EP Review / Video / Download: The Crackdown Project - Billie Ray Martin

Much of the music BlackPlastic appreciate stems in one form or another from the incredibly varied and creative post-punk scene in the late seventies and early eighties.  Some of the bands involved in this scene are incredibly well known (Joy Division, New Order, Human League etc.) whilst some, for example The Units, are much less known.

Unsurprisingly the majority of artists fall somewhere in between, and one such example would be Cabaret Voltaire - a Sheffield band considered hugely influential who yet these days appear to be relatively unknown amongst the younger generations outside of real muso circles.

Germany's Billie Ray Martin, who is perhaps best known for work as a member of Electribe 101 and mid-nineties house record 'Your Loving Arms' but has also recently got into the post-electroclash scene (collaborating with Hell, for example), has decided that Cabaret Voltaire deserve a revisit.  The result is The Crackdown Project, which is made up of two cover versions - 'The Crackdown' and 'Just Fascination', with additional vocals from Stephen Mallinder from Cabaret Voltaire. Rather than releasing the tracks via conventional channels Billie Ray Martin has taken the somewhat unusual step of collaborating with Mininova to release some remixes and, shortly, the EP on torrent sites.

The result is surprisingly good, particular on 'The Crackdown', which mixes Billie Ray's somewhat decadent vocals with an crunchy, industrial bass line. Add in her spoken vocal sparing with Mallinder and you have a track that treads an interesting line between sleazy and beautiful.

Check out the video for 'The Crackdown' above and the ballad-esque Phil RetroSpector Mix below.  The project is to be released in two parts, with Sold Out to Disco coming out on 15 February followed by Darkness Restoredon 15 March.  Each release will feature a variety of remixes of the two tracks and in addition to Torrent sites will be available through digital outlets worldwide - remember to support the artist.

Download an MP3 Minimix of the release mixed by Celebrity Murder Party here [right click, save as].

Single Review: U Can Dance - Hell

Hell's last album Teufelswerk felt impenetrable purely due to its sheer length - it turns out that two discs of camp German techno is not necessarily always a good idea.

So the chance to focus on one track at a time is welcome, particularly when it features guest vocals from Bryan Ferry and boasts remixes from Carl Craig, Tim Goldsworthy and Simian Mobile Disco.

If you know any Hell then the original track sounds exactly as you would expect it to. It is Bryan Ferry, crooning at you through the lowered partition screen whilst you bomb it along the Autobahn in a black Limosouine at 3:30 in the morning. Ultimately it's functional but not a patch on Hell's fantastic 'Tragic Picture Show' on NY Muscle.

The remixes have a lot to live up to - RadioSlave's thirty-minute mix of 'The DJ', on which Hell was joined by a(nother) angry rant courtesy P Diddy about the fact that real DJs play it looooong ("15 minute versions!"), was clever if a little obvious but more importantly it was well executed.

Inevitably nothing here lives up to that, probably due to the source material more than anything. Carl Craig turns in two mixes, imaginatively entitled Mix One and Mix Two. The first adds a bit of synth but is a fairly functional version of the original, just re-tooled for dancefloors. Mix Two is more ambitious and strips back much of the original's production, eventually adding in a fairly serious bit of acid. Sadly when the full vocal is introduced it can't help but feel forced, and the music and vocal melodies clash. It is a shame the vocal was not applied more sparingly.

Simian Mobile Disco's mix amps up the paranoia, dousing Ferry in petrol and threatening to spit cigar butts at his head. The resulting horror show (think Dennis Hopper in Blue Velvet) is much more consistent, with the vocal doing far less to constrain the track than Craig's first mix and fighting with it far less than his second. It eventually dissolves into hiss but sadly lacks the conviction to leave it that way, coming back in for the inevitably dull DJ outro.

Of all the mixes you would perhaps expect Goldsworthy to be the best positioned to handle this track, Goldsworthy having worked with Andrew Butler as Hercules & Love Affair, whose vocals share a certain pomp with Ferry. And Goldsworthy's mix is easily best - the most effortless, going with the vocal rather than against it but at its best on the percussive outro once it is abandoned.

BP x

Album Review: Don't Stop - Annie

Following up on yesterday's review of Dragonette's latest album BlackPlastic takes a look at Annie's long-awaited second album, Don't Stop.

In constrast to Dragonette's Fixin' To Thrill, Annie's looooong awaited second album takes a bit longer to love. Perhaps it's fitting, since it has taken years to get released, with false starts and internet leaks and at times it felt like it never would see the light of day.

With a tracklist that has seen more changes than the line-up for the Sugababes there are four producers (and that is on top of Annie herself) in Xenomania, Paul Epworth and previous collaborators Richard X and Timo Kaukolampi. With a few tracks (the Epworth efforts) being added at a later date and at least three producers well known for their distinctive styles it is unsurprising that Don't Stop feels a little like a taster menu.

Yet with a but of time invested it becomes clear that Annie still got it. Whist it isn't strong in the traditional sense Annie's voice remains distinctively irresistible - the auditory equivalent of some sort of candy floss / ice cream / chocolate combo that feels sweet, fun and sexy all at once.

Admittedly the album may not flow as well as it would under one (or indeed two, or even three) producers, the individual tunes themselves more than make up for it. 'Songs Remind Me Of You' still feels like perfect Richard X - a re-imagining of the Human League and synth pop for our times. Whilst at least some of the Xenomania tracks shine - 'My Love Is Better' for example - it is Epworth's work that defines the album. Opener 'Hey Annie' breezes with confidence and self-assurance and boasts a depth of sound and detail that sparkles whilst 'I Don't Like Your Band' is the most fantastic put-down record, delivered in a cool and condescending way that just makes Annie seem even cooler:

"Don't get me wrong, I like you - but I don't like your band, your style, your sound"

From Annie's lips it's a pretty cutting line. As we approach the tenth anniversary of Annie's breakthrough single 'Greatest Hit' it seems a shame that we have had to wait so long for new material. It also seems frankly ridiculous that earlier singles 'I Know Ur Girlfriend Hates Me' and 'Anthonio' got cut from this album in an effort to make things fresh since they would comfortably provide highlights here and are hardly over-exposed.

Ultimately though? Annie oozes so much class you can't help but simply revel in her return. BlackPlastic just hopes the next album comes quicker and has Epworth and Richard X at the helm.

Check out 'Songs Remind Me of You' below:

BP x

Out now, available on CD, LP and MP3 from Amazon.co.uk [affiliate links].

Single Review: I Won't Kneel - Groove Armada

'I Won't Kneel' is Groove Armada's first proper single from a new album since the better-than-expected Soundboy Rock. And it would be easy to write it off and BlackPlastic is sure that many - except PopJustice possibly - will. Groove Armada just aren't cool.

But we tell you something - 'I Won't Kneel' is fab. It's a sparkling-modern-power-ballad-epic. It's a hands-in-the-air girl-power-boy-power-everyone-power liberation anthem. It's not cool, but it tears the fucking roof off and beside, this is what good pop music should be like. Gaga can goo goo all she wants, give us this any day.

BP x

I Won't Kneel is out now, available on Amazon.co.uk on CD, 12" and for a limited time on MP3 for just £0.29 [affiliate links].

News: Free Charlotte Gainsborough MP3 from new album

Charlotte Gainsbourg's 5:55 was something of a masterpiece and if 'IRM' is anything to go by the follow-up album, from which it is taken, could be even better.

Check the video for a teaser and a quick interview with Charlotte but if you head over to Charlotte's site you can download an MP3 of the song for free. Inspired by the rhythmic sensation of undergoing an MRI scan it's a trippy, spooky number that feels a long way from the melodic autumnal walks of 5:55 but still captivates.

BlackPlastic is excited to hear what impact this new found eclecticism will have on the forthcoming album.

BP x