Gatekeeper Interview

The Stool Pigeon has just uploaded my interview with slasher electro duo Gatekeeper onto their site.

You can check it out HERE.

The Stool Pigeon issue 29

The latest issue of The Stool Pigeon is out now and features interviews with Lemmy from Motorhead, Dave Mustaine from Megadeth and New York based electronic duo Gatekeeper.

You know you want it.

Teebs Interview on One Magazine

I am a big fan of One magazine (because it is all about blading) and was pretty happy when Justin (the editor) told me he liked one of my recent articles. It is an interview with Brainfeeder signing Teebs, who has a great debut album called Ardour.

You can read the interview HERE.

Hot Chip interview

Thanks to my buddy Gin Trewhella at Exposure PR I got the chance to interview Joe Goddard from the much hyped electro pop ensemble that is Hot Chip. Talking with him was kind of like talking to an older relative: He was very calm, careful with his words and warm in a way that usually only occurs in the company of close friends or family.

I am not the biggest fan of Hot Chip, but Joe Goddard gets my vote every time.

You can read the interview HERE.

Huoratron - Corporate Occult

I am a big fan of really dirty techno. I don't mean that crap you hear on Ministry of Sound compilations, I mean dirty, bassy techno that makes you want to swing a baseball bat into a thousand windows. Phil Hebblethwaite, the editor of The Stool Pigeon, knows of my hedonistic tendencies and pointed me in the direction of Huoratron.

The Icelandic producer decribes himself as live electronic grindcore and he is not fucking kidding. This is some brutal techno that combines elements of Mr. Oizo at his nastiest (Positif) and Vitalic (before he got all electro on us).

The video for his recent single, Corporate Occult, was directed by Cedric Blaisbois and features some rather extreme scenes of sex and violence that makes The Prodigy's Smack My Bitch Up promo look a little tame. Watch this and you will think long and hard about having a one night stand with that pretty young lady you met on the dancefloor.

"CORPORATE OCCULT" Huoratron Music Video from Cédric BLAISBOIS on Vimeo.

The Stool Pigeon Issue 28 is out now

This is the first issue of The Stool Pigeon that I have worked on and it was awesome. Phil Hebblethwaite is a fun guy to hang around with and the rest of the team are on the top of their game.

This issue features interviews with drag pioneers Salem, hip hop legend Ice Cube and N*E*R*D. The indie hipsters are not going to be happy. Oh well...

Andreya Triana interview

A few weeks ago I got the pleasure of meeting the lovely Andreya Triana, a Brighton based singer songwriter that has just released her debut album, Lost Where I Belong, on Ninja Tune.



You may recognise Andreya's voice as she provided the sultry vocals on Flying Lotus' Tea Leaf Dancers. She also collaborated with Bonobo on a beautiful song called The Keeper.



Her debut album is an amazing example of contemporary neo soul that easily matches anything by Jill Scott or Erykah Badu.

Check it out, you won't regret it.

You can read the interview HERE.

Drums of Death - Generation Hexed

Colin Bailey a.k.a. Drums of Death has been antagonising crowds across the globe for the last two years with his frantic electronic live shows, sharing the stage with Peaches and Hot Chip on US tours. He even co –wrote the title track for Peaches’ latest album, I Feel Cream. With the release of his debut album, Generation Hexed, the voodoo face paint wearing villain looks set to reach an even wider audience.

The London based Scotsman opens proceedings with Karaoke, an ambient fusion of harmonised vocals and minimalist keyboards that slowly builds with the assistance of delicate synths until the track simply disperses into the twisted electro funk of follow up track Science and Reason. This is when the album really kicks into gear. A stomping electro beat is driven by Bailey’s haunting baritone vocals as he chants: “You put the magic into me.” Science and Reason is a nostalgic ode to the 90s dance music that inspired it. There is even a cow bell thrown in for good measure and, strangely enough, it works.

Acid house and golden era rave music is then fused together on the album’s highlight Won’t Be Long. Hedonistic tumbling pianos provide the tension before the track explodes into the kind of anthem that dominated warehouses a couple of decades ago. This track easily matches anything on The Prodigy’s Invaders Must Die album in terms of its ability to induce dance floor hysteria. Lonely Days keeps the party going as Bailey demands, “Give it out, ‘til there’s none of you left” over a menacing bassline, quickstep beat and pounding keys.

Just as it seems that Generation Hexed is rapidly becoming a floor filler album, the menacing intergalactic instrumental Creak breaks up things nicely with space invader style samples and a Daft Punk inspired beat.

Twisted love song Everything all at Once, which depicts lovers deploying petrol bombs and terrorising the streets at night, proves that Bailey can comfortably execute a futuristic r ‘n’ b ballad. Modern Age is a nice off beat electro punk call to arms complete with splashing cymbals, lasers and all.

London Teeth opens with a camp emotronic intro that is not a million miles away from fellow Scotsman Hudson Mohawke, but then Bailey delivers a death blow by launching into atmospheric electro that could have been written by Hot Chip if they had just embarked on a senseless killing spree.

Generation Hexed delivers on the hype that Bailey created with his 2009 single Got Yr Thing. There is a diverse selection of treats on offer and proof that Bailey can comfortably create dark love songs and all out rave anthems. Now, when legions of followers go positively spastic at his energetic live shows, they will actually be able to sing along to more than one song. The only complaint is that, at forty one minutes long, the album doesn’t seem nearly long enough.

Skream - Outside the Box

As the title suggests, Outside the Box is Skream’s (real name Oliver Jones) attempt to break free of the restrictions that come with being regarded as a dubstep artist, which is a pretty brave move considering he is one of the people responsible for pioneering the international phenomenon. The album includes a plethora of collaborations featuring La Roux, dBridge and instra:mental with varying degrees of success.

The first couple of tracks indicate that Skream’s adventurous spirit may be the death of this album, as opening track Perforated starts off promisingly enough with swirling samples that increase in tension but fail to go anywhere.

On 8 Bit Baby, Skream teams up with Murs and proves that collaborations don’t always bring out the best in the artists involved. The LA rapper provides uncharacteristically sloppy verses that essentially amount to how much better the duo are than everyone else. The rapper’s unimaginative bragging is so devoid of wit that it is almost laughable, and Skream’s monotonous beat and sample combination does not make for interesting listening either.

How Real is one of the album’s finest moments thanks to a glitchy two step rhythm that ascends in momentum only to abruptly dissolve into a twisted euphoric dance breakdown. Freckles’ heavily chopped, bionic vocals work in perfect harmony with Skream’s production.

The Croydon producer flexes his dubstep muscle on I Love the Way, with a reliable blend of nocturnal menace and sparse beats, but it is Wibbler that will satisfy fans of his early work. The wobbly bass and piercing snare drum explosions are certain to turn his live sets into a frenzy of violently jerking bodies.

It is rumoured that Skream is currently working with drum and bass legend Goldie, and this seems highly probable considering the satisfying breakbeats and powerful female vocals on Listenin’ to the Records on my Wall. This track sounds like it could have easily been written during Goldie’s Timeless era.

Metamorphosis and A Song for Lenny are both valiant attempts at emotive electronica but, although well executed, they simply sound like diluted versions of Moderat tracks.

This is a very adventurous record for a producer who is still in the early stages of his career. It is honourable that he is not simply trying to milk the success of previous hits Midnight Request Line and that mighty La Roux remix. The only problem is that sometimes his efforts are frustratingly misguided. Still, if you skip the first couple of tracks and you are on to a winner.

Fade Nation Green

It took him long enough, but Lonnie Gallegos finally returns to our screens with the third installment of the Fade Nation series. This time there hints at some excellent skating from Rob Guerrero, Jeremy Soderburg and Anthony Williams, plus a plethora of other fine talent.

If Lonnie is behind the controls you know the angles are going to be crisp and the soundtrack is going to be banging.

Now, hurry up and release the damn thing!

Bits and Bobs

I just got back from a week long holiday in Barcelona, so I have not been particularly productive recently. However, in the last week The Skinny have published a little preview that I managed to throw together before I left.

Amelia's Magazine also published my review of The Like's latest album, Release Me.

More to follow shortly, honest!

For a Good Cause

Adam Johnson, the man behind the amazing KFC film series, is currently touring across America with some of the best rollerbladers in the world on a massive filming project. He has Alex Broskow, Chris Haffey, John Bolino and many more amazing athletes all cramped into a van as they travel from state to state gathering clips.

Obviously, such a project is not cheap and Adam's independent mission is already running out of money. He has come up with the ingenious idea of offering fans of his films the chance to donate towards the project or pre-order copies of the DVD so that they may continue to travel and gather footage.

I think this is an excellent idea as Adam has always made great films, so you are pretty much guaranteed that you are doing your part to help create something brilliant. For that Adam, you get £10 of my hard earned cash.

If you would like to donate, go HERE.

Flying with the Pigeons

For the past few weeks I have been working with The Stool Pigeon in a bid to help the publication pass an ABC assessment and increase readership across the UK. What is the ABC you ask? Well, let me tell you.

The ABC is an independent organisation that verifies and reports on media performance. If a magazine applies to the ABC to be audited, it can legally prove circulation figures. This is really important for publications like The Stool Pigeon, as it is a free music newspaper and relies solely on advertising revenue in order to survive.

Once the assessment is complete and the figures have been released, The Stool Pigeon can confidently approach bigger companies in an attempt to sell more advertising.

Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong. We now have to contact every place that stocks the paper and get their full details including postcode, telephone number, contact name and position. Then we have to go through all of this data and state how many copies we send to each place. The Stool Pigeon currently has over 600 stockists across the UK. Ouch!

Things to do before you die...

If you are a fan of experimental hip hop production then you must attend a Brainfeeder night before your limited time on this earth comes to an end. Last night, armed with a particularly good friend, I went to the label's latest event in London and witnessed some amazing sets from Kode 9 and the mighty Flying Lotus.

I wasn't very familiar with the other acts on the bill but I was very impressed with the Lorn set. He is the latest signing to Fly Lo's Brainfeeder label and although he encompasses similar elements to Gaslamp Killer and other artists on the roster, his creations have a more industrial, aggressive feel that makes for some very dancefloor friendly music.

The next time they are performing in a city near you, make sure you pencil them into your schedule.

Summer Bliss

More skate edits should look and sound like this...

CTV - A trip to Switzerland from ConferenceTV on Vimeo.

Rob G: Still Got It

Rob Guerrero has been representing rollerblading in its finest form for over a decade and he still maintains an elegant style combined with creative, technical tricks. He was recently in Europe filming for the Rollerblade Solo Collective online video series and below is the finished edit.

Let's hope Rob keeps going strong. We need more people like him promoting our sport.

Rob G in Europe from Solo Collective on Vimeo.

Toddla T Y'all

A few weeks ago I interviewed Sheffield born electronic artist Toddla T as he is currently travelling the country to perform at the Rizla Stage at various festivals including Rockness and Lovebox.

Toddla was a lively, pleasant character with alot to say about the music he loves and the scene he came up in.

You can check out the interview in the latest print edition of The Skinny or you can simply read it HERE.

Rant: Passports

I am currently back in Glasgow visiting the mrs and getting my passport renewed. I went to the post office yesterday as they have a service where they help you complete your passport application to ensure it doesn't get delayed/ rejected. I arranged my appointment for today, filled out the application last night and got my new passport photos taken.

I get up early this morning for my appointment with all of my necessary documents and get the underground into town. Upon arriving at the desk, the assistant takes one look at my old passport, one look at my new photograph and says, "Oh, this doesn't look anything like your old photo."

Well, funny that, considering the last photo was taken over a decade ago when I had a full head of hair was yet to embrace the full extent of puberty. If I did look the same, that would be pretty weird!

The assistant then informed me that I will have to get someone to countersign my passport and photographs to verify that it is actually me. Then, she has the cheek to charge me £8 for the service.

What service?!?!? You basically told me I have done it wrong and must book another appointment. I fail to see how that is particularly helpful! Surely I could have been told WHEN I BOOKED MY APPOINTMENT that I would need someone to countersign my passport application (even though in the guide book it states that you only need a countersignature if you are under 16 or it is your first passport).

Nothing is ever simple.

Back on Be-mag!

It has been a long time since I have had anything published on Be-mag because I have been so busy working at Huck and writing for other magazines. I recently decided to get involved with the amazing rollerblading publication once again and hooked up with one of UK rollerblading's hardest working members, Matty Dearden, to let the world know about the amazing things he is doing for our sport.

Matty has been arranging corporate sponsorship of rolling events all over the place and even got a skate event shown on international television earlier this year. That is no easy task considering mainstream culture has little or no respect for skaters.

Check it out HERE.

Far - At Night We Live (review)

I recently reviewed the new Far album, At Night We Live, for Amelia'a Magazine. Jonah Matranga and friends are back after a 12 year hiatus and it feels like they never left. The album is equal parts everything I loved from previous release Water and Solutions combined with influences from their other projects New End Original and Gratitude.

To read the review, go HERE.