It’s that time of the year, the time when we head over to London for the fantastic Lovebox Weekender. The line-up this year is impressive as always, with Snoop Dog performing Doggystyle, Kelis, Blondie, Katy B, Washed Out, Lykke li, Robyn, Scream, Ms Dynamite, Groove Armada presenting their new Red light decks and effects show, the ever impressive beatboxer Beardyman, Robyn, Azari & III, Tensnake, Sebo K, Danny Byrd, London Electricity, Mark E, Floating points, Motorcity Drum Ensemble, Spank Rock, Photek, Aeroplane….the list is never ending.

Our favorite festival site, the leafy jewel of Victoria park is situated in the heart of London. The artists are just one of the reasons why this festival has been voted the best in London. The various stages, from The New York Lowdown re-creating a NYC 80s atmosphere, to the Relentless stage with ever evolving setup, and indie scenes like Gaymers. Add the finest festival food courts, eclectic decorations, a wide range of bars, low key yet chic VIP area, and of course, a fabulous crowd.

Dom Servini and Wah wah 45s will be hoasting their own stage for the whole 3 days. Acts from First Word Records such as Ye Mighty and East Park reggae Collective, hip hop hero Jehst, afro-jazz upstarts United Vibrations, U.S. super-group The Park, a plethora of OneTaste artists including Amber States, Fiona Bevan and Tanya Auclair, plus three of Wah Wah’s finest in the shape of Stac, Resonators and Hackney Colliery Band.

Go to www.lovebox.net for more information

The beauty of pop music like this is that people can sing along to it even after one listen, so if you add more substantial beats and some funk to it it can become a underground hit. But as a producer you need to balance it carefully.

Drop Out Orchestra have done some good stuff lately, check out their remix of Ilija Rudmans “See”, Chic “My world is empty without you” and Robyns “Hang with me“. Their own production “International track” was also Essential new tune on the Essential Mix på BBC Radio some time ago. Aeroplane took off – now its Drop Out Orchestra’s turn. Consisting of a music teacher, a music tech writer, a studio engineer and a singer – the quartet should have a good understanding of what works. The Swedes are ready for international recognition.

Their new album is coming out in January – be ready for a disco treat!

Fast Tube by Casper

Check out this mixtape from Cosmic Disco – a good mix of cosmic disco including the Rick Astley dub.

Thankfully, Nailah chose to dedicate herself to music after a promising career as an attorney in North Carolina. The transition to succeed in the music industry was tough, but after some initial doubts it seems Nailah is destined for success.

Nailah was drawn to music by the local church choirs, and tapped a wide range of musical influences to create her own form. She gives Cassandra Wilson the credit for “making her feel it was ok to bring southern roots into it”, Sarah Vaughn for being inspiring with her fierceness and elegance, and Curtis Mayfield and Gil scott-Heron for their songwriting, political insights and courage.

Nailah’s describes her music as being “a blending of genres…music that is Rooted in Spirit…Based on Jazz.” She is true to jazz in the way that she lets the musicians express themself – leaving a prominent place on the stage to her band – before letting her voice reclaim the space.  ”He speaks” is a good example of this – with its engaging rhythm section being the foundation for musical expression. As far as I have found out, her band features Deron Johnson on piano, Justin DiCenzo on bass, Paul Legapsi on drums, and Matt DeMerrit and Tracy Wannomae as a two man horn orchestra.

“Transcending” slowly introduce a slow bouncy treat, with its bossa rhythms leading a well composed selection of musical instruments.  ”Breathe”, “Hands”  and “Lillies and Birds” are all beautiful low key ballads, with the latter more expressive and powerful. The sound is warm and uplifting, sincere and emotional – creating a powerful musical experience.

“Life in session” is a fantastic collection of songs, but my favorite by miles is “Sacred“. Nailah really shows her songwriting talents and have crafted a beautiful, rich and uplifting number that show why Gilles Peterson has dubbed her “Female voice of the year”. The atmosphere reminds me of what Craig Armstrong compose on top form, built on a foundation of roots and jazz.

Debut album “ConJazzNess” being released later this year on NaiMuse.

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Listen to the full EP at Reverbnation.com

There’s something about the contemporary english interpretation of jazz. People like Aaron Jerome, Quantic, Gilles Peterson and Dom Servini is pushing it from the couch towards the dancefloor in a way most people are probably not familiar with.

This is another great release on the amazingly consistent Wah Wah 45s record label. Two years after his debut single Adam Scrimshire finally released his debut album last year. I can’t think of one person I have played this for that did not ask for its name. More than one year after I first heard it, it is still on rotation. So it was about time I shared it with you here.

The opening bars of “The low road” slowly introduce the record with analogue sounds before the drums puts it its rightful tempo and make room for the vocals of Rob Hynd. Right from the start you appreciate the rich sounds and the balanced production.

“Springtime” is perhaps the most classic jazz number –  a delightfully light piece with Claire Lauren on vocals, before Rob Hynd is back with a slow and stripped down ballad – only backed by simple drums and guitar for most of the song. Norwegian Inga-Lill Aker supplies the vocals on one of the the finest tracks on the album – “Warm sound” and Stac (who recently released a brilliant debut album, produced by Scrimshire) has the pleasure of providing the lyrics on the final track.

Despite the vocal talents of his collaborators, the track that stands out for me is the instrumental ”All roads leads you home”. This is perhaps the biggest compliment to Scrimshire, as it underlines his strengths as a composer and producer. The song has been the soundtrack for those late night summer strolls the morning after the night before, when the sun is appearing and everyone seems to move slow. It is an instrumental track, yet a monumental track.

Scrimshire.com | WahWah45s | Amazon |

I am not to big fan of the circus that is Amy Winehouse. But when UK Garage maestro MJ Cole put his finishing touches on this remix back in 2004 – the result was a playful little treat. Back in the 1990s he was one of the pioneers of the 2step and UK Garage sound and his big hit “Sincere” (1998) is still a magical piece of music.

Fast Tube by Casper

On that note, there are unsubstantiated rumors that the genre is making a comeback. So I have picked out a few gems I remember from the days of the Strictly Rhythm and Artful Dodger. Myron – We can get down (Groove chronicles remix), Jocelyn Enriques – A little bit of ecstasy (Book t dub), Logic – Blues for you (hard dub), Underground Solution – Get happy, Underground Solution – Luv dancin, House to house – I need your love, Solution – Feels so right, RIP – The chant.

Celebrating my 28th birthday wasn’t supposed to be all that. However it was a perfect weekend. A great birthday party at Barbeint on friday, out with my best mates on saturday and then a perfect sunday in the park and later with family and my girlfriend. Sunshine all weekend. And to top it all, one of the best presents I can remember getting – A state of the art gramophone player.

This phonograph was first spotted at an antique store at Sagene. Walking through the city on a lazy sunday with my girl, we spotted this through the window. The owner, although peak hours for an antique dealer, was out and the shop closed. Knowing I had been talking about this for a while, she went back for it, wrapped it, and made it the perfect gift.

As far as my research goes it is made after 1909 by The Gramophone Company, a Camden company that introduced the legendary “His Master’s Voice” label that year. The label was painted by Francis Barraud and pictures a dog (“Nipper”)  listening to an early phonograph. The U.S. rights to the label and name was licenced to Victor Talking Machine Company in 1929, and that company was later sold to Radio Corporation of America (RCA). The Gramophone Company later opened the HMV record store on 363 Oxford Street, London.

It is handcrafted from the finest dark pinewood for the eight cornered box casing, and the best quality brass for the horn. The piece looks like the original  - but I have not yet been able to verify if it is an original or a reproduction. It features “Nipper” in a stamped logo as he listens to “His Masters Voice” (printed) along with “The Gramophone Company Ltd”.

I am now in the market for a quality needle, and look forward to appreciate the vintage sound.

His engagement in society, politics and afro-american rights a key theme in his music. “The revolution will not be televised” is in that context  a great example, as it is an exquisite piece of soul music. A key piece of the album “Pieces of a man”, it was released on Flying Dutchman in 1971 and spans the early years of Gil’s career before he left the label for Arista. Working with Bob Thiele he got the mix of jazz, soul and poetry just right. His social awareness so apparent in his lyrics, dealing with the superficiality of television and mass consumerism, the hypocrisy of some would-be Black revolutionaries, white middle-class ignorance of the difficulties faced by inner-city residents, and homophobia.

My personal favorites from the album are “Lady Day and John Coltrane” (cheekily sampled by Kjell for the drum’n'bass heads), “Pieces of a man”, and not least the fantastic “Save the children”.

“I’m new here“, Gil’s first album in 16 years hit the shelves this february and was indeed impressive. Released on XL Recordings it has got that unmistakably soul of Scott-Heron all over it. Do not miss out on the opportunity to see a true legend live on stage in Oslo!

Tickets are still available here

José James came to prominence when Gilles Peterson signed him to Brownswood Recordings a couple of years ago. His debut album, “The Dreamer“, has been one of my most frequently played records over the last two years, and I think it is now widely recognised for the great piece of music that it is. Finally, his new album, “Black Magic” is here.

His voice comes across as a modern Gil Scott-Heron, with influences ranging from Marvin Gaye to the unmistakable John Coltrane. ”Black magic” as José describes in the booklet, conveys a lot of meaning, from the roots of black music across genres with its emotional expression ranging from passionate uproar to the beauty of love.

The mission for José James is in his own words, “to create something classic, that is also relevant for todays people”. With “Black magic” he continues the journey he set out on “The Dreamer” this time drawing on a solid group of producers for assistance.

Not that he needed assistance, because one of the biggest strengths of the debut was the feel of the soundscape, the completeness of the production and how it perfectly arranged the vocals with the instruments, making it sound polished without loosing a live feel to it.

But the willingness to experiment and push himself further is a true feature of José James, and also one of the reasons he is such a good fit with Gilles Petersons Brownswood label. As label manager Emily says; “he has always been open and willing to work with different people and get completely out of his comfort zone. Not many vocalists of this sort of seriousness and pedigree can be found covering a dubstep classic, Mc-ing for Flying lotus at Brainfeeder events, having their vocals pitched up and twisted out by Basement Jaxx, or throwing down a rap for SOIL&”PIMP”’s ubercool trio side project J.A.M.”

The Productions by Flying Lotus Dj Mitsu the Beats, and Moodyman should increase his reach to further audiences without loosing his base. Of the producers, it is Flying Lotus that has the largest footprint on the record. Being involved from an early stage in the writing and recording process, his slow hip-hop grooves and atmospheric sounds is apparent on a number of tracks. Of his three  productions, “Code”, “Made for love” and “Blackmagic”, the latter is my favourite.

But the standout track for me is “Promise in love”. Produced by Dj Mitsu The Beats, the slow, warm beats and trumpet creates the perfect base to highlight José’s fantastic voice. Another great example is “Lay you down” – where bouncy and slow funk groove really accompany the vocal, this time with staying slightly more prominent in the soundscape.

“Touch”, “Save your love for me”, “The greater good”, “Beauty” and “No tellin’” is the tracks that mostly resembles the debut, whereas Moodyman develops the classic José James voice with a characteristic production on “Detroit Loveletter”. Worth mentioning is “Love conversation” the only track on the record with a vocal collaboration. The conversation with Jordana De Lovely is an example of how José also fits well with other artists in a more supporting role.

James has even adapted of Benga’s dubstep anthem “Emotions,” adding his own vocals and re-titling the track “Warrior” – after the title of Bengas album “Diary of an afro warrior”. The dark and slightly paranoid foundation of beats blends well with the smooth jazz piano and Josés vocals – taking it into a new exciting territory.

Again, if you haven’t checked out José James yet – you are in for a treat. The video is a great introduction.

Brownswood Recordings | Amazon | MySpace | Juno Download |

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.

The opening track of the debut album from The Velvet Underground and was released as a single with “Femme Fatale” the same year. The album “The Velvet Underground & Nico” has been widely regarded as one of the most influential records of its time.

Written by Lou Reed and John Cale on a sunday morning (fact) with the voice of German singer-singwriter and model Nico in mind – but ended up with Reed himself singing the vocal. The bands manager, Paul Morissey, originally was opposed to the idea and regarded Lou Reeds voice as less remarkable than Nico – who in the end supported Reed with the backing vocals. Luckily, artistic expression took precedence  over commercial viability.

The band was managed by Morissey and Andy Warhol, who also did the artwork for the album. Warhol and Morissey had previously used the acting talents of Nico in experimental films like “Chelsea Girls” and insisted that she became a part of the group. It was to be a short fling, and she left the group shortly after the release. She was romantically involved both Reed and Cale, but no drama was behind her decision to quit the band. Both later worked with her. On that note, they were not the only  high profile musicians she was involved with – the list also included Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, Tim Buckely, Iggy Pop  and Jim Morrison.

The song is laid back and beautiful – perfect for those lazy sundays spent with a long breakfast, a sunny day in the park or in a deep couch of a smoke filled café. The celestas soft and light sound, set in the context of the psychedelic, unpolished and unmistakably british rock sound, with Lou Reeds characteristic voice and simple lyrics creates the perfect contexts for celebrating the lightness of being.

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