Aug 8 2012

Queen Of Hearts covers Ben Howard

Queen Of Hearts

We’ve got to admit, we have no idea who Ben Howard is. Yesterday PopJustice referred to him as a “full-time borelord” and a very brief investigation of the original version of this tune on YouTube we quickly came to the same assessment. Talented songwriter he may be, but he seems to have ordered a helping of tediously dull performer with that. No matter, it’s just the songwriting talent we’re interested in right now as our reigning ElectroPop monarch Queen Of Hearts (looking very animé in her new promo pics) takes the song into new toe-tapping directions.

Neon collaborator John Myers steps up for production duties once again, which was quite surprising as on our initial listen we had thought it might have been the Sound Of Arrow’s Stefan Storm behind the mixing desk, the track has some TSoA qualities to it. I think it’s the Into The Clouds breakdown that caught our in in that regard. The Queen throws herself into her performance and allows her vocals flowing effortlessly from sultry to ethereal and back again while they dance around the Balearic soundtrack. This one is Queen Of Hearts’ sunrise anthem.

♫ Only Love (Ben Howard cover) (Extended Version)

Queen Of Heart’s ‘Neon’/’Tears In The Rain’ single is out right now. Also out now is ‘electronic rumors Volume 1’ on which Queen Of Hearts features.

Buy Queen Of Hearts’ music from:

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Jul 31 2012

Queen Of Hearts & Kissy Sell Out’s ‘You’re Not The One’ video

According to San City Records this is the official video for Kissy Sell Out’s Queen Of Hearts featuring You’re Not The One. There’s so much wrong with that.

1. The video is only 2m30s, with is shorter even than the radio rip we posted a while back. 2. Queen Of Hearts isn’t in it, which is a shame as she is infinitely easier on the eye than Mr. Sell Out as well as having an enigmatic video presence. 3. Mr. Sell Out is chatting over most of it, which makes it feel like self-congratulatory ego stroking rather than promoting a new tune, you barely get to hear the new record in the clip.

We hope that San City are a little optimistic when they say ‘official video’, and they pull their fingers out and make something proper, otherwise the words “dropped the ball” might be in order. It’s a really cool tune that deserves better promotion than this mess. The only reason we’re featuring it at all is because we highly recommend the track itself.

Despite the video saying ‘out now’, You’re Not The One is released 3rd September as the first of a series of EPs featuring Kissy collaborating with a host of fresh and established talent.

Buy Kissy Sell Out’s music from:

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Jul 4 2012

Casio searches for the UKs best synth player

Believe it or not, Casio have made some classic synths in their time. Both the CZ ranges (I had a 101 myself) and the VL-Tones (particularly the VL-1) were pretty uncool when released but over the years have achieved cult status. Samplers to, like most people my introduction to sampling was the circuit benders favourite the SK-1 and there was a time when the FZ-1 was in a race with the Akais to become industry standard.

Casio are returning to the world of synth with the forthcoming release of their new XW range, lead by the XW-P1. The synth was launched last week in London along with Casio’s search for the UK’s best synthesist. Submit your best work to the Casio UK Facebook page to be in with a chance of winning an XW-P1 and a slot performing as part of the G-Shock Sessions at the Relentless Boardmasters Festival 2012 in Newquay, Cornwall. Also, you can strut around telling your friends you are the UKs best synth player and have a peice of paper to prove it!

Check the competition video featuring out good friends Queen Of Hearts and Bright Light Bright Light.

Check the Casio UK Facebook page for details.

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Jun 8 2012

Queen Of Hearts Vs. Tinie Tempah

Queen Of Hearts

Well, this track has just about made my week! It’s ‘No More’, one of the extra tracks on the digital version of Queen Of Hearts current ‘Neon’/‘Tears In The Rain’ single, mashed-up with the instrumental of Tinie Tempah master hit ‘Pass Out’.

There’s not much more I can say about that. Awesome, instantly recognisable Electro track, awesome, epic vocals. Sorted. Frankly, if you don’t love this, you don’t love life, and are probably going to have a miserable weekend.

♫ Queen Of Hearts – No More (‘Pass Out’ Soundclash Version)

Queen Of Heart’s ‘Neon’/’Tears In The Rain’ single is out right now. Also out now is ‘electronic rumors Volume 1’ on which Queen Of Hearts features.

Buy Queen Of Hearts’ music from:

Follow @electronicrumor

May 10 2012

Queen Of Hearts’s ‘Neon’ video

after a string of classy videos, Queen Of Hearts has seriously outdone herself with her new one.

The clip for ‘Neon’, directed by Between Man and Beast, is pretty a stunning journey though light and shade. it;s moody and beautiful and awesome stuff.

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

Buy Queen Of Hearts’ music from:

Follow @electronicrumor

May 8 2012

Queen Of Hearts’ ‘Tears In The Rain’

queen-of-hearts11

Now this is what you need to ease yourself into the week after the long bank holiday weekend (if you’re UK reader, my stats tell me a good deal of you are from the US, sorry guys, I feel your pain), the second part of Queen Of Hearts’ seemingly BladeRunner themed new single. This flipside to ‘Neon’, ‘Tears In The Rain’.

This slice of ElectroPop beauty was produced by the awesome Mr. Stefan Storm from The Sound Of Arrows. Whist retaining the majestic quality of ‘Neon’ and shot through with the Queen Of Hearts particular band of melancholy, ‘Tears In The Rain’ is a rich and gentle track that envelops you in it’s warm musical embrace. Stefan’s twisting, hypnotic synths shows that signature The Sound Of Arrows’ optimism-against-adversity that perfectly mirrors The Queens’ smokey beckoning delivery, the combination of the two elevating the listener out of the darkness. Atmospherically layering the track with a hint of storm (the weather, not the dude) is genius, giving such a laid back track a sense of urgency adds to the drama of the song, giving ‘neon and ‘Tears In The Rain’ a appearance of narrative. There’s no doubt really that Queen Of Hearts is going to be a massive Pop star, that’s a given, but we believe she will constantly surprise her audience with how deep, how un-throwaway her Pop will be, and that’s what always makes a proper, true Pop star, one that sticks around. The video for the single A-Side, ‘Neon’, is coming soon, can’t wait for that!

♫ Queen Of Hearts – Tears In The Rain (Produced By Stefan Storm)

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

Buy Queen Of Hearts’ music from:

Follow @electronicrumor

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:

Follow @electronicrumor

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:

Follow @electronicrumor

Apr 16 2012

Queen Of Hearts reMixed by Lightwaves

queen-of-hearts

Only a matter of days after reining ElectroPop royalty Queen Of Hearts premiered her new single ‘Neon’ are we treated to one of the companion reMixes. First to man-up to the challenge of polishing what is already sparkling is Lightwaves. If anyone can do it Jan (ex-Yes giantess!) can.

No wishing to compete with the full-on ElectroPop powerhouse that is the original, Lightwaves takes a more laidback route with this mix. Reigning in the tempo gives the track a whole new feel. Whereas in the original, the Queen’s vocals were like the velvet glove to the noisy synths iron fist, here alongside Jan’s chilled synth groove they are allowed to be as silky smooth as they want. Suddenly Queen Of Hearts becomes a husky, breathy chanteuse accompanied by Lightwaves broken beats and twisting synths. Other reMixes on the new single come correct from the legend that is Mark Reeder, Tropical man of the moment Perseus, Ghost Beach and Dubstepper DYM. Not that I’m saying we had anything to do with the Queen Of Hearts/Mark Reeder matchmaking, but we did, and now they’re sitting in a tree, R.E.M.IX.I.N.G.! Who’s next?

♫ Queen Of Hearts – Neon (Lightwaves reMix)

‘Neon’/’Tears In The Rain’ is out now as a limited 7” single and digitally with the bonus tracks ‘Forgive Me’ and ‘No More’.

Queen Of Heart’s ‘Arrival’ EP is out now, as is ‘electronic rumors Volume 1’ on which she features.

Buy Queen Of Hearts’ music from:

Follow @electronicrumor

Apr 12 2012

Queen Of Hearts’ ‘Neon’

queen of hearts

So, when I finally got to hear the wonderful Queen Of Hearts’ forthcoming new single ‘Neon’, my initial reaction was “Ahhhh, that one!”. It’s been a big part of her set the past few times I’ve see her preform and kinda’ become one of the tracks I looked forward to. Up until this point I had, for some reason that has probably to do with brain laziness, presumed it was called ‘Electrify’. Or at least that’s what I was called in my head, I might actually keep calling it ‘Electrify’ just to be belligerent.

But if i did, I’d be so very wrong. It’s call ‘Neon’, and the studio recording more than lives up to the promises made by the live version. ‘Neon’ is both pumping and slinky, which really isn’t two things that you’d imagine can occupy the same space, but Queen Of Hearts, here helped out by John Myers, makes it work. ‘Neon’ is musically a gritty, bass heavy, pulsating track that the Queen’s song drapes itself across in the vocal equivalent of a little black dress. Smooth as silk, her voice glides around chainsaw synths, each verse building to a big anthemic chorus. It’s powerful and edgy ElectroPop, it’s also very very good, and I didn’t mention Goldfrapp once! Oh.