DJs have a responsibility to make the world a more musical place. This week, I have sung on buses, hidden Buddha Machines inside hollowed-out library books, and inserted rain sticks underneath the cassocks of rollercoasting vicars.
But it's not enough. This blog should be about music, allegedly, so Filter / Cut-Off is me waffling about tunes I've heard whilst pretending I am doing serious music reviews. It will be a rollercoaster ride of cultural revelation, and no, rain sticks sound nothing like rain.
>Filter this: Isan
If you've become a little "board" of Boards Of Canada (geddit?!?!), and you still want some good melody for your money, then cast your ears over a two-piece called Isan. Their new release Plans Drawn In Pencil ranges from bubbly softness to glitchy experimentalism, and it would make great pop music if it weren't so minimal and vocal-less. Listen on MySpace here. Buy it here.
>Filter this: Dabrye
From the cut-up hiptronics of Prefuse 73 comes Dabrye. The second of his /Three album trilogy, logically called Two/Three, he provides hip hop instrumentation in the true tradition of the Herbalizer behind some excellent MCs - MF Doom, Warp Records' Beans and Wildchild among others. This is electronica hip hop and the beats can almost become lost in their own pomp, but it's not 50 Cent and for that we are all thankful. Listen on MySpace here. Buy Two/Three here.
>Time to cut-off: Gnarls Barkley
Gnarls Barkley's Crazy was a great song. Three months ago. But now this is July and GB are, like, so over. Their second Top Of The Pops performance was unimpressive and they have been covered by N*lly F*rt*do. And you have to understand, Crazy got to number one on sentimental credentials; its sound made old people (25+) reminisce about their long-forgotten youth. Which seems like a good thing, until you realise Meck hit the top spot for the same reason.
Sadly, I quite like the Gnarls Barkley album. This may well be because I am in my (cough) late 20s as you suggest - I'm happy to see DJ Dangermouse cashing in on the royalties though, if it means he can keep his other projects going....have you heard the new DangerDoom stuff?
ReplyDeleteI like Dangerdoom, they make me want to go to fancy dress parties.
ReplyDeleteI've always liked MF Doom as he reminds me a little of early Method Man, kind of hoarse and a bit smokey.
And Dangermouse's production credentials are untouchable (I've got a copy of the Grey album if you haven't already got it, although it's probably available from a million sites).
Maybe it's Cee-Lo I'm not keen on... is he related to J-Lo?
I was rather hoping he was related to Skee-Lo.
ReplyDeleteThe new Dangerdoom EP is on the AdultSwim website as a download, but only at 64kbps :(
There is a 'silver' album as well now, which is RJD2 mashed with Jay-Z - not as inventive as the beatles one but still good for annoying people with when they find them self enjoying it then realise its the jigga-man.