Music | Bittles’ Magazine: The music column from the end of the world After a short break, were I sailed around the world in an inflatable dingy, taught myself seven different languages, wrote the next great Irish novel (again), and shut Mr. Trump up for a while by giving him a piece of very sticky gum, it’s back to the day job, namely writing music reviews. BY JOHN BITTLES
Music | Bittles’ Magazine: The music column from the end of the world Every so often a record comes along which makes you stop what you are doing, prick up your ears, and pay rapt attention. One such album is the thoroughly excellent Truth by fast rising Polish producer MANOID. Out now on the always fresh Hafendisko imprint, Truth is a record which only needs a few moments to convince you that you and it are going to be good friends. By JOHN BITTLES
Music | Bittles’ Magazine: The music column from the end of the world Thomas Ragsdale is an artist whose work bristles with personality and emotion. As anyone who has been won over by releases such as Bait, Dear Araucaria or Under Dwellers will attest, he is a rare breed of producer who creates music which disregards genres or easy pigeonholing. Atmospheric soundscapes, dub drenched nightmares, delicate melodies and more can be found within his meticulously crafted grooves. By JOHN BITTLES.
Music | Bittles’ Magazine: The music column from the end of the world Sometimes it feels like I am alone in thinking that house music should be sexy, sultry, and appeal to the heart and head as much as the feet. Recently I have become bored of clubs where you get accosted by drunken assholes, the dance floor is too jammed to permit the concept of personal space, while the night’s soundtrack is a limited palette of frantic, functional techno beats. Now, maybe it’s because I am getting a little older, but when I go out I want to hear
Music | Bittles’ Magazine: The music column from the end of the world In the noisy, hectic, dog eat dog world in which we find ourselves these days I have come to value moments of quiet reflection like little else. Those times when I can close my eyes and pretend that my cat Mr. Fingers and I are the only ones around can be every bit as special as a night out with friends. As any other urban dwelling dreamer will undoubtedly attest, the soundtrack for these precious moments is a vital component in the quest for peace. By JOHN
Music | Bittles’ Magazine: The music column from the end of the world Dutch producer Boris Bunnik is a man of many aliases. Over the years he has been responsible for a series of stunning genre defying tracks as Conforce, Versalife, Hexagon, Vernon Felicity and Silent Harbour. Someone who understands the importance of patience and space, releases on labels such as Delsin, Clone, Rush Hour, Frustrated Funk and Echocord have cemented his reputation as a producer able to inject a vivid sense of personality into the music he creates. Disregarding the restrictions of BPM count or style, all of his
Music | Bittles’ Magazine: The music column from the end of the world UK artist Damian Harris has had the type of career most could only dream of. Under the alias Midfield General he has released two superb albums (Generalisation and General Disarray) and had a string of hit singles (Devil In Sports Casual, General Of The Midfield, Reach Out, etc.) By JOHN BITTLES
Music | Bittles’ Magazine: The music column from the end of the world Sometimes, when life is getting you down, there is nothing better than losing yourself in a great album for a while. Sure, we should be engaged with life and fight back against whatever is bothering us, but every so often it’s necessary to hide away from the horrors of the world. In this week’s column I will be presenting some great new albums which are perfect for getting you through the day. By JOHN BITTLES
Music | Bittles’ Magazine: The music column from the end of the world The life blood of DJs everywhere, my love of the humble 12-Inch began in the 80s, with extended versions of the hits of the day. From Madonna to Duran Duran via Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Luther Vandross (seriously, the extended version of Criticize is dance floor gold), my teenage years were spent tracking down overly long mixes of well known songs. In 2018 it can seem easier to purchase a mail order bride with a bad attitude than a slice of wax, but creatively at least,
Music | Bittles’ Magazine: The music column from the end of the world As a lover of electronic music it can get a bit overwhelming trying to keep up with the number of new releases coming out each week. For every Compro or Skylax House Explosion there are numerous functional house and techno records which are simply content to exist. This is why albums such as Ficción Futuro by Chic Miniature can seem like such a godsend. Formed of eight pieces of dance floor delight, the record manages to do a very rare thing these days, in that it works
