31.10.2007 von mk.

Danish DJ and producer Kasper Bjørke is a man with a mission. To make beautiful music that comes from the dancefloor but is also great to listen to in your living room or riding your bicycle. Titled ‘In Gumbo’ to demonstrate the versatility of sound and the mix of people involved, the album is destined to become and electronic classic.
Kasper is also one half of Copenhagen’s Filur (V2 Scandinavia) with partner Tomas Barfod (Tomboy/Who Made Who) but this is his first solo album. Borrowing from synth fuelled club music, New York Punk Funk and intelligent pop music he has crafted a subtle, outstanding album. Vocals come courtesy of Icelanders FM Belfast and Blake (Gus Gus) as well as New York angelic sisters The Pierces (Lizard King). Kasper also enrolled the services of Liquid Liquid’s Dennis Young whose classic percussion brings a great live feel to ‘Liquid Propagnosia’. The first single ‘Back & Spine’ gets a great acid remix by Tomboy and Trentemøller is remixing the second single ‘Humming Song’. The music Kasper has created with ‘In Gumbo’ proves he is a phenomenal producer and when you hear him DJ you realize why he is a household name in Denmark: he rocks the dancefloor, currently holding down a residency at the legendary club VEGA in Copenhagen while still travelling around the world to DJ at clubs and festivals, most recently in Beijing, Berlin, Barcelona and Reykjavik, where he is also booked for the renowned Iceland Airwaves Festival 2007 in October.

Label: plant music

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28.10.2007 von mk.

Karuan´s long awaited followup to his debut “Dohuki Ballet” is finally here.
Entitled “Pop Arif”, album no.2 is nothing you might have expected after listening to his first offering. But yes, “Pop Arif” is magic. What you will be hearing is the transition of an artist from simply being a composer to a true songwriter. Instead of riding on the success of “Dohuki Ballet” and dropping a second album straight after, he let his style evolve to the next level. In the tradition of another famous Kurdish musician, Mohamed Arif, his music has taken a slight turn towards pop music. But neither Mr.Arif nor Karuan intendend to take this route, it all came totally natural. The album title therefore, can be understood as a homage to modern Kurdish music in general and Mr. Arif specifically. The first thing one will notice, when listening to “Pop Arif” is the heavy use of vocals compared to album no.1. For those who know Karuan personally, this will come as no surprise. Karuan had been singing and playing guitar in Indie-bands through out his teenage years and beyond. The incorporation of vocals opens up a new dimension, making it even harder to describe “Pop Arif” in a couple of words. Bottom line though, is that Karuan is playing in his own league now. We here at Sunshine call it “Unique Urban-oriental Soul”. His talent to incorporate the most diverse instruments into his clever and thought out arrangements have been driven to perfection on “Pop Arif”. Flutes, guitars and foremost vocals are arranged and fitted into his soulful productions. The outcome is a timeless album, full of real songs and not just simple tracks.
There´s not a single filler - this makes this album so well rounded. His open minded approach towards other genres, is best manifested with his selection of guest musicians: Classically trained Mara Mastalir, the up&coming L´Enfant Terrible, the leftfield spoken word artist Odditeee, Lai Cheun and Metin Yillmaz Kendal. Take “The Holy Is Under The Light” for example. State of the art uptempo club beats synched with energy driven guitar riffs and his slightly filtered voice make this song a happening.
Or just listen to the exceptional “Chocolate Distance (Hypnotized)”. The ladies will love this catchy tune, with its beautiful chords and Mara´s touching voice. This one has hit written all over it!
On “Reflections Of A Poem” the melancholic sound of the flute is mixed with hip hop drums , a touch of dub and spoken words courtesy of Odditeee. Karuan displays an overall golden touch for melodies. Just listen to the outstanding ballad “Nothing Is Over” or the r&b flavoured “A Sweet Way Out”. The most exciting thing about “Pop Arif” is it´s ability to keep on growing, unlike many albums nowadays, that quickly lose their fascination with the second or third listening. “Pop Arif” takes the listener on a carpet ride through Kurdish mountains, down to Brooklyn and back to Vienna.

Label: sunshine enterprises

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21.10.2007 von mk.

This is New York’s The Glass first CD release. Having only released 12?s (Fine/Four Music) & featuring on countless compilations. ‘Couple Therapy’ EP a prelude to their upcoming album and features the dancefloor smashes ‘Come Alive’ and ‘Mad At You’ and also their softer moodier sides with ‘Green Leaves’ and ‘4 Bytes’ and beat and vocal driven ‘Fourteen Again’ and ‘iWonder’.

Label: plant music

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18.10.2007 von mk.

Previously signed to Tru Thoughts, the one-man bandito, aka Jonathan Radford, grew up near Burnley, Lancashire and still resides in the surrounding valley. To date he has released 2 rather splendid albums as well as a motherlode of remixes on labels as varied as Ninja Tune, Jugglin/Raw Fusion, Catskills, Hi Top, Schema and Record Kicks. His first release “Cotton Wool”, written when he was only 20, quickly found it’s way onto Radio 1 and into the boxes of DJs such as Gilles Peterson, Mr Scruff Quantic and Dr Rubberfunk amongst many others. This success was followed with the “Ladies and Gentlemen Get Your Engines Ready” EP; a mixture of smooth, laid-back vibes and up tempo beats, from jazz and funk to Afro Latin rhythms, it perfectly encapsulated Diesler’s globe-trotting sound and magpie-like ear for samples.
His 3rd album “The Rhythm Station” features 11 brand new songs with the talents of previous collaborators Laura Vane (Part Time Heroes) & Double Yellow as well as a handful of new artists. Musically the album builds on the mixing pot style of previous releases, but with a stronger emphasis on songwriting. From the sultry vocals of Laura Vane on the opener “Welcome To Hellmouth”, to the dancefloor friendly “Carla’s Beat” featuring Katie Miller, you can hear a more mature structure and melody to the songwriting. To prove he’s just as comfortable knocking out hip hop as he is anything else, “Restless” features Leeds very own Testament (resident MC at the Gilles Peterson WW award nominated New Bohemia night) blessing the mic with his unique style. Elsewhere you can find the enigmatic Afrika Fuentes on the laidback “Passion”, wordsmith Paranormal (Altered Vibes) dropping science on the bubblin’ “Some Assembly Required” and Norwegian songstress Kinny (from Kinny & Horne) on “Lovetouch”.
We know what you’re thinking…a Diesler album wouldn’t be complete without some some red hot, Latin-esque dancefloor bombs? Well, look no further than final track “When She Was Bad” - surely a contender for dirtiest bassline of the year!

Label: freestyle records

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12.10.2007 von mk.

With Secret Love 4 JAZZANOVA teamed up with Swiss DJ, producer and Drumpoet Community labelowner ALEX DALLAS so as to present various artists that all share with them the belief that Folk Music is a genre that transcends every predefined categories. For this 4th installment they tried to challenge commonplaces and clichés that go along with the idea of Folk Music without betraying the singer/songwriter tradition where the message conveyed is as important as the music played. They conceived this new opus like you choose a gift for someone you love. You don’t try to do better than the year before but you try to be inventive and original so as to surprise the loved-one and to see a smile illuminating his face and sparkles of joy in his eyes.
Many new talents in the field of folk and neo-folk such FINDLAY BROWN with Losing the Will to Survive or JAMIE WOON and his Wayfairing Stranger are here gathered to refresh our ears alongside with more experimented artists such as multi-instrumentalist and singer ANDREW BIRD with Imitosis taken from his critically acclaimed album Armchair Apocrypha or the 5-piece american neo-folk band MIDLAKE. Their tune Roscoe (beyond the wizard sleeve’s mix) with its contemporary grooves taken from their critically acclaimed album called ‚The Trials of Van is its sound and construction a beautiful definition of what modern folk is all about. From CLARA HILL with About You to THIEF with down down over to A RACE OF ANGELS with Afrika Displaced every artist give his personal meaning of the word Love. It is also interesting to see that ALEX DALLAS and JAZZANOVA experimented a bit more and chosed a few artists, who surprise us with a lesser known facet of their artistic personality. Minimal-techno producer KALABRESE will astound more than one fan with the tune Hide taken from his latest album Rumpelzirkus featuring Reggae-Soul singer GUILLERMO SOHRYA and his soulful and deep voice. Hip-hop DJ ZANE LOWE from New-Zealand, who reached the status of superstar with his own radioshow on BBC 1 in UK, reveals his soul and folky side through his band BREAKS CO-OP and a beautiful piece called Duet. Sonar Kollektiv’s first lady of dub, electro and house EVA BE completes the picture with a sublime acoustic version of her ballad She walks alone present on her recent full-length album Moving Without Travelling on Sonar Kollektiv’ dub and ragga sub-label Best Seven.
The guest appearance of singer/songwriter legend PAUL WELLER is the cherry on the cake. ALEX DALLAS and JAZZANOVA decided to pay hommage to his career by releasing the beautiful ballad The Loved, where his voice finds the perfect harmony between light acoustic guitar riffs and flute melodies for the happiest end you could possibly think of.

Label: sonar kollektiv

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9.10.2007 von mk.

While working as a professional keyboarder and trumpeter in various bands, 37-year old Matthias Becker was able to gather inspirations and ideas for songs, to try his hand at various ideas, to discard, re-compose and thus allow his solo project FLAMINGO STAR to mature. It paid off. Thanks to his versatility and his affinity to the most diverse genres (see headline) - from House and Funk, via Dub and Lounge to (Nu) Jazz and Blues - he is clearly on the right track. How does an experienced musician who has placed his creativity for many years into the service of other bands, call his first solo outing? Perhaps an old stager with several decades of live music under his belt might have slapped him on the back and recommended: I wouldn´t wait no longer.
Nevertheless, Becker hardly pressed for time while developing his musical vision. Quite the contrary: not by accident did he receive his first credits with well placed tracks on famous compilation-series. “Porque”, for example, can be heard on Brazilectro 6, while a previous incarnation of “Baboo G” graced the first Asia Lounge compilation. Naturally, you don’t just knock out something of that kind on your laptop all by yourself. Far from it: together with many soulmates and distinguished guests and collaborators, FLAMINGO STAR - most recent peacelounge signing - has created 17 wonderful pieces of music to extend your summer all the way until Christmas.
Matthias has been playing the trumpet and piano since his childhood. The man from Hannover earned his first credits as a professional musician in jazz, funk and soulbands like His Masters Voice, Shockadelica or Tom Oz & The Wet. Once upon a time, while recording with His Masters Voice, Becker had an experience that other musicians probably dream of all their lives: For one track, his horn section was reinforced by funk legends Fred Wesley and Pee Wee Ellis - long-term companions of Mr. James Brown. Apparantly, word of his talent got around among among the Godfather’s entourage. At any rate, Maceo Parker hired Shockadelica as support band for a tour in Germany. Nowadays, Matthias often performs with soul-latin sextet Sugarhat, as an extremely capaple pianist with a distinct preference for his Fender Rhodes.
Many years of musical experience between clubs, cocktail lounges and live shows have effortlessly flown into the “one-man-project with a built-in band” that is Flamingo Star. Becker is supported by many skilled musicians such as bass player Bernd “Margot” Gontarski (Spice, Mousse T.), guitarist Chico Wedig (Electric Universe, Vison) and jazz drummer Lars `Soulsurfer´ Heindorf. Vocal support was provided by De:Phazz singer Pat Appleton, Ex- Be singer Gregor Blumenthal and two Sugerhat colleagues, Marko Hauburg and Britta Erchinger. Even mastermind Matthias himself can be heard on one track, namely on the pre-release single “Since I met you”…
With the help of an elegant Bossa-guitar and sharp horn sections, the opener “Smoothpipe” provides a swinging introduction to the album. With “Since I met you”, Flamingo Star create an easy-going Disco House-Boogie, a chunky piece of ear candy that will make your arms and legs jiggle with delight. One of the most remarkable characteristics of Flamingo Star’s music is its openness for influences from all parts of the world. Thus it happpens that bandoneon-sounds from Argentina meet Drum & Basslines à la Roni Size/Reprazent in “Tango Malaguena” and cater for a bustling grooving mixture. “Django’s Dub” returns to Tango, but this time it is slowed down to Dub-speed. Care for some Caribbean Flavours? The salsa inspired “No puedo ver” proves that Matthias Becker is a trumpeter to be reckoned with. In “Baboo G”, Indian retro-Flair meets a tight bass and a funky Clavinet. The same energy is transmitted by the album’s title track “I wouldn´t wait no longer”, a driving uptempo number with more a touch of Brown craziness. Don’t be pooped by the title “Unhappy”, because this Blues-tinged groove is anything but sad. If you consider yourself open-minded, here’s a test: listen to the dis-oriental smokey Slow-Funk of “40 Thieves” at full throttle, certainly one of the more bizarre, yet tasteful tracks of the album. But FLAMINGO STAR also understand the more subtle forms of the genre. With tracks like “Timeless”, “Piano” and “Sputnik”, Becker creates some extremely stylish chilled-out tunes, islands of calmness in this multicoloured Beat Boutique.

Label: peacelounge recordings

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6.10.2007 von mk.

Gothenburg, Sweden is a hotbed of diverse and escalating musical talent. From the mighty Soundtrack of Our Lives to idiosyncratic songsmiths José González and Jens Lekman, through to the unpredictable pop styles from the likes of Love is All and Audrey, not to mention the infamous black metal scene, Gothenburg now boasts the dynamic, organically soulful pop sounds of Little Dragon.
Featuring radiant vocalist Yukimi Nagano and her close high school friends Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrick Källgren (bass) and Håkan Wirenstrand (keyboards), Little Dragon stepped into the spotlight with the release of their first double A-side single on Peacefrog (home to José and Findlay Brown), ‘Twice’/'Test’. A former Rough Trade ‘Single of the Week’ and “universally hailed as a masterpiece of free thinking soul”, according to One Week To Live.
Born and raised in Gothenburg to a Japanese father and American mother, Yukimi says, “I grew up listening to American folk because of my Mom, but I’ve always had an affinity for R’n'B.” Meanwhile, keyboardist Håkan spent his childhood in the deepest, darkest woods of Smaland before moving to Gothenburg, hearing a lot of Swedish folk music, later getting into electronic and synth music. Erik grew up hearing early hiphop and jazz. “From time to time we have had to get side jobs,” Yukimi sighs, “but we’d rather stay broke, so we can concentrate on the band.” Their true vocation can be in no doubt based on this divine debut offering.
Yukimi has sung with Sweden’s electronica-jazz outfit Koop, and both Yukimi and Erik play live with José González. Erik also drums with Peps Perrson, a legendary Swedish blues/reggae artist. “We had an admiration for each other musically, and way before we defined ourselves as a band we were making music and hanging out,” Yukimi explains. “It’s like a family, and the band is our big passion. Little Dragon reminds you that when you’re really creating music, it’s like building a ship that will travel in a direction previously inconceivable”.
However, what unites these disparate influences is an undeniable swing and lightness of touch, braced with bass heaviness, borne from the intuitive connection between the band members that epitomises Little Dragon’s music. Unwilling to stick to definitions or reasons for why Little Dragon is what it is, Yukimi offers effusive and illustrative impressions, which is as good a way as any to understand this very special band.
“Maybe Little Dragon is a city,” she muses. “Blue traffic-lights, fast food-signs, neon, love, loneliness, technology - a city reflected in the middle of a vast ocean. The music juxtaposes tradition and intense knowledge of musical tools, with destruction, invention… blazing a new trail. I like to think of our music as dreamy, but not always in a pleasant way. Some songs are emotional and some more free and naive.”
Yukimi’s emergence as a significant voice is confirmed by ‘Twice’ - the opening gambit for the debut and breathtaking in its simplicity, a minor-key piano ballad with understated yet richly effective strings blooming amid deft cosmic swirls. Yukimi delivers a poised but dramatically beautiful tale of regret. “The simple piano was so moody,” she says “I guess it fits perfectly with my confused state at that time.”
‘Test’ feels like zephyr on a summer’s day. Locked down by wondrous echo chamber effects this gem bubbles along with a solid b-line and leftfield twists and charms that make it seem flawlessly new. “I wrote lyrics and melodies with only drums before we added any other instruments,” Yukimi notes. “I found the drums very inspiring, and I like using a different process to write.”
That same airiness is evident throughout the album, from highlight and future single ‘Constant Surprises’, which is mostly built from hi-hats and bubbling bass and reminds us of unique and fresh sounding soul that seems to have all but disappeared of late, while Yukimi’s delicious vocal skips and glides atop, and on ‘Recommendation’ the sunshiny syncopation matches the bounce of Yukimi’s singing.
‘Forever’ brings in more of the keyboard atmospherics and moody bass that Mad Professor would be proud to call his own, the perfect foil for a more reflective and emotional lyrical leaning. ‘After The Rain’ is all short clipped struts, and lets Yukimi run wild, moving into the quietly psychedelic, keyboard-driven yearning and wonder of ‘Place To Belong’, while ‘Wink’ suggests a lurking undercurrent of cavernous nightclub funk and flirtation. “When she winks at you / you feel your legs shake / you blow a kiss back / and time stops”. A far less smutty euro Millie Jackson, if you will.
The album is marvellously book ended by the drifting percussion and electronic dynamics of ‘Scribbled Paper’, showcasing another wonderful vocal performance - “I went looking for a trace of something that you left”.
Little Dragon take tired musical traces and styles, give them a shot in the arm to leave us with something fresh and positive.
It is a debut full of subtle touches, capturing fleeting emotional moments, twinned with gnawingly memorable pop flourishes and hooks. Oh, and it reminds us of endless summer possibilities…

Label: peacefrog

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4.10.2007 von mk.

Ewan Pearson: author, engineer, producer, remixer, DJ … genius? He has recorded as Maas for Soma, releasing six singles and an album, “Latitude”, and under a number of other guises (World of Apples and Partial Arts). His remixes have made him one of dance music’s most respected producers and his version of Freeform Five’s “Perspex Sex” was voted best remix of 2002 in the German Dance Music awards. His production credits include the The Rapture as well as Ladytron, Chikinki and Jeb Loy Nichols. Plus, he programmed two tracks for Gwen Stefani’s “Love Angel Music Baby”. On top of this, he just produced 6 tracks for Tracey Thorn’s (Everything But The Girl) solo album “Out of the Woods”.
He´s also a busy DJ, regularly appearing at Fabric in London, Manumission and Space in Ibiza, the Pulp in Paris and Panoramabar in Berlin. And he`s the author of “Discographies: dance music, culture and the politics of sound” (Routledge, 1999), which has been translated into Korean and Spanish.
“Piece Work” compiles the best of Ewan´s remixes of late, including classic ones from The Chemical Brothers feat The Flaming Lips, Playgroup, Goldfrapp, Franz Ferdinand, The Rapture, Moby, Depeche Mode, as well as rare or unreleased renditions of Mocky, Ladytron and many, many more.

Label: !k7 records

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2.10.2007 von mk.

Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of BUNNY LAKE. File under: Blues Electro, Rave-a-billy, Haunted House. Music for packed dancefloors and throbbing hearts alike. Music that tells lurid tales of insatiable desire, of the fever of irrationality, of opposites as inextricable as exciting.
With the successful track “Disco Demons”, the collective from Vienna’s Electro underground rocked the planet’s fluo kids and rave’n'rollers, made the playlists of DJ icons such as Mark Moore and Boris Dlugosch, was feted by Ivan Smagghe, Mylo and Laurent Garnier. BUNNY LAKE shows in jammed clubs in Berlin, Amsterdam and New York followed, complete with spontaneous acts of crowd participation such as artists rolling around on the floor and couples of all genders making out in front of the stage in various combinations.
With “The Church Of Bunny Lake”, their sophomore album, SUZY ON THE ROCKS, CHRISTIAN FUCHS and DR. NACHTSTROM intend to give the adventure that is pop a further twist. Decisive input came courtesy of producer CHRISTOPHER JUST. The legendary DJ-Gigolo (Kitsuné, Chicks On Speed) managed to perfectly fuse the band’s rock’n'roll-obsessions (which comprise anything from Elvis to The Velvet Underground and The Cramps) with his euphoric Techno aesthetics, without succumbing to any tired crossover clichés.
However, “The Church Of Bunny Lake” is not only about sexy monster sounds for nights that seem to last forever. As is the case for all the most passionate indie combos, BUNNY LAKE, too, provides glimpses of harsh reality. And then, there’s love. For, even if the band polarises by its use of glam quotes, its way of presenting itself, and its game of auto-dissipation, what SUZY, CHRISTIAN & Co. are really after is to seduce, bewitch, and embrace you.

Label: Klein Records

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