The Loose Synths blog is going live this Friday at The CAMP in East London. New Trouble & Bass signings Ursa Major headline things, which points to a night of deep, bass fuelled beats, but knowing the LS crew they'll be plenty of classic R'n'B and 2-step as well.
Special Benny have an EP of remixes from their 'Toys' album available for free download today. Versions come from Hong Kong In The 60s, Johnny Beverton, The Specialist and Shooting Horses from the Loose Synths blog and a 20 minute epic soundscape by myself.
Special Benny have trio of live dates in London over the coming week.
25/11 @ The Troubadour
01/12 @ The Wilmington Arms
03/12 @ The Good Ship
The electro body slam of 'Fuzzy Dunlop' by London/Stockholm based electronic duo Dadahack is just the thing to chillax to on a Sunday night. Their excellent debut album 'TAP3' is released in April.
I'm playing with the Bridging The Gap gang this Friday in the second room at Koko with Club NME in the main bit. Email prprsngs@gmail.com for £3 guestlist.
The Phenomenal Handclap Band follow up their debut album with a sackful of remixes by such leading lights as The Glimmers, David E Sugar, Skull Juice, Horsemeat Disco and Prins Thomas who gives us this mammoth version of 'You'll Disappear'.
Los Angeles collective Fool's Gold weave together African highlife, Krautrock and 80s dance. Sound amazing? Well yes they are. IAMSOUND release 'Surprise Hotel' with an album to follow next year (or now in USA) - but grab an early copy from Pure Groove at the link below. Here are a trio of remixes from international bright young things Phaseone, Micachu and Memory Tapes and the video for the original, which looks like it was jolly fun to make.
'15-20' by The Phenomenal Handclap Band is undoubtably one of the summer's most tip top tracks. It's done got itself a re-release with remixes on 28th Sept and they've cut a fancy new video to go along with it.
Following up the brilliant 'Panesian Nights' EP 'Continent', the debut album by Montreal-based CFCF, has been announced for relase on 27th October. 'Monolith' is the first track on offer, indicating a predilection for early house, midtempo disco and classic electro snare rolls. The tracklisting for the album intriguingly includes a cover of Fleetwood Mac's 'Big Love'.
From the ever reliable Information label comes the debut album by Fontän, Swedish producers Jesper Jarold and Johan Melin. Recorded in part in Jesper's grandmother's garden shed on broken - then mended - musical equipment, the LP catches the mood of the setting summer sun with pure Balearic vibes, dub-disco and psychedelic Kraut rock. Layered textures of synths and cosmic guitars create otherworldly soundscapes with a strong 80s influence, while keeping a tight reign on the Knopflerisms. The vocal tracks stand up strong, such as 2008 single 'Early Morning' and 'The Bridge' - the illegitimate son of David Bowie's 'Ashes To Ashes'. As should be expected from label mates to the excellent Studio, this is beautiful, timeless music.
Proper Songs is throwing a party on the 15th August at The Boogaloo (AS IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW) so here's a mix of songs - Proper Big Ones - we may or may not play...but you get the gist.
1. R. Dean Taylor 'There's A Ghost In My House' (Motown) 2. Anita Harris 'The Clapping Song' (CBS) 3. The Phenomenal Handclap Band '15 to 20' (Tummy Touch) 4. Talking Heads 'Psycho Killer' (Sire) 5. America 'Horse With No Name' [Todd Terje aka Wade Nichols Edit] (Warner Brothers) 6. Roxy Music 'Love Is The Drug' [Proper Songs Reedit] (Island) 7. David Bowie 'Lets Dance' (EMI) 8. Fleetwood Mac 'Little Lies' (Warner Brothers) 9. Anita Ward 'Ring My Bell' (TK Records) 10. Orange Juice 'Rip It Up' (Polydor) 11. George McCrae 'I Get Lifted' (TK Records) 12. Booker T & the MGs 'Green Onions' (Stax) 13. The Stranglers 'Peaches' (EMI) 14. Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele 'You Can't Force A Dance Party' (Paw Tracks)
