Introducing: Escapists
Inspired by an American record collection, Escapists, an all-male indie/rock band are taking the United Kingdom by storm.
He has also collaborated with similar artists MS MR, which share his laid back approach to easy-listening electronica. Faker’s voice resembles that of The XX’s Oliver Sim’s, it has the same deep, clean tone, yet maybe not as depressing sounding as Sim’s. Stand out tracks on his debut include Talk Is Cheap and Melt featuring Kilo Kish.
Words By: Daisy Hills
Introducing: Aeurtum
Founded in 2010, the group consist of Simon Glancy (vocals and guitar), Oli Court (guitar), Max Perryment (bass) and Andrew Walsh (drums). With BBC Radio 1 presenter Huw Stephens finding their ‘dark and brooding vibe’ intriguing, Escapists sound smashes together unique elements from artists such as Echo and the Bunnymen, Jimmy Eat World and The Killers - meaning that their lyrical vibe may be dark but their music adds a certain brightness to the broody mixture. The band have opportunely performed on the BBC Introducing stage at both the Reading and Leeds festival in 2012 and they have toured as a support act for American rock band, Imagine Dragons. They also appear to be a hit with music publications as webzine ALT Sounds has declared them as “a future force of alt-indie”. (Stovin. J, 2012, Web) Their EP ‘Burial’ displays each member forming a powerful partnership with one another. Including guitar rhythms that are choppy yet melodically simple, vocals that are soft yet endearing, drums that attach an odd dance-type embellishment with hard-hitting attack and bass that smooths the drums and completes the blend. Enduringly, Escapists represent total escapism. So leave the real world behind and jump in.
Words By: Victoria Swain
Introducing: Chet Faker Twenty-five year old, Chet Faker, real name Nick Murphy, has spent most of his adult life working in a book-shop, so it comes no surprise when his first EP was described as ‘wonderfully loungey’. The Melbourne singer, whose name plays homage to jazz musician Chet Baker, first uploaded a video of him covering Blackstreet’s ‘No Diggity’ back in May 2011. From there his success has grown and he is now signed to the label Future Classics, the same label belonging to the similar, down-tempto electronic, Australian artists Flume and Flight Facilities. His simplistic, soulful vocals heard over chilled electronica can be heard on his debut album, released in April, Built On Glass. In the past he has collaborated with Flume and The Temper Trap, and is the newest musician to arise from that Australian clique of cool band and musicians.
Let’s give it up for Birmingham’s own Aeurtum! Formed in 2010, Aeurtum are a 2 man duo consisting of Vocalist Jon Collins and Drummer Brad Thomas. Inspired by the Latin term for ‘Forever’ (Aeternum) and the modern day scenery of autumn, Aeurtum bring the beauty of nature into the darkest depths of melodeath. Borrowing many of the traits of doom and the British heavy metal wave, a combination of those elements with classical death metal gives Aeurtum a tranquil yet in-your-face approach. Aeurtum are deemed to be one of the most unpretentious metal acts of the year so far. Aeurtum has managed to obtain a weary catch to their music throughout the years, an approach that has been overused for decades, yet done something quite spectacular and interesting with the influences they work with. Their Album ‘The Fall’ is deemed to be out of the ordinary. Why are these guys not signed yet, I do not know. There is no doubt in what the future holds for the multi-talented duo.
Words By: Danielle Baker
Introducing: Trikk
If you like punchy, aggressive Techno then usually you would look to hear new artists in the vain of Drumcode, or SOMA right? Well check this out. Portuguese born, London based producer Bruno Deodato is currently taking over the dance floor with his upbeat, bass heavy Techno alias Trikk. The Oporto original brought his first single Jointly/I Fall Down out in 2012 through George Fitzgeralds London based label, ManMakeMusic. Since then he has received praise and worked closely with artists such as Scuba, George Fitzgerald, Harvey McKay, Adam Beyer and Dense & Pika, rewarding him with a 2014 EP release through Trusoul, Drumcodes sister label. Trikk has also had releases and remixes released in the past through labels such as Pets Recordings, Hypercolour, Container music and Hotflush; consistently proving he is not a one-trip pony through some of the world’s most honorable record labels. With upcoming shows at The Sommerly Tea Party, Studio 80 in Amsterdam and The Prince Charles in Berlin, there is no excuse wherever you are in Europe to go and check out who has been clearly tipped to be the next big thing by the worlds Techno heavyweights.
Words By George Walker
News
Noah’s House Band to release Second EP Jolly Folk quintet Noah’s House Band have confirmed that they are currently in the final stages of recording their second EP which is set for release in the summer of 2014.
The EP is yet to have a title but Noah’s House Band have promised that it will include more quirky folk tales from the Ark and feature more life stories in the eyes of the Ark’s animals. The band have been active for three years and four out of five of the members found each other while teaching Music at Chichester College in West Sussex. It was through their love of gigging that the fifth member was found and the line-up was complete. Originator, and vocalist, Phil Palmer has declared that when all five members are together, “It’s where the band is at their best. A real jamboree of warbles, barks, cackles and quite splendid playing.” Their first self-titled EP, released in 2011 featured only Phil who played and recorded every instrument unaccompanied. However, their second EP will be the first Noah’s House Band release to include all five members.
Words by: Victoria Swain
Aeurtum To record album “The Depths of Which These Roots
Birmingham’s own melodeath duo Aeurtum is set to begin the first stages of the album ‘The Depths of Which These Roots Do Bind’ (the follow on from the previous album ‘The Fall’) this May. Formed in 2010, this 2 man project between Jon Collins and Brad Thomas, this molodeath duo released a 4 track demo EP in early 2011 “Within This Enervation”, before shortly after, both musicians went ventured onto further potential careers before reuniting a year after Collins had re-started the project in 2012.
Brad Thomas returned to Aeurtum in 2013, and Aeurtum is currently working on its 3rd recording, “The Depths of Which These Roots Do Bind” planned for an early 2014 release. Its expected release in November is no surprise when they closely relate their career’s around their love of music. Brad Thomas states that “I’m hoping for it to have heavy chunky guitars and powerful drums but also a vibrant dark sound that makes the hairs on your back stand up”
Words By: Danielle Baker
Bestival announces new acts Rob da Bank, creator of Bestival, announced yesterday, 6th May, that ‘boundary breaking acts and the best new bands’ will be added to the festival line-up. Taking place from the 4th September to 7th September on the Isle of White, these new, up-and-coming acts will be joining the rest of the ‘Desert Island Disco’ themed festival, at the end of the summer.
South-coast based record label Whistleblower have unveiled their Website, they announced the launch of the site to their 1,181 fans on Facebook this evening. The record label set-up and run by Con Fraiser, Soma Records Dave Robertson (Reset Robot), Drumcode favourite Alan Fitzpatrick and Junk Department resident Aaron Binstead (Rhymos) claim through their website that their aim is to “provide quality underground House, Techno and Electronica”. Whistleblower hosted a live launch party, which was broadcasted through BE-AT TV; it took place at Juno Bar in Shoreditch, London on the 10th April. Customer a new underground house project set up by Alan Fitzpatrick and Reset Robot headlined the event with Rhymos supporting.
“So in our humble opinion these are the breaking acts of 2014 from the worlds of rock, indie, electronics and pretty much any genre – a delve inside the musical brain of Rob da Bank to find the ones to watch, the ones who’ll make records you’ll love this summer and the ones who’ll make you dance ya socks off in September” says Rob da Bank about his choice of new line-up additions.
Since then the label that launched in January 2014 has gone on to receive Beatport chart success with their first release ‘Pale Ale’ by Rhymos. The four-track EP included tracks the Mutton Chops, EP titled - Pale Ale, Pampa Michi and an Aubery remix of Pale Ale. The second release Hunderpantsie by Customer was released in March 2014 with tracks A-side Hunderpantsie and B-side Sagat featuring on the release.
Amongst the line-up are headliners, OutKast, Foals, Chic featuring Nile Rodgers, Beck, Busta Rhymes, Candi Staton, and Chase & Status, these will be joined by Rob da Banks collection of new artists. The line-up now includes BBC Sound of 2014 nominees Say Lou Lou, Rudimental vocalist MNEK, US’s tUnE-yArDs and the electronic trio Factory Floor. Others added are Wolf Alice, Pional, The Wythes, Glass Animals and many more.
Words By: Daisy Hills
“Making history tonight: Neil Young is going to perform and press a live vinyl with the help of Jack White on the show. One Take. Fun” Two of the most historic artists to date have created something quite incredible. Jack White and Neil Young, two of the most iconic musicians this world has ever seen have recorded straight to vinyl whilst performing live on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. This spectacular act has made history, making it the only performance to have ever pressed a live vinyl whilst performing on a TV show. White himself has already broken a record for the fastest pressed vinyl for this years Record Store Day. Young and White both arrived at the studio but only to bring along the 1947 Voice-o-Graph vinyl-recording booth with them, which was also used, in Jack White’s Third Man Records recording studio. The recording booth was used to record Neil Young’s latest album ‘A Letter Home’.
The album was released earlier this year through White’s Third Man Records, it even consisted of various covers by some mind blowing artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. Jimmy Fallon announced the exciting movement by the iconic duo on his personal Twitter account saying “Making history tonight: Neil Young is going to perform and press a live vinyl with the help of Jack White on the show. One Take. Fun”.
Words By:George Peckham
Whistleblower Records Launch Website
Follow Whistleblower Records on twitter: @whistlebl0weruk
Words By: George Walker
Reviews
Kwabs: EP Review Liam Banwell: Wherever You Go South based solo musician Liam Banwell’s new release ‘Wherever You Go’ is like an addiction that can not be controlled. Business as usual for the multi- genre talented singer/ songwriter ; The lyrics persevering through distorted guitar’s follow on with a leap into an arousing harmonised chorus that sends nothing but shivers down the spine. What’s more, Banwell manages to pull off lines “Wherever you go/ I will follow” with such dreamy sophistication that fully compliments his rich and textured vocals.
Twenty-three year old Kwabs, from South London is set to release his soulful, futuristic RnB, EP ‘Pray For Love’ on the 20th May. Described as ‘SynthnB’; Kwab’s deep vocals over mellow electronica has been compared to the likes of Seal to Sampha. His new EP ‘Pray For Love’ includes the tracks, Pray For Love, Into You, Something Right and Brother The EP before this released in January, ‘Wrong or Right,’ earned him the title of ‘one to watch in 2014’ by MTV and BBC Radio 1 Xtra. After supporting Plan B on his summer tour in 2012, he has many celebrity fans, including Plan B himself, Jessie Ware, India Arie, Laura Mvula, Emeli Sandé and Joss Stone. The main track, the EP is named after, ‘Pray For Love’ is an uplifting song with the opening lines ‘It’s safe to say we made it’, his powerful voice is honest and empowering.
Words By: Daisy Hills
“Have you ever felt lonely? /I know I have” Banwell confesses in a grieving tone that unearths a rarely-seen vulnerable side to this emotionally brave songwriter, but the real appreciation in ‘Wherever You Go’ is that Liam Banwell continues to sound effortless as if the words are a slip of the tongue. The newly found musician’s upcoming album, eagerly awaiting.
Review: LKGRTT- Sciamachy
Words By: Danielle Baker
South’s own LKGRTT steps up to the plate with the debut Drum N Bass release Sciamachy. Crunching, stomping beats shudder over a bass while the siren-like subdued synth repeats its riffs repetitively for the first part of the track, a vocal sample snippets popping in from time to time. As the track progresses, the dramatic siren fades away and the meat of the track really comes to the fore. This track is dark and imposing, almost claustrophobic in places of the song, yet utterly mesmerising that you have to listen to it again.
Banks: Goddess On the 28th April, Jillian Banks, who goes only by her surname, posted her newest track, Goddess, online. The LA artist, who has supported the likes of Lana Del Ray and The Weeknd, has millions of hits on her Soundcloud. London and Fall Over, the two EPs she posted in 2013 have received massive recognition and praise. Her modern RnB sound which artists like AlunaGeorge and Jessie Ware fall into the genre of, is a complex blend of booming bass, ghostly backing vocals and Bank’s deep, dark, sultry voice Inspired by ‘British bedroom dup-step’ i.e. Burial and James Blake, she has been dubbed by Billboard and the BBC as one to watch this year. Her music portrays her frail vulnerability and her lyrics scream loss and obsession. Goddess is an honest, break-up track, the opening line being “she gave it all, you gave her shit” she is not afraid to bare all in her music.
Words By: Daisy Hills
Pumping and flowing throughout the entire release, Sciamachy is commercial enough to play in a working environment and danceable enough to shift bodies. “Sciamachy - A fight with an imaginary enemy” There’s no room in this track to take a breath, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Words By: Danielle Baker
Barnowl: LIVE Our House Events showcased some of the South West’s latest, upcoming house DJs on Good Friday at The Cavern in Exeter. Barney Hodgson, who performs under the name Barnowl, was amongst the acts to play in the underground club in Devon. At twenty years old Barnowl lives in Bristol, producing his own house music similar to the style of Bristol’s Future Boogie. Younger brother of Alfresco Disco’s Tom Hodgson, it’s no surprise Barnowl has incorporated the same funky house loops into his music. With his Bristol connections, being pals with the DJ Lukas, and being brought up surrounded by house music enthusiasts; he has the ear for great music and the ability to understand exactly what a crowd wants to hear. When Barnowl, the six-foot-five drunken giant, got into the DJ booth, at one am, the crowd’s mood was uplifted, as he opened with Michael Jackson’s Rock With You. Everybody had high hopes for the rest of his set, yet despite whose brother you are, whatever contacts you may have, Barnowl proved you’re not automatically gifted with the ability to mix. The transition from MJ to his next song, which happened to be another cleverly picked song by Jamiroquai, was truly awful. Although, he clearly had no idea how to mix, he played one of his own more disco tracks, Falling In Love, which without a doubt is well produced track, showing he’s not a complete phoney. The crowd learnt what to expect from Barnowl, great choices of music yet terrible mixing, however, what we did not expect was that halfway through his set, whilst playing Sunday Morning by Backroom Congregation, the CDJS would completely cut out. Throughout the rest of his set this continued to happen, whether he was too drunk, or just a little crap, his set was cut short leaving everyone feeling massively disappointed.
Words By :Daisy Hills
Noah’s House Band, “Horse”
From within the hull of Noah’s Ark, lives Noah’s House Band, a quirky folk quintet aboard the city of Chichester, who tell enchanting tales of the Ark’s recorded animals. The band’s first release from their second EP, which is currently unnamed, is called Horse and it sings a narrative story of a three legged horse and it’s day to day life. Noah’s House Band fits the genre of Folk however this particular song expands to child/comedy folk as it would be suitable as a sophisticated nursery rhyme. It’s a song that’ll make you happy and it is incredibly catchy. Horse fuses together bouncy percussion, honky instruments, a variety of strings and imperative vocals that are backed by the rest of the group’s hearty hoots, hums and warbles. It is like nothing you would have heard before and the far-flung cluster of instruments is what makes Noah’s House Band intriguing and charming. This is one song that will have you clicking that repeat button again and again.
Words By Victoria Swain
Heron :The Wave EP
Heron has returned to SOMA Records for his 3rd solo release as he follows up the “retro-esq” Foolish Solina & Sorna Bay with a much more stripped back and thumping affair for his latest EP, The Wave. Wailing synths and a thumping kick begin, first track on the EP ‘The Wave’ clatters in kicking off the EP with a bang. The heavy filtered bass that joins sets the tone for the EP straight from the outset. Trippy vocal cuts and piercing percussion stride along the pads, which clearly gives reasoning towards the name The Wave. Track two ‘Convolution’ starts in the same vein as the first. Gliding synths begin with another heavy kick, giving the track an almost Berlin backroom style vibe. This is definitely a song that was constructed for the dance floor. Heron steps up for this release stepping into deeper and darker territory whilst staying true to his own sound.
Words by: George Walker
Skaters
New York’s new kids on the block SKATERS have kick-flipped their way along with their debut album, Manhattan. SKATERS have been a band since 2012. After recently signing to Warner Bros. Records after only being a band for two years it was time for the four plain old bartenders to pick up their guitars and write a record. The first single off the album, ‘Schemers’ is the stand out track on the album, fuzzy guitar melodies, accompanied with a rhythmic chug that emphasises Ian Cummings lead vocals. The album lacks in an overall positive vibe, with only four out of the eleven tracks seemingly catchy and overwhelming the album did not receive a overly positive reception. The second track on the LP, ‘Miss Teen Massachusetts’ brings a extremely powerful Strokes vibe to the plate, with echoing guitar riffs with a bellowing bass drum this track is by far the most appealing on the album, it only comes to such confusion as to why this was not the main release from the four lads from the Big Apple. The album creates a large atmosphere of youth and energy which shows off the name SKATERS as a potent punk pleasure.
Words By: George Peckham
South London Ordnance – Contact EP
South London Ordnance is back with his new EP ‘Contact’ following on from his last rolling techno stint ‘Dead Cell’, which came out through his own Aery Metals imprint earlier on this year. This time out Hotflush and South London Ordnance presents a more upbeat record; all four tracks on the EP are built and constructed fully in dedication to the dance floor. Dark, punchy baselines feature throughout the entire EP coming from a distinctive UK sound. The EP broods atmosphere throughout with gliding pads and long spacey reverbs; the whole EP springs the word ‘warehouse’ to mind. A-side, track one of the record features the song Contact. The track builds up in a state of euphoria showing a keen resemblance to Hotflush head honcho Scuba. With airy, wispy vocals surrounding the system, a heavy, punching bass line keeps the track thumping throughout. Another typically satisfying release from the young producer, a fantastic demonstration of the maturity he is showing beyond his own years.
Words By: George Walker
Junk Department Present: Big Top
Junk Department is a company based on the South-Coast of England known well for throwing some of the worlds most notorious parties. From promoting shows in Ibiza to Berlin it was time to bring their own Junk Department brand to Southampton for a one day festival: Big Top. It was the perfect weather for an outdoor festival. The sun was shining and the birds were singing as the queue began to form outside the festival in Eastleigh. The Big Top event hosted four stages with the most notable line up being held at the main stage. First to take to the stage were the Amsterdam groovy-house duo Detroit Swindle. Detroit Swindle brought and stamped their own brand of music on the day, being one of the standout acts of the festival. Playing a selection of soulful and groovy house the Dutch duo had the whole Big Top tent bouncing. Next to take to the stage was Junk Department favorite, Laura Jones who never disappoints. Playing a variety of deep underground and minimal tunes, she warmed the stage up well for Dyed Soundorom, one third of the Funky-House triple Apollonia. Dyed Soundorom got the whole tent grooving, crowds from the other stages began to flood the main stage as the upbeat funky songs Soundorom is known for proved to be a huge success, making him the standout act of the day. The sun was beginning to go down but it was still a delightful evening. Penultimate act Maya Jane Coles showed up for her set half an hour late, but did not disappoint. Maya was slightly different to the other acts playing a slightly darker techno set, building up from the start to finish. Jamie Jones was next on and to headline, playing his own brand of Hot Creations infused upbeat deep house, the festival had reached it’s climax. The Big Top event had been a great success bringing everybody in Southampton and beyond out in the sun for a full day of partying.
Words By: George Walker
Jamie XX - Girl/Sleep Sound - EP
The XX’s finest, Jamie XX is back stronger than ever with his latest release, Girl/Sleep Sound. After releasing his debut album ‘We’re New Here’, Jamie XX had made an individual name for himself. His producing work not only for The XX but also for himself became outstandingly praised. Despite changing his sound dramatically with this release he has managed to pull it off. Girl brings particular vibes from his previous releases to the table however Sleep Sound differs drastically, bringing a slow, chilled out atmosphere for the audience to listen to. His movement from The XX has remained strong for a number of years since the bands first release. His previous work has been tied in with the traditional XX sound so it could be a slight possibility that his latest release may be a short insight to what projects The XX are currently working on.
Words By: George Peckham
JAWS - Think Too Much, Feel Too Little - Single There is always a reoccurring problem when researching bands that have the same names as films. The IMDB page will constantly pop up when you don’t want it to. In this case trying to find a band names after a famous shark can be quite frustrating. Birmingham based band JAWS are back with their latest single ‘Think Too Much, Feel Too Little”. After tearing up the BBC Introducing stage last year at Reading and Leeds festival JAWS have come back stronger than ever with their new single. The track gives off a surf/pop vibe, with mellow slow strummed guitars with powerful reverb enhanced vocals this track stands out in comparison to their earlier releases which give off the wrong impression, an impression where an audience won’t be impressed, apart from young, screaming teenagers who cry at the sight of a tall skinny bloke doing a funny dance with a guitar.
Words By: George Peckham
Fred the Cat EP Have you ever doodled on a notebook and thought, ‘How would it sound if I turned these doodles in to music?’ Because, if you hadn’t, there’s no need as a Punk, Lo-fi band called Fred the Cat have already done it for you with their self-recorded, 9 track EP which they have named “Mum’s Car Mix Tape”. Four men in their early twenties, who live in the South Coast have formed together and written a selection of songs that are fast-paced, catchy, slightly humorous and do not strictly stick to one music genre. Active for one year, Fred the Cat have performed in an array of small venues, springing from one open mic night to another hoping to one day, be as famous as their influences which include Melvins, Wavves, Descendents and Dinosaur Jr. “Mum’s Car Mix Tape” fuses together distorted, rhythmic guitar, loud, punk style vocals with heavy D-beat patterned drums and bass that grips all the music together. The first song on their EP called ‘Sunny side up’ follows the characteristics of Punk music by centring the entire one minute, 9 seconds on a few chords and remaining loud through out. The song’s theme is about breakfast and as breakfast is the first meal of the day, they must have deemed Sunny side up to be an appropriate first song to introduce their music.
Words by: Victoria Swain
An Interview With
Winters Edge jez: Its really difficult to pick your favourite, I used to say that ‘Fallen’ was my favourite when creating the album but I really like the short song called Entreaty which wasn’t written by me, It was actually written by Jack Wilson. I wanted an instrumental piece before my song ‘Game of Insanity’ on the album and one day he sent me a text with a file and I just said “Man, I have got to use that, because it fits really well”
4- So I hear you have a new EP coming up? Tell me about it?
1- Winter’s Edge has a wide variety of 2- What message are you trying to send with your musicians, be them the band or that of music? session musicians, some musicians feel Jez: Sometimes I would write the lyrics first, so I more comfortable working solo or with a would tell the story of the Ferryman then I would set band, how did you feel working along- add the music and put the feeling into it. I am tryside so many talented acts. And how did ing to tell the audience who the Ferryman is. their impact affect this release? 3- Charlotte Whittingham from Voice FM claims that the strongest tracks of the album are ‘Fallen’ and Jez: There are certain things in the by written all wasn’t it where album ‘Foresee Me And Dream’. Do you believe these are me, I composed most of the album but your strongest tracks? Are there any other tracks there are solo’s written by individual musicians like Sam Bell from Mask of that the listener should check out? Judas, Dave Hart, even though he is singing on the album, he wrote the solo for ‘Game of Insanity’. They’re all in the credits and I credit them for that.
Jez: The album itself is going to be a completely different scene, Its called ‘The Deceivers’ and its going to basically be talking about different ways of deceiving people in some way but will be telling a story at the same time. Its coming along slowly, a bit more in-depth, maybe a bit more darker.
Jez: It depends whether it is someone
5- Is this new release going to stick to the grounding of The unsigned or looking for a label, I think Ferryman’s Eyes, keeping the same style and distinctive the one thing you have to keep in mind is that I am still learning about the music sound?
Jez: Yeah, similar sounds, I will be working on another album from April 12th, also co-composing with a well-known musician from a cover band from the South of England called On Fire. He is a conductor for an orchestra, as well as brass bands, I hope to get both of these new albums done by Summer next year. I think that is a good target to go for. That album is going to be a bit different, probably Hard rock, a bit of www.facebook.com/OfficalWintersEdge speed metal and you have orchestral musicians in there as well.
twitter.com/WintersEdgeBand
7- What advice would you give to aspiring musicians looking into getting into the music industry?
industry. It is tough. The one thing I have to say. The best advice would be, get contacts, speak to other musicians and get advice from everyone and hear their side of the story. I have learnt a lot from people. You kind of need to help each other.
Words by: Danielle Baker
DJ and producer, Kieron Butt, 20, talks about his double life, from engineering to supporting the likes of Hannah Wants and Eton Messy Although the first impression of Kieron Butt can be intimidating, as he sits with his pint, tattooed sleeves on show, and his gaggle of rowdy friends never too far away, he is very humble, very friendly, and very chatty. As we sit in Spoons, his local in the small town of Tiverton, Devon, he very confidently blurts “So, what d’ya want to know?” Kieron Butt is a prisoner of the quiet life in Devon, having lived here all his life, he now works for a local engineering company, machine operating, “I got the job straight out of school, I was done with education, I just wanted to earn money and party on the weekends.” And that’s what he did, and has done for the past four years. It was only until his friends got into the house scene; he attended events, and found his passion or music. “My friends only went to these events to get wrecked, and that was my intention, until I became captivated by the DJ, I was fascinated by the way the crowd would react to the set.” So being only 18 at the time, how did you transition from being just an enthusiast to the performer? “I saved up. I bought myself some CDJ’s at first, spent all my spare time practising and practising and taught myself how to mix. Gradually I bought more and more software, mostly off eBay, and taught myself how to use it. I shoved myself out there at got a gig just 6 months after that, and started performing disco house mixes, incorporating my own tracks into my sets.” After hearing his ‘success’ story, I was dubious as to whether Kieron Butt was just a phoney, it wasn’t until he me played his latest track, which was a house track with disco and funk elements, ‘April Fools’, influenced by the work of Kerri Chandler and the late Frankie Knuckles, I was convinced. There was more to him than meets the eye, what appeared to be your typical engineer with a little hobby turned out to be a talented up-and-coming producer, so it comes as no surprise when he tells me next that he has supported B Traits, Hannah Wants, Zinc, Eton Messy, Panda and Roska in the past. He also tells me about the house event him and his friends set up last summer in Exeter, Ripe, this showcased their DJing talents and got them noticed in the city of Exeter, were they have since been booked to play regularly. Alfresco Disco’s Tom Hodgson and Future Boogie’s Lukas also came from Bristol to play sets at Ripe. It’s only a matter of time before Kieron Butt escapes the countryside completely, and shows off his talents further afield. Until then, check out his Soundcloud, catch him in Exeter and get ready to experience the newest raw talent.
Words By Daisy Hills
In The Room With Pixel Fix
First things first, how did the name Pixel Fix come about?
We’ve always wanted a great explanation of how we came up with the name. You hear all these elaborate stories about people getting out of the bath, accidentally standing on newspaper, and when the ink runs off their foot it spells the band’s name. We don’t really have a story as interesting as that, Pixel Fix was name that frequently came up and was just a name that stuck. It seemed work well with us.
What did playing shows with The 1975 do for you guys? It was a great opportunity. Being able to play in front of a decent sized crowd of people who were open to new music, was great. Also, playing with bands that put on such great shows makes you aspire to improve your own performance live.
I heard your radio interview with XFM the other night, how do you think that will react with the public? Hopefully people enjoyed the new song. We’re just happy to be releasing some new material again.
What is your favourite release so far and why?
That’s a hard one! At the moment we’d have to say Fall. We feel it’s a more recent and accurate representation of what we are about, in comparison to are other releases, which are songs that were written when we first got together.
What are your main influences? Because you have a very unique sound with the electronic drums and effects along with guitars and bass, the whole aspect is ridiculous and for me works so well. Thank you. Well, guitar music and bands were what inspired us to make music in the first place, but in recent years electronic music has probably been our main influence. It’s hard to pinpoint certain artists, there are too many to list. We just try to make our writing process as natural as possible by making music that we would want to hear ourselves.
Do you guys find it tricky writing songs with other instruments that aren’t just guitars, bass and drums? For example drum pads synthesiser pads etc? Not really, if anything it makes it easier to integrate the electronics with the band. A lot of our ideas normally begin life on laptops and samplers anyway, so a lot of the time we weave in ‘real’ instruments later on.
What have you got planned for 2014? We are planning just to release more music and gig as much as we can, hit everything hard...
Words By: George Peckham
Interview with Valery Barinov:
originator of Christain Rock band, The Trumpet Call “In the KGB’s eyes, they had special standards. They spread noise to put me in prison because they were scared of me.” He laughs, “they thought I was dangerous and unpredictable when all I was doing was sharing my love for Jesus.”
England has been a great help to Barinov and his family. He states that his British album will be a compliment to the Queen and would be a chance for him to show how grateful he is. He continues, “The news spread around the Soviet Union and when I was released from prison, they kicked me and my family out of the country and the English government fought for us, that is why we are here.” He then discusses his influences. “I didn’t grow up on Soviet songs, I grew up on British music like The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Deep Purple. These bands inspired me to write good music.” In the living room of a cosy, second story flat in the seaside town that is Bognor Regis, Valery Barinov, originator of Christian Rock band The Trumpet Call is sat up straight, in a relaxed position on top of his coffee table, smiling. Barinov appears as ready as ever and when he begins to speak, his face lights up as he talks about his latest project. “Recently, I received command to record an album for the new year. People from Kiev in Ukraine contacted me regarding a music video over Christmas and now I have planned to get together with my band and prepare seven rock albums, in Russian and in English. My keyboard player has been coming down from France to help me. We already have some material recorded, mainly for the British album and it has been with sacrificial money. We don’t have much money but we’re going to do it and I feel it will be ready and released sometime this year.” Now aged 69, Barinov would like to consider himself a role model for today’s younger generation. He speaks about his upcoming British album and hopes that it will have a positive affect on his desired listeners. “British album will be like medicine, especially for youths. Generally, what we will sing will be positive and in a loving way. Maybe it will be helpful.” Barinov formed The Trumpet Call in 1974 when he was aged 30 but their music wasn’t as well received as it would be now. “We secretly recorded a Christian album in Russia in 1982 because the KGB (Russian state security) had poisoned peoples minds by saying that Christian music was bad. They put me in a psychiatric hospital because they’d rather say I was crazy for singing about Jesus. I had been put in prison because it looked like we were singing against this godless system.” Despite speaking about what a difficult time he had, Barinov still remains happy. His body has become even more relaxed as his back has slouched comfortably a little.
Finally, getting back to the reason why he is a musician. “We are preparing for the rock show. Jesus is my rock. He has given me strength and I will finish these albums for him because when I became Christian, I knew I would only do it for Jesus.” The Trumpet Call took a musical hiatus in 1992 however, now Barinov is looking to the future and he finally feels free to do what he was born to do.
BIO
• The Trumpet Call began in 1974 in St Petersburg, Russia. • They had recorded two demo’s in English and in Russian by 1983 and they were broadcast on the BBC Radio station in Russia. • More and more youths began turning to Christianity after the radio plays and the Soviet Union disapproved of this. • Two members including Barinov, were put in prison for being true to their religious beliefs, however before prison, Barinov was referred to a phsychiatric hospital because the KGB (Russian state security) thought that he might have needed help. • In 1988, Barinov and his family were kicked out of Russia without their passports. However, they were welcomed in England and have been in England ever since. • The Trumpet Call officially reformed in 2013 after Barinov received high attention to record a Christmas song. • They are now working on 7 rock albums in two languages; English and Russian. They are desired to be released sometime this year.
Words By: Victoria Swain
Top 5 Things musicians Do Wrong Extreme music videos: Interviewing an artist can be tedious, the amount of repetitive “who were you influenced by?” or “who has influenced you throughout the years?” is like having a meal at the end of the day, The same as the performance from an artist at a live event. Why should the younger generation be brainwashed into thinking that the future of music consists of female prerogative behaviour and teenage temper tantrums is acceptable. Why should they be influenced by an artist’s lack of detail and foolish wrongdoings? By creating a list of the Top 5 most hated things that musicians do
5- Performing like a robot: It is clear to say that we are no Elvis Presley when it comes to stage performance, but why act like the tin man from the wizard of Oz? For whatever reason, all they do is stand there. Just singing or playing their instrument. There is no connection with the audience. You may as well of stayed at home watching the music video. Atleast that would be slightly more interesting.
4- Getting wasted before a show It’s one thing to make a robotic performance look just like the waiting cue of a shopping checkout. But it is another to thing when you ruin the entire performance because you couldn’t control your temptations for an hours set. 3- Autotune Where has the real genuine talent gone? We came to hear you perform a live event to listen to the actual music, and you’re there cutting corners on us? We expect you to make mistakes, do you really expect Stevie Wonder to know exactly where every key is on the keyboard if he doesn’t sit central to it? Don’t get me wrong, Stevie wonder is innovative and an utter genius, I am just metaphorically using him as an example. It’s one thing to perform, using a pitch correction software to soften the vocals to make them less drastic to the audience, but at least you’re still performing in a live environment and entertaining the fans. To put it in simplistic words, it’s cheating and doesn’t belong in live music. 2- Lip-Syncing There is a good explanation as to why some members of the music industry have completely lost their careers and respect because of lip-syncing. The lack of professionalism in lip-syncing. If you as the musician seriously have to resort to lip syncing, it speaks about your character, ability, respect towards your fans and actual talent, you have none.
are they necessary?
Music videos have always been the accompanying attraction to single releases, whether they complete the narrative of a track, advertise the sex appeal of an artist, or cause controversy with their unusualness; they’ve been around for years. With artists like Bjork producing out of the ordinary music videos for decades, videos have always made an impact on the music. However, with the expansion of the internet and digital television, it seems that music videos have now taken over and have become the main focus from a mainstream musician. It could be argued that this new, evolving phase to create the wackiest, most outrageous, far-fetched video has taken away the importance of the music itself, and it’s all about showing off, and having the best video. We’ve seen this popularity in videos rise recently with Lady Gaga’s constant weirdness, she made a point that videos were the new innovative way to portray the arty side of her musical projects; she did this by making a short, nine minute, film for the video of ‘Telephone’ featuring Beyoncé. Miley Cyrus has also become a Vevo and YouTube phenomenon with her controversial videos, where we see her licking sledge hammers and swinging naked off of giant wrecking balls. Beyoncé took things to new extremes however, when she released her secret self-titled visual album, made up of eighteen videos to accompany each song. Ellie Goulding has also recently released a statement admitting she was told by publicists to ‘sex up’ her image in videos in order to gain more recognition, this goes to show how much the image and visual side of music has taken over, and personally I don’t agree with it. With the focus being drawn onto the image of an artist or the video supplementing the music, it’s impossible to enjoy the music fully. Music should be consumed through the ears, and although I understand that the visual side is important - it isn’t the priority. More often than not I find myself unable to concentrated on the enjoyment of the melodies and the lyrics, like I should do; instead I’m distracted by everything else that is going on visually. I fear that music videos will soon take-over completely and then music will only be evaluated on the quality of the video rather than the music itself. Music will lose its importance and everything will be about looking the best, the most unusual, the most controversial. New, up-and-coming artists are using this tool to help them into the industry, by showing off their eye for art and eccentricity rather than just their musical talents. Most recently, British, RnB musician, FKA Twigs has thrust herself into the music scene and instead of introducing her sound alone; she has released a series of somewhat wacky videos to compliment her songs, yet it seems nowadays the songs compliment the videos and new artists have now no choice but to follow this lead in order to be recognised and appreciated.
1- Indecency and Lack of respect on the stage One of the most ultimate up- yours to any fan. If you intentionally make your gig experience unpleasant for those watching, for example, serious insults, stalling the crowd, or any other thing just to satisfy your own ego and make an absolute fool of yourself, then you’re just as good as Miley Cyrus half naked, smoking a joint. Tacky. I could go on and on, but actions are worth a thousand words. Act upon these and maybe I’ll write about you.
Words By: Danielle Baker
Words By: Daisy Hills
21st Century Ultimate Hipster
3 DJ’s That Wear a Mask Why are masks so popular in the world of dance music? When a DJ enters the booth it is all about a performance. As the universe of dance music expands it’s not all about the music that you play but it is the act that follows the records that you spin. More and more masks appear on the stage, maintaining a persona of the artist who performs behind them. Here are three DJ’s that wear a Mask. Zomby
Do you really know what does my head in? Those kids that prance around in the oh so extravagant clothing claiming that it’s “cool” or “this is what’s in man”. Do you know whom I blame? Dev Hynes. The ex Lightspeed Champion member, now more commonly known as Blood Orange is brainwashing the music scene with this almighty dross of what he likes to call music when it quite clearly belongs back in the 70’s and 80’s. More importantly what bothers me is why he feels the need to act as if he’s been living in a time machine all his life. His closest similarity to the music he makes, is Michael Jackson, and realistically no one is ever going to top off the king of pop. So what is it that is still keeping him going, well I’ll tell you, it’s those kids that cannot stand mainstream music, the ones that ask what you’re listening to, you tell them, and they reply with, “I listened to that about a year ago, catch up”. Dev Hynes may be helping create music for artists like Beyonce but if that is what he is best at, it should stay that way, not seen or heard. Okay, so enough about what he sounds like, now onto what he looks like, brace yourselves, that’s not an implication to him wearing braces by the way… Imagine if you were to take a step back a generation, get changed into what was classed as “fashionable” back then, then some how jump forward to the 21st century, leather trucker hats, short denim shorts accompanied with a tucked in white t shirts with a load of your granddad and grandmas gold jewellery, it sounds like a bit of a fashion road kill really, but what really gets me I don’t understand why kids think this is “cool”. If Mr Hynes was this fashionable or “hip” he would be on the front of every single magazine, he’d be styling out Alex Turner, filming with Martin Scorsese and smoking pot with Snoop Dogg, but he simply sits in his flat in New York City with his tiny dog and girlfriend Samantha Urbani, lead singer of Friends, talking about what sushi they are going to make for their packed lunches. Back in the day, when Lightspeed Champion were around, yes they were looked kind of strange but they made good music along with the odd image, however when Blood Orange come into the picture it’s as if Hynes has gone back on himself, going from one bad and good pointer to two completely horrendous pointers. At the end of the day, if he is comfortable producing for Beyonce, eating Tuna California Rolls one after another and then squeezing in 15 minutes to sit with his puppy and girlfriend then so be it, but all we’re asking is for him to just pipedown on the Michael Jackson and time travelling vibe.
Zomby is a New York based, British electronic musician who takes inspiration from Uk Garage, Jungle, Dubstep and Grime. The controversial producer has had previous releases through labels: Hyperdub, 4AD, Werkdiscs and his own label Cult Music. Zomby is a big name in the world of fashion, after working closely with C.E (Cavempt) after structuring a 12-minute spine tingling ballad for their show at Tokyo Fashion week; perhaps the gold plated mask represents the fashion realm he indulges within. Daft Punk Daft Punk is a French electronic music duo consisting of musicians Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. The ‘Get Lucky’ partnership has previously had releases on Soma, Virgin and Columbia with several awards and nominations to their names. So Daft Punk is perhaps the biggest DJ act in the world? After having maintaining number one in fourty-six different countries with their single ‘Get Lucky’ and being the first act of 2013 to sell over 1million copies in only 69 days what reason would their be to exclude these guys from the list? The spacecraft, robot masks have always been parts of the Daft Punk look; being one of the first DJ acts to not expose their own faces. The robot masks play a massive part in the duos persona; giving the music they produce a visual to support the melody. SBTRKT SBTRKT is the music project led by Londoner Aaron Jerome; the Young Turks favorite has released one Studio full-length album. The self-titled LP won DJ-Mag Album of the year award in 2011. Pitchfork also placed the album 42 on the list “Top 50 Albums of 2011”. SBTRKT said to The Vine, “You have to put as much effort into your promo as you do into your music. The Internet era has created a culture where people pre-judge something before they’ve even listened to it. That’s how things work these days: people discover new music not by hearing it, but by reading someone else’s impression of it, first. That seems backwards to me. I’ve always had the belief that people should respond to the music foremost, based on whether it’s good or not, not based on the story of the person who made it. The creative company Hidden Place designs SBTRKT’s tribal face wear that he wears to his onstage performances. Jerome, the man behind SBTRKT has stated that he aims to eliminate his personal identity from his music, making the masks perfect for his on stage persona.
Words By: George Peckham
Words By: George Walker
We The Wild
Imagine Alt-J accompanied with a set of exhilarating synthesizers, getting the picture yet? I thought so. Meet ‘We The Wild’. We The Wild are a pop/electronic duo locating in Buckinghamshire, England. Ant West and Casey Roarty have become very well know around that area for a number of years now after previous projects consisting of melodic guitars, American sounding vocals and basic drum beats. The two likely lads have taken a leap into the future and have come back with some exciting experiments. After releasing their debut EP, We The Wild Vol. 1 they received a lot of buzz from previous tricks of the trade and friends from previous labels throughout the industry. The EP brings a Alt-J sounding tinge to your ears accompanied with live sounding drums which create a sense of incredible production work. The stand out track on the EP is (Body) Electric Blue that was released as a single alongside a phenomenal video to team up with. The two promising pop duo have packed their bags and returned to the touring circuit after a long, well needed break after previous projects came to an unfortunate close after many years. They set out on tour with up and coming musician Dan Croll, they played a short section of the shows as the main support as they got back into the swing of live shows. Now after making such a dramatic change in genre of music it has come across to fans and friends how they have managed to pull off such a unique sound in such short timing. Ant West and Casey Roarty produce music on the side for friends, they have a studio located in West’s house, giving them the time that they need in order to continue creating these spectacular pieces of music. After receiving such a positive vibe from their first EP release, the only other thing that was stuck in our minds was, when would the next release take place? That time has now come, ladies and gentlemen; I bring you the latest track from We The Wild, ‘Paper Plane’. This track brings a mellow vibe in comparison to the upbeat debut EP. With electronic sounding cowbells, distorted vocals, wind chimes and triangles this track shows a side of We The Wild that none of us have seen before, after racking up over 20,000 plays in 14 days on Soundcloud it’s looking good so far. Sounding similar to future bass artists such as Shlohmo and Lapalux this track gives us an insight of what could potentially be in the works for future releases to come. 2014 is hitting it’s midway point in the year and we can only wait to see what Buckinghamshire boys have awaiting for us in the studio, for all we know they could be scrapping everything they’ve wrote, West has only said “it’s exciting” in regards to new material But for now it’s just a waiting game.
Words By: George Peckham
Undiscovered artists struggling to get themselves out there While listening to your favourite band, have you ever thought, “How did they get so popular?” or “What do they have that my band doesn’t?” or something along those lines. If it’s a yes, you will not be the only one, as there are an ever-growing amount of undiscovered artists struggling to get their foot in the door and constantly questioning what they’re doing wrong. The truth is, there are some bands who, before they got famous were hated - bands like Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr, Melvins and Celtic Frost for example. J Mascis, vocalist for Dinosaur Jr declared in an interview with The Phoenix, “it’s not easy to play loud if you have no fans because then you’re just annoying people.” (Brockman. D, 2011, Web) However, now they have over 350,000 likes on Facebook and their tours are selling out. But what makes them so different from any aspiring musician? Not much, apart from the fact that they never gave up and they got lucky, which unfortunately can never be said for some as there are or will be those who will give up on their dreams because of the constant rejection they have to apprehend.
Nowadays, it seems as though artists have to fit a certain criteria which lately appears to be either indie rock or acoustic, to perform in any venue. Even their local pub, where some even require artists to fill out application forms as if they’re applying for a job. What happened to the good old-fashioned way of making or promoting music for the love rather than a payslip? Most artists just want to perform and get themselves out there but promoters and pub owners are essentially about putting a price on things, making it all the more difficult for those who just want to be given the chance to perform. It can also be a struggle if a promoter asks to hear the bands demo and because they do not have the funds to record one, or their recording isn’t of a “professional” standard, they are instantly rejected and they will continue to watch other artists in their local area get gigs at the drop of a hat, just because they have a little money to spend. It’s ridiculous, give some bands a chance and stop judging because you never know, they could bring in a big crowd and that is easy promotion for small venues, such as pubs. Finally, with reality shows such as The X factor and The Voice, promising to find “the next big artist”, it can leave even more little room for artists that can do more than sing to get noticed in the music industry, especially if their music genre isn’t as mainstream as the music you would hear in the charts. Which is all quite frankly, getting boring. At the end of the day, aspiring musicians shouldn’t be judged just because they have no money to splurge or that the music that they play doesn’t suit the already existent indie line-up. If the theme for the night is indie and the band hoping to play is metal, then fair enough but there are bands who will not even be given a chance and it’s a shame because their passion is inspiring.
Words By: Victoria Swain