the svelte selection – warming up your January

Tags

music, folk, electronica, dubstep, Gigs, London, radio, dub, f c judd, matthew dear, geek, sex ediucation, kronos quartet, classical music

Hello all, welcome to 2012, are you enjoying it so far? It’s been a very busy month for me, what with helping out with You Me Bum Bum Train in the evenings, doing my day job, having a birthday AND still doing the going out thing.

Below you’ll find the whole thing, but first some links I promised:

Sh! – A Celebration of Quiet Music – 4th February at the Gallery Cafe

Kronos Quartet performing George Crumb’s Black Angels and more at the Hackney Empire – 24 January. Info and tickets here.

The lovely set that Mach V played at Electrowerkz on my birthday can be found here.

The FC Judd movie and discussion at Cafe Oto on the 9th February.

That Lost Cavalry video I mentioned:

And you can read how it was made for less than £100 here.

And please support the Say No To Nadine Dorries demo, Friday 20th January at the Houses of Parliament

Now to the guts of the show. Below you’ll find the tracklisting. You can download the whole thing from here, or check out the Spotify playlist here.

Tracklisting:

1. Kool & The Gang – Jungle Boogie from Pulp Fiction Original Soundtrack
2. F.C. Judd – China Bowl from Electronics Without Tears
3. F.C. Judd – Musique Concrete Is Fascinating from Electronics Without Tears
4. Kronos Quartet – Black Angels: I. Departure from Black Angels
5. Bernard Haitink, Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40, TrV 190: Des Helden Walstatt from Strauss: Ein Heldenleben
6. The Lost Cavalry – Snow City Radio from Snow City Radio EP
7. Diagrams – Mills from Black Light
8. F.C. Judd – Broken Guitar from Electronics Without Tears
9. Radiohead – The Daily Mail from The Daily Mail & Staircase
10 Let’s Wrestle – I Won’t Lie To You from In The Court Of The Wrestling Let’s
11. Helen Arney with Mr Simmonds – Animals from Geek Like Me: Songs from Geek Pop 2011
12. F.C. Judd – Space Laboratary from Electronics Without Tears
13. Félix – Bernard St. from You Are The One I Pick
14. Alex Haynes – Crawl No More from Last Train
15. Matthew Dear – Headcage from Headcage EP
16. F.C. Judd – This Loop Business from Electronics Without Tears
17. Get People – Macaw
18. Vanilla – Falling Down (Enjoyed Remix) from For Friends
19. Sepalcure – Pencil Pimp from Sepalcure
20. Martyn – Horror Vacui from Ghost People
21. DeepChord – Crimson from Hash-Bar Loops
22. Ramadanman & Appleblim – Void 23 (Carl Craig Re-Edit) from Void 23
23. Plug – Come On My Skeleton from Back On Time

Sex Appeal – | Bloomsbury Theatre | Friday 13 January 2012

Tags

brook, sex education, jay raynor, girl with a one track mind, zoe margolis, richard herring, shappi khorsandi, kate smurthwaite, catie wilkins, david baddiel, helen arney, robin ince, comedy, matt parker, charity, scott capurro, stand up maths, sex, sex appeal, bish

The excellent Zoe Margolis (aka Abby Lee – Girl With the One Track Mind) has organised a night of hilarity to raise money for the right-on sex education charity Brook.

The lineup includes the genial host Al Murray, plus Helen Arney, David Baddiel, Mitch Benn, Scott Capurro, Richard Herring, Robin Ince, Shappi Khorsandi, Matt Parker, Jay Rayner, Kate Smurthwaite and Catie Wilkins and it all takes place in the lovely Bloomsbury Theatre.

For more info and tickets, click over here.

And to get you in the mood…

The Local present Shhhh | The Gallery Cafe | 4th February 2012

Tags

folk, Gigs, London, music

Having discovered many new artists at their events in 2010 and 2011, I’m delighted to hear that The Local are back to present their ‘Celebration of Quiet Music’ once more in 2012. Shhhh! is where my love affairs with Sam Amidon and Nico Muhly started, where I was introduced to one of my favourite acts of last year, Conquering Animal Sound, and where I witnessed Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai doing an acoustic set that held the audience in rapt attention.

This year, rather than using the lovely Cecil Sharp House (home to the English Society for Folk Dance and Song, doncha know) all the way over in Camden, they’re holding the event in the just-around-the-corner-from-me Gallery Cafe in Bethnal Green.

Acts on the bill include the brilliant Anna Meredith and Felix (who I enjoyed very much back in 2010) plus there will be films and stalls and cake.

Tickets are £10 +BF, and you can get them, as well as a bit more info, over here.

DJ Mach V live @ Electrowerkz

Tags

dj set, garage, Mach V, techno

Picture by Gemma Riggs

My dear friend, Mach V, DJed a lovely warmup set at my birthday do last Friday night. Click below to have a listen or download, you can tell him of your joy over on his soundcloud page.

Tracklisting:

Death In Vegas – Your Loft My Acid
The Walls – Into Our Midst
Specta Ciera – Glowing Colours
Alucidnation – Technically Warm
The Field – It’s Up There
Tycho – Coastal Break (Hatchback’s Cosmic Caviar Dub)
James Yuill – Packt Like Sardines In a Crushd Tin Box
LCD Soundsystem : 45:33 Theo Parrish Space Cadet Remix
Zed Bias – Koolade ft Toddla T, MdCL
Prince – Hot Thing Extended Mix
Claude Von Stroke – Big & Round
Maya Jane Coles – Focus Now
Banco de Gaia _ Gamelah (Dub 3)
Martin Buttrich – You Must Be This High
Ramadanman/Appleblim – Void 23 (Carl Craig remix)
Scuba – Adrenalin
Julio Bashmore – Battle of Middle You
Buraka Som Sistema – Restless (Julio Bashmore remix)
XXXY – Kerpow
Dark Sky – Neon
Todd Edwards – I hear him (Listen Remix)
Rodney P – Trouble (MJ Cole Re-Rub)
Sepalcure – Every Day of My Life (Jimmy Edgar Remix)

52 Mixtapes – a gift from Marky de Sade

Tags

bassy, funk, hip hop, Mixes, music

The most excellent DJ Marky de Sade is doing a special project for 2012, one mix every week of the year. Many of you will be familiar with his stuff from his awesome Badly Packed Kebab show on Purple Radio from back in the day, but if not, you can expect a delicious selection from the hip hop \ funk \ bassy side of things each week. Marky tells us:

Some of the mixes will be genre-led, others might have an overall theme like “summer” or “running” or “food”, some might be producer-focused and others might be eclectic, random, all-over-the-shop messes.

To get involved, pop over here.

Gonna party like it’s me birthday…

Tags

birthday, drinks, electrowerkz, graphics, London, max cooper, techno, the svelte one

Oh yeah, it’s my birthday this week and the lovely folks from Fields have put on a party for me this Friday night, 6th January, at Electrowerkz*. Why don’t you come along? They’ve got Graphics and Max Cooper (pictured below, amongst the other artists) playing and a nice bar that’s going to be open from 9pm.

You can find out more information on the Fields website. Or check the Facebook event.

Come have a drink and a dance. It’ll be nice.

tso

* Okay, it’s just a coincidence, but who am I to quibble?

the svelte selection – Favourites of 2011

Tags

aidan moffat, bjork, clubs, electronica, folk, Gigs, London, max cooper, music, purple radio, radio, reviews, techno

Oh gosh, 2011 is nearly over. Who’d a thunk. It’s been a rollercoaster of a year for me – after completely losing my musical mojo in the early part of the year, it picked up by festival time, but has fluctuated wildly since.

Tonight’s show was the review of 2011, though there’s not much reviewing going on – tis mostly just tunes and me saying I love them… It gets rather maudlin at the end, but I’d had a couple of festive ciders by that time. Apologies.

Anyway, you know you want it, so download the whole show from here, or check the Spotify playlist over here.

1. Aidan John Moffat – Santa Claus Is Coming To Town from Oh! What A Not So Silent Night Before Christmas (http://aidanjohnmoffat.bandcamp.com/track/oh-what-a-night-before-christmas)
2. İlhan Barutçu – Sultaniyegah Taksim from Aşk-ı Neyzen – Sufi Music
3. Half Man Half Biscuit – Fix It So She Dreams Of Me from 90 Bisodol (Crimond) (Probe Plus)
4. Tune-Yards – Es-so from W H O K I L L (4AD)
5. Mogwai – San Pedro from Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will (Rock Action)
6. Low – You See Everything from C’mon (Subpop)
7. St. Vincent – Surgeon from Strange Mercy (4AD)
8. Fujiya & Miyagi – Cat Got Your Tongue from Ventriloquizzing (Full Time Hobby)
9. Conquering Animal Sound – Giant from Kammerspiel (Gizeh)
10. Origamibiro – Dismantle Piece from Shakkei (Abandon Building)
11. Plaid – founded from scintilli (Warp)
12. Evangelista – Enter The Prince from In Animal Tongue (Constellation)
13. Deaf Center – Hunted Twice from Owl Splinters (Type)
14. Björk – Sacrifice from Biophilia (One Little Indian)
15. Radiohead – Codex from The King Of Limbs (XL)
16. My Brightest Diamond – Reaching Through to the Other Side from All Things Will Unwind (Asthmatic Kitty)
17. Alice Gun – Metal Spider from Blood n Bone (Ambiguous)
18. King Creosote & Jon Hopkins – Bats In The Attic from Diamond Mine (Domino)
19. The 2 Bears – Bear Hug from Bear Hug E.P. (Southern Fried)
20. Anna Meredith – Nautilus from Black Prince Fury EP (http://soundcloud.com/annameredith/sets/black-prince-fury)
21. Boxcutter – LOADtime from Hotflush Presents… Back And 4th (Hotflush)
22. Roots Manuva – Get the Get from 4everevolution (Big Dada)
23. Ghostpoet – I Just Dont Know from Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam (Brownswood)
24. Walls – Drunken Galleon from Coracle (Kompakt)
25. Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat – The Sadness In Your Life Will Slowly Fade from Everything’s Getting Older (Chemikal Underground)
26. Sinking Cruise Ship Rescue Drama I Saw Three Cruise Ships Come Sinking In (http://www.last.fm/music/Sinking+Cruise+Ship+Rescue+Drama/_/I+saw+three+cruise+ships+come+sinking+in)

The WIRE Salon / Practical Electronica: from Chromasonics to the Megatherm | Cafe OTO | 9 February 2012

Ooooooo!!!! You may remember I was urging y’all to go see the movie at the Barbican? Well now The Wire is presenting the film AND MORE* at the wonderful Cafe OTO.

More info HERE.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR THE ELECTRONICA GEEKS.

* La website says:

“…the Salon will feature a discussion of both Judd’s and Helliwell’s work chaired by Angus Carlyle, joint director of CRISAP (Creative Research into Sound Arts Practice) at London’s University of the Arts, and the appearance of a range of Helliwell’s Hellitrons and Hellisizers, self-built tone generators and synths that have provided the soundtracks to over 60 of his short films, three of which will also be screened on the night. “

Tindersticks | Soho Theatre | February 2012

Tags

Gigs, London, soho theatre, tickets, tindersticks

There’s a new album on the way, so the lovely men of Tindersticks are doing some shows at the Soho Theatre. Firstly, they’re doing some ‘proper’ shows, in the main room, but excitingly, they’re also doing some intimate acoustic late night shows in the wonderful Soho Downstairs (a great little room in which I’ve seen Chilly Gonzales do music and a bunch of comedians do comedy). You save £5 buying tickets to both (yes I have, I’m going on the Friday night).

To get more info and tickets, click here.

New Logo!

This is just a little shout out to the magnificent Justin Hancock, aka Bish for his design work on my logo. He made my little idea come to life.

And the lovely Sam Walton (aka the decade blog) also provided some handy comments along the way.

Thanks you lovely people.

the svelte selection – 24 November 2011

Tags

birthday, electronica, Gigs, jazz, London, low, merge records, merlin, purple radio, radio show, reviews, the magnetic fields, the necks

Hello everyone! Welcome once more to the delight that is your monthly instalment of the svelte selection – some music to rouse your ears and chat to rouse your soul.

As this show went out on my Mum’s birthday, I’d love y’all to consider donating to the wonderful Merlin – the organisation for whom she works in South Darfur, Sudan.

Since 2004, Merlin has been providing vital medical services in Darfur, both to thousands of displaced people fleeing conflict and to the equally under-served local communities. Merlin offers comprehensive primary health care, focusing on maternal and child health, disease prevention and health education, through a network of static and mobile clinics in the region.

To donate, visit this link. Please give generously.

Right, onto the show. It’s the usual eclectic mix, delivered in more-professional-than-usual-but-still-warm style. Download the whole show from here, or check some of the tunes via Spotify here. Enjoy.

1. Fursaxa – Well of Tuhala from Mycorrhizae Realm
2. Grouper – Moving Machine from Water People 7″
3. James Yorkston – Tortoise Regrets Hare (Geese Remix) from Tortoise Regrets Hare (Geese Remix)
4. Kathryn Williams & Neill MacColl – Come With Me from Two
5. Cate Le Bon – Puts Me To Work
6. My Brightest Diamond – She Does Not Brave the War from All Things Will Unwind
7. French for Cartridge – Laundry Lullaby
8. Evangelista – Artificial Lamb from In Animal Tongue
9. Florian Uhlig – Shoshtakovich: Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and String Orchestra No. 1 Op. 35: Lento from Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and String Orchestra
10. The Style Council – Homebreakers from Our Favourite Shop
11. anarchistwood – eat the rich from Situationist Normal: a collection of lies, hearsay and truths of an inconvenient nature (http://punkvert.tv/anarchistwood)
12. The Strokes – Hard to Explain from Is This It
13. The Correspondents – Cheating With You from Cheating With You
14. Speech Debelle – Studio Backpack Rap from Studio Backpack Rap
15. Tom Waits – Pay Me from Bad As Me (Deluxe)
16. Walls – Raw Umber/Twilight from Coracle
17. Oneohtrix Point Never – Up from Replica
18. oval – Ah!
19. Mouse On Mars – Diskdusk (live) from Live04
20. Errors – Earthscore
21. The Necks – Night One / Set Two – excerpt from Live at ISSUE Project Room – 28 Jan 2010
22. Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World

Things I talked about this eve:

The new Anarchistwood album is available via their website.

Next Aardvark – Zebra is on the 3rd December at Three Blind Mice in Shoreditch

Which is also the date of The Eiderdowns doing This Is It at Juno, around the corner.

And then, of course, there’s the Purple Radio Christmas Party. Oh yeah.

Ian Helliwell Practical Electronica | Barbican | 25 Nov 2012

Tags

barbican, electronica, experimental music, films, ian helliwell

This experimental documentary from multi-media artist Ian Helliwell examines early electronic music in Britain – focussing on the work of FC Judd (1914-1992), and his experiments during the 1950s and 60s with the new sound worlds of musique concrete and electronics.

Exploring the little known career of this English musician, inventor and author, the spotlight is on his experimental sound and the amateur tape recording activity of his day, filling in a lost chapter in electronic music history.

I’m going, always up for learning about people doing weird shit with sound. Still tickets left. Fill your boots.

Tickets from here.

Merge Records Winter Sampler 2011

A bunch of freebies from the excellent Merge Records. Leftfield indie guitary for the most part, and not all of it is brilliant (I could barely listen to the dull proto-metalgrunge of Archers of Loaf) but a couple of gems. And you can find out what all the Wild Flag chat is about. Well, not ‘all’, but you can make a snap judgement based on one track ;)

Tracklisting:

Hospitality – “Betty Wang”
Richard Buckner – “Traitor”
Lambchop – “Gone Tomorrow”
Crooked Fingers – “Bad Blood”
Superchunk – “Driveway to Driveway”
The Mountain Goats – “Estate Sale Sign”
Eleanor Friedberger – “My Mistakes”
Imperial Teen – “Runaway”
Archers of Loaf – “Harnessed In Slums”
Wild Flag – “Romance”
Stephin Merritt – “Rot in the Sun”
The Rosebuds – “Go Ahead”

There are also a couple of Christmas tunes to stream on the website.

Get it here.

tUnE – yArDs | Shepherd’s Bush Empire | 15 February 2012

Tags

Gigs, live music, London, tuneyards

The wonderful Tune-Yards is coming back to London. First time I saw her (late 2009 I think…) she was solo, supporting Dirty Projectors, quite nearly upstaging them. The last time I saw her, back in September with three blokes in her band, she absolutely tore the roof off a wee venue in Hoxton. I tweeted at the time:

Fuck YES. @Tuneyards FUCKING amazing. Have never seen such genuine joy and love in a Hoxton audience EVER.

It was pretty bloody special.

Buy your tickets here.

This is from a 4AD session:

But this is a lot more like what she does these days:

The Magnetic Fields | Southbank Centre | 25 April 2012

Tags

Gigs, live music, London, magnetic fields, music, southbank centre, stephin merritt




They’re back, and this time they’re at the Royal Festival Hall. Yeah, oh yeah.




You can book tickets by following this link. Do hurry, it seems to be be selling very fast.




If you want to know what all of the fuss is about, you can check out my podcast: ‘How I fell for Stephin Merritt’, downloadable from here. It’s not all Magnetic Fields, but it’ll give you a good feel for the genius :)

Tracklisting:

1. The Magnetic Fields – Acoustic Guitar
2. The Magnetic Fields – All The Umbrellas In London
3. Stephin Merritt – At Madam Plum’s
4. The Magnetic Fields – The Book Of Love
5. The Magnetic Fields – Born on a Train
6. The 6ths – Dead Only Quickly
7. Future Bible Heroes – Don’t You Want Me?
8. The Magnetic Fields – Experimental Music Love
9. The Magnetic Fields – How Fucking Romantic
10. The Magnetic Fields – I Don’t Believe In The Sun
11. The Magnetic Fields – I Don’t Believe You
12. The Magnetic Fields – I Shatter
13. I Thought You Were My Boyfriend (Rob Rives Remix)
14. The Magnetic Fields – I Wish I Had An Evil Twin
15. The Gothic Archies – In a Cave
16. The Magnetic Fields – Josephine
17. The Magnetic Fields – Love Is Like A Bottle Of Gin
18. Stephin Merritt – The Meaning Of Lice
19. The Magnetic Fields – No One Will Ever Love You
20. The Magnetic Fields – The Nun’s Litany
21. The Magnetic Fields – Papa Was A Rodeo
22. The Magnetic Fields – A Pretty Girl Is Like …
23. Future Bible Heroes – She-Devils Of The Deep
24. Future Bible Heroes – The Slow Fade
25. The Magnetic Fields – Smoke And Mirrors
26. The Magnetic Fields – Strange Eyes
27. The Magnetic Fields – Strange Powers
28. The Magnetic Fields – Suddenly There Is A Tidal Wave
29. !!! – Take Ecstasy With Me
30. Future Bible Heroes – A Thousand Lovers In A Day
31. The Magnetic Fields – Washington, D.C.
32. Future Bible Heroes – The World Is A Disco Ball
33. The Magnetic Fields – Yeah! Oh, Yeah!