scene. The director thought I had the right look to represent the most adamant symbol of cynicism that only a Coca Cola could make smile.

G: Ah, I see. What do you think of the hip-hop scene in general and also in the UK at the moment? Which UK artists are you particularly feeling?

BB: The UK more represents hip-hop to me. They have found an original way to express reality exactly in the twang of the “have-nots”. What’s going on in America I don’t recognise as hip-hop. Cause instead of having their own language, they’ve learned and mimic the twang of the “have-more”. Stupid house niggers, standing next to the abuser, chinking glasses laughing at us in the fields… wait till I catch one walking through mine.

G: It would seem the riches are too big of an incentive for some of the American guys, I wrote an article bout that a couple of months ago actually. I respect people like Roots Manuva, that repeatedly knocked back the big offers to keep it real, plus he doesn’t rap about bitches and shooting people. I know you’re soon to be working with FMF, but which other UK producers and emcees do you like?

BB: I like Envy from Manchester, the Mitchell Brothers, Kano, and a kid called Broken Voice Tones, when this kid finds himself he’s gonna show us all what to do with the English language to make it sweet you for days.

G: I’ll have to look out for him then. I’m looking forward to hearing the stuff you’re doing with FMF, so you’ll definitely have to hit me up with it for a review when it is ready! Before we go though, are their any messages you’d like to give, or shout outs to make?

BB: First of all I have to shout out the smart rascal that laughs at the stiffs that want us as retarded as them, the smart rascal in me, my wife, my step father, my grand dad, my aunty Nelly, Dillyn, Norman, Paul, my brother, little Tim, Graham, his wife, Mandy, Dez, Mohammed, Bruce, Stewart, Trevor, Sven, and all humans that refuse to be under any insecure cunt that wants them crying and begging for mercy. Power to the peaceful.

G: Fair play to you! Well, thanks again for your time, I do really appreciate it, and I hope everything goes well for you in the future.

BB: Peace my friend, kick to stay alive.

BangBang was also kind enough to send me over an mp3 to share with you all. It’s a track he featured on for the Dutch hip-hop producer Kubus, this one’s on a slightly more dnb tip, give it a listen…

Kubus - Double My Level feat. BangBang
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 27th July.

Don’t forget to check out BangBang’s MySpace page, listen to that array of tracks on his player, oh and peep that Coca-Cola advert! If you like what you hear, show some love and leave him a comment or two, a few words of encouragement and/or appreciation never hurt anybody.

Useful links:

• BangBang MySpace page
• Fantastic Mr. Fox MySpace page
• Kubus MySpace page
• Download - Kubus - Double My Level feat. BangBang

Your Second Chance

As you may, or may not know, I get quite detailed reports on what people look at on this blog (or what they are looking for!), where they come from, and what links they may have followed to get here. I was looking at that information just last night and I discovered that lots of people are all of a sudden looking for tasters of stuff, a lot of the stuff I have previously featured. All I kept thinking about is poor people looking at their computer screens in utter despair as they realise they cant check out that track cos the download had expired. All that searching and no prize. Alas, today is your second chance. I’ve decided to put up half a dozen or so tracks that people have been searching for, that way you get the opportunity to hear these artists - and then in turn you’ll buy their records, I hope!

Before I get to those tracks though, just wanted to say thanks to all the artists that sent me their mp3s to put up on the Just Like Music MySpace page. Naturally I can only put up four tracks at any one time, so I’ve decided that as soon as a track reaches 100 plays, I’ll swap it with the next track in the queue. As such, Brazil by Yamasaki has now been replaced by A Good Day by Izzy. Make sure you check out that MySpace page regularly, that way you’ll get to hear all the wonderful music!

Also, many thanks to all the people regularly emailing with links to fantastic MySpace pages. I might be the one writing this blog, but it’s often you guys that feed me the material to write about. If you do know of any decent artists you think are worth featuring, just drop me an email. Remember that if it is a suggestion for the Unearthing MySpace Gems feature, that they need to have had less than 10,000 page views. And so on to your second chance…

Out of nowhere it seems people are screaming out to hear The Chapin Sisters’s cover of Toxic. This acoustic cover is highly addictive, so I can understand why, but if you missed it when I featured them first time round, here’s the track again…

The Chapin Sisters - Toxic
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 26th July.

Jamie T is finally finding his way into the ears of people on a much larger scale. Sort of reminds of when Lily Allen came about, slowly but surely people heard about her one way or another. Apparently you all want to hear Sheila and So Lonely Was The Ballad - I only have demo versions, as featured on the blog previously, but you’re very welcome to give them a listen…

Jamie T - Sheila (Demo)
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 26th July.

Jamie T - So Lonely Was The Ballad
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 26th July.

I think people are hearing this cover of Seven Nation Army by Nostalgia 77 featuring Alice Russell on mixtapes or something, getting a lot of searches for “Alice Russell Seven Nation Army Mixtape”. Anyway, I first heard it on one of the Solid Steel podcasts a while ago and then featured it on the blog as track of the week, but here it is again…

Nostalgia 77 - Seven Nation Army feat. Alice Russell
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 26th July.

People have been searching a lot for the new DangerDoom EP, Occult Hymn, too. Well it is still available on the Adult Swim website for free! You can also read my thoughts on it here.

My good friend Gotye also seems to be stirring up a bit of fuss on the world wide web, people constantly searching for his tracks. It’s not all bad though, they still get to read my fantastic write up on him when they come looking! Oh, you’d rather have an mp3? Fine! Check out this monster track…

Gotye - Hearts A Mess
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 26th July.

People are still sniffing around to find out what Cut Chemist’s album is like. Well it’s very good, I originally snuck a couple of mp3s in with a news article, but you just weren’t quick enough to get them. S’ok, here’s another…

Cut Chemist - What’s The Altitude (Feat. Hymnal)
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 26th July.

Finally catching on to the music of Wax Tailor? Good for you, he’s a breath of fresh hip-hop air. I did a little feature on him a while ago, but now more people want a taste, which is ok, this is your second chance after all, so here you go…

Wax Tailor - Que Sera
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 26th July.

They say everybody deserves a second chance, and the readers of this blog are no exception. It would be great to hear from anyone that did come looking for one of the above tracks previously, only to realise the download had expired - ooh I feel like Jimmy Savile! Happy listening y’all!

Useful links:

• Download - The Chapin Sisters - Toxic
• Download - Jamie T - Sheila (Demo)
• Download - Jamie T - So Lonely Was The Ballad
• Download - Nostalgia 77 - Seven Nation Army feat. Alice Russell
• Download - Gotye - Hearts A Mess
• Download - Cut Chemist - What’s The Altitude (Feat. Hymnal)
• Download - Wax Tailor - Que Sera
• Adult Swim website - Free DangerDoom EP
• Just Like Music MySpace page

Interview with Chris Chinchilla

Interview time! This one is with ex Art Brut guitarist/songwriter Chris Chinchilla. As ever, being in Australia (where?!) time difference is a shitter, so Chris was good enough to stay up till the unsociable hours to speak with me. But what was said? Read on…

Gav: Good evening, Chris, and thanks for staying up late to speak with me. Shall we start the usual way, you explaining to the readers exactly who you are and what you do?

Chris Chinchilla: Right… I am Chris Chinchilla, most will probably know me as ex Art Brut guitarist/songwriter, but some may also know me as an old fanzine writer. Right now I’m a DJ, Radio show host and now, slowly a new solo artist. But I’m taking some time off from the other stuff to concentrate on music.

G: So where did it all begin for you in the wonderful world of music?

CC: Hmm, well, my dad is a musician of sorts, he tried to teach me guitar when I was younger, but I wasn’t interested, then I realised I could impress girls, so started to teach myself, that was at about 15/16. I got into music through my dad too; he brought home a copy of TOTP from the 80’s with Madness on it, got into music through 2-Tone and New Wave stuff, then Blur and onwards.

G: Influences galore! What about Art Brut, how did they come to be?

CC: Well… I met Eddie at a party, he joked about forming bands, but I took him seriously. Freddie I lived with at the time, and he knew Ian from School days, then we met Mike randomly through someone else who’d met him on a bus. It was all because I’d been dumped by a girl really, that I got into a band, which is strange because it’s happened to me again recently (being dumped) so expect great things again soon.

G: Ha ha, the tragic magic; being dumped. So, you’re embarking on a solo career now, what will you take with you from the Art Brut days, explain your sound?

CC: I will take lessons learned, about all sorts of things; performance, the industry, what to do, what not to do - but also the thrill and buzz of performance.

The new sound? Well, I wrote quite a few Art Brut songs, if you take the darker more discordant ones (usually one of mine, Formed a Band is a perfect example) strip down to a three piece, put me on vocals (kind of Paul Weller meets Billy Brag, or so I like to think) and add a little bit of acquired knowledge about song-writing and what works… That’s a rough idea. My musical influences are not always the best indication of my sound, they more influence me to do things.

G: Yes, many artists these days seem to be that way with their influences. How are things progressing with the solo stuff?

CC: Yes, I think that things are quite often like that. Press seem to assume that artists are directly influenced by people they sound like.

Anyway, yes solo stuff it’s going well, coming together now; new tracks, just had a photo shoot, getting good reactions to music. I’m excited by it, which is most important.

G: Definitely, I think people sometimes underestimate how important your own interest in your ventures is. If you’re not enjoying it, get out. All sounds good though, Chris. Do you think we’ll see an EP or LP any time soon?

CC: Hmm, that’s not up to me. I have no money to do it myself. Currently talking to labels, the materials there - but I hope so.

G: So for now you’re just soldiering on waiting for the right opportunities to present themselves? Are you playing live at all at the moment?

CC: Yes, yes to all of those. Got a couple more gigs to play then taking a break to concentrate on getting signed and press and stuff. Gigs have been going very well.

G: Excellent, glad to hear it. Now for the fantasy question… If you could be in a band with any musicians of your choice, who would they be and why?

CC: Ooh, never really thought about that before. Thing is, most musicians I respect I would probably hate being in a band with, because we’re too similar! But anyway, ok; Horace Gentleman (The Specials) on bass, whoever the drummer in RATM was, Johnny Greenwood on lead guitar, maybe, I dunno, that was off the cuff and unplanned, and would probably sound like a real bloody mess!

G: Still, would be something to be on stage with that lot! You’ve already explained that you don’t necessarily sound anything like your influences, but who would you say (if anyone) you do sound like?

CC: Some have said my guitar style is similar to Graham Coxon, but I wish in a 1000 years I was as good as him. The new band is a little bit Jam, a little bit Dead Kennedy’s and a little bit PiL… sort of. It’s so hard to say. My guitar style is messy, I don’t fret properly. When we were recording the Art Brut album the producer had loads of problems because I left loads of weird harmonics over everything, but some say that’s my style!

G: Nothing wrong with being unique! So how are things split between your new solo venture and the new band? Are you stuck in a bit of a tug of war, or is it all crystal clear?

CC: I only ever do solo stuff when the band can’t do it really, or when it’s far away and we’re not paid enough to take the band, that’s about all there is to it. I’d rather do it with the band, though sometimes it’s quite cool flying around Europe on your own with a guitar! The other guys understand, it’s all ok.

G: You jet-setter you! As things stand then; you’ve got your solo career just starting, you also play with a new band, and you’re looking for a label, and dependant on that we may or may not see an EP or LP released some time soon. Sounds like it is all happening for you, what tips can you give to any artists looking to start out in the industry?

CC: Hmm, there are no magic tips I can offer, the single biggest bit of advice I can offer is just to get out there and keep at it, that’s all you can ever do really.

G: Well apart from getting dumped! I’ll put that in big bold letters; Chris Chinchilla says get dumped for success! Well, you’ve been great to interview, Chris, but before we wrap this up, are there any shout-outs you’d like to make or messages to give?

CC: Not sure if that’s a piece of advice, but it does get you focused! I’d just like to say hello to the rest of the band, and mention some bands I recommend at the moment; Blah Blah Blah, Humazi, Scully. Enjoy, I’m going to bed!

My thanks go out once more to Chris for giving up valuable sleeping time to speak with me, I appreciate it. Chris also shot me over an mp3 by his band, Macaca Mulatta, so definitely make sure you check it out here…

Macaca Mulatta - Dancing on a week night
>> download <<
This download is a sample of the music only and must be deleted from your computer within 24 hours of downloading. This download link will expire on 25th July.

If you like what you hear, make sure you check out Chris Chinchilla and Macaca Mulatta even further - Chris has a website, and a MySpace page, and Macaca Mulatta also have a website and MySpace page, show some love! The band are playing some live dates soon as well, these are through July and August at the following locations; Portsmouth, Southampton, London, Liverpool, Munich, Hagen, and then London again. Full details of dates and venues are on the website.

Useful links:

• Chris Chinchilla website
• Chris Chinchilla MySpace
• Macaca Mulatta website
• Macaca Mulatta MySpace
• Download - Macaca Mulatta - Dancing on a week night