Dan Le Sac and Scroobius Pip’s debut album “Angles” was by far my favourite album of 2008 and easily ranks up there in my top 5 of all time, with Le Sac’s epic beats wrapping their way around Pip’s inspiring lyrics and expertly crafted delivery, it’s an album that I constantly go back to. So when new material surfaced towards the end of last year I was a wee bitty excited and even more so when new album “The Logic of Chance” arrived.

Although, at points, slightly cheerier than it’s predecessor (with tracks on subjects such as musical snobbery and the fun of getting the last train home), the duo still take time out to delve into topics such as domestive violence and knife crime. Again, the beats compliment the lyrics and vocal delivery brilliantly and manage to keep the listener hooked throughout, even when Pip’s lyrical content wanders down darker, more difficult paths.

These are the two stand out tracks for me – but as with “Angles”, my favourite track changes almost daily and I can’t recommend grabbing the full album highly enough.

Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip – Last Train Home

Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip – Five Minutes

The Sight Below’s debut full-length “Glider” (2008) established the reclusive Seattle-based artist’s singular sound—a haze of guitar riffs and electronic pulses. His new album “It All Falls Apart”, has tinges of sadness but maintains a level of ambient catharsis to drift away to.

Additionally, the album includes a cover of Joy Division’s “New Dawn Fades” featuring vocals by Tiny Vipers. The cover can be heard here.

The album arrives on Ghostly on April 6th.

The Sight Below – Fervent

Cobblestone Jazz have teamed up with The Mole for their new album “The Modern Deep Left Quartet” which is due out at the end of March on !K7. To get the juices flowing here is one of their more 4/4 drum driven tunes that oozes energy. “Fiesta” anyone? click here to download from our friends.

Cobblestone Jazz – Fiesta

Well the Friday classic from Paul arrived and got me delving through all my old hip hop stuff. So many amazing classic tunes out there. Hopefully this one keeps the day rocking away.

Naughty by Nature was formed in New Jersey in 1989 and consisted of Treach, Vin Rock, and the DJ Kay Gee. Their first hit as Naughty by Nature is the one I have chosen. It sampled the Jackson 5’s hit “ABC” and was released in 1991 on their self-titled album Naughty by Nature. The song peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it one of the most successful rap songs in history.

This always gets heads nodding. No political commentary getting rapped here just jumped up beats, slick rhymes and a girl groaning in the background!

Naughty By Nature – O.P.P

While taking one of my all too frequent trips on the nostalgia bus, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy’s album “Hypocrisy is the Greatest Luxury” is often the soundtrack.
It’s release in 1992 had a huge impact on me as an impressionable 15 year old and alongside bands like The 25th of May and Marxman fed my hunger for politically conscious music.

“Television, The Drug of the Nation” was the first single from the album and despite the fact that it’s sometimes a bit clunky lyrically, it’s an absolutely brilliant tirade against the mindlessness of television and the generation embracing it, all wrapped up in an industrial edged hip hop soundtrack.

The band later went on to record “Spare Ass Annie and Other Tales” with William S. Burroughs and then called it a day – frontman Michael Franti forming Spearhead, focusing more on funk and soul and sharpening his song writing and vocal skills but as if often the case, sharpening the edges off in the process.

Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy – Television, The Drug of the Nation

These New Puritans are a post rock electronic band with influences as far stretched as Yo La Tengo, Underworld and Wu-Tang Clan. As a result the tunes are ripe for a remix or two. Here’s one from The Count himself Herve. You can download this for a limited time from his Soundcloud page here.

These New Puritans – Attack Music (HERVE garage attack dub)

THESE NEW PURITANS attack music (the counts aka HERVE garage attack dub) by hervespace

The Foals have been on top form of late with some amazing new work. Their haunting tune “Spanish Sahara” has been redone by Mount Kimbie giving it more of a glitchy, edgy feel. Have a listen and get downloading.

Foals – Spanish Sahara (Mount Kimbie Remix)

The kind folk at Radio Magnetic asked us if we’d take the Phuturelabs sound to their very high quality airwaves. We of course agreed, gathered up our fave tunes of the moment and dived in headfirst. It’s myself (Paul) and Cliff behind the controls for the first episode (or experiment if you will) with Kieran chipping in a wee guest mix of IDMness.

So pop on over to Magnetic and have a gander or listen below (higher quality bitrate MP3 coming shortly).

Tracklisting:

1. Phantogram – When I’m Small – Ghostly
2. Breakage – Open Up – Digital Soundboy
3. The XX – VCR (Matthew Dear Remix)
4. Distance – Beyond – Chestplate
5. Kuedo – Starfox – Planet Mu
6. The Set Up – Lizard (Ronin Reconstruction) – Nerve Breaks
7. Epyptrixx – Battle for North America – AAAHH!! Real Monsters
8. Noisia – Split The Atom – Vision
9. Four Tet – Love Cry – Domino
10. Donaeo – Riot Music (Skream rmx) – Digital Soundboy
11. Floating Points – Peoples Potential – Eglo
12. Seafar – GLA (FSOLDIGITAL.COM)
13. Seafar – High Tide at Point Ormond (FSOLDIGITAL.COM)
14. Midmir – Whiteout – Retronym
15. Fur – Witches – Waaga Records
16. Fur – Hidden – Waaga Records
17. Essell – Daydream – Soulseek Records
18. Echoes Escape – 10 (unsigned)
19. Fur – Friends (Solar Bears Remix) – Secret Station
20. DFRNT – Decay – On The Edge
21. Jose James – Blackmagic (Joy Orbison’s Recreation) – Brownswood
22. Y2D – Autonomy – Nerve
23. Black Van – Yearning (Emperor Machine Mix) – DFA
24. Caribou – Odessa – City Slang

If you’re a fan of Aphex Twin or Boards of Canada, or just a fan of quality IDM electronica, then you should really give Phenoplastic’s recent release “Presented In Colour” a listen.

Hailing from the “dear green place” of Glasgow, Phenoplastic (aka Paul Harrison) is an upcoming musician producing music that is, on the one hand reminiscent of tracks you might have heard before, and at the same time, utterly original.

Kieran (PL)- “So, tell us a bit about yourself- how did you get into writing electronic music?”

Phenoplastic- “Well… I’m a jazz musician mainly – a piano player, though I’ve been making electronica for far longer, since I was about 14. It all began when my Commodore 64, which was pretty cool for music at the time, was replaced by an Amiga 500, and I started making tunes with the tracker software everyone was using back then.

I have tapes and tapes of stuff from back then (the very early 90s) which I dug out recently and listened to again. Nothing releasable there though, I think, though it was great to hear them again!”

Kieran (PL)- “What does your studio setup consist of? What did you use for ‘Presented In Colour’?”

Phenoplastic- “The album was produced using Logic, mainly with softsynths and all kinds of plugins. I’m always looking for new ways to distort and dirty sounds. I’ve always thought that the post-digital obsession with ‘hi-fi’ was misplaced and that more lo-fi sounds can communicate more spirit and soul. I don’t know why this is, though. I also suppose I use some of my jazz influences to bring in weird melodies – different kinds of melodies and harmonies that you don’t often hear with electronica.”

Kieran (PL)- “Anything else you think we should know about Phenoplastic? “

Phenoplastic- “….I should tell you that I’ve started on the follow up to ‘Presented in Colour’. No idea when it will be done though!

Many thanks to Phenoplastic for taking the time to answer a few questions for us!

If you’re liking the tracks below you can download the entire album, in all its various digital formats, for free here.

Phenoplastic – The Alms

Phenoplastic – Skellybob Wood

(Right click and “save as” to download)
Phenoplastic – Hawaii 61

Originally broadcast via their website on Tuesday the 2nd of March 2010.

A 12 hour long continuous mix by the Autechre boys featuring over 170 tracks!!

From Squarepusher to Herb Albert via Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy, FSOL & 808 State, this mix has got it all!

One listener managed to record the entire show and has made it available for download via P2P sharing here. Size of the mix is nearly 700mb and the quality is 128kbps.

Alternatively you can get it directly from the below link-

(right click & save as).
Autechre 12 hour Radio Broadcast

No track list was provided for the mix- so an army of fans have made a collaborative public google docs file here to try and figure one out. As time goes on it will become more complete- but even a quick scan just now shows that the mix is fairly comprehensive!!

Unfortunately putting a 12 hour mix onto the blog isn’t possible- so instead I’ll leave you with one of my favourite Autechre tracks “Second Bad Vibel” (Video by Chris Cunningham).