Category — News

I was on a short weekend break in London last weekend. And when I saw the band was playing, seeing Joey Negro’s Sunburst Band live at the fantastic Jazz Café in Camden took prominence over the activities that was originally planned. I Broke away from my schedule, and jumped on the northern line. I arrived 20 minutes into the show, and worse, all tickets sold out. Coming all the way from Oslo I was determined to find away. Using a combination of conversation skills and the odd bribe, the doors finally opened and I got to enjoy 35 minutes of an enthusiastic live band in front of a pleased audience.

The Sunburst Band is a collective born out of Dave Lee aka Joey Negro’s passion for boogie, funk, disco and jazz.The band are taking the live circuit by storm playing sell out venues across the UK and Europe with a highly polished and unique live sound that is missing from much of today’s dance music. In Dave’s words; “It’s not like I’m the guy who harps on that it was so much better back in ’78, but at the same time I’m a bit of a polar resistor who goes against the flow. So many dance acts are making electro I’ve gone the other way with this project. I’ve missed the performance thing, the intensity of a band playing together.”

Indeed, house music needs to rediscover the live performance. Seeing seven talented musicians play off each other, the vocalists, the saxophone, the bass, the drums, the guitar, the keys and the electronic elements all blended together with enthusiasm and joy – It certainly was a great experience.

As always, I highly recommend you to visit the Jazz Café if you are in London.

I am constantly caring about your musical education. I search for new music every single day, it being online, in magazines, in record stores, in my friends record collections or on the radio (fortunately my friends still got record collections).

Today I thought I’d share some of the radio shows that I listen to regularly. Obviously, BBC is a great place to start.

• Gilles Peterson on BBC Radio One
• Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show on BBC 6 Music
• John Peel Sessions
• The Essential Mix with Pete Tong on BBC Radio One
• Dom Servini’s Unherd radio show (Wah Wah 45s) is broadcasted every monday between 9-12 (UK time), and you can also listen online.
• Wah Wah 45s are also one of many interesting djs/labels broadcasting on Zamurai FM.

There are also a great number of podcasts available through iTunes – “Gilles Peterson Worldwide”, “Jus like Music”, Roger Sanchez’s “Release yourself” podcast and “Defected in The House” being some of my favorites.

Ibiza. The island always provides a music schizophrenic like me with tons of inspiration, and this time was no exception. My summer trip that took me from Oslo to London, Ibiza and Barcelona brought together sounds from all genres, and I thought it was a good excuse for a long overdue dj-mix that showcase some of that experience.

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I put together a blend of minimal techno, tech-house and tribal influences from the island. Not necessarily the tunes I heard, but just trying to recreate and relive the summer when the fall sets in and the closing parties are over. All the moments – the girls, the music, the djs, the scenery, the vibe, the clubs.

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You can download the mix here, and I would love to hear your feedback.

Tracklist:

1. Sebastian Leger – Discotechno

2. Lauhaus – Back to Ipanema

3. Solo – Afreaka

4. Dj Gregory  & Gregor Salto – Con Alegria (Solo more cowbell remix)

5. Saeed Younan – Backroom Honey (original mix)

6. Micha Klang – Baby I am for real (Nima Gorji remix)

7. Alex Niggaman – El Henchizo (original mix)

8. Io – Jeton

9. Martin Eyerer and Benno Blome – Pianoroll (Ramon Tapia remix)

10. Nima Gorji – Keep on getting down

11. Johnny D – Soleil (original)

12. Solo – Joga Bola

13. Funkagenda – Flauta Magica (original)

14. Edu Imbernon and Coyu – El Baile (original mix)

15. Muzzaik – Going Underground (original mix)

16. Eric Entrena and D-Unity – Drugs and stuff (D-Nox and Beckers remix)

17. WWW – Relaxx (Uner and Coyu remix)

18. Joris Voorn – Chase the mouse (original mix)

19. Arnaud Le Texier & V-Sexion – Funk some thoughts (remix by Lemons)

There is lots of good stuff happening in Oslo in the coming weeks Most of which there are still tickets available for. We should all go out to see more live music, and with this program you have no excuse to stay in.

First out of my recommendations are Massive Attack, on tuesday 20th of october at Rockefeller. Tickets are sold out now, but I thought I’d give it a mention anyway. Check out their MySpace site to re-experience the incredible albums “Blue Lines”, “Protection”, “Mezzanine” and “100th window”. The new single “Splitting the atom” was just released in a limited edition of 1,000 copies with exclusive artwork by The Vinyl Factory – you can get it here. Revitalized for the digital world – this is the only physical product released. Last time I saw Massive Attack was back in 2003 at the Quart festival, where they delivered an impressive visual show to accompany the soundscape.

The 24th of october, swedish pop-comet Veronica Maggio enter the stage at John Dee. Her fantastic voice combined with Motown and Stax inspired productions made “Måndagsbarn” a huge hit here. There are very few tickets left for this show at the reasonably small venue.

The 5th of november, a true legend is bringing warmth and sunshine to chilly Oslo. Gilberto Gil had a prominent role in the Tropicalísta-movement that revolutionized Brazilian music in the 1960s. Rhythms from the northeast of Brazil like the baião, apart from samba and bossa-nova were fundamental in his formation. Using them as a starting point, Gil forged his own music to which he incorporated rock, reggae, funk and rhythms from Bahia such as afoxé. Gilberto will perform in Oslo together with his son Bem Gil and cellist, producer and composer Jaques Morelenbaum. The show is part of Oslo World Music Festival and is not to be missed. Tickets are 320.- and you can get them here. Why not revisit his music on Spotify or YouTube?

Kings of Convenience is playing at Sentrum Scene friday the 20th of november. Erlend Øye’s acoustic adventures with fellow band member Eirik Glambek just resulted in album number three – “Declaration of dependence”  - which you’ll find on Spotify. Tickets are 270.- and you can get them from billettservice.

Next up is french electronica maestros Air, who recently released their fifth album “Love 2″. Tickets are 350.- and I would recommend to sort yours out asap. Sentrum Scene will provide the right balance of scale and intimacy november 28th.

My last recommendation for the year is Norwegian folk singer Jens Carelius. His second album “The beat of the travel” has given him much deserved recognition and rave reviews. Last time I attended one of his shows (back in february at Gamla) he created an unique atmosphere I highly recommend experiencing. Jens Carelius is playing at John Dee the 11th of december. Tickets are 150.-.

Groove Armada have just finished their new album entitled ‘Black Light’. The release isn’t scheduled until February 2010, but to celebrate its completion Andy and Tom have decided to give away the track “Warsaw”.

Yesterday marked the launch the whole album campaign in Warsaw, because the first new track people will hear is called Warsaw. The event held a 70,000 crowd in Warsaw, basically just a massive, free party with an enormous soundsystem. Yesterday, the track also became available for free at Groovearmada.com

I got to hear a version of the song at Lovebox this year, and this album opener featuring on vocals Nick Littlemore from PNAU & the ever so popular Empire of the Sun is marking a really exciting musical direction for the band. It is a very Gary Numan-80s-electro inspired number for the big stage.

There is a lot of exciting collaborations to look forward to – numero uno being Roxy Music’s Bryan Ferry! – but also the likes of Lovefoxx (CSS), Saint Saviour, Jess (She keeps bees), and Ben (Fenech-Soler).

Head over to groovearmada.com to get the free track!

The band just announced that they will be giving the UK its first taste of their all-new Black Light live show, with six dates across in October – with Bristol, Leeds, Edinburgh, London, Birmingham and the wonderful Warehouse Project in Manchester the chosen destinations.

To celebrate the release of Brownswood Bubblers 4 on the 24th of August 2009, the lovely people at Brownswood Recordings have put together a special ‘Best Of Bubblers Mixtape’ featuring a selection of some of their favourite tracks from all four Bubblers compilations.

If your new to the Bubblers series, then this will give you a taste of what they are all about. If your a seasoned Bubbler then this mix is sure to push all the right buttons and set you up nicely for BB4.

The Tracklist is as follows:
1. Soundspecies – Can We Call It Love (with Ahu) [BB4]
2. Simbad feat. Steelo – Soul Fever [BB1]
3. Bullion – Get Familiar [BB3]
4. NSM – The Hype [BB2]
5. Katalyst feat. Steve Spacek – How Bout Us [BB3]
6. Cornish Waters feat. Duchess – Walking [BB2]
7. Ayak & First Man – Can We Go Back? [BB1]
8. DJ Day – A Place To Go [BB3]
9. Mayer Hawthorne – Maybe So, Maybe No [BB4]
10. Iman – Who Was I Trying To Fool [BB1]
11. Flying Lotus – Tea Leaf Dancers [BB2]
12. New Look – Everything [BB4]

For me, the label have provided quality from day one, including compilations, singles and albums. If you haven’t checked out the label yet, I suggest you do!

Download the mix HERE

U.S. Soul singer Leela James is playing at John Dee in Oslo on sunday. You don’t want to miss out on this one. Check out this YouTube video and you get my point. She has been likened to soul greats such as Aretha Franklin and Chaka Kahn and has released two full length albums, the latest being this years “Let’s do it again”. Leela is more than capable of doing her own shows nowadays, but she has also toured with artists like Macy Gray and the Black Eyed Peas. Collaboration-wise she has people like Kanye West, Wyclef Jean and Raphael Saadiq on her CV. 

Personally, I’m still at Lovebox Weekender in London, so I am a bit bummed about missing out. Especially as she did two shows in London only days before I arrived. Anyway, I would be happy if you attended – it will be a great show. Be sure to tell me all about it afterwards!

There are still tickets left (billettservice), so be quick!

I am looking forward to dj’ing at Hells Kitchen on friday. I’ll bring my usual selection of funk, soul, breaks and disco – a lot of it you should be familiar with if you are a loyal reader of this blog. A lot of good music being released these days, so expect a lot of new gems. Hells Kitchen is a small, old school bar/restaurant with a kick ass Funktion One Soundsystem (can’t wait!).  I’ll be playing from about 2300 until 0300. See you there?

The wonderful Flevans is back with a new album “27 Devils”. It is a magnificent melting pot of soulful yet catchy songs and irresistible dancefloor tracks, infused with Flevans’ innate knack for an unforgettable hook, and boasting guest vocals from Sarah Scott and Shona Foster, not to mention Flevans himself singing on a few numbers. It is a very much anticipated third album after the great sounds of “Make new friends” (2004) and “Unfabulous” (2007).

The wonderful people at Tru Thoughts Recordings has put together a podcast with Flevans in charge – just to get your groove on. CLick here to listen to the podcast – a guided tour through the whole album from the man himself – I reckon you’ll like it, at least I did! 

Of course, all Tru Thoughts releases can be bought from Etch Shop

Flevans | MySpace | Tru Thoughts |

Quantic is about to unleash the force of his Combo Bárbaro, so in advance of the release of their album ”Tradition In Transition” (6th July), and the release is celebrated with a series of parties at various venues in the UK, before hitting off for a live tour of selected spots in Europe and America throughout August and September.

As you might know, Will “Quantic” Holland moved from the UK to Cali (Columbia) to pursue his passion for both unearthing lost treasures from Colombia’s musical past and making new music with the golden array of talent available today. You probably know his first two albums from this adventure, Quantic Soul Orchestra’s “Tropidelico” and Quantic presenta Flowering Inferno “Death of the revolution“. 

Since 2007 he has brought together a multi-cultural band of exceptional musicians giving an explosive sonic snapshot of the ever-evolving musical landscape of the Americas. The international cast of acclaimed musical creators fusing those rediscovered psychedelic, experimental and rhythmically rich sounds of the past with deep funk and soul elements.