PARTY TRACKS OF THE WEEK! - Lady Gaga, Azealia Banks, Disclosure

LADY GAGA - APPLAUSE (EMPIRE OF THE SUN REMIX)


Although Empire Of The Sun are cheating somewhat by taking their track "Old Flavours", chucking the "Applause" acapella over the top and calling it a "remix", there's no denying the mash-up is genius. Taking the mood down a notch from the Hi-NRG original, to a more groove-led nu disco mould, the Aussie synthpoppers turns the track from hysterical into hypnotic.

AZEALIA BANKS - COUNT CONTESSA


If Lone was the only producer Azealia Banks ever worked with, I would be happy. Her funky, choppy flow and his joyous Balearic house beats combine to make a truly inspiring sound that works wonders for Banks. If "Liquorice" and "Count Contessa" are anything to go by, Lone and Banks are a match made in heaven, or at the very least on a blissful sun-kissed beach.

DISCLOSURE ft. LONDON GRAMMAR - HELP ME LOSE MY MIND (PAUL WOOLFORD REMIX)


Although the track plays the role of 'album comedown' track on Disclosure's Settle, Paul Woolford's jittery chicago house take on "Help Me Lose My Mind" transforms it into an epic early 90s anthem. London Grammar's Hannah Reid sounds even more glorious on an out-and-out house track, and Woolford's confusing flurry of piano chords and bee-sting bass notes certainly helped me to lose my mind.

POPDAR: FKA Twigs - Papi Pacify

I would point out the FKA Twigs was formerly known as Twigs, but as you can see, she beat me to the punch.

Twigs' EP1 was a dark and experimental effort - disturbing and unnerving industrial R&B that still managed to be subtly sexy. Her second EP, helpfully titled EP2, concentrates a little more on that final description, with Twigs' voice breathing and floating over a much warmer trip-hoppy ambience on each track.

But on EP highlight "Papi Pacify", the nearest thing to a radio-friendly track Twigs' has produced to date, she allows herself to be more overtly sexual and as a result delivers the most arresting vocal of her output so far.

The track seductively creeps through it's choppy, sparse verses that do very little to accompany Twigs' light and airy vocal, as she clasps at every note as if gasping for air. "Never tell me no" yelps Twigs breathlessly, begging "tell me I'm the one you want" - it feels like she's unleashing two EPs worth of sexual repression. But the real payoff is the exhilarating drop into Weeknd-territory for the *gasp* chorus (!), where Twigs' gleefully unleashes her catchiest hook to date, as a crushing hip hop beat gyrates against a sexually-charged growl of a bass line.

FKA Twigs' EP2 is available to download now from iTunes.

Official Website.
Official Twitter.

FOR FANS OF: BANKS, The Weeknd, Etta Bond

Party Tracks Of The Week!

KATY PERRY - ROAR (KENNEDY JONES REMIX)

Although we've been raving about it constantly (and raving to it in general) over the last week or so, this almighty Thor-sized remix absolutely deserves an official mention on this week's Party Tracks playlist. There's not really a worthy description of the drop this remix keeps up its sleeve, but suffice it to say, this razor-sharp progressive house remix is one of the best we've heard all year.

LITTLE NIKKI - LITTLE NIKKI SAYS (JONAS LR REMIX)

As much as we'd like to dismiss Little Nikki as another unnecessary Rihanna clone, her UK grime-flecked pop is just too damn infectious. Jonas LR takes the bounce-tastic "Little Nikki Says" and morphs it into something slightly more feral, with eerie and rave-tastic consequences.

JOSH BUTLER - GOT A FEELING (BONTAN & PLEASUREKRAFT REMIX)

Although this is not GiveHouseAChance, even the poppiest of you will find it hard not to bop along to this recent Radio 1 Dance favourite. Like a sexier, more melodic version of Breach's "Jack".

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT/INTERVIEW: Bow Promise

Dagenham's Bow Promise believes in pushing the boundaries of R&B, and she has no plan to start pandering to conventions any time soon. Produced by long-time collaborator Lostchild, an atmospheric electronic London producer with a taste for 80s pads, her debut EP Cactus is a thoroughly intelligent, atmospheric, often experimental take on an over-saturated genre.

Take the title track from her debut EP - an aggressive, rough-around-the-edges R&B/Hip Hop crossover based around a complex and unconventional cactus metaphor. Bow informs me "The chorus actually came from a Whatsapp status that read something like "you can't sow your heart with someone who doesn't want to water it and then say "but it's rooted in fertile soil!" - she takes this musing almost word for word in the chorus of "Cactus", and these kind of philosophical complexities are rife in Bow Promise's writing.

"It's about me yearning for someone's love and becoming unapproachable and alone as a result," she clarifies. And it seems like this distrust of men is also rife in her writing: "I've had situations where I've not only doubted that a guy might be able to hold down a relationship with me, but I doubted that they were even interested in me in the first place. This kind of distrust led me to "Cactus", which is kind of saying "see, I told you you'd leave!"

And it's not just her lyrics that are complex. Her vocal melodies are often unexpected and sometimes even brave. Lostchild provides her, rather cruelly, with a icy, sharp hip hop beat on "Cactus", that would quite easily, and more conventionally, suit a rapper. However, Ms Promise rises to the challenge and throws feisty, acrobatic melodies over the top that catch the ear and demand the attention, much like the attention she demands from her lover in the song itself.

Even on the other two considerably tamer tracks on the EP, her melodies can't sit still, and she's not one to repeat a melody twice in the same song. And this isn't some unnecessary melisma - these are meticulous, delicately written melodies that reflect the rollercoaster of ideas inside the mind of Bow Promise.

If the song "Cactus" showcases her fierce and intelligent side, the remaining tracks on the EP showcase a vulnerability in her persona, and a secretly intense desire for a human connection. "I've been using one relationship as a muse and exploring it with my music" Bow reveals, and the smooth, soulful 90s R&B of "More" certainly explores polar emotions to the EP's title track. Over seductive yet organic slow jam beats, Promise laments that she's "more than a touch and more than a body to take" in a vulnerable form that couldn't at all be perceived from her unapproachable and aggressive character on "Cactus".

"I wrote my first song when I was in year 10 at school" Bow tells me, and the last 12 years of writing and listening about her experiences seem to have all stuck with her. "When I'm going through something that's monumental to me, whether it's good or bad, I have to write about it. Even if I've moved away from that chapter, I can still tap into how I felt at the time to write. That's what happened with more - the chorus and half the verse were 2-3 years old." The manner in which Bow Promise switches effortlessly between vocal deliveries betrays her experience and maturity. Whilst her husky voice barks and bites on "Cactus", her wispy R&B falsetto slides down like vanilla ice cream on "More".

Bow Promise succinctly describes her sound as "atmospheric, experimental R&B", and although that may not give away a hell of a lot, there really is no other way to describe the duet with her producer (and artist in his own right) Lostchild, "Fall To Earth". Lostchild's epic and melancholic chorus is contrasted by an airy, bubbly verse that Promise delivers so effortlessly and lightly it threatens to float away entirely. The track is less chorus driven than the other two, but it's an existential vibe that suggests more experimentation in future material.

And indeed, Bow hints at a more emotional journey ahead of her. "The sounds (of my upcoming material) will be similar to all that you hear with the Cactus EP," she begins, "but some of the tracks will be more sentimental as I begin to step away from the relationship and delve a bit deeper into myself, as I started to do on "Fall To Earth" - There's a lot of expression of faith, hope and facing your fears."

Speaking of faith and hope, I'm told the name Bow Promise refers to "the promise of a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow". Having had many setbacks in her past career, both personal and professional, the quality and emotional depth of the Cactus EP suggests that her pot of gold may be closer than she thinks.

You can download her Cactus EP for free from her Official Website.

Follow her Twitter and Facebook accounts below for the latest details on gigs and new material.

Follow @BowPromise on Twitter.

'Like' Bow Promise on Facebook.

- Joe Copplestone, 12/09/13

GIG REVIEW: London Grammar @ Rough Trade East, London, 10-09-13

As one year ends and another begins, after all the End-Of-Year lists have circulated and the big breakthrough acts of the year before have been noted and shelved, impatient music fans such as myself are already looking for that big band, artist or track that's going to define the year that follows. As 2013 dawned, all of 7 days passed before a band called London Grammar had a song going viral so quickly it made our heads spin. It was a sparse and beautiful song that took the internet's breath away, and the song was called "Hey Now".

Cut forward 9 months, universal acclaim and a handful of EPs, and this very band have already created a simple but gorgeous debut album. My friend accompanying me to this exclusive and very small Rough Trade mini-gig commented just how quickly the record had come around. But, in a world where hype for a record raises expectations to the point where a band is destined to disappoint no matter what, The Grammars have the right idea.

Because the fame and success has clearly had no chance to hit them - and judging by the performance tonight, thank god. The band shuffle on stage unfashionably on time just after 7pm, with shy, modest looks on their faces, and they converse with the crowd as if they would converse with guests at a friend's wedding. It's the self-deprecating comments and awkward personal admissions of singer Hannah Reid that make the siren calls when she opens her mouth all the more enchanting.

The band as a whole are humble and largely still onstage as they make their way through a half hour set of their best known material, but because of what the three can do together, they still manage to exude extraordinary stage presence. Not even the crackly, bass-heavy speaker system of the record store can detract from the raw beauty of London Grammar's music.

The tracks take on a life of their own in a live environment, and benefit from being based around the simplest of arrangements. "Hey Now" becomes an extended free-space for the track's simple but haunting motifs, and "Darling..." and "Metal & Dust" triple in size, becoming bonafide indie rock anthems that wouldn't shame U2 on an arena stage. Dot skips from drums to keyboards to drum machines, and Dan's guitaring is loose and with feeling, as Hannah lets her truly phenomenal, deep voice soar through the tinny halls of Rough Trade.

The crowd is quiet but supportive and uncharacteristically warm for a London crowd. The applause is genuine, enthusiastic and unforced; there's a genuine feel of support and love for the band, rare for one so young. Before "Strong", probably "Hey Now"'s biggest contender for London Grammar's signature tune, Hannah sweetly requests the audience sings along, and jokingly lampoons them afterwards for not doing so. But what she doesn't realize is, that the audience was just too damn in awe to do anything to drown out what was coming from the band themselves.

It has been a real honour to be at such an important gig for the band, their first live gig post-debut release, and witnessing the first step towards a long and successful career. It's nearly always a risky move to predict big things from a band in the long term, but judging on this performance tonight paired with a belter debut, it's a bet I'd be willing to make. What was most exciting about this evening is that this feels like the mere beginning - in 9 months and one album, we've only seen a hint of what this glorious trio can create together.

As great as If You Wait is, it's albums number 3 and 4 I'm most looking forward to.

Setlist

Hey Now

Darling, Are You Gonna Leave Me?

Wasting My Young Years

Interlude

Strong

Metal & Dust

- Joe Copplestone, 11/09/13 (Photograph by Joao Vasconcelos)

POPDAR: Active Child - Subtle (ft. Mikky Ekko)

Active Child, the king of white boy R&B, has never really given the uptempo thing a chance before - why would he? Similarly sensitive and loosely urban male acts such as The Weeknd and How To Dress Well were flying high when he released his forlorn debut You Are All I See, and his powerful falsetto-led anti-anthems were a calling card given out almost exclusively by him. 

But on latest single "Subtle", Active Child jumps ship from to a distinctly more dancefloor-friendly vessel and the risk pays off, revealing a whole new area of talent from the melodramatic singer/songwriter.

"Subtle" isn't a word you would have ever associated with Active Child, and even less with the song he eventually names as such. He adopts a surprisingly sparse yet colourful 80s electropop backdrop and suddenly you can drawn distinct lines between Active Child's own voice and that of 80s icon Jimmy Somerville. And when the Blade Runner-esque brass synths drop the 80s transformation is complete. Mikky Ekko's Prince-flecked feature spot manages to add another level of the era to sharpen up proceedings.

"Subtle" is taken from Active Child's upcoming Rapor EP, due for release on October 22.

FOR FANS OF: Goldroom, Tensnake

PARTY TRACKS OF THE WEEK! (FREE DOWNLOADS)- Neon Jungle, Icona Pop & Ellie Goulding.

NEON JUNGLE - TROUBLE (SHAROQUE REMIX)

This remix isn't so much looking for trouble as looking for the dancefloor. Rebellious girlband upstarts Neon Jungle's latest single "Trouble" gets a retro funky house remix that transports it from bedroom to Miami Beach, driven by an irresistible piano hook. 

Sharoque has made high octane dance remixes of a number of pop hits over the last year, including particularly euphoric mixes of Misha B and Little Mix - Check out his SoundCloud.

ICONA POP - GIRLFRIEND (CHAINSMOKERS REMIX)

"Girlfriend" is already a speeding down a highway song, but NY duo Chainsmokers take it one step further so don't be surprised if your car takes off during playback. It's got a gorgeous progressive house build-up and a heart-stopping drop that will rattle your bones. And your girlfriend's.

Chainsmokers have torn apart tunes by Fenech Soler and Phoenix too  - Check out their SoundCloud.

ELLIE GOULDING - BURN (DRIFTA REMIX)

As catchy as "Burn" is, it's plodding dancehall rhythm encourages more of a sway than a full on gleeful body contortion. So it's just as well that London producer Drifta acted on the potential that we all saw, to turn it into a full on rave anthem. The Drum & Bass throb suits the track so well, and given Goulding's recent fondness for the genre, Drifta's remix could almost be an original - download it for FREE from the SoundCloud widget above.

Drifta always kills it with his bootleg remixes, and his solo material is must-hear material for any commercial Drum & Bass fan  - Check out his SoundCloud.

MIXTAPE REVIEW - Etta Bond x Raf Riley - Meds

Click the cover above to download Meds for FREE.

Part of Etta Bond and Raf Riley's appeal as a double act lies in their ability to put their own spin on current underground trends. The duo don't so much think outside the box, as think inside the box from the outside.

On their first mixtape, Emergency Room, they took on dubstep. The duo revived the dying genre with Etta's alarmingly blunt songwriting and Raf's brutal yet melodic mix of dubstep with trip-hop and hip hop. Tracks like "Boring Bitches" and "Ask Me To Stay" were instantly timeless, and have outlived the dubstep craze. On follow up mixtape Meds, the two have set their sights on several current crazes, including Deep House, Modern R&B and Trap.

If Emergency Room felt more like Etta's mixtape, Raf makes his presence a lot more known on Meds. Whilst on Emergency Room he largely stuck with a (nevertheless effective) formula of chainsaw synths, colossal kicks and even bigger snares, on Meds he throws caution and commerciality to the wind. With the rise of "weird" producers such as Diplo and Hudson Mohawke, it's a delight that this gives wind for ultra-creative producers such as Raf Riley to let loose with ideas they perhaps couldn't have got away with before.

And let loose he does - Etta even tones down the big hooks in favour of more ponderous melodies to make room for Raf's crazy productions. The result is chicago house pianos over Trap beats and warm pads on the woozy "Fanbabe", a mesh of funky, electro and deep house on the addictive "1 More Time" (surely an underground hit waiting to happen), and schizophrenic 80s synths over a beat straight from Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation on "Big Girl's Vogue".

Not to discredit Etta's contribution to Meds at all. Etta may let Raf show off more this time round, but she's subtely matched his progressive production with a shift in lyrical concept. Whilst Etta's lyrics on Emergency Room were based in gritty reality - relationships falling apart ("Ask Me To Stay"), making out on the tube ("One Way On A Train") and, notoriously, beastly hangovers ("Resolve") - on Meds she delves head first into fantasy. Etta's previously cynical and angry characters are now blinded by their fantasies - the lovesick obsessive uber-fan on "Fanbabe", a girl sharing her wild sexual dreams on "Me First" or the girl in love who thinks she can separate love and sex in "1 More Time".

Another reason Etta and Raf are a genius double act is the way they bounce off each other. Both their presences are always felt equally - Etta never seems like a mere feature singer, and Raf never feels like an anonymous producer. There's a reason the duo haven't thought of a separate name for their collaboration - they want to support each other as solo artists as well. And it's clear they never need to compromise either's vision. This means if Etta wants to conversationally talk-rap loudly one of Raf's sickest basslines, he'll let her. If Raf wants to loop Etta saying "wobbles" whilst throwing a rock'n'roll piano solo over the top, she'll let him (That's from "Big Girl's Vogue" by the way, I'm not making it up.)

Their anything goes approach to making music is what makes them one of the most interesting underground acts in the UK today. Check out their live performance for LiteSwitch TV below to witness the duo's chemistry.

FOR FANS OF: Diplo, Elli Ingram, Katy B

@EttaBond

@TheRealRafRiley

- Joe Copplestone

5/09/13

POPDAR - Rizzle Kicks, The 1975 & MØ

Tracks of the week this week come from Brighton party-rap duo Rizzle Kicks, Danish anti-princess of dark-pop MØ and Cheshire's main purveyors of angst rock and sticky electropop, The 1975.

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"Skip to the Good Bit"
RIZZLE KICKS
Taken from Roaring 20s

After a fairly tame lead single from "Roaring 20s", the follow up is a lot more fun. With horns echoing "Down With The Trumpets", trippy hip hop beats and an irresistably groovy piano bassline, it surprises me the duo didn't just "skip to the good bit" and release this first.

No clip of the track online just yet, so check out this live footage from their gig at Alton Towers.

"888 XX"

MØ

Taken from forthcoming EP

After the gritty dirt-pop of last single "Waste of Time", Danish alt-pop singer MØ brings weird-hop refixer Diplo on board to give her distinct sound an urban edge. His clean trappy beats and Miami Bass production flourishes (such as a distinctly HudMo brass section) allow MØ to let out her inner swagger.

"Girls"

THE 1975

Taken from The 1975

If you thought weed-anthem "Chocolate" was the happy-clappy pop single of the album, the liquorice sweet "Girls" could still trump it. Like the long lost missing track from The Breakfast Club soundtrack, the track's 80s pop/rock vibe is infectious, with guitars chirping like birds over the synth pitter patter in the background. Probably the most straight up guilty pleasure pop song of the album, it gives us just about everything a 1975 fan could want up-front.

Top 5 Tracks of August 2013.

5 - LADY GAGA - APPLAUSE

Although she cited a "pop emergency" for an excuse to release "Applause" earlier, we already know Gaga is an impatient popstress - let us not forget her rush releasing "Born This Way" in 2011. However, unlike that massively underwhelming comeback, "Applause" is surprisingly immediate. It suffers from all the usual immovable Gaga-isms - terrible annunciation, shameless european dance synths and a bizarre hammer house of horror vocal - but you can't argue with a chorus like this. The "A-R-T-P-O-P" hook at the end is brilliant too. "Applause" is definitely the right side of Gaga.

4 - THE SATURDAYS - DISCO LOVE
As successful as The Saturdays have been, they do have a tendency to release music as personality-less as their brand. Every song feels like it could be a debut single for any flash in the pan girl-group. It looks like they're trying to shake this anonymity by finding their "thing". However with new singles "Gentleman" and now "Disco Love", they seem to be settling on being the new Girls Aloud - quirky lyrics and genre-hopping. "Gentleman" was the a step too far down novelty lane, but "Disco Love" is surprisingly uplifting. And when you don't flinch at "it's Donna Summer all year long", you know they're onto something. 

3 - LUKE FINCHER - NO RESPONSE

It's quite a feat standing out from the hoards of soulful male singers from the US and UK - but Fincher has something special. The 17 year old blows them all out of the water in one incredible performance on "No Response". Over reverb-drenched Weeknd-esque R&B synths, Fincher hits notes with an effortless confidence and strength. Every tasteful melismatic flick and achingly tender note shimmers and captivates. And he absolutely kills the falsetto climax in the heart-stopping chorus.

2 - ICONA POP - GIRLFRIEND
Although almost identical to "I Love It", with any luck "Girlfriend" will be as big as their breakthrough hit. The key to the girl's success is their lack of glamour and ego, and this makes the simplicity and commerciality of their anthemic dancepop go from potentially tedious to charming, tongue-in-cheek and 'feel-good' in the most infectious sense. Even the track's most obvious sexually ambiguous undertones can be forgiven.

1 - TENSNAKE FT. FIORA - 58BPM
Finally released in its glorious 5 minute form, "58bpm" is a sensual slice of 80s soul heard through the future bass kaleidoscope... at 58 beats per minute. And it's the ultimate comedown anthem - perfect to soundtrack a reluctant end to the sunniest, most joyous summer in memory. The track is so daringly slow (indeed that's the main feature) that is seems suspended in mid-air, as a single warm chord lingers tentatively above a lurching beat, as Fiora's vocals seem to melt as the chorus hits. Sadly destined to be underrated, the track is nevertheless the most creative and spellbinding piece of music Tensnake has created to date.