Gentle Friendly

Thinking of HEALTH made me think of a band who make similarly awesome music but who mean a lot more to me: Gentle Friendly. GF is made up of David Morris and Richard Manber (originally Dan Boyle). David's from Birmingham, my home town, where he was already playing in some great bands like The Reverends back in the day; we've come in and out of each others lives over the years. They've supported HEALTH and Ponytail among others in their time and have been released by ace lables like No Pain in Pop and Upset the Rhythm.

Gentle Friendly make seriously beautiful and progressive noisy melodic lo-fi which just cuts through in a way that totally grips you. The vocals, often distorted into the mix, swirl with a real emotional intensity, and the frantic drumming really wraps up some of the rabid and throbbing synth lines. Their live show is where their raw awesomeness really shines through. There's more info on their label bio.

Here's a couple of examples of why they're fucking amazing:





And here's one of their early songs played live - 'Five Girl Night' - great tune:



-L

HEALTH - Goth Star (Pictureplane cover)

Cheers to @Al_Mazzles of Dubious Caesar fame for the tip on this one. HEALTH have come in and out of my life over the past few years, but this one apparently just doesn't want to leave my head.

So - glitchy electro fun with a hint of melancholy: enough said. Here's the HEALTH remix of Goth Star by Pictureplane:



Stereogum have very kindly put it up for download here

-L


YES. and check out this javelin remix of 'In Heat'. so smooth.



-p

update 11/10/2011: been listening to goth star religiously. major props.

Thundercat - Golden Age of Apocalypse (2011)

Stephen Bruner aka Thundercat has been flying under the radar for some time as a bass maestro and contributor to various productions including work with Flying Lotus on Cosmogramma (2010) and even playing bass with punk legends Suicidal Tendencies.

Flying Lotus has finally coaxed Bruner out from behind the scenes and assisted in the production of his debut release 'Golden Age of Apocalypse' which is out now on the Brainfeeder label started by Flying Lotus in 2008 (and home to acts such as Samiyam and Daedalus - who I shared a stage with a few years ago at a festival in Oxfordshire, but that's another story).

The album is a disparate but flowing meld of soul and jazz infused electronics, synths and of course some creamy basslines - well worth a listen. One track getting a lot of attention is Bruner's dreamlike cover of George Duke's 'For Love (I Come Your Friend)'. Also check out the addictively upbeat 'Daylight'.



-L

Clams Casino - Rainforest EP (2011)

brooding dark/green jungle-themed electronics by clams casino. think midnight safari on shrooms. would def recommend late-night listen.

-p





www.mediafire.com/?f648hhy6zreoewq

Martyn - Ghost People (2011) - Hoxton album launch

Dutch producer Martyn is an electronic music pioneer and always puts on a banging set, and to celebrate the hotly anticipated release of his new album Ghost People in October, a big night was in order. Fortunately the line-up didn't disappoint, and with sets from Dbridge (Exit/Autonomic) and Hyperdub label boss Kode9 it was always going to be a corker.

Set in a sparse basement deep in the underbelly of Hoxton (with the venue remaining almost worryingly mysterious until the last minute), 3024's visual maestro and fellow Dutchman Erosie's artwork adorning the venue was a fitting backdrop for Martyn's unique fusion of techno, dubstep, funky and house.

After Manny Z warmed the room, including an awesomely leftfield remix of Blue Monday, Dbridge stepped up. Dbridge is a veteran who never disappoints, and tonight was no exception - with an eclectic bass driven set of melodic drum & bass, dub step and some jungly beats it was a floor filler. I think I lost about a stone brocking out.

Martyn's set raised the roof, and the crowd seemed to embrace the more housey direction of his new tunes, which he's discussed elsewhere. No Natural Selection or Vancouver here, this was the set of a DJ who clearly feels comfortable when constantly moving, shifting, defying expectations.
It would have been a great night ending after Martyn (the room was roaring) but it was topped off with the legendary Kode9 dropping some absolute bangers for his garage-filled finale. Awesome night.

Here's a taster of the album, but it has to be seen live.



Can't wait to session the album properly and hear where Martyn's headed. Ghost People is released on Brainfeeder on 10th October 2011.

Update: some great photos of the night over at Brainer mag

-L

Bon Iver - Bon Iver (2011)

several months after everyone's been hyping it, i finally gave the latest bon iver album a spin. i like it.

their sound comes close to talk talk, but it misses some raw awesomeness. maybe i'm just projecting my latest (re)obsession with talk talk.

still a great record though, even though they're not talk talk.


http://www.mediafire.com/?775v3ax776c4wva

-p