Memphis All Stars
“Lovely Memphis Day” (mp3)
from “Blues Train”
(LocoBop)

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The Memphis All-Stars are just that an “All Star” band of Memphis finest and most respected musicians featuring Greg Reding (keyboards, guitar, and vocals), Robert Clayborne (keyboards and vocals) , Henry “Sly Diesel” Clayborne (bass, keyboards, and vocals) , and Walter White (drums and vocals).

There debut album ‘Blues Train’ is reminiscent of the great Motown groups like the Isley Brothers and Four Tops with an extra spicy ingredient: that kicking soulful character that emanated from their home town’s own Stax Records during the same era. This music will simmer in your blood, overflow into your mind, body, and soul, and make you smile from the inside out!

From R&B, to Rock n’ Roll, to any music your ear can imagine, the Memphis All-Stars will keep you on the dance floor all night long!

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DJ Bradd, Pepper Mashay, Salsoul Nugget
“Heaven (feat. Salsoul Nugget)” (mp3)
from “Music Summit”
(Deepless Records)

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DJ Bradd, what’s more to say about the producer, dj and label owner from Switzerland? Half CR/PL, with 12 years moved with the parents to Switzerland near Bern. In 2000 after finishing the schools and SAE (Zurich) a new London based label called Mn2S signet Bradd for a remix production. His first officall work for a label.

Since the year 2000, he produced & remixed more then 30 singles for international known labels like Mn2S London, KingStreet USA, RTG UK, GroovyTunes UK, Opaque, Sureplayer, Sonima and his own label Deepless Records. Bradd worked on productions for and with people like Michael Procter, Tiza B, CE CE Rogers, Inaya Day, Lynn Lockamy, Mike Davis, Richard Earnshaw, Majhong Connection to name only a few.

Bradd played almost in every major club in Switzerland like Oxa, Prestige, Take 5, Mad, Lifting and many other alongside his international dj sets in Ibiza, Ukraine, Poland, Greece, Spain, France.

At the moment, Dj Bradd is seriously busy with some great productions and remixes for his own imprint and for other labels as well.

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The Garland Cult
“Talking With Aliens” (mp3)
from “”Talking With Aliens” The Steve Bronski Mixes”
(Ninthwave Media)

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The Garland Cult are Aidan Casserly and Lar Kiernan an Irish pop duo who were founding members of the band Empire State Human, performing electro-pop in the true sense of that term. Crafting complex arrangements, around beautiful melodies that enhance the songs instead of cluttering them up. A sound for people who enjoy intelligence and thoughtfulness in their pop music.

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Modern English
“It’s Ok” (mp3)
from “Soundtrack”
(Darla)

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Darla Records is proud to offer the seventh album by iconic post-punk/new wave pop craftsmen Modern English, best known for their hit song “I Melt with You”. Their classic album After the Snow (4AD: 1982) featured what became a radio/club mega-hit and MTV staple, “I Melt with You”, which was used in the film Valley Girl, in more than one TV advertisement and became the flagship track on the popular Nouvelle Vague covers album.

Now as then, Modern English is smart, modern pop, firmly rooted in post-punk yet undeniably Beatle-esque. Described by Robbie Grey as, “Some real music for real people with real emotions”, Soundtrack marks the convincing return of a band with a solidly recognizable, signature sound and pop sensibility. The songs ranging from the uplifting, jangle-pop with infectious, sing-along chorus and dance-able beat of “It’s Ok”, the record’s obvious single, and the equally inspired “Blister” and “Up Here in the Brain”, to dark, downtempo grooves with somber keyboard washes in which Grey sings of never-far-off blackness and suicide, “Soundtrack”, “Bomb”, “The Lowdown”, are all characteristically introspective and consistent with Modern English’s best work.

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Neurotron
“Mind Reflections” (mp3)
from “The Force, Vol 1 – EP”
(Night Drive Music)

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Axel Schuh and Andre Kroenert are the techno-rebels known as Neutron and start from the premise that the earth´s biosphere is fragile, and that the more powerful our new technologies become, the higher the risk of doing irreversible damage to the planet. Thus they demand that all new technologies be prescreened for possible adverse effects, that dangerous ones be redesigned or actually blocked-in short, that tomorrow´s technologies be subjected to tighter ecological constraints than those of the Second Wave.

These techno-rebels argue that either we control technology or it control us-and that “we” can no longer simply be the usual elite of scientists, engineers, politicians, and businessmen…..The techno-rebels contend that technology need not be big, costly, or complex in order to be “sophisticated”…..Thus the techno-rebels favour the design of a whole range of “appropriate technologies” intended to provide humane jobs, to avoid pollution, to spare the environment, and to produce for personal or local use rather than for national and global markets alone. The techno-rebellion has sparked thousands of experiments all over the world, with just such small-scale technologies, in fields ranging from fish farming and food processing to energy production, waste recycling, cheap construction, and simple transport.

Taken as a whole, this techno-rebel program provides the basis for humanizing the technological thrust. The techno-rebels are, whether they recognize it or not, agents of the Third Wave. They will not vanish but multiply in the years ahead. For they are as much a part of the advance to a new stage of civilization as our missions to Venus, our amazing computers, our biological discoveries, or our explorations of the oceanic depths…..But this is only a detail of a much vaster picture. For at the same time that we are transforming the techno-sphere we are also revolutionizing the info-sphere. Alvin Toffler – The Third Wave

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Holmes Ives and Lane McCray
“Boom (Stan Kolev’s Filtered Funk Remix)” (mp3)
from “Boom – Single”
(OVA Records)

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Holmes Ives has emerged as one of D.C.’s premiere electronic music producers exploring such genres as progressive house, drum’n'bass to experimental downtempo excursions under the monikers ‘ Memnon, Oko Tek, HDI, OVA and Perceptual Outer Dimensions. Ives’ production credits include Seroya’s Mystic Maah album which is a lush sensual journey, a must listen. Ives has produced three video’s and countless commercial tv adds. In 2000 Ives was commissioned to compose music for the San Francisco School of Circus Arts. Titled “Tetrasomia” Ives performed the music live to sell out crowds in over 19 performances.

On his latest release ‘Boom’ Ives collaborates with Lane McCray (one half of the famed singing duo LaBouche) which is already charting high on Britains Club Breakers Chart, ‘Boom’ is showing signs of success as it promos around the globe. Featuring the vocals of Lane McCray who is a million record selling artist with a legacy of hits as the male vocalist of the duo LaBouche. Lane delivers an infectious hook and a soulful performance.

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“Pick Up The Phone”

It started with a… well, not a kiss, exactly.

“We met at a Canadian music festival we were both playing at,” she tells me, “…and then ….”

He: “And then I left my girlfriend.”

The musical fruit of this encounter between Dan Kurtz and Martina Sorbara was Dragonette, a band (we must at this point mention drummer Joel Stouffer and guitarist Will Stapleton) who make sharp, sardonically witty electronic pop music.

From the very start, the concept was, in stark contrast to the rest of the Canadian scene during that ‘Nickelback moment‘, unashamedly and unapologetically POP. Dan explains, “I’d like to write songs that at least I can remember. And I’m very bad at remembering melodies and the lyrics, so it needs to be memorable!”

Oh, the name? Nothing to do with puns on retro cop shows. “Martina called her iPod that,” says Dan. “I saw it plugged in on her computer, and I thought ‘Wow, that word looks fucking cool.’ Then we post-rationalised it and said it was about this female-fronted male power band. It’s a fire-breathing dragon, but it’s a chick!”

Martina beams. “A dragon in stilettos.”

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“Don’t Let Go”

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Pacha Massive (from ‘Pachamama’ meaning “Mother Earth”), is a creative collaboration between Dominican-born Nova (keys/guitar /writer/producer) and Colombian-born Maya (writer/bass). The band, from the Bronx, New York City, was Nacional Records’ first U.S.-based signing. Their music is a funky bilingual fusion of traditional Latin rhythms] like Colombian cumbia, Dominican palo, reggae, dancehall, dub and electronica.
The group released its debut album, All Good Things, on Nacional Records in February 2007, and following the tremendous response to their debut album, Pacha Massive took their sound from New York City across the country (from Boston to Portland, Oregon) and the world (from Colombia to Turkey). “Each stop has its own unique memory but going to certain places for the first time and immediately packing the venue, like in Bogota or the Ford Amphitheater in LA, were certainly memorable milestones,” Nova says. “Touring to such a foreign place like Turkey and having fans singing along and shouting out in Spanish and English definitely sticks out too.”

The universality of Pacha’s overall message and vibe is a common theme that runs from ‘All Good Things’ to ‘If You Want It.’ “It was especially humbling for me to see our music have such a positive impact on people’s lives when we were touring across the globe,” Nova explains. “It inspired me to want to write even more… seeing how the fans responded to the songs and simply realizing how irrelevant language seemed to be in the context of music.”

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“Take Your Medicine”

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Formed in 2005, The Quick & Easy Boys quickly made a name for themselves in Eugene, Oregon before heading north and building a Portland, OR fanbase. Their shows are an interactive party with electrifying stage antics and profound musical moments as the trio pours out every ounce of their energy, leaving nothing behind. The band has gained the reputation for moving a crowd all-night long whether it be a big festival or a tiny watering hole. The core members – – Jimmy Russell on guitar, Sean Badders on bass, and Michael Goetz on drums – – have continued to evolve musically…and audiences continue their enthusiastic calling of “Yeah Bud!” at every show.

In 2008, they released Bad Decisions With Good People which left people raving about their unique and vibrant sound, and in September of 2009, they sojourned out on their first United States tour. Two national tours are now planned for 2010 in support of their new release. They’ve opened both locally and nationally for The Bridge, Iglu & Hartly, The Pimps of Joytime, Southern Culture on the Skids, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Bob Wayne & the Outlaw Carnies, Vince Herman, Scott Law and Shanti Groove.

The Quick & Easy Boys’ high-energy thought-provoking original music provides a bounce to the step that only dancing can cure. So if you’re tired of the same old sounds and looking for the next up-and-coming thing, The Quick & Easy Boys’ newest release, Red Light Rabbit, is sure to give you a run for your money.

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“We Are Human”

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Ping Trace consists of Sven, Lynnae Rome, and Jeremy Golden; two DJs and a vocalist focused on high-quality electronic music-scapes filled with catchy melodies and a lush, chill production style.

Their previous, self-released Traces EP received attention and airplay around the globe inspiring Terraform to sign the trio to the label roster.

Ping Trace’s first Terraform single, “We Are Human,” is a sleek slice of rolling deep house accentuated by Lynnae Rome’s gorgeous vocals and layered, evocative instrumentation.

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“Watercolor Day”

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Watercolor Day is Seth Swirsky’s new album of 60s and 70s-influenced pop songs. He’s a member of The Red Button who took the indie pop world by storm with their commercially and critically successful album, “She’s About to Cross My Mind” (2007). Swirsky’s first solo album, Instant Pleasure (2004) was voted Best Pop Album at the 2005 Los Angeles Music Awards.

Swirsky was an award-winning, staff songwriter for many years with Warner/Chappell Music and EMI Music where he wrote worldwide #1 hits, including Taylor Dayne’s, “Tell it to My Heart” and “Prove Your Love”.

He grew up in Great Neck, New York and went to Dartmouth College. At age 19, he wrote the national jingle for Thomas’s English Muffins.
Before he knew it, the biggest pop acts of the day — Air Supply, Olivia Newton John, Al Green, Tina Turner and Jane Weidlin of the Go Gos — were recording his songs.

In between music projects, Swirsky created three bestselling books for Random House that consisted of handwritten letters to him from old baseball players with personal and poignant accounts of their lives on and off the field.

His love of the history of the game got him into collecting historic baseball memorabilia like the ball that went through Bill Buckner’s legs in the 1986 World Series.

A self-named “Manic Expressive”, next year, Swirsky’s first full length documentary comes out. It’s called Beatles Stories and is made up of people who have a story about themselves and the Fab Four. Swirsky interviewed an array of people for the film including, Sir George Martin, Sir Ben Kingsley, Art Garfunkel, Graham Nash, Smokey Robinson and many others.

He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Jody Gerson and their three children, Julian (15), Luke (7) and Daisy Claire (5). Swirsky enjoys sushi and looking through kaleidoscopes, not necessarily in that order.

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“On This Side (Courtney Nielsen Beatless Dub) [feat. Bora Yoon]“

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Brooklyn based DJ Scottie B and Producer Chris Tempas have assembled quite a crew of young talented musicians for, The Shift. With guitarist Brian Fegan, sax player Mike DeVellis, bassist Jeff Angell, and vocalists Rhiannon, they have all the elements to make quality music of nearly any sort. They have now completed two full length albums on Blunted Funk, and still perform live every so often in NYC and Brooklyn.

This dynamic group of six have carried the name sake which originally started with two. Scottie B & Chris Tempas held a four year position entertaining the minds of the Brooklyn folks at the Arts & Sciences at Galapagos. From two they grew to incorporate the DJ and computer based music and then live instrumentation and percussion. The Shift’s sound is vibrant and fun but at times emotional. It’s a joy to hear and feel a new groove in their music. Since their music is unique it possess a flair all its own.

“They’re so full of energy you can almost see it escaping from your speakers. Enlighten your soul and tempt the mind with a sampling from the Shift and you won’t be disappointed.” – Urbnet

“The Shift kind of blew most of the rest of the new-music pile away.” – John Anderson, RPM Director, WEFT

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“Party Right Here”

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Breaking every cliché associated with the blues while producing some of the most powerful music of the 21st century comes as natural to Albert Cummings as swinging a hammer while constructing one of his award-winning custom built homes. The Massachusetts native learned the requisite three chords on the guitar from his father, but then switched to playing banjo at age 12 and became a fan of bluegrass music. Like everything he tackles, he threw himself headlong into the pursuit, going to festivals and winning several picking contests in high school. Before graduating he heard the early recordings of Stevie Ray Vaughan, however, and was floored by the virtuosity. While in college in 1987 he saw Vaughan perform and he returned to the guitar with a new outlook and resolve. He had another tradition to live up to first, however, and he studied the building trade in order to follow his family into the home building business. Not until he was 27, an age when other musicians were either already established or had long ago put their dream aside for the realities of life, did Albert finally decide to go for it.

An intense period of wood shedding resulted Albert sharing a bill with Double Trouble, the late Stevie Ray Vaughan’s rhythm section. So taken with Albert’s fire and passion were bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton that they volunteered to play on and produce his debut recording. In 2003 the aptly-titled From the Heart (Under the Radar), with the awesome power of a Nor’easter and the soul of a natural born artist. No less a giant of the blues than B.B. King, who Cummings acknowledged with a funky version of ‘Rock Me, Baby,’ dubbed Cummings ‘a great guitarist.’ In an era of cowboy-hatted poseurs, Cumming delivered the goods straight from the heart and shoulder with a wallop generated by his talent rather than his wardrobe.

A year later Double Trouble joined Cummings again as he signed with Blind Pig Records to create True to Yourself. This time they brought in legendary producer Jim Gaines to control the sessions. The all-original release further showcased Albert’s rapidly developing songwriting chops and deeply emotional vocals as well as stunning guitar pyrotechnics that put the metallurgical properties of his strings to the test. Tours and shows with blues legends B.B. King, Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy and others brought his music to an audience grateful for the opportunity to be rocked hard by a man possessed to play every song like his life depended on it.

Working Man (Blind Pig), Albert’s summer of 2006 blockbuster release, is the culmination to date of a guitar hero’s career just taking off. A punchy, stomping cover of Merle Haggard’s blue collar standard ‘Working Man Blues’ brings it all home for the master builder and musician. The swinging Texas blues of ‘Please,’ the instant barroom boogie classic ‘Party Right Here,’ the snaky slow drag ‘Rumors’ and the rousing rocker ‘Feeling End’ show variety well beyond the typical slow blues and shuffles of so much contemporary music. The deeply emotive ballad ‘Last Dance’ that closes the disc is so evocative that a Hollywood movie could be written around it.

Albert Cummings is a man of his times and the man for the times. As he has done with his innovative homes, he has taken tradition and built his own musical edifice that expresses his thoughts and dreams. It is a vision that alternately excites and soothes while also clearly providing a glimpse of his unlimited future. The best is yet to come.

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“Shining On”

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“She was a willowy beauty with charming shyness and a slightly tragic air.” So says Brett Milano, of Juliana Hatfield in her starting-out days, in his recent book The Sound Of Our Town: A History Of Boston Rock+Roll.

Juliana Hatfield — no less an intriguing, compelling character today — has been working as a recording artist for twenty years. With the release of How To Walk Away, her 10th solo album, she again proves herself to be an uncompromising artist with impeccable pop instincts, a disdain for artifice, a completely original voice, and a contrarian streak.

Starting in her teens, with her first band, critically-acclaimed, Boston-based indie rock outfit the Blake Babies (who self-released their first album before moving on to the North Carolina-based independent Mammoth Records), Hatfield has paved her own unique way, evolving with each subsequent record.

How To Walk Away, finds Hatfield singing in top form. “Finally,” she says, “I feel like my voice has grown into itself and I’m not struggling so much against its little-girl-ness.”

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“Feeling Good (feat. SOL)”

Little is know of Alex Beroza other than he lives in Belgium designing an making jewelery, and in his free time turns his artistic talents from the physical to the aural as one of ccMixters resident musical talents creating, making and making music.

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“Everything Is Alright”

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Formed in the spring of 2009, Fierce Bad Rabbit has quickly garnered the respect of their peers, drawn in a loyal fan base, and generated a buzz among the local industry. Although the band may be new to the scene, the group consists of some of the most recognizable and talented musicians in Fort Collins.

Front man Chris Anderson formed the indie rock quartet after the demise of the popular Colorado band, the Jimi Austin. After spending time in Africa, where he wrote songs including Mon Ami, he returned with a renewed energy to his music. A chance meeting with Arliss Nancy bass player Dayton Hicks, Stella Luce front woman and violist Alana Rolfe, and original Tickle Me Pink drummer Adam Pitner grew into one of the most exciting and original collaborations to hit the scene in a long time.An explosion of inspiration ensued and Fierce Bad Rabbit was able to knock out an amazing 8-song album of quality music in only a few months.

Their self-titled debut album was so highly anticipated that the release of their first single, Everything is Alright, had received statewide radio airplay before the record was finished. Spawning such other hits as Sink Like a Stone and Love Keeps Us Tough, the group and the album are poised to take the Colorado music scene by storm.

Drawing influences from the Arcade Fire, the Shins, and Waylon Jennings, Fierce Bad Rabbit have blended their backgrounds into an orchestrated full sound that translates into enjoyable music for the listener. Named after the beloved Beatrix Potter children’s book, the band looks to tour regionally and nationally in the next year.

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“Sunshine”

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New York based South African, Brendon Moeller has been producing music since 1994. His compositions have been released on Francois K’s Deep Space Media; Third ear Records, Echocord, Mule Musiq, Leena Music, Eskimo recordings and then some. He records as Brendon Moeller, Beat Pharmacy and Echologist.

Dub, techno, jazz, afrobeat and psychedelics are inspirations that appear in most of his music. Whether it be serious dancefloor bizniz, or dubbed out bass-scapes, his music always possesses a quality and signature that make him the force he is today.

He has collaborated with some of the great dub vocalists of our time, including Mutabaruka, Spaceape, Mikey Dread and Paul St. Hilaire amongst others.

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“Lunatics Desire”

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Residing in the music of England, Film Noir World is a project by a one man band and producer who makes music that have a movie soundtrack feel. From love, adventure, to suspense, thriller, mysterious, action, and horror.

A combining elements of electronic, trip-hop, and hip-hop. A persistent range of orchestral & relating strings and choir cliched phrases that Film Noir World has somehow twisted and warped just enough of a common thread holding it all together to make it work in a brilliant way. Multifaceted and brimming with an eclectic sound.

The BBC and Hollywood in the USA may give this one man music producer his big break. He deserves it! The framework of the music is an exploring of complexities. A patchwork from start to finish. Film Noir World proves that it is possible to create music that is both powerful and melodic while, at the same time, conveying some human emotion, and penetrates to the emotional heart. An admirable and brave collection of tracks to say at least, which is quite impressive and an achievement.

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“Watching Seabirds Soar (Harmony)”

Do Kashiteru is an electronica duo that’s been around since the summer of 2006. We released our first album, Gizmo, in July 2008 we hope you enjoy our music, and that ccMixter continues to be as amazing as it is now!

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“Black Sunrise”

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Originating from Wellington, New Zealand, The Black Seeds have carved out their reputation through platinum selling albums, a masterful 8-piece live show, and a unique sound that fuses infectious grooves and melodies with undiluted roots music. With numerous European festival tours and releases behind them, and a successful 2009 North American release, their following continues to spread quickly around the globe.

Led by the vocals of Barnaby Weir and Daniel Weetman, at its core The Black Seeds music is a boundary-crossing sound fusion of big-beat funk, dub, soul, and afro-beat, mixed with vintage roots-reggae.

Described by Clash Magazine as ‘one of the best reggae acts on the planet’, their legendary 8-piece live show brings the raw energy and good vibes wherever it goes. They now have countless sell-out New Zealand and Australasian tours behind them, and regularly perform at many of Europe’s biggest festivals.

Lyrically The Black Seeds music expresses messages on different levels. Personal triumphs and failures, the fear of love, death, apathy, and relationships, give a personal insight into the lives of the musicians. Ultimately though, their songs are always under-pinned with an underlying positivity and optimism.

Headquarters is, and always has been, the Surgery Studio in the capital city of Wellington – a city with a small, close-knit creative community, which in recent years has churned out the likes of Flight Of The Conchords and Lord Of The Rings. A former Karate Dojo and condemned building, the band’s sound engineer Lee Prebble took advantage of the cheap rent to set up the studio, which has since been responsible for producing some of New Zealand’s finest albums of recent years (Trinity Roots, The Phoenix Foundation). The Surgery is the practice room, recording studio, and general hangout space for the band, with all four of their albums having been produced there.

‘… as marvellous a work of modern reggae as you’re likely to find in any corner of the world today’ -Niceup.com. (U.S.A)

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“Hope The Light”

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When 4 Blokes from Maidenhead in England found each other in school it was kismet. The Furze (Ash (vocals), Dave (guitar), Paul (bass) and Wooky (drums) … were born.

Inspired by those who pioneered before them… The Furze transformed their collective influences along with their own original offerings to create a sound impossible to pigeonhole. This band will blow you away with their hard earned reputation for eclectic edgy creativity and an unforgettable style that has earned them the accolade of “…One of our most effervescent pop bands…’Stealin’ Beats’ sets camp midway between Air and The Strokes, knocks out a fizzy pyjama party pop masterpiece” — NME. A testament to why The Furze repeatedly transform bystanders into hardcore fans, and it was The Furze infamous live sound that ignited what was to follow.

“The sound fluctuates between sheer venom spitting rock to the more subdued morning after, lazy day anthems. spine tingling, awe inspiring, that’s-exactly-how-I-feel music.”

“…Could this be the future of British rock?” – NME

You decide….

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“Nothing New”

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Since forming in late 2004, Kelowna, BC’s SLEDDOGS, have made a significant mark on the Canadian rock landscape. Their stunningly accomplished 2005 debut, “Great Escape”, tagged them as serious contenders with 3 songs cracking the Canadian Top 100 in Rock and Hot AC formats and their hit single “Perfect Place” breaking through to the Top 40 and receiving a nomination for a 2007 Canadian Radio Music Award – Best New Group HOT AC. Videos for Bye Bye Life and Perfect Place received out of the box adds from both Much More Music and Musi Max which helped to build the bands profile across Canada.

The second album “Take Me Away” released in 2007 has supported four singles to date including the first release being the popular title track. The video for Take Me Away, saw significant airplay through the spring on Much Music, Much Loud and MMM.

The moody and popular album track, Lack of Control was released to Canadian Rock and HAC radio cracking the Top 100 in both formats. A video for their Rockin’ version of Frosty the Snowman, was release dearly December and was added to both Much Loud and MMM. It was one of the most requested Top 10 holiday videos this season. Tragic, the bands ever popular live track was successful on Canadian rock radio. Sweet Lorraine has been released to radio already charting in the top100 in both HAC and Rock radio formats. After performing close to 500shows the band has toured extensively through Canada as well as USA, New Zealand and the UK.

Sleddogs have recorded their third album, working with Johnny Fay(Tragically Hip)on drums and produced by Rich Chycki(RUSH, Aerosmith).

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“Shy”

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A Sunny Day in Glasgow are a band from Philadelphia that plays dreamy pop music that uses lots of samples, guitars, and melodies. Their new record, Ashes Grammar, shows they are continuing to dazzle and amaze with new material and exploration into uncharted musical grounds while consistently providing their fans with the dreamy, ethereal comfort their highly loved previous material was heralded for.

Their former record, Scribble Mural Comic Journal, was a showcase of textures and soundscapes characterized by walls of fuzz, overdubbed and heavily effected guitar lines, and vocals with Grand Canyon sized reverb. The result was a shoegaze journey through everything from psychedelic wonder to even tender moments. The album received rave reviews from all sorts of different outlets, notably an 8/10 from the notoriously difficult-to-win-over Pitchfork.com. Drowned in Sound gave it a “9/10″ and called it a “contender for album of the year.”

Ashes Grammar does not disappoint in the slightest. Sunny Day in Glasgow’s second album presents a band more confident with what they do best: create beautiful, happy dreams via layers and layers of noise mixed with endearing, subtly positioned melodies.

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“Your Steps Alone”

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Formed in 1990 as a piano/bass/drum trio playing the compositions of pianist Michael Sokolowski, Soko (formerly, “Third Ear”) was, in a sense, a proto-jam band, exploring far-flung improvisation via jazz-influenced rock instrumentals. The band (Sokolowski, with Houston Ross & Johnny Gilmore on bass and drums, respectively) worked relentlessly, honing a sophisticated ensemble rapport where set lists and stock arrangements weren’t needed and the trio felt free to disappear into the rabbit hole of the moment, musically reinventing itself every night and developing a strong relationship with its audience. For six years, it remained an underground or “best kept secret” kind of band within a very exciting and creatively fertile Charlottesville music scene. When hitting the road, Soko never failed to turn enthusiastic new listeners on to its fresh and compelling melodic grooves. Many artists sat in with the band, including many appearances by saxophonist LeRoi Moore, Stickist Greg Howard, percussionist Darrell Rose, and guitarist Tim Reynolds.

In 1997, the band released its debut CD, In November Sunlight, featuring guest appearances by members of Dave Matthews Band (Dave, LeRoi Moore, and associate guitarist, Tim Reynolds) — friends of the band and fellow Charlottesville musicians. Because of this association, the disc achieved high sales numbers for an instrumental record. But from a performance and production standpoint, the recording failed to capture the band at its best.

The band disbanded in 1998, though Sokolowski and Ross remained close friends and musical partners. In 2000, the two began work on their follow-up recording, Two enlisting the help of many studio musicians to flesh out the textures and arrangements. Whereas Soko’s music had previously been exclusively about Sokolowski’s tunes, now Houston Ross began to collaborate as a writer, arranger, and singer. It took a long time, but in 2005, the CD was released. Though not a commercial success, the band believes it is a far superior musical offering to In November Sunlight.

Two pieces — “Storyteller” and “Stella: Reflections” — from Soko: Two were featured in filmmaker Jon Ezrine’s dark and comic documentary film, Son of a Bitch! (2007).

Currently, the two musicians have joined forces with formidable drummer, Nir Z (Genesis, Chris Cornell, Joss Stone, Jason Mraz and many others) to release a re-recording of In November Sunlight in an effort to render more definitive versions of their early material.

“Memory Address”

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Proper name Drahoslav Hanzel, born in 1983, started to devote himself to dance music. Then, he was interested in house,acid house and minimalist techno. As young he attend many clubs where was preferred electronic music and that impressed him so much that he started with his own production. In 1998 he got to simple music programs, where he produced mainly techno,later house,deep house and different combination’s of music styles.

He started to play as DJ in 2002 and one year later he had his own resident party in Metroklub Sala (Slovak Republic) called SUBTEST. Apart from it he organized drum and bass parties called Decadence, also in Metroklub. From 2007 he is a member of booking TEXNO.sk (www.techno.sk)

Apart of deep house he also likes to play funky,vocal house, progressive,but also techno. Although he is at scene just for a few years he has played nearly with all slovak DJs. He played at the actions such as Birthdays of FM Radio (Paul Van Dyk),Beefree 2005,Beefree2006,Beefree2007,Boomerang after party, Contact (filterheadz), Techno Terror, Vibes etc. He also plays his sets in the report 4elements on Radio FM,and his tracks were also played in reports like ComUniqueation and Bassline at Radio SITY.

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“Smoke in Your Disguise”

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Few new-millennium acts seem to have gotten the balance of familiar ’80s-club emotional throb and original contemporary energy just right, but this Austin-by-way-of-Orlando quartet is one of ‘em. Songs from the group’s upcoming full-length On The Sleeve sacrifice neither groove nor heft to their quest for resonant quality songcraft. There’s an earnestness to their tunes that defies the over-it, overly detached posturing of so much danceable rock, that pairs the cool with an engaging humanity. Also, of course, they kill it.

“NRT Combine the best elements of punk with the sprawling sound of their homestate.” – Magnet

“The highlights abound.” – Delusions of Adequacy

“Think Pixies meets Joy Division by way of Interpol…Kudos.” – Subba-Cultcha

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“Nuff Respect”

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Putting forward conscious, positive and militant English lyrics, No More Babylon definitely imposes itself as a sure reggae value not only in France but also on a worldwide scale. With this musical piece No More Babylon reminds us that even though reggae comes from Jamaica, it is not only a Jamaican affair !

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“Help I’m Alive”

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Formed in Toronto but, at various times, based in Montreal, London, New York and L.A., Metric boasts the sort of history that requires one of those connect-the-dots redlined maps you see in an Indiana Jones movie — and the story of Fantasies is no different. First stop: Bear Creek, located outside Seattle, Washington.

“The four us went out into the woods as a band with no expectations and did whatever we wanted” Haines recalls. “We were coming from London so it was a serious contrast – it felt like we had left civilization and all that mattered was music again. We wrote a lot of songs there including ‘Gimme Sympathy’, ‘Collect Call’… and ‘Black Sheep’, which isn’t on the album ’cause it has a life of its own. When I listen to the finished record, I feel like all its warmth comes from that place in the woods.”

In their recent episode of the Bruce McDonald-produced IFC documentary series, The Rawside Of…, Metric can be seen performing these songs in stripped-down, acoustic versions, and following the taut, barb-wired rock of Live It Out, it would’ve made total sense for the band to pursue a simple, back-to-basics approach further. But as the scene shifted over the course of 2007 and 2008 — back to Toronto and then New York, with Haines’ Argentina retreat in between — so too did the shape of the album. And through rigorous road-testing of the new songs, the mercurial material gradually solidified into a singular sound.

“We toured the new songs a lot,” Shaw says, “because you might play something 30 times live before you start to realize, ‘Why did I get bored every single time I got to the second verse?’ and ‘Why does the ending always suck?’ The songs went through a lot of surgery, and we really feel like we sculpted them and got the best out of them. I felt like I could hear the sound of the whole thing in my head — it was really big and really dreamy. There were images of chasing invisible butterflies and pterodactyls coming out of their shells and flying off prehistoric cliffs. The sound of the record was more based on the idea of soaring pterodactyls than on that of another band, or some ’70s sound.”

And so an album that began its life as an acoustic jam session in the bucolic woods outside Seattle ends in a cartoon orgy of bloodshed in some mythical arena that exists in the darkest recesses of Emily Haines’ mind. Each extreme represents a fantasy in their own right: the ideal of hermetic artistic purity versus the spectacle of excess and decadence. Being yourself versus being what they want you to be. Emily Haines stared down these very polarities on her own that night at the Phoenix, but with Fantasies, Metric are now free to define their reality on their own terms. So when, amid the daydream electro of “Gimme Sympathy,” Haines invokes that age-old existential dilemma — “Who would you rather be: The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?” — it’s only because she already knows the answer: neither.

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“Love Again”

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Practically pre-destined for music and for each other, Neil and Kate Robins are Dirt Poor Robins, both born with music in their blood.

Kate Robins learned how to sing before she could even talk. “My mother made sure I was always surrounded with music,” she says. When most toddlers her age were learning to tie their shoes, Kate was learning piano. She began performing at the age of four, writing songs at age ten, and recording demos at age twelve. “I found my value in writing songs and being heard.”

Neil began his music training in childhood as well. He quickly picked up piano, trombone, cello, percussion, and guitar, and quickly fell in love with rock guitar. Taking his cues from the early hip hop movement, his style evolved into a blend of hip hop, rock and classical. “I was always trying to pull from those three areas,” Neil says. He plays eight different instruments on their album – 95% of the music.

When Neil and Kate were just entering their twenties, still strangers to each other, they were cast opposite each other as the leads in an off-Broadway musical. “When I heard her open her mouth and sing at the first rehearsal, I thought, ‘That is the best-sounding voice I’ve ever had singing in my face, and I need that voice to sing with me forever’,” Neil says. Two years later, they were married, and eight years after that, they completed their debut album, “The Cage”.

Kate sums up Dirt Poor Robins’ goal: “As opposed to the stereotypical rock star who’s being lifted up by the fans, our desire is to lift up our fans. At our best, that’s what we hope to do.”

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“These Are The Moments” (mp3)

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I would like to think my music is individual and thought provoking after spending many hours on it, My style has been developed over many years in bands and solo, all this and life experience has created what you hear, in joy!

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