21.4.2008 von mk.

It was a lucky chance when Jazz legend Mark Murphy visited Austria five years ago. The icon of the post pop era took the time to contribute his voice to ‘Secrets’. There was certainly no need to introduce the only hip crooner in Jazz to A&R Jürgen Drimal, since the output of the Vienna Scientists has always been tinged with America’s black musical history – a combination that is just as natural as cream and coffee.

The original of “Three Minutes”, a one-off project of Darcosan and Alexdrum, pays tribute to label’s trademark sound.

This Remix project features three Vienna Scientists artists on this first one. Despite their unique handwriting, all of the acts share that certain touch which fostered the label’s exclusive reputation. With their common denominator of a four-to-the-floor rhythm, they altogether aimed to produce tracks for the tasteful DJ.

www.viennascientists.com

Geschrieben in Review | 1 Kommentar »

13.4.2008 von mk.

“Feel Glorious” is the stunning stylish debut album from Milez Benjiman on Tru Thoughts.
Boasting thirteen tracks built on masterful beats and sophisticated production, Milez Benjiman make fine use of influences from hip hop and spoken word to electronica, soul and r&b, conjuring up their own unique brand of twisted future soul.

The three charismatic individuals who make up Milez Benjiman – Gerd, Delgui & Colonel Red - came together and set straight to work on their aim of bringing the grind and excitement of true soul music at its best to the people.
In the Dutch trio’s own words: “Milez Benjiman is a sonic sounding stomp of cyborg funk! Sent to hook you from root to rooftop…totally leaving you wanting more!”
They are not wrong there - “Chop That Wood”, the brilliant debut single on Tru Thoughts (released on 12″ in early March 2008), has been played by Gilles Peterson on his BBC Radio 1 show, received rave reactions from the likes of The Nextmen and other high profile DJs, and graced dancefloors worldwide, leaving all who have heard it desperate to get their hands on the album.

The short skit “Milezology” is an other-worldly opener. A quick lesson in the Milez Benjiman madness, the message is: “Frequency Alert! We are coming! Armed with vibez.” “Chop That Wood” is an absolute scorcher with a monster of a bassline that stomps along with a funky swagger, and the party vibe continues into the laid-back future soul of “Our House”, a tune that’s all about Saturday night. The upbeat title track “Feel Glorious” with an optimistic hip hop funk vibe and a hint of gospel pricked up many an ear as the b-side on the “Chop That Wood” 12″. That cheeky electronica bubbling up through the layers brings out Milez Benjiman’s sophisticated craftsmanship. Onwards to the pared down soul of “Crucify” with a tender vocal and close, spine-tingling harmonies laid perfectly over the sparse minimalism of the beat. “Inheritance” moves the album into slightly more broken, experimental dance territory, a deep track with spoken word vocals from Colonel Red, who amazingly provides all the vocals on this album, much as it may sound like a whole host of different vocalists creating the huge range of sounds and moods on these tracks. “Hold Your Head High” is one for all the people around the world who dare to be creative. It sounds at once stunningly modern, with its backdrop of subtle electronic hooks, and instantly classic, with a “stand up straight and hold your head up high” mantra, off-beat handclaps and the vocal with a nod to old-school hip hop. A damn fine mix of electronica, hip hop and breaks with charismatic vocals and a dose of sweet, downbeat soul, the album sure will be turning ears everywhere…

www.tru-thoughts.co.uk

Geschrieben in Review | 1 Kommentar »

7.4.2008 von mk.

Cosmic Child” is the debut album for British artist Rory Hoy who is better known for his videos. Rory Hoy is an extremely talented artist who is receiving a very warm welcome on Freddy Fresh’s Howlin’ imprint, providing us with warm psychedelic and mellow downtempo breaks.

Rory started making films in 2002 when he was just 15. Having always been into computers and filming he took some footage at a family wedding, put it onto computer, reversed the film, added music, sounds, graphics etc., and produced a 2 minute comedy film. He has now made over 30 short films, the last of which - “Autism & Me” about what it is like being autistic on a day to day basis - is now being published worldwide on DVD together with a booklet he has written, winning several national awards for this (including one from film director Guy Ritchie), a Royal Television Society nomination and a Unicef Special Mention.

The music then was a natural progression. His parents were in the music industry for many years, his dad as a professional musician and songwriter in the 1970s. Rory started making his own stuff in 2005 and found he had a real ‘feel’ for creating tracks, especially electronica, chillout and ambient stuff, although he is doing some more funky breaks now as well. “I put some tracks on a MySpace page last year and within a couple of weeks I had some great e-mails from other DJs complimenting my work, saying how atmospheric it was and well mixed. One DJ who was interested was Freddy Fresh who asked me to send him a demo…”

“I have very eclectic taste in music! Of course, my main influences for my type of music would be Freddy Fresh, Fatboy Slim, DJ Cam, Moodymann, Mr Scruff, A Tribe Called Quest and all the Native Tongues rappers, J Dilla, DJ Shadow and DJ Spinna. However, I also love acts like The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, 90s Brit Pop and I also love funk music, James Brown, George Clinton etc. I also listen to a lot of jazz music and feel my music is jazz inspired; I love people like Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock etc. I feel I can find something I like in so many genres of music!”

www.myspace.com/roryhoy

www.myspace.com/howlinrecords

Geschrieben in Review | 1 Kommentar »

1.4.2008 von mk.

Germany’s prime Deephouse-DJ/Producer, soulful activist and GOGO Music head honcho, Ralf GUM follows up his hit-single ‘Kissing Strangers’ with another dope tune taken from his forthcoming debut masterpiece album titled ‘Uniting Music’. ‘All this Love For You’ features Detroit’s Diamondancer. Ralf’s swinging beats and fierce Rhodes progression build the perfect sound bed for Diamond’s very personal view on her first decade in house-music.

Ralf GUM has constantly put out timeless music since GOGO Music’s inception in 2001 and has managed to set an incredibly high standard with each release. Having gained support from the worldwide DJ elite, GOGO Music has earned the title of one of Germany’s most prestigious soulful dance labels and was called ‘one of the hottest imprints around’ by the ‘Blues & Soul’ magazine in 2005, while Germany’s Subculture wrote that GOGO is ‘the prime German house label’. Since Ralf’s DJ career started in 1990 he always stayed true to his passion for cool and diverse house music. He’s graced the decks at more than 250 German and international spots with his sensual DJ-sets and earned the unfailing respect of fellow colleagues and the dedication of his faithful fans.

Carolyn Ferrari, a.k.a. Diamondancer, was born and raised in Flint, Michigan. She moved to the Detroit area in the summer of 1997 which is where the love affair with House Music began. She started writing poetry in 2002. ‘The Diner’, ‘Excuse Me, Did you say something?’ as well as ‘Love Potion #33’ are three books of her poetry. She is also published in two anthologies and belongs to three poetry groups both in and outside of Detroit. Diamondancer frequently performs at poetry readings, open mic sessions and as well various live-PAs in the house-scene. Next to others she worked with Delano Smith and released in 2006 the well known ‘A Love Like This’ single together with Jimpster on his Freerange Records.

Remixes are contributed by one of France’s finest House-Music-Artists Rocco, who started in 1994 his first DJ residency at Space (Lyon-France) and who developed his soulful style at the Ambassade club (Lyon-France), playing alongside Louie Vega, Lenny Fontana & Kenny Carpenter. In 2003 Rocco settled into his new London residency at Buzzin Fly run and owned by Ben Watt (EBTG). Rocco turned his hand to production and released his first track in 1999 with Sir James titled Baby. In 2001, he teamed up with Friends AlexS, David and Manoo and formed Rodamaal releasing acclaimed singles on Jazz-Up records and Buzzin Fly Records, including the hit single Insomnia. Rocco has various solo projects on MAP Dance, Shack Music, Buzzin’Fly, Freerange, Citydeep Music and is also responsible for several remixes on countless labels including Defected Records. His Main Mix of ‘All This Love For You’ is purest peak-time action, while his Spoken Mix works well for all occasions from warm-up to late-night.

‘All This Love For You’ received great plaudit from the few VIP-DJs that already have the tune in their cases. It lifts up the senses of every house-music-passionate and tickles the imagination with deep emotions. It’s just the next perfect tune to higher tension on Ralf GUM’s album ‘Uniting Music’ forthcoming early May.

www.gogo-music.net

Geschrieben in Review | 1 Kommentar »