[Review] Lone- Galaxy Garden [Published in Now Then Issue 50 May 2012]

Why do all Blink 182 songs sound the same? Why did michael jackson keep banging on about the colours black and white? Why in the name of all that is good in the world do people keep listening to Skrillex?

Its all about artists ‘doing a Glenn Miller’ and finding their sound. 

You can spot a Lone track a mile off. Any time you drift off and start to imagine a nightclub themed bonus stage on Ecco the dolphin, or start seeing colours like aquamarine or fuschia you’re most likely listening to Lone. Either that or you ate the ‘funny’ fruit pastille your flat mate left on his windowsill when he moved out. 

Lone’s use of scattered chords and notes akin to that of an autistic child playing Chopin, are all his own. His Leitmotif if you will. Like the 9th chord progression at the end of a blues song, or when Switch has to put his name in every bloody remix he does because he managed to find a sample that sounded vaguely like his moniker.

I’m a massive advocate of Lone’s signature sonics, so when I say all his songs sound the same it’s both informed and perfectly acceptable. It’s the same principal as me getting away with talking Patois on account of my ex girlfriend being black.

You know where you stand with Lone. You know it’s going to sound like someone playing a  Mega Drive at a warehouse party.

Like freshly washed bed sheets, his new offering is suitably familiar and yet different enough to pique interest.

The two collaborations with Sepalcure’s Machinedrum are stand out efforts. The output of both artists seemingly made for partnership, with tracks packed to the gills with big 808’s, lush pads and haunted vocals.

Floaty, early 90’s rave culture is the order of the day for tracks like Raindance and the absurdly good Crystal Caverns 1991 and everything else is smattered with a healthy doses of Boards Of Canada and Chicago house.

Frenetic yet perfectly under control. Verging on intense but always subdued and above all produced and mastered to the brink of perfection. 

This album is most definitely a progression from previous efforts, just not in the grandiose way you’d expect from a fifth album.

So fixed is Lone in the idea of his own sound, he can obsess on fine tuning it to make sure it will always stay familiar.

[Preview] Jazzy Jeff- Live at Lakota Bristol (Published in Fear Of Fiction May 2012 Issue)

I was always a sickly child. 

I used to blame it on the diet of John West and Philidelphia cheese spread upon which I was raised.

I spent most of my free time in my school playground relaxing and occasionally playing basketball.

One fateful day two older boys decided to cause a ruckus in my local community. Not standing for a breach of the peace on my watch I ended up in a little scrap.

Upon hearing of this my mother became concerned with my well being and insisted I stayed with her sister Viv and her husband.

Whether that’s true or just the intro to ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ isn’t important. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t know of the man like Jazzy Jeff and his light hearted contributions to the world of hip hop.

He’s been around for a few centuries short of an aeon and although he’s never quite topped the work he did with Bill Smith in terms of popularity, he’s kept his head above water with some fantastic scratch heavy collaborations with Slum Village, Talib Kweli, Little Brother and The Roots to name but a few.

Speaking from wonderfully rose tinted experience, he always knows how to bring the party and with the Futureboogie DJs sweetening the deal in the form a 90’s inspired rinse out, there’s no excuse. 

Bristol is his kingdom and he’s finally here. So whistle for a cab and get to Lakota.

[Preview] Daedelus- Live at Lakota Bristol (Published in Fear Of Fiction April 2012 Issue)

It is with a heavy heart that I inform you, I’ve lost the screenshot of the Facebook chat Daedelus and I once had.

As inconsequential as it may seem, that PNG file was as prized a possession as the massive yellow balloon I caught and spent three minutes deflating at Fatboy Slim’s final set at Bestival. 

I’ve been an enormous fan of the disco dandy for 7 solid years and have witnessed his amazing frenetic live shows countless times, each time blown away with his fresh approach to live performance. I’ve never had the opportunity to see his Archimedes light show until now. Rest assured I’ll be at the front flapping my hands like a remedial.

The visual array it provides is fantastic. Swiveling banks of mirrors, lasers and strobes make the perfect accompaniment to Daedelus’ own brand of high energy, on the fly, twisted bootlegs.

The man is all about the visuals. He performs using a homemade trigger pad angled toward the audience offering a glimpse of his complex techniques.

Standing 6 feet high dressed as an 1800’s dapper in a crushed velvet suit and waistcoat thrashing his arms with every MIDI trigger, both sweating and smiling profusely. One of the politest men you’ll ever meet and a master of making you feel as though your brain is melting.

Everyone should know what it feels like to have your senses assaulted by a damp victorian gentleman.

I believe I just wrote my epitaph.