Freakin

Hot City release ‘Another Girl‘ on July 4th, a ravey party track full of pumping bass. Their (a.k.a.) bootleg of Another Level’s ‘Freak Me’ comes to air at the same time, with stabby samples, choppy vocals and a funky bassline.

DJ Haus N’ Benz – Freakin Hot [320]

Lilt

lilt ladies

Kidkut came to my attention as the leader of one of my favourite labels Immerse Records. Putting out consistently fresh sounds from the likes of Kontext, Sigha and Planas, the label flows through the streams of sound I love, broadly sprouting from the pool of dubstep.

Adam Kidkut Jackson seemingly excels at the production of exciting electronic sounds as well as the harbouring and distribution. He has a forthcoming release on the mighty Applepips label and featured here is the B-side Lilt. A totally tropical thirst quencher of percussive housey bass music. Yum.

Kidkut – Lilt

Raga

I think my mind just blew. Apparently, through frantically searching the internet for the last 15 minutes, I’m somewhat late on this one, but for anyone who hasn’t heard, here is the magic of Ten Ragas To a Disco Beat. There is wild speculation all over the internet that this is some sort of hoax, but regardless the sounds are sweeeet!.

Here is what Boomkat have to say:

“Charanjit Singh’s ‘Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat’ is quite easily one of the maddest records we’ve ever had in stock. It was originally made in 1982 by a Bollywood soundtrack composer, intending to capitalise on the disco phenomenon with a combination of centuries-old classical Indian Ragas set to a disco backing. He basically created a sound which mirrored, and more importantly, pre-dated the first acid house record – Phuture’s ‘Acid Track’ by five years, and even preceded Chip E’s ‘Jack Trax’ in 1985. It’s no throw-away novelty record either, instead capturing the hypnotic potential of acid music in the most ornate and scarily prescient fashion, making explicit the similarities of infinitely arpeggiated bass sequences and pure electronic pulses that would soundtrack dancefloors for the next 30 odd years. ‘Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat’ is vintage futurism of the highest calibre, and made all the more amazing by the fact it came from India, a place hardly renowned for its electronic output! This is a remarkable record and comes with our highest recommendation – AN ABSOLUTE FIND.

LionHeart

Currently excitedly awaiting the arrival of this on vinyl. Here are the words of Blackdown‘s Keysound Recordings with regards to the release…

“LHF are a shadowy collective existing in the liminal space beyond most standard definitions. They have a musical vision that bubbles up deep from below, as if from a different era, one uncontaminated by current trends and cluttered distractions. Their membership is ill-defined, their methods clandestine and their motives unclear. What is for certain however is the vast expanse of raw, experimental sounds emitting from the camp, stretching out above London’s pirate airwaves and beyond, radiating towards cities like LA, Rio or Mumbai and beyond, perhaps even stretching to the celestial bodies where only Sun Ra dare gaze. LHF: they may enter in silence but beware… the storm has yet to break.”

Exciting stuff! There is also a promo mix circulating of various tunes from the diverse LHF collective, which can be downloaded here.

Magic!

Sunday 13th of June saw The Magic Lantern performing their penultimate gig of their Shine A Light On Tour at Oxford’s club The Cellar. The gig was hosted by Oxford’s long running night the Sunday Roast. This meant that free cake, tea and craft workshops promised to add innocent delights to the enjoyment of one of my favourite new bands. However the friendly atmosphere unfortunately enticed irritating conversation from the audience and this combined with the usual nonchalance of the sound man did not create the inviting atmosphere i had hoped oxford would provide. Nonetheless the band played through and illuminated the space with their magic.

Despite the disinterest of part of the audience at the show, those who stopped to listen seemed entirely captivated, and this is one of the great skills of the band. I first came across them at Secret Garden Party last year when a few of the members played an impromptu gig to a miniature audience at 6am in one of the few tents still releasing sounds. Despite my inebriated state, searching for early morning scraps of a party, I and my companions were instantly transfixed by their sound.

The Magic Lantern fuse delicate folk flickerings with the depth a richness of a jazz timbre. Their open sound is extremely accessible, but in no way due to the following of common formulae. They are a five piece band who opt for a percussionist rather than drummer and feature a cellist and clarinet player. Their sounds combine to provide a refreshingly deep and mysterious atmosphere, full of imagery even before lead vocalist Jamie Doe has decorated the songs with his powerful lyrics.

Jamie has a voice which instantly invites you to listen due to its honest clarity. Not over-polished, but perfectly pitched, soft and full, Jamie’s voice is the perfect accompaniment to his poignant lyrics, musing about common emotions, and tackling subjects such as environmental change without falling into the trap of explicit deliberacy.

Despite the intricacy of The Magic Lanterns arrangements (and the issues with sound and audience attention!) the band still delivered a tight performance full of power and maturity.

Below is my favourite song of the moment, Somebody Told Me, off The Magic Lantern‘s forthcoming album Shine A Light On. Stay tuned for a full review, but for now enjoy!

System

I’m off to Mexico for four weeks tomorrow so posts will be less frequent but please bare with us. Until the next post enjoy this mix by Jef K forthcoming on Silver Network. A simple pumping track with sweeping pads and deep soul vocals, it’ll get in your system, a sure summer hit.

The Gathering – In My System (Jef K System Mix)

Graduate: Tom Casson

As another academic year comes to a close, universities up and down the country present to us their finest servings of fresh faced graphic designers and illustrators. This years show at Sheffield Hallam University has introduced me to the work of recently graduated illustrator Tom Casson.

Displaying his work in the form of prints and hand made zine’s, in his up and coming self publication “A Vision Of The Future” Tom has taken examples of modern culture and twisted them to paint his own (hilarious) view of western civilization in the year 2020. Tom writes “A Facebook profile is deemed worthy enough that Birth Certificates and Passports are fazed out”. We certainly hope that isn’t the case.

Showing a great sence of fun in his work we decided to invite Tom to answer a few questions for Pejhy before he enters the working world, heres what he had to say:

Congratulations on your nomination to take part in this years D&AD show. What will you be displaying at the exhibition? have you been given the opportunity to submit new pieces or will you be showing work from your graduation show?

This is awkward *laughs* Unfortunately, I can not attend this years show. I am off to the USA for the summer next week, as I am working at a Special Needs camp in Pennsylvania. I did it last year and really enjoyed it so I am not too upset about missing out on the show.

Something i particularly enjoyed from you at the Creative Spark group show was your zine “A Vision of the Future”. Do you have any plans to make this publication more widely available?

Thank you and yes, I am going to release ‘A Vision of the Future’ later this year. I am going to reprint the zine, send a few out to possible employers. Then start selling the zine itself with a few screen prints of images from the booklet on my website, once that is up and running. Don’t hesitate, get your orders in now !

As an illustrator do you think it’s important to work on one recognizable style or is that something that comes naturally?

I believe when starting out as an illustrator it is important to have a certain style, wether that be the method and techniques you use or the concepts behind your work. This, then leaves room for experimentation as you progress in your career. I guess when you have been drawing for so long it eventually becomes natural when you first put pen to paper. I think its important not to be too strongly influenced by what’s fashionable and/or the current trend within illustration.

When creating pieces of assessed work or exhibition pieces, what are your ideal working conditions?

I really enjoy working at home. With everything I own around me, as then I can refer to a book or have a can of Rubicon Mango whenever I please.The most important thing is that I must always, always have music on. Its got the ability to inspire you and it can suit every type of mood you are in. I am currently listening to the album “Nigerian Rock Special: Psychedelic Afro-Rock & Fuzz Funk in 1970′s Nigeria”.

Who are you favourite illustrators working today? if you could work for/with anyone in the industry who would they be?

I have a few, Simon Spilsbury, Peter Arkle, I also really enjoy Vic Reeves’ work. I went to see him at a Q&A recently at the Lyceum in Sheffield and he was hilarious. His book ‘Vast Book of World Knowledge’ is one of the funniest things I have ever read/looked at. As for work, I would love my illustrations to be represented by the CIA (Central Illustration Agency) they have a great collective that show the full range of illustration that is around around today.

How would you personally measure what it is to be a successful illustrator?

Very difficult question especially as a graduate. Personally all I want to do is make people laugh. I think to be able to create images that need no caption, no explanation, that people just understand and enjoy, that’s being ‘successful’ for me.

Finally, now that you have finished your degree what do you have planned for the future?

Well as I said earlier, I am off to America for the summer. I am treating it as somewhat of a sabbatical, before coming back refreshed with quite afew exciting projects in the pipe line, including the “Vision of the Future” publication release. Of course setting up my website and looking for freelance work as I go. For now there is my blog:

http://tomcassonillustration.blogspot.com

Story

A solemn gradual build opens to the familiar chorus with tapping hats, before Solo lets loose into some bass and bongos. Get your free 320 from soundcloud. Summer winner!

Layo & Bushwacka – Love Story (Solo Bootyleg)

Watercolour

(Directed) handmade by Irina Dakeva @ Wizz, and is composed of approx 2000 watercoloured images painted one after another.

Roads

Back from Gottwood festival and what an allround great experience – beautiful location, super performances and amazing people. Here’s a new atmospheric stormer by Max Cooper who’s set was two hours of sublime pleasure.

Portishead – Roads (Max Cooper Remix)

Paratrooper

I’m off to my first festival (Gottwood) of the summer season today and djing in an Igloo. Here’s some Parisian party house by Playfair to fuel some excitement and joy for the weekend.

Playfair – Paratrooper [320]

Post

I’ve been away touring the English countryside for the last week and a half, and feel i have fallen a million years behind in recent releases. A quick session on Boomkat has however provided many sweet fruits. The most exciting prospect is the forthcoming Hotflush release from SepalcureLove Pressure EP‘. An entity previously unknown to me, but creating the post-dubstep sound i’ve been chasing since dubsteps birth. A quick google search also revealed the video delight above. Enjoy!

Higher

Pearson Sound aka Ramadanman on a beautifully deep clipped house/-step, summer vibe. Be patient with it, the rewards are great. A side is just as sweet, on a drum n bass minimal flex. Forthcoming on Darkestral Recordings.

Home

Tiefschwarz‘s third album ‘Chocolate’ is soon to be released on their label Souvenir. ‘Home’ introduces a deeper sound than previous productions with gentle swaying melodies, carefully crafted beats and solemn vocals. Mesmerising pleasure.

Tiefschwarz feat. Daniel Wilde – Home

Acid Washed


Acid Washed - Snake by Anthony BurrillPaul Plowman, Jack Featherstone


Acid Washed – General Motors, Detroit, America by Anthony BurrillPaul Plowman, Zac Ella

Mix House

Imagine

Todd Terje brings a restrained seduction to all the familiar sounds and vocals of Superstition. Slow builds, echoes, delays and plenty of groove. Body rocking dancefloor wonder!

Stevie Wonder – Superstition (Todd Terje Edit)

Flashy

Jaar can do no bad with a new remix from Ellen Allien’s latest EP. Familiar tribal percussion, filtered horn synth chords, desperate haunting vocals, guitar flicks and distant piano hits.

Ellen Allien – Flashy Flashy (Nicolas Jaar Remix)