I am a big fan of really dirty techno. I don't mean that crap you hear on Ministry of Sound compilations, I mean dirty, bassy techno that makes you want to swing a baseball bat into a thousand windows. Phil Hebblethwaite, the editor of The Stool Pigeon, knows of my hedonistic tendencies and pointed me in the direction of Huoratron.
The Icelandic producer decribes himself as live electronic grindcore and he is not fucking kidding. This is some brutal techno that combines elements of Mr. Oizo at his nastiest (Positif) and Vitalic (before he got all electro on us).
The video for his recent single, Corporate Occult, was directed by Cedric Blaisbois and features some rather extreme scenes of sex and violence that makes The Prodigy's Smack My Bitch Up promo look a little tame. Watch this and you will think long and hard about having a one night stand with that pretty young lady you met on the dancefloor.
This is the first issue of The Stool Pigeon that I have worked on and it was awesome. Phil Hebblethwaite is a fun guy to hang around with and the rest of the team are on the top of their game.
This issue features interviews with drag pioneers Salem, hip hop legend Ice Cube and N*E*R*D. The indie hipsters are not going to be happy. Oh well...
A few weeks ago I got the pleasure of meeting the lovely Andreya Triana, a Brighton based singer songwriter that has just released her debut album, Lost Where I Belong, on Ninja Tune.
You may recognise Andreya's voice as she provided the sultry vocals on Flying Lotus' Tea Leaf Dancers. She also collaborated with Bonobo on a beautiful song called The Keeper.
Her debut album is an amazing example of contemporary neo soul that easily matches anything by Jill Scott or Erykah Badu.
Colin Bailey a.k.a. Drums of Death has been antagonising crowds across the globe for the last two years with his frantic electronic live shows, sharing the stage with Peaches and Hot Chip on US tours. He even co –wrote the title track for Peaches’ latest album, I Feel Cream. With the release of his debut album, Generation Hexed, the voodoo face paint wearing villain looks set to reach an even wider audience.
The London based Scotsman opens proceedings with Karaoke, an ambient fusion of harmonised vocals and minimalist keyboards that slowly builds with the assistance of delicate synths until the track simply disperses into the twisted electro funk of follow up track Science and Reason. This is when the album really kicks into gear. A stomping electro beat is driven by Bailey’s haunting baritone vocals as he chants: “You put the magic into me.” Science and Reason is a nostalgic ode to the 90s dance music that inspired it. There is even a cow bell thrown in for good measure and, strangely enough, it works.
Acid house and golden era rave music is then fused together on the album’s highlight Won’t Be Long. Hedonistic tumbling pianos provide the tension before the track explodes into the kind of anthem that dominated warehouses a couple of decades ago. This track easily matches anything on The Prodigy’s Invaders Must Die album in terms of its ability to induce dance floor hysteria. Lonely Days keeps the party going as Bailey demands, “Give it out, ‘til there’s none of you left” over a menacing bassline, quickstep beat and pounding keys.
Just as it seems that Generation Hexed is rapidly becoming a floor filler album, the menacing intergalactic instrumental Creak breaks up things nicely with space invader style samples and a Daft Punk inspired beat.
Twisted love song Everything all at Once, which depicts lovers deploying petrol bombs and terrorising the streets at night, proves that Bailey can comfortably execute a futuristic r ‘n’ b ballad. Modern Age is a nice off beat electro punk call to arms complete with splashing cymbals, lasers and all.
London Teeth opens with a camp emotronic intro that is not a million miles away from fellow Scotsman Hudson Mohawke, but then Bailey delivers a death blow by launching into atmospheric electro that could have been written by Hot Chip if they had just embarked on a senseless killing spree.
Generation Hexed delivers on the hype that Bailey created with his 2009 single Got Yr Thing. There is a diverse selection of treats on offer and proof that Bailey can comfortably create dark love songs and all out rave anthems. Now, when legions of followers go positively spastic at his energetic live shows, they will actually be able to sing along to more than one song. The only complaint is that, at forty one minutes long, the album doesn’t seem nearly long enough.
As the title suggests, Outside the Box is Skream’s (real name Oliver Jones) attempt to break free of the restrictions that come with being regarded as a dubstep artist, which is a pretty brave move considering he is one of the people responsible for pioneering the international phenomenon. The album includes a plethora of collaborations featuring La Roux, dBridge and instra:mental with varying degrees of success.
The first couple of tracks indicate that Skream’s adventurous spirit may be the death of this album, as opening track Perforated starts off promisingly enough with swirling samples that increase in tension but fail to go anywhere.
On 8 Bit Baby, Skream teams up with Murs and proves that collaborations don’t always bring out the best in the artists involved. The LA rapper provides uncharacteristically sloppy verses that essentially amount to how much better the duo are than everyone else. The rapper’s unimaginative bragging is so devoid of wit that it is almost laughable, and Skream’s monotonous beat and sample combination does not make for interesting listening either.
How Real is one of the album’s finest moments thanks to a glitchy two step rhythm that ascends in momentum only to abruptly dissolve into a twisted euphoric dance breakdown. Freckles’ heavily chopped, bionic vocals work in perfect harmony with Skream’s production.
The Croydon producer flexes his dubstep muscle on I Love the Way, with a reliable blend of nocturnal menace and sparse beats, but it is Wibbler that will satisfy fans of his early work. The wobbly bass and piercing snare drum explosions are certain to turn his live sets into a frenzy of violently jerking bodies.
It is rumoured that Skream is currently working with drum and bass legend Goldie, and this seems highly probable considering the satisfying breakbeats and powerful female vocals on Listenin’ to the Records on my Wall. This track sounds like it could have easily been written during Goldie’s Timeless era.
Metamorphosis and A Song for Lenny are both valiant attempts at emotive electronica but, although well executed, they simply sound like diluted versions of Moderat tracks.
This is a very adventurous record for a producer who is still in the early stages of his career. It is honourable that he is not simply trying to milk the success of previous hits Midnight Request Line and that mighty La Roux remix. The only problem is that sometimes his efforts are frustratingly misguided. Still, if you skip the first couple of tracks and you are on to a winner.
It took him long enough, but Lonnie Gallegos finally returns to our screens with the third installment of the Fade Nation series. This time there hints at some excellent skating from Rob Guerrero, Jeremy Soderburg and Anthony Williams, plus a plethora of other fine talent.
If Lonnie is behind the controls you know the angles are going to be crisp and the soundtrack is going to be banging.
I am currently living in London and working for The Stool Pigeon. I write for The Skinny, The List, Huck, Amelia's Magazine, Kingdom Magazine and Be-mag.
