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Tuesday 29 July 2014

Lethal Bizzle ft. JME & Tempa T - "Rari WorkOut"

Lethal Bizzle is one of those rappers who is about way more than the music. If you are reading this from a foreign land and you may have not come across him, he truly has maximised the use of social media and the way he has done that is by showing his great sense of humour. My personal favourite was his critic of Tulisa's so called "sex-tape", which barely qualifies as a sex-tape, because of many reasons, but chiefly amongst them is Tulisa's blatant disinterest in the task at hand. Lethal Bizzle's new track "Rari Workout" was premiered on Mistajam's radio show on 17th July, but the video of Bizzle fist-pumping along to the hook had already gone viral, from around April, and there were already many people imitating it, in ridiculous ways, which is definitely necessary for a viral video! There is now an animated video. Apparently they are looking for a suitable female model for the proper video. I'm sure that will be hilarious. As for the track itself, it's a high-energy dose of a grime type beat. It's definitely one of those tracks that you can imagine being a summer hit. The hook is ridiculously catchy for a start! And the sentiment behind the song has a meaning to it as well; working out is a thing which has so many benefits. It's Lethal Bizzle's verse that I particularly like because he captures so many of the things guys go to the gym for; for the ladies, for the beach body and stepping in the venue with a "No clowning around" attitude. But JME and Tempa T have 2 excellent verses that are amazingly hyper too. It would be great if Lethal Bizzle could release an album. He hasn't released a proper one since 2009's "Go Hard". But as someone who works in a school I know full well that there aren't as many artists who have used social media to create a whole new generation of followers, who are surely going to go out and get this high-octane slice of grime-rap when it gets released.

Friday 25 July 2014

M.I.A - "Gold"

A new track has emerged from M.I.A. It is called "Gold" It features the production of Dutch production duo The Partysquad (DJ Jerry and MC Ruben) and is taken from their Summer 2014 mixtape, which features a number of remixed versions of tunes such as "Nobody To Love" and "Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat". It's a really wide-ranging eclectic set and well worth 77:21 of your time. However M.I.A's track, which is a particular highlight begins at 45:25. The Partyswuad did work on M.I.A's fourth album "Matangi". It has a sort of Moombahcore sound, clocking in at around 104 beats per minute, similar to the sort of thing you'd expect from Diplo. It has this manipulated horns forming the basis of the melody, a banging beat and some extra whistles added over the top at various places. I love whistles! When hear them it automatically sounds like a Brazilian party. M.I.A raps over the top with her distinctive flow, which is always sassy and confident. The hook "Show Me Your Gold" is repeated in a dispassionate way. In my head it's almost saying "Show the gold, but it doesn't prove anything". It's almost like a metaphor for M.I.A's career in that she pioneered a lot of things which other female artists have taken and sold a lot more records with (The look for Rihanna's "Rude Boy" video, the Diplo beats Beyonce used in "Run The World (Girls)".). The track lasts for about 2 minutes and then flows back into the mixtape. It's a standout moment for sure though!

Monday 21 July 2014

Kyogi - Not Good Enough

When I first heard this tune it was the soulful male vocal that caught me straight away. There is a sort of blues/gospel feel in the sample. This gets enhanced by the fact there are times where you can hear excerpts of a choir behind him. The sample is taken from a classic 1980's tune by Colonel Abrams called "Trapped". If you hear the original the soulful quality is in Abrams voice rather than the music and Kyogi has used and chopped this sample in a great fashion. The tune itself rises and swells with really cool melodies, bass and synth work. It's interesting to note that there are elements of 80's sounding house, but there is a definite modern summer feel to it. I guess that comes from the intertwining way the synths rise and fall during the tune. It's amazing to log onto Kyogi's Soundcloud and discover he is only 16. That is the beauty of music nowadays. Anyone can have access. Put out a tune. If it's good it'll get attention. "Not Good Enough" was released on Locked On Recordings on 18th June, so I am a bit behind the curve, but the more people hearing this tune on Radio 1 and the rest the better!

Thursday 17 July 2014

La Roux - Tropical Chancer

La Roux's second album "Trouble In Paradise" is set to be released on 21 July. The most interesting aspect of this for me is that Elly Jackson and her long-term songwriting partner Ben Langmaid split during the creation of this album. His influence is still sprinkled over the album, though this may explain why it took 5 years between album number 1 and 2. It is always interesting to note a difference between a group when a pivotal member leaves. If you have ever heard the difference between NWA's "Straight Outta Compton" and "Efilzaggin" it is quite clear that Ice Cube's departure between the albums removed the social content of the group's lyrics, and what you were left with was misogynistic, nihilistic gangsta rap. Amazingly produced however! So, of the songs I have heard on the new album my favourite has got to be "Tropical Chancer". The first thing I noticed (well after the fact it sounds a bit like a slower tempo, tropical version of "Get Lucky") was that Elly Jackson is singing in a lower register than she was for most of the debut album. I loved her falsetto, but here her voice sounds beautifully relaxed, flowing well with the laid-back funky groove. There is still that 80's sensibility to the work, but not in the synth-pop style featured on the last album. The lyrics seem to be about a pretty dodgy geezer; In a way it reminds me of the character featured on Arctic Monkeys "Brianstorm","He'll trade your loving for the things he's never seen/The places he has never been", being a lyric sample. This track is instantly catchy and effortlessly easy. It catches the heatwave perfectly. As I mentioned earlier the direction of La Roux's second album will be interesting, but she has the voice and the vibe and that is what garnered her attention in the first place.

Wednesday 16 July 2014

SBTRKT feat. Sampha - Temporary View

As Sampha struck out on his own with 2013's "Dual" EP and as he gained a greater prominence within the music industry I was glad to see it happen, as he is such a great singer, but a thought did hit me; "Would there still be as many collaborations/live performances with SBTRKT?" I caught them live on their last tour and the synergy that the 2 of them had in their live performances was a great site to behold. The beats that SBTRKT creates flow so well with Sampha's voice and "Temporary View" is one of those tracks that SBTRKT does so well, in that it's laid-back, but still retains a bit of an edge. There's an organ sound that sounds so summery and wistful, and combining this with the post-dubstep type of drums and Sampha's soaring voice this is an excellent kick-off to what will hopefully a soon forthcoming second album.

Friday 11 July 2014

Basement Jaxx - "Never Say Never"

Basement Jaxx are my favourite British act. I have lost count of the amount of times I have seen them live! Whichever setting I have been able to witness them live it has always been an amazing experience; whether that has been in a packed Brixton Academy, on a lovely summer's evening at Somerset House or re-interpreting their extensive back catalogue with the Metropole Orkfest orchestra. It was after the gig with the Orkfest that I was lucky enough to run into Felix Buxton and engage in a 5 minute conversation with him. He was still buzzing after hearing the amazing interpolation of their work, yet he was kind and courteous and was an advert for meeting your heroes. Tickets went on sale today for their run of dates in November/December in the UK and once again I will be excited to see them. I'll be going to see them in London at the O2 Arena. If you have never seen them in a live setting you really need to! Amazing music, part DJ set, part carnival, with a powerful cast of rotating singers and general craziness! The tour will be to promote their seventh album "Junto", which is due for release on 25 August. A couple of tracks have dropped; the latest being "Never Say Never", which features ETML on vocals. It's one of those Jaxx tracks that is gentler and has a feeling behind the words. As well as the party starters that make people go mad such as "Where's Your Head At" or "Jump and SHout" Basement Jaxx have always done mellow feeling tracks really well and this is another continuation of that. One other thing they have done amazingly through their distinguished career is introduce new vocalists to a wider audience and they have done this again with Londoner ETML, AKA Elliott Marshall. I can't wait to catch this uplifting track live in December!