This week saw the end of a lengthy live music drought with Japandroids playing the Harley and the brilliant Holy Fuck gracing the Deaf Institute. Having to churn out 14000 words for my degree in the last few weeks seems to have dented my ability to write anything vaguely creative, but you can read my review of the Japandroids gig over at Forge Today.
Japandroids by Paula Goodale
As a little birthday present for a fellow Diplo fan I put together a quick mix which is on mixcloud...
I'll leave you with the video for Holy Fuck's 'Lovely Allen' and an invitation to join a tribute band that definitely isn't just a drunken idea, and will be called something stereotypically British like Bloody Hell or Oh Cripes.
Major Lazer (as featured on last month's podcast) are set to play at The Tuesday Club on 1st December. Should be well worth the £6.50 entry - get your ticket from Sheffield Union here or at the box office.
Read my review of the non-electronic but excellent No Age gig in Manchester a couple of weeks back over at Forge Media. I also wrote a review of Casiokids' (pictured) Sheffield gig last month which didn't get published so I thought I'd post it here instead:
Casiokids @ Sheffield Union, 12/10/2009
“The band is called Casiokids and this is the first time we have come to Sheffield”. Sadly, I'm not sure Sheffield gave the Norwegian electropop group much incentive to make a return visit, but they still gave it their all.
I arrived to find Fusion quite literally empty and though the room gradually filled up, even by the end of the night we would have struggled to form two football teams. In the vacuous surroundings of the Fusion Bar, this small turnout made for an uncomfortable atmosphere - something that became painfully apparent when support act Shake Aletti took to the stage. The Sheffield two-piece delivered their brand of disco-influenced, Chromeo-esque pop with enthusiasm, but their attempts to get the audience on their feet went unrecognised, leaving singer Steve to circle the barren dancefloor alone.
Mercifully, Casiokids succeeded in moving the, er, crowd to its feet. The band expand on the traditional five-piece format with the distinctive sounds of synthesisers, wood blocks and cow bells driving many of their songs. Hailing from Norway, they sing in their native tongue, but this does not make their music inaccessible. Dreamy, harmonised vocals simply float along atop the cheerful and uplifting zephyr that is Casiokids' sound.
An extended introduction to recent single 'Fot I Hose' built up anticipation as each band member commandeered the wood blocks in turn, and when the song's infectious bassline finally dropped, the audience burst (as far as twenty people are able to burst) into movement. Against a backdrop of tinsel and toy-animal adorned keyboards, the appearance at this point of a monkey suited man on the dancefloor felt like it was meant to be.
I was reminded of music lessons at school - playing around with pre-programmed beats and dated synthesiser voices on the cheap keyboards whenever the teacher's back was turned. Casiokids, as their name (and that they once did a tour of Norwegian pre-schools) suggests, capture this spirit of childlike electronic experimentation and, unlike in those school music lessons, are fortunate enough to be able to combine it with real musical ability and charm.
Just in time to count as an 'October' mix, this month's Duck&Cover podcast takes a break from its usual electro/techno/whatever-you-want-to-call-it focus and instead features a selection of artists from around the world that are all bringing something different to the table.
1. Lykke Li - Dance Dance Dance (Buraka Som Sistema remix)
Buraka Som Sistema [pictured] transform the Swedish singer-songwriter's downbeat original into a carefree, fire on the beach, time of our lives epic. As the winter evenings draw in, the song's bouncy rhythm and fuzzy synthesisers are enough to make us forget about the harsh temperatures outside and just dance, dance, dance.
2. Buraka Som Sistema - Aqui Para Voces (Brodinski remix)
This Lisbon based collective are at the forefront of the 'kuduro' genre. Originating from Angola, kuduro blends techno and house with traditional African styles to create a truly unique sound. Brodinski's remix of Aqui Para Voces is a fairly minor rework but just happens to be at the right tempo for this mix. Be sure to check out the original and the rest of their Black Diamond album.
3. Radioclit - Divine Gosa (Switch remix)
French-Swedish production team Radioclit make up two thirds of The Very Best. The global influences of that project and its excellent Warm Heart Of Africa album are clearly visible in their work as Radioclit too. London's Switch gives 'Divine Gosa' the remix treatment here with rolling drum loops and wonky synths proving to be a simple but infectious combination.
4. Major Lazer - Pon De Floor
Switch, meanwhile, has collaborated with US producer Diplo on the Major Lazer project which sees the duo try their hand at dancehall, teaming up with a variety of Jamaican artists in the process.Guns Don't Kill People...Lazers Do is a bit hit and miss, but 'Pon De Floor' is a definite highlight. The hook might be daft, but when combined with marching drums the effect is irresistible.
5. Diplo - Bandida (ft. Deize Tigrona)
Diplo. A phrase concerning fingers and pies comes to mind. When he's not busy producing mixtapes with M.I.A. and Santigold or generally remixing everything in sight, he spares a few moments to get Brazil's Deize Tigrona - who also provides the vocals on Buraka Som Sistema's 'Aqui Para Voces' - to drop some lyrics over Devo's 'Mongoloid'. Inspired.
Listen to the podcast here:
Alternatively, grab the Mediafire link here (19MB MP3) or subscribe using the link in the sidebar.
Have a good Halloween - I'm off to construct a costume.
