We are swiftly heading into July, which only means one thing... Lovebox is literally just around the corner.
This week's blog playlist is Fatboy Slim.
Fatboy Slim is known for his use of samples and crazy music videos, which have then been used widely in the media. Below I will be displaying some of his finest work (and my favourites of course). I can say that his creativity is partially to blame for my interest in the genre.
Praise you is a very uplifiting, energetic tune, almost with a gospel feel. The video is quite fun too.
Right Here, Right Now is more of an anthem in a sense with a heavy beat. The video compliments it well as it's about evolution in about 3 minutes, but the song evolves too. There's movement, you're going somewhere when you listen to it.
My favourite is the award winning video Weapon of Choice. The video is first class, and who doesn't like Christopher Walken? Couldn't have been any better. The song itself is quite animated. There's loads going on. Not one dull part and it's a true dance track. The lyrics are also quite addictive. This song will be here for a very long time.
Say what you want, but as a DJ and record producer, Fatboy Slim is a legend, an electro dance king.
As an Apple user (not ipad just yet) I'm really excited about what I'm about to reveal.
VirSyn has launched an enhanced iSyn app for the ipad, naming it iSyn Poly! It now includes quantisation and parameter automation. iSyn Poly has now made it possible to record whole pieces of music using the touch screen or a coreMIDI keyboard. The synths are now polyphonic too! How cool is that! It contains 3 synths, a drum machine (featured in the picture above) and a sequencer.
Click here to check out the official website for a more indepth description with all the specs.
In the mean time, this video is just a taste of what music production on the go is in for...
This week's blog playlist is one of my favourite all time bands and are most likely the most exciting band in the UK. The floor always tears up when they're on. It's the legendary Basement Jaxx!
Based in London, Basement Jaxx is usually made up of house music, but they are very versatile and can play anything in their own way. Romeo is just one example.
One of their best is the dance track Oh my Gosh. The bass line is short and sharp with a bouncy, springy feel. Listening to it, it's almost like you are compelled to burst out in an old school two step.
The next is Rendez Vous. It's not as popular as say, Where's your head at? but it's still a crowd pleaser. It starts quite smooth with the mexican-ish guitar intro, then blends into a unforgetable beat. Althought you can barely hear what they're saying, it doesn't matter, because it's a hip, modernised tune.
The last is one of my all time favourites. Featuring JC Chasez, Plug it in is really catchy and you can't help but sing along. It sounds like everything Basement Jaxx has done (before this) all rolled together in one. With the funky bassline, if you want know what Basement Jaxx is all about, this isa great starting point.
I've been looking for a new software to help get a more electro sound in some of the tracks I'm working on, especially the remixes. There are so many softwares out there, you can lose track. Then I remembered Albeton.
I'd never used Albeton live before so as usual (I do this with everything), I googled my way through it and came across this really helpfull guide. It's like spreading butter on toast.
We've reached part three (or the third week in, however you like it) of my blog playlist. Just a reminder, I'm sharing a playlist of some of the best dance and electro tracks every week in the lead up to the Lovebox festival in July.
This week it's the much loved Deadmau5!
Based in Toronto, Canada, Deadmau5 produces a mixture of electro, progressive and house, providing us with some really heavy beats that blow me away everytime. My first pick is The Reward is Cheese. This is more of a late night rave tune. The bassline is sweet yet hard and get's the heart pumping and racing in the right places, like the sound of a car speeding down the track. The beat keeps the tune sane because there isn't really a reliable melody as there are many twists and turns during the track.
My all time favourite from Deadmau5 is Ghosts N Stuff ft. Rob Swire. The pulsating house beat is hard to resist. This one's got more of a rhythm and dance feel to it. The imagery of pumping fists in the air. It's not as fast paced as their other work, and there are sections where the synth makes a calm anc collected appearance for you to grab some air. Listen for yourself, you'll know what I'm talking about. There's nothing to add to it, it's just an amazing stand alone track, with lyrics or not.
Not Exactly is more of a fun free willing track. I've put this one in for good measures. I like this one because of continuous use of the synth and then everything else is added onto it in a way that builds progression in a slight feel free way. It's not too heavy and is an easy listen.
What's your favourite Deadmau5 track and why? I'm hungry for more!
The great thing is not just that it's Friday, but the music festival season has kicked off today with the Isle of Wight, Download, and Glade setting the groove. We all know how fun festivals can be, just check out the guy in the picture above!
As I am super busy with getting this new material I have been working on perfect for you guys, I won't be able to make it to any this year (whether you like Chinese or not, I'm sure you'll dig the new track, hint hint) I'll have to catch up with it via Twitter and when they get shown on TV. The crazy thing is, the internet is such a fantastic tool, it would be great if anyone attending could share their stories, pictures and adventures with us here. So if you've got anything you want to share, give me a shout on either here, Twitter or Facebook. I'm still available on Myspace too if you're still alive over there. Incase you don't know, here's the links...
There are so many Festivals this year, with some really great lineups, could this be the best year of festivals? What do you think? To keep up to date with all of them and who's performing etc, I've fished out a sweet download from the Guardian websites which lists all the festvals, headliners, acts and so on. It's very usefull, and is up to date. See below for link...
The Guardian: 'UK music festivals 2011 mapped - download the data' - http://bit.ly/mIucIA
There's also a really fun poll "Will you be attending any Music Festivals this season?" on this page http://on.fb.me/mp0QEH
What festivals are you going to? Who are you looking forward to seeing the most? Are you camping out for the whole thing? I want to hear from you! Let's get the ball rolling and share the love!
Daft Punk are one amazing band. Originating from France, there's no doubt this french duo has been played everywhere you can think of, and not just in clubs.
Daft Punk is this weeks blog playlist!
It was really their second album Discovery that rose them to commercial fame, hitting the UK charts at number 2. This also demostrated their experimentation with the more synthpop-oriented style. Singles from this album include Harder, better, faster, stronger and the famous One more time. What was interesting about this song was firstly the video. It was like the anime meets the Jetsons in a Sailor Moon fashion. They had built their own little world to celebrate in. The other was how brainwashing it is.You wouldn't need to have the song on repeat to remember the lyrics to get the song hammered into your head. It has a groovy, summery, some what ecstasy vibe to it with a beat that's very distinctive, and that's the part you move to. There was also the interesting heavy auto-tuned compression which made it quite original and different to what was in the charts then.
Their next album Human after all contained the single Technologic which expressed their electronic sound even further. It's really just technological commands being said out loud, in the form or a song. The video is very suiting, as it's a little robot mouthing the words. If you haven't heard it before, you'll recognise it from a few adverts and parts from Busta Rhymes' "Touch it". Again, it's quite hypnotic and simple clever. It's actually the perfect song to do the robot to.
Daft Punk obviously still has it. Becoming the soundtrack for Tron Legacy has boosted them right back up where they should be. They are truely an amazing band and are one of my favourite electronic sounds.
BPM is the world's biggest DJ and electronic music production equipment exhibition which brings DJ's from all over the world together, over a three day period at Birmingham’s NEC.
Featured are all the huge manufacturing brands, and four main sections. This includes the exhibition, where you can try and buy the lastest products for DJing and and music production. Education consists of seminars, workshops and panels. There are alos performances and the chance to network and socialise meeting other DJs, producers and other professionals in the industry.
Last year, BPM attracted a record breaking 6048 visitors over the whole event. It's certainly not something you should miss. It's a great opportunity to get your ideas out and keep informed and up to date with the latests technology.
Tickets for BMP have now gone on sale. For more information and tickets, visit...
