London

Actress - Splazsh (Honest Jon’s)

Friday, June 11th, 2010 | Sounds | No Comments

‘Splazsh’, the sophomore album from Werk Discs head honcho Darren Cunningham aka Actress, picks up from where debut album, ‘Hazyville’, left off, pushing sounds and ideas that where hinted at on the first album. The album is very much a product of what is happening musically in London right now, bringing together a wide range of styles & influences and giving it a unique twist. The album kicks-off with the hypnotic, ‘Hubble’, which (along with ‘Bubble Butts and Equations’) reminds me a lot of the synth ladened sounds of fellow Londoner’s Subway. You can hear echoes of Detroit’s Terrence Dixon and Anthony ‘Shake’ Shakir on ‘Lost’ and ‘Let’s Fly’, while ‘Always Human’ and ‘Senorita’ sounds like a mutated Todd Edwards production. ‘Get Ohn’ taps Steve Bicknell’s Lost style of techno (another uniquely London sound). The album even in places sounds like the forgotten soundtrack of a John Carpenter movie. ‘Splazsh’ is a engrossing listen from start to end. Highly recommended.

Tags: Actress, London

Pirates

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010 | Vision | 4 Comments

England’s pirate radio stations have been vital in breaking underground music and bringing it to a wider audience since the 1960’s. In this video we get a behind-the-scenes look at London’s pirate stations (Rinse FM & Flex) as well as a history lesson about the original pirate station, Radio 630, located 3 miles off-shore in abandoned world war 2 sea forts.

Tags: London, pirate radio

Music I’m Feeling

Sunday, September 13th, 2009 | Sounds | 2 Comments

There’s been a tonne of great music released recently that I’ve been feeling - here’s just a few. First up is the latest offering from Omar S, “Still Serious Nic”. 2009 has been the year that Omar S has finally got the wider attention that his music deserves. The new 12″ doesn’t deviate too far from the raw, analogue, jacking sound that Omar is known for; “Flying Blind” reminds me of “Psychotic Photosynthesis” and “Still Serious Nic” a lot like the Omar S produced “Space Station” by Theo Parrish. Speaking of Theo Parrish, his remix of LCD Soundsystem’s “45:33″ is finally being released - completely dope. Also, forthcoming on Sound Signature is a new double 12″ from Leron Carson, “Red Lightbulb Theory” - 5 tracks of raw techno on a similar tip to his “China Trax” from 2001. Fellow Detroiter Reggie Dokes, also seems to be set for another year of stellar releases. The “Chicago Pimp” 12″ was a fine way to kick-off Clone’s Loft Supreme Series. Treading a similar path is Reggie’s latest, the “Spectacle of Deepness” on We Play House; both releases build on the distinctive sound that Reggie has crafted over the years. Quality stuff from some of Detroit’s most consistent producers.