Bittles‘ Magazine You know the way it’s fashionable right now for bands and female singer-songwriters to market themselves as ›delightfully kooky‹? They’re all »look at me. I have flowers in my hair! Aren’t I crazy?« I will not name and shame right now, yet when you listen to their songs you can’t help but think that the plan was »Ok. So, my music is pretty derivative and weak. But if I act like I am awfully quirky then maybe people won’t realise just how bland I really am«. Somehow the eccentricity of these bands is always safe and insipid while
Bittles‘ Magazine It’s amazing how an album or song can come to represent a year, or a period of your life so completely that simply listening to it again is enough to take you right back to that time. Bryan Adams that eminent social historian from Canada ably documented this phenomenon of wistful nostalgia with his treatise Summer of 69. One particular record that has this hair-raising effect on me is God Fodder by the awfully named but really rather good Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, (or The Neds as they were rather affectionately known back in the day). Every-time I hear
Bittles‘ Magazine With the world of music still reeling from the new Daft Punk album it’s hard to believe that there’s loads of great new music out there desperately vying to be heard. With all the hype about this release you could easily come to the conclusion that all people want is a load of regurgitated pop-disco crap. Hopefully that is not the case and there will be many who’ll be excited at the mountain of fantastic new releases coming out this month. Boards of Canada, Gold Panda, Jagwar Ma, Lust For Youth and loads more are hitting us with
Bittles‘ Magazine | Interview Formed in the scenic German town of Nuremberg the duo of Peter Heider and Florian Seyberth, otherwise known as Boozoo Bajou first came to prominence in 2001 with the release of their debut album Satta on Stereo Deluxe. Trendsetters and their pets everywhere sat up and took notice of these downbeat dub infused grooves, enthusing over the sublime mixture of trip-hop and jazz which the duo created with a pinch of perfection. Since then the band have devised music in a variety of styles that has always kept the listener intrigued while constantly maintaining an extremely
Bittles‘ Magazine | Interview You know that sense of nervous anticipation you get as you put a new album on and you don’t know what to expect? That shiver of suspense you experience as you put the CD in the stereo, place the record on the turntable, or press play on the file is a pretty beautiful thing indeed. Yet nine times out of ten you end up disappointed by what you hear. Be it landfill indie, or generic tech-house nonsense with the personality of a paving slab, the discovery of new music can be a fraught and terrifying adventure
Bittles‘ Magazine | Interview To say that Tone of Arc have created one of the funkiest records of 2013 is something of an understatement. Said album The Time Was Right contains 11 tracks of fantastically freaky sounds that would make LCD Soundsystem lie down and give up the ghost (oh wait, they already have). Trust me when I tell you that this is music readymade for the shuffling of shoulders, the nodding of heads, the movement of feet, and the eruption of huge face-dominating grins. By JOHN BITTLES
Bittles‘ Magazine | Interview You know how every once in a while an album will come along that completely defies all your expectations and quite simply blows you away? You press play, sit down, and give the stereo that certain look which signifies that you are going to be very hard to impress. Within minutes though you’ve climbed up onto the table shaking your skinny little ass while waving your hands in the air with something approaching unbridled joy. By JOHN BITTLES
Bittles‘ Magazine | Interview The Black Dog are one of those rare bands that appear to be doing what they do for a reason, a need, or a compulsion even. While more and more people in the music industry seem to be all about the fame, or the money, it is truly refreshing to meet a band who aren‘t here to play the media game. Their regular forays into the world of music are constantly met with eager anticipation by those intelligent people who treasure techno that is created with depth and lots of soul. By JOHN BITTLES
Bittles‘ Magazine | Daniel Avery Daniel Avery is a producer who makes the type of house music that makes me remember why I fell in love with house music in the first place. Bubbling bass, crashing beats, and edgy synths are all thrown into the mix to create something which positively snarls at the body urging it to move to the beat. This is music made for losing yourself. For closing your eyes, hands in the air, dancing even though you’re exhausted, and thinking to yourself ›thank fuck I am here rather than anywhere else‹. By JOHN BITTLES
Bittles‘ Magazine | Live Music Mute Records artist Cold Specks first popped her head into our world in May of last year with the release of debut album I Predict a Graceful Expulsion. An enchanting appearance on Jools Holland also went some way towards announcing the presence of this peculiar talent to the world.