It seems so long ago now that Claire Boucher previewed her third album, Visions, with this track. The beguiling Canadian singer/producer's record didn't disappoint and it shaping up to be one of the best of the year. 'Oblivion' is still the stand out track with its crisp electro beats infused with an exotic Orientalism and Boucher's ephemeral ghostly voice. Then just to pull it all together its backed by a series of hugely infectious, entwining bass rhythms.
One half of London-based bass label and dj team Night Slugs, L-Vis 1990 dropped his debut solo LP late last year. Moving restlessly into pastures new, instead of Night Slugs' speaker-destroying bass workouts, 'Neon Dreams' was full of chrome-plated synth lines and pop melodies. Loosely united around the concept of each track having a different vocalist to run riot with L-Vis wonderful production.
Previous single 'Feel The Void', featuring Para One and Teki
Latex, was a retro-futuristic take on the disco-ier end of classic
house records, 'Tonight' works the same vein, underpinned by
infectious bubbling arpeggios and Samantha Lim's beautiful, soulful
vocals.
Out March 19th on PMR.
Read an interview with L-Vis 1990 in the current issue of Tank Magazine
Anyone who saw Blur farting their way through a greatest hit set at the Brits recently, looking and sounding like a bunch of middle-aged pub rockers, wouldn't really be holding high hopes for a Damon Albarn solo record right now. Yet on this project, a recording about the 16th Century magician and alchemist John Dee, Albarn find's himself in restrained form, working his voice delicately around traditional Tudor instruments and choral music. Apparently the record, titled 'Dr Dee' will be spiced up with modern African sounds, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's followed Damon's post-Blur work.
Anyway, the snippets of tracks played in the trailer below sound
reassuringly good, and the whole project seems actually quite
interesting.
