Just seen/heard the Cicada edit of Depeche Mode’s ‘World In My Eyes’. Love it.
Tag music
Rex The Dog – Synthpop set recorded live at Musicalia May 2010
I love Rex the Dog and here he is again. Nutter.
Rex The Dog – Synthpop set recorded live at Musicalia May 2010 by rexthedog1980
Jamie Lidell: Compass Interview
Since his early days with Supercollider, Jamie Lidell has always tried to push the boundaries of electronic music, marrying the old with the new through his experimental sound and rich, soulful vocals. Going to a Lidell gig is to expect the unexpected as Jamie is equally happy beat-boxing or fiddling with an array of audio effects as he is actually singing. With support from Beck, Lidell is now set to release his third solo album ‘Compass’. I spoke to him about Beck’s involvement and what we can expect this festival season…
Hi Jamie, what are you doing right now?
I’m in Hoxton at the moment, nursing a particularly bad hangover. I’ve just come back from a tour of Australia which was pretty mental. That combined with my move to New York has left me more than a little knackered. So I’m recharging before it all kicks off again.
What’s the story of Compass?
Well, when I moved to New York last year I got a call from Beck, who I’d toured with in 2006, asking if I wanted to work with him. It was insanely good timing because I didn’t have a clue what I was going to do. So he just called to get the ball rolling.
We then spent two days at his studio in LA bashing out material I’d written. But whilst we were doing that we all got sucked into the Record Club project – which is Beck’s way of gathering loads of musicians together to record a cover of an album in a single day. He’s already done INXS and Velvet Underground like this but I got thrown into the deep end with Skip Spence’s ‘Oar’ which I’d never heard before. So that was a challenge!
Through that I’d met the legendary drummer James Gadston who’s played with everyone including Bill Withers and Marvin Gaye. We really connected as musicians so Beck said we should schedule a session together. So before I knew it I was rehearsing my little sketches with Beck and James and then all these other characters who joined us in the studio. It was an incredible couple of days.
Is that how the collaborations happened on the album?
Well, not all of them. When I went back to New York with all the outtakes, everything was a complete mess even though it sounded brilliant. So I reached out to artists like Wilco and Chilly Gonzales to complete certain tracks. All in all this album was a pretty fast process like rustic cookery. Like throwing coarsley chopped basil into a pan – it should still taste fresh and delicious when you come to eat it.
How would you describe your approach to making music?
I usually just have sketches when I write songs. Very Tony Hart, lots of brush strokes and then I try to find ways to fill it all in. If I can’t sort it out myself I reach out to other people. Part of that is also being completely open to any idea, any genre.
How are you going to perform the album live this Summer?
Well, it’s going to be four people onstage including me, it’s going to be really varied. Anything goes. I’m really looking forward to Coachella and Glastonbury although Holland and Belgium also have some great events. I don’t know why but I have a huge following in Belgium!
And do you have an idea for future collaborations?
Well, I’d like to work with Squarepusher. Then again there’s always Christian Vogel. We started work on a third Supercollider album some time ago but I just side-tracked by all this solo work. So, you never know, watch this space…
http://www.jamielidell.com/
http://www.beck.com/recordclub/
Jamie Lidell Band Rehearsal NYC from Jamie Lidell on Vimeo.
An edited version of this interview will appear on MSN Music here
Blur – No distance left to run review
Fans of Blur will love this film . Others, like myself, will consider it more than a little self-indulgent and crass. So I’m going to post my copy to a good mate and have done with it.
Actually that’s not really fair. Some of Blur’s music has been brilliant and I think the band try to be honest as possible about how they got to where they are. All stories about bands, and not even famous bands (see Anvil), are inherently fascinating – but in this film the director ends up mythologizing instead of documenting. That’s why I think fans will love the film as a well-shot addition to their collection but as an outsider, I’m sorry to say, it’s all a little too rich for me..
Hawkwind are Mojo Mavericks
Can’t believe Hawkwind have finally got an award. Mojo Editor Phil Alexander does them justice in the interview below – very good description of a band that has otherwise been ignored by the industry. Top festival act.
Why Music Matters – Kate Bush
Hear, hear.
Warm Leatherette Video Fight!
So what is all this warm leatherette nonsense? Oh..I see.
Impressive.
Funky.
painful.
original.
Why I find Politics boring
I have a confession to make – I haven’t a clue about politics. When it comes to issues about crime, immigration, unemployment, my eyes kind of glaze over – although I have developed this neat trick of looking extremely interested should I be sucked into a political conversation by mates or colleagues. It’s not that I just don’t give a damn about the people affected by these issues – it’s just the whole way we discuss these issues, using ‘charismatic’ spokespeople to represent their ‘party’ turns me off completely. We reduce complex issues to sound bites and eventually all we get is the lowest common denominator.
If you had millions in your pocket, how would you make politics interesting? I’m sure you could do it cheaper and with a lot more fun than what we’re currently being subjected to.
Ok rant over. Well, almost.
Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to attend a session with David Cameron and Gordon Brown as they presented their main policies for the UK election in May. Again, my eyes began to glaze over, but what I did appreciate is that these guys are exactly the same as they are on TV. Without a doubt, they are true leaders, it’s just what comes out of their mouth sort of reaches my ears but gets diverted just before accessing my memory database.
I need a way of engaging with politics that is more dynamic, more shocking, more fun and more real. I acknowledge that part of that might mean I need to take the step of actually reading up on the key issues of the moment and educating myself. I’m told I should feel privileged for having the right to vote but what I need is a new way to connect with the debate. It’s just that I haven’t seen this yet.
Alan Wilder Interview: Coming Soon
Just got off the phone to an absolute legend – former Depeche Mode member Alan Wilder and solo ‘Recoil’ artist. Many of you might think his music a little too obscure, but as a hardcore DM fan it was an opportunity not to be missed. I’ll write up the interview next week. For now, here are the questions I asked. Not done an interview in a while, a bit ropey, but got there in the end.
Selected Album
- What are you doing right now?
- Why now?
- Track selection – difficult process? What were you trying to achieve? Do you have any personal favourites?
- Remastering work – baking old tapes?
- Remastering work – replace loops with live bands on the album. How did that work out?
- Which do you prefer, the electronic or the human? (you’ve made a point to work with real people rather than samples)
- Have you ever been tempted to get into dance music – releasing mainstream drum and bass or house tracks, DJing at Amnesia or Bora Bora in Ibiza?
- How do you work with people who remix your tracks?
- Do you listen to a lot of contemporary bands? What are you listening to right now?
- What is the basic technology you use to sketch your music?
- Which comes first, the sound or the melody?
- Do you think it’s easier to generate good music with today’s technology?
- Do you think it’s easier for the artist to promote themselves and connect with their audience online than ever before? Or do you think ultimate power still lies with the labels?
- When you left Depeche Mode – what inspired you to continue as a solo artist?
- Do you think Mute is a pretty unique label?
- Have you enjoyed the whole social networking angle to artist promotion?
- Who else would you love to work with?
Tour
- What are the differences between studio and live?
- How are you enjoying the tour so far?
- A lot of the venues selected seem to have special significance – place where you played with Depeche Mode. Was that intentional?
- What can we expect from the London gig?
- What special guests?
- What did it feel like to be reunited with Depeche Mode after all these years?
- Can we expect a reunion in the near future?
- What’s going to happen after the tour?
I am a mole and I live in a hole
I haven’t heard this song for over 30 years. My dad used to sing it to me when I was a nipper. Today I found it again.
Random.
