Violet Violet

myspace.com/violetviolet1

New and Future releases

Saw the Mystery Jets play a free gig at Exeter Uni yesterday - and I'm really liking their new stuff. Twenty One is released "very soon indeed" and they've taken a great direction with it. Their new stuff uses all the talents of the band - Blaine's haunting voice (flecked with a hint of vibrato, reminiscent of Jeff Buckley, though he still very much has his own unique style) on Flakes, William's voice and songwriting talents on Young Love, the counter edge that Kai's voice brings and some beautiful bass riffs, especially on 'Half in Love with Elizabeth'. We were treated to an exclusive half and half acoustic/electric version of that particular song when the audience couldn't choose between the version they wanted to hear. They also plucked a yoing lady from the crowd to sing laura Marling's part on Young Love - and despite the fact that the lady in question confessed she 'couldn't sing at all' - she got up on stage and gave it a great go and at the same time created a truly magic moment.

It was fantastic to see a band playing such new material at a time when they're still revelling in the quality of the songs they've just written. There was a genuine enjoyment and freshness to their playing that no doubt begins to wain once the album is released. And they're such nice lads too - you got a real sense of ego-lessness which made a warm, intimate atmosphere.

We met them before when they DJed at Lofi Hifi and there was no sense of fame going to their heads then - and nothing's changed. Unrelated really, but I also once had sex in the same room as Kai. Fact. Not with Kai may I point out. And the atmopshere was intimate then too. they've just got it going on.

Great pop songs, and I have my fingers crossed that the rest of the album is as good as the tracks I've heard.

head to the myspace for a listen.

I know I always go on about Carl Craig - but very excited about the Carl Craig Sessions CD just released. As Phonica says
" New double CD collection highlighting why Carl Craig is one of the best remixers & producers in the world. 23 tracks from classic techno tracks to recent 2007 remixes (a lot of which have been only available on vinyl!) - its only when you see them all here in one place, that you realise how prolific & consitent he is"


I rarely dare play out the Like A Child remix - It's such a great tune - but in the way that his brand of techno is it's quite a subtle brilliance - it has to be dropped at the right time in a set, when everyone's really into the music - or the kind of crowd who'd really appreciate this kind of stuff - in short supply in Exeter sadly.

Anyway - this track is an anthem in the making:
Francesco Tristano - The Melody (Carl Craig Remix)

The album is out now and at £13.99 I will be getting myself a copy very soon. review will follow.

Also worth a mention:


As the promoters have said:


"It's all happening in a beautiful 600-man private space (good for all the smokers amongst you) with massive projections and other quirks and performances in an accessible East London warehouse. On top of this it's a very reasonable £5 a head with option to bring your own booze. However, there will be a fully stocked bar in the venue should you find yourself without a drink."

BYO + smoking + Nathan Fake = unmissable

Answers and heavy rotation

copyright Alex Cambell 2007


First the (belated) answers to my cryptic quiz


a) Green Velvet - No Sex
b) Junior Boys - Like A Child (Carl Craig Remix) - haven't been able to get this out of my head for days and weeks, absolutely relentless. How one great bass riff can be made to sound masterful for 8 minutes I don't know.
c) Johnny Foreigner - Champagne Girls I Have Known - another track that I can't seem to shake. Saw them a few weeks back and their live show is as good as the EP. So brilliantly driving, never letting you get comfortable, always throwing something new at you, yet never once swaying from catchy pop brilliance.

A few tracks on heavy rotation this week:

Glass Candy - Candy Castle
I gather I'm a bit late on picking up this one but for anyone who hasn't heard this one then grab a listen. Coming on the exciting Italians Do It Better imprint, they take the classic Italodisco sound and a perfectly produced vintage synth and have created something both vicious and haunting. Like disco dancing in treacle. It makes me want to pop over to Portland and have a play with their synths, and to make a track with bass that prominent in the mix.

Another tune of the moment that does a similar bass-centric thing is Ebony Bones - We Know All About You.

It's the first properly blistering pop tune I've heard in a few weeks, and it just makes me very excited. I love the layering up of drums in the opening minute, getting more and more frantic to the point of bursting, and doesn;t allow you not to get your groove on. I also like the latino flavour and experimentation going on in the percussion. Proof that you don't just need a drum machine to make good dance music - this takes some of my favourite percussive elements: hand clapping (ala Etalking), strange little samples, melodic junk drumming (on what sounds like bottles containing different levels of water), counter rhythms.

Also very very worth checking out is the NLLR Mixtape project (unsure if this link will work - if not search for it on facebook- a series of free mixtapes from some big name in electronic music with new mixes posted regularly. It is run by Lee Norman Williams of No Love Lost Records - the blurb explains more:

"Launched in November 2007 by lifelong dance music fanatic Lee Norman Williams, the NLLR Mixtape Project is a free side-project of his dance music record label No Love Lost Records, featuring masterfully mixed sets by talents of every genre and sub genre of the music we love... dance and electronica. It doesn’t matter if you’re a fan of -- deep breath -- Techno, Electro, House, Drum’N’Bass, Bassline, Dubstep, Trance, Breaks, Hard Dance, Hardcore, Progressive, Minimal, Micro, Blog, Bmore, Garage, Grime, Hip Hop or IDM, I love them all, which means you’ll get to hear them all."

with mixes from OCELOT
LAURA HEATH
MEMEME
THE BLOODY BEETROOTS
TRONIK YOUTH
L.A.O.S.
RUPERT ROMARO
MARAL SALMASSI
TYSKERHAR
CONGOROCK
ARTHUR BARR
MISTRESS DE FUNK
ZOMBIE DISCO SQUAD
CRYPTONITES
ZOLTAR (SPEAKS)
JAHCOOZI
LILLICA LIBERTINE this is exciting stuff, and the quality is up there.

Enjoy. x

Puzzlecore Tuesday

The tracks posted next Tuesday will be the answers to the following clues. This is a game I used to play to while away the long, dull hours when a pot-wash aged 15. Each is a cryptic clue to the band name. With either each word representing a similar or opposite word in the band name, or the clue being a more general cryptic clue. Which sounds more dull than it is. Promise. Answers in the comments section, please.

1 - Envious Suede
2 - Senior Girls
3 - Contraception National (clue: West Midlands band)

Listmas Time

Happy New Year

Because why not:

Top 25 of 2007 (top 25 = why constrain myself to less??)

1 - Brodinski – Bad Runner [Mental Groove]

2 - ZZT – Lower State of Consciousness [Turbo Recordings]

3 - La Priest – Engine (Erol Alkan's Transonic Re-edit) [Phantasy Sound]

4 - Larry Tee ft Princess Superstar – Licky (Work It Out) (Herve Goes Low Remix)

5 - Chemical Brothers – Saturate [EMI]

6 - Digitalism – Jupiter Room (Erol Alkan’s simple yet effective mix)

7 - Dusty Kid – The Cat [Southern Fried Records]

8 - Justice - Phantom Pt 2 (Soulwax Niteversion) [EMI]

9 - Justice - Waters Of Nazareth (Woodie!'s The Underwater Adventures of Ghettoruckus ReRub)

10 - Robbie Williams – Lovelight (Soulwax Ravelight Mix) [EMI]

11 - SebastiAn – Walkman (Re-edit) [Because Music France]

12 - Justice – Stress [Ed Banger]

13 - Thieves Like Us – Drugs in my Body [Kitsune]

14 - M.I.A – Paper Planes [XL]

15 - Primary 1 – Outside [Demo]

16 - Sinden & the Count of Monte Cristal – Bleeper [Counterfeet]

17 - D.I.M. – Is You [Boys Noize]

18 - Johnny Foreigner – Champagne Girls I Have Known [Best Before]

19 - Black Ghosts – Any Way You Choose to Give It (Extended Mix) [Southern Fried]

20 - Hot Chip – Shake a Fist

21 - Proxy – Decoy [ Turbo Canada]

22 - RATM – Killing in the Name of SebastiAn [Ed Banger]

23 - Beirut – Postcards From Italy [Ba Da Bing! US]

24 - Simian Mobile Disco – It’s The Beat[ Wichita]

25 - Golden Bug – Barbie’s Back

They Call It Justice

Copyright G.Wigzell 2007. Lofi Hifi 31/10/07.


Very nice little mash up sent over from Tel Aviv -

Justice Vs Dead Prez - They Call It Justice (Yarin Lidor Remix)

As he says "I recommend playing that tune in an electro cranky dance floor, after 02:00am…"

Indeed.

Yarin Lidor Myspace

Rip it down and start again

Daft Punk - Technologic (George Wigzell's Rip Down and Start Again Refit)

haha. I'm quite new to the making music game, and this is the first effort I've felt like sharing - and it's still not complete, or properly mixed - generally rough sounding, a work in progress - and I've labelled it as a Daft Punk Remix for now until I find a different vocal line to use. I've also always wanted my own silly remix name so 'George Wigzell's Rip Down and Start Again Refit' seemed like a good starting point. Anyways, disclaimers aside, feedback appreciated.