The long wait has ended! Hearts are saved and dancefloors replenished. Daedelus' "Love to Make Music To" is upon us, and available to all as a pre-release download from iTunes today and for the two weeks leading up to its release on 7/15, a good day. Arguably Daedelus' most fully realized and accomplished creation, the album is the collusion of a lot of beautiful elements, in a careful, effortless blend. Love songs for the knees and shoulders. Recommended if you like romanticism in dance music, or if you've never heard anything of the sort before. Featuring vocal corroborations of the likes of Michael Johnson, Paperboy, Taz Arnold, and the Long Lost's Laura Darlington.
YOU DON'T KNOW: Ninja Cuts
oh Know You Don't. (Oh yes we did)
You Don’t Know: Ninja Cuts is released this week. 3 CDs each in its own sleeve with 3 images you might not expect on a record cover including a classic Syd Mead painting commissioned by NASA, all packed in a diecut outer sleeve.
The latest “Ninja Cuts” is number five in a series of classic compilations which have studded Ninja’s 18 years of existence. And, like its predecessors, “You Don’t Know” serves as a signpost of both where the label has come from and where it’s heading. Although there are tracks here dating back as far as 1998 (Mike Ladd’s rare classic “Blah Blah”) there are also 10 unreleased tracks (from some of Ninja Tune's biggest acts like Mr Scruff, Cinematic Orchestra, Coldcut, Bonobo, Amon Tobin’s new Two Finger’s project and others), some from albums which won’t be released until later in the year (John Matthias’ fragile, ethereal “Evermore” leaps to mind, or Pop Levi’s superb, princely “Dita Dimone”). Most of the album is rare, alternate and brand new tracks. More than anything else, what “You Don’t Know” shows is the breadth of releases coming out through the imprints of Ninja Tune, Big Dada and Counter.
04.07.08Solid Steel radio show - Boom Monk Ben & Strictly Kev (Classic Edition)
Everything is f**kin perfect! (4th July) Boom Monk Ben, regular contributor from Glasgow, steps into the hot seat for the first hour with a lesson in beat broadness. Music on offer from Rustie, Hot Chip, Prince, Spank Rock, Benga & Coki, and bunch more of the finest for your listening pleasure. Strictly Kev takes over for the second hour with vintage Solid Steel from 1996. More gems from the mine, this edition being the first show that Strictly Kev had sole control over without Coldcut or PC. "It was recorded in the heyday of 'The Blue Note years' as I like to think of them, the days when Hoxton was still a new haunt for club kids and tourists in the know, pre-333, Cargo, Herbal, White Cube and all the others that came after. This was the year it was all really swinging at the Blue Note, with Ninja Tune, Mo Wax, Wall of Sound, Anohka, Bloodsugar (Weatherall), Far Out and of course, Metalheadz running nights regularly. The music being released was out of this world!” Check out the second part of the show with DJ Vadim over at bosbos.net. Keep It Vintage Solid Steel!
27.06.08The Death Set
In the latest turn on The Death Set's "Worldwide" escapade, Demonbabies march the band out onto the cartoon battlefield to face menacing nemeses, a spastic puppet with a volatile cranium, and single-headed laser-toting tigers. But in this video for The Death Set's "Around The World", kannons, PMA, and siamese tiger-heads prevail, and look good doing it.
Also, keep an eye on Videothing for a rolling video diary of the 'nanigans on the Fuck Yeah Tour bus.
25.06.08Pop Levi - Semi Babe Double Video Extravaganza
Counter Records present a brand new video by Pop Levi - 'Semi Babe' - with not one but two, yes, two pop promo videos, though watching either one in isolation probably won't make much sense. Because yes, they've been designed to watch simultaneously, one alongside the other.
Put them side by side and sync them up to get the full Pop Levi, Semi Babe experience!
24.06.08Amon Tobin Online
Once a month for the next six months, Amon Tobin will be releasing one exclusive track (not previously released on any album) made available for sale directly through his website. But not only is there exclusive material, there’s the chance to generate your own exclusive material. Site users are being invited to submit videos for these songs for compilation on an eventual DVD release.
Tobin’s site has enough bells and whistles to keep any midget-attention span satisfied. Check out the game that’s prominently featured - through a 360 degree search and a series of clicks, you can unlock the creatures that live within the site to witness a unique demonstration of 3D animation in synch with Amon’s scores. Set up the right speakers and note that the whole experience is in surround sound.
In addition to the exclusive tracks in the coming months, Tobin will be offering a digital release of his soundtrack to “Taxidermia”, live mixes, ringtones and ringbacks, as well as new designs for t-shirts, hats, posters, desktops, CDs and vinyl. You can stay posted by grabbing the Amon Tobin gydget. Stop reading, log on, enjoy.
