Video: A Leave Taking - Bill Ryder-Jones

File this under spellbinding. I didn't know who Bill Ryder-Jones was but a trip to Wikipedia soon had me informed that he used to play guitar for the Coral but that he quit for 'reasons unknown'. Being a bit of a hater of The Coral I'd like to think that he maybe just realised their twee folk psychedlia was shit. But that's probably just me being unfair.

Anyway, Bill appears to be heading into the realms of contemporary classical music and if this video, directed by Adeline Mai, is anything to go by then that is a good thing. I struggle to understand within the video what is real and what is post-production, but regardless it's pretty special. The combination of filters applied to the swimming couple feels like a brilliant visualisation of the sounds. Just a word of warning - the video is probably slightly NSFW.

You can download Ryder-Jones' EP, A Leave Taking, for free here. He will be releasing his debut album on Domino imprint Double 6 soon.

BP x

Competition: Win tickets for Azari & III album launch at XOYO

Azari & III had my attention back when they collaborated with Friendly Fires on the rather fabulous 'Stay Here'. Since then they've impressed with their lush takes on vintage house, particularly 'Reckless (With Your Love)'.

Their eponymous début album drops next Monday on Loose Lips and to celebrate the band will be playing live at a launch party in London's XOYO on Thursday 11 August.

You can buy tickets here but BlackPlastic are giving away a pair of tickets. To be in with a chance of winning all you need to do is send an email to Competitions@BlackPlastic.co.uk [competition now closed] with the subject line 'I'm too hip to pay, innit'. Please include your full name so I can get you added to the guestlist.

Competition closes at midnight on Thursday 4 August, the winner will be notified by email.

BP x

Album Review: We Love... Portraits 01 - Mat Playford

We Love... has been the tale of Ibiza legend since its inception back in 1999 when it took over the infamous Sunday all day and all night slot at Space. A club night that originally started on a Sunday morning and ran for a full 22 hours, whilst revellers can bask in the outside terrace area: what's not to like?

Except of course times change - Space first received a canopy (blocking out those glorious hands-in-the-air as planes swoosh over moments) and then a full-on roof. The hours have now been reduced to 14 hours, with the action kicking off at 4pm on Sundays. I went back to Ibiza last year for my second time, the first time in seven years. I wasn't there on a clubbing excursion but even so - things have noticeably changed. The warmth of the white isle runs through my veins - it's difficult to resist the lure of gorgeous beaches, sunshine and house music - but things change.

At least they have changed for most of us. Because if you listen to Mat Playford's 'artist profile' you just might find yourself falling down the rabbit hole. This being number '01' it clearly represents the first in a series so I can't conclude that they will all follow the same format but what we have here is basically two albums. The first is an artist effort, with Mat Playford (or his Weirdo Police alter ego) providing original material, whilst the second set is a conventional mix album.

If this sounds like a bad idea, that is because it is. Albums by DJs can be pretty terrible at the best of times, sticking one at the beginning of a mix CD screams 'phoned in'. As such I'm pleasantly stunned to find that Playford's own material here is mostly good and at times excellent. It is truly soaked in Balearic vibes but it still takes in a variety of sounds - opening track 'Evidence' is cosmic and chilled, like Jean Michel Jarrett taking over Café Del Mar. It's easy to bite your thumb at a bit of chill these days but this is surprisingly good and when it is sunny it sounds undeniably good.

The DJ set element kicks in with one of Playford's own compositions, smoothing what could otherwise have been a slightly bumpy transition. Things start fairly laid back and cosmic however, with Ford Inc.'s 'Delirium' little more than some gentle funky keys and Salt City Orchestra's 'Downtime' adding a bit of bass but still playing gently.

Mat Playford's mix of Luca C's Ali Love featuring 'Different Morals' is the first track to raise the pulse a little, but it keeps things classy - funky but minimal, Love's vocal doesn't overpower the mix and the real star here is the reverb, coating the song in deep, lazy sunshine. The dark acid house of Joe Morris' 'Velocity House' is another highlight, vintage house stabs pounding out a melody that emerges from the darkness like the sun cutting through grey.

The set finishes with the epic 'Face The Music' by Tim Deluxe, which combines loose, live sounding percussion with a euphoric techno-inspired synth line. It's all hands-in-the-air until the break drops all but the beat and throws in a piano and some classy brass. Suddenly you really are on the (proper) terrace at Space, listening to a fusion of jazz, house and techno.

It's a fantastic end to the set and the album. Portraits 01 does a great job of recapturing the spirit of 'We Love...' and does a good enough job at demonstrating Playford's DJing and production skill. Now if only I had another trip to Ibiza on the cards...

BP x

Portraits 01 is out now on We Love Recordings, the full set is available from Amazon on CD or MP3 [affiliate links].

Album Review: W - Planningtorock

It's been a while since I've heard an album this good. Planningtorock, or Janine Rostron to her parents, seems to have become something of a sensation over the past few months with her sophomore album creating a bit of a storm. Rostron is the the kind of artist I overhear in a record store and then go to check out only to find I've already downloaded three songs from a selection of blogs. Which isn't to say I'm cool - just that she must have had particularly good write-ups for me to download something without hearing of her first.

Well it turns out that Planningtorock more than deserves those write-ups. W is as a complete an album as you could hope for, drawing the listener in gently and then refusing the let go. The opening tracks come are seductive, at first ballsy and brash ('Doorway', with a full-on, strutting bass line) before becoming isolated and nervy (’The One'). Over the course of the album Rostron gradually winds the screws and it becomes clear just how much she has to offer.

The thing is: W is what people try and pretend good pop music is. Take everything Beyoncé ever released and it wouldn't touch this, simply because Planningtorock actually has the ideas and passion that a multi-million-dollar marketing budget promise but can't deliver. Check 'Manifesto' - if Beyoncé had released it people would be falling at their feet. Built on slices of samba rhythm and boasting a melt-in-the-mouth break in the middle, it challenges and rewards in ways that a Major Lazer sampling hit single only has wet dreams about.

'I'm Yr Man' is a woman being more Mick Jagger than Mick himself, the persistent drum beat hammering into you skull like a nagging naughty thought you just can't put away. Is Janine dreaming of what she wants or what she wishes she was. Or, more likely, just exemplifying the contradictory needy arrogance at the heart of the male ego? Probably all three.

And if 'I'm Yr Man' is a modern twist on cock rock then 'Living It Out' is disco re-imagined - a thunderous statement of intent. As Planningtorock sings about "Living it up, living it down, living it in, living it out" she sounds unstoppable. "My head's on fire", she wails: that familiar feeling of the pursuit of hedonism at the expense of rationality.

W is an album of nooks and crannies, ideas and ideals, promises and revelations. Constantly leaving you guessing what is next, it rewards in a way I haven't experienced all year.

BP x

W is out now on DFA, available from Amazon.co.uk on CD, LP and MP3 [affiliate links].

Video: Pulsator - Synthjunk

Whoever Synthjunk is, this is basically him showing off. This video shows off not just his composition skills but also an immense collection of synthesisers. I'm quite jealous.

The video itself is also really well put together - filmed in low light black & white it really lets all those blinking lights on the equipment do the talking.

Check out Synthjunk's YouTube channel for more.

BP x

Album Review: Within and Without - Washed Out

In hindsight it is obvious that Ernest Greene's debut EP as Washed Out, Life of Leisure, was an important release. For me it marked the beginning of the crossover of chill wave - one of the early releases to encapsulate a new emerging sound. For Washed Out at least, full blown album Within and Without is probably even more important. This year we have already seen Toro y Moi's sound buckle and change under the pressure of increased ears, follow up Underneath the Pine responding to the challenge of staying fresh within a new genre by effectively abandoning it. The world is moving on, what will Washed Out do to avoid becoming washed up?

First things first: Washed Out isn't abandoning anything. Within and Without is faithful to the sound popularised on the first album. A progression of sorts maybe, but whereas Toro y Moi seemingly threw away everything, the kitchen sink and the plumbing, this feels very similar to the music of Life of Leisure.

Opening with single 'Eyes Be Closed' makes sense - it feels like a bridge to this album, fresh and sounding like the sea and sunshine. Where Within and Without pushes things though is towards larger, more memorable melodies and a greater emotional diversity. 'Eyes Be Closed' and 'Amor Fati' are examples of the larger tunes. The latter almost feels like one big chorus of layered vocals and big keys and for the first time it feels like Greene has made music that will stick in the mind and keep the listener coming back.

There also feels like there is more of an arc to the album - the first half all starry-eyed and overwhelmed before things begin to cool down at midway point 'Far Away', which soundtracks that moment when the feeling wears off and reality sets in. The comedown really peaks on the title track - the sunshine and good vibes seemingly run out with the holiday money, the beat plods on home knowing that the best has probably already passed.

Let us hope for Washed Out at least it hasn't. Within and Without is a welcome release and it feels more sophisticated than anything on Life of Leisure, but the cards are still being kept close to the chest. Whilst Toro y Moi throws too much away, perhaps Greene hasn't thrown away enough: I can't help but long to hear Washed Out take a few more risks.

BP x

Within and Without is out now on Weird World, available from Amazon.co.uk on CD, LP and MP3 [affiliate links].

Comment: Notic Nastic - Atom+Eve: Podcast 1/11

I don't really know much about this other than that fact that it landed in my inbox with little to no explanation a couple of months ago. Creators Notic Nastic label this as a podcast but it's all music, is continuous and created from scratch so I'd probably argue that the label 'podcast' undersells it.

Putting what it isn't to one side, let's talk about what Atom+Eve is rather than what it isn't: insane, analogue and twisted. Whilst the vocals occasionally try a little too hard (I'm thinking the ”world was made of..." section) they lend the whole thing a paranoid disembodied monologue feel that completely fits with the music. The podcast is the perfect length for a continuous piece of music such as this - at just over 30 minutes it's either a refreshingly brief mix or one of the longest single songs I've ever heard but it sticks around just about as long as it should.

The music itself is grimey and analogue synth work mostly and it is at its best when refreshingly stripped back. The opening four minutes build tension with minimal bleeps and percussion before Notic Nastic rain burning hot distorted bass all over it. This doesn't necessarily feel like music to dance to, but you could definitely try.

Check it out on the Soundcloud player below and have a download if you like it. This mix packs a lot in to a small amount of time so it's well worth a listen and Notic Nastic are definitely worth keeping an eye on.

atom+eve (nn_podcast0111) by notic nastic

Notic Nastic's album It's Dark But It's Okay is available now, for more information visit the band's official site.

BP x

Video: Overseas With Love - Kriget

Kriget hail from Sweden and their uncompromising mix of drums, bass and sax is an assault on the allegedly staid Swedish club scene (so says the press release). Unsurprising then perhaps that the name translates as 'the war'.

The band cite references as Suicide, DAF, Lee Scratch Perry and Gang of Four - all of which can be heard in single 'Overseas With Love' here. The pure distorted aggression on this track is brilliant - the drumming on its own is something else.

The video is fittingly fucked up - just a mash of projected imagery and real life to the point where it is difficult to tell which is what any more.

The single is out now to download and will be released on both a 7" and 12" at some point in the future, with the latter including a remix from JD Twitch of Optimo. The video was directed by Team Tony. You can purchase the album or get a bit more information on Kriget from their official site.

BP x

Overseas With Love is available from Amazon.co.uk on MP3 [affiliate link].

Single Review: Something About You - Tensnake

Tensnake's mysteriously named 'Coma Cat' has become one of the biggest underground hits in the past few years. And understandably so - the fantastically old skool vibe is an undeniable pleasure, sounding like it came straight out of the summer of love with its wandering baseline and calypso percussion.

Considering the attention lavished on 'Coma Cat' the follow up, 'Something About You', seems to have managed to go a little under the radar. Don't expect that to remain the case - it just might be even better. The sound is similar - still wearing its proto-house badge with pride in it's squeaky stabs and loved-up piano loop. What it adds is a (tiny) bit more vocal and some warmth.

Where 'Coma Cat' just had snatches of voices this features the title repeated soulfully - ”Something about you baby". With a lovely glow surrounding the main piano break the vocal and the sound perfectly encapsulate the loved up feeling behind the original house scene... And that is the beauty of Tensnake: it makes you feel like you almost could have been there.

Jas Shaw's 'Alt. Mix' adds little. It's slower and has a few extra flourishes. The best thing about it is the gentle end, which eventually lets the beat drop away altogether, leaving a wonderfully laid back outro. Sadly it does a little bit less with the piano and so it doesn't quite capture the spirit as much as the A-side.

With this release Tensnake proves 'Coma Cat' was no fluke - time to keep your eyes peeled for more.

BP x

Something About You is out now on Mirau Musik, available from Amazon.co.uk on MP3 [affiliate link].

EP Review: Clase de 1984 - Niño

Niño's new EP, Clase du 1984, doesn't quite sound like anything I've heard in a while. Sat somewhere between dubstep, house and minimal the songs that make up this collection ultimately sound machine driven but there are organic elements to them. The resulting EP would feel as at home on Get Physical as Donky Pitch and reminds me of Layo & Bushwacka at their peak on Night Works.

Clase de 1984 consists of five original songs and three remixes based on a selection of these tracks. 'Innsmouth' and 'Buio Omega' are the most memorable tunes here. The former is built from stutters and starts, vocal samples slammed against beats whilst clicks and bleeps converge to make the whole thing sound like a robotic machine waking from a deep sleep. The Kelpe remix beefs up the bass and strips the production back a bit, the result being a track that does two things at once rather than six.

'Buio Omega' succeeds in creating an even more ominous vibe than 'Innsmouth', and with its heavy drum loop, rolling bass and pitched vocals it's the closest things get to dubstep on this release. But frankly this is more exciting than most things I'd label dubstep. The Offshore mix is bouncier and a bit more rowdy but, as with all the mixes here, the move towards simplification seems to miss the point. With Niño less is less.

Title track 'Clase de 1984' feels sunny compared to the rest of the EP, big fat keys painting an additional warmth and light-heartedness across the track that isn't shown elsewhere. 'The Man and The Earth' is little more than a laid back interlude whilst 'Bright Lights Big City' provides a fitting close with a sound that feels like it was made for playing against sunsets.

For electronic music the tracks here are all short - even the longest is just four-and-a-half-minutes, and that includes the remixes. It's therefore impressive that Niño manages to fit so much in to such a short body of work. It does however raise questions about how he could fill a full length release whilst sustaining interest - Clase de 1984 works in a short burst, a one inch punch of a record. Indeed, none of the remixes here add much to the originals and the EP would be more focused without them.

You can check out 'Buio Omega' at XLR8R.

BP x

Clase de 1984 is out now on Donky Pitch, available from Amazon.co.uk on MP3 [affiliate link].