Album Review: Hi-Hat Club (Volume Three): The Jazz Files - Dexter

Since its release back in 2001 (in the UK at least) the crazy cut up eccentricity of The Avalanches début album Since I Left You has been a firm favourite of BlackPlastic's every single summer. With each year that passes without a follow up album the likelihood of ever hearing more from the band wanes yet it still manages to be a hot topic and attracts plenty of speculation. The latest rumour is that we may indeed see a new album late this year. BlackPlastic will believe it when we actually hear it.

Dexter (or DJ Dexter if you prefer) has since officially left the band but is credited with having a signifcant influence on the band's sound.

And listening to Hi-Hat Club (Volume Three) that influence is obvious. Frankly if you are jonesing for a bit more Since I Left You then you will probably find a lot to like here. As the title suggests there is a jazz vibe that runs throughout the album, and the overall sound has a little more hip-hop and a bit less "kitchen sink", but ultimately for an Avalanches fan the sound is like slipping into an old comfy chair. The observant will even notice that some of the same old sample used by The Avalanches crop up here on 'Practice' but this time they feature an MCs' snippets alongside them, reflecting the different tone of Hi-Hat Club.

The ideas and samples come thick and fast - 'The Future' kicks off with an old radio programme opening before slamming down a hip-hop beat and some jazz keys. The magical pairing of these two elements is reminiscent of instrumental J Dilla but this being Dexter it all feels a little bit more 'turntablism' and less pure hip-hop.

Ultimately the album follows a similar pattern throughout - combinations of hip-hop beats and bassline, jazz samples and radio snippets fade in and out to create what feels like a continuous piece rather than a set of discrete songs.

Hi-Hat Club is not the eclectic party celebration album that Since I Left You was, its more focused nature meaning that it never scales the dizzy heights of that album. Yet it's still a compelling and interesting listen and a clear demonstration of Dexter's skill.

BP x

Hi-Hat Club (Volume Three): The Jazz Files is out now on Melting Pot Music, available from Amazon.co.uk on LP and MP3 [affiliate links].

Album Review: Darkroom Dubs Volume Two - various mixed by Silicone Soul

If you have heard of Silicone Soul you probably know them for their genre-defying track 'Right On!' from the turn of the last decade. It was the kind of track that found a place in many DJs sets it managed to please both techno fans and house heads with a combination of strings and loose percussion and despite the duo having released four albums over the years it remains their biggest track.

What you may not know is that the Glasgow duo are not only still active but they also run their own label, Darkroom Dubs. This is their second label compilation, following on from Darkroom Dubs Volume One in 2005.

Darkroom Dubs Volume Two surprises just based on how understated it feels. 'Right On!' was never exactly a fair barometer for Silicone Soul's sound but this never strays even close to the elements that made that track cross over. This is an album for fans of dark, atmospheric minimal music and it takes itself seriously. What you get, therefore, is serious music for people in clubs that want to dance and don't want to talk to other people.

It's clinical then, but in places it works. Opening track 'Diabolus In Musica' by Mirror Music lays down a delicate introduction that feels like floating in space and there are numerous tracks, especially those from Silicone Soul, that get a groove going on.

But what Darkroom Dubs Volume Two lacks is any form of transcendence. There is nothing here that adds up to more than the sum of it's parts - so it's basically a collection of average to good quality minimal tech-house tunes. Nice if that is your bag but ultimately, as the name suggests, this is music for darkrooms in nightclubs.

BP x

Darkroom Dubs Volume Two is out now on Darkroom Dubs.

Video: Who's Next - Curry & Coco

You liked Devo and the Human League, right? Good. You thought Shy Child were better when they sounded broken and that Datarock's sappy second album lacked the punch of their first? Us too. In which case check out Curry & Coco because they are pretty sick.

Originally from Lille, France, Curry & Coco have been busy in London working on an album with producer David Costen (Bat For Lashes, Chew Lips, Everything Everything). Entitled We Are Beauty it will be out "later this year" but rather than getting bogged down in that BlackPlastic suggests you bask in the sunshine brilliance of 'Who's Next' and Curry & Coco's forthcoming EP Sex Is Fashion.

BP x

Video: Drunk Girls - LCD Soundsystem

It's not that we are biased, it's just that LCD Soundsystem are still more exciting than everybody else. Check out the video Spike Jonze has made for new single 'Drunk Girls' as it's probably Jonze's best in years:

Very punk. Love it.

Forthcoming album This Is Happening is out on 17 May, the This Is Happening EP featuring 'Drunk Girls' is out now, both are on EMI.

Stay tuned - we will have a full review of the album on BlackPlastic soon.  The album can also be streamed in full over at the LCD Soundsystem website.

BP x

Video: I Said - Full Crate & Mar

BlackPlastic doesn't know much about this video apart from its awesome-ness.  It's a soul joint that is a bit reminiscent of some of Common's material from the Like Water For Chocolate era only a bit more melancholic. The video itself is pretty special so stick with it - it starts off very understated but as the song progresses it really starts to reflect the sounds - we won't say any more than that because it would spoil it.

The song is taken from the Conversations With Her EP, which is out now on Melting Pot Music, and the video is directed by Eric3000 & Marque.

Album Review: FabricLive 51 - The Duke Dumont

The Duke Dumont appears to be getting his props for the right places - much like upstart Rory Phillips the Duke has seen increasing popularity as the result of a string of successful remixes for the right bands, triggered by his winning the Diesel U Music competition.

At thirteen tracks long FabricLive 51 features less tracks than most Fabric albums, let alone most albums in the FabricLive series and, whilst that may seem like a trivial point it says a lot about Adam Dyment's style. Ultimately this mix is about function more than anything else - there are no tricks here and FabricLive 51 demonstrates that, refreshingly, The Duke Dumont is more about playing ten quality songs than 20 average songs just to prove he can.

And the tracks themselves are a lovely mixture of big room, twisted techno and darker sounds. So from the Vincenzo Remix of Audio Soul Project's 'Reality Check' through to Dyment's own deliciously freaked-out remix of Late of the Pier's 'Bathroom Gurgle' the overall vibe is varied yet consistently spacious and atmospheric. Taking a step-back, FabricLive 51 ends with two slower tracks - Floating Points' loose breakbeat, Flying Lotus-esque 'K&G Beat' and Idioma's melodic 'Landscapes'. It's perhaps a brave move but it shows that The Duke Dumont is more than just a DJ and a good mix CD is more than just a DJ set.

FabricLive 51 may lack thrills but ultimately it delivers a fluid, considered collection of well-mixed tracks and demonstrates a better level of programming and sequencing than many DJs deliver on these sets.

BP x

FabricLive 51 is out now, available from Amazon.co.uk on CD [affiliate link].

Album Review: Shapes 10:01 - Various compiled by Robert Luis

Robert Luis is responsible for A&R for Tru Thoughts and this very affordable compilation (a two-disc set retailing for £4.99) represents his hot tips for 2010.

With Tru Thoughts' general focus on high quality funk and soul the result is consistently good, if sporting few surprises.  On the whole this is a trip through the record crate of someone who clearly knows their stuff, but admittedly a little more here than anyone but the purist needs.  Given the extremely good value for money however, it would be unfair to complain so instead BlackPlastic suggests the listener focuses in on what transcends the barrier between good and great.

So pretty much everything is good, in a 'won't offend anyone' kind of way but some of tracks included inevitably stand out. Azaxx's rough stop-start funk 'Play Again' is as much hip-hop as soul or funk and amongst some of the slightly blander tracks on Shapes it definitely stands out.  Similarly, the epic, almost David Axelrod-esque eponymous 'Stonephace' really carves a place out for itself, leaving whimsical female soul vocals for dust and concentrating on blowing your mind instead.

Shapes 10:01 is a great taster for Tru Thoughts in 2010 but at times the sheer quality of tracks like 'Stonephace' just mean the overall package is in danger of feeling bland. Ultimately though the only real criticism that can be levelled at this album is that it is too much - a stripped back one disc set would have been so full of future classics that it would unquestionably justify its existence, but with so much available for such a low price BlackPlastic can't help but recommend people pick this up.

Shapes 10:01 is out now on Tru Thoughts, available from Amazon.co.uk on CD for just £4.99 [affiliate link].

Video: I Left My Heart In San Francisco - Mayer Hawthorne

Created to commemorate the end of Mayer Hawthorne's two-month tour, which finishes on Thursday in San Francisco, Hawthorne is releasing this rather sublime cover of Tony Bennet's 'I Left My Heart In San Francisco' in collaboration with SF based Huf and designer Freegums.

If you haven't checked out Hawthorne yet then BlackPlastic suggests you do - this cover strikes a beautiful balance between his usual refined soul sound and a more subdued, lounge style that reminds us of Richard Hawley.

BP x

/Via Fluokids.

Album Review: Volume Two - She & Him

There must be a beautiful world out there somewhere where film stars are always wonderfully interesting and where they make lovely pop records that are actually a pleasure to listening.

Whilst you carry on the search for this world BlackPlastic is happy to settle for one such star - the rather appealing Zooey Deschanel. So, fanboy yearning put to one side - Volume Two is Deschanel's second collaboration with musician M. Ward and, as She & Him, follows up on (you guessed it) 2008's Volume One.

So avert your eyes from the BlackPlastic "Alternative Electronic Music" masthead for a few minutes because Volume Two is gently crafted sixties-pop-cum-country music. And we can't help but go a bit doughy on it. What Deschanel lacks in vocal range she more than makes up for in the ability to pen a nice tune and M. Ward's backing does a perfect job of providing the perfect environment to make Zooey shine. The best examples, where the vocals and the music swell in unison as on 'Don't Look Back' and 'Lingering Still' ("And the world's like a science and I'm like a secret" Zooey sings convincingly on the latter), capture a wonderfully kitsch sparkle that transports BlackPlastic to a summer's day.

Compared to Volume One this outing is superior in all ways bar one. Since Volume Two is a more consistent yet more varied album, BlackPlastic can only be disappointed by the fact that there is nothing quite as joyfully edible and sumptuous as Volume One's 'Why Do You Let Me Stay Here'. It's an unfair, churlish criticism perhaps but it ensures that both albums still deserve a listen.

So ultimately Volume Two is the same joyful ye olde fashioned pop music as Volume One. It's warm, arms-open retro hugs.

BP x

Volume Two is out now on Domino, available from Amazon.co.uk on CD, LP and MP3 [affiliate links].