ROBERT BABICZ RELEASES SOPHOMORE ALBUM!

Polish born Robert Babicz (Producer/Live Act) releases his second artist album on Marc Romboy’s Systematic Recordings. Following from ‘A Cheerful Temper’, released in 2007, ‘Immortal Changes’ shows a warmer side to Babicz’s production skills. Bringing in warm melodies, deep grooves, blissed out atmospheres, live strings, live sax and analogue bass, Robert keeps proceedings sometimes jacking but always trippy; his journey takes you wherever you choose to let your mind go. 

'Immortal Changes’ is about the only thing that never changes: everything will change throughout your life.

Babicz: “My idea behind the album was that I wanted a representation of my inner feelings, things that happened last year, and overall a very personal view on electronic music. Through all the travelling around the world as a Live Act, I meet great people, I see so many fantastic places, and so on. So my music reflects that a lot: I am building rooms, and sometimes galaxies, were your mind can go and look around, sit down, listen and enjoy…… Also I asked some friends to play some real instruments on my album, as wanted an even more handmade and soulful sound. On most of the tracks there are real atmosphere recordings, which I recorded on my travels... So it’s like a world tour when you listen to the album.”

Click here to listen to the single 'Astor' taken from the album.

Robert Babicz 'Immortal Changes' Out 26 March 2010 through Systematic/Stomp.

Posted: Monday, 18 January 2010

NEW WORLD MUSIC ALBUM ON SUB POP!

Malian maestro Bassekou Kouyate is a virtuoso picker and musical visionary whose work blurs the lines between West African and American roots music. Bassekou’s instrument, the ngoni, is a “spike lute” and an ancestor of the banjo, sharing its taut-skinned drum body, percussive attack, and varied picking techniques. Since 2005, Bassekou has led Ngoni Ba, the first-ever group built around not one but four ngonis—all played by members of his family.

Bassekou’s long time friend and booster Lucy Duran (a BBC radio host, record producer, and Mande music scholar) produced the band’s debut, Segu Blue. Before long, Bassekou and Ngoni Ba were touring Europe and in high demand. I Speak Fula builds on the success of Segu Blue. It’s 11 tracks provide a star-studded tour of pan-Malian music, including collaborations with Toumani Diabaté, griot vocal legend Kasse Mady Diabaté, master of the horse-hair soku fiddle Zoumana Tereta, and guitar phenomenon Vieux Farka Toure, Ali’s precociously talented son. The release of I Speak Fula and Ngoni Ba’s first U.S. tour mark the latest leg of an extraordinary musical journey.

Bassekou was born in 1966 in Garana, a village on the banks of the Niger River. He descends from a long line of griots, traditional historians and praise musicians. His father Moustapha Kouyate played the ngoniba, or “large lute,” and his mother Yakare Damba is a singer. Bassekou has jammed with Bonnie Raitt and Bono and won praise from Eric Clapton. He’s also dug into blues and country music with Taj Mahal and created freewheeling improvisations with banjo maverick Bela Fleck.

I Speak Fula is the first release on Next Ambiance, a new label founded by Jon Kertzer host of KEXP’s Best Ambiance Radio show and Sub Pop co-founder Jon Poneman, and the newest addition to the Sub Pop family. Next Ambiance continues the musical exploration of Best Ambiance, with an emphasis on mind-blowing and life-changing artists with no particular regional or cultural bias.

Click here to see a performance of lead track ‘Musow’ on The Jools Holland Show

“Contender for African album of the year.” * Uncut
“This is a cracker.” **** Mojo
“Spectacular.” BBC online
“Truly irresistible.” Music Week
“Fizzes with energy.” **** Observer Music Monthly
“There’s unlikely to be a better African album this year.” Evening Standard
“Ferociously powerful album … Superb.” The Independent (Album of the Week)
“Soon the world will speak Fula.” Metro

I Speak Fula is out on the the 5^th of February through Sub Pop / Next Ambiance / Stomp

Posted: Monday, 18 January 2010

NEW ALBUM FROM XUI XUI THROUGH KILL ROCK STARS!

The two biggest constants throughout Xiu Xiu's catalogue are honesty and evolution. This remains true with Dear God, I Hate Myself as it delivers a look at responsibility, fear, healing, and societal roles wrapped in rich gothic pop music. The sound is still distinctly Xiu Xiu, but Jamie Stewart's vocals are finally effortless paired with vibrant melodies full of subtlety and the distinct sonic accents expected of this anticipated Xiu Xiu release. The result is a record that proves that art can be pop and pop can challenge you to look inside yourself.

Stewart is joined by new full-time band member Angela Seo on piano, synths and drum programming; with production handled by Jamie and Deerhoof's Greg Saunier. Together they've crafted a fully-grown sound for Dear God, I Hate Myself with elements from goth and pop that are expertly performed by a crop of brilliant musicians. Saunier himself plays on much of the record as does Ches Smith (John Zorn, Terry Riley, Marc Ribot). Ches supplies timpani, conga and moog along with a broad range of other instrumentation. Deerhoof's John Dieterich is all over a rendition of the traditional folk song 'Cumberland Gap' and Xiu Xiu is even joined by the Immaculata Catholic School Orchestra in Stewart's ode to heartbreak and healing, 'This Too Shall Pass Away (for Freddy).' The title track, one of four songs done primarily on a Nintendo DS, explores the relationship between faith and despair with a layer of commentary provided by the bizarre sounds of the music itself.

See the inner workings of Jamie’s studio (and mind) in this video

“Over the last five years, Xiu Xiu has come to make an utterly original mixture of homestudio goth-pop, confessional singer-songwriter outpourings and chamber music.” - New York Times

“Cult favorites...love them or hate them, Xiu Xiu traverse so far off the middle-of-the roadthat they ride over the guard rails and into the deepest, dankest bog down below.” - Tiny Mix Tapes

"They may be creating a genre that I don't have the audacity to name" - Prefix Magazine

www.myspace.com/xiuxiuforlife

Xui Xui - Dear God I Hate Myself out 26 February through Kill Rock Stars/Stomp.

Posted: Monday, 18 January 2010

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM ANNOUNCE AUSTRALIA TOUR!

Heathen Skulls is proud to present from Olympia, USA, atmospheric black metal titans and Southern Lord recording artists Wolves in the Throne Room. Drawing comparisons to the eerie atmosphere bleakness of Burzum and the fierce blackened blast attack of Darkthrone; Wolves in the Thorne Room have set a new standard in American Black Metal by combining classic era Norwegian black metal with a devastating modern sound that’s entirety of their own. Together with feedback drenched, French funeral doom lords Monarch (now featuring Robert MacManus of Grey Daturas on drums), both bands will touring Australia Nationally this February.  

"The album's (Black Cascade) combination of hypnotic, spiralling riffs, insidious melodies and unholy vocals make it almost certainly the best black metal album to come out of America since Weakling's Dead Of Dreams" - Blunt - 9 Stars!

Black Cascade and Two Hunters are out now through Southern Lord / Stomp.

Posted: Monday, 18 January 2010

GUI BORATTO MIXES NEW RENAISSANCE COMP!

Brazil’s most exciting house export makes his eagerly anticipated compilation debut as he joins the ranks of the Renaissance Mix Collection series…

2009 has been a great year for Gui Boratto; he released his second artist album; brilliantly remixed the likes of Moby, Simian Mobile Disco, Sam Taylor-Wood & The Pet Shop Boys and Bomb The Bass; created one of the years best Essential Mixes, then perfectly capped it all by entering the DJmag Top 100.And it’s with his fast-rising DJ status he continues to focus as he kick-starts 2010 with his first mix album for Renaissance. Gui’s diverse, melodic style is a natural fit with the compilation genre, which he perfectly presents across 2 discs, highlighting some of the scenes most exciting producers such as Tricky, Josh Wink, Martin Buttrich, Lusine, John Tejada, Mathew Jonson, Christian Smith and many more… Dance fans will take further delight in the fact Gui’s also featured 8 of his own tracks and remixes; 4 of these are brand new productions, including an exciting co-production with Bomb The Bass called 'The Infinites' and a forthcoming Renaissance single, ‘Trills’.

"I really enjoyed mixing my Renaissance Mix Collection,” he says, “I tried to find the perfect blend of my favourite producers and tracks; exclusives from friends and peers, plus my own material, be it original or remixes.”

 And Gui hasn’t actually stopped there as he’s provided further production and edits throughout both mixes, ensuring the stage is well and truly set for one of the most exciting comps of 2010…

Check the dates for Gui's 2010 tour in February!

RENAISSANCE: THE MIX COLLECTION MIXED BY GUI BORATTO OUT 12 FEBRUARY THROUGH RENAISSANCE/STOMP.

Posted: Monday, 11 January 2010

PLATINUM FUNK SOUL BROTHERS FUN LOVING CRIMINALS BACK WITH NEW ALBUM!

It’s only when you hear them again, you realise how much you missed them.!

 

With 4 Top 10 albums to their name, the multi platinum funk soul brothers return for the first time in five years with the first classic, fantastic party album of the year featuring collaborations with Roots Manuva and Paul Kaye.

Formed in New York in 1993, Fun Lovin’ Criminals gate-crashed the euphoric Britpop party in 1996 and brought along some unexpectedly unique swag including their smash single ‘Scooby Snacks’. The mid-to late 90s was a twirling martini cocktail of world travel, acclaim and phenomenal album sales. During their five-year hiatus, the three brothers Crim found other creative outlets, most notably Huey Morgan, who is fast becoming one of the UK’s most charismatic TV and radio personalities. He hosts award-winning ‘The Huey Show’ on BBC6 Radio in London, whilst on MTV he presents a boy racer series called ‘Slips’.

The trio, now all relocated to the UK, have left the cartoon New York netherworld behind for a colossal outdoors party, creating a self-produced summertime classic recorded in their London studio and featuring life-long “fourth member”, the Grammy-award winning hip-hop engineer Tim Latham (A Tribe Called Quest, De le Soul, KRS-One – and Britney Spears). The songs tell stories, notes Huey, “about the human condition”; from the bonkers psychedelic party-rock of ‘Mars’ (like OutKast never went away), to the sumptuous, summertime, trumpeting soul of lead track ‘Classic Fantastic’.  Summer shimmers on via the irresistible, piano-led, De la Soul-goes-Latino-carnival of ‘She Sings At The Sun’, there’s the comedy skit ‘Conversations With Our Attorney’ featuring “Mike Strutter”, Paul Kaye’s outrageous MTV character. More bedlam-rock meltdown follows with ‘The Originals’ before ‘Keep On Yellin’, featuring Roots Manuva.

A party album built in a psychological bunker; it’s a phenomenal testament to the power of unbound optimism. “There’s this thing called Noetics,” announces Huey.  “Which says if everybody thinks the same good thoughts, good things will happen.  Likewise, negative thoughts - it’s not rocket science.  And we all want the same thing, to be a Fun Lovin’ Criminal.  You have to go through hell to get to heaven and now we’re finally out from under a lot of our problems, it’s a brand new day.  So let’s go out and do what we love to do.”

Click here to listen to the lead title track 'Classic Fantasic'

Classic Fantastic is out 5th of March through Kilohertz Records/Stomp.

Posted: Tuesday, 5 January 2010

BALANCE 014 NUMBER ONE ON END OF YEAR LISTS FOR INTHEMIX AND DATATRANSMISSION!

Now we knew this was a peach of a mix but we could never have predicted how well Joris Voorns Balance effort would get received! Balance 014 now finds itself on the number one spot on 2009's best compilations list for Australian dance bible Inthemix and online music authority Datatransmission .

Here is what Inthemix have had to say:'What’s even more amazing than the 100+ tracks that were digitally crammed onto this double CD, is the fact it all sounds so coherent. Truly groundbreaking, the bar has been raised and ‘Balance 014’ slides in as one of the greatest mix CDs of all time. Let’s hear a round of applause for Mr Voorn!'
The Inthemix list is truly full of great releases with B-Pitch Control's Moderat taking out the second place honours. Other Stomp artists on the list include Way Out West, Markus Shulz and Tydi.

Datatransmission's list is even more varied and features everyone from Drum n Bass crew Metalheadz to hip hop protagonist Peanut Butter Wolf and features no less than 12 Stomp artists. Ultimately though it's Joris beating label of the moment Hyperdub (with its 5 year comp) to the finishing line,'Putting together a load of tracks on a couple of CDs and mixing them together is all very well and good, but for someone as talented and forward-thinking as Holland’s inspirational Joris Voorn, that was never going to quite cut the mustard. Taking well over 100 tracks and cutting, splicing, editing, shrinking, expanding and mashing their various parts together in an intricate, heady tapestry of sound, he’s created something that feels more like a work of art than a compendium of other people’s work. He’s made their work his own in this. That might sound wanky, but hearing the sinister, cold judder of Dubfire’s Ribcage pulsing underneath the triumphant tones of Silicone Soul’s 3AM is just one example of the incredible contrast and selection on this double CD. Spanning all the way back from original Detroit techno through beatless chill-out masterpieces, dub, disco, balladry, ‘90s jungle and all the way through up to modern deep house and tech, it’s testament to what can be done when an artist really puts some effort into a mix CD.

Also on Datatransmission's list is another Balance comp with local Melbourne lad Agent 86 coming in at number 17 with his funk infected and summer washed groove mix that he turned in for the Balance Electric series at the start of 2009. If you still haven't wrapped your ears around this Agent 86's Balance Electric 04 compilation do yourself a favour and buy now!

Posted: Tuesday, 5 January 2010

RETRIBUTION GOSPEL CHOIR MAKES THEIR SUB POP DEBUT!

Sometimes, it just needs to be loud. For the members of Retribution Gospel Choir, that time is now. The rock trio came together in 2007, featuring Alan Sparhawk on guitar and vocals, Steve Garrington on bass and Eric Pollard on drums and vocals. Alan also fronts the band Low with his wife, Mimi Parker, and Steve also plays bass in Low. 2 is the bands second full-length and Sub Pop debut!

This new record comes on the heels of the band’s 2008 self-titled debut that was released on Caldo Verde, a label run by Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon). Since then, Retribution Gospel Choir has toured extensively, including US stints with Wilco and the Meat Puppets. The band was invited early on to play festivals in Spain (Primavera Sound) and the UK (All Tomorrow’s Parties), and were met with hugely positive reactions and invitations to return.

However, the most important thing to know about Retribution Gospel Choir is that they are likely the most physically fit band on Earth. Eric is a distance swimmer, and Ultimate Frisbee champion with state basketball credentials. Steve also dazzles on the court, but it’s his long-distance running skills that mark him a champion. Alan has extensive experience in American football, has been scouted for coaching work and stays fit as a distance trail runner. Certainly, this trio would destroy any other band in a 10k race, and then still do the gig.

Tracked in their hometown of Duluth, Minnesota, 2 was then mixed by Matt Beckley, an up-and-comingproducer from Los Angeles with credits that include Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. What seems like a strange pairing actually resulted in an album that is raw and technologically perverse, visceral and shiny—a true statement of what can be done with a great rock band in the 21st century. Short, inventive pop songs collide with heavy guitar chaos and psychedelia as the record climbs and dives like a twin-engine bomber, all accompanied by a vocal sophistication that’s rare in new music.

Click here to listen to the focus track 'Hide It Away'

Retribution Gospel Choir - 2 will be out 29th January through Sub Pop/Stomp.

Posted: Monday, 4 January 2010

CARL COX MIXES LATEST GLOBAL UNDERGROUND!

The legendary Carl Cox has been announced to mix the latest edition in the acclaimed Global Underground city series. When Carl came on board with GU, there was only one location he had in mind for the mix: Black Rock Desert in Nevada, USA. Carl chose Black Rock Desert because he wanted everybody to know about it. “There’s loads of people out there who have no idea. It’s been going on for 20 years. And I do think there are like-minded people who would like to share my experience. It justifies the release for GU. I hope people see it as genuine.”

Once a year, 48,000 converts make the pilgrimage to build and participate in this unique festival, worship at the dance altar of the Opulent Temple, and then leave a week later without a trace. All of which makes it a perfect place for techno. The music most associated with Carl Cox has always existed outside of the norm, has always had something that is both timeless and emotional, a sense of the classic, along with a relentless, almost scientific desire to innovate.

Both CDs feature hot new tracks, remixes and exclusives from Tiefschwarz feat Seth Troxler, Skylark, Joey Beltram, Christian Smith, Guy J, Bushwacka, Onionz, Joachim Garraud, Robbie Rivera, Adam Beyer, Umek, Politeca, Steve Mulder, John Rundell and Wilson Smallwood & Ingram to name just a few.

GU38: Black Rock Desert mixed by Carl Cox will be released 29 January through Global Underground/Stomp.

Posted: Monday, 4 January 2010