Yeah yeah, you missed me. While I’ve been globetrotting the music hasn’t stopped flowing in, so my work is never done, just delayed.
You remember that new Joker album? The Vision? Holy crap. Love it. It’s how that UK sound should sound IMHO.
Graham Knox Frazier has another release, House Instrumentals. This dude really likes house. He’s really pretty good at it, so you’ll be hearing some of it too.
J-Boogie has a few singles out with an album as well, and his Dubtronic Science has me believing. Undercover is very fun.
Miguel Migs is a name I’d not heard for years, but Outside the Skyline is one I’ve been listening to and playing for a while. Very cool stuff.
Jono McCleery’s There Is blows me away. Not my first choice for a genre, but when a talent like his comes along and puts out an album as solid as this, I praise it far and wide.
Captain Planet? Yeah, the blue guy is back and he’s Cookin’ Gumbo. Another fun album with some great grooves and beats.
DJ Shadow’s The Less You Know, The Better is an interesting followup to The Outsider. It’s much less Hip-Hop than its predecessor, but it’s still very characteristically DJ Shadow, for those who know what I’m talking about. I am very pleased to listen to an album of his and wade through a dozen genres while not feeling confused (much). Pretty unique, if you think about it.
Emika’s self-titled album is one I’ve been waiting for. This UK artist has a very unique sound, both electronically and vocally. Dark, but not necessarily the way you might think. It’s deeply interesting, as vague as that sounds…
Rustie’s Glass Swords is, if I’m honest, a slightly more palatable album than what I was expecting after his EP earlier this year. But I’m not disappointed. This is some really creative stuff which is leading the wave of very characteristic sounds from Glasgow. Brilliant.
Natacha Atlas needed some remixes, I guess. She got them, and they are good. What can I say about a highly-talented female vocalist singing in Arabic over dope beats that bears repeating? Nothing.
Seekae has surprised me. Weird name, weirder album name, great music. Kinda like Gold Panda but with a bit of caffeine. That’s a really good thing. Big fan.
Hectic Zeniths sent me an email asking for me to download their album. I did. I’m mentioning it here because it’s very mentionable. It’s a very dense combination of a pianist and electronic artist. These are things that can go sorely wrong when put together, but this is not one of those catastrophes. You’ll be surprised. Promise.
Starkey is a name who has buzzed around the UK sound for me, and Open the Pod Bay Doors is pretty much exactly what I was expecting. Very confident and driven sound with loads of character but whimsical also. Niiiice.
DJ Cam is, well, DJ Cam. He’s one of the few DJs you’ve heard of who isn’t German, Dutch, or American. He’s worked with everyone has even drafter Chris James from Stateless for a few tracks. You owe it to yourself to listen to this one.
Carmen Rizzo is generally an uptempo producer, but his newest EP is much more introspective. The Space Left Behind reminds me, deeply, of train rides and airplane lounges throughout the world where you’re never sure if you’ll be there again. Silly as that sounds, you’ll hear it too.
Tycho is well, kinda like an uptempo Ulrich Schnauss, with smooth, driving beats and a lot of synthesizer work. This is very pleasing to me and it makes for an airy, but worldly sound.
Okay, we’re almost caught up. Tune in tomorrow to hear most of this stuff!