Live Nation, the biggest promoter in the world, has revealed it’s plans for three open air festivals in Hyde Park, Victoria Park & Trafalgar Square as part of London’s 2012 Olympic Games celebrations. The events will “allow people to watch outdoor screenings of the Olympic and Paralympic Games at Hyde Park and will provide live music shows including two Celebration Concerts in Hype Park to coincide with the opening and closing of the games” (sou).
Headline acts and ticket information have yet to be unveiled, but reports suggest an annoucement will be made within the next few weeks. With Live Nation attached, expect superstar names to be involved.
As previewed on Fader a couple days ago, “Texas-born, LA-based songwriter/producer Antwoine ‘T-Wiz’ Collins produced three songs on Frank Ocean’s Nostalgia, Ultra (‘Love Crimes’,'Dust’ and ‘There Will Be Tears’). ‘Right Now,’ the first song created for his solo debut as Troy NōKA, Free Dreaming, is a simultaneously urgent and pleasure-riding lover’s anthem that makes equal use of clean 808s, beefy guitar and orchestral polish.”
So, this one’s an interesting nu-R&B cut that caught our attention; somewhere between Ocean’s urban-Chris-Martin delineations and the aftermath of a Dream engineered commersh state, siphoned through hip, submarine reverb percussives in the back of the mix we can imagine trendsters going gaga for.
As droopy critics mourn the past, bewail over declining sales and await some (genuinely) inspiring, breakthrough saviours for the future of British ‘guitar’, then it would be a fair reward to say these Cambridge lads alt-J hold a fantastic sound and could present a worthy ‘post-guitar’ challenge (perhaps along with another precious act King Krule).
Combining ill-tempered, dubstep saw wave derivative guitars, surf harmonies and the kind of baroquial, mountain pop vibes you’d expect of Fleet Foxes, ‘Fitzpleasure’ may prick some fatigued perceptions.
We’ve kicked around a little theory that it will take a band or act that appeals to a heterogeneous, urbanized mainstream whilst being totally indebted to honouring Alternative Rock that will do the trick. With the cyclical nature of all fluctuating genre trends needing contextual relevance, it’s only a matter of time and we’ll be keeping an eye out when the clever new wave comes crashing in.
This exciting young band you can catch soon supporting another great British talent Mercury Music prize nominated artist, Ghostpoet on his upcoming tour in Feb. Their debut album arrives soon after in May.
Parisian label Youngunz recently released a dynamic slew of sprouting electronic act exclusives condensed into one fat compilation titled Sinterklaas Society. Amongst them was of course the hotly talked about producer French Fries with his cold cut Crushin’ On Me. But my select for this morning however is a soulful house number with the kushiest vocal samples over a bed of 4/4 chilled disco from a duo via Auckland (New Zealand) called Chaos In The CBD. Liking this immensely right now – kinda’ reminds of the exhilaration experienced when listening to a Julio Bashmore burner. Enjoy this one with spirits up – ones in glasses and ones in chests.
“I’ma read that b*tch, I’ma school that b*tch, I’ma take that b*tch to college, I’ma give that some b*tch some knowledge…” starts this witty vogue’ing tribute by Brooklyn electro artist Zebra Katz and lady rapper Njena Red Foxxx.
It’s so-minimal-it-could-almost-be-too-minimal, blipster thug business to get your moombah-krump on, certified by some nice, low budget visuals rocking a fine shlock horror colour grade, directed by Ruben Sznajderman.
Out now on Jefferees via Mad Decent. Free download along with remixes here.
Active Child is such a badman, the way mixes his choral upbringing with R&B falsetto vehicles, reviving time-worn power ballads with an uplifting, retro-slanted, shoegaze edge. His album You Are All I See received some rotation in PinBoard flats last year, but after revisiting it last week during a session of intense hoovering, I fully realised just how great what this guy (and producer Ariel Rechtshaid) had spent years crafting was. This track is particularly conquering, the way his seas of vocal layers pierces through the driving harp and drown the brain in a sort of lovelorn paradise. Teary-eyed, beautiful stuff.
As for the T.S. Pfeffer & Robert McHugh directed vid, complete with a can of bubbling energy drank at 1:05 (shouts to R-Beezy heads) – can’t think of a better analogy for the phrase ‘hanging on’ than a lonely arse fisherman. Poor bugger, long ting, he shoulda’ just ‘lowed it.
Just when you thought B.J. The Chicago Kid had captivated people’s ears on his last heartbreaking release with an emotional young god Kendrick Lemar, a smooth switch to this heart-string plucker again has us enamored on that chuuuurch. This time, more a lovers chapel. And his voice control is illy, with alot of classic body that resounds well through these current tracks. One for heads who like ‘sangas’!
Kudos to The Kid for flipping a personal fave visual piece that I’ve loved from the last few years. Watch the original Arev Manoukian directed work here, it’s such a perfect shortform work of the externalized gut response to seeing a soul mate, executed with such technical mastery. Makes sense.
Romance is the order of Feburary anyway, so expect a gift on Valentines when the South Side Chicago serenader drops Pineapple Now & Laters. We’re certain you’re in love already.
Pop star Nicki Minaj unveils her latest visual escapade; Here goes ‘Stupid Hoe’, taken off Barbie’s upcoming sophomore album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, due out February 14th. Awww in April.
… And like many of their emerging musicians, Sandie Black arrives in a cloud of obscurity. With virtually no information available on who they are or what they look like, they’re literally covered in mystery. The only clue to their existence is ‘Gotta Get Free’, an elevated number which crossroads Soul & Rock, Electro Pop and Hip Hop. A song embellished in futurism but absorbed by familiar trademarks, instrumentally it’s quite compelling. Launching with an Indie guitar riff, it lifts off into a crisp kick drum & snare pattern, before crash landing into an anthemic hook with busy basslines and crowd surfing drums – it’s all in there. I can hear hints of Janelle Monae among the fueling sonics too, no plagiarizers here though.
Time should unravel the secrets of Sandie Black, but if it doesn’t – lets just hope, at the very least, we get more music from them.
A week after releasing his new Habits & Contradictions album, Schoolboy Q drops the official video for ‘Hands on the Wheel’, a track which features fellow rising star A$AP Rocky. Expect standard imagery from the video, of course – party, weed and drank. Rock star shit.
