Stubborn Heart at Birthdays, London

Written by . Posted on January 23, 2013
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Stubborn Heart – Birthdays, Dalston, London, January 15 2013

By Jonathan Tranter

Seeing one of these DJ/singer gigs is pretty weird and often anticlimactic. As we wait around for Stubborn Heart, who are half an hour late, Birthdays, the Dalston venue that looks like a posh loungy bar upstairs and grungy basement downstairs, is heavy with anticipation.

When they finally take the stage, singer Luca Santucci stands just in front of the crowd while producer Ben Fitzgerald hides behind him, a new formula that will take a while to get used to. It’s strange that such electronic-based music occupies the headline spot at 21:30 on a school night, and it feels more apt for the chill-out stage at a festival, winding down the night for a gurning crowd.

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Dan Deacon – America

Written by . Posted on September 16, 2012
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Dan Deacon – America (Domino Records/ August 27 2012)

By Jonathan Tranter

You may remember Dan Deacon from the hilarious viral video ‘Drinking out of Cups’, a stream of thought monologue set to mute TV and animated by Liam Lynch, which viewers misinterpreted as an acid trip.

But Deacon’s creativity doesn’t stop at the video. He has put out an impressive amount of music over the last ten years, from movie soundtracks and operas to his own albums. Out on Domino Records, the boldly titled America marks his third full-length release.

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Jeremiah Jae – Raw Money Raps

Written by . Posted on August 28, 2012
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Jeremiah Jae – Raw Money Raps (Brainfeeder/ July 24 2012)

By Jonathan Tranter

Rap is at a strange place – lyrics couldn’t get any more twisted, beats would explode if they were any bigger and flows seem to have experienced every combination of accent, speed, and style. So how do you surprise anyone these days? You go introspective, experimental. An album with no beats. Just sounds, voices and oddly placed notes, with enough of a lazy drawl floating through it to call it a hip-hop record.

Jeremiah Jae’s debut Raw Money Raps, released on Flying Lotus’ excellent Brainfeeder label, is very subtle. There is no heavy, expensive production or loud vocal to draw you in, meaning you have to pay extra attention in order to give the album a chance. This is no music to listen to if you’re feeling distracted.

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Mississippi Big Beat – Delta Disco

Written by . Posted on May 24, 2012
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Mississippi Big Beat – Delta Disco (Black and Tan / April 13 2012)

By Jonathan Tranter

Soulful Hungarians mixing classic American blues instrumentation with electronic beats and bumps, that’s Mississippi Big Beat, and if that doesn’t make you want to read on, what will?

Did you ever listen to Fatboy Slim or Moby’s more soulful tunes, or perhaps Junkie XL’s 2002 remix of ‘A Little Less Conversation’ and think “Why is no one doing this anymore?” Well, one group is; their name is Mississippi Big Beat. Less jazzy than electroswing acts and self-labeled as Electro Nu Blues, Gal Csaba Boogie and Andor Oláh’s new album, Delta Disco, sees them collaborating with Szabi Máté, Secta Chameleon and Dure to create a fun and fresh take on the blues, released on Dutch label Black & Tan.

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INTERVIEWS

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    Aziza Brahim in London, April 24-26 2013

    May 19, 2013

    Aziza Brahim in London (SOAS, St Ethelburga’s, World Heart Beat Music Academy) April 24-26 2013 By Marco Canepari “We have to bear in mind our story, …