Gatekeeper Interview

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

You can check it out 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.

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!

Mr. Fogg interview

About a month ago I met a very polite and charming young man who is currently creating music under the name Mr. Fogg. I stumbled across his album, Moving Parts, on the suggestion of a music PR friend of mine. I am usually quite skeptical whenever he sends me a CD because they can range from tolerable to downright audio torture.

However, this is one album that I am very glad I was coaxed into hearing. It impressed me so much that I decided to interview him for Amelia's Magazine. I found that, in addition to being a great multi-instrumentalist and talented song writer, Mr. Fogg is also a very friendly guy.

You can read the interview HERE.

Mr fogg - Moving Parts from RadarMusicVideos on Vimeo.

Back on Amelia's

I just got another couple of articles published on the Amelia's site, the first of which is a review of the latest Fabric mix by Get Physical owner DJ T. This guy has been holding it down on the international house music scene for over a decade, owns one of the most influential clubs in Europe and started Germany's premier techno magazine.

To find out more, read the damn review!

Goldie interview on Huck

Huck Magazine is currently acting as a media partner for Soul Heaven's Kicks N Canvas exhibition. This is a group art show featuring a lot of internationally respected artists including drum and bass pioneer Goldie.

I spoke with the revered DJ, label owner and graffiti artist about his involvement in the project and found that he is a very approachable, funny guy. Essentially, he is the complete opposite of the persona he portrays in music videos and films!

You can read the interview HERE.

Spank Rock interview

I recently interviewed MC Spank Rock, a rapper from the controversial group of the same name. It was obvious that he was pretty hungover and unable to answer some of my questions fully, which was a bit of a disappointment.

However, I mentioned that I had recently spoken with his friend Amanda Blank and he then opened up to me a bit and we had a laugh about him going at it a bit to hard the night before.

Spank Rock make some pretty original dance floor rap that will either offend or inspire. Rest assured, it will provoke a reaction either way.

You can read the interview HERE.

Puerto Muerto - Drumming for Pistols (review)

Amelia's recently published my first piece of writing to appear in the publication. It is an album review of husband and wife folk rock duo Puerto Muerto. I must admit, when I first listened to the album I didn't like it very much. However, as I am well aware that I am a judgemental bastard, I decided to give them a shot and I listened to Drumming for Pistols a few times more. There are some incredible, sincere and moving songs on there that will impress anyone who loves good songwriting and storytelling abilities.

Check out the review HERE.

Now writing for Amelia's Magazine

I was recently asked to write for the music section of British fashion journal Amelia's Magazine and I couldn't be happier. My old flatmate was a fashion student, so I regularly found Amelia's lying around the house and quite often found myself reading it from cover to cover. I vividly remember reading an amazing article about electronic pop trio Blonde Redhead, so it makes me proud that I am contributing my own writing to that very same section.

You can check out Amelia's Magazine HERE.

Shlohmo (the future of bedroom production)

I got put onto this guy by someone at my work and I was instantly impressed. He does not play any musical instruments and relies solely on production packages to make his sounds. Plus, I am not entirely sure the results he comes up with are entirely intentional. Still, this guy produces material that sounds similar to Flying Lotus, Samiyam and Gaslamp Killer for all the right reasons.

Shlohmo is only 21 but the San Francisco based bedroom producer is going places - fast!

For now, check out the video for his amazing song Hot Boxing the Cockpit.

Pollyn interview on The Skinny

Pollyn "Still Love" from Pollyn on Vimeo.

I interviewed Los Angeles based electronic outfit Pollyn a couple of months ago after seeing the amazing music video for Still Love. Anyone who likes Morcheeba or any form of smooth electronic stylings with sexy female vocals is going to go spastic for these guys.

Plus, their debut album only has one rubbish song (although you are going to have to listen to it yourself to find out which one I am talking about).

Check out the interview HERE.

Nee Naw! Here come the Ambulances

I was recently asked to do an interview with down tempo indie newcomers Ambulances. After listening to their debut album, I was pleasantly surprised by their Dandy Warhols/ Beta Band stylings and their warm boy/ girl harmonies.

Check out the interview HERE and be on the look out for an Ambulances show near you. They might be a bunch of pendantic piss take merchants but their music is pretty damn good.

The Raveonettes interview on The List

I have been a bit silent on the updates recently and now I am blogging twice in one day. What is that all about? Well, I have been pretty busy working two jobs and interviewing all the bands that I can man-handle in my free time.

I got the chance to speak with one half of Swedish indie stars The Raveonettes about their new album and upcoming UK tour. Their music is pretty romantic but their song titles leave a lot to be desired.

Last Dance is an amazing song though.

Check out the interview HERE.

Four Tet Interview on The Skinny

I was lucky enough to get the chance to interview endearing electronic prodigy Keiran Hebden a.k.a. Four Tet recently. He was a really chill guy who was pretty funny when it came to discussing the way his music is perceived in the media. His new album is pretty damn sweet too.

You can read the full interview HERE.

Now writing for Huck Magazine

It has been an exciting month for this baldy adventurer. I have been working on some interviews for The Skinny, got invited to write for The List and tomorrow I will be starting work as an intern for Huck Magazine.

For those of you not acquainted with the publication, Huck Magazine is a pop culture magazine that focuses on music, skateboarding, surfing and snowboarding. Although I come from a rollerblading background, the principles are generally the same: The main focus is the icons of the relative sports that display progressive attributes and inspire the minds of their young followers. I have always been a fan of surfing and skateboarding so this will be a chance to learn more about cultures that share many similarities with rollerblading. I will also get the chance to feature artists that I think are pushing the boundaries of contemporary music.

I am a little nervous, which is natural with any new job, but I am very excited about working with like minded people and researching some fascinating topics. Bring it on.

If you would like to read the current issue of Huck Magazine online, click HERE

The latest issue features interviews with Mos Def and skateboarding poster boy Ryan Sheckler.