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Artist: Swindle
Release: Walters Call
Label: Brownswood Recordings
Genre: Dance
Brownswood Recordings and Deep Medi are proud to announce the release of Swindle’s “Walter’s Call EP”.
Swindle – one of the most exciting, charismatic young producers coming out of the UK – received outstanding reviews last year in response to his album “Long Live The Jazz” where, according to XLR8R, “the South Londoner… settled into a brightly embellished, jazz-inflected style of dubstep”. He also played piano for the Mala in Cuba Live shows in 2012/13, a testament for his ability to waver between styles and genres impeccably. As well as this, Swindle holds a key role in the Butterz label and Collective, and has produced for the likes of Roll Deep and Footsie. Now well known for his dynamic live shows, Swindle’s sound is truly unique and constantly developing.
With ‘Walter’s Call’, Swindle dives straight in at the deep end with sirens and footwork inspired drums, gradually building themes of energetic brass brilliance into the mix. Seamlessly produced, this sets the EP off to a blazing start, introducing the influences of early 20th century chaotic jazz, which run throughout.
‘Summer Fruits’ is a track that begins with a gentle and disarming piano tune, swiftly developing into a lively melodic combination of well delivered vocal samples and prevailing brass rhythms. It gets your feet moving and renders the feeling of an easy sunny afternoon, with smooth harmonious flows combined with bursts of energetic flare resonating his influences.
Disjointed classic house piano chords kick off ‘Smash N Grab’, which again carries Swindle’s distinctive bouncing sound. At one point calm, then at the next in full swing, it’s just as much of a roller coaster as the rest of this smashing EP.
Artist: The Pop Group
Release: Cabinet of Curiosities
Label: Freaks R Us
Genre: Alternative
“It’s one of those moments when the cogs of your mind shift and your life is going to irreversibly change forever” – Nick Cave on hearing The Pop Group for the first time.
The Pop Group, one of the most wildly innovative and barrier-shattering bands to emerge from the late ’70s post-punk era, are finally seeing their rare and fabled legacy reissued for the first time!
Cabinet Of Curiosities is a brand new, nine-track compilation which kicks off with the fractured future-funk single ‘Where There’s A Will’, described by Sager [guitarist] as “The group’s best attempt to mix a message with a groove plus some real free playing. If you are really unhinged you may be able to dance to this.” Next up is the unheard, original previously unreleased version of ‘She Is Beyond Good And Evil’, probably the band’s most infamous song and more recently covered by St Vincent on the Jimmy Fallon show and throughout her Strange Mercy tour.
Cabinet Of Curiosities continues with BBC John Peel session tracks ‘We Are Time’ and ‘Words Disobey Me’, and rounds up previously unreleased songs ‘Abstract Heart’ and ‘Karen’s Car’, plus other alternative versions. Mark Stewart describes Cabinet Of Curiosities as being of similar status to a lost Pop Group album.
The Pop Group was born in Bristol in 1977 out of a disenchantment with punk failing to bust out of its rock origins. With mystical fire, enraged by global injustices, the group delivered scathing political and society-indicting messages aboard a post-apocalypse roller coaster, ferociously straddling their beloved free jazz, conscious funk, heavyweight dub and audacious experimentalism.
Artist: Batida
Release: Dois
Label: Soundway Records
Genre: Dance – Beats & Breaks / Electronica
“Slippery guitars of classic African dance-band music and a touch of pumping super-modern bass.” The Telegraph
Batida is to release his new album “Dois” via Soundway Records in early October. Strands of Afro-House, Kuduro, Benga, Semba, samples from old Angolan movies and Afrobeat tracks, African MCs and musicians from all over the world are all deftly mixed together by Pedro Coquenão.
Inspired by the multicultural hotbed of his home city of Lisbon and trips to Nairobi and Luanda, ‘Dois’ was predominately produced in his own garage-studio over a two-year period.
In 2012 Batida’s explosive self-titled debut came out on Soundway Records. Mixing the syncopated rhythms of Kuduro with elements of 1970s Semba and Congolese-influenced guitar licks, Pedro Coquenão won fans for an album that “demanded movement” (The Line of Best Fit) and “gave a view of the old and new, the West and Africa.” (The Guardian)
Much of the remix and sampling spirit from the first record remains but ‘Dois’ also features live instrumentation along with a host of different guests.
English, Portuguese, Quimbundo and Zulu languages all feature on ‘Luxo’ with Spoek Mathambo (South Africa) & his crew contributing the lyrics together with Angolan MC Sacerdote and a guitar riff by Duncan Lloyd (Maximo Park). On ‘Céu’ Coquenão pushes things in a deeper direction, dis-assembling and reforming elements of the Francois & The Atlas Mountains studio sessions of the track ‘Les Plus Beaux’ .
His widely acclaimed live show, featuring dancers, MC’s, visuals and live electronics has seen him perform at Africa Express and on the Ten Cities project, live on the Boiler Room and all across Europe at some of the biggest festivals.
Artist: Thief
Release: You Look so Good to Me
Label: Rabble Recordings
Genre: Pop
Thief is the electronic pop brainchild of Australian PJ Wolf, who traded in his guitars for synthesizers, crafting a fresh minimalist sound that would embrace the aesthetic of contemporaries such as Metronomy, Miike Snow, Frank Ocean and N.E.R.D. Thief has garnered significant support for his debut single ‘Broken Boy’ and ‘Closer’ EP from Triple J and key blog tastemakers such as Neon Gold, ATG, Kick Kick Snare, Earmilk and Indieshuffle. He has also has some great early spot play on Radio 1 and XFM over the last week, as well as a TOP 5 Hype Machine chart. He releases his brand new single ‘You Look So Good To Me’ around his appearance at CMJ in New York.