News: Glastonburgh Festival Emerging Talent Competition 2013

Now that entries are closed Glastonbury Festival have confirmed this year's judges for the Emerging Talent Competition and I'm delighted to once again be on the panel of judges.

If you are unfamiliar with the competition it basically gives one unsigned band the opportunity to play the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury. They've had some pretty notable breakthrough acts in the past so it's a exciting competition to be a part of.

You can read up on my thoughts on the 2011 contest - obviously keep an eye on the Glastonbury website and these pages in the coming weeks for news on the long list and this year's winners.

I'll be judging with 39 other bloggers to create the long list - from here Glastonbury's own judges will whittle down to the overall winner. All entries are divided across the 40 bloggers (listed here) so if you entered there is no guarantee I will be assigned your entry. If you have entered please note that I can't respond to questions around the judging. Queries to the blog tend to go up around the judging period so I'd urge you to not contact the blog unless you have a legitimate reason. Usual submissions are of course welcome as always - I'll just be extra busy!

EP Review: Sensoramic - Laura Jones

Laura Jones, source: Gotta Dance Dirty

Believe it or not Sensoramic is Laura Jones debut solo EP release. It says a lot about the impact of her work that I struggle so much to get my head around that fact, but she has actually only featured on other artists releases, split releases and compilation EPs. She has had several notable tracks since her 2011 break but none quite matches 'Love In Me' in terms of appeal and acclaim, having held the number spot on Beatport for several weeks.

Sensoramic - Laura Jones

The influence of the artists Jones has collaborated with and the labels involve (both Visionquest, whom this release is from, and Jones' other regular label Crosstown Rebels) is fairly clear. Sensoramic is more minimal in approach. Where 'Love In Me' relied on a nod to 90s Euro-house for it's appeal this release is much more unashamedly contemporary.

The maturity works. Opening with 'Let Me In', Laura creates a moody, distant track full of hushed desperation. A deep bass shuffles beneath the track whilst cool xylophone-esque chimes play out an accompany to widescreen synths. The EP also includes a dub version of 'Let Me In' built around that bass line and layered cuts of Jones' vocal, creating something a little deeper for the dance floor.

Next track 'Loose Myself' is claustrophobic, elastic bass effects and rigid drum patterns creating a dark atmosphere that Jones is unafraid to keep maintain at a slow and precise pace. The track gradually builds to a bouncy bass line that does nothing to lighten the mood, delivering an epic and introspective conclusion.

Final track 'Every Thought' continues the introspective theme, creating a melodic collage of delayed synths, gradually decaying keys and plenty of filters and effects.

The EP is at its finest when opened up to the loose chime playing and contrasting depth of 'Let Me In' but the whole release grows the producer's sound convincingly.

Sensoramic is released through Visionquest on 4 February.

Stream: This Dark Matter - Slow Revolt

Just a quick one on this... This Dark Matter is the first half of a two-part EP out on new label Pavilion, sister label to Super.

The Slow Revolt comes from London and there's a lush Folk feel to this EP, but it's also got a strong indie-R&B twist, particularly on the title track.

This Dark Matter is out now - listen to the preview below or check out the full release on Spotify.

Video: Diana - Shiny Darkly

Press play above for downright noisy goth garage from Shiny Darkly, new on Copenhagen's Crunchy Frog label (responsible for the Raveonettes and Iceland's Apparat Organ Quartet amongst others).

'Diana' is a dark take on garage post-punk, full of reverb and distortion. The video is also confrontational - a disorientating riot of urban desolation, group dance and some fairly graphic scenes. Slightly NSFW.

Single Review: Re-Set - Alex Barck

Re-Set is the first solo outing for Jazzanova founder Alex Barck, marking the first in a series of three vinyl only singles set to precede his début solo album Reunion.

Re-Set - Alex Barck

Surprisingly Barck abandons the leftfield indie-jazz stylings of Jazzanova here and goes for something much more electronic and arguably more streamlined. The original mix is built around clean synth-lines and a bubbling bass track. Bristol-based vocalist Pete Josef provides an uplifting soulful vocal and gives the track a wonderfully embracing and elegant feel. It's like Junior Boys on masses of MDMA basically.

Berlin house and techno newcomer Hannes Fischer provides the remix. He applies a deft touch, stripping back the synth and subtly changing the tone. This alternative version is just as cool as the original but plays to a slightly more minimal audience, long chords and a simple drum set keep things going whilst the vocal keeps plenty of space. The release closes out with a warm instrumental of the original.

If Alex can keep the quality this high Reunion will certainly be an album to look out for.

Re-Set is out tomorrow through Reunion, available to order on 12" from Amazon.co.uk [affiliate link]. Stream the original version of 'Re-Set' below:

EP Review: Rosalind EP - Leon Vynehall

The Rosalind EP represents Leon Vynehall's sophomore release for label Well Rounded Housing Project and his third overall, with second release Gold Language coming out on Man Make Music following the his debut release, Mauve, last year.

This EP consists of two upbeat tracks followed by the title track, which closes the release out in a more laid back fashion. Vynehall focuses on a techie, robotic vision of house music. Opening track 'Untitled 017’ contains plenty of layered vocal snippets and an elastic bass, which combine with the treble-heavy percussion to give things an open, live-feeling sound.

Vynehall calls to mind early Layo & Bushwacka! and Emperor Machine in his distorted but sincere take on house. 'Title #7' throws in hi-hats-aplenty and rolling bongos to forge an atmospheric banking for a slowed-down and stretched-out classic house piano refrain.

Finally 'Rosalind' closes things with a suitably dreamy, soulful looped sample. The thick, looping melodies and sharp drum beat sound like Chill-wave produced by a Hip-Hop producer. It's a doe-eyed love letter that brings a relaxed but touching close to the EP.

The Rosalind EP is released on 5 February though Well Rounded Housing Project, preview below via Soundcloud:

Album Review: Take The Space Trane - Mark de Clive-Lowe & The Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra

The concept for this album takes a little explaining. Mark de Clive-Lowe is a Japanese-New Zealand producer, musician and DJ. Having embraced the piano as young as four he went on to become an accomplished Jazz musician. Having spent a decade in London working alongside the likes of Bugz In The Attic and Jody Watley, Clive-Lowe relocated to Los Angeles last year and released his 14th solo album Renegades through Tru Thoughts.

Take The Space Trane - Mark de Clive-Lowe & The Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra

New album Take The Space Trane is an appropriately titled trip into both jazz's future and past. In collaboration with The Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra, Clive-Lowe came up with the concept of applying a distinctly modern take on the vintage Big Band sound. The resulting album is a combination of tracks from Clive-Lowe's career together with two new compositions and a cover the jazz standard 'Caravan'.

The result is an arresting combination. We're used to hearing elements of jazz plundered but until now the Big Band sound has generally been left to age more gracefully. Notably not everyone is pleased with the result - when performing their first show a Amsterdam's Melkweg venue Clive-Lowe recalls an audience visibly divided, with older Big Band-purists fleeing for cover whilst many younger listeners lapped up the opportunity to consume something new.

The music has an experimental, near Acid-Jazz sound at times - the brassy melodies are affronting and here, in all their polished glory, the album is quite the thing to consume. The cover of 'Caravan' is a fractured piece that layers funk rhythms with left-field experimental jazz.

The album title itself comes from the classic Jazz-player Duke Ellington's 'Take The A Train', combined with the experimental modal techniques of John Coltrane. Add in the electronic influence and you get Take The Space Trane (obviously!).

Clive-Lowe has created a very full album, with a sound and an idea that simultaneously tries to appeal to a number of styles at once but risks alienating fans of all of those styles completely. Where it slots together and hits its stride Take The Space Trane is a thrilling ride - you just need to be ready to hang on tight for the occasional sharp corner and be prepared for the fact it almost certainly goes on a little longer than necessary.

Take The Space Trane is released on 4 February through Tru Thoughts, available to pre-order on CD from Amazon.co.uk for just £7 [at the time of publishing, affiliate link]. Preview the title track below from Soundcloud:

EP Review: Bridge So Far - Benoit & Sergio

I've given a fair amount of space to Benoit & Sergio over the past year or so and that's because their EP releases have consistently been some of my favourites over that time. Following releases on thesongsays, DFA, Visionquest and Spectral Sound this new EP sees them arrive on the Hot Creations label.

As always Benoit & Sergio don't do anything massively differently from a number of other electronic producers - they just do it with more soul, and they do it better.

The a-side is built around a heavy, robotic bass line - and it's ever-so-slightly Daft Punk in sound. The track has Benoit & Sergio's trademark bruised falsetto vocals though, and they grant 'Bridge So Far' a soulful edge to the harder disco sound. It is mainly about that bass line however - it's both instantaneously catchy and cool.

Over on side-b is the funkier '$100 Bill', and it's full of twisted vocodered vocals and trebly hand-claps & drum-slaps. It also features a wonky, insatiable bass line - think a slick, alien, machine generated take on 'Billie Jean'. This is another side to Benoit & Sergio, more overtly dance-friendly than they are usually, but it demonstrates exactly what their production talent is capable of.

Benoit & Sergio put out better electronic-disco-soul-funk than anyone else and you'd be foolish to sleep on this. Despite their Washington DC-via-Berlin background Bridge So Far is incredibly French and, more importantly, incredibly good.

Bridge So Far is released via Hot Creations on 4 February. Preview via Soundcloud below:

Stream: White Blush - White Blush

2013 seems to be off to a promising start as I've already received several interesting débuts from unsigned artists. This self-titled release comes from LA-based dream pop artist White Blush, AKA Carol Rhyu. She cites influences across a range of media, included Japanese horror, Manga and Julie Cruise. And you can certainly hear these aspects come through in the floating melodies and 80s-influenced production.

Both 'Mirror' and 'Jolene' are particularly strong - dreamlike, spooky and full of layered, melodic vocals. It's another pay-what-you-want EP via White Blush, so download it if you like it.

Album Review: Blood Oathes Of The New Blues - Wooden Wand

Blood Oathes Of The New Blues is the latest album from James Jackson Toth, AKA Wooden Wand, and it follows on from his more rock and roll offering Briarwood [Spotify]. I'm new to Wooden Wand but this album has a certain atmosphere that means I can imagine it's a suitable follow up.

The press release likens the sound to a Sunday morning 'wake and bake' to the previous album's Saturday night revelry. I'm not entirely sure that nails it - there's certainly an introspective, hung-over and full of self-pity sense to some of Blood Oathes... but much of this album feels like the after-after-party. Tired, bluesy songs for the long-trudge home in the January cold with a gently building sense of sobriety as your only company... Or perhaps it's the inevitable whisky or bourbon nightcap once you finally get there?

The timing of this release is either very fortunate or extremely well-planned, for it's as suited to January as thick coats, warm gloves and cold-remedies. There is a frosty loneliness to Toth's blues. This album isn't as alone as Bon Iver's first, for example, because the country style and additional female vocals lend company, but it is definitely one of cosy mutual consolation more than partying or celebration.

Blood Oathes... isn't just well timed, it also plays well with timing. It's a short album at 42-minutes, but still fits in the foggy 12-minute opener, the gloriously scruffy-yet-somehow-still-glittering two-part 'No Bed For Beatle Wand / Days This Long'. The several longer tracks that appear are offset with a couple of sub-two-minute ones, with album closer 'No Debts' providing a fine sense of closure.

Ultimately Wooden Wand's album succeeds based on Toth's story-telling. The best songs here a little more than a description of those personal moments you experience in the pursuit of living, and how they make you think - 'Outsider Blues' and its tales of car journeys soundtracked by arguments and Sticky Fingers for example. It's simple, but it works. Happy January.

Blood Oathes Of The New Blues is out now on Fire Records, available to order from Amazon.co.uk on CD, LP or MP3 [affiliate links]. Listen via Spotify below: