Friday 29 November 2013

#EatSleepRaveBlog - Drop Lamond, Eli & Fur x Davidian


DROP LAMOND - FEELING HIGH (FEAT. RUBY WOOD)
Despite the deep house side of the UK dance underground gradually becoming a little stale and over-saturated, it has nevertheless made way for the more joyous pastiche genre of 90s UK garage to make a full-on comeback. The debut EP of London's Drop Lamond, Breaking The Walls, is unashamadly sunny and seductive in a way that brings to mind Artful Dodger and Shanks & Bigfoot, whilst still sporting a future bass sheen. "Feeling High" is the sexiest track of the three, and it's Ruby Wood's blissful vocal that just about trips it into first place.

For a truly blissed out moment, skip to 3.33. Thank you Ruby.

Drop Lamond's Breaking The Walls EP is available to download now on iTunes.


ELI & FUR x DAVIDIAN - LET IT GO
London girl-girl DJ duo Eli & Fur created a minor blog stir with their phenomenal indie rave track "Sea of Stars" last year, and 21 year old Nottingham producer Davidian has been making some minor stirs of his own this year, especially with a deep and dirty house mix of "No Scrubs". The collaboration is slightly unexpected but entirely successful, with Davidian's feisty piano house riffs swimming in the reverb from Eli & Fur's ethereal vocals. A sudden drop into sparse garage bass territory is particularly delicious. Thank you Davidian.

You can download the track for free from Eli & Fur's SoundCloud below.


- Joe Copplestone, 29/11/13
@GivePopAChance

Wednesday 27 November 2013

#Popdar - Sid Batham, Yasmin Green


SID BATHAM - ALL LIES
At the close of a year where soulful male vocalists finally got the UK's attention through some high profile, and at-the-time ambitious dance collaborations from Disclosure & Sam Smith, and Rudimental & John Newman, there is an inundation of impressive male vocal talent emerging, and about time. London's Sid Batham needs no feature spot to ease him in, as "All Lies" is a magnificent and melodramatic balls-to-the-wall debut effort, that has 90s Soul/R&B searing through it's veins.

"All Lies" is out now on iTunes.

FOR FANS OF: Maverick Sabre, John Newman, Sam Smith



YASMIN GREEN - INTO THE NIGHT
Whilst male vocalists are becoming more histronic and melodramatic in their quest for chart success, it seems that a subtle female vocal has more pull than a belty one as 2013 closes. London's husky voiced Yasmin Green's debut track "Into The Night" has the primitive drum machine and synth bass of Sade's "No Ordinary Love", but with the sexy, calming delivery that Jessie Ware brought to the style. The track passes by in a daze, and unlike Ware, Yasmin Green seems unaware of her own brilliance, and the vocal is delivered with refreshingly little pretense or melodrama. In an era where vocalists use melismatics rather than tone to express emotion, Yasmin's vocal style is simple, honest and effective. And rather fearless as a result.

You can download "Into The Night" for free from HERE.

FOR FANS OF: Jessie Ware, Sade

Friday 15 November 2013

#EatSleepRaveBlog - Lostchild, Kove, DJ Fresh


LOSTCHILD - DO WHAT U WANT
Lostchild might well be clinging onto the bright pink pigtails of Artpop-mania with his debut solo track, a misty-eyed deep house number based around Lady Gaga's latest single, but this is no mere remix. The UK producer heavily drugs Lady Gaga's gigantic "Do What U Want", whisks it away through woodblock-bassed tribal house TEED-itory, before setting it free amidst a whirlwind of whoosing synth pads and woozy stoner-vocals.
Follow Lostchild and download "Do What U Want" for free from SoundCloud below.


BASTILLE - OF THE NIGHT (KOVE REMIX)
With last month's spectacular Measures EP, 22-year old London producer Kove proved himself almost overnight as a frontrunner in both up and coming UK Garage ("Love For You", "Lose You") and Drum & Bass ("Night Thought", "Searching"). His mix of Bastille's "Rhythm of the Night" tribute makes the club classic's revival complete, with a sledgehammer piano hook and throbbing bass drop so hard it flips your stomach. Truly, the rhythm of the night.
Bastille Of The Night EP, featuring Kove's remix, is out November 17.


DJ FRESH VS JAY FAY FEAT. MS DYNAMITE - DIBBY DIBBY SOUND
For anyone who thought that the surprising Diplo collaboration "Earthquake" was just an experimentation for the commercial D&B juggernaut, "Dibby Dibby Sound" proves that DJ Fresh may be on a more long-term underground trip. "Dibby Dibby" was a track by Moombahton producer Jay Fay released earlier this year, and much as he did with Diplo and "Earthquake", DJ Fresh has once again slapped his big name and a credible feature artist on the top with the hope of getting a lesser known genre into the mainstream.

On the one hand you could call this *new* DJ Fresh a David Guetta of the underground (little than a big brand to take the glory from other's work), BUT on the other, it's exciting that Moombahton, long assumed dead, might get a chance at the big time that it never did first time round. 

If you have three hands you could use the third to argue that this is merely Moombahton-adjacent (and you'd be right), but we'd probably just be distracted by your three hands. 

It's out February 7, so let's hope we're not all sick of it by then.


- Joe Copplestone, 15/11/13
@GivePopAChance

#POPDAR - Skin Town, Ulla Nova, Disclosure


SKIN TOWN - THE ZONE
For fans of the more emotional and melancholic strands of US R&B, Skin Town's sound, particularly on album highlight "The Zone", pushes sexuality and melancholia together in a way that results in a dramatic but touching clash of conflicting emotions. Whilst The Weeknd (the solo male prototype for this sound) sounds confident and seductive in his creamy melismatics, Skin Town singer Grace Hall's voice sounds fragile, borderline desperate. She sings lines like "get my body on the floor", but you can hear her lip quiver.

Their debut record The Room, is out now.

FOR FANS OF: The Weeknd, Kelly Rowland, JoJo



ULLA NOVA - KID FROM LONDON
What sets Ulla Nova aside from the hordes of European female indielectro singers lies in her fearlessness. Taking the droll hipster edge of Charli XCX, the unusual melodic flair of Purity Ring and the fuzzbox production histronics of Sleigh Bells, Ulla Nova's "Kid From London" is a arrestingly melodramatic and instantly memorable debut, reminiscent of fellow Londoner YADi's rocky debut single "The Blow" out earlier in the year.
No release info as of yet, but you can follow Ulla Nova on SoundCloud below.

FOR FANS OF: YADi, Charli XCX, Sleigh Bells



DISCLOSURE x SAM SMITH x NILE RODGERS x JIMMY NAPES - TOGETHER
The genius in this collaboration is its simplicity. Essentially a 2 minute 22 second exercise in restraint, Disclosure's jittery yet tasteful nu funk beats, Sam Smith's silky, gorgeous falsetto and Nile Rodgers' irresistible guitar licks come together to make something perfectly pitched and funky as hell. Don't expect this to go away in a hurry. 

Hello Summer Festivals 2014? You better keep those headline slots open for Disclosure... looks like they've had a second wave.

FOR FANS OF: Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams, Daft Punk




- Joe Copplestone, 15/11/13

@GivePopAChance


Friday 8 November 2013

#EatSleepRaveBlog - MDNGHT, Fire The Mob, H.O.T. Box


MDNGHT - INTO THE NIGHT
Finding the perfect middle ground between deep house and atmospheric R&B, two of the biggest sounds of the year, Manchester based act MDNGHT's "Into The Night" has enough passion and groove to appeal to fans of multiple trends and genres. And what a vocal. Weeknd eat your broken heart out.

The equally impressive debut EP, Into The Night, is out now on MUK Records.




FIRE THE MOB - CALM ME DOWN
Breathing a little life into the second of Katy B's disappointingly average 2013 singles, London's Fire The Mob, signed to Downing Street Records, take the vocal of "5AM" and drags it further down into a more realistic 5am post-clubbing state, with eerie samples fluttering around a menacing deep house bassline.

The single is available as a free download from Fire The Mob's Soundcloud below.




H.O.T.BOX - TIL I GET MY WAY

Something a bit less 5am and more 11pm here, Downing Street Records' H.O.T.BOX's funky future garage anthem "Til I Get My Way" has a touch of Zinc and Rinse fm about it, and has "summer of 2014" written all over it. Make it happen.

There's no release information yet, but you can follow H.O.T.BOX on Twitter @IAmHotBOX and Soundcloud below.

Thursday 7 November 2013

#POPDAR - YOUTH, Lulu James, LIZ


YOUTH - LOW
Camouflage Records
In the wake of Lorde's inexplicable but pleasing worldwide success, twee indie acts with a taste for Hip Hop beats is a market suddenly wide open for newcomers. Mysterious London duo YOUTH match a glitchy Trap beat with a powerful vocal that twangs like Paloma Faith's on their debut release "Low", and there's no reason they can't take this market by storm.

YOUTH's sleek collaboration with dreamy garage producer Kilter, "Hold Me", is out on November 8, and their debut EP is forthcoming on Camouflage Records.

FOR FANS OF: Lorde, Elli Ingram, Purity Ring



LIZ - STOP ME COLD
LIZ's logo
90s R&B and Garage is more popular now than it was in the actual 90s, and Mad Decent's unexpected but brilliant signing LIZ is gradually paving her way to the top of the pastiche heap, even if only for unashamed authenticity. The Californian singer's new single "Stop Me Cold" could be a 1999 Destiny's Child or Janet Jackson single, boasting a click and pop garage beat and breathlessly choppy vocal oozing pure sugar.

"Stop Me Cold" is available for free download from LIZ's Facebook page.

FOR FANS OF: TLC, Destiny's Child, Janet Jackson




LULU JAMES - SWEETEST THING
Lulu James
Though it was squelchy house number "Closer" that first broke London singer Lulu James through to radio, Lulu sounds most at home amidst the sultry electro R&B vibes of new single "Sweetest Thing". With the track essentially built around quirky vocal hooks, gorgeously slight underwater pads and a sparse Bondax-esque beat, Lulu vibes out, letting her thick jazzy voice merge subtly with the liquid sounds around it.

The Sweetest Thing EP is out now on iTunes.


FOR FANS OF: Charli XCX, MØ, MS MR



- Joe Copplestone, 7/11/13
@GivePopAChance

#JoeCopplestoneMeets... Laura White! The RE-Introduction.


Laura White, the spectacularly voiced, crazy-haired Manc lass from the 2008 run of X Factor, has emerged triumphant after 4 years out of the spotlight with her debut EP What My Mother Taught Me. The EP has received an unprecedented amount of acclaim from critics and fans, with its raw soul edge and emotional but catchy song-writing allowing Laura’s spectacular powerhouse voice to shine beyond anyone’s expectations. And that voice is effortless, breathtaking and characterful, even better than we remember it.

I met up with Laura to chat about her new EP, how her X Factor experience shaped her, and to find out why it's been a whopping 4 years since her debut single “You Should Have Known” in an industry that waits for no man. What exactly took her this long to return?

“The last 4 or 5 years I've really been focusing as a writer”, Laura tells me with a beaming pink lipped smile that makes you fall in love with her instantly, “I've been crafting what I wanted to eventually release myself, as well as writing for other artists. The debut EP that’s out now was only written over the last year, but as a writer you have to write for years before you know what you want to release yourself. I traveled to Denmark and America and really studied the art of songwriting.”

After Laura was unceremoniously booted out of X Factor 2008 in its fifth week (a week notorious for shocking exits on the show), she returned in 2009 with a disappointingly mediocre single “You Should Have Known” and then dropped off the radar.

The infectiously positive Laura sees it all as a learning curve. “I'll be honest, my fans, who are so beautiful, were begging me to release something. At that point I had a writing team around me, and they were the ones who wrote “You Should Have Known”, so I'm not as passionate about it anymore. I write everything myself now, and I feel like these days I'm being much more true to myself. But I AM proud of the song - it reached #14 on iTunes!” For someone with such breathtaking talent, she's endearingly down to earth.

Being true to yourself is something most X Factor alumni don’t really get to indulge in. Yet the emotionally powerful and raw What My Mother Taught Me EP sounds like an introduction to Laura White as an artist with a vision, as opposed to just a singer.

“I've been really lucky in that I've been a writer for years", explains Laura, "Along the way I've met with so many different writers and producers including some amazing names; I've been to Denmark to work with Cutfather, and worked with Steve Booker who wrote "Mercy" for Duffy. The producer on What My Mother Taught Me was a guy called Guy Robin, and he's a very new and modern producer, and that was really important to me - getting someone to create a fresh and new sound that I'd never had before."

“Because my sound is so specific, some producers couldn't really capture this sound, but Guy completely ‘got’ my sound immediately, and the very first song we wrote together was "Rush Hour", which made the EP. He's got a very American sound which I love.”

This “American” sound is one that runs noticeably through the veins of explosive Motown throwbacks “Come On Josephine” and “Rush Hour”, the steamy soul of “Jimi Hendrix”, right down to the classic soul vibes of heartbreaking “To Be Loved” (a timeless ballad in the making), so Laura’s main influences come as no surprise.

“Aretha Franklin has been my idol since I was tiny", Laura gushes enthusiastically, "and I love a lot of Jazz singers such as Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. I also remember hearing "Heatwave" by Martha Reeves in a coffee shop whilst I was making the EP, and the day after I went and said "I want to create a pop sound, but keep it soulful and Aretha-ish", and that was the day we wrote "Rush Hour."

It’s clear that Laura has infinitely more creative control over her music than she did when her X Factor run was fresh. Although I am not keen to dwell too much on her X Factor days, Laura seems surprisingly grateful for the experience.

“Before I did the show, I was doing so much music, and a lot of people say I didn't need to do X Factor, that I could've got out there and done it anyway. But before X Factor, I'd spent six years just gigging and travelling, desperate to get heard, and when I went on the show it gave me a really big platform and a massive fan base  I was really lucky on the show because they trusted what I was doing musically and allowed me to pick the songs I wanted to perform, and I look back and I'm proud of every performance.”

Laura was especially fond of her old mentor Cheryl Cole: “Cheryl was a down to earth girl, and musically she understood that I knew what I wanted to do. She'd say "Laura, what do you feel this week?" She really looked after me, and understood how shy I was and how I'd gone from singing to about five people in Jazz bars to about 18 million on live television! She was really helpful. I think it would have been harder with someone like Simon who's so busy!”

Despite her positive account, it’s safe to still say Laura was very lucky. As a fully formed artist, all she really needed from the X Factor was the exposure. It’s no secret that those who go into the X Factor for more than just exposure as musicians are destined to fail, and no one knows that better than the industry-savvy Laura.

“I'd say you really need to know yourself before you go in; be very strong minded but also remain humble. It's so easy to get carried away with it all, but you've got to remember you're doing it because you want to make music. Music to me is everything, so I think music should always remain the main thing rather than anything else.”

“After the show, for a while I just wanted space, to go away for a bit, a few years to write on my own, to tour, make music. I turned down a lot of TV and celebrity things, because I wanted to establish myself for the music rather than doing all that. I didn't want to sell my soul! If I'd done that I think I would've lost everything I am.”

As far as what’s next for Laura is concerned, jumping into releasing an album isn’t high on her agenda – she’s more concerned about giving something back to the fans that have stuck by her through 4 years of musical soul searching.

“I’m going to probably release another EP first”, she says when quizzed about a debut album, “I want to just release a few things for my fans, as they've so stuck by me. Though when there is an album, we had this idea of a double album – the first album very much like “Come On Josephine” and the other more stripped down, with loads of instruments - just beautiful!”

Laura definitely has the same warmth and glow as she did 5 years ago, but unlike the shy, quiet girl we saw on the X Factor all those years ago, Laura now comes across as chatty, friendly and infectiously positive. There are times when talking about her beginnings that one would expect her to make a negative comment, but she is surprisingly and humbly grateful for her X Factor experience. There's no bad blood here - she hasn't got a single bad word to say about it. Or anything for that matter.

Laura White's debut EP, What My Mother Taught Me, is out on November 10th on iTunes. For those that missed her Ronnie Scott's performance on the 29th October, you've got a chance to catch her at The Social in London on Monday 18th November. Buy tickets here.

Listen to "Come On Josephine" from What My Mother Taught Me below.



- Joe Copplestone, 7/11/13
@GivePopAChance