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The Music Column That Wouldn’t Die: New Album Reviews.

Music | Bittles’ Magazine: The music column from the end of the world

I told myself I was over this, that I had retired from the world of music reviews. I had moved onto bigger and better things (mostly staring at the wall and wondering why nobody calls me anymore). Yet here I am, a mere few months after burning my bridges, giving up on new music and making a world of enemies, back in the game. Did I miss the constant abuse, the being paid in soiled pennies and the lack of recognition which writing this unremembered column entailed? Funnily enough, I did! It was listening to the post punk genius of the new Dry Cleaning record that did it. I thought to myself ‘someone has to take it upon themselves to tell the world just how good this album is’. After a moment of quiet reflection where I drank a glass of lukewarm Ribena to calm the nerves, I decided that that person may as well be me. By JOHN BITTLES

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Dispatches From A Forgotten Age: The DJ Mix CD

Music | Bittles’ Magazine: The music column from the end of the world

I was listening to Hot Chip’s excellent Late Night Tales set the other day when it struck me that I haven’t heard a decent DJ mix in ages. Apart from Jupiter Jax’s sublime Dee-Life Mix for 100% Silk earlier this year, there seems to have been a dearth of great sets recently. With clubs closed and most commercial DJ mix series having given up the fight, it almost seems as though the art of crafting a journey through other people’s records has died as an art form. By JOHN BITTLES

Don’t Shoot Guns Down: New Music Reviews

Music | Bittles’ Magazine: The music column from the end of the world

With clubbing and live music in serious jeopardy it is more important than ever to support the artists, mavericks, and all those twisted individuals who make it their lives work to bring us strange yet bewitching sounds. The entire world economy is still struggling to recover from Covid-19, and many involved in the arts are fighting to survive. While new records by The Killers, Ronan Keating and Biffy Clyro might make you want to give up on music entirely and leave it to its well-deserved fate, there are more than enough fresh, vital and funky new records to save the day. By JOHN BITTLES

The New Abnormal Is Here To Stay: New Album Reviews

Music | Bittles’ Magazine: The music column from the end of the world

Finding myself furloughed from work these last couple of months I have been using the extra time at my disposal to immerse myself in reading, writing and music. As well as rediscovering the joys of playing cup-and-ball (hours of fun) it was the following records which kept me sane while confined to my petite living space. By JOHN BITTLES

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The Lure Of The Soundtrack

Music | Bittles’ Magazine: The music column from the end of the world

Late last year I found myself entranced by Mati Diop’s wonderful Atlantics, a tale of forbidden passion, the perils of emigration and the fate of those who are left behind. Long, poetic shots of the sea merged perfectly with Fatima Al Qadiri’s intoxicating soundtrack to produce a stunning collage of meaning and evocations. Leaving the cinema that night I was struck at just how powerful a medium the soundtrack can be. By JOHN BITTLES

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The New Sound Of Ambient

Music | Bittles’ Magazine: The music column from the end of the world

With much of the world in lockdown, news headlines seemingly taken from a bad sci-fi flick, and many of us experiencing some form of anxiety, right now we need a sense of calm more than ever. Ambient music can get a bad press but, when done right, it can transport the listener to a far better place. By JOHN BITTLES .

A Word With Get Physical

Music | Bittles’ Magazine: The music column from the end of the world

Get Physical Music, the highly respected dance music label, first came to most people’s attention back in the mid noughties with the twin assault of Mandarin Girl by Booka Shade and the ubiquitous Body Language by M.AN.D.Y. vs. Booka Shade. Both songs injected some much-needed warmth into the minimal template to give house music a new lease of life. By JOHN BITTLES

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Sadness With A Dash Of Beats: An Interview With Emika

Music | Bittles’ Magazine: The music column from the end of the world

In a world which celebrates uniformity and mediocrity it is refreshing to find someone actively striving to create something interesting and new. In art, moulds are meant to be broken and stereotypes cast to the ground. One artist who understands this is Berlin resident Emika. Born Ema Jolly, and raised in Milton Keynes, Emika has utilized her classical training in piano and composition to form the foundation for a body of work which has taken in pop, classical, electronica, ambient and more. Never one to settle for the status quo, her music could resemble the gothic pop of Fever Ray one minute, the futuristic electro of Drexciya the next. By JOHN BITTLES

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Traum: 200 Releases Strong

Music | Bittles’ Magazine: The music column from the end of the world

Every single day we are bombarded with slogans, adverts, forged smiles and the cult of the new. Everything seems insubstantial and just waiting to fall apart. From the rise of Primark and disposable fashion, to music made to be played on tinny headphones, the average lifespan of art, love and culture has become unbearably brief. By the time a record reaches the shelves of your local record store it is yesterday's news. Online leaks, ripping, Youtube and playlists have transformed music from something tactile and of value into something designed merely to capture your attention between the ads. By JOHN BITTLES

The Lure Of The Soundtrack

Music | Bittles’ Magazine: The music column from the end of the world Late last year I found myself entranced by Mati Diop’s wonderful Atlantics, a tale of forbidden passion, the perils of emigration and the fate of those who are left behind. Long, poetic shots of the sea merged perfectly with Fatima Al Qadiri’s intoxicating soundtrack to produce a stunning collage of meaning and evocations. Leaving the cinema that night I was struck at just how powerful a medium the soundtrack can be. It led me to consider my favourite films, dissecting their accompanying scores and moods. This week

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