Friday, April 29, 2011

MUSIC: RA REVIEWS

With just a few weeks until Sonar Barcelona time, June 16-18, and to coincide with the announcement of RA's  anticipated off Sonar events and special tenth anniversary celebrations - what better time to have a brief look over some of the releases I recently reviewed for the RA website.
It would be no understatement to say that Brian D'Souza aka Auntie Flo is somewhat of a pioneer in Scotland's highly reputed and tightly packed electronic music scene. From being one of the first promoters to bring Riccardo Villalobos to UK shores, embracing AV and live multi-DJ performance via his Edinburgh night Pogo Vogue and most recently holding down residencies at two of Glasgow's most acclaimed nights serving new world music (Afro Futures) and dark underground italo and Detroit respectively (Slabs of The Tabernacle). When not playing alongside the likes of Shackleton, T Williams and Mike Paradinas -  It was just a matter of time until a label worthy of his quality took the next logical step in putting out his own productions.  Check out the review of his full debut EP for Huntley and Palmers here. Auntie Flo plays live at DO IT! Abz on the 13th May!
From one new independent label to one that has managed to reach out to heads into dubstep, house and hip hop through some heavy bubbling underground releases. Run from the Dublin based record store, All City is the creative endeavour of Olan O'Brien - a true digger and finder for new and old musical gems. Somehow each release on the label manages to weigh up the sound of now with something that reminds us of the music we loved yesteryear - a vision no less apparent than in the first EP from the collab. series featuring jazzy beats magician Mike Slott and the dubbed out machine city techno of Martyn. A glittery space beats journey on one side and a straight down the road 4x4 club journey on the flip - just how they used to make them. Read about the EP in detail here.
Likewise released on All City, Krystal Klear is apparently a, one a few it seems, heir to Dam Funk's future boogie throne. He does his reputation some real good here with this solid release capped off in style with an old school piano house remix from HudMo. Check out more track info here.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

MUSIC: CELLAR SESSIONS

Cellar Sessions is a new fortnightly pre-club concept at the original home of DO IT! events, Cellar Bar 35 in Aberdeen. Hidden away from the rowdiness of Union Street and tucked beneath a bustling corner of Rosemount, it is an ideal location to showcase local talent, visiting guests and most importantly - DJs who have a diverse interest in music old & new.
Growing up in Aberdeen, there always seemed to be a great selection of music on offer from resident DJs and visiting guest acts. From hip hop, funk, house and techno to drum'n'bass - all were covered. Sadly, almost coinciding with the demise of Triptych festival, this mix of output and destinations for  music dwindled. With the Cellar Sessions however, we aim to provide a frequent free entry platform for such a culture to grow again. We will also feature live visuals and art installations.
Above: Cellar Sessions poster designs for Feb/Mar and Apr/May by Alexander Horne 2011.