julien dyne - pins and digits (bbe 2009)

i was going to leave posting about this album until tomorrow but, after having put it on for the first time this evening and now just finished listening to it for the third time...i felt it warranted a few words before slumber sets in.

it's immense in that it seems to straddle a diverse range of musical styles, and weirdly brings together wonky glitch hop and elegant soul (for instance) in a way which makes for interesting and rewarding listening. although only rewarding, and probably just mildly interesting, if you're a fan of both wonky glitch hop and soul...of course.

there's more to it than that, though. Julien Dyne's music also takes us on a tour of chugging tribalesque funk in "Layer", or deep into ambient freakout jazz territory on the beautiful "Spirits". late night-lovers will find warm cwtched up bliss in the understated soul on "Fallin' Down", and tucked away in the middle of the album i think i may have found one of my beats of the year: "The Jung & The Fine" just blows me away - worth the admission price alone.

it's a great album though, because it seems to contain so little filler. each and every track is a winner, and that's pretty rare (although hopefully less so in this digital age of consumers' ability to pick and choose tracks as they wish from releases). "Pins and Digits" seems diverse enough in its style to be interesting, but somehow manages to stay coherent enough as to not annoy...or more importantly see you skipping through the tracks.

without a doubt, definitely one of my contenders for album of the year.

glitchdiscotripwobblefunkjazzwonksoulhop?

yeah g'wan then...

listen to samples & buy at Juno
Julien Dyne on MySpace

xx

space rangers - plimsoll 002

how d'you like your disco? deep, spaced out, funk-edged and with enough chug to wear the soles out on your best bopping shoes? if you're answering in the affirmative, then you'll want to get on this new release from the fledgling - but highly impressive - Plimsoll records.

following on from their excellent debut release "Guardian Angel" (and subsequent digi-MJ-tribute-release), the Shoes-offshoot keep firmly on the re-edit trail - this time signing up Space Rangers to deliver a belting duo of reworks.

the a-side features a workout on D-Train's "Keep on Moving", which is nicely dubby but equally chuggy...and builds and builds into a stomping finale, which is always a winner. especially for those late-night afterparties.

on the flip you'll find a much more boogie-synth driven dancefloor pleaser, which rates highly on all 5 of my funk-meters. it's a re-edit of New Jersey Connection's "Love Don't Come Easy", and if it doesn't get hips shaking and women throwing themselves at your disco-king feet, you're at the wrong event.

serve dressed in your Hugh Hefner outfit, accompanied by a winning smile.

buy it at Juno

xx

friday visuals 001

gonna try to get into the habit of sticking a few vids up for your perusal every friday. or at least every friday that i'm around!

let's get started then...

first up there's this little beauty from one of Dorian Concept's recent releases. i'm not sure if this is an official video, or just something that a fan has knocked together. whoever's responsible, they've done a wonderful job. some textbook dance moves here - i'd be particularly interested in joining a dance troupe who emulate the "jumping around in a circle" motions that the kids are doing at around 1:00:



next up - more filthy electronic wonk, this time with a tasty hip-hop edge. i'll admit that i've only recently started buzzing for the sounds of Siriusmo, but having dropped one of his tracks to a great reception at Festinho 2009, i knew he was onto something! this video is as entertaining as the tune, which is always a bonus...and in my mind suggests what would've happened if Flat Eric met the girl from The Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up" vid. check it:



something less "music video" and more just plain old "wow" here. hip-hop legend Q-Tip in the studio with his boys, considering a record for sample chopping. except he's having a go at chopping it by hand, with the needle - rather than just using the MPC sat next to him. hahahaha. try before you buy LOOPS - i love it. enjoy:



let's finish up where we started, with some more Dorian Concept. i don't know much about this performance, and my knowledge of German is non-existent i'm afraid (translations welcome). from what i can gather, it's a live performance for a radio station called FM4. it's wicked - jazz drums and a jazz piano/synth workout (just how much RANGE has this bloke got?!?). immense:



more next week!

xx

back into the fold...

june. really? it's honestly been that long since i last posted?

nah, it hasn't. but a few posts of mine got taken down due to copyright issues and, since i mostly tried to use this space to share my radio shows and mixes with you (and of course promote the music itself), it left me reeling a bit. and pissed off, naturally.

i only have good intentions with sharing that stuff - it's just about buzzing for the music and wanting other people to feel the same. and in the case of some of the radio shows, getting drunk and playing Simply Red. i don't think i need to offer any apologies for THAT, do i?

:D

so yeah. i'm gonna try to get back into posting here more and keep trying to promote the music i think is worth listening to at the moment.

i've had a great summer of it - plenty of festivals, parties, gigs and gatherings where the music has been incredible. some fine stuff out there lately, and i'm itching to get back into chatting shit about it all.

in the meantime, here's a video. the fantastic Lee Fields, live and in your face...



xx