Air 'Le Voyage Dans La Lune' album review (for kevchino.com)

Amour, imagination, rêve (love, imagination, dream). This is the backronym Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel constructed to form Air in 1995. Since then the duo from Versailles have been delighting us with just that—albums full of love and great imagination that take us into dreamlike states and beyond. The very same can be said in regard to their latest work, Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon).

A celestial work with twinkling synthesizers, heavenly harmonies and spacey computer tones, Le Voyage dans la Lune is the definitive soundtrack to any space voyage. The slow, heavy tom-toms and blasts of brass in “Astronomic Club” serve nicely as an opening track, giving a sexy yet sinister feel as rocket ship captains prepare to enter the unknown. “Moon Fever” is a soft, calming, melodic space ballad, perfect for floating weightlessly through the cosmos, taking in the Moon and all its splendor. “Parade” and “Cosmic Trip” bring a nice element of disco-rock to the album, with “Cosmic Trip”’s heady monotone male and female voice-overs welcoming you on to your space voyage and ensuring you will have a pleasant trip and “will return home safely.”

Inspired by Georges Méliès’s classic 1902 silent science-fiction film A Trip to the Moon, Air recently had the honor of composing an original score for a new version of the film, which is currently being played at film festivals worldwide, and a better duo they could not have picked. Air’s work transports you into outer space with the greatest of ease and leaves you flying high with each and every listen. Another fine effort from a musical act for whom it seems creativity knows no bounds.

Holy Ghost! 'Holy Ghost!' review (for kevchino.com)

See the original article posted here: http://kevchino.com/review/holy-ghost!/holy-ghost/2281


Holy Ghost! are a duo from NYC comprising of Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel. The two met in Elementary school and started out as part of a hip-hop group called Automato. When things went awry with Automato Millhiser and Frankel paired off together to become Holy Ghost!, releasing their debut single 'Hold On' in 2007 and becoming label mates with the likes of LCD Sound System, Hot Chip, The Rapture and many more.

It therefore comes as a sorry surprise that, surrounded by so much talent, they can succeed at being so musically bland. All the elements are there - an 80's electro-pop feel with steady, funky beats, ear pleasing vocals and simple, relatable subject matter. But once it's all put together they come out with basically a whole lot of nothing - a dance music puzzle with many pieces missing. All the songs sound the same - a steady walking beat that merely changes tempo from time to time, the same tired old 80s synthesizer sounds that have been sampled over and over again within an inch of their lives, and plain, uninspiring vocals and lyrics that simply fade into the background. Upon listening to the album it feels as though you may have mistakenly put the soundtrack to 'The Wedding Singer' in by mistake. The only 2 stand out tracks are the single, 'Hold On', which contains an excellent deep electro bass sound and a less 80's feel, and the following track 'It's Not Over', which is a lot more up-tempo than the rest of the album and features some nice tribal drum overlays.

Other than that it's an album you'd put on at a party just to have some background noise that no one really listens to. There's hints of Cut Copy, MGMT, Mystery Jets and even Phoenix in there, but in the end nothing seems to stand out. The album lacks backbone and personality barr the 2 aforementioned songs, and I live in hope that with time and more performances this duo matures into a much more creative and inspiring act - for the sake of both their careers and our ears.S

SHOW REVIEW: Hospitality, Brixton Academy, London (24.9.10)

‘Bass To Melt Your Face’
Friday 24th September 2010
Brixton Academy, London


The increasing popularity of Hospital Records and the unexpected closure of Fabric’s sister club Matter means the Hospitality nights are now bound for bigger and better things. I had been to dance parties at Brixton Academy before but Hospitality is less a dance party and more a way of life. In my mind Drum’and’Bass nights should be small, cramped, dirty, heavy, grimy, sweaty and in the end leave you feeling much the same way. Whether this would transgress to a much larger venue was yet to be seen.

Straight away the immense growth in Hospital Records’ following became apparent, as along with all the usual trainer wearing, shit-talking, face-chewing cainers came a new breed of much more sober looking and sophisticated ‘Ministry of Sound’ types. But there was no doubt all were there for one thing – to get down and dirty to some of the best Drum’and’Bass around town.

London Elektricity have never been a favourite of mine and tonight saw them do no better. While they are good they always seem to miss the mark. Their beats are fine but their lead in’s and climax’s leave you hanging mid-peak, never coming back to get you. Their mixes are disjointed and mismatched at times and often sound as if they’re simply changing records on a player. A steady act that would benefit from stepping it up a notch or 10.

Next were High Contrast, with contrast being the operative word. The came, they saw, the tore the place up. With a savvy MC who knows exactly when and where he’s needed and a stretch of epic beats, breaks and classic samples that almost caused a riot High Contrast got the floor moving and left all wanting to see more. But not now… maybe another time… Danny Byrd was on next. So though High Contrast became a fast crowd favourite no one was that sad to see them go.

It’s hard to review Danny Byrd, as it is hard to put truly great Drum’and’Bass into words. Drum’and’Bass is very much a feeling and experience, making you dance into a frenzy and do things you normally wouldn’t do in front of complete strangers. I don’t think anyone spoke during Danny Byrd’s set for fear of missing a beat, catching a breath and dropping dead on the spot. From housey, dancey, disco samples to the heaviest, dirtiest most evil bass lines you’ve heard in an age Danny Byrd delivered it all and was heard right the way through to China. If High Contrast got the floor moving Danny set it on fire. Not a foot touched the ground until he finally had to be forcibly faded out by the sound engineer to make way for Andy C, but no one would have cared if he played all night. Byrd is the word.

And you’ve gotta love Andy C. We all love Andy C! The original and one of the best delivered his standard high quality set that melted your face and kept you going till sun up. But following The Byrd is a hard yard and as most kept on keeping on some went for drinks, some for smokes, and after half a set from Andy C I reluctantly threw in the towel.

Hospitality is an amazing club night. It’s well done, well organised, always delivers quality line up’s, so it’s easy to see why it has taken off in such epic fashion. But I can’t help feeling we lose a small piece of the true down to earth Hospitality the bigger and better it gets. But that’s the way it goes I suppose.

VENUE REVIEW: Matter@O2, Greenwich, London

MATTER

O2, Greenwich, London
PH: 0207 549 6686

http://www.matterlondon.com/

Matter is a slightly smaller venture bought to you by the people at Fabric. While not as grand or well marketed as Fabric, Matter can often offer a better night out due to a better lay out and friendlier atmosphere – as long as you can get there.


LOCATION & ACCESSABILITY

Matter is a complete bitch to get to and from mainly as the Jubilee tube line that goes directly to the O2 complex where it’s situated is usually delayed or closed. That means a bus from London Bridge which has taken me up to 2 hours, or a Thames ferry from any stop from Waterloo onwards along the river costing around 4GBP. If you ask me the ferry is the way to go. However getting home there is only one option – cab. Matter usually closes around 6am so the tube is about an hour away, and a bus at that time can often be the same, not to mention freezing!


VENUE LAYOUT & BARS

Matter is very new as far as venues go, opening in September 2008, and you can tell by its user-friendly design and sleek appearance. For those of you who know it, it’s kind of a boxier version of Home in Sydney. However I feel its fine lines and stony appearance would leave a lot to be desired sans lighting effects. With 2 rooms – one main room downstairs and one smaller room upstairs – each with a large bar, there’s not a lot to Matter, but there’s beauty within it’s simplicity. The Main Room is one big dance floor with full circle balconies looking down upon it giving it a Shakespearean Globe feel, complete with tiered steps to dance on either side of the dance floor. The smaller room is quite the non-feature, with a circular bar and not much else.
The smoking area is a fenced off area out front which is not too pretty to look at. The piece de resistance is the caged walkway running along the centre of the rooftop, which gives you a great view of the main room floor but also allows people to pour their drinks on your head from a great height! There’s also ample dance room and comfy couches on the same floor, and a secret hidden toilet should the downstairs loos be rammed.

The loos are always clean and there are ample which usually means no queues but they lose loads of points for making all the taps hot. Fair enough they want us to buy water but what if I simply want a cool splash to the face after an epic dance floor session? There’s also a lift near the secret glass staircase at the rear of the venue that overlooks the O2 complex, but I’ve never had the stomach to get in it.

Surprisingly enough drinks don’t cost the earth, with a double vodka red bull costing 5GBP and water and softies coming in at 2GBP. But be sure to have some cash in your pocket, as minimum on card is 20GBP.
　

HISTORY & SHOWS

Being Fabrics little brother means you’ll never be short of line up’s. As mentioned before, Matter only opened in 2008 and has played host to some impressive shows for one so young: Fatboy Slim, Stanton Warriors, Funkmaster Flash, Justice, Pendulum, Bookashade, plus the regular drum’n’bass nights Ram and Hospitality which I highly recommend.

All in all Matter is a top night out and is fairly reasonable in price as far as clubs go. However this may be to compensate for what you spend in travel costs. We live in hope that the Jubilee line is eventually bought under control, but home is only ever a cab ride away. And at 6am, depending on what state you’re in, a cab may not be a bad idea.

SHOW REVIEW: 2ManyDJs, Brixton Academy, London (13/6/09)

Hot to Trot
Saturday 13th June 2009
Brixton Academy, London

A ‘fee flow’ dance party at Brixton Academy is a sight to behold. Punters are free to roam wherever they please, whether it be upstairs to the Circle for some seated action, in the main foyer for some slip and slide beats (DJ + spilled drinks + marble floors = smooth dance moves), or into the main room where the stayers are. The only snag with this set up is that normally 1000 or so of the people in attendance would be confined to the upstairs Circle section, where as at a free flow show all 5000+ have the chance to squeeze themselves into the main room.

The above may explain why 2ManyDJs was the HOTTEST SHOW I HAVE EVER BEEN TO. Even donning thongs, a short skirt and mini-singlet top I lost at least 2 dress sizes in sweat that night. People were emptying water bottles on themselves, gasping for air and doing the ‘hand fan’ dance move across the floor (dance vigorously whilst fanning face with hands simultaneously). The sweltering heat was endured by thousands, tossing aside their cares and need for liquids, held up only by the rare and awesome talents of Belgian supermen 2ManyDJs.

It was hard to explain to my Stepdad the next day that I had been ‘clubbing’ – as he phrases with disdain all shows I go to that do not feature a live guitar – and yet I had heard the likes of ACDC, Sepultura, Nirvana, Guns’n’Roses and even Beethoven. Being staunch rock’n’rollers my parents only just endure hip-hop as my brother is an MC and budding DJ. They are nowhere near accepting the fact that people make banging music with little knobs and turntables, let alone the fact that they ‘destroy’ original tracks to do so. I hereby disagree.

2ManyDJs talents to mix anything seamlessly and bring it to the forefront of your rhythmical lobe, coupled with mega-basic cardboard cut out graphics, make them one of the greatest DJ acts of our time. They make anything sound good with a beat, which tonight included an awesome and solid favourite mix of MGMT’s ‘Kids’, The Gossip, Dolly Parton, Dizzee Racal, Justice, Prodigy, and the aforementioned rock and classical tunes.

Their mixes are perfect, their timings spot on and their climax’s orgasmic. As far as I’m concerned there could never be 2ManyDJs, just way 2MuchFun.

FESTIVAL REVIEW: Global Gathering: Long Marston Air Field, Stratford Upon Avon, UK (24/7/09)

It’s All About The Relish
Friday 24th July 2009
Long Marston Air Field, Stratford-upon-Avon

As luck would have it I returned from Benicassim Festival to find I’d won 2 tickets to Global Gathering festival through TNT magazine. I mindlessly enter competitions all the time so had no idea what the prize entailed, but a short click of my mouse informed me I had won the following:

• 2 VIP tickets to the 2 day festival featuring Prodigy, Scratch Perverts, Pendulum, Digitalism, Stanton Warriors, DJ Yoda and more
• 2 return train tickets to the event
• 1 tent
• 2 sleeping bags
• 2 sleeping mats

‘Not a bad haul!’ I thought and immediately called my dancing buddy Kel to sort out a plan of attack. After much too-ing and fro-ing we decided to go only on the Friday night, as I had just returned from Benicassim, Spain and my body and wallet were feeling the effects.

Friday finally arrived, as did the 3-carriage peak hour train to Stratford-upon- Avon, so we crammed ourselves on with 5000 others and set about our adventure. A packed train and one empty double decker shuttle bus later and we were at Long Marston Air Field, collected our VIP tickets, tent and sleeping bags (no mats, disappointing – and an early warning of what was to come…) and head to the VIP entrance.

To this day I have no idea what VIP meant in relation to these tickets. On paper they touted a VIP camping area, clean showers and toilets, plus a bar, food and Jacuzzi area. However these VIP tickets were also available to the public for an extra 100GBP, meaning the majority of festivalgoers were ‘VIP’. Entry was speedy and hassle free – most of the folk arriving through the normal gates were being searched in a manner akin to someone with a bomb strapped to them going through LAX. The whole procedure looked highly unpleasant and I was glad we coasted through… Coasted through to a VIP Camping Area that had more people squeezed into it than the train we rode in on.

VIP entailed being crammed into an overcrowded unorganised mess of tents with one stable-like communal shower tent and a few white cubical loo’s that became as bad as a port-a-loo after a few uses. The chill out bar and food area were OK and did feature a Jacuzzi however all were situated outside and soon became uninviting as the freezing night air drifted in.

We arrived late due to work commitments and had the foresight to borrow a friends pop up tent to avoid erecting a new and unknown tent in the dark. Once camp was set up we ventured into a festival site consisting of a small and terrible sounding main stage, a selection of club arena tents (God’s Kitchen and the like) and a brightly fluorescent, incredibly scary set of carnival rides in the middle. Throw in some loos, a sad excuse for a chill out area and a chew-and-spew food alley and that was it. No theme, no vibe and a fun park so evil I was waiting for Tim Curry a la clown-from-It to jump out at any moment.

Upon exploration we found most of the tents empty bar God’s Kitchen which had a great set up and light show but techno trance just ain’t my thang. The acts I wanted to catch (Prodigy, Pendulum, Stanton Warriors, DJ Yoda to name a few) were in massive tents that were half full, devoid of any atmosphere and – possibly due to the aforementioned – played mediocre to terrible sets. Determined to have a good time Kel and I circled the site numerous times, checked VIP for signs of life – of which there were none – then circled and circled again. Retiring to our tent at 2am, the curfew time for the Friday night, the verdict was all too grim.

With a sight too large and tents way too big for the amount of punters Global Gathering was an empty shell of hopeless vibeless dance music trying to recapture the heady club days of the early 90’s and failing miserably. Maybe the Saturday was better as it was more Drum and Bass oriented – I hope so. Congratulations to God’s Kitchen for having the only constantly pumping tent during the Friday night, a great testament to their staying power. The sad fact remains, and Kelly and I agree, the best thing about Global Gathering was the relish on our midnight snack hamburger.