May 3 2012

Bluebell

Bluebell are a London based duo who loads of different Pop influences into a big old musical mixing pot and come up with a ElectroIndieBedroomPop epics that seriously grow on you. They are releasing their début double A-Side single next month.

Of the two tracks ‘Normal Heights’ is the more impressive, seeming to swing from intimate, introspective Pop to giant, majestic, aria with ease. Verses laden with subtle synths and and the gentle lament of the vocal flow naturally into the tribal bombast and impassioned cries of the chorus. That;s not to say the flip side, ‘Cinderella’ is lacking, if fact it’s probably the better bet for a hit between the two, it;s relentless synthetic chugging grind juxtaposed with Annabel Jones’ fragile, and incredibly catchy, lyrics make for a compelling combination. ‘Normal Heights’ and ‘Cinderella’ make an impressive début, and one that’s bound to see Bluebell getting a lot more attention.

♫ Bluebell – Normal Heights

♫ Bluebell – Cinderella

‘Normal Heights’/‘Cinderella’ is released 11th June on Killing Moon.

Check out more from Bluebell on SoundCloud.

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May 3 2012

Goin’ Old School: Simon Harris, Lil’ Louis & Neneh Cherry

Goin’ Old School isn’t a trip down music memory lane, it’s a mugging in the dark alleyway of nostalgia:

Simon Harris’ ‘Bass (How Low Can You Go)’ video from 1988 was like who’s who of UK Hip Hop in the ‘80’s, some US pioneers too…and Dave Pearce.

From 1989, Lil’ Louis’ groaning ‘French Kiss’ terrified old people at the time. Hypnotic Sex House will do that.

Neneh Cherry’s 1989 follow up to ‘Buffalo Stance’, ‘’Manchild’ was a more personal affair.

You can buy most of this music from:

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May 2 2012

Little Boots’ ‘‘Every Night I Say A Prayer’ video

Here’s the video for Little Boots’ current track, ‘Every Night I Say A Prayer’ and in keeping with the ‘90’s House influence on the track, the video rocks the ‘90’s hard.

Zaiba Jabbar directs this clip which makes stark use of contrasting black and whites for a simple but striking visual style.

Buy Little Boots’ music from:

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May 1 2012

Queen Of Hearts & Mark Reeder

When electronic music legend and all round nice guy Mark Reeder asked me to hook him up with the future ruler of all things ElectroPop, Queen Of Hearts, I was like ”hell yeah!, that can only end well”. A man who has been instrumental in shaping electronic and dance music spanning four decades from Manchester to Berlin and a woman with a passion for electronic Pop music and a voice that could melt stone. What more can you ask for, really?

‘Mark Reeder’s Electrically Excited reMix’ of Queen Of Hearts new single ‘Neon’ is a pulsating, synthetic, floorfiller that marries Reeder’s trademark Berlin TechPop with The Queen’s husky delivery. It’s actually quite interesting to hear Queen If Hearts set amongst the cold robotic arpeggios and moody pads of Berlin Techno and Reeder perfectly finds the balance between the two, creating something robotic, but with a soul. Which, considering forthcoming double A-side the single is rife with BladeRunner references (whether accidental or not) is a pretty fitting sound. There’s a dark machine beauty to the track, and an epic cinematic quality which makes the whopping seven minutes feel like a flowing musical narrative. This is the hopefulness on rain soaked, neon lit, dystopian city streets.

♫ Queen Of Hearts – Neon (Mark Reeder’s Electrically Excited reMix)

Queen Of Heart’s ‘Neon’/’Tears In The Rain’ single is out 14th May, out now is ‘electronic rumors Volume 1’ on which she features.

Buy Queen Of Hearts’ music from:

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May 1 2012

Saint Etienne’s new single

saint-etienne

UK ElectroPop legends Saint Etienne are gearing up for the release of their brand new album, ‘Words And Music By Saint Etienne’, next month. Ahead of which ‘I’ve Got Your Music’ follows ‘Tonight’ as the second single taken from the record.

‘I’ve Got Your Music’ seems to follow both musically and thematically from ‘Tonight’, and with a title like ‘Words And Music’ I would hazard a guess that the album will be about Pop music, and songs in general, and their power to capture a moment. As Bob Stanley says “the album is about believing in music, living your life by its rules”, The single is a lovely slice of classic SynthPop, but we would expect no less from Saint Etienne. Produced with Xenomania’s Tim Powell, it’s a effervescent, upbeat tune that bodes well for the album.

♫ Saint Etienne – I’ve Got Your Music (Single Version)

‘Words And Music By Saint Etienne’ is released 21st May.

Buy Saint Etienne’s music from:

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Apr 27 2012

Queen Of Hearts reMixed by Ghost Beach

queen-of-hearts1

Queen Of Hearts continues the promotional juggernaut for her latest single, ‘Neon’, with this new reMix by New York Tropical Popsters Ghost Beach. Actually, that sounds like PR hyperbole , which I kinda’ hate, so I’ll rephrase. It’s not a promotional juggernaut, it’s more like Queen Of Hearts slipping you a new reMix under the table each week and telling you “send you friends to me, I’ve got the good shit” with a wink.

Ghost Beach go all raw electronic IndiePop with the track. It’s organised chaos, a synthetic wall of sound that boarders on Shoegaze at times. With Industrial overtones held in check only be the bassline it’s a new sound for a Queen Of Hearts track and the juxtaposition between the raucous New York Indie-Electro and Liz’s silky smooth vocals makes a compelling combination. Also fresh from the Queen is this ‘The Neon Queen Mixtape’ a pretty inspired collection of many of the most interesting female artists around (and a couple of dudes). To be honest if someone asked me to make a female oriented ElectroPop mixtape I don;t think I could have come up with a better tracklist. Stick around ‘til the end, there’s a cheeky preview of a brand new Queen Of Heart’s track.

♫ Queen Of Hearts – Neon (Ghost Beach reMix)

♫ Queen Of Hearts – The Neon Queen Mixtape

The tracklist:

01. Queen Of Hearts – Neon (Lightwaves reMix)
02. Little Boots – Every Night I Say A Prayer (Tensnake reMix)
03. Icona Pop – Manners (Kitsune Extended Mix)
04. Perseus – Seychelles
05. Queen Of Hearts – Shoot the Bullet (AlunaGeorge reMix)
06. AlunaGeorge – You Know You Like It
07. Jessie Ware – Running (Disclosure reMix)
08. Charli XCX – Stay Away (T.Williams Dub)
09. Janet Jackson – The Pleasure Principal (Over The Top reMix)
10. Queen Of Hearts – Where Are You Now? (StardonE reMix)
11. SebastiAn – Arabest
12. Azealia Banks – Bambi
13. Marina And The Diamonds – Primadonna (Evian Christ reMix)
14. Eli And Fur – Sea of Stars
15. Queen of Hearts – What Is Love? (Exclusive)

Queen Of Heart’s ‘Neon’/’Tears In The Rain’ single is out 14th May, out now is ‘electronic rumors Volume 1’ on which she features.

Buy Queen Of Hearts’ music from:

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Apr 26 2012

Bright Light Bright Light new single, new reMix, new competition

Bright Light Bright Light

Next week sees the release of the new single from Welsh ElectroPop sensation Bright Light Bright Light. Long time readers will know we’ve been following Rod’s career since the ‘olden days’, in the last two years he’s released some of the biggest, slickest, ElectroPop tracks out there. Every one of BLx2’s tracks to date have been modern classics, each one addictively catchy, and each one increasingly indulging Rod’s love of all things ‘90’s.

And ‘Waiting For The Feeling’ revels in it’s retro-ness. From it’s Darude-esque bass riff to the big Piano House riff, that could have come straight off MTV Europe circa 1994, it’s a celebration of the ‘90’s. A celebration of classic songwriting too, Rod’s vocal chops and his ability to write perfect Pop hook both shine through in the single, you’ll be humming it for days. Bright Light Bright Light’s love of the ‘90’s culminates in the reMix package for ‘Waiting For The Feeling’, it’s like a collection of all the names you found in the reMix credits on singles in the back then, I didn’t even know these people were still alive! K Klass put in an appearance. K Klass! Apparently they are still around and knocking out pretty awesome reMixes from the sound of their deep, almost tribal mix. And Trouser Enthusiasts! His reMix, which we are exclusively premièring below, is his first in a decade. Trouser Enthusiasts work for the likes of Sunscreem (Particularly), Saint Etienne and Pet Shop Boys we’re big parts of my life during that period, it really is awesome that Rod got him back in the studio to work on this. He’s lost none of his his flair, the mix is actually pretty ‘Trouser Enthusiasts’ (if that makes sense) but, despite being heavily ‘90’s sounding, really doesn’t sound dated. Massive and majestic, this reMix hopefully sees a return to production for Trouser Enthusiasts. A single this catchy will surely get Bright Light Bright Light the attention he deserves so much.

♫ Bright Light Bright Light – Waiting For The Feeling (Trouser Enthusiasts reMix)

♫ Bright Light Bright Light – Waiting For The Feeling

Bright Light Bright Light will be launching his new album ‘Make Me Believe In Hope’ on 13th June at the Camp Basement in London playing with his full band and supported by Sylver Tongue. We’ve got two pairs of tickets (well not tickets per-se, guest list spaces, which actually makes you look even more special!) to give away.

To win free entry for you and your +1 you must be following both Bright Light Bright Light, @brightlightx2, and us, @electronicrumor, on Twitter, then simply tweet the following:

Hey @electronicrumor, I wanna’ go to @brightlightx2’s album launch more than anything in the world! Hook me up! http://goo.gl/oEBWV

We’ll keep on listening until 11th May, then everyone who entered will have their name written on a scrap of paper, screwed up, and I’ll pick two out of my very fetching Pork Pie hat. The lucky winners will be notified on Twitter and announced right here, for those that fate doesn’t smile upon here are all the details of the show, you might as well go anyway!

Waiting For The Feeling’’ is out now ahead of the début BLX2 album, ‘Make Me Believe In Hope’, out 4th June.

Buy Bright Light Bright Light’s music from:

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Apr 25 2012

Figure Of 8 reMixes Gráinne Holland

Grainne Holland

I’m not actually sure if Dermot McGowan sleeps. the man you know better as Figure Of 8 is like a song-writing machine. Since the release of the Belfast based producer’s acclaimed ‘No One Cries For Me’ EP he given us new material practically weekly. What’s even more unbelievable, though, is that it has all been awesome.

And he;s not breaking that run just yet. his latest reMix is a beautiful peice of work. Gráinne Holland is a fellow Belfast resident and Gaelic singer-songwriter. Gaelic has always been a language that lends itself well to music and the combination of her ethereal vocals in ‘Báta An tSíl’ and Figure Of 8’s smooth electronica is a winner. The end result has something quite ‘90’s about it, a bit of an Orbital flavour, but with Figure Of 8’s modern DancePop twist. The majestic quality of the vocals is enhanced when Dermot bring in some huge cinematic chords whist gritting things up with some distorted Acid lines. Another rad mix from Figure Of 8, who seems to have a knack of thinking outside the box, oh and not sleeping.

♫ Gráinne Holland – Báta An tSíl (Figure Of 8 reMix)

Buy Gráinne Holland’s music from:

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Apr 24 2012

Goin’ Old School: Imagination, Front 242 & Tangerine Dream

Goin’ Old School isn’t a trip down music memory lane, it’s a mugging in the dark alleyway of nostalgia:

First up is some seriously smooth early ‘80’s, 1982 to be exact, electronic Soul from Imagination and their classic ‘Just An illusion’.

In the starkest contrast possible we have Front 242, with arguably their Poppiest song, ‘Tragedy For You’ from 1989.

And finally some relaxing, experimental, tones from Tangerine Dream’s ‘Tiergarten’ from 1985. Actually the flip side to ‘Le Parc’, one of the greatest synth tracks ever written.

You can buy most of this music from:

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Apr 24 2012

Sam Sparro’s ‘I Wish I Never Met You’ reMixes

sam sparro

Sam Sparro, the man with the croonyest voice in electronic Pop music is back with the second, and lead-in, single taken from his forthcoming ‘Return To Paradise’. It’s more classic Pop, less Disco, than the previous single ‘Happiness’. Actually more like the Sam Sparro of old, but slightly more musically mature.

The single comes complete with an eclectic reMix package, the reaction to which I have found interesting and a little bewildering. The music blog world is awash with the Azari & III reMix, which has the typically deep, stripped down Chicago House vibe you’d expect from them. It’s actually a really cool track with a sweet hypnotic pulse, but it’s not the best reMix on the single. A fewer number of blogs have picked up on the Stereogamous mix, with it’s robo Disco groove that highlights the emotion of the vocals, also an very nice track, but not the best reMix on the single either. The standout reMix comes from Devil’s Gun, and that’s a massive surprise. When I think of Devil’s Gun I usually think of something dark and gritty. Even on their collaboration with future Pop starlet Queen Of Hearts they kept things grinding and doom laden, but with their reMix of ‘I Wish I Never Met You’ they go positively Dreamwave. It got a huge Disco sound with layers and layers of chunky synths that give it a touch of that grit, alongside a solid retro Disco flavour. It’s big and funky and fun and I have no idea why it’s been largely overlooked by the music blog world. I suppose Devil’s Gun don’t drive the same kind of traffic as Azari & III though, not yet anyway…