Showing posts with label England. Show all posts
Showing posts with label England. Show all posts

Thursday, 28 March 2019

πŸ—ž SLOWTHAI SHARES GORGEOUS FROM DEBUT ALBUM NOTHING GREAT ABOUT BRITAIN

Northampton, UK rapper and producer slowthai has announced his debut album, Nothing Great About Britain (scheduled 17th May), by unleashing a new track called 'Gorgeous'. On a bed of sparkling piano samples, swaggering saxophones and classic yesteryear vocal chops laying down a timeless canvas, slowthai spits bars in that slurring tone of voice he's known for, half growling, half speaking.

Specifically it's a coming of age tune, fitting the vintage lo-fi samples and the temporal clunking clock tick-tocking percussion of the beat, with lyrics that reference being "drunk on vodka" as much as childhood pursuits that have defined a generation of British people: "been the same since Gameboys and stickfights, stabilised push bikes, few shinies / jump off the pushbike, Tony jacked my Yu-Gi-Oh cards..."

Life for many English kids growing up is this running around your estate, your road, your block, whatever it was, on a bike, showing off your trading cards, having them "jacked" (that's stolen btw), all that. And then it seems that before you know it, vodka is the inevitable next stage; bottles of alcohol find their pride of place in your bedroom, next to the trading cards of just a couple of summer before, now veneered with aerosol-scented dust.


  • πŸ”” 'Gorgeous' is taken from the slowthai – real name Tyron Frampton – debut album Nothing Great About Britain, out on True Panther Records/Method Records, 17th May 2019. He calls it "basically my experience of growing up."
  • πŸ”” slowthai Nothing Great About Britain tracklist ::
    1. Nothing Great About Britain
    2. Doorman
    3. Dead Leaves
    4. Gorgeous
    5. Crack
    6. Grow Up feat. Jaykae
    7. Inglorious feat. Skepta
    8. Toaster
    9. Peace of Mind
    10. Missing
    11. Northampton's Child



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slowthai Internet Presence ☟
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Tuesday, 1 May 2018

🐣 CURXES — THE STARS, LIKE DUST

This is the tightrope walk between nostalgia and a sort of despairing doom, the warmth of uncovering objects entangled with happy feelings yet in the miasmic embrace of the baleful knowledge that it is but a fleeting glimpse into the past; this is 'The Stars, Like Dust' by UK musicmaker Curxes, where the synths skew and fizz with something memorial, the beat – dusty, sharp, abrasive – ticks and stutters with mechanical stamina, where the bass bulges in ominous waves.

Formerly a trio, the now solo Curxes (aka real human Roberta Fidora) herself spoke to us via email to explain the track, which she admitted she wanted to sound "somewhere between ocean and space organ waves." And there is that sense of organic vs. synthetic broiling in the almost living-and-breathing irregularity with how the synths dip and peak minutely but remain zingy and metallic.

The lyrics are desperately alive, calling from this pocket of bright, submerged flavours, this whirling and swirling of sound—the words feel like they've arrived via signals that are lightyears away, rebounding and crackly, crooning with nonchalant distress about "an age of infinite dread."

"The lyrics were written at a period when I felt that the entire country was going through a transitional phase and not for the better, fuelled by misplaced nostalgia," explains Fidora. "I think many of us have our own nostalgia to deal with, but generally it isn't anything that has the ability to distort or disrupt people's lives." And so 'The Stars, Like Dust' is a cocktail of that childhood yearning for the stars and that deathly, adult fear of what we might find there; the reluctant progression of vast swathes of humanity.


  • πŸ”” Curxes tells us a bit more about the creation of the eccentrically British visuals for 'The Stars, Like Dust' - complete with triangle sandwiches, a chihuahua, and reclusive behaviour.

    "I worked with portrait photographer and 50s sci-fi enthusiast Rob Luckins to make a video based on our collective love of space travel, which seems to be undergoing a resurgence, maybe because it gives people the hope that they can escape the things to which they don't belong."

  • πŸ”” This song is taken from the 2017 Curxes album Gilded Cage.

  • πŸ”” You may stream and purchase 'The Stars, Like Dust' via Bandcamp.


πŸ“ 
Curxes Internet Presence ☟
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Friday, 16 March 2018

🐣 MURLO & CONDUCTA — TOGETHER

The cutting abrasion of this garage beat has that divine angularity that impels you to some semblance of rhythmic movement, a tight swing between the subtle shuffling thud of the kick and that cracking snare, with the hi-hat pattern effusing a boneless energy, the fairy zing of triangle ornamenting in the midst of those furioso metallics – yes, and here we have ourselves a staunch conveyance of UKG from the minds of Manchester musicmaker Murlo and Bristol-via-London producer Conducta. But it’s not just the sharp and shiffling scrappy beat that makes ‘Together’ a wonderful vessel of vibrant music.

No, it’s also the wonky synth chords that crown this song in tracts of gemlike glossiness and refraction, combined at some points with occasional crystalline clonks; and it’s also the soft scampering synth leads – like an urgent team of spirits working to lift this track off the ground and into some indescribable ether. These sounds shroud the track in otherworldliness, but it remains gloriously grounded with clean bulges of bass that give it a wide, bouncy flavour. And here we have the rhythm, and the atmosphere, but the soul of the song is in its pitch-shifted vocal, the nightcorey low-quality lifting of vocals from somewhere, their reverb, their high frequency, give it this quality of decayed siren-song that, alongside the punchy beat, the mystique of the synth, animate ‘Together’ with splendid heartache and melancholy.


  • πŸ”” This sparkling space jewel of a collaborative track is actually the first ever release on Murlo's newborn label Coil Records. You may stream and purchase 'Together' by clicking this little hyperlink here.

    "I’ve wanted to start my own label for ages, but I feel like now is the perfect time," says Murlo. "I’m really looking forward to having the freedom to drop music whenever I feel like it, and getting more of my visual work into the world too."

  • πŸ”” The artwork that came with the announcement of the label (below) is very lovely, super atmospheric, and is drawn by label progenitor Murlo himself. You can watch the trailer for the inauguration of Coil Records on Instagram, amongst other places.



πŸ“ 
Conducta Internet Presence ☟
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Thursday, 25 January 2018

🌏 PHOTO DIARY — SOUTHEND-ON-SEA

It's January and in the UK that means it's dark, cold and wet. At this time of year it can be en effort to try and peel yourself from the sofa and make yourself do something actually constructive. On Sunday, after having a week that felt like we had done nothing more than work, sleep and then work some more we decided that instead of slouching around the house all day we would get up and get out and go explore somewhere in our own country we had never seen before.

Southend is one of those far off places we've always hear about mentioned by market sellers in EastEnders but it seems as though nobody has actually been. When we mentioned we were heading there for the day to people we know, the response was often, 'oh I haven't been there in years' or 'oh your Grandad used to go there!'

We arrived mid-afternoon after an emotional hungover drive which was fulled by coffee and a multi-pack of croissants and a few tense moments of trying to get into the right lane for the Dartmouth tunnel, but we were so glad we had made the effort. The sun was shining making the the sea and the sky perpetually reflect each other in shades of blue. We paid £1 to walk along the longest pleasure pier in the world (what a claim!) all 1⅓ mile of it. We did the British thing: drank tea and ate cake at the cafe on the end of the pier while we watched the sun sink into the horizon and turn the water a lighter spectrum of metallic colours.

On the way home we took a detour and explored a bit of Canvey Island, one of the many islands in the Thames estuary. This one has been in the spotlight recently after a BBC documentary followed the community of Charedim (ultra-Orthodox Jewish) that have moved from Stamford Hill, London, to the island. It felt like a strange place with a classically broken down and rusty feel to its seafront, perfect for taking pictures.


REBECCA ALICE SAUNDERS
@yesnotravel

Thursday, 14 September 2017

🐣 WALTER EGO — SENSU BEANS

In this track there is power and there is mysticism and there is beauty. A sort of expansive feeling that takes its cue from the reverb that seems to lance through clouds and into the stratosphere. A definite thud in the beat that has been bludgeoned into the shape of grime, sparse and robust, gaps where gaps feel good, the stop-start rhythm of it like a kickstart to the heart and blood pumping. And with this foundation, crinkling chimes form the main ornamentation, like gold foil covering jagged rocks on stark outcrops, jangling and warped and alien but warm in their mesmeric resounding.

YES/NO LAZY INTERVIEW #29 W WALTER EGO (September/2017)


This is the sound of Sheffield musicmaker Walter Ego. 'Sensu Beans' is essentially a classic minimalist grime instrumental with a futuristic lilt that channels Dragonball Z, the wholly fresh and weird and exciting feel of it with the homely nostalgic familiarity that this quite universal anime inspired and continues to inspire in many people. Combined with many samples presumably taken from the show itself – unplaceable, unintelligible but recognisable – the chimes summon that same alien warmth, a bulge of gradual bass creeping in the beat skittering virtuoso with clacking snares and hi-hats that tick staplegun and whirr uzi fast by turns and the sshh of sheafing shakers. And we are all healed, as well as amazed, by the miracle senzu beans.


  • πŸ”” 'Sensu Beans' is taken from Walter Ego's clearly DBZ-inspired Seven Star Ball EP, released last month via fellow Sheffield-based label Bad Taste Records. You can purchase the three-track wonder of hard beats and fluid sounds over here if you like.


πŸ“ 
Walter Ego Internet Presence ☟
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Friday, 18 August 2017

πŸ“£ LAZY INTERVIEW #28: TUSKS

Last month we saw TUSKS live. In fact, we didn't so much see it as experience it: her vocals fill the room, her guitar aches and conjures wide reverb-soaked expanses, her beats are sparse and minimalist, accentuating the wild sense of space that her music evokes. She played songs taken from upcoming debut album Dissolve, including Foals cover 'London Thunder' and lead single 'Toronto'. "Musically a lot of them are inspired by more cinematic music and scenery from travelling around the world," the musicmaker tells us via email.

This globetrotting nature manifests itself in the names of some of the songs—an allusion, she explains, to her experiences in those places at those times. "It's a really personal album for me," she says. "Six of the songs were written in the space of a very changing and dramatic year where I was really struggling with a lot, so I think they've ended up being quite raw and emotionally charged." And behind the power in the music is human person Emily Underhill, real name of the entity that we know as TUSKS, and she has agreed to tackle the fabled lazy interview so that we may learn some things about her.


🐀



w h o   a r e   y o u ?   w h e r e   a r e   y o u   f r o m ?   w h a t   d o   y o u   d o ?
I'm Emily, I'm from London and I make music.


h o w   d i d   y o u   s t a r t   c r e a t i n g   m u s i c ?


I learnt piano when I was little, and then picked up guitar in my teens and studied music tech at uni which got me into the production side of things.


h o w   w o u l d   y o u   d e s c r i b e   y o u r   s o u n d ?


Someone described it as evolving dark pop recently which I think fits really well.


i s   t h e r e   a   p e r f e c t   t i m e   a n d   p l a c e   f o r   l i s t e n i n g   t o   y o u r   m u s i c ?


I reckon at night on headphones somewhere, maybe outside…

I always wonder about when we're actually going to run out of original things to write that haven't been written before
w h a t   i n s p i r e s   y o u   m o s t   w h e n   m a k i n g   a   t r a c k ?
I'm not sure, I think I just like being alone somewhere and getting caught up in making the track. It's all quite a subconscious experience for me - I don't really plan it or consciously get inspired by things. It's more of a realisation after I've made the track of what's inspired it.


w h a t   i s   y o u r   m o s t   m e m o r a b l e   m u s i c a l   e x p e r i e n c e ?


The last tour around Europe supporting Asgeir was amazing - they were the biggest venues I'd played and we finished in London playing to a sold out Koko. I'm such a big fan of Asgeir, so it was amazing touring with them all and watching their show every night.


w h a t   a r e   y o u r   f a v o u r i t e   t h r e e   s o n g s   a t   t h e   m o m e n t ?


The War On Drugs – Strangest Thing

Foals – Mountain At My Gates

Lapalux – Rotted Arp feat. Louisahhh


w h o   d o   y o u   m o s t   a d m i r e   i n   t h e   m u s i c   w o r l d ?


I’ve got a lot of respect for BjΓΆrk.


i n   y o u r   o p i n i o n ,   w h a t   i s   t h e   f u t u r e   o f   m u s i c ?


I always wonder when I'm writing songs about when we're actually going to run out of original things to write that haven't been written before. I think it depends on the creation of technology to open doors into new sounds and genres - it's something that's exciting though. 


w h a t ' s   t h e   f u t u r e   o f   y o u r   m u s i c   –   w h a t   d o   y o u   h o p e   t o   d o   n e x t ?


I want to start on the next album as soon as possible - I'm already writing new songs that I'm really excited about. I think if I can just do that and tour for the next 18 months I'll be very happy!


w h a t   i s   m o s t   i m p o r t a n t   t o   y o u ?


Just to be happy.


πŸƒ





πŸ“ 
TUSKS Internet Presence ☟
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Monday, 14 August 2017

🐣 MAHALIA — SOBER

This lovely track is arrives like a cool breeze through a window, contains within it that sheepish drowsy feeling that accompanies the delicate stages of the early morning following the inebriation and fun that bubbles between four walls and down corridors and in the garden, with its wonky boom-bap beat describing sonically that state of disarray as you awake from slumbering stupor and attempt to be a human, memories of the house party arising as you survey the room that was so hectic the night previously which now is filled with hangover and headache. "This story is totally about the morning after," says 19-year-old Leicester-based Mahalia about her track 'Sober'. "Thinking about the night before - all the mistakes you made, all the muddled texts you sent."

And so the track bounces this off-kilter pathway, the low subtle bass groove which charts this fresh, clean feeling throughout, the wobbling nature of it all giving the track this post-spinning-room relief in drymouthed stability. Yet we also have the vocals of Mahalia herself, not wonky, nor hungover, but self-assured and epiphanous, silkenly spinning lines that represent a realisation of good sense; "This is me waking up and smelling the roses," she explains further her first official single. Smooth, hazy, soulful, 'Sober' is an analogy for turning your life around, a night of revelry illustrating past mistakes, maybe even a whole lifetime of folly, but realising in a moment of clarity that things should and could be different.


  • πŸ”” You can download or stream 'Sober' in various ways via this link here.


πŸ“ 
Mahalia Internet Presence ☟
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🐣 KAREFUL — H2O

The sky is collapsing in an instant at the beginning of this track and the ground opens up and everything from above begins to tumble down this expanse of space now bored through the earth, the most fantastic fissure that we find ourselves in, what darkness and undeniable foreboding dwells in the ranging ripples of reverb, the arpeggiating synths, the hardness of the electronic beats like jagged rocks, the nocturnal rumbling modulation of synth that columns barrelling through the lower reaches of this track. Like a cathedral freefalling through a bottomless pit lined with sparkling jewels and gemstones and a carved alien script that glows turquoise and sunset-orange, UK producer Kareful's track 'H2o' is a judgement day of sound on a rushing epic scale, a conjuring of otherness with otherworldly sounds.

The feeling of this track is heavily towards the baroque, towards the polished and filigreed, the ornate and broadly twisting, romance and distance conjured by the incredible vocal sample, foreign even to our world, pitch-shifted and lingering on each word, aching, searching for a soul, a slow display of beautiful turmoil. "I've always found myself heavily processing vocals to make them sound nothing like what I originally found," Kareful himself tells us about those beautifully meandering vocals. Inspired by an "involuntary break in music" after losing everything on an previous PC, he calls 'H2o' a romantic track: "Many of my tracks are…" he confirms: "I'm somewhat of a hopeless romantic myself." And in the track, its heartbeating dynamic grime-trap-flavoured percussion pulsing, there is such a sense of grandiose gothic hopelessness, of crushing from afar, the all-encompassing wreathes of unrequited love.


  • πŸ”” 'H2o' is taken from Kareful's upcoming Alchemy EP, out 15th September via trapdoor records. Download the track and anticipate the release via this specific site.
  • πŸ”” You can grab the producer's previous release, the 2016 album Deluge, over on iTunes if you like.
  • πŸ”” Recently Kareful featured as one of the collaborators on Lifeforce, the debut LP from Nottingham's very own Glacci.


πŸ“ 
KAREFUL Internet Presence ☟
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Friday, 28 July 2017

🐣 EMSEATEE — PEER (LOMEA REMIX)

Shuffling sheafing leafs of metallic whooshing hi-hat fluttering electric with glitching staccato sharpness, the thin cutting veilsome foundation of this track, the garage offbeat swing tending to our hearts and nerves with its gratifying regular irregularity the extra monomolecular blades that swish through the air, here is the overriding rhythm of it, London-based Lomea's remix of 'Peer'. The original track by Oxford dwelling producer Emseatee is a brooding quick march with a heavy atmosphere and similar glitching electronics, which glitters and stutters with broken down computer aesthetics towards its end.

This new version holds onto that glitchiness, twins it with satisfying organicity in the realness of its percussion, the real rattling rasp of its hi-hats, the snapping clack of the snare as it gets cut-off and left to resonate alternately, the shuffling pattern of the booming kick. Juddering stabs of electro wonderland begin to jostle as the track starts lift-off, rising synths creating a blinding blare of bright light, more and more electro parts joining and crammed together and now this intensity, this grind and buzz with still that sizzling garage rhythm, an airy track that takes the original and feeds it steroids and incants strange magic to it, grows it some wings, flies it too close to the sun.


  • πŸ”” Lomea's remix of 'Peer' is taken from The Nostos Remixes, a collection of remixes taken from Parts 1 and 2 of Emseatee's previous Nostos EPs. You can listen to it on SoundCloud or download it from Bandcamp.


πŸ“ 
Lomea Internet Presence ☟
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Emseatee Internet Presence ☟
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Tuesday, 16 May 2017

🐣 RENΓ‰ — I.N.T.O.

The voice of London singer RENÉ in her latest track is a revelation. Silken smooth it effortlessly navigates low notes almost purring as it resonates delving deep and then rising high lilting with accents and ornaments, trilling and sliding with satin sheen from one line to the next. Alone, her voice reverbs lonesomely into the distance, stark and beautiful, but layered as in the second verse (from 01:05) it's a slice of Destiny's Child-leaning R&B jam, rich and elastic and winding rhythmically to the clattering beat, a dark and futuristic instrumental leading us forwards with angular twists and turns.

Weaving with the vocals is a sultry synth that melts between fizzing trebles and muted lows in a pulsing flutter that veils RENÉ's voice and the track in an atmosphere of cyclical longing. This cuts out in the chorus, when the vocals sing out "Cause I'm not the one..." shining and sirenlike, room to breathe with this lull in the synth. And that starkness is played out with the collage of percussion in the beats, booming bass kick, clacking snares, ticking hi-hats, glassy metallic sounds, all of it rattling and stuttering in arhythmic glitch, a hint of grime in the darkness of it, in this sharp beat and in the lone overdriven kicks of the bridge. This keen sense of hazy minimalism allows for a distinct focus on RENÉ herself, and her voice, the lavish tone of it, rhythm, melody, all of it a gratifying intoxicating blend of heart, soul and vocal chords.




πŸ“ 
RENΓ‰ Internet Presence ☟
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Friday, 27 September 2013

KERO KERO BONITO SICK BEAT

Kero Kero Bonito. That's their name. 'Kero kero' (or 'gero gero' if you like) is the noise a Japanese frog makes (FYI: dogs go 'wan wan' not 'woof woof', also). Bonito is like... bonito tuna. Maybe? Is it? Kero Kero Bonito (γ‚±γƒ­γ‚±γƒ­γƒœγƒ‹γƒˆ). KKB. That's it. It is a group of three people from London (ENGLAND) called Sarah, Gus and Jamie and they make music. Nice music.

I stumbled across this song, called 'Sick Beat', thanks to someone on Twitter. I listened and instantly liked it. There are many likeable things about this song. However, I believe that the use of Japanese in songs, or samples from Super Mario 64, won't be for everybody: but they are for me. It is nevertheless a really cool song with a really nice message. There's a rap in it, interchanging Japanese and English, expounding the idea that girls can play videogames without the stigma of being a 'girl gamer' - it shouldn't even be an idea. Just don't be surprised that girls play games too, what's so difficult about that?

Anyway. Let's listen together〜

Starting with an amazingly utilised sample of the "ba ba ba ba ba ba" from Mario 64, the song launches into mildly swaggery beat whilst Sarah of KKB raps nonchalantly in Japanese, chucking in some English phrases for childhood references, mentioning Tomb Raider and Windows 98, all the way to the chorus which is where the heart of the song lies. It's a really catchy hook, not to mention clever in its lyrics; beginning with a challenge - "Whichever console you play / no matter how many hours a day / I could win at any game / Whether you're a boy or a girl or a supercomputer" - ending with a lament of more "girly" pursuits - "It's often said / I should get some girly hobbies instead / but that thought fills me with dread / I'm not into sewing, baking, dressmaking, not-eating, bitching, submitting [?]"

That's all done in pleasant layered vocals to the tune of some fizzing bass synth that plunks alongside marching snare drums. From the middle, the rap gets a spotlight whilst the beat lays in wait for its part in the sample-infused finale of the song. It's a straightforward like indie pop rap kinda vibe with additional appeal for its get-em-if-you-can, gotta-catch-em-all references, and the heavy investment in Japanese language. In style, it kinda reminds me of the cutesy rap that may.e did a while back, but for me, the fact that it's from England is both exciting and praiseworthy. What a global world we now live in!

This btw comes from Kero Kero Bonito's upcoming mixtape Intro Bonito out 30th September.

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Saturday, 27 July 2013

SUPERFOOD TV (DEMO)

Really really happy that this song appeared, and I'm really happy that it's good. I'm not so happy that it took me so long to get round to seeing it - oh well. C'est la vie and all that innit.

So anyway this is Superfood, a band from Birmingham (England, UK - not Alabama), and their song 'TV'. It's apparently a demo, but it sounds more than good enough for human consumption. I didn't think demos were supposed to be so nice. But it's ok. It's good. I reckon they could just release this the way it is: sounds great.

What kind of music is this? It's punky-ish indie soft rock... kind of. I wrote about their other song (there's only two, yo) a few months ago - it's called 'Superfood' and it's about getting hungry I guess. There's a similarly humdrum heart in this new song (2 months old but whatevs), namely being concerned with the inability to sleep without the TV on. I remember when I was younger I slept with the TV on like every night. Boom. Instant connection with the song. Plays to the simplicities of life. I like that. Who wouldn't?

Let's listen to it shall we? Can we?

There's a really nice lazy and laid-back feel to this tune, perhaps it's in the slow head-bob that the tempo seems to inspire, or maybe it's in the slapdash guitar stabs in the verse, the aching scratches of the guitar solo. Maybe it's in the lyrics, celebrating the magical mundanity of how the TV can affect your sleeping... stuff, for instance, "How am I to ever dream without the TV on?" and the ever-so-normal, "Who turned off the TV? It wasn't you, it wasn't me". The vocals affect no true 'singing voice' or accent, sticking instead with a half-spoken, half-yelled, half-sung - wait three halves? - vibe that seems to come forth organically.

I said it about the sound of their song 'Superfood', but they have a Weezer-esque quality about them. Which is a really nice thing because Weezer are great. I dunno why - similar sound, perhaps. Distorted guitars, nothing too fast, lazy vibes, irreverant atmosphere - 'TV' even starts and finishes with recordings of television and twinkling guitar twangs, kinda like the start/end of Weezer's own 'Undone – The Sweater Song'. Or maybe it's just me. But that's how I find it, aurally, so that's how I'm saying it, typingly. Someone said something about these guys catching the "butt-end of brit pop" but I don't like brit pop so I won't even.

Is there a release coming up? I don't know. Best just keep checking!

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Thursday, 11 July 2013

GANG COLOURS MAN UP GIRL! OPEN FOR BUSINESS MIX

Everyone loves a good mix, don't they? I know I do. There's sometimes nothing better than getting yourself set up - whether it be sunbathing in the garden with blanket, book, suncream (stay safe), drink; eating breakfast on a Sunday morning with TV (for the news), best-breakfast-ever, some kind of juice; or working inside with coffee, inbox open, stressball to hand - and once you're in position and raring to go, blasting a good mix. Ahh, the pleasures of the mix know no bounds. No choosing the songs yourself. No getting up to change CD. Just a set amount of time, decided by said mix, to enjoy a daily task. For in daily tasks there is immense glory.

So anyway, there's a lot to be said for mixes. From 20 minutes to a few hours, they come in all shapes and sizes. Very versatile things. And on that note, you can also use them for a soundtrack to a not-so-daily task, something like - oh I dunno - the Grand Opening of a shop. That's the case in this instance, anyway. Gang Colours, whose lovely The Keychain Collection came as a fanfare of absolute chill last year, has created this 'Open For Business' mix for the opening of Man Up Girl!, a street & skatewear shop for women in Southampton (he is close friends with the founder, it's not a random thing).

Some of the stuff in that shop looks incredible. The prints are bright and funky with more than a little leaning towards the retro - quite frankly I wish I were able to wear some of that stuff. Maybe I could get away with a T-shirt or two... Check it out: www.manupgirl.com

Anyway, Gang Colours has made this lovely mix. Listen to it.

With effortless flow, GC delivers a hip hop-hearted 35-minute mix that really is a mix, I mean like in the literal sense of the word yo. From the dripping ambience of Volcano Choir to Isabelle Antena's pioneering electro-samba, the sultry crooning of My Toys Like Me and the rich harmonies of The Beach Boys, it is a mixed mix. Yet never once does it feel clunky. Not at all. I feel bad even SAYING that word because nothing like that ever even comes near to approaching your ears. It's fluid and summery, the soundtrack to chilling out under the dappled shade of a tree, to the heat of busy streets, to summer-breeze-filled houses.

Toeing a line between retro and modern, attitudinal and nonchalant, it shows off not only the skill of GC but also his wide taste in music. He's got a second release coming up on Gilles Peterson's label Brownswood, and this mix only reminds me of how excited we should be about that.

OPEN FOR BUSINESS MIX TRACKLIST:
Pink Priest - Field of Orgasms
2morrows Victory - Lift Off
Co$$ - Searching
RZA - The Birth
Volcano Choir - Dote
DELS - Black Salad
Isabelle Antena - Naughty Naughty
Common - Testify
Infinite Body - Drive Dreams Away
James Pants - Green Rivers
My Toys Like Me - All Over My Face
Daru Jones - Oh pt. 2
B. Lewis - Dat Juice
The Beach Boys - Walk On By
Rammellzee Vs K-Rob - Beat Pop
Shigeto - What U Really Needed Ft. Brandon Mitchell & Carlos Garcia

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