Beats, Rhymes & Life

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When browsing shook.fm I was sad to see i'd missed the London screening of this Tribe Called Quest documentary.

Midnight Marauders is my favourite Tribe record and this looks to provide a great insight into an act that defined a classic era of hip hop. Here's the trailer added a playlist i set up :)

Zelda Symphony

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On the 25th of October at Hammersmith Apollo I did something that i've never done before at any gig, a couple of tears actually rolled down my cheek. My brother had spent much of his teenage years playing on Zelda and i'd picked up a tune or two off the N64 game and his ocarina.

2011 marks 25 years since the first carnation of the game released in cartridge format on the NES, which spawned versions on the 64, DS, Gameboy, Gamecube and currently, Nintendo Wii. This night was to be a timely celebration of the game but more so, of it's legacy of music. The Royal Philharmonic took charge of the proceedings for a concert which had previously only been performed in Tokyo and Los Angeles. This was to be the finale of the trio of performances worldwide, and as such, tickets had been selling fast for up to £100 each.

Behind the orchestra was a humongous screen, on it during the performances were to be clips (including battles) of gameplay from Zelda's finest moments across different formats. From the cute blocky Zelda's of 25 years ago, to the slicker more grown up player he is now.

Throughout the night we were treated to the themes of Hyrule Castle, Princess Zelda, Kakariko Village, Ocarina Melody suite, and lastly the theme tune to the new game Skyward Sword which as it ended prompted a few whoops.

On any other night, grown men walking round in Link costumes would have been an odd occurrence, not so tonight and i've never felt more akin to Big Bang Theory as I did here.

For purely nostalgic reasons, and even though i've never played the game before, this was a brilliant concert. Shame I didn't get better pics..

Gardens & Villa

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I've been meaning to review this one for quite a while but it felt too summery and this is a debut album you should really only listen to when it's dark outside..

Hailing from Santa Barbara, California, Gardens & Villa got their name from their house on Villa Street, where they often got stuck in to a bit of gardening (the modern man knows no limits!).

I often imagine most bands from CA to be a bit like the beach boys, full of poppy melodies that are instantly gratifying and catchy. Not so though with this four piece, who whilst retaining choruses that are darn memorable, are built by intricacy, melancholy, disco and take influence from the likes of Talking Heads and importantly, indie rock.

With a languid boogie groove meeting a casio beat, the opening of Orange Blossom is one of the best you're likely to hear, whereas Chemtrails is another slow mover, punctuated with echoing tamborines, a tinkly piano and Chris Lynch's tenor vocals leading a reflective verse. Flipping on it's head three and half minutes in, Lynch finishes the line Dandylions Flying High... and drops uhooo uhoo uhoo' most satisfyingly.  A well constructed song and as infectious as they come.

The album draws to a close on another highlight in Neon Dove as finger picking guitars intertwine with bossa beats, the band again choosing the right moments to drop out the instruments to focus on the core of synths and those sweetend vocals.

A perfect post 9pm album to segue Autumn nights into Winter

****

You can check out my other top albums of the year (so far) on Spotify here

Gardens & Villa - Chemtrails by electricsoundofjoy

The Nirvana Exhibition

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It was the opening night of the Nevermind exhibition at the Loading Bay Gallery in London and I managed to get a look round! 20 years have passed since the now seminal album was released. This week the album was re-issued in a deluxe package with extra live footage and songs, so thought it the ideal time to post up some pics from the gallery.

Old Magazines featuring the band and rare formats of the album

Posters from gigs and a framed whiteboard (bottom right)

Lyrics from the album adorned the stairs and walls of the gallery

A famous photo of Kurt

That picture from the album, but bigger, and £500(!)

It was a privilege to go but overall I was slightly disappointed by some of the items on display, maybe 20 years isn't so long ago and seeing a framed whiteboard or one of Kurts hoodies wasn't enough to induce nostalgia. Nevermind still powerfully speaks to the listener and has kept it's relevance; is it too early to look back on it with a rose tinted fondness?

The exhibition will be running for two weeks only from Tuesday September 13^th to Sunday September 25^th at The Loading Bay Gallery, Brick Lane from 1pm-7pm daily. Entry is free. 

Playlist: Super 8'0's

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 A bit of a guilty pleasure playlist this one, but being into records such as Was Not Was' Shake Your Head, Rene & Angela's I Love You More and the likes of Patrice Rushen I decided to put together a wider collection of 80's R&B meets dance.

A labour of love over the last few months, there's a couple of slower numbers in here as well for good measure and popping up are Angela Bofill's Let Me Be The One and Stephanie Mills 'What Cha Gonna Do With My Lovin'" amongst a couple of others.

Also check out Rare Pleasure's 'Let Me Down Easy', the sample behind David  Morales house smash Needin U.

BristolFunk : Super 8'0's Playlist- Spotify

Big Chill Festival 2011, 3 days of music, sunshine and camping

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The big chill campsite, looking towards the main stage from the guest area

This was definitely one of those trips where the journey was an integral part as leaking what smelt like a large quantity of petrol from Bristol, we shambled our way down the motorway towards the picturesque Eastnor deer park with most windows open and the small black Fiat threatening to be driven apart into pieces at any moment (mum don't read this!). We actually managed to put the tent up in daylight, a step forward on last years pitch black pitching, and tented ourselves near a tree (theory being a good landmark makes it easy to locate).

Having done the transporting and pitching, we made it down into the main stage for Chemical Brothers Friday headline slot after being drawn to 'cubehenge' for some jungle. Chems put on a fantastic show though, dropping their hits in all the right places and with some expansive visuals on the big screen to support the Djing and samples. Our tickets were a kind gift from Vodafone so we were amongst the few who made it into the TV gallery, looking over the 30,000 strong crowd, it was a great experience.

Janelle shakes her Monae maker

A 3am finish, we woke on the Saturday and hastily set about making a plastic cups worth of tea, and eating disco's (the crisps). First up after we'd managed to get down to the main stage was Janelle Monae, who put on a great set once again (I was lucky to have seen her at wireless festival earlier in the season). Towards the end of her show she likes to put people to sleep, the aim being everyone at the front sits or lies down, as the band wind down and pretend to go to sleep on the stage, then kick right back up again with some rawkus. This also brought rain, which amusingly resulted in the guy in front hastily shaking his fist in anger at the sky. Luckily this year an umbrella was to hand.

Saturday night and we went to see Aloe Blacc play in the Revellers Tent, he created very much a lounge vibe and enjoyed one of his best album tracks in Green Lights before we skipped out to see if Kanye had turned up yet. Half an hour late he did but the performance, or what we saw of it, was fairly flat. Starting out singing from the tv tower, which turned heads (literally), he moved to the stage and sang a further 3 album tracks, before launching a 10 minute monologue about being lonely, persecuted, picking up a dud award at the German MTV awards and complaining he had lost his voice to 'bring y'all a great show, a great product'. It was a strange but also a sad moment. The crowd had been upbeat; now those who had been seeking to hear a carousel of his hits were leaving in their droves. From there we went to see Buraka Som Sistema with some samba house and set about finding a fire to sit round in the guest area.

Sunday AM heralded sitting in the tent rustling up some fish sandwiches,  getting through the remaining supplies and reading the newspaper whilst listening to the excellent Delta Swamp Rock compilation on SoulJazz. We wondered down the hill to the stage area and the sun really did come out with DJ Derek's brilliant reggae set and Norman Jay before that with his mix of dnb, house and good times. On the Saturday a hyperactive but enthusiastic Craig Charles brought us some of his favourite records on the cubehenge stage, the former Red Dwarf actor and Robot Wars host turned 6Music DJ and funk champion.

Wearily returning to London late on Sunday night meant I missed Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings which was a shame, but for what was to become a week of riots and madness, Big Chill did not disappoint, and is still one of the UK's best festivals for dance, pop, soul and reggae fans.  ****

DJ line up in the guest area

Sunset over the site

A magical setting for Aloe Blacc

Cubehenge, where DJ Derek & Craig Charles played

 

 

Samiyam Hits The Limiter

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'Sam Bakers Album'  is the self titled and newly released Samiyam break. It's also  the follow up to Rap Beats Vol 2. and the first album that's come through Flying Lotus' label Brainfeeder that has really caught and kept my attention. The man from Michigan relocated to the musical hub of Los Angeles and was previously known for his use of video game inspired 8-bit hiphop beats. His newest effort goes above and beyond that calling.

Seventeen tracks, essentially presented as mini-ideas, breathe with electronic soul taking in influence from deep eighties jazz funk, films and sounds that could have turned up on a re-modelled nite flight compilation.

An album geared towards after-hours listening, as warped, vibey keys blur with looped vocals, film samples and various beats, flittering between hip-hop, broken beat and dubstep. There's alot of limiter placed on each loop, which moves it to the notion that you've discovered a pirate radio station late at night, under the covers.

Whereas some concept albums can spread themselves too thinly, the majority here are thoroughly enjoyable. And whilst it's difficult to hum them after, when the record ends, it leaves you with a niggling to come back for more. It's more a soundtrack than a traditional album with singles, now all we need is the great film to match.

8.85/10 

Listen to the full album here: BristolFunk- Approved Albums of 2011

SAMIYAM - Where Am I by BRAINFEEDER