Aloe Blacc hit the HMV Manchester Ritz this December. It was a gig I had been excited about for some time, since hearing his first album I would say, which is a bit of a wait- and I'm not a patient guy. He brought along a superb backing band which complimented his soulful styles. Styles which, judging from the crowd, clearly appeal to people of all ages, and why not.
It's so fantastic when you watch a performer who is clearly enjoying playing as much as the crowd are enjoying it. He showed superb showmanship, initiating the crowd to embrace 'someone who makes them smile' during one track...
Skittles- Tip-i-cal-ly
I didn't have a clue who Skittles was at the start of this year. I probably should have done but occasionally I'm unintentionally ignorant. So with no clue I started seeing alot of hype about this 'Tip-i-cal-ly' tune when the video came out. 'I better check it out- some important heads are posting it online'. I'm glad I did.
The first thing that hits me is this guy's flow. It's very unique- fast but coherent, tight rhyming and blatantly mancunian. There's no pandering to London or the USA here. The lyrics and video are injected with humour, nothing...
Blawan- Getting me Down
This is one of those ever growing number of tunes which are straddling the worlds of dubstep, garage and house, rendering themselves hard to pigeonhole. I'm not going to try to, to be honest.
It takes a little while to build up but even in the intro you can't help to be hooked by the delightful hollow snare sound on the fourth beat of each bar.
What follows is quite simply the best use of vocal slicing and manipulation I've ever heard. Blawan has taken the original Brandy vocal and twisted it into something all his own. The beauty lies...
Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx - I'll Take Care of You
When I heard Jamie xx had remixed the entirity of the last Gil Scott Heron album I felt a combination of trepidation and excitement- its a bold undertaking for anybody to tamper with the work of such a legendary artist, even someone making waves as big as Jamie xx.
Fortunately for the universe, the combination of Mr Scott-Herons warming tones with Jamies impeccable production standards led to a superb piece of work. A wonderful listening experience from start to finish with syncopated percussion and sub bass bouncing...
For those of you who were a little worried these aren't all going to be drum & bass tunes. I'll still happily listen to dnb 24/7 but my tastes have broadened quite a lot this year, not to mention I'll always respect and love any good piece of music. So, number two...
Aloe Blacc - I Need a Dollar
I hadn't heard of this guy before early this year- this was the first song I heard from him, and what a tune it is. The bouncing piano instantly grabs your ears and doesn't let go, it's very much a walking-down-the-street tune. Then the bluesy vocal kicks in and regails you with...
In addition to photography, im also very much in love with music- as anyone who's seen me raving out will testify! So I thought I'd do a run through of my top 10 tunes of the year.
They wont be in any particular order- its not about that- and I'll doubtlessly miss off a few which should've been included, but who's that bothered really!
So without any further ado...
Emeli Sande- Heaven (Nu:tone remix)
I know I just said 'in no particular order' but I'll happily shout this as the tune of the year. It's perfect. The drums sound that little bit higher...
Anyone who is looking for an all encompassing dance music festival in Europe could do much worse than attending Hideout Festival. Launched last year on the Island of Pag, at Zrce Beach, the festival brought together the biggest names in dance music for a four day party in the sun. Zrce beach already has 4 brilliant club venues ready to go so you're assured of excellent sound and production values. A plethora of boat parties also run from nearby Novalja, where you will more than likely be staying, and mean you can party from noon all the way til sunrise each day- marvellous!
The Hideout...
On November 11th the Smashing Pumpkins make their first appearance in Manchester in over 3 years. The second I saw the gig announced I was extremely excited and dying to shoot it. Regardless of the fact that I now listen to repetitive electronic bleeps most of the time, they will consistently remain one of my favourite bands. The likes of Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie... contain some of the most brilliant compositions ever conceived by man.
I was lucky enough to get in to do a review for Everything Music UK and it is now online here... MY REVIEW
I was even more luck...
So one of my definite highlights of 2011 was the Bloc weekender. Held down at Butlins in Minehead, the curators put together an absolute banquet of the best in electronic music in one of the best organised festivals in the UK. I can sum it up as follows...
ALL THE ARENAS ARE MASSIVE CLUBS AND YOU GET A HOTEL ROOM THROWN IN!
So as I didn't get any official photo accreditation I decided to forgo the expensive equipment and, despite the threat of looking like a hipster, decided to bring my trusty Nikkormat FT and some Ilford Delta 3200 film - best thing for the inevitable...
Its been a while but time seems to be my most precious commodity these days so just gonna do a quick post here. At the start of June I shot Leeds University Summer Ball for Metropolis. Aside from the Metropolis tent, filled with tuxed up ravers, there was a large 'main tent' for the big live acts which were headlining, amongst these were Chipmunk and Ellie Goulding. Even though it wasn't in my remit I couldn't pass up a chance to shoot some big names like this, so I made sure my trusty 80-200 lens was in the bag and went for it.
These pics haven't seen the light of day yet- the keener...