gosh : blowback

well that one got posted !

 

so here's some more.

you know when you wander into cool, beautifully designed clothes/record shops and think, why cant there be magazines like this.

especially free ones.

well, of course, there is : blowback.

blowback magazine is a half size magazine but still packs it all in. beautiful art and design, funked up visuals. all over the place writings and so much more, and yes in the archives are a few words here and there written by yours truly (the akira the don interview was my career highlight !)

until recently, blowback was a printed pleasure only.

however, recently they pulled their fingers and launched a proper website.

admittedly, the use of embedded frames can be a little tricky, but work with it as there is all manner of goodness on offer.

 

next up : drones and thrones. maybe.

mark e

ireallylovemusic

testing the waters: circlesquare

after last weeks disastrous attempt at blogging - here's another one.

a day or two in london has provided all manner of interesting things to absorb some of which may be mentioned here, however, there is probably a lot that wont.

did you realise i was such a grisly tease?

but all of that tittle tattle pales into insignificance when placed alongside the glorious fight sounds ep by the artist known as circlesquare.

deep empty space infultrated by bleeps, monotonic vocals and drum machines on low power never sounded so perfect.

 

i mean really, go find, buy, or otherwise :  now.

circlesquare : website

 

m.e/ireallylovemusic

 

as heard ..

.. .on the chris moyles show this morning of all places !

new signing to the beats label, example gives lily allens 'smile' the old fashioned response treatment.

so being the public service provider i am, here are the details

vile : mp3

myspace hangout

official website

onwards

mark e

ireallylovemusic

dance your ass off

people.

if this posts makes it through the blogger.com system i'll be somewhat aghast considering the grief the bloody thing has given me recently.

however todays chunk of words is to tell you that things @ ireallylovemusic hq are in a new mood.

as i have mentioned previously, i go through periods of disinterest. normally when this happens, i fall back on certain forms of comfort music, reggae is a good one, or in my case, my old madness records, though more recently this has been replaced with rachel stevens last cd !

well earlier this week i started to feel a little fed up with the current pile. nothing was really doing it for me.

then out of nowhere i received an email from a techno label, rednetic.

having a dig around their nice and minimal site, i came across the detail that one of their tracks ('life in widescreen' - by mint) has been licenced to the recent steve lawler mix, viva. so i dug the mix out, and gave the relevant disc a spin. wow.

i loved the pure simplicity of the grooves, with modern synthetic ambience, massive widescreen productions and the deeper than deep beats and bass lines.

i didn't have to care about the vocals, there aren't any, nor do i have to respect the variety in cutting edge production, styles etc. tis just a great set of pounding machine made noises (sometimes not so pounding) that work really well. no weird experimetal laptop crunching, no major sonic twists and turns, and so the mix became a wonderful addition to the current pile to work to.

this sonically induced pleasure then made me dig out the other dance mixes i have received recently, and, ever since, i have thoroughly enjoyed them on constant rotation to the point of concern to others around me. it's possibly something to do with the non-human aspect of the groove music, my head aint being battered by blokes and gals telling me all about their problems, or giving cause for their anger. this is perfectly disco-nnected music for the head, pure technology enhanced music where bad moods need not apply.

in fact, a lot of this is almost like ambient music. its just there on the headphones making my head bop, but not really engaging on any other level other than a rhythmic enjoyment. it has been a long time since i enjoyed pure dance music as much as this, but these mixes have totally been spot on this week :

steve lawler - lights out 3

james holden - at the controls

hernan cattaneo - sequential

john digweed - transitions

dave seaman - the masters series - vol 7

damian lazarus/matthew styles - get lost (disc 1 especially - disc 2 gets a little too weird and strange !)

steve lawler - viva (disc 3 is a more ambient set than you'd normally expect from steve)

so, please forgive the lack of updates, i'm off to have a little dance, well in my head that is.

ta.

mark e

ireallylovemusic

typically glorious.

that previous post got through !

so with no nonsense. no frills. 

here's the music

band : diefenbach

track : glorious

remix : silent running.

it's good.

enjoy.

mark e

ireallylovemusic

 

alternatives to blogger.com ?

go on then. i give up.

any suggestions - especially if i can suck all the blogger.com postings over ? 

i have emailed so many postings recently - all into the ether.

guess its time to move on.

this party is obviously over.

mark e

ireallylovemusic

 

friday treat - part 1

folks.

another treat to beat the heat to.

this time it's a little special for anyone who chilled out way back in the 90's to the masters of the spaced out instrumental hip hop groove skylab.

matt ducasse, aka skylab, is now involved with the live band for new electro kitten anne booty, aka coco electrik.

so, for the forthcoming single, apple pie, matt has revived his much loved alter-ego, and applied his trademarked sugar dust coating, giving the delicate stripped down electro of the original, a certain widescreen glitterstomp beat, that will make fans of goldfrapp grin like cheshire cats.

more detail : coco electrick :

apple pie : skylab remix :

oh, the coco electrik album, army behind the sun, is due any day now.

fun fun and some more fun.

mark e

ireallylovemusic

archive : again : mp3

hello.

in the uk things are hot hot hot at the moment. so much so that it feels unnatural to listen to fast-n-furious disco-electro-punk'd up dance music and the need to keep the groove somewhat mellow. with this in mind, i started digging through my archives when i remembered archive.

a band which originally started out as a trip hop band who released a couple of well received albums on a major (island records) and then from the casual fan disappeared.

however, the story didn't end there. the band changed personal, regrouped, and somehow released a third album, 'you all look the same to me' on hangman records.

the packaging was wonderful, so whenever the album was in the bargain bins i always looked and wondered exactly what the record would sound like. eventually, curiosity got the better of me.

so i cracked the seal on the cd and read the notes. the album consists of 7 tracks, 2 of which are over 16 minutes, and the rest never fall below 5 !

hmmm. something had changed.

within the thank you notes i think there is a clue. 'dave gilmour'. having listened to the awesome 16 minute opener, 'again', recently, the debt to pink floyd is hugely obvious.

the slow build up, the use of sci-fi production, the swelling hammond organ riffs, the timeless epic nature of the music makes this rather special. gone are the trip hop timestamps, gone are the girl vocals, cliched raps, and instead the band have stepped aside from the usual chart bound musics.

the rest of the album has nods towards more experimental noises (ambient, industrial soundscapes are often referenced in the sonic detail), showing that they had a desire to delve into machine based extras alongside their grandiose mix of talk talk and massive attack.

basically, if you see this album looking lonely in the sales racks, i cannot stress enough how you should give this album a try.

so to tease you some more, and to celebrate ireallylovemusic getting a chunkier chunk of webspace, here is the full length version of 'again' : here

kick back, relax, open a magazine and let this slice of excellence help you drift off.

oh, and to finish off. the band are still going. just that no-one uk-side seems to be interested as their latest album has been released on the french division of warners, with no definite plan to release the record locally. so head over to the bands site and practise your french.

thank you.

mark e

ireallylovemusic

 

 

new stuff

ok.

time for some names that are in the pile at the moment.

- deaf stereo - house on fire/blackout falls - more of that guitar punk'd up disco groove. not bad but surely there is a lot of this about now ? more detail : here

- jurassic 5 - feedback - album sampler - having read a lot about the band letting cut chemist loose i was somewhat concerned as to just how their style would change. well this 5 tracker certainly implies the effect has been rather minimal. ok, the appearance of dave mathews is questionable, but other than a nice slice of guitar on the track, the guest is hardly noticeable. however, what is far far worse, is the use of boney m's brown girl in the ring for 'brown girl (suga plum)' .. hated the original, hated this. thankfully, the other tracks have that same happy summer old school hip hop vibe that the j5 are so good at. a lot more polished and clean sounding than previous releases. its very clear that the band are aiming for the charts crossover a la black eyed peas as they introduce a heav dose of singing/harmony in a world conquering r-n-b style. which aint my thing. but hey, the band deserve some time in the charts i reckon having worked their way through the college circuit. so, not bad, just not that special either.

- yungun/mr thing - forget me not - 2 of uk hip hops finest team up and get all smooth for the lead track. the bass is so going to mellow the hardest of moods, and the laid back sample loops will make the ladeez melt. yeah, this is hip hop for late night lovers, and its not tacky in the slightest. fine fine stuff. more detail : here

humanzi - tremors - at last the album makes it to the release schedule. i received a 5 track sampler ages ago and hammered it to within an inch of its life, despite knowing that there are sections of the online world that are going to cough up blood over their cornflakes due to the back-to-basics approach of the music (ie they dont play the 'cool' card at all to whcih i say - hurrah !). in fact, in some ways the bands way with manic guitars and a melody recalled some fine 90's alt.rock heros of mine. the sound is massively in yer face, and quite simply rocks. new single, 'diet pills and magazines' will please anyone who remembers music prior to the electro-punk-disco revival. tis straightforward powered up rock with a simplistic primal beat and a radio airplay baiting shoutout 'this is the shit, so get used to it!'. in my world this band would be number 1. proper review to appear in the usual place. more detail : here

the sunshine underground - raise the alarm - album sampler. tis all about the 6 minute title track really isn't it. funked up guitars, manic cowbells, wah wah excess. it rocks, and it dances like a bez on freaky pills. scarily over the top fun. more detail : here

that'll do for now.

mark e

ireallylovemusic

exclusive : t.raumschmiere : interview

following on from previous posting...

the interview with t.raumschmiere is now online : here

ta muchlike.

mark e

ireallylovemusic

from one extreme ..

hello.

watchers of the blog will be aware that yesterday i posted the interview with james banbury from ambient folks infantjoy.

today, over 12 months after the original emails went out, i get the response from my favourite industrial-electro-techno monster, t.raumschmiere.bonus points in that marco has given some fine answers as opposed to the expected 2 finger salute type of attitude.

in my world that's a result

not only that, but today i received a single cd sampler of the epic 4 cd boxset that the glorious art of noise via the nostalgic but still compelling ztt records, are set to release in august this year. the sampler has all manner of excellently remastered tracks that i only ever heard on an 80's cutting edge chrome cassingle through a dodgy boombox, that chewed tapes on a regular basis. so to hear in full stereo the full length majesty that is 'moments in love' was really quite special. of course i fully expect the 4 cd package to be similar to the act boxset in that they really scrape the edges of the barrel (a 24 minute version of Diversions ??), but as a revived fan of the ztt mystery, i for one am not complaining in the slightest.

oh, and in case you were wondering, paul morley of the art of noise is now part of infantjoy. funny how it all comes around sometimes.

aint life grand somedays ?

mark e

ireallylovemusic

 

sunshine grooves and melllow moves

hello.

 

just a quick note to advise of some new stuff posted.

- reviewed and tracklisted the new trojan reggae mix by andy smith

- reviewed the fine new uk hip hop mixtape by dj mk

- posted interview with james banbury from infantjoy, which leads me to why i was oggling at the line up for the big chill festival which is now online over : here.

 

of all the seasons festivals this is the one i would love to experience properly, (especially the friday as infantjoy are supposed to be performing). after my glastonbury funk of 2005, the ireallylovemusic gang had decided to give the big chill a rare full family outing this year. however, a few months ago, our youngest officially became a monster, so we pulled the idea for fear of our lives (and those that would be subjected to the monsters activities), and tried out the much more mainstream cornbury festival to see just how the monster and festival thing would work out. i'm still trying to work out if the outcome was a result or not, only time will tell.

in the meantime, back to oggling the lineup and dreaming of the much needed calm.

 

oh, and a word to the wise - the andy smith mix is going to really mess up my playlist, as it's going to instigate a full on reggae revival @ ireallylovemusic hq.

 

onwards !

mark e

ireallylovemusic

 

"are those your shoes sir ?"

after years of short sharp garage, electro, punk guitar pop records filling the racks, things seem to be going in a different direction.

well if the last few days are anything to go by.

 

friday - i open the new mojo - the review for the new album by 'the morning after girls' is riddled with the usual sidekicks to the scene the spawned some glorious records, mainly by swervedriver, making me wonder just why do people hate the scene so much, considering the heaven scraping noise that often came out of the effects pedals. 

saturday - i happened to catch at the cornbury festival (more on this later), one time major label indie hopefuls, goldrush live. now reborn with their own success on self run truck records, and a massive chunk of layered guitar excellence much to my pleasant surprise. the sheer force of their live show was mighty impressive for aband so fey on the one record i have (an issue soon to be corrected thanks to the usual places). oh, and research indicates that the band are to be collaborating with my laptop mate pedro. result and a double dose of pleasure one would like to hope. more news as and when i get it re that particular situation.

more detail : here

sunday - i dropped the forthcoming anonymous promo album by the somatics into the machine. 7 tracks 53 minutes. huh? what no gang of four riffs. nope. instead, it's major length epic guitars, reach for the sky songs, and so much more. once again, research helps. this band are a long awaited offspring from long forgotten progmeisterz ultrasound. all becomes so much more clear. the album is epic beyond its postal code constraints(they are being branded as part of the thriving leeds scene), and will hopefully prove to all that hear it, that songs can last longer than 3 minutes and still be totally magical.

more detail : here

i fully realise that these 3 bands will want to avoid any such associations with the scene that is almost derided (see what i did there) as musc as trip hop, but damn, layers of noise, harmonies, beards and trumpets sometimes really can make the world a better place.

 

back in my other world, posted words on the new dj mk mixtape on antidote, as well as a chunk of singles that grace the july release schedule, watched the superb dvd that subtle have released (wishingbone : cd/dvd package) with some weird messy remixes on lex records.

listened to the new album by huski a lot. which for those that don't know is maple bees (aka melanie gartside) new electro-pop project : detail here

oh, and i became strangley fascinated with the genre busting sound team album, whoever they are.

 

more tomorrow.

mark e

ireallylovemusic

exclusive : performance : video : mp3

ok folks.

going into some new territory here, but here's something to keep the summer going that little bit longer. quite a while ago i was lucky enough to get to hear the latest in electro infused pop bands, performance, and was rather impressed by the obvious love for art school melodrama, visage, analogue synths and generally all that is good about pop music.

the band have a delicious text heavy website : here

so far it's all been about one track here (surrender - released back in november), and a remix there. but word reaches me that things are on the move.

so without further ado let's check out the new video for new single 'short sharp shock', which does exactly as it says on the tin: here

but sod that visual malarkey, what about those old school audio only mp3 players.

well, just for you here's a rather fine sounding : mp3

careful with that download now - especially as the ep proper is out july 17th.

mark e

ireallylovemusic

 

video killed .. wolfmother

from time to time, ireallylovemusic loves to pretend to have a full head of hair and let rip to some full on balls out rock-n-roll, and in those rare moments, aus band wolfmother fulfil all such urges. so with this in mind, i have decided to pass on some news thats just dropped into the inbox :

 

"

rock behemoths wolfmother want you to create your own 30-second video for new single ‘woman’! all you need to do is record yourself or your friends re-interpreting the video for new single ‘woman’ on your mobile phone or digital camera and then mms or email your video to the following email address wolfmother@moblg.net. 
 all videos submitted will be housed on the specially created official uk wolfmother moblog site with the best entrant – as chosen by the band - winning a pair of vip tickets to the carling weekend reading festival! one lucky runner-up will receive signed copies of the crumpled paper frames from the original 'woman' video. 
 further details on the competition can be found at www.wolfmother.co.uk

"

 

you've been given the heads up, so, get to it.

 

in other news : posted links to the new freelance hellraiser and ladyfuzz videos, should have an interview with infantjoy sorted out soon(ish), reviewed new london band, ray, old school ambient techno brilliance from outputmessage, 80's big clever pop from heaven 17, and even a review of that rather unpleasant lily allen album that everyone else loves.

i reckon that'll do you for today.

mark e

ireallylovemusic