EXCLUSIVE NEW DOWNLOAD: Manic Street Preachers - This Joke Sport Severed (Patrick Wolf's Love Letter To Richey Remix)
Why does Patrick Wolf deserve to make music? Because when he listens to this he hears the above; his remix of the Manics' "This Joke Sport Severs" quite possibly the first wonky-classical track you'll have heard (on this planet, at least). Single-handedly skewering the myth that all IDM guys are shy, bearded loners, Patrick's reimagining will appear alongside other efforts (by British Sea Power, Four Tet, Fuck Buttons, Optimo, Underworld, The Horrors, et cetera...) on Journal For Plague Lovers Remixed, yours to own now.
Sounds Like: Memory Tapes, Gold Panda, Four Tet
Manic Street Preachers - This Joke Sport Severed (Patrick Wolf's Love Letter To Richey Remix)
DOWNLOAD: Gareth Williams - Nothing On + Anger of Fire
That handsome looking chap on the left is Gareth Williams, once of London's This Heat, who were approximately the sixth most influential band of all time. The girl he's with is Mary Currie, with whom Gareth recorded the drifting, delirium-bound songs below back in the mid-Eighties, after he'd returned from his first trip to India and left This Heat behind. Gareth died on Christmas Eve in 2001, sadly, but at long last the music he made with Currie and other collaborators a quarter of a century ago is getting a relatively wide release, various bootlegs dusted off and gathered together for an album named Flaming Tunes, out now through Life and Living Records.
Sounds Like: Arthur Russell, The Beatles, David Bowie
DOWNLOAD: Aufgang - Chanel 7 (Live in Montreal) + Spitzer & Krazy Baldhead remixes
On the face of it, two grand pianos and a drum kit may not sound like the foundation for something exciting. Yet Aufgang ("stairway" in German) manage to wring some rather compelling stuff from their simple instrumentation, as documented on their forthcoming debut EP, "Sonar." Consisting of Rami Khalifé and Francesco Tristano on keys and Cassius drummer Aymeric Westrich on the skins (and the occasional synthesizer), Aufgang crossbreed their classical roots with the driving rhythms of dance music. Whereas the brisk and lushly orchestrated "Chanel 7" captures the trio at their most cinematic, tunes like "Sonar" are hypnotic stompers aided by fizzy synth embellishments. Their sound has even caught the ears of Ed Banger's Krazy Baldhead, whose remix plugs-in "Chanel 7," and Spitzer, who takes on "Sonar" with Booka Shade-like precision. Yet another reason not to judge musicians solely by their instruments.
Sounds like: Booka Shade, Francesco Tristano, Johnny Greenwood
Aufgang - Chanel 7 (Live in Montreal)
Aufgang - Sonar (Spitzer remix)
Aufgang - Chanel 7 (Krazy Baldhead remix)
Previously:
Spitzer - Rainy Winter in Sydney
Krazy Baldhead - Sweet Night (Club Mix)
DOWNLOAD: Max Richter - Cradle Song For A (Interstate B3)
Few composers hold water with Hollywood film-makers and indie taste-makers, but Max Richter is one such composer. He's worked with electronica pioneers The Future Sound of London, recorded a handful of widely praised solo albums, found his music borrowed for the movie Stranger Than Fiction (starring Will Ferrell), and produced folk legend Vashti Bunyan's comeback album. At the heart of his 2008 album, 24 Postcards In Full Colour, lies an interesting concept: composing brief pieces to be used as mobile ringtones. "Cradle Song For A (Interstate B3)," is a charmingly simple lullaby that would surely sound better curling up from someone's pocket than any default ringtone.
Sounds like: Eluvium, The Future Sound of London, Philip Glass
EXCLUSIVE NEW DOWNLOAD: Paul Frick - Got the Blues
Kelley Polar is hardly the only classical cat to shift into making dance music. While learning classical composition at the Universität der Künste Berlin, Paul Frick passed the time by producing two hip-hop albums and performing in salsa, heavy metal and jazz groups. These days, however, Frick is more likely to be found churning out grooving house cuts influenced by the sound and methods of classical composers (not to mention the greats of French house).
Groovy and classically-minded? Surprisingly so, as his Kalk Pets debut, the "Do Something EP," proves without a doubt. The standout is "Got the Blues," a briskly-paced tune formed from the tightly bound tips and peaks of plucky woodwind melodies and brightly colored dabs of strings. The preciseness of Frick's cuts and swing beat foment a great deal of energetic tension, like rubber bands stretched comfortably to the brink. And this is just the start of Frick's house music ascension, as shown in the irresistible "Favourite Song" and "Tiki Tiki," two forthcoming tracks featured on his Myspace. The symphony may be the last place one looks for dance music these days, but perhaps DJs should browse through classical bins the next time they're shopping.
Sounds Like: Herbert, Akufen, Pepe Bradock
EXCLUSIVE DOWNLOAD: Paul Frick - Got the Blues
VIDEO: Max Richter - Fragment
Max Richter, the German-born classical piano composer signed to indie powerhouse Fat Cat Records (home to inspirational acts such as múm and The Twilight Sad) just released his new video, for his single "Fragment". The video features a view from Richter's studio over several nights of working on his most recent record, 2006's Songs From Before. It gives an aura of voyeurism and fragility to the piece. It's quire soothing and, in a way, sad.
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